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"Please give me guidance in the future, Senior."
"Easy, easy."
Under the starry night sky, the blue-haired girl gently raised her head, one hand holding her fluttering hair. Ease and worry intertwined, youth and dreams entangled, turning into a unique moment.
"Aren't you just a first-year in high school? Why are you thinking so far ahead? Leave the future to your future self," Kiyono said earnestly.
"You're just slacking off, aren't you…"
"Just take your time," he said.
Yanami suddenly understood. Ah, they had only just stepped onto the racetrack of life. They just needed to take their time.
You occasionally say something nice!
The girl grinned and extended her fingertip, drawing circles on his waist with barely perceptible force.
The bicycle ran over the speed bump for the fourth time, and the light from the vending machine cut through the night. Just then, the two of them seemed to sense something and turned their gazes to the same place—at the convenience-store entrance by the roadside, two girls were holding up their phones, filming the night sky. Then, the camera slowly turned toward them.
"Ah, they're my classmates!"
Yanami recognized them. A bright smile appeared on her face, and she was ready to wave and say hello.
But Kiyono gasped, alarm bells ringing madly.
Classmates?
Filming?
Which means—
The two of them being together at night being seen by Yanami's classmates = rumors spreading in class = Yanami being misunderstood = the title of "Pure Love Warrior" being tarnished!
This is absolutely not allowed to happen!
"Hold on tight—time to accelerate!"
The moment he confirmed this equation in his mind, Kiyono took a deep breath, and it felt like the engine of an 86 was roaring in his ears.
The next moment, amid the girl's scream, the bicycle suddenly accelerated—leaving the camera behind, leaving the convenience store behind, and leaving the night behind.
Yanami's fingertips dug into the soft flesh of his waist.
"—Slow down, ahhh!"
The girl's scream echoed through the street.
…
After getting away from those two classmates, the speed gradually slowed down, and he rode to her house. When they arrived, Yanami let go of the clothes she had crumpled into a ball and lightly punched Kiyono's back, looking dissatisfied.
"Don't you have any sense of crisis? What if the photos spread around the school?"
Kiyono stopped the bicycle and educated her rather sternly.
Yanami jumped off the bike and blinked. "It's okay. The classmates close to me all know I have a serious and old-fashioned senior colleague!"
Your answer doesn't address the point…
Kiyono retorted and prepared to turn around and leave, but Yanami stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, looking like she was ready for a confrontation.
"Wait! Come to my house for dinner tonight. I specially asked my mom to make some extra food!"
Kiyono raised his eyebrows. Was she acting first and reporting later?
"Isn't tomorrow an important day? Let's have a good meal today to celebrate."
Yanami walked up to Kiyono with a grin and lightly bumped his shoulder—she seemed to like this kind of childish physical contact between elementary-school students, which expressed intimacy without giving people a feeling of ambiguity.
Kiyono was speechless for a moment. The girl had spoken so frankly; he really didn't know how to refuse.
"This… okay then." After thinking for two seconds, he readily agreed.
First time, strangers; second time, acquaintances. He had been forced to freeload meals quite a bit these days.
"Hurry, hurry, I'm starving."
Yanami picked up the plastic bag in front of the bike basket and walked straight to the door, not showing any politeness toward him as a guest.
"Sorry for the intrusion…"
Kiyono followed behind Yanami, walked into the entrance hall, smiled, and bowed slightly as he greeted them. Then, he put on his slippers, his movements steady and coordinated.
Speaking of…
Why does Yanami's house even have my own special shoes?
He looked down at his puppy slippers, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, feeling like his feet were sinking into a swamp.
"Kiyono is facing an important exam tomorrow, right? To cheer you on, I carefully prepared a lot of delicious dishes today!"
The blue-haired beauty who once made his heart flutter stood in front of him, smiling gently, the light illuminating her soft brows.
…Hey!
Kiyono quickly glared at Yanami, who was standing to the side. Why did you have to tell your mom even about this! It's so embarrassing!
The blue-haired girl gave him a thumbs-up, as if she had misunderstood his meaning, her pretty face shining with a smile.
"Before, my mom would make me delicious food the night before my exams. Now I'm letting you enjoy this treatment too. Be grateful!"
Yanami said condescendingly.
Kiyono felt a little weak. Is there something missing in your head! It's embarrassing to have an elder celebrate for him… But the magical thing was that the mother and daughter in front of him didn't give him that awkward feeling. It was like a celebration in an ordinary family, making people unconsciously blend in.
He sat in the chair. The TV across the living room was still playing a pet show, with various clips revolving around pet dogs and cats. The warm voices and sound effects of the hosts and guests added a bit of liveliness to the house.
