The bedroom was quiet.
Unlike the rooms of most girls, there wasn't a sea of pink. The walls were covered in plain cream-colored wallpaper, decorated only with subtle gold and silver patterns.
Aside from that, the room contained only a bed, a desk, and a few bookshelves.
Kasumigaoka Utaha sat on the bed, resting her chin in one hand as she watched the boy seated at her desk. A faint glimmer occasionally flickered through her wine-red eyes as they followed him, though it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
The boy leaned back in the chair, carefully reading the stack of A4-sized pages in his hands. His build was tall and athletic, like someone who had undergone long-distance running training. His black hair fell loosely across his forehead, framing a refined, handsome face.
"It's very good. It's exactly the level I'd expect from Kasumi-sensei."
After finishing the script, Sato closed the pages and praised her sincerely.
What he excelled at was storytelling, not writing emotional scenes.
Utaha, on the other hand, specialized in exactly that. It was also why he had entrusted the script to her.
"Is that all?"
Utaha raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat dissatisfied.
"I think this is the best work I've written so far."
Whether it was the various romantic routes or the characterization, she felt it surpassed everything she had written before.
Sato brushed aside the loose strands of hair on his forehead and replied helplessly,
"That's just an illusion."
"In my opinion, your best work is still the first two volumes of [The Metronome in Love]. Although your wording and overall technique back then weren't as polished as they are now, every line was filled with inspiration."
"I'm not saying your current work is bad. In fact, it's much more mature. It's just that compared to before you developed that polished writing style, some of that natural spark has faded."
Still resting her chin in her hand, Utaha looked at him with curious eyes.
"If that's the case, then what made me think this was my best work?"
Sato thought for a moment before answering.
"Probably the music."
Looking up at her, he smiled.
"A good script paired with good music is like giving a beautiful body its soul."
"Oh, right."
Sato suddenly remembered something.
"The character designs are finished. Want to take a look?"
"The character designs are done?"
Utaha blinked in surprise before smiling with interest.
"Of course I do."
"Forget your phone. The screen's too small. Let's use my computer instead."
"All right."
Sato was already sitting in front of Utaha's computer. Hearing that, he turned it on and logged into his LINE account.
Opening the online album, a series of beautifully illustrated character designs immediately filled the screen.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Before long, he sensed Utaha standing directly behind him.
Displayed on the monitor was a silver-haired twin-tailed girl wearing a white dress. Her hair was tied with black lace ribbons, and she hugged a black rabbit while wearing an expressionless face.
"So this is Kasugano Sora?"
Utaha's surprised voice came from behind him.
A moment later, he suddenly felt something soft, warm, and surprisingly heavy rest on top of his head.
A fair, slender arm reached past him from his right side to grasp the mouse, clicking through one illustration after another.
"Kasumi-sensei..."
"Hm? What is it?"
Utaha made no move to pull away. Her hand continued clicking through the images.
"You're putting me under a lot of pressure like this."
"Oh? Am I?"
Her tone remained calm, but Sato could sense the faint trembling hidden beneath it.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became different.
Silence settled between them, broken only by the soft clicking of the mouse.
"Miyabi-sensei."
Utaha suddenly spoke.
"What is it?"
"I'm going to Tokyo for school soon."
"Yeah."
"It won't be as easy for us to meet after that, will it?"
"Transportation's pretty convenient these days."
The room fell silent once again.
The weight resting on his head suddenly disappeared.
Then he felt warm, moist breath brush against his ear, carrying an unmistakable warmth.
"Miyabi-sensei."
"Hm?"
"I like you."
Sato fell silent for a moment before sighing inwardly.
So the moment had finally come.
"I have a girlfriend."
The girl didn't sound surprised.
"Your childhood friend?"
"You knew?"
"Eriri messaged me yesterday. You have no idea how angry that little fool sounded at first. But the longer she talked, the more wronged she seemed, like she was about to cry."
"She's the losing heroine, after all."
Utaha let out a soft laugh behind him.
Yet instead of joy, there was only a trace of sadness in it.
If Eriri was the losing heroine, then wasn't she one as well?
"Miyabi-sensei..."
"Hm?"
"Have you two kissed?"
"Uh... well..."
Before he could finish speaking, his eyes suddenly widened.
He stared in disbelief at the beautiful face that had suddenly appeared before him.
The next instant, something soft and moist pressed against his lips, and a warm body settled onto his lap.
This girl...
Even Sato was caught completely off guard by Utaha's sudden attack.
His mind went blank.
A long while later, their lips finally parted, leaving a glistening strand stretching briefly between them.
Utaha smiled radiantly.
"It seems I was the one who got Miyabi-sensei's first kiss."
Sato looked at the girl before him with a complicated expression.
"Once you've loosed the arrow, there's no turning back."
"Everyone has to go crazy for themselves at least once, don't they?"
A rosy blush spread across Utaha's cheeks, making her look even more enchanting.
Then, she leaned toward him once again...