Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies-Chapter 336 - 330: Editor: Money is Hard to Earn...

Editor Ami Furukawa was working overtime at Eijisha publishing office.

"Attack on Titan" had recently shown potential for both a live-action adaptation and an anime series.

The anime negotiations were progressing smoothly, and even a preview PV had already been completed.

If all went well, it could be scheduled for release in April.

The production side had such abundant funding that it made others in the industry envious.

If nothing went wrong, next April would likely shake the entire ACG (Anime, Comics, Games) scene of Japan.

Ever since she took over that guy, Ami Furukawa's treatment and status at Eijisha publishing office had skyrocketed.

On the flip side—

Her overtime hours had also been increasing day by day. It was the kind of trouble that came with success. Of course, for Editor Ami Furukawa, working overtime wasn't a big deal.

Negotiating deals, organizing manuscripts, online promotion, offline marketing...

These were all things a qualified editor should be doing. After all, she was getting paid for it.

But... what Ami Furukawa couldn't accept was—

Why was the energy and time she spent chasing after manuscripts more than her actual job duties?!

She remembered the first time she met that boy.

He had clearly seemed like a steady, mature young man—far more mature than his age suggested.

He didn't even have a cringey, chuuni pen name, which is usually every rookie writer's dark past.

No matter how she looked at it, he seemed like someone reliable.

However—

On her computer screen, the LINE chat with that boy still remained on her long, heartfelt attempts at persuasion—

And...

"Out doing field research, taking a week off, mwah~ 💋"

A vein throbbed visibly on her forehead.

Ami Furukawa felt like her years-long low blood pressure had been instantly cured.

She was seriously considering whether she should buy a machete and show up at his door to demand his manuscript.

Just as she was trying to suppress her rising fury—

And turn her attention back to the cooperation documents on her desk—

Her gaze casually swept past the office door.

In that brief glance, she seemed to catch sight of a familiar figure. Editor Ami Furukawa paused for a moment, then rubbed her eyes.

Looking up again, the figure hadn't disappeared.

So it wasn't a hallucination.

"WTF—YOU BASTARD!"

Ami Furukawa leapt over her desk and charged straight at Haruto—

Determined to grab this bastard of an author by the throat and throttle his irresponsible soul.

But as she got closer, she realized—this damn slacker didn't come alone. Behind him stood a very delicate-looking young girl.

Ami Furukawa abruptly stopped in her tracks and quickly smoothed out the fury on her face.

She cleared her throat to hide the awkwardness.

This was all Haruto's fault. She used to be so elegant and gentle—famous in Eijisha for being the kindest editor.

Haruto's mouth twitched.

He had thought he'd at least look impressive arriving at Shueisha. After all, he walked in without a hitch. But the moment he stepped in, the editor charged at him like a wild beast.

Behind him, Izumi quietly watched the scene unfold.

She didn't quite understand—even though that big sister charged at them so ferociously, there hadn't been a single trace of killing intent.

Why?

The editing department suddenly fell into an awkward silence.

A few nearby editors couldn't help but chuckle.

While they were envious that Ami Furukawa landed this genius writer—if someone asked whether they wanted this "blessing" themselves...

They'd have to seriously consider it.

Clearly, money is hard to earn, and shit is hard to swallow.

The way Furukawa had been driven half-crazy from deadline stress, crawling in the shadows, twisting in chaotic despair—they had all seen it.

Finally, Haruto cleared his throat, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

"Ahem. Editor Furukawa, I brought a very promising newcomer here to submit her manuscript to Eijisha. Her writing style is... well, why don't you take a look yourself."

He handed Izumi Takatsuki's manuscript over to Ami Furukawa.

She mechanically accepted it.

Upon realizing it was a novel, she hesitated slightly.

Writing a good novel required both talent and experience—crafting vibrant characters and compelling prose wasn't easy.

Even the debut works of genius authors usually only hinted at brilliance, rather than bursting with it.

Still, out of respect, Ami Furukawa began reading seriously. But just after flipping two pages, she sucked in a cold breath.

Hsssss!! Were newcomers this terrifying these days?!

Although she mainly handled manga, she had enough sense to judge a novel's quality. And clearly, this rough draft was no less stunning than the "Attack on Titan" manuscript she'd seen years ago.

She took a deep breath and waved over a few nearby editors.

Among them were those who specialized in novels, who might have a more accurate eye than her.

The others came over, not knowing what was going on—

Some joking about Furukawa's editor-author "love-hate relationship" with Haruto. But once they laid eyes on the draft titled "The Black Goat's Egg"—

Everyone went silent.

The sound of pages flipping filled the editing office. When the final page turned, they all stopped. Their burning gazes turned toward the young girl.

Most girls her age would have panicked under such intense stares, but Izumi stood there quietly, completely unbothered.

After a moment—

"Take a seat. We're going to need a proper discussion."

Ami Furukawa gestured toward the nearby sofa.

Haruto led Izumi over.

Funny enough, this was the same place where Haruto had signed his contract back then. The three of them sat down, while the other editors stayed to watch. Ami Furukawa placed the draft on the table, her emotions mixed.

Landing two genius newcomers in a row—this was rare.

"The draft quality is extremely high... honestly, it's too high. I don't even see anything that needs revision. While it's not written in a popular style, good writing breaks barriers. I think the prospects are excellent. But... what's her situation right now?"

She glanced at Haruto.

If possible, she absolutely wanted to keep this prodigy novelist with Eijisha.

Haruto ruffled Izumi's hair.

"This kid's situation is... a bit complicated. But I think she's not even fourteen yet."

Furukawa nodded.

She figured it would be something like this.

"That's a bit troublesome. Our media laws don't allow anyone under 14 to publish independently."

"We'll need the guardian's consent—and might even need to operate through the guardian's identity."

Hearing this, Izumi glanced at Haruto, her eyes flickering.

She didn't have a guardian.

"I'm her guardian," Haruto said, pointing to himself.

Editor Furukawa's mouth twitched.

She had read Haruto's personal info—

This guy wasn't just young-looking, he was literally just barely of legal age! He was still a kid himself—could he really take on the responsibility of a guardian?

Then again... Ami Furukawa thought of Haruto's massive royalties.

Maybe it wasn't an issue.

Money could solve a lot of things.

"That makes things more complicated. The name 'Izumi Takatsuki' is already too famous in the industry."

She frowned.

Even though The Black Goat's Egg was incredible—

Linking it with an already famous pen name, which could rake in money with anything, was a risk.

Izumi blinked at Haruto.

For once, she showed some emotional response to the name "Izumi Takatsuki."

"It's fine. Just publish it under 'Izumi Takatsuki.' No problem. We're counting on you, Editor Furukawa."

Haruto said, patting her head and bowing slightly.

Furukawa sighed. Usually, editors wouldn't take this kind of gamble, but if the author herself said so...

"Alright. Then we'll need her identification documents and proof of guardianship."

She began digging out contract forms.

Izumi tugged on Haruto's sleeve.

She didn't have an ID.

But Haruto gently patted her hand, signaling her to relax.

Then he sent a message to the Foundation.

Not long after, a set of legal identification documents for Japan arrived along with an orphanage adoption certificate and legal guardian certification.

Haruto forwarded it all to Editor Furukawa, who then printed and filed the documents.

Izumi, holding Haruto's phone and looking at her own identity info on screen, had a complicated look in her eyes.