"Don't worry," he whispered. "Imagine the guests are sea otters dozing in a zoo—hmm, just like Yanami."
Komari pictured it, her expression a little odd.
Her mood calmed almost in spite of herself.
The door slid open, and the pleasant chime of bells rang out. Kiyono quietly watched Komari opposite him. In the warm light, the usually gloomy girl bowed a full ninety degrees, her voice steady and her words clear—
"Welcome."
The two returned to the lounge.
The far-off twilight, before fading, cast a dazzling glow that painted a warm halo along the girl's profile.
"You did well," Kiyono praised.
Komari stood by the window, lips pressed together. She tried to keep a straight face, but her brows lifted despite herself. If it was in front of this person… maybe being a little frank was okay.
But the next moment, her expression stalled.
"Now I can leave with peace of mind. You should be able to take over my spot, slowly, from here on," Kiyono said, a little wistful.
Oh, so that's how it is…
Her earlier joy vanished in an instant. Komari felt a little dazed; those days were over.
This was the final farewell.
In the future, it would probably be hard to meet again.
After all, one was a student and the other an adult; they weren't exactly close.
But there was one thing she had to say.
"Th-thank you…"
Her soft voice seemed to scatter into motes of light in the sunset, falling to the floor one by one and leaving indelible traces.
Although it had only been a short time, Kiyono had turned the key in her heart, making her a bit more proactive.
Outside the door, Yanami bit her lip, full of feeling.
She believed this small matter wouldn't estrange her and Kiyono, but this place held their shared memories. From now on, they wouldn't be able to linger in this little lounge like before.
Scenes of her time with Kiyono flickered through her mind.
Ripples spread across her heart, one after another.
How can I get closer to him?
What reason can I use to keep being with him?
Inside the door, outside the door, the two girls' emotions rose in tandem.
Everything around fell quiet—so quiet they could hear their own heartbeats.
Thump, thump-thump-thump. Kiyono picked up his backpack, turned, walked to the door, and deliberately raised his voice.
His bright tone echoed through the space.
"From now on, I'll probably be focusing on school, so… as classmates, please take care of me."
S-School?
Classmates?
Which means—
In that instant, Yanami's beautiful eyes widened. She stood there like a statue, staring straight ahead.
Sadness ebbed away.
Joy surged in.
When she came back to herself, she'd already hopped to a stop in front of Kiyono.
"Y-You… you, you—you're coming to our school!?"
"Just to get a degree."
Kiyono arched his brows, a familiar mischievous smile tugging at his lips.
"Seriously, why didn't you tell me sooner! You know I…" The blue-haired girl threw a light punch—but didn't have the nerve to finish the sentence.
"This is a return gift for someone," Kiyono said seriously. "For you pulling me along last time."
Behind him, Komari, filled with inexplicable emotion, pressed her lips together. Classmates, huh… That doesn't sound so bad.
Yanami stood with her hands behind her back, gazing up at him.
A gentle breeze from afar teased the girl's hair and skirt. In the golden light, Yanami showed a brilliant smile; her playfully sweet voice rode the wind to the young man's ears.
"That's so mean."
She knew.
Their brand-new September had begun.
—
In recent days, Kiyono's career had gone quite well. Volume one of his light novel, freshly released, sat atop the charts, nearly dominating them. At first glance, it looked like he'd reached the pinnacle of his life.
And although he'd decided to go to school, academics weren't his immediate priority. The most important thing now was to sharpen his craft, seek breakthroughs, and prepare for the future.
He planned to settle in until next year—just in time for the new term.
Besides, time was truly tight.
He had to write volume two, right?
Had to draft the outline, right?
Had to prepare for his future path as a literary master, right?
Having finally acquired extraordinary talent, he had to keep grinding it—let it blaze with light and heat.
At the moment, Kiyono was holed up at home, staring at a blank document, feeling… something.
Slowly, his fingers moved to the keyboard. He typed a first line, paused, hit Enter, erased it all, then scratched his head and let out a long, quiet sigh.
"Why do humans have to write?"
That feeling of burning himself up—going all out on thin ice, like a swordsmith quenching steel—was gone.
