Chapter 137: Effort Will Surely Be Rewarded…

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Translator: Soafp

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In the morning, Sora woke up and rubbed her eyes. Still in her pajamas, she started preparing breakfast—an omelet and some salad. As she ate, she checked her phone and exchanged messages with Ginji.

“Hm~… So we won't see each other until tonight, huh?”

Ginji had work, and Sora had a painting class. That meant they wouldn't be together until dinner.

“Think about what you want for dinner, okay~”

After sending the message, Sora stretched and downed the milk in her mug in one go.

“Alright, let's go!”

She threw on a casual blouse and jeans and headed out. Taking the bus, she made her way to the painting class at Atelier M.

Arriving well before the class began, she quickly checked in at reception. The teacher, “Shige-sensei”—distinguished by his beret and round glasses—rested his chin in his hand and smiled as he saw Sora's name at the top of the sign-in list.

“Good morning, Sora-chan. You're quite early today. And you look like a guest at a Renoir party.”

“Good morning, Shige-sensei. I've found a perfect new motif I want to draw.”

It had been a long time since Sora said something like that. Even when she had something she wanted to draw, she usually did it in a way that hid her emotions, and otherwise just followed the instructions she was given. This change was both delightful and intriguing.

“What kind of motif?”

“Ah—um… it's a secret.”

Sora averted her gaze, bowed, and entered the classroom. Shige couldn't help but chuckle at how clearly her face gave her away.

“Ahh, youth is a wonderful thing.”

Inside the empty classroom, Sora took a seat in the front row. There was still plenty of time before class started.

Since she had some time, she decided to work on refining the design she and Ginji had been developing. She could do it in her head, but today she felt like drawing, so she took out her sketchbook, set it on the easel, and started sketching. She translated the image of the metal plate structure in her head onto paper, gradually adjusting the angles and lighting as she drew.

Thirty minutes later, a few other students started entering the room. A small group gathered around Sora, watching her.

“That's the girl who went viral, right? The one who ranked first in the critique?”

“Her focus is insane… there's practically no wasted lines…”

“Hey, stop staring and go prep your own stuff. She's cute, but you're ogling too hard.”

“It's not just that… She just looks… like she's having fun.”

After finishing one sketch, Sora finally realized she was surrounded. Embarrassed, she turned bright red and fled to a corner of the classroom.

That day, she ranked first again in the comparison session, and soon rumors began to spread among the prep students at Atelier M—that there was a ridiculously talented and adorable girl attending.

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Meanwhile, completely unaware of what was happening to Sora, Ginji was at home typing away on his laptop.

His phone rang. He picked it up to answer.

“Hey. I just sent the email. Additional order? Nah, can't do it. That vendor's booked out for months… Welding? I can refer a few craftsmen, sure… But if the delivery gets delayed, it's on you… If you've got a good relationship with them, just go with a repeat order. Yeah, I'll email you—send back the usual format. Cheers.”

Ginji's job was like a mix of sales and coordination. He handled outside orders, delivery timelines, and specialized manufacturing work for his parents' factory.

Dealing with pushy clients and strong-willed craftsmen wasn't easy, but Ginji finally managed to sort out the schedule.

Before he knew it, it was already evening.

“Man, that went faster than I thought. Guess the busy season's finally slowing down.”

From spring to early summer, orders for components used in home appliances peak in preparation for summer. In the strange world of manufacturing, once one product starts selling, it tends to boost demand for other unrelated items too.

Now in the middle of summer, things had calmed down. Ginji sent out his last batch of emails, closed his laptop, and flopped back in his chair.

“There's still time before Sora gets here… Oh right, what do I need for that middle school cleanup event?”

He checked the IINE app and messaged Tetsuya. The requirements list was sent back immediately, along with a photo.

“…Haha, those guys look like they're doing well.”

The photo showed Tetsuya surrounded by younger students—buzz cuts and nostalgic uniforms.

Ginji sat up and opened a drawer, pushing aside some stuff and pulling out a box. Inside were several worn-out notebooks and a message board. He took out the message board and compared the names to the faces in the photo, then began typing a reply.

On one of the notebooks, left sitting in the box, the cover read in bold letters:

“Effort will surely be rewarded!!”

After sending his message, Ginji returned the message board to the box. As he did, he picked up one specific notebook.

It was different from the others.

“Effort will surely—”

“….”

The second half of the phrase had been violently scribbled out with black marker.

Ginji stared at it silently for a while, then put it back and closed the lid.

He put the box away and headed out to buy supplies for the volunteer event. After walking for a bit, he stopped.

He pulled out his phone and called Sora.

“Hello? Oh, Ginji. Perfect timing! I just finished up. I'll head over now.”

“Right… oh crap, I forgot to decide dinner…”

“…Ginji? Something wrong?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

“No reason. Just a feeling. Anyway, was there something you needed?”

“…Well, kinda… I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“…Got it. I'm running home right now.”

“Wait, no—it's okay. I'll come pick you up.”

“No can do, I'm on my way. Wait for me!”

She hung up.

“Running… She better not trip.”

As Ginji headed toward the bus stop, a taxi pulled up and stopped.

“Came straight here!”

Sora jumped out and threw her arms around Ginji.

“Whoa—Sora?!”

He barely managed to catch her as she crashed into him.

“I don't really know why… but I just had this feeling. Like Ginji seemed lonely.”

“…That obvious, huh?”

“If you're even a little lonely, I'll come running right away.”

Sora's serious expression made Ginji smile as he scratched his head.

“Tetsuya sent me a photo of his classmates, and it kinda made me sentimental. Most of the friends I had in middle school didn't end up at my high school. Guys like Saitou went to a different school. Thinking about that just made me want to hear your voice.”

“If we're talking like that… I've always been alone. Even in third year, I was helping Aika, so I drifted away from Suzu. Never really had friends to hang out with.”

“That's… pretty sad too.”

“Even at home, I was by myself… Wait, now I'm getting depressed.”

Somehow, Sora ended up taking the emotional hit. Seeing her slump and go blue with gloom, Ginji took her hand.

“Sora! Let's go eat meat!”

“Meat?!”

“When you're down, meat fixes everything. Let's hit the shopping street!”

“Whoa… that actually sounds kinda convincing. Let's gooo!”

And so, the dinner at the Momoi household that night ended up being a full-on meat feast.