"I'm home."
"Welcome back."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice floated in from the living room, languid and familiar.
Kasumigaoka Touji, having swapped his shoes for indoor slippers, paused briefly in the entryway before making his way casually toward the sound, a convenience store bag in hand.
"Did Onii-chan go shopping?"
The living room was awash in the warm, golden light of the setting sun. Sprawled comfortably across the sofa was a voluptuous girl with long, dark hair, a newly purchased light novel held in her hands. Her wine-red eyes lifted from the pages to track her brother's movement, finally settling on the shopping bag in his right hand.
"Mm."
Kasumigaoka Touji offered a noncommittal hum, rummaged in the bag, pulled out two boxes of Pocky, and tossed them her way. He then cut straight to the chase, asking the question he knew was looming: "How about the third volume? Did it clear editorial review?"
"...No."
At his words, Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression visibly clouded. Her shoulders slumped as she let out a weak, defeated sigh. "It needs major revisions this time… That old hag Machida said it's not engaging enough, that it doesn't align with current trends, and releasing it as-is would hurt sales…"
"She says it so easily, that old hag!" By the end, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but grit her teeth slightly, a flash of frustration in her eyes.
A major revision was no small undertaking—it was troublesome, time-consuming, and worst of all, there was no guarantee the revised version would even pass muster. It was utterly aggravating!
Kasumigaoka Touji couldn't suppress a soft chuckle. "Hang in there, hang in there. You've got plenty of time, anyway. Just take it slow and steady."
Having offered that brief encouragement, he made a tactical retreat, slipping away with the rest of the groceries toward the kitchen.
Watching him go, Kasumigaoka Utaha massaged her temples, a headache brewing, before lowering her gaze back to the light novel in her lap. Seeing that she showed no intention of probing about where he'd spent his day, Kasumigaoka Touji felt a subtle wave of relief. A small, private smile touched his lips as he set about preparing dinner with a light heart…
…
Time passed swiftly, and the weekend drew to a close.
Monday morning—
"Winter-sensei, good morning~."
"Morning."
Upon arriving at school, Kasumigaoka Touji returned Kani Nayuta's cheerful greeting, only to be promptly seized by her as a captive audience for her woes.
"I'm completely worn out these past two days; I've been doing nothing but writing at home."
"Aside from eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom, I've been glued to my computer chair. My backside has gone completely numb…"
At this point, Kani Nayuta spread her arms wide, putting on a pitiful look as she pleaded, "Winter-sensei, comfort me with a hug~."
Obliging, Kasumigaoka Touji leaned down and gave her a brief, reassuring hug before asking curiously, "How did the writing marathon go? Did you finish?"
"No, I've written about ninety thousand words so far."
Kani Nayuta's expression turned troubled. In the end, she hadn't managed to meet her own deadline… She would have to rush home after school today to continue, likely needing another two days or so to wrap it up.
"That's still impressive—thirty thousand words in two days…"
Kasumigaoka Touji was genuinely amazed. Her writing speed was truly remarkable, outpacing most authors he knew of. Some people struggled to squeeze out even two thousand words in a day!
Kani Nayuta, however, remained unmoved by his praise. She simply slumped forward onto Kasumigaoka Touji's desk, a picture of exhaustion, and gazed up at him with eyes full of envy. "If only I had Izumi-sensei's writing speed…"
"You're not that far behind him, are you?" Kasumigaoka Touji chuckled, patting her head. "Besides, Izumi envies you and Utaha-chan, you know."
Lately, Izumi Masamune had found himself in his own special kind of hell—a relentless cycle of manuscript rejections that had left him almost numb. During a recent chat, he'd openly expressed his envy for the early success of both Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta. He'd said how wonderful it would be to have achievements like theirs.
On a related note—
The sales figures for both Kasumigaoka Utaha's and Kani Nayuta's light novels had surpassed two hundred thousand copies each. Overall, Kasumigaoka Utaha currently held a significant lead, having already released two volumes. However, it was almost certain that once Kani Nayuta's second volume hit the shelves, her total sales would quickly overtake Utaha's—after all, the single-volume sales of Silver Season were notably higher.
It just went to show how formidable Kani Nayuta truly was. Despite having less publicity and exposure than Kasumigaoka Utaha, her work resonated more powerfully with readers. One could only say she was living up to her future reputation as a pillar of the industry!
…
As the two chatted, Kani Nayuta's expression suddenly shifted to one of surprise, her gaze fixing on a point across the classroom. Kasumigaoka Touji followed her line of sight curiously.
There, he saw Gotou Hitori, dressed in her usual tracksuit top and pleated skirt, walking stiffly into the classroom. Strapped to her back was a sleek, black guitar case. Perhaps due to a lack of sun exposure, the skin of her legs below the skirt was strikingly pale, almost dazzling to the eye.
Several classmates nearby also turned to look at Gotou Hitori with curiosity; her appearance today was unusual in more ways than one.
"Winter-sensei, is that case of Gotou-san's for a guitar or a bass?"
Kani Nayuta pointed with interest at the case Gotou Hitori had just carefully propped against her desk. Unlike the exaggerated assumptions of her classmates in another timeline—who might have guessed it contained a weapon or something equally outlandish—her curiosity was straightforward.
"Yeah, it is," Kasumigaoka Touji nodded lightly, his own gaze resting thoughtfully on Gotou Hitori. Are the gears of fate beginning to turn? Will she meet Nijika-chan in the park after school this afternoon?
"Uh…"
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw Kani Nayuta, energized by curiosity, stride over and strike up a conversation with the solitary girl. Kasumigaoka Touji instinctively raised a hand, about to call her back.
After all, in the original flow of events, no one had approached Gotou Hitori that morning. That sense of isolation had partly fueled her decision to go to the park after school, leading to the fateful encounter with Ijichi Nijika.
To be honest, Kasumigaoka Touji didn't want to risk creating a butterfly effect that might cause Gotou Hitori to miss that meeting. Meeting Nijika was a profoundly positive turning point for her—a chance to truly pursue her dream.
But then he reconsidered. The Gotou Hitori of now was already different from her original counterpart in subtle ways. Perhaps the butterfly effect was already in motion. He would know by tomorrow. If she hadn't met Nijika, he could always step in and play matchmaker; he already knew where to find Ijichi Nijika, after all.
With this plan in mind, Kasumigaoka Touji also walked over, joining what had become a casual, three-way chat by Gotou Hitori's desk…