The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 96: Milk and the Big Stick

The next day, Shunsuke invited Suzuna to check out his new apartment.

It was an ordinary apartment, but Shunsuke didn't mind.

For now, living in a large place would feel unnecessarily spacious.

As long as it was close to the school and to Mrs. Izumi's house, it was a good place for him.

This one was just right for him and Mashiro to live in together.

Yes, Shunsuke had already decided to move Mashiro out of Mrs. Izumi's house.

After all, since he had taken on the responsibility, it wasn't right to leave Mashiro at someone else's house all the time.

It would be troubling for Mrs. Izumi, and Shunsuke prided himself on having both common sense and a conscience!

All of this, of course, was a lie.

Upon entering the apartment, Shunsuke was quite pleased with how Suzuna had arranged the furniture and interior. It was ready for him to move in immediately. However, there was one thing he wasn't satisfied with.

"Suzuna, this study room just won't do," Shunsuke remarked.

Suzuna blinked in surprise. "What do you mean? I arranged it based on your usual preferences, Nishio-sensei."

Shunsuke wagged his finger dramatically. "That was the old me. Back then, I was just an ordinary light novel writer. But now, I'm on the brink of making a grand debut in traditional literature—a rising star in the field! How can I work in such a tacky study?"

"Imagine a female fan traveling miles to give me a 'silencer'—a small, thoughtful gift. And then she sees a study this unsophisticated? All the mystique would be gone. This simply won't do. It's unacceptable."

"Of course, this place is fine as my main residence, but for the backup apartments you pick in the future, make sure the study rooms are modeled after Kirihime Natsuno's."

—How does Nishio-sensei even know what Natsuno Kirihime's study looks like?

A fleeting question passed through Suzuna's mind, but she dismissed it without much thought, smiling and agreeing readily.

As for Shunsuke's remarks about female fans and their heartfelt gifts, she simply ignored them altogether.

This was precisely why Shunsuke had no qualms about sharing his darker thoughts with Suzuna.

Given their current unique relationship, there was no one in the world who understood him better, including his darker side, than Suzuna.

It was also why Shunsuke entrusted even his emergency backup properties—hidden from Mashiro and others—to Suzuna for handling.

These were places he planned to keep entirely under wraps unless absolutely necessary.

"Nishio-sensei, regarding this arrangement—"

Smack!

Fujii's palm landed sharply on Suzuna's posterior, producing a crisp, resounding sound.

"Is this really the time to be distracted?" Shunsuke said, clearly annoyed. "You've got time to daydream? Looks like I've been too soft on you lately."

Ever since their relationship had grown closer and more unconventional, Shunsuke had toned down his rough demeanor compared to when they first met.

But now, it seemed he might have made a mistake.

—This woman is intentionally provoking me. What a masochist!

Realizing this left Shunsuke in a foul mood.

Since when had he endured such indignity?

He felt his temper boiling over, as if Star Platinum itself had taken over—Ora ora ora ora ora!

Suzuna, with a blissful expression on her face, smiled faintly before promptly losing consciousness.

...

"Suzuna, have you ever thought about becoming the chief editor of a publishing house?"

After thoroughly "disciplining" Suzuna Hiiragi, Shunsuke casually stroked her head during a break and dropped the question.

"No, I'd rather stay a regular editor who can interact directly with authors—mmpf!"

Before she could finish, Shunsuke's hand clamped down with a surprising force, his face devoid of emotion.

Ten seconds later, as Suzuna's tears involuntarily welled up and streamed down her cheeks from the discomfort, Shunsuke finally let go.

After another round of "discipline," Shunsuke continued, "So, interested in helping me run a publishing house?"

"Nishio-sensei, I don't think I have the ability to—mmpf!"

Once again, Shunsuke interrupted her, tightening his grip with no intention of listening further.

This time, Shunsuke wasn't so quick to relent.

Who knows how long passed, but only when Suzuna's face was streaked with tears and mucus, her body trembling before going stiff, did Shunsuke sense it was time to bring things to an end.

"Now, that's better, isn't it?"

Shunsuke took two steps back, a calculated mix of severity and reward in his approach.

While disciplining Suzuna, he also provided her with milk to restore her strength—a precise balance of punishment and reward, the ultimate strategy for handling subordinates.

"Ha—cough, cough—huff—ha—cough, cough…"

Suzuna didn't respond right away, instead gasping for air in huge gulps, coughing intermittently.

Thankfully, due to Shunsuke's earlier "careful attention," nothing untoward emerged during her fit of coughing.

And so, under the "milk and stick" strategy, Suzuna finally agreed to take on the role of chief editor for the publishing house.

"So, Nishio-sensei—or should I call you President now? Which publishing house am I supposed to help manage?"

"No idea."

"???"

Suzuna froze mid-motion as she wiped her face.

"Because I haven't acquired one yet. I'm just considering the idea."

"???"

When Suzuna wore that kind of expression, it wasn't a problem with her—it was definitely a problem with him.

—So you did all this over something that doesn't even exist?

Shunsuke cleared his throat awkwardly. "That's why I'm discussing it with you now. I've got over three billion yen on hand, so acquiring an average-sized or nearly bankrupt publishing house shouldn't be an issue, right?"

Suzuna stared at him blankly. "Nishio-sensei, I'm just an editor. While I have a few connections, do you really think I can handle something like a corporate acquisition? That's not within my skill set."

"…Fair point."

Shunsuke thought it over carefully.

Suzuna had allocated all her skill points toward assisting authors, which made sense—few authors would ever ask their editors to acquire a publishing house for them.

It was natural that she wouldn't know how to handle this.

For the first time, Shunsuke felt the tangible difficulty of breaking into entrepreneurship as an ordinary person.

Unlike heirs of large families, the lack of a competent support network was his biggest hurdle.

Corporate acquisitions weren't something he, a former corporate drone in his past life, knew anything about.

But going to ask Kirari for help with every little issue felt overly dependent.

In this world, no one could rely on others forever.

Ultimately, the only person you could truly count on was yourself.

The most important thing, then, was to improve yourself!

Former office worker Shunsuke was flooded with mixed emotions before finally making a decision.

"There's no choice; I'll have to visit Mrs. Sayuri later."

Though at first glance, the Sawamura family might seem rather unrefined—their castle lacked even central heating and cooling, making winters frigid and summers sweltering—and they didn't even have a single servant in their household, the family's capabilities were not to be underestimated.

The absence of servants wasn't due to financial constraints but rather because Mrs. Sayuri and Mr. Spencer, being introverted homebodies, didn't like having people bustling about and serving them all the time.

However, when necessary—such as for hosting banquets or social events—Mrs. Sayuri would always summon enough servants from the main house to meet the occasion's demands.

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