108: Incurable Disease

Secondly, his photography skills are excellent enough to carry the scene.

Thirdly, he has a lot of experience in clothing matching.

These three points are enough for him to get by.

But he still felt it wasn't stable enough, so he came specifically to talk to Shuya.

After hearing Hirai Ryuji's grand plan, Shuya expressed his doubts:

"Uncle Hirai, I understand everything you're saying, but I don't feel like I'm helping you in any way."

Shuya took a sip of his coffee, which was loaded with sugar, and tentatively asked, "Is it a matter of money? I'm willing to invest; that's not a problem. I agree."

Hirai Ryuji said, "While I did have that intention in coming to see you, that's not the point."

He rubbed his hands together and said, "Shu-chan, have you ever thought about developing a career as a model?"

"Oh?" Shuya raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were after my money, but it turns out you're after my body? You're into not only lolis but also shota? I guess I'd better call the police."

"Puff!"

Hirai Ryuji spat out a mouthful of coffee.

"Senior Shu-chan? Can we talk properly?"

"Huh? Aren't I talking to you properly?"

Shuya's perverse sense of humor suddenly erupted.

But his time was precious, and he had no intention of getting entangled with Hirai Ryuji for too long.

"I get it, you're trying to ride my coattails, aren't you?"

Shuya thought about it and decided it wasn't a big deal. There were plenty of people trying to ride his coattails, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

"Okay, I agree. Money isn't a problem, I'm willing to be a model."

Shuya doesn't really care much about being a model; he's already famous and busy enough.

But in this world, social interactions are still very important.

Hirai Ryuji has superb photography skills and is worth getting to know.

Shuya considered it an investment in him.

He has connections, ability, and is quite reliable; the chances of his fashion magazine venture failing are slim.

In the long run, this will also help expand Shuya's influence.

He was about to leave after he finished speaking, but Hirai Ryuji hadn't finished saying what he wanted to say.

"Hehehe."

He gave a cute smile.

He said somewhat embarrassedly, "Shu-chan, um, I was also wondering if your mom and your Little Senior Sister would be interested in doing some part-time work? By the way, I've already contacted Mai- chan's mother, and she's already agreed on behalf of her daughter."

"You acted really fast... And, even if you didn't like my Little Senior Sister, you actually had designs on my mother?"

Shuya glanced at him sideways.

Hirai Ryuji chuckled, "After all, a magazine can't rely solely on kids, can it? With your Little Senior Sister and your mom included, we have all three age groups."

He said, "With such famous people as you as the main force, plus some top models I found, that's enough to put together a star-studded lineup. This is a sure thing!"

Shuya retorted, "You wish!"

Hirai Ryuji sneered, "Isn't this all thanks to Shu-chan's connections?"

"Okay, I'll ask around for you. Wait for my news tomorrow."

Shuya left. Hirai Ryuji waved his little handkerchief goodbye, which made Shuya feel really disgusted.

After parting ways with Hirai Ryuji, Shuya asked his mother, and when she learned that Shuya would have a share, she readily agreed.

Then when he asked his Little Senior Sister hesitated for a while before agreeing.

The Little Senior Sister is starting to need money too. She doesn't care about clothes or anything like that, but she wants a lot of musical instruments.

She would be very hesitant to accept invitations from strangers, but Shuya asked her, she didn't doubt it and agreed after agonizing for a while.

After asking them, Shuya was stunned.

The next day, when he spoke face-to-face with Hirai Ryuji, he said thoughtfully:

"Uncle Hirai, I suspect your real target isn't me, but rather the beautiful women I know."

Hirai Ryuji calmly replied, "You don't need to doubt it, that's exactly how it is."

Shuya scoffed.

Hirai Ryuji grinned slyly, "After all these years, I've figured it out. Your luck with women is absolutely explosive. Remember to take good care of any beauties you meet in the future, and don't forget you have a copy of this magazine too."

"... We'll talk about it later. Call me if anything comes up. Contact me once the contract is finalized, and I'll provide the investment funds then."

Shuya left after saying that.

He has no shortage of money.

Inoue Hikoo has earned so much during this period that he has already returned what he took from Shuya's slush fund, and even multiplied it many times over.

He was quick to take money from his son back then, and he's just as quick to give it away now.

Shuya didn't care much about money.

To him, they were just numbers.

Even if he didn't plagiarize, he would still have enough ability to make money on his own.

If all else fails, go compete in martial arts tournaments; you'll never be short of money.

On the contrary, fame Shuya.

The main reason was that he realized this thing was incredibly useful.

He's a time traveler, you know. Who knows what strange things he'll encounter in the future? If he's not prepared, he won't even know how he'll die.

