[Prince of Tennis] Long Live Romance (Atobe BG)

Juchuan Yuka, 27, formerly a Tokyo heiress, now a down-and-out (allegedly) financial journalist

Her guiding principles: Escape her family, never repeat her mother's mistakes, and, above all, never get fooled by an online romance a second time.

Atobe Keigo, heir to the Atobe Group and emperor of Hyotei.

His guiding principle: This young master's aesthetic allows no flaws.

A property deal gone awry, and an interview that could not have been more awkward

To him, she is a down-and-out job seeker, a sharp-tongued interviewer, and a proud heiress with a soft heart.

He is a lonely heir to his family, and that "acquaintance" who occasionally lets his gentle side show.

When a stubborn heiress who "doesn't want to rely on anyone" meets the Hyotei emperor who "doesn't just want to win, but to win in style."

When "escaping her family" means finding herself, while "bearing the family name" means surpassing herself.

When she cannot escape the cycle of fate and is forced at last to shoulder her family's responsibilities...

Juchuan Yuka thought she was dancing on the edge of a cliff, never realizing someone had already laid out a red carpet for her.

[Reader's Guide]

!!! Content warning: The first chapter has a lot of background information, meant to plant seeds for later and build a richer world. There are many clues throughout the story, and rereading after it's finished will reveal them. If that's not for you, please don't read. Slow burn. Serious tone. It's not sweet all the time!

1. Atobe Keigo x Juchuan Yuka, two strong leads, one-on-one romance, happy ending. Their story takes place after they reach adulthood, so you can read it as a contemporary romance.

2. The heroine is level-headed, independent, and grows over the course of the story. She's an INTJ/INFJ, but she's not perfect and has her flaws.

Here's the conclusion first: This has a happy ending, a happy ending, a happy ending!

If you're worried about a tragic ending, don't be! But there is a getting-back-together-after-a-breakup trope in the middle!

Also, I don't want to label my story in this way or that. I just want to give every character as much depth and humanity as I can. I don't expect everyone to love it, but I hope some readers will find something they relate to, and that some characters' experiences will help you understand the people and things around you and find strength~

Overall, this story leans toward realism. I'll do my best to shape the characters' actions using my own experience and what I've seen and heard, creating a world that feels as authentic and relatable as possible. Please forgive any minor lapses in logic. There may be small moments I haven't experienced myself, and don't know quite how to write.

The story includes: a romance (of course, absolutely) + personal growth (individual development, moving from rejecting labels to accepting and integrating one's identity and family responsibilities, personal rebellion and the ties of fate) + family drama + workplace growth and rivalry + an ensemble of women and the relationships between them + friendship + business intrigue (a major focus in the final third of the story, and the direct reason Atobe and Yuka split up)

Theme: Rebuild yourself amid brokenness and lies, and find someone like you amid pride and loneliness. Romance is never about perfect love, but about a life lived by those who dare to be true to themselves, believe again, and bravely follow their hearts one more time.