In Yanami's eyes, Kiyono had always been reliable, strong, and optimistic. Even when troubled, he always wore a smile and never brought negative emotions to others. He was just a bit too rigid and liked to tell boring jokes—but that wasn't a flaw; in girls' eyes, it was a bonus.
Although Yanami was always labeled as "positive and optimistic" by those around her, she felt that Kiyono was truly the positive one. She could more or less guess his special circumstances, and if she were in Kiyono's position, she definitely wouldn't be as strong as he was.
So, when she saw Kiyono constantly zoning out and looking serious, she was indeed a little worried.
But how should she ask?
The door to the lounge quietly opened a crack. Yanami peeked through the gap, looking at the young man in front of her with a troubled expression—wait, am I a peeping Tom?!
Several methods flashed through her mind: serious, probing, subtle. However, in the end, she decided to do it their way.
"Yo, what's up, junior? You've been spacing out all day today."
She just needed to ask directly.
Yanami sidled up to Kiyono, who was tidying the table, and lightly bumped his shoulder like a middle-school boy, her tone playful.
"Are you preparing for the middle-school exam?" She looked Kiyono up and down.
Kiyono looked at her in surprise, paused, and replied, "You could pretty much say that… To be precise, I'm preparing to submit my light novel."
He didn't hide anything either. The reason he usually didn't proactively tell others about such things was, first, because he didn't want others to think he was boasting, and second, because he didn't want to be ridiculed or advised against it. But he understood Yanami and knew she wouldn't do that. She would only try to encourage him.
"So it's for submission… Eh?! So fast?!"
Yanami pressed her hands on the table, her eyes wide. She was genuinely surprised. In her impression, light novels usually took a year or so to conceive before submission—this wasn't a stereotype; even professional Japanese authors only churned out a small book every three months.
Kiyono had only a little over half done a while ago, and now, less than a month later, he could submit it?
"Actually, there are still a few days. If a good idea pops up, it might even be postponed."
After tidying the items on the table, Kiyono sat down in the chair and explained.
"Will there be discussions with the editor then? Like, they ask you to change the plot, and you're unwilling to compromise, and the two of you argue fiercely over the story, or even quarrel…"
Yanami stood behind his chair, her hands clasped behind her back. She only had a vague idea of what a novelist was, and this scene was something she had seen in some unknown TV show.
"Not usually. That's a privilege only authors whose works have been accepted have. Most people are rejected with a single letter when they submit."
"Kiyono, have you decided where to submit it?"
"Currently, Dengeki Bunko is the target, but the competition there is too fierce, and fantasy works account for 70%, so it's very likely to be eliminated. So later, I'll consider Shogakukan and other bunko that focus on slice-of-life."
"Wow, that's a name even I've heard of."
Yanami blurted out, then inexplicably fell silent.
She repeatedly chewed over their conversation.
Even though she couldn't see Kiyono's expression from behind the chair, she could imagine the young man's bright eyes and firm look—Kiyono was clearly the kind of person who wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal, someone who wouldn't be easily defeated by difficulties.
I see—
He wasn't writing for fun, nor was he idly dreaming.
He was seriously aiming to be a novelist.
She had initially thought Kiyono was just like most boys his age, in his chuunibyou phase, but she had underestimated Kiyono's will.
—Kiyono was indeed more like an adult than she was.
Yanami suddenly felt a little lost. She felt that she was slowly getting to know Kiyono. Recently, she had read many light novels and secretly borrowed writing-related books from the Literature Club, but in places she didn't know about, Kiyono was making great strides.
The blue-haired girl moved her feet, sat opposite Kiyono, and took out a large bag of chocolate bars to open—because she was used to sharing with Kiyono, she had increased the amount of snacks. However, at this moment, she uncharacteristically didn't put the chocolate bar in her mouth; instead, she absentmindedly held it in her hand, slowly rotating it.
In the slightly quiet atmosphere, she looked up and asked something seemingly inexplicable.
"Hey, Kiyono, can I ask you a strange question?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you the color of my underwear."
Yanami glared at him in exasperation and continued, "Is being a novelist your dream?"
If the motivation wasn't admiration or the pursuit of a dream, she found it hard to imagine a teenage boy having such clear ideas and actions. At least, she was still completely clueless about her own future, which made her both sigh and feel a little envious—as for doing it for money?
Any other goal would be far more practical than being a novelist.
"Not really." Kiyono slowly and clearly shook his head.
His dream wasn't to become a writer—or rather, at this moment, he hadn't even thought about the word—