Only mediocre people needed the safety net of a long-term contract to secure a guaranteed spot.
But for true talent… Those long-term contracts often became chains by the end of their careers. A trap that stopped them from going where they really should go.
Reina might be fine either way, but Haruto…
In Yukino's eyes, a long-term deal with Crimson Maple was a poor bargain for him, unless Blue Spring Ride was some kind of fluke and he turned into an ordinary writer the moment it ended.
If that happened, at least he could collect the base salary and the insurance contributions Crimson Maple would pay over a five-year term. That money added up to something meaningful, though it was not exactly life-changing.
But was that realistic?
Haruto was sixteen, and he had already produced Blue Spring Ride. What would he be capable of later? Would someone like him really be satisfied staying in Minamijo forever as a regional writer, never once considering spreading his name across the whole country?
Yukino did not believe either of them would settle for that. If a national powerhouse publisher, one with the ability to market and distribute across all of Japan, offered them a long-term contract, that would be an opportunity they would have to seriously seize.
Still, Yukino could not say any of that out loud. Professionally, it would be like eating Crimson Maple's food while smashing Crimson Maple's bowls.
As a friend, though, she was genuinely happy that they were thinking long-term.
And there was something else too, something she would never admit at work.
Yukino came from a well-off family. Being an editor was something she did out of interest. She did not even know how much longer she would remain in Minamijo before being called back home. Her sense of belonging to Crimson Maple was not as absolute as it might be for someone whose entire livelihood depended on the job.
If this position had been her only way to survive, she might not have been so casual about letting two promising stars remain so free.
"Speaking… as your friend."
When Haruto and Reina heard those words, something quietly shifted in their chests.
Because both of them were the type who did not really have friends at school or in daily life. They might talk to classmates fairly often, but that still fell short of what you would call friendship.
And suddenly, a thought appeared, uninvited and sharp.
Then what about her, and me?
What are we, exactly?
As if pulled by the same invisible thread, Haruto and Reina both glanced at each other at the same time.
Their eyes met.
And in the next instant, both of them looked away, pretending it had never happened.
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