Yanami's suggestions just now were more pertinent and useful than most readers', and this was even before she had read many two-dimensional works. He thought it was already very impressive—this might be related to her generous yet meticulous personality.
"Compared to being an editor, being a model is clearly more suitable for me, right?"
Yanami rolled her eyes, then spun around, trying to show off her body curves.
"A model?" Kiyono raised an eyebrow, staring at Yanami's waistline—or, more accurately, her stomach—with a peculiar look. "If you want to be a model, the first thing you need to do is give up snacks."
"Then it seems I can only be a celebrity!"
She gave up at light speed.
Kiyono smiled and walked to the window. The bright moon hung high in the night sky, as if he could reach out and touch it.
The cherry blossoms had long since scattered, the greenery deepened, and the air already carried the scent of summer.
There were still four days until the submission deadline.
...
Kiyono stared at the document on his laptop, rubbing his hot eyes. The afternoon sun cast a warm glow on the cover of the novel, and dust motes floated in the light beams.
"So bitter..." He picked up the can beside him and poured the last sip of coffee into his mouth, the bitter taste making his face scrunch up.
He had been going to bed very late these past two days and still had to work during the day. To stay awake, he could only rely on external help.
After a short break, Kiyono continued to immerse himself in revisions. However, when he scrolled the document to the section Yanami had mentioned yesterday, he inexplicably got distracted, thinking of the blue-haired girl's word from yesterday: dream.
His primary goal in writing light novels was, of course, to make money, to hone his skills—a purely utilitarian mindset. But now, suddenly, there was only one thing left in his life. He forgot to eat, went all out as if treading on thin ice, and at the same time felt anxious, as if facing judgment.
If it was just for money, it should be easier.
"This should be... the feeling of striving toward a goal?" Kiyono frowned.
It was like athletes training day and night for a competition, like students staying up late to study for the college entrance exam. Perhaps it started for fame and scores, but at the final moment, it was no longer just for those things. All sorts of emotions had become intertwined, turning into a simple desire.
To succeed.
So he could endure loneliness, he could work hard, he could burn brightly.
This was the feeling.
Kiyono gently exhaled, transforming his current emotions into words, engraving them onto another world, praying that one day they could reach someone—even just a little—hoping they could guide them toward the light.
The feeling came!
Kiyono subconsciously reached out, wanting to grab a coffee drink to refuel and continue working, but he grabbed nothing. The next second, a faint clinking sound rang in his ears.
He looked up in confusion. A steaming cup of black tea had appeared on the table in front of him at some point, and condensed water droplets were sliding down the cartoon Shiba Inu sticker—this was Yanami's cup.
Kiyono stood up, only catching a glimpse of blue hair flashing past the door of the lounge.
"This girl..."
He realized something, picked up the cup, and gently rubbed his finger against it. The smile on his face softened.
Although Yanami was a bit gluttonous and protective of her food, she was indeed a good girl—even a good girlfriend. She could silently support him when he was climbing toward the peak and give him a hug when he encountered setbacks or was tired... Stop thinking! Stop thinking! This is too much!
Kiyono quickly stopped his dangerous thoughts, sat down with the cup, but then his finger seemed to touch something slightly hard.
He let out a soft "hmm?", turned the cup around, and saw a pink sticky note attached to it. He took it off and read—
"Kiyono's eyes are three degrees redder than yesterday. Please pay more attention to your health!"
The handwriting was unexpectedly delicate, and at the end of the sentence, there was a rabbit with glasses holding a sign, on which was comically written "Victory." At that moment, sunlight shone through the window, and the handwriting and the rabbit seemed to sparkle.
Kiyono froze. He stared at the handwriting, and after a while, he silently put the sticky note away.
He only felt his lips dry and wanted to drink water, so he brought the cup to his mouth—wait a minute! This seemed to be Yanami's cup!
Which meant, indirectly, that—
Kiyono suddenly woke up, stopping abruptly just as the cup was about to touch his lips.
So why did you use your own cup?! There's a limit to being careless! Just use mine... mine... He scanned the table but didn't find his familiar cup. Only then did he remember that he had only drunk beverages and tap water today, and his cup was still quietly lying in his backpack.
...Then it wasn't Yanami's fault.
She didn't do it on purpose.
Kiyono's gaze returned to the cup, his expression conflicted.
Yanami's used cup...
Perhaps the girl's actions just now had entered his heart. He now uncontrollably imagined Yanami's charming way of drinking water. The girl's cherry lips were always moist and shiny; then her lips would slightly part and touch the cup, and now he was about to use the same spot...
This isn't right!
Kiyono's mouth twitched, feeling ashamed of his impure thoughts, and quickly pushed the cup away. But on second thought, Yanami often washed her cup, and she had washed it in front of him yesterday. Perhaps there was no need to be so particular... After all, they often shared snacks.
No, no! Still no!
"What are you doing here?"
A sweet voice came. Yanami stood at the door, watching Kiyono constantly extend and quickly retract his paws at the cup like a cat, her expression subtle.
"Nothing."
Upon seeing the real person, Kiyono coughed, completely regaining his composure, a calm smile like a sage on his face. He took his own cup from his backpack and poured all the black tea from Yanami's cup into it.
And when Yanami saw his actions, she also realized something, her ear tips silently turning red.
"I-I didn't prepare it especially for you, hmph!"
She crossed her arms and turned her face away, as if imitating a tsundere heroine.
However, before Kiyono could retort, she herself burst out laughing.
"These are buy-one-get-one-free tea bags from the convenience store, so I had an extra one and just happened to brew it for you!" She blinked.
—It seemed like the truth.
"Is that so?"
Kiyono wasn't surprised by Yanami's behavior, but... He unconsciously glanced into the cup, a little confused.
There was no tea bag inside?
...