He was naturally confident in his Natural Martial Bone, and his talent in Strange Arts was also considerable. But no matter how powerful he was, he could never compare to the ancient gods.

Gathering popularity to amplify the Power of Faith is his only viable way to fight against gods and Strange Arts.

This method is very effective, but it's difficult to implement.

However, Shuya has a great hand now, and with a head start, he's in a very safe position.

Unlike Inoue Hikoo, Shuya is a more cautious person.

After he returned, he took the initiative to participate in promotional activities, also with the intention of increasing his fame.

And as for the biker gangs, if the police can't handle it, he won't hesitate to help.

Maintaining good relations with the authorities is also a crucial aspect.

Even gods fear cannons...

Hirai Ryuji acted quickly, and the contract was ready the next day. Shuya checked it and signed it after confirming that there were no problems.

When founding this magazine, Hirai Ryuji didn't just seek out Shuya a partner.

However, Shuya contributed the second-highest amount of money and manpower, thus acquiring a 30% stake.

Afterwards, Shuya asked his mother and Little Senior Sister to sign a contract, and he became a model for the magazine.

Shuya know the details of the other models' contracts, but the contracts he signed with Hanazawa Sakura and his Little Senior Sister were so loosely worded that they were practically unrestricted and had a very high degree of freedom.

The biggest limitation is that I can't be a model for other fashion magazines.

Hirai Ryuji knew they wouldn't consider modeling their main profession—their primary job was thriving.

So he honestly treated them like royalty.

As someone trying to ride the coattails of someone else's fame, he has no choice but to act humble.

Having just signed the contract, Shuya thought that Hirai Ryuji would need some time to prepare before starting work.

I didn't expect him to have prepared all along.

He had everything ready, except for Shuya Ye's favorable wind.

Hirai Ryuji began filming on Sunday.

The photo studio was not fully staffed.

Hirai Ryuji and his group of samurai.

Shuya, Hanazawa Sakura, Little Senior Sister, Mai- chan are all there.

Shuya saw Mai- chan's mother for the first time in a long time.

Her smile was as fake and overtly professional as before.

Shuya inexplicably disliked her.

She didn't actually do anything to Shuya, but maybe because Shuya and Mai- chan are close, she felt resentful seeing her oppressing Mai- chan like that.

Even if they were unhappy inside, everyone maintained a friendly and harmonious facade.

Shuya is practically a part-owner of the magazine, so naturally he wouldn't give them a hard time or ruin the photoshoot.

Section 121, Chapter 108: Incurable Disease

As the magazine's inaugural issue, Hirai Ryuji decided to increase the amount of content and include more photos to attract readers.

In addition to introducing fashion and clothing trends, the magazine also features a section showcasing various beautiful photos of Shuya, Hanazawa Sakura, Little Senior Sister, Mai- chan, and other models.

While this selection of photos reflects Hirai Ryuji's personal interests, it is primarily driven by market considerations.

Fashion magazines are tough to run.

Even if people criticize the ingredients for being impure, as long as sales are high and money is made, everything will be fine.

Hirai Ryuji plans to first establish a foothold in the market by selling photos, and then gradually reduce the photo section, returning to the normal image of a fashion magazine.

These tricks are ultimately just ways to scam money from fans.

Shuya and Hanazawa Sakura are very popular, but they have never actually released a photobook. Their previous photos have come from magazines, newspapers and other media.

Hirai Ryuji deeply felt that there was a strong market demand for their photographs.

As for Little Senior Sister and Mai- chan, Hirai Ryuji was only attracted to their looks and talent.

The Little Senior Sister is currently generating a lot of buzz, and Mai- chan will be starring in Morning Drama, so her immense popularity is already a given.

He also knew that Mai- chan and Shuya had filmed movies and then taken on several commercials, and were already quite famous.

Hirai Ryuji felt that Shuya was right back then.

Mai- chan really has the potential to become a super big shot.

The photography studio was quickly prepared, and everyone got to work.

The models here, except for the Little Senior Sister, all have extensive experience being photographed.

After Shuya finished filming his part, he squatted down next to his Little Senior Sister and explained it to her, showing her a few poses to imitate.

Mai- chan was even jealous of his attentive attitude.

When we were filming together, you didn't go to this level!

Shuya merely gave her a disdainful look.

"Nonsense, how can that be the same? You've been training the whole time, while your Little Senior Sister has only been practicing music. How dare you compare yourself to a complete newbie?"

Mai- chan was speechless, and then Shuya pulled her over to teach her Little Senior Sister.

After filming for several hours, we finally wrapped up.

After that, they completely stopped caring about Shuya.

He wasn't familiar with fashion magazines, their content wasn't his responsibility, and he had no interest in it.