"We're planning to get a Shiba Inu at our house soon," the girl whispered in his ear.
"That's good…" Kiyono could only nod and agree to this kind of family topic.
"So—remember to let it get familiar with your scent in the future, otherwise it will attack you," Yanami said playfully.
When did this happen!
Kiyono continued to nod.
While the two were chatting, Yanami's deluxe special cuisine was quickly heated up and brought to the table. Not only were the meat dishes doubled, but they also looked beautiful. There was even a small cake on the table—Yanami couldn't take her eyes off it.
This is really… Kiyono had always been the type who, if others treated him well, would think about returning the favor twice as much. Although this dinner might not cost much money, the intention was definitely there. He didn't even know how to repay it.
"How much has the favorability toward Lady Yanami increased with this wave?" Yanami lightly patted him.
The blue-haired beauty didn't say any encouraging lines, but just stared at Kiyono gently. "After Kiyono succeeds, let's have another meal."
"Okay." Kiyono nodded with a smile.
When people are at the bottom of the valley, various emotions are amplified—face, self-esteem, gratitude. Although he wouldn't amplify negative emotions—the feeling of being sincerely encouraged and expected wasn't bad.
He picked up his chopsticks and slowly savored the taste of the food.
—Of course, the cake was still split in half for Yanami.
After finishing the special dinner, Kiyono took a sip of water—Yanami had actually brought the glass. He tilted his head and saw the girl standing next to him, intently watching the TV in front of her.
After Kiyono withdrew his gaze, the girl felt relieved and observed him out of the corner of her eye.
Yanami bit her lip, one hand behind her back, her finger brushing against the soft fabric for the third time.
How should I give it to him?
Stuff it into his pocket with lightning speed?
That seems too casual.
Give it to him directly and openly?
That's a bit embarrassing.
Yanami stared at Kiyono, constantly adjusting her angle, her gaze solemn, until she noticed Kiyono looking at her strangely.
"Miss Yanami? What are you doing?"
"N-nothing!"
The sudden sound made the girl's hand tremble slightly, and the cloth bag fell silently to the ground. She hurriedly squatted down—
Suddenly, the entire room was plunged into darkness due to a power outage.
"Oops, it seems like a fuse blew. Don't move, I'll go see what's going on."
The troubled voice and footsteps of the blue-haired beauty faded away.
At this moment, Yanami's fingernails dug into the felt.
Kiyono turned his head, intending to joke with the girl, but he was stunned.
The eyes in the darkness flickered with light.
Those eyes reflected lake water and starlight.
"Kiyono, you're not allowed to look!"
The sound of fabric rubbing mixed with the rustling of clothes. The girl's breath was suddenly close at hand. Perhaps because vision was blocked by the darkness, other senses suddenly became sensitive. He could feel the girl's warm breath on his face.
"This is for you."
Her raised wrist was trembling slightly. It seemed like he could hear the thumping of her heart. The sweat on her palm soaked the edge of the cloth bag. Her voice, trying to sound calm, rang softly in the darkness.
"This is extra stuff from home-economics class…"
The palms of the two touched, and something furry was pressed into his hand.
With a pop, the fluorescent light flickered back on. Then, the blue-haired girl quickly turned around and returned to her room without saying a word, slamming the door shut—leaving Kiyono and the blue-haired beauty looking at each other.
"This is…"
Kiyono walked out of Yanami's house, gently opened his palm, and narrowed his eyes.
The bright moonlight illuminated a felt-sewn amulet. The Shiba Inu embroidered on it was smiling foolishly at him, and the satin ribbon slipped across his palm.
He turned the amulet over.
On the back were the words "Certain Victory."
He suddenly remembered the small scab on the girl's index finger when their fingers touched, and the rough feel of the bandage.
The name of the book he saw that day seemed to be:
Handmade for Beginners.
…
Kiyono awoke with a start. He dreamed that his light novel was a great success, sales exploded, and even Times Square in the United States was promoting his headshot. Then the scene changed, and he was in the newspaper again—the headline in bold font: "Disgraced! Reiwa's most innocent writer is actually with multiple women…" Behind him stood only Yanami, holding a knife to his camera.
"What a mess…"
Kiyono scratched his hair, speechless.
However, after waking up from the dream today, his mind was incomparably clear, his vision crisp and distinct, and the air as quiet as the beginning of summer.
Kiyono jumped up from the old mattress, turned on the computer, and repeatedly confirmed the document information.
"Yeah, no problem."
He muttered to himself, then clicked on the chat interface with "Snow"—the latest message showed 2:30 in the morning. It seemed he was a bit sorry for that guy with the healthy schedule…