🚀 Want more from the story? 🚀
Join my Fanfiction Patreon to unlock more than 15 advance chapters and get ahead of Webnovel readers:
👉 patreon.com/Forbidden_lust
🎨 Love the female leads? On my Art Patreon, you'll find exclusive artwork bringing them to life:
👉 patreon.com/PixLust
Support the stories, enjoy the art, and connect with the community! ❤️
Chapter 22 – The Girl by the River
At this time—
In a quiet, spotless room, Kasumigaoka Utaha had just stepped out of the bath.
She wore loose pajamas with a wide collar, exposing the elegant curve of her shoulders, pale against the fabric. A glimpse of her chest showed through, but she paid it no mind.
Her gaze fell upon her laptop. On the glowing screen, Your Lie in April had already climbed to second place on the Dengeki Newcomer List. Beside her, she held the newest issue of Dengeki Magazine.
She thought for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
"Ryuo-kun… this one is going to be a big hit."
Yes—Ryuo Tenshin, the one behind the pen name Burning Ikaros.
Her thoughts drifted back to the first time she met him, two years ago, when she herself had been at rock bottom.
---
Utaha had always excelled. She was the girl who never lost first place in her school, praised for her literary talent since childhood. By the time she was in elementary and junior high school, she was already writing scripts for the drama club, her work admired by teachers and classmates alike.
She believed, firmly, that she had the talent to become a true author.
So, after graduating from junior high, she gathered all her courage and submitted her carefully written manuscript to Shinchosha.
She imagined it all—the editor reading her work with awe, the literary world recognizing her genius, her name celebrated.
But reality was cruel.
The editor barely glanced at the pages before tossing them aside in disdain.
"This is childish nonsense. Do you think this is some amateur's playground? This is Shinchosha."
His words were sharp as a blade. Her work was shredded not by hand, but by contempt.
"Security, stop letting in stray cats and dogs."
Her classmates, who had tagged along out of curiosity, stood outside whispering, some mocking, some pitying.
"Wow, Utaha actually got rejected outright. By Shinchosha, no less."
"Well… it is Shinchosha. Even great authors have been turned away. She just wrote some club scripts and thought she was ready?"
Others smirked behind their hands.
"She really thought she was a prodigy, huh?"
Utaha walked out with her manuscript clutched tightly to her chest, their voices muffled as though from another world.
The wind outside was harsh, cutting through her like knives.
She sat alone by the riverbank, silent for hours. Her thoughts were numb, her heart heavy.
When the wind picked up, pages of her manuscript were ripped from her arms and scattered into the river.
She reached for them desperately, but they floated out of reach. Her chest ached with helplessness.
Maybe this was her fate. Maybe she should get used to failure.
Yet when she saw her words drifting away, tears welled up and fell unbidden.
And then—
A shadow appeared.
A boy, about her age, glanced at her and the scattered papers. Without hesitation, he stripped off his school blazer and leapt into the river.
The water swallowed him, but his arms reached with determination, retrieving page after page. He was careful not to damage them, holding each sheet as if it were precious.
When he finally climbed back onto the bank, dripping wet and breathless, he handed the rescued manuscript to her.
"I saw you holding it so tightly," he said simply. "It must be something important to you."
To everyone else, her manuscript was worthless, ridiculed and dismissed.
But to this boy—Ryuo Tenshin—it was reason enough to dive into a river.
Utaha stared at him, stunned. In that moment, drenched like a half-drowned cat, he looked dazzling. Too dazzling.
Her heart skipped.
---
The rest of the story was simple.
They introduced themselves, and Ryuo sat beside her, flipping through the pages he had saved.
"The title made me expect something gloomy," he said with a grin. "But it's actually not sad—it's clever, even fun. You write well, but your story fits better as a light novel. Why not try writing one with me?"
Utaha narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly. Her answer came easily.
"…Sure."
"Then let's start from here," Ryuo said. "A story about a literary girl by the river… and a boy who dove in after her words."
---
Remembering that day, Utaha laughed softly to herself.
She had known from the beginning that if Ryuo ever wrote seriously, he would surpass her. Still, she hadn't expected him to soar so quickly.
What should she say when she met him again?
Her gaze shifted to the glowing screen. The name "Ikaros" reminded her of the myth—a boy who flew too close to the sun. But she knew Ryuo. He wasn't reckless; he wouldn't change.
Taking out her phone, she typed a message:
"Congratulations, Jisu. You've climbed to second place. Want to go to the library this weekend? I need to check some references."
A few moments later, her phone chimed.
Ding.
The reply came swiftly.
"It's not Jisu—it's Ryuo
END of the chapter
200ps=1 extra chapter