Haikyu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

In the elevator...

"Fufu, Tsuna-kun, shouldn't you be thanking us right now?"

Machida teased as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

She had just shared the big news that Fujikawa Shoten had successfully negotiated a licensing contract with Yes Press.

Not only would it include royalties of 10%—a remarkable feat on its own—but it also came with a licensing fee of $50,000 per volume. It was a deal that most authors could only dream of, and it had taken the head director's unwavering confidence in Tsuna's work to pull it off.

"Right..."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow, "By the way, I got an offer from another publisher the other day. They said they'd cover the breach agreement costs if I signed with them. Should I take it?"

"...!"

Machida froze, her teasing smile replaced with panic. "M-My apologies, my lord! I won't tease you anymore. Please just ignore those... er... pesky competitors!"

"...Figured as much," Tsuna replied, smirking at her sudden shift in behavior.

The deal was a huge relief for Tsuna.

One of his main reasons for coming to the office that day was to finalize the licensing contract, and with everything in place, all that was left was to sign it.

However, there was something else on his mind.

"By the way," Tsuna started, "do I have an Instanoodle account?"

"Instanoodle account?"

Machida blinked at him, "Of course you do. I've told you this before! But since you didn't want to personally manage it, we have a team handling your account for you."

"My bad," Tsuna said, scratching the back of his head. "How many followers do I have?"

Machida sighed and pulled out her phone.

She scrolled through her apps before logging into her own Instanoodle account and checking the stats for "Rizz God," Tsuna's online persona.

"You've got about 210,000 followers right now. But it's growing. I'm pretty sure you'll see a spike after the English release through Yes Press," Machida said, then glanced at him suspiciously.

"Why are you asking all of a sudden? You never cared about this stuff before."

Tsuna hesitated for a moment, then said, "I need to help my dad promote his song."

"Wait, your dad's a singer too?"

Machida's head tilted in confusion.

The image of Tsuna's father had always been tied to the family ramen shop. The idea of him being involved in music seemed... bizarre.

Tsuna's expression turned awkward as he gave a weak nod. "Well... kinda."

"Kinda?" 

Tsuna sighed,"...He's a rapper."

"...?"

Machida's expression froze a mix of shock and disbelief plastered across her face. It was a completely normal reaction, but it still made Tsuna twitch with irritation.

'Great,' he thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. 'I knew this was going to be awkward.'

Machida still hadn't recovered, staring at him like he'd just said his dad was auditioning for a boy band.

"Look, it's not a big deal."

Tsuna crossed his arms. "He's working on making it big, and I want to help him promote his stuff. That's all."

"...Well, I guess it's sweet that you're supporting him."

Machida blinked and slowly nodded, though the corners of her mouth twitched as if she were suppressing a laugh. "Just... let me know how you plan to do it, okay? We don't want your followers getting too confused."

"Yeah, yeah," Tsuna muttered, already regretting bringing it up.

'Whatever. I just need to do my part. If this helps Dad take off, then it'll all be worth it.'

With a soft ding, the elevator doors slid open.

"Alright, we're here," Machida said, "Just so you know, we've taken care of the negotiation process. All you need to do is review everything before signing."

"Got it," Tsuna replied casually.

The two stepped out of the elevator, their footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway.

The polished floors reflected the soft glow of overhead lights as they walked toward the head director's office.

"There he is..."

The words drew Tsuna's attention to the far end of the room.

Standing near the director's desk was Jackson from Yes Press. The tall, blonde American looked sharp in his tailored suit, and his face lit up the moment Tsuna stepped inside.

"...?"

Tsuna blinked his eyes as he was momentarily surprised.

He had expected Jackson to look less enthusiastic, especially after the tense negotiations Machida had described.

But the man's warm expression said otherwise.

'Looks like getting their hands on my story is more than enough to satisfy them,' Tsuna silently noted in his mind.

The eagerness in Jackson's demeanor hinted at just how much Yes Press wanted this deal.

Beside Jackson stood two other individuals—one in a sharp suit, likely a translator, and another who seemed to be from the legal team.

The head director and Jackson both stood to greet them, with Machida quickly stepping forward to exchange pleasantries and inquire about the progress.

The translator gave her a subtle thumbs-up, signaling that everything was going smoothly. Machida sighed in visible relief, her shoulders relaxing as she turned back to Tsuna with a slight smile.

"Haha! Mr. Matsumoto," Jackson said warmly, stepping forward with his hand extended. "I heard you've been sick these past few days. I was even thinking of visiting you, but it seems like that won't be necessary now!"

"...?"

Tsuna blinked, momentarily taken aback.

He turned to the head director, his eyebrows raised in confusion as he repeated in Japanese, "I was... sick?"

"..."

The head director froze for a split second, then quickly averted his eyes, whistling softly as if to play innocent.

