097. Copyright Application

“Well then, come visit sometime, Ebina!” After exchanging some pleasantries (which the author is too lazy to write), Jiang Yu waved to Ebina Nana and bid her farewell.

Ebina Nana instinctively bent forward and replied in a small voice, “A-alright, thank you, Onii-san.”

The three then returned to their respective homes. Notably, the building had only four floors; Jiang Yu’s apartment was the one farthest from the stairs on the third floor, while Ebina Nana’s was the closest to the stairs on the second floor.

Inside his home, Jiang Yu donned an apron and asked Doma Umaru, who had transformed into a “dry fish girl” upon entering the foyer and was now sprawled on the sofa, “Is there anything you’d like for dinner tonight? Since I don’t have to work for some reason, I can make something a bit more time-consuming.”

By the way, Jiang Yu had bought a week’s worth of groceries from the supermarket last weekend.

Umaru pondered deeply, sitting up on the sofa with her right hand supporting her head, looking quite troubled.

Jiang Yu couldn’t help but laugh at her expression. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll just cook whatever I feel like.”

Umaru frowned, raising her head to look at Jiang Yu, her eyes clearly saying: No way!

Jiang Yu shrugged and leaned against the counter, indicating he would wait patiently for Umaru to decide before starting to cook.

Soon enough, Umaru’s eyes lit up and she exclaimed excitedly, “Steak! Onii-chan, I want to eat steak!”

Jiang Yu rubbed his forehead and replied helplessly, “But we don’t have any steak at home…”

Umaru responded nonchalantly, “Then just go buy some! Anyway, you don’t need to work tonight, so you’re free, right?”

“I am free… Well, fine, I’ll go buy it now.” Jiang Yu felt that “reap what you sow” couldn’t be more fitting for him at this moment.

So, Jiang Yu took off his apron again. While Umaru watched her usual late-night anime, calling out a breezy “Safe travels” without even turning her head, he left for the supermarket to buy beef.

At the supermarket, faced with all the expensive wagyu beef labeled with high price tags, Jiang Yu could only click his tongue in disbelief, then skipped them and headed for the discount section.

Supermarkets in the island country have a habit of discounting fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat at night. Jiang Yu arrived just as the discounts had begun.

Picking up some discounted beef packaged in cling film and plastic trays, Jiang Yu was about to leave when he suddenly spotted someone he’d just seen not long ago.

After observing carefully to make sure he wasn’t mistaken, Jiang Yu walked over and tapped the person on the shoulder, saying, “Ebina, are you out shopping alone?”

“Eek!” The girl, startled by the sudden touch, quickly turned around, visibly tense. Then, seeing Jiang Yu standing there awkwardly, surprised by her strong reaction, she relaxed and said, “Ah, sorry… It’s Onii-san.”

“I should be the one apologizing. Sorry, Ebina.” Jiang Yu tried to keep his tone gentle, looking her in the eye.

Ebina Nana shook her head, bent forward, and replied shyly, “It’s my fault… I’m so—”

Seeing her about to apologize again, Jiang Yu quickly interrupted, “Ah, right. Ebina, you’re shopping alone?”

Ebina paused, then answered, “Yes. Since I live alone, I have to prepare three meals for myself every day.”

“Huh? Where are your parents?” Jiang Yu asked curiously.

Ebina hesitated for a moment before explaining, “My hometown is in Akita. I just came to Tokyo to study by myself. My family is all in Akita, so right now I’m the only one here in Tokyo.”

Jiang Yu nodded to show he understood, though he realized his own knowledge of geography was so poor he had no idea where Akita actually was. Whether in his previous life or his current one, Jiang Yu was only familiar with Tokyo, and perhaps, thanks to light novels, a bit of Chiba as well.

He then said instinctively, “That must be tough—living alone means you have to handle everything by yourself…”

Ebina nodded in deep agreement, then hurriedly lowered her head, blushing in embarrassment.

Jiang Yu smiled helplessly and sighed softly, “You don’t need to be so formal, Ebina. Although I’m only a second-year myself, I do have some experience taking care of others. If you need any help, you can always come find me.”

Ebina tried hard to lift her head. Meeting Jiang Yu’s gentle gaze, she finally relaxed and murmured, “Thank you, Onii-san…”

After this brief interlude, Jiang Yu waited for Ebina Nana to finish shopping, and the two walked home together. Because of Ebina’s introverted nature, even though Jiang Yu tried to start conversations, it was all in vain. In the end, it became a one-man show, with him talking the whole way and Ebina responding occasionally with a simple “Mm” or “Ah.”

Back home, Jiang Yu cooked the steak, paired it with freshly steamed rice and newly made miso soup, completing Umaru’s requested dinner.

After dinner and cleaning up the dishes, Jiang Yu found himself idle when he suddenly received a call from Kato Kyoko.

“Moshi moshi?”

“Moshi moshi. Kato-san, is something the matter?”

“Oh, it’s good news. The audio for the songs you recorded the other day has already been processed by Chinatsu and sent to me. If you’re free now, I can send them to you.”

“Thanks for the trouble, but… it sounds pretty noisy over there on your end?”

“Ah, don’t mind these little things. Today, I don’t know what’s gotten into the old man—he suddenly decided to hold a family dinner, so I had to close the café and go.”

“That’s quite the celebration, then.”

“If you could say that without such an obviously gloating tone, it would be more believable. Oh, right. Chinatsu has also almost finished applying for your copyright. If you’re satisfied with the recordings from last time, all you need to do is enter your information on a website and that’s it—the rest is taken care of. I’ll send you the link via LINE later. Aren’t you going to thank me properly?”

“Sure. Please help me pass on my gratitude to Professor Kinfushi.”

“Tch… Well, that’s all. I’ve got things to deal with here—it’s a hassle…”

“Goodbye.”

After hanging up, Jiang Yu stroked his chin, marveling at Kinfushi Chinatsu’s efficiency. Compared to the convoluted process of applying for copyright in his previous life in Huaxia, he was quite curious how Chinatsu managed to settle everything in just a day or two.

Soon enough, Jiang Yu received three audio files and a website link from Kinfushi Chinatsu via LINE.