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In places she didn't know, while she was stagnant, Komari must have put in efforts she couldn't imagine, striving desperately toward her ideals.
Her standing here was only natural.
Even Komari had already surpassed her, standing by that person's side… Of course, she didn't mean to look down on Komari at all—she'd simply, unintentionally, realized this fact.
There was no place for her here.
Yanami bit her lip.
If this continued…
The flame in her heart grew hotter and hotter.
After the career tour ended, Yanami hastily made an excuse about being hungry and temporarily parted ways with Lemon and Karen. She was afraid that if she stayed with them any longer, they would notice her frustrated mood.
The blue-haired girl walked alone down the street.
Night fell, and the moon and stars were buried beneath dark clouds.
A distant train whistle drifted by, and the silent crowds flowed past her, disappearing at the end of the street. Neon washed over the blue-haired girl, who kept her head down.
Yanami bought two dorayaki from a roadside stall, but the sweet treat tasted bland and empty. She took two bites and put it away.
The scenes from earlier kept flashing through her mind.
If only she could be more carefree, she wouldn't have to worry about the distance between them and could confidently stand by his side, relying on their past friendship.
But she knew human connections were fragile; even if Kiyono didn't care, time would still widen the gap between them.
She didn't want to be just a vase that only knew how to eat.
She wanted to become someone who could face the future with that person—someone who could encourage him when he was afraid, offer advice when he was confused, and give counsel when he was proud…
She wanted to see him. She wanted to say it out loud.
Yanami took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and dialed:
"Hello, what are you doing now?"
"Just left the company. What's wrong?" The familiar voice steadied her.
She only said one sentence:
"Come pick me up."
Kiyono fell silent for a moment, not pressing further. Not long after, a bicycle rolled to a stop in front of her.
Yanami squinted a smile and sat sidesaddle on the back seat.
"Let's go!"
"Where to?"
"Somewhere nobody is. I want to sing. Loudly."
"It seems Yanami is very happy today," Kiyono said with a small smile as he pedaled toward a quiet, deserted path.
The soft streetlights haloed Yanami.
Uncharacteristically, the girl was silent, simply resting her hands around his waist.
The night was hazy and the breeze cool. The dark clouds drifted, letting starlight leak through the seams.
Ah, if it was now, she should be able to say anything.
"Kiyono."
Her voice was as soft as the night.
"Mm."
"I…"
Her heart trembled again and again.
—It was like a box.
There was a box hidden deep in her heart, and she had locked it with countless excuses: "bad grades," "I can't do it," "I'm just ordinary"…
Now, that box was shaking more and more violently.
A flutter rose in her chest, as if the very next second would decide the future of two worlds.
"I…"
A scene she'd imagined flashed by.
"I want to be an editor."
Her lips parted slightly.
The words, full of her true desire, rode the wind into the night sky.
The dark clouds parted; the bright moon and stars shimmered together.
After speaking, heat surged through her.
Why was she so excited by herself? Maybe Kiyono would be troubled by her impulsiveness; maybe she wouldn't even get into a good university, let alone become an editor…
But none of that mattered.
It didn't matter if she lacked special talents or if her grades were only average—she still wanted to face it, seriously.
If she had no goal before, then from now on, this would be her brand-new goal.
She wanted to stand tall at that person's side.
Even if she failed, it didn't matter. She was still young and would continue to improve, achieve more, and eventually become an editor everyone praised.
In fact, she knew that if she asked Kiyono, he would find a way to help her become an editor as quickly as possible, but that wasn't what she wanted.
She wanted to genuinely help him; to be able to stay by Kiyono's side anytime, anywhere; to grow together; to weave a bond that couldn't be broken—a true community of shared destiny.
"I want to move forward. Even if I can't help right now, I definitely will in the future," the girl said softly.
"You've already helped me enough," Kiyono answered.
In that instant, her vague ideals and reality connected.
She seemed to catch a glimpse of the future.
After deciding to become an editor, she would work tirelessly on her studies and career. She would read countless novels, moved to tears by other people's stories; but her favorite books would still be his.
Her hair would grow longer than it was now; her clothes would take on a more mature style.
She would become an editor at that publishing house and, catching the man's startled eyes, she would say with a playful smile: "From now on, I'm your assigned editor."
The girl looked up and smiled.
Under a distant night sky she would one day recall—
She slowly extended her hand.
—
"So that's how it is. Father, Mother—I want to be an editor!"