'I did tell them to tell Jackson I'd be unavailable but it seems like they just conveniently lied through their teeth...'

Tsuna let out a short, dry laugh, already piecing together what had happened.

"Hahaha!"

Jackson, completely oblivious to the head director's antics, clasped Tsuna's hand in a firm handshake and continued with his booming laughter, "I heard it got so bad you had to be hospitalized! Thank goodness you're back on your feet already."

"Ah, yes..."

Tsuna replied without changing his expression, "Thankfully, I had a very capable doctor looking after me. So no issues anymore."

The lie rolled off his tongue easily, but he shot a quick sideways glance at the head director, who was now avoiding eye contact entirely.

With the pleasantries out of the way, the head director clapped his hands together, his voice a little too enthusiastic.

"Well then! Shall we all take our seats and get started?"

The translator's voice carried across the room, guiding the conversation as Jackson quickly settled onto the sofa.

Tsuna followed suit, sitting across from him.

They handed Tsuna the licensing contract, and the legal team representative carefully explained each section to ensure he fully understood. Machida had already walked him through most of it earlier, but Tsuna still listened intently.

'10% royalties… that's more than fair,' he thought, tapping his pen against the edge of the document.

Most authors hovered between 5-10% for royalties, and only the top-tier ones—those whose names could sell books by themselves—got anything higher. Tsuna's work was big in Japan, giving him some leverage locally, but his international presence was still in its infancy.

He was more than satisfied with the terms.

The rest of the contract was standard fare—nothing stood out as an issue. Tsuna skimmed through the final pages before reaching for the pen.

However...

"Ah, right," he murmured, stopping just before his pen touched the paper.

Jackson raised an eyebrow at this, "Is there anything wrong?"

"No, but..."

Tsuna looked up, meeting Jackson's gaze. "Mr. Jackson, does Yes Press have any direct affiliation with the stores where my work will be distributed in North America?"

"Huh?"

Jackson blinked, clearly caught off guard, "Well, yeah, we've got partnerships with most major retailers. Why do you ask?"

"I see..."

Tsuna's expression turned thoughtful, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Then… could you do me a favor?"

"A favor?"

Jackson tilted his head, intrigued. 

"Yeah." Tsuna straightened in his seat. "Could you play my dad's music in those stores for me?"

"...?"

The room fell silent.

Jackson looked utterly baffled. "Your dad? Wait—he's a singer?"

"Well… no. He's a rapper," Tsuna clarified, "And he raps in English, so it should work fine in North America."

"Your dad's… a rapper?"

Jackson repeated, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Machida, who had been quietly observing the exchange, leaned forward, "Tsuna-kun, why don't you let Mr. Jackson listen to the music right now? Your dad's already posted it on Spicyfy, hasn't he?"

"...Yeah, he has," Tsuna admitted, his expression turning awkward as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Really? I thought you were joking, but seems like you're serious!"

Jackson laughed, clapping his hands together with enthusiasm. "Alright, let's hear it! If it's good, I'll play it in those stores without asking for a fee. Deal?"

Machida chimed in, "Fufu, then let's all listen to it!" 

She eagerly grabbed the head director's laptop from his desk and opened Spicyfy. Turning to Tsuna, she then asked, "What's your dad's rap name?"

"..."

Tsuna froze. His expression darkened slightly, and he let out a long, tired sigh. "...Lil Wonton."

There was a brief, stunned silence in the room.

"...Lil what?"

"..."

Tsuna closed his eyes.

After much back-and-forth with his dad, he'd tried to convince him to go with "50 Yen," thinking it was at least somewhat clever.

But Ichiro was so stubborn as he had insisted on Sushi Dogg before finally being convinced to choose something else and decided on Lil Wonton.

"Just… play the song," Tsuna mumbled, "Fried Rice by Lil Wonton..."

"...Sure."

Machida shrugged and typed in the name.

Moments later, the track loaded.

Yeah, yeah, yeah

As the music started, the room filled with a catchy beat and a surprisingly good rap.

I be like, 'I would like three chicken wings with the fried rice'

I be like, 'I would like three chicken wings with the fried rice'

I be like, 'I would like three chicken wings with the fried rice'

I be like, 'I would like three chicken wings with the fried rice.'

The beat dropped, and the energy in the room shifted.

"Ohhh!"

Everyone, initially skeptical, started to vibe with the music.

Jackson's eyes widened, and a grin spread across his face.

He was a fan of rap music, and there was something oddly captivating about Lil Wonton's flow and the unique, well-produced beat.

"This is… actually good," Jackson said, nodding his head to the rhythm.

And that day...

...Lil Wonton was guaranteed to make his presence known in North America!

------------------------

Advanced chapters can be found here:

patreon(.)com/mythoast