This is an Offer You Can't Pass Up!

“And Chihiro-chan, you just so… happen… to be working on an illustration project I’m assuming for someone you refuse to tell me about?”

Fujioka meekly nodded.

“So help me gods… Chihiro, if you’re doing professional illustrations for this boy's stupid fanfiction I— I— I’m gonna black list you from every publishing house! I had two one-point-five million yen contracts lined up for you!

With regained composure, Fujioka slapped her palm on the table. “You don’t get it. There’s potential where no one else will recognize it here.”

“Yeah!” I backed her up of course—somewhat for my sake. “And my project isn’t stupid! It’s the next big thing!”

“Oh please. The next big things are Too Many Heartbroken Heroines and The Soft Spoken Girl Next Door Pampers Me Too Much. Not whatever reincarnation crap you’re writing.”

Reincarnation isn’t crap! I ought to fight you here and now in the name of peak fiction! “I-I’ll have you know I’m not writing anything like that… It’s about a girl joining a band… and it’ll do waves! Waves!”

“I’m sure it will. And sit down, you're embarrassing me.” My face turned red when I glanced over the restaurant and most, if not all, of the diners were staring at me. “If this is what you want, Chihiro, be my guest. But when you become nothing more than a “what could’ve been” in the industry, don’t come crying to me for another chance.”

“Like how you cried to your ex-husband for a second and third?”

“What was that!? You—”

The three of us sat on the curb outside the diner.

“You need to learn some self-control, Iijima-san.” Fujioka dusted off her shoulders.

“You need to control your mouth.”

I sat between to make sure nothing broke out again. It was more of a symbolic gesture, as Fujioka is a good thirteen centimeters taller than me and Iijima is a fully grown adult. I understand why they were paired together by whatever agency Iijima works for. Any mere mortal man couldn’t handle either of them.

Clearly exhausted by our antics, Iijima let out a sigh as she stood. Reaching into her blazer, she pulled out a crisp white envelope and extended it to Fujioka.

“This is…?” She said with an eyebrow raise.

“An offer… An offer for when you’re ready to do some real work again.” Her head of short-black hair flipped as she spun around and briskly left us. Makes me think, was she always like this? Or has working with Fujioka made her this way…? I can only speculate that having to deal business with such a strong-headed woman would break anyone’s spirit… Hold on, will working with her do that to me!?
“No way.”

“Huh? What is it?” I lazily turned my head. Fujioka held the letter unfolded in her hands with the opened envelope sitting beside her. “Who’s it from?”

“Josh-sensei.”

“...Who?”

She shook her head and clearly her throat—clearly Josh is a big deal or something. How can you be someone famous enough to impress the Fuchi-sensei and just be named Josh? “Right, I suppose most people have never heard of her… “Josh” is her pen name, and even then she has it hidden on her works, only going by the publishing house that she works with.”
“So… How do you even know this lady exists?”

“That’s exactly it… no one’s sure if she’s a collective of authors or one super-genius. There have only been whispers of her identity… But to get a letter from her? This is unheard of.”

“I— I think I’m still a bit lost…”

“She did one interview with a voice changer about two years ago, talking about her new series, that’s the only reason we know she might be a real person. The author community speculates she’s published works in almost every genre, every style—even dabbling in illustrating for her own works.”

“And she sent you a letter!? W-what does it say!?”

“It… It’s just a phone number.”

I’m getting chills… Are we about to be involved in some super secret criminal plot by the mastermind Josh? Are we gonna be flown to Tokyo to have a secret meeting because she’s realized the true potential of me working Fuchi-sensei? DID I GO OUT IN THE FIRST ROUND OF JUDGING BECAUSE SECRETLY JOSH WANTED ME TO STUDY UNDER HER!? “OW!! Hey! What was that for!?” A hand made a harsh impact to the back of my head.

“You were making an incredibly empty-headed expression. And you were drooling.”

I wiped my mouth. “No I was not.”

Fujioka stood up from the curb. “But now is not the time for this…”

“Are you kidding me!? This is massive! It’s life changing! You could work with one of the industry's greatest authors! And let me meet her! But more importantly you!”

“We said we’d do revisions right now, so that’s what will be done.”

“B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-but— why…? Isn’t this rarer than a SSR? Than a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”

“Because… I said I’d help you first. It’s simple, are you that dense? Of course I’m excited at this potential opportunity, however, all things must come in order. It’s not as if I need to call her right away—it’s more than highly-likely she’s swamped with work as of this moment.”

“Have you gotten any communications from Kaoru?” Fujioka returned to our library-table with a small stack of novels. We found a quiet corner on the third floor by a window—I say that, but most corners are quiet as not many people come to libraries anymore. AGAIN, I say that like I’m not guilty of this. Probably not as guilty as others though, I went to a library two years ago? Three?

“Nothing, why?”

“Wouldn’t she have at least sent a sorry message? Or some half-witted excuse?”

“I guess… But I haven’t gotten anything. Hey and didn’t you say you’d help me with revisions? You’ve been reading this whole time!” A loud shhh came from deep within the bookshelves. “You’ve been reading this whole time.”

“Good observation, Makoto, I am reading. I am also here to supervise you and answer any questions you will have.”

“Can you not say that so condescendingly…”

“Uhm… Excuse me…?” A familiar voice spoke up from our left.