In the living room, Yanami stood with one hand on her hip, voice bright and bold. Old Father set down his newspaper; her mother turned from the kitchen. The air stilled, a heavy storm brewing.
Kiyono, pulled into the eye of it, couldn't help speaking up:
"Wait—this is a Yanami family meeting, isn't it? Why did you specifically drag me into it?"
"Aren't you also a member of the Yanami family?" The blue-haired girl tilted her head, giving him a strange look.
—Don't say such terrifying things!
Kiyono quietly shifted to a more distant seat and observed.
"Why do you suddenly want to be an editor?" Old Father asked slowly. His back was straight, his face solemn—authority without anger, the pillar of the household.
As he spoke, he shot Kiyono an unfriendly glance, clearly suspecting this scoundrel had led his daughter astray… Well, not exactly astray. Being an editor was respectable. But this guy definitely had ulterior motives!
If his daughter became an editor, her time with a certain author would increase drastically. Day or night, she could come and go from his home; that guy might even use "writing" or "gathering material" as an excuse to have Anna role-play with him…
"Because, as Kiyono's editor, I can easily get commissions later!" the girl declared, puffing out her chest.
Kiyono's mouth twitched. Sure enough—that's your real goal.
The middle-aged man gazed at his daughter, seemingly seeing straight through her thoughts, and sighed.
"Do you know the acceptance rate for editors?"
"…I've looked up some information recently. For a large publishing house, it's a few hires out of thousands of graduates, right?"
Yanami spoke softly. When she'd seen that number, doubt and discouragement had pricked at her.
"If you fail to land a job, you'll be forced into one of those small, ubiquitous city studios. The environment isn't what you imagine—damp, cramped cubicles, heavy workloads, and the lowest hourly pay that barely covers basic needs."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Generally, most families in Tokyo are open-minded about their children's choices. There might be arguments, but they usually revolve around the profession itself—parents hoping for a nine-to-five, the child choosing athletics, and so on.
However, being an editor is indeed a difficult road. After all, only a handful of publishing houses in Tokyo are profitable, and the famous companies' standards are too strict. For a girl, choosing a career with brighter prospects is the wiser path.
Yanami seemed stunned by the reality her father laid out and fell silent.
She believed her resolve was unshaken.
But—
She asked herself: her passionate slogans were loud; did she truly have the will to climb bit by bit in such an environment without breaking? This wouldn't be a simulation anymore, but the real thing.
"And what about your studies? With Anna's grades, she probably can't get into her desired school right now. In other words, if your goal doesn't change, we'll need to support four years of private university tuition plus your living expenses after graduation. I don't mind paying as your father, but do you want to be a girl who still asks her family for money after graduating?"
The middle-aged man set aside his usual gentleness; his words struck her to the core.
Normally, his wife would say these things, but at a time like this, it was the man's role to step forward and make things clear.
"…I'll work part-time as well," Yanami muttered.
"There are indeed excellent people who can work part-time without hurting their studies. But Anna isn't that kind of clever child, is she?"
Old Father hit the mark.
The blue-haired girl had no rebuttal. Her self-assessment matched his. Not long ago, she'd even seen her grades slip because of a part-time job…
"To be honest, if it's just to get closer to someone, becoming an actress or a singer is more realistic than becoming an editor."
Wh-what is that supposed to mean! You scoundrel—Old Father, are you implying I'm a fool with only good looks?!
Yanami's delicate brows shot up. She half-rose to retort, then sank back down, crestfallen.
…Father was right.
She knew it.
Ah, she really should have prepared her arguments better. Deciding first and then dragging Kiyono to meet her parents—reckless and imprudent…
But no—that wasn't it.
The passion burning inside her was not false. She was seriously aiming to be an editor. She wanted to catch up to that distant figure. Precisely because she'd weighed it all, she'd made the first truly important decision of her life on her own.
Kiyono had given her courage.
Even if she faced hardships—even if she felt discouraged—
Even so—
She gritted her teeth.
"I want to be an editor, too!"
The middle-aged man watched with interest, seemingly ready with another pile of cold, rational arguments to crush her. Just then, Kiyono sighed from his seat and finally chose to step in.
"…May I say something?"
Their gazes shifted to him.
Kiyono… Yanami exhaled in relief. She had wanted to convince her parents by herself—just having him nearby was enough to summon her courage—yet seeing him speak up still filled her with irrepressible joy.