Shiyu was very angry now, not only because he was kept in the dark, but also because he felt like he was being teased.

Looking at the playful and smiling face of Machida Enko, she frowned dissatisfied and said:

"This is too much, so have you been lying to me all this time? You lying editor-san...!"

"I lied to you? Ouch, why are you so surprised? Besides, it seems that I have never agreed to your termination of the contract, right?"

"But you have obviously talked to me so many times!

Not only did the phone call last until midnight, but I also had so many meetings in this conference room.

I even called the leaders of the headquarters to testify, are all these lies to me?"

"The leader of the headquarters?"

Machida Enko put her index finger on her chin, looked up at the ceiling as if reminiscing, and then said in a loud voice:

"Ah~ you are talking about Minister Yamashina, this is indeed the case.

That's a troublesome person. I really don't want to take care of him if possible. I owe trouble to him now~"

"Please don't change the subject! I saw you showing the application to that person. What happened?"

Saying this, Shiyu put his arms on the table and pierced the opposite side with his cold eyes. The long black hair behind him seemed to move automatically without wind, showing the tendency before entering a fighting posture.

Machida Enzi didn't panic or rush about this, she just kept talking.

"Ah~ Although that uncle is very troublesome, but this time he is the only one I can ask for help from.

Ah~~~ If we want to control the storm to an acceptable level this time, he is indeed crucial...

But that's right, after all, that uncle is now the director of the animation department, otherwise it would be really difficult for me to deal with it alone.

Speaking of which, Xiao Shi, you don’t know that he was the one who made the decision to cut your work in half, so that person is still an enemy, so it doesn’t matter if you don’t treat him as a partner~”

"...sometimes an enemy and sometimes an ally, so! Is that person the accomplice Miss Machida hired to act together?"

"Well, judging from the results, that's it.

Although the original purpose of asking that uncle for help was actually to delay the decision-making by the higher-ups.

But I didn’t expect that his acting skills were surprisingly good, even such a smart little poem didn’t catch on~~~”

"You actually use this method on high school students! It's so despicable. Are you still considered adults like this?"

Looking at Shiyu with a sullen expression, Machida Enko laughed as if from the bottom of her heart.

"If you really want to say that, I'm so compassionate that I won't argue with you about this matter. Are you qualified to come and question me? Xiaoshi."

"I……!"

"Obviously there is not much time left before the final volume of the novel is released, and the work is about to be animated.

We have put so much effort and effort into this, and our feet hurt when we walk every day, and it even hurts so much that we no longer want to wear high heels.

Even so, they still have to visit partners constantly, just to gain more support and popularity.

As a result, at this moment, you proposed to terminate the contract, but who is the one who went too far?"

"...!"

In an instant, silence spread.

Machida Enko's tone was very calm. Except for the last sentence, her words did not contain too much harshness, but they clearly stated the truth.

——"Your willfulness is equivalent to erasing all our previous efforts."

Shiyu understood this deeply and couldn't help biting his lips and lowering his head, speechless.

After a while, she regained her composure and raised her head again, facing the opposite gaze.

"...I won't deny anything like that, but even if I have to leave, I will finish "Metronome of Love" well before then and try not to affect the editorial department."

As she spoke, her cold voice was filled with the flavor of careful consideration, and she must have made relevant plans a long time ago.

Both Kato Yusuke and Machida Enko heard this.

The former shook her hand quietly, while the latter sighed helplessly.

"That's why I said, your decision affects more than just you."

"I know……"

"No, actually you don't quite understand yet."

"……What does it mean?"

Machida Enzi rubbed her brows slightly tiredly, then showed a kind smile as if looking after a child, and said:

"I'm not saying this to you to criticize you, I just hope that through this incident, you can become more mature in the future, that's all, Xiao Shi."

When Shiyu's eyes shook because of these words, she turned her attention to the side and said with a sigh of relief:

"Also, Kato-chan, thanks to you for helping to stop Xiao Shi this time, I want to thank you for this.

Please continue to work hard as a catalyst for small poems in the future... Of course, I mean it in a good way."

Kato Yusuke nodded, "I understand, thank you for working so hard, Miss Machida."

"Oh~ Ahem, then, my daughter will be handed over to you from now on?" Machida Enko cleared her throat and deliberately put on a serious look.

"Please don't pretend to be someone else's mother, you loser editor."

Shiyu's cheeks were slightly red, and he glared at her with a moderate look, expressing condemnation and dissatisfaction with his eyes, and his expression seemed a little unhappy.

It's not like he's really angry, but like he's showing his true feelings in front of people close to him.

Machida Enzi couldn't help but smile and said to her: "Oh~ the lethality of your eyes now is far worse than before? Xiaoshi."

"I don't want to be angry if I can, but you always come here to provoke you deliberately without knowing the meaning of the matter, so I have no choice but to accompany you."

"Huh? But fundamentally speaking, Xiaoshi can't stand provocation, right?

In this way, ordinary poems always look awe-inspiring and alien to others.

As a result, when you encounter something about Kato-chan, you will instantly become a love brain. Not only will your IQ be zero, but your actions will also become willful and impulsive... By the way, don’t you think you are too easy to handle?"

Hearing what she said, Shiyu first instinctively wanted to reply, then he lowered his eyes slightly as if he thought of something, and whispered:

"...Yu-chan, he is different."

Kato Yusuke instantly felt that the strength in his hand became much stronger. The girl held on to him tightly, as if she was afraid that he would run away if she let go.

Machida Enko couldn't see their little moves under the table, but it didn't prevent her from seeing the difference in the atmosphere between them, and she couldn't help but sigh with mixed feelings.

"...Really? That's good." She said, "Then, since the problem has been solved and Xiaoshi is so happy, I won't say anything else."

After saying that, he asked again: "Do you have anything else to do next? If nothing happens, you can go back."

"Ms. Machida." Kato Yusuke put some things at his feet on the table, stretched out his hand and pushed them towards her.

"If you don't mind, please accept these."

"Huh? What are these?"

"Some specialties from Chiba Prefecture. Thank you for your continued care. I hope you can accept them."

"Hey~~Then I'll accept it without any courtesy. This shouldn't be considered a bribe, right?"

Shiyu on the side interrupted her joke.

"In that case, I would have given it to you before the conversation, not now, right? Can you please stop making such a bad joke?"

"Yes, I'm sorry for making such an outrageous joke."

Machida Enko said with a smile, then sent them out of the conference room, onto the elevator, and then returned to the editorial office.

"Editor-in-Chief Machida."

A female editor came up and asked hesitantly: "I'm very sorry, can I ask a question?"

"Question? Okay, what's wrong?"

"Yes, the person who was in the conference room with you just now is Mr. Kasumi Shiko?"

"Well, it's her right."

"Well, um, tell me about the rumors about Teacher Kasumi Shiko..."

Machida Enzi understood, but did not answer immediately. Instead, she raised her eyes and looked around.

At some point, the editors in the office gathered around her. Everyone looked worried and focused on her, obviously sharing the same concern.

——"Will Kasumi Shiko terminate her contract with Immortal River Publishing House?"

To a greater or lesser extent, these people have all participated or are currently participating in the animation project of "Metronome of Love".

And now, they are all eager to know an answer.

After all, once something does happen, it's not necessarily that the work you are doing will be aborted, so no one can care less.

There was a sense of depression in the air, as if there was a thick cloud hanging over everyone's heads.

Faced with this situation, Machida Enzi was silent for a while, then took a deep breath and said clearly in a cheerful tone:
To be continued...