Right now I’m inside Erin’s carriage, my eyes fixed intensely on the contract as I skim through every detail. A little screw-up when signing a contract can ruin someone for life.

They’ll be in charge of my page during the period I’m signed with them, and the royalties will be split fifty-fifty. When featured with other characters, royalties will be split evenly, with a full breakdown of earnings available if requested. I can also ask for advance payments, but doing that is basically shooting myself in the foot. It feels good to collect the money upfront, but it’s very hard to pay back, leaving one indebted to the studio and unable to leave.

"Phew... there’s no shady clauses," I let out a sigh and glance over at Erin, who is looking at me strangely.

"I heard you fucked Lasawani and she moaned pretty loudly. The news spread quickly across the entire studio and now even the boss already knows about you," Erin says.

"Wow, that’s good news I guess," I say with a shrug, wondering why they are making such a big deal out of it.

"Look, you need to stay away from that woman. Why did you even have to overdo it?" Erin asks, rubbing her face and looking troubled.

"What is going on? If there’s something wrong, please tell me. She wasn’t able to make me cum with her hands and mouth, so she told me to use her pussy. That is all that happened," I explain, still confused why Erin is being so paranoid.

"She came to me and asked if I was your fiancee. I told her no, but she said even if I was, she’s going to steal you from me. I’m worried I’d be to blame if anything happens between you and Lilith," Erin reveals, showing even more concern.

I chuckle at her words and the fact that Erin is always so careful and cautious when it comes to anything regarding her sister. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"I understand your worries, but you don’t have to bother yourself. I know exactly the type of person she is and I know the perfect way to keep her at bay," I assure Erin. She nods her head.

"Also, I want to tell you this. There are twelve different studio departments and ours is Studio 11, all owned by the same company—SlimyMyriad. Don’t get too close with people from the other departments," Erin says.

I try to ask her something but refrain. It’s fine if I find out the reason myself. Since she already warned me, I’ll be careful.

Suddenly, I remember something and a smile curls on my lips.

"It seems you forgot something. You said I could ask you anything if I get picked, right?" I ask with a sheepish smile. Erin looks at me as if she can’t believe her eyes. She tries to speak but the words seem stuck in her throat.

"F-Fine. Just ask me what you want. As long as it’s within my capability, I’ll do it," Erin says in a pissed-off tone.

__________________________________

When I get home it’s already dusk. As I walk inside, I’m hit by a burst of aroma. I follow the smell to the kitchen and see Aleena cooking, stir-frying something on the fire. The way she stirs and adds spices looks so natural that I begin to wonder if she had been intentionally holding back on cooking. Due to rushing this morning, I hadn’t noticed how good the food actually tasted.

Aleena notices me and her body jerks in shock as she turns around.

"Jacob!" She exclaims, turns off the fire, and dashes toward me before hugging me tightly. I bend slightly because of her height as I hug her back.

We separate and a smile remains on Aleena’s face. Seeing her act like this, I instantly realize the decision she’s made.

"How was the audition?"

"Well, it was fine. I got picked and I’ll sign the contract tomorrow. Here’s the template they gave me," I say, showing Aleena the pages.

"Oh, wait. I just finished cooking dinner. Let me serve the food first and I’ll check it out," she says, hesitant to take the documents with her oily hands.

"Okay, I’ll help you serve."

We serve and eat the food. To be honest, it’s more delicious than I expected. I simply thank Aleena for cooking without asking why she suddenly started cooking.

After eating, Aleena sits comfortably and skims through the contract template after I explain everything to her. Of course, I leave out the part where I fucked Lasawani.

"The contract looks good. No shady clauses. How long do you plan on staying there?" Aleena asks as she closes the pages and gently pushes the documents back to me.

"Honestly, I don’t plan to spend a long time there. My goal is to gain enough popularity and earn some money to create my own studio," I say, letting out a sigh.

Aleena looks at me for a moment without saying anything.

"That’s a good thing. However, I want you to note that it costs a lot to start up a studio. You need more than one million gold coins because you’ll have to buy a building, hire a crew, and many other things. Another important part is having a crew. That reminds me, I saw in the contract that before the deal is finalized, you have to provide your Adventurer identification number—which you obviously don’t have since you haven’t joined a guild yet," Aleena says.

My eyes widen as I realize I completely overlooked that part. Thank goodness I showed it to Aleena.

"I see. Thanks for pointing that out. I’ll register as an Adventurer tomorrow before heading back to the studio," I say, and Aleena nods.

Suddenly, she stands up.

"I want to sleep early today because it’s my resting day. I need to sleep as much as possible," Aleena says and walks off to her room.

I also get up and go to my room, lying down on the bed with a soft thud, my body sinking into the soft material. Slowly, I begin to drift off.

But suddenly, I hear a creaking noise. When I sit up and turn on the light, I see Aleena gently opening my door and entering.

She’s only wearing a white net panty and a white camisole through which I can see her hard nipples. In one hand she’s holding a pillow.

"What are you doing here?" I ask softly.

"I want to sleep in your room today," Aleena says expressionlessly, not looking flustered at all. She walks to the bed, climbs in, raises the duvet, and covers both of us while I stare in disbelief.

As if that isn’t enough, with her back still turned to me, she moves closer and presses her ass against my crotch.

"Wrap your arms around me. Let’s sleep," she says, turns off the lamp, and drifts off as if it’s completely normal.

I just stare in shock before wrapping my arm around her waist. My hand roams slightly over her smooth thigh, but Aleena doesn’t say anything.

I gulp, resisting the urge to do more. Knowing Aleena, her upbringing is completely different from mine. Since this is her decision—indirectly—I won’t rush things. I’ll let them play out slowly between us. I decide to take it as us dating now, since she’s given me the signs but seems too embarrassed to say it directly.

With that thought, I also drift off to sleep.