"Thank you for your guidance. I'm submitting my work to Dengeki Bunko today."
"Is that so? I wish you success."
It was an instant reply!?
Kiyono smiled, closed his laptop, put on his shoes, and, as he took his toiletry bag from the locker, the metal hinges groaned with rust.
The public bathroom at the end of the corridor always reeked of disinfectant, and the water heater's indicator light hadn't been on for a month. He brushed his teeth with his own toiletries, then chugged half a bottle of mineral water.
Kiyono took his backpack from the locker again, carefully placed the amulet Yanami had given him into his pocket, and walked out of the internet café.
The moment he pushed open the glass door, a warm breeze mixed with the electronic sounds of a nearby pachinko parlor, and an idol on a large screen of a tall building displayed a vibrant smile in the morning dew.
Kiyono took a deep breath and got on his bicycle.
After the second class bell rang, Yakishio Lemon, who had slept through the entire class, stretched lazily. Her graceful curves drew the quiet gazes of the surrounding boys. She stood up and walked to Yanami's seat, ready to chat with her.
But today, Anna seemed a little off?
Yakishio Lemon sat on Yanami's desk, tilting her head—the blue-haired girl in front of her wore an expression that was sometimes serious, sometimes lost in thought. She would unconsciously take out her phone, look at it for a while, then sigh and put it away, as if a friend had been in a car accident and she was debating whether to take time off to visit.
"What's wrong, Anna?" Yakishio Lemon asked curiously.
"…It's nothing, I'm just a little worried about the junior senior."
Yanami snapped out of her thoughts and briefly explained—but out of a small selfish desire, she didn't tell her about Kiyono's submission.
…What is Kiyono doing, she wondered inadvertently.
Did he carefully check the manuscript? Did he eat breakfast properly? Does he know the way?
Today was a special day for Kiyono.
And she also felt that same emotion.
Actually, she wanted to be with Kiyono, but unfortunately, she still had school today, and after what happened yesterday, she also felt a little embarrassed.
Yanami rested her chin on her hand, turning her head to look out the window, her azure eyes reflecting the equally bright blue sky.
She wished school would end quickly…
Kiyono bought two salted rice balls and a meat bun at a convenience store, quickly eating breakfast. While eating, he also had his manuscript printed onto original manuscript paper at the convenience store.
Originally, he had intended to submit it via email, but this time Dengeki Bunko's review was the last special channel for spring, requiring a physical submission, so he had no choice but to print out the document.
But the price was really not cheap! The standard manuscript paper format for submissions is "400 characters × 60," meaning four hundred characters per page, requiring about sixty pages to be printed. The money spent could buy a decent meal!
Kiyono grumbled to himself, picked up the stack of manuscript paper, and, with the help of the store clerk, put it into a gray kraft-paper envelope, labeling it "Newcomer Award."
"Next is mailing it… Forget it, the postage is too expensive, I'll just go myself."
Kiyono calculated the distance and cost of both options and found it was more cost-effective to cycle there. He simply put the kraft-paper package into his bike basket and pedaled.
The cherry blossoms by the roadside had already turned into green leaves.
Riding on the late-spring breeze, Kiyono gradually entered Tokyo's lead-gray cluster of buildings. In the bustling crowd, he was like a small cog embedded in this giant city.
However, Tokyo's newest cog got stuck halfway through its rotation—he realized he didn't have his phone, couldn't use navigation, and was now lost halfway!
But it wasn't a big problem.
Because…
"Hello, beautiful Big Sister, could you please tell me how to get to Dengeki Bunko?"
Kiyono stopped his bike, revealing a fresh smile, and softly asked a capable, strong-looking woman on the street.
Hearing the address, the woman in a black suit instinctively frowned, looking over with a serious expression. But the moment she saw Kiyono's face, the ice melted and spring returned to the earth.
She looked at the young man carefully for two seconds and felt a very comfortable sensation in her heart, her voice so gentle that even she herself found it unfamiliar.
"Turn right ahead, go straight, and then…"
Feeling that verbal directions were too troublesome, she simply took out a pen and paper from her bag and quickly drew a simple map. "You can follow this route."
"Thank you so much."
Kiyono's smile brightened by another three points, and he took the map from her with both hands.
"Let's go!"
Under the woman's lingering gaze, Kiyono headed in the opposite direction.
"If the editor is an older Big Sister…"
He couldn't help but think, but unfortunately, until his manuscript was accepted, he had no right to meet with an editor.
Half an hour later.
"This must be the publishing company, right?"
Kiyono parked his bicycle to the side and looked up.
Before him stood a modern-style building, its exterior combining glass curtain walls and metal frames, with clean, sharp lines.
On the outer wall of the company entrance, various posters of their popular works were displayed—a direct otaku's delight.
If he successfully published… would this become his workplace in the future?
At this moment, even Kiyono couldn't help but fall into fantasy, his emotions surging.
He took a deep breath and stepped through the main entrance.
