At the Train Station
"Bye, Hachiman, Komachi," Totsuka Saika said with a gentle smile, waving goodbye.
"Bye," Hikigaya Hachiman muttered.
"Bye-bye, Saika-nii~," Komachi waved her little hand enthusiastically.
Once Totsuka disappeared into the distance, Komachi glanced at her brother.
"Onii-chan…"
"Let's go."
Hachiman picked up the bag of manga.
"Thanks, Onii-chan," Komachi smiled sweetly.
"What places did that guy take you to?" Hachiman asked.
"An animation studio, a publishing company, and I also met a few new friends," Komachi summarized simply.
Hachiman gave her a side glance.
"All of Su Yu-nii's friends are girls, and they all have some degree of affection for him," Komachi saw through his thoughts immediately.
"Oh."
Hachiman withdrew his gaze and looked ahead again.
"Onii-chan and Su Yu-nii are just too different. If I had to choose…"
"That guy is just rich and good-looking. He doesn't have any other remarkable traits," Hachiman said flatly.
"If I had to choose, I'd still pick Onii-chan as my brother," Komachi added the second half of her sentence.
"…"
Hachiman's face remained expressionless.
Komachi grinned at him.
Then, her smile faded, and she looked forward.
"Su Yu-nii feels dangerous to me. If I get too close, I might actually fall for him."
"Every girl I saw today looked at Su Yu-nii with some level of affection. It made me curious—what exactly makes him so charming?"
"In the end, I realized—Su Yu-nii's charm lies in his gentleness and attention to detail. It's as if he can guess what I'm thinking, and then he surprises me accordingly."
Komachi turned to look at her brother.
"That guy is like he has mind-reading powers—able to predict what others want," Hachiman commented.
"I thought the same thing. Even though Su Yu-nii doesn't seem to have that kind of interest in me, the feeling he unintentionally gives off is still very attractive."
Komachi nodded in agreement.
"That guy is a good person," Hachiman said after a slight hesitation.
"…That's your evaluation?" Komachi blinked.
"He doesn't have those kinds of thoughts about you because you don't like him that way—probably."
"Onii-chan, how do you know?" Komachi asked curiously.
Hachiman didn't answer, just looked at her.
Komachi immediately understood.
"Onii-chan's observation skills are really sharp."
"So, if you're interested in voice acting, I'll support you," Hachiman said.
Returning to Sakurasou
Before heading back, Su Yu gave Yukinoshita Yukino a call.
After confirming that she was really staying over at Yuigahama Yui's house for the night, he didn't say much.
It was obvious that Yuigahama wanted to get closer to Yukino—even Ebina Hina and Miura Yumiko had noticed it.
Upon returning to Sakurasou, Su Yu found that Kawasaki Saki had already left for work.
In the courtyard, Hiratsuka Shizuka was reading manga, while Kawasaki Keika was flipping through a storybook.
When Keika saw Su Yu, she smiled at him.
"Are you hungry? Want me to make dinner?" Su Yu asked softly.
"Not yet. I just had some snacks," Keika replied.
"Alright, then read for a bit longer. I'll come down and make dinner when it gets dark."
Su Yu gently patted her head.
"Okay," Keika nodded obediently.
As Su Yu walked upstairs, Hiratsuka Shizuka—who had not looked at him once—glanced at his back.
Keika noticed the look in Shizuka-sensei's eyes but said nothing.
Inside his room, Su Yu sat at his desk, set an alarm, and started working.
The stories in Yūzai were adapted from the anime.
Each chapter was a short, heartwarming story.
Every tale had its own charm, and with Su Yu's exceptional artwork, it easily drew in readers.
However, since the anime's content was limited, Su Yu also started creating original side stories.
The key to a good original story was maintaining the core tone of the series.
For Yūzai, that meant the world must remain peaceful and lighthearted—no dark twists or tragedies.
Su Yu had seen plenty of novels that suddenly introduced supernatural elements into an otherwise pure romance story, completely breaking immersion.
Similarly, some stories burdened their protagonists with constant hardships, making their struggles overwhelming.
While dramatic struggles could be engaging, excessive hardships created an oppressive atmosphere.
Personally, Su Yu preferred relaxing, heartwarming stories, though he also appreciated emotionally moving moments.
That was precisely what he was working on.
In the new chapter, Koharu met a girl about her age while walking through the village.
The two quickly became temporary friends.
But this girl was only in the countryside for summer vacation…
One day, Koharu learned that her new friend had already left.
She froze on the spot, staring blankly.
Su Yu carefully illustrated the change in Koharu's expression:
Shock and confusionA complex mix of emotionsTears welling up
Her small, lonely figure wiped her tears away as she walked home.
A few days later…
Koharu lay on the floor, still depressed.
Then, her sister walked in and handed her a letter.
It was from her friend.
Instantly, Koharu jumped up, grabbing a pen and paper, completely forgetting about food as she hurried to write back.
She even drew a picture for her friend.
At last, her expression brightened.
And then—
"Onee-chan, I'm hungry."
"Got it. I'll make dinner now."
After dinner, Su Yu washed the dishes and took a quick shower.
Just as he stepped out, his phone rang on the table.
It was a video call from Yuigahama Yui.
Su Yu accepted.
The moment the call connected, Yukinoshita Yukino appeared on-screen—wearing pajamas.
"Yukino-chan, look at the camera! Su Yu-kun's watching!"
Yui's voice came from off-camera.
Yukino's eyes flicked toward the screen.
"Did you eat dinner?" she asked softly.
"I did. Is Aunt Mirai home?" Su Yu asked.
"Why are you asking about that?" Yukino looked slightly confused.
"If she's not home, I was thinking about coming over right now," Su Yu said with a smirk.
"She is home. Dinner was delicious. Stay where you are." Yukino shot him a mild glare.
"What a shame," Su Yu chuckled. "Next time, let Yui sleep over at your apartment instead."
"Su Yu-kun, you big meanie!"
Yuigahama Yui suddenly appeared on-screen, pouting.
"By the way, Yui—your pajamas look a little small," Su Yu casually pointed out.
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X