He knew why.
He had welcomed dawn after darkness; the constant pressure of survival had lifted. Naturally, his mood relaxed—like a hero returning to the capital after a holy war.
That instinctive slackening seemed to be his first hurdle.
But—
He still had goals he wanted, a moon to reach for.
"I'm still far from perfect."
He exhaled softly. His mood steadied, and words began to fill the page, one after another.
Writing, researching.
Researching, writing.
Time flashed by.
In a daze, that godlike fast-forward returned.
Him planted at the computer, writing furiously; him out on a walk, thoughts blocked, running into the blue-haired "otter"; the quiet ache of watching street leaves yellow and fall; the relief of submitting volume two…
In the blink of an eye, it was late winter.
Tomorrow would be a new year.
Everywhere, Christmas trees twinkled with colored lights; staff wore reindeer hats. A lazy ease lingered in every corner. Girls in scarves held boys' hands and leaned close. Golden lights bloomed like fireworks; even traffic signals seemed to blink more gently.
"It feels like… the progress is speeding up."
Kiyono, just out of a store with supplies in hand, stopped, pulled out his phone, snapped a photo of the street lights ahead, and sighed quietly.
He remembered the details—the words written day by day—yet the flow of time felt different. Was this simulated world about to end?
He shook his head and carried his bulging bags back to his small room.
Humans are easily swayed by their surroundings. The livelier the scene, the more it highlights one's solitude. In the empty rental, Kiyono lay on the sofa and checked the time in silence.
—Bang.
The first firework of the New Year shot into the sky, its glow flooding through the window and lighting the boy's face.
It was 0:00.
Kiyono, who'd already opened a chat and typed his message, hit send.
["Happy New Year, Big Junior."]
["Happy New Year, idiot!"]
Two messages popped up at once.
This guy… Kiyono smiled without thinking and sent the photo he'd just taken.
[Girl Who Doesn't Like Eating: Ah, I wanted to go there today! Sorry…]
[Pure Love Warrior: Why apologize?]
[Girl Who Doesn't Like Eating: I'm spending New Year's with my mom and dad tonight, so I can't be with you. You must be lonely by yourself, right?]
[Pure Love Warrior: I'm thinking about volume three and the anime—to make money. How could a successful big earner care about this?]
[Girl Who Doesn't Like Eating: So… tomorrow, want to go to the New Year's shrine visit with me—and my mom and dad?]
And so, they went to the shrine for Hatsumode.
He didn't believe in this—Japanese gods felt less reliable than the system—but Yanami's family had treated him well. Since she'd asked, he'd go.
"So many people…"
On January 1st, shrines were always packed. Early that morning, locals came for their first visit of the year—Hatsumode.
Colorful stalls lined the grounds: grilled mochi, fried treats, amazake, toys… The streets were packed. Young couples each held a child's hand; girls in kimono and geta wore gentle smiles.
Kiyono waited quietly beneath a distinctive stone statue… Though, wasn't it a bit strange to visit a shrine with Yanami's family?
Tap, tap-tap-tap.
A highly recognizable footfall approached and stopped before him.
Kiyono looked up, sensing it.
A bright blue filled his vision.
Yanami's outfit leaned cute today. A light-yellow coat, with a shirt just a shade darker beneath. Her soft blue hair spilled over her shoulders like layered clouds, and she wore small rabbit-earmuffs—fresh and girlish.
Maybe it was his eyes playing tricks, but her eye corners looked redder than usual—as if she'd put on the faintest makeup.
Of course, the most Yanami-esque touch was the paper cup in her hand: fried chicken bites lacquered with sauce.
"Where are your aunt and uncle?" Kiyono glanced around.
"When I went to buy something, I—I got separated, so I came first!" Her eyes skittered, and she lifted the paper cup as if to cover.
"Is that so…" Kiyono was half-skeptical.
"Here, it's too much trouble to meet up with them now—let's go first!" Yanami handed him a skewer of chicken.
Kiyono nodded. Truth be told, he was relieved not to run into Old Ba's parents.
Thump, thump.