Upon entering the publishing house, the first thing that caught his eye was a work-display wall: it was covered with cover illustrations of best-selling books from over the years, many with signatures, and many were light novels he had recently read.
Kiyono continued forward. In the open-plan office area, editors' workstations were neatly arranged, but the desks themselves were far from tidy—manuscripts, sample books, and merchandise were haphazardly piled together, and on the computer screen closest to him a light-novel document awaited review.
Fierce arguments vibrated in his eardrums; some were requests to expedite submissions, others were disputes.
It felt like another world. He inexplicably had this feeling.
Glamorous, bright, captivating—as if only a step away from him.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" A staff member with an ID badge around his neck called out to him.
"Hello, I'm here to submit for the Late Spring Newcomer Award."
Kiyono's tone was steady.
"Ah, you can place the manuscript over there. If you're not sending it by express delivery, you can come to the company to check the results in three days."
The scruffy staff member nodded knowingly, then pointed in a direction. Kiyono looked that way, and at the end of his sight there was a review room. Through the transparent glass, he could see kraft-paper envelopes almost filling the entire desk.
I'm just one of them…
This step felt so far away.
Kiyono walked to the desk, paused for a moment, and gently placed his manuscript on it.
At this moment, he was filled with mixed emotions.
"How did it go, how did it go!"
The girl's sweet voice echoed in the quiet restaurant.
Before the sunset even appeared, the blue-haired girl rushed into the store at full speed—even faster than her last dash to grab limited-edition crepes.
Yanami didn't know why she cared so much; her heart was pounding like a drum.
This must be the feeling of cheering for and worrying about a friend!
She thought so and, with a bang, opened the door to the lounge.
Sunlight streamed in through the window.
Kiyono was sitting in a corner, holding a book.
Hearing the movement from in front of him, Kiyono put down the book and looked up, half his face bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun, his eyes clear and full of tenderness.
"What's wrong?"
The sight before her made Yanami inexplicably pause. She quickly shook her head, discarded the strange thoughts in her mind, rushed to Kiyono, and vigorously shook his shoulders.
"T-today… how did it feel! What's the battle report!"
She stared into Kiyono's eyes, her cherry-colored lips slightly trembling as she spoke.
"It's submitted," Kiyono replied calmly.
"Then… the result?" Yanami nervously swallowed, moving a little closer to him, her warm breath hitting his face.
Then she felt her small head being pressed down.
Kiyono extended his palm, stopping the girl from moving further forward, and said helplessly, "How could it be that fast! A typical submission takes at least a month for results. Even if this one is reviewed early, it will still take at least three or four days."
"I see… so it means you've handed in the test paper, right?" Yanami went limp as if she had no bones.
"Yes, you could say that. And why do you seem as nervous as if you were the one submitting it?"
Kiyono picked up his book again.
"Let's go eat yakiniku tonight!"
Yanami took a breath, and her whole body seemed to inflate with renewed energy, smiling as she jumped behind him and pressed on his shoulders.
"No!… I'm sorry, please don't choke me."
"Hmph."
Yanami released her hands. She silently watched Kiyono, then her fair, warm hands involuntarily rested on his hair, gently ruffling it like an older sister.
In a place Kiyono couldn't see, in the shadows untouched by the sunlight, she said with a soft smile:
"—Kiyono worked very hard. That's wonderful, truly wonderful."
She did it subconsciously.
She knew better than anyone the silent efforts Kiyono had made.
"Are you my mom…?"
Feeling the tingling sensation from his hair, Kiyono felt a little strange inside and could only muddle through with a tease.
The ruffling turned into patting.
"It should be 'Big Sister' here!" Yanami murmured softly. "And I'm older than you, so I am indeed your Big Sister!"
Kiyono didn't know how to respond for a moment and silently continued reading his book.
The sunlight gradually turned into sunset, casting an orange glow over the lounge. Dust motes floated, making the scene incredibly gentle.
Yanami lowered her head slightly, a faint smile on her face, and continued to gently stroke his hair.
…
The class bell rang leisurely three times, and the serene sky with drifting clouds was tinged with twilight.
The classroom instantly became noisy. Students without club activities walked toward the school gate with joyful steps, sharing their favorite games with friends. Students involved in clubs linked arms, full of energy, saying, "Let's go to the club!"
But all the excitement and youth had nothing to do with Komari Chika.
The girl sat silently in her seat, tidied her school bag, then went to the blackboard—it was her turn to be on duty today.
She stood on tiptoe, carefully wiping the residual trigonometric-function formulas from the blackboard with an eraser. Chalk dust floated gently in the amber light.
The classroom grew quieter and quieter as students left in batches, until the last person disappeared. The girl glanced at the names written in the upper-right corner of the blackboard for duty: Komari Chika; Shinjima Isao.
But now, she was the only one in the classroom.
"No, I didn't expect to be alone in another world too, ha, haha…"
Komari Chika's movements unconsciously grew much stronger.
She bent down to pick up a piece of chalk that had fallen to the floor and placed it in the tin box on the podium.