After leaving the classroom, Nanashi got straight to the point.
"Are you looking for me?"
Utaha tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and formally introduced herself.
"I'm Utaha Kasumigaoka, third year, Class 1."
"Oh." Nanashi nodded casually.
"…Nanashi-san, could you come with me to the rooftop? I have something I'd like to ask you."
"The rooftop, huh…"
Nanashi couldn't help but recall the time he'd gone up there with Eriri and Megumi—when he'd run into Utaha by chance.
The corner of his mouth twitched, but he still nodded.
"Alright."
On the rooftop.
The two stood across from each other, the wind gently tugging at their uniforms.
Looking closely, Utaha was undeniably beautiful.
She was tall, wore a crisp white headband, and had long, straight black hair.
Her eyes were a deep crimson, her figure elegant and full.
Most striking of all were her long legs clad in black stockings.
A quiet beauty—with a sharp intellect behind calm eyes.
Utaha broke the silence, striking up the conversation as if it were just small talk.
"Does Nanashi-san like light novels?"
"They're fine. I like them."
Her eyes lit up slightly.
"Have you read The Flower We Saw That Day? Or Heaven's Lost Property…?"
She rattled off a long list of titles in one breath.
Nanashi already knew where this was going and answered calmly,
"Yeah, all of those were published by me."
"Ah??"
Utaha stared, stunned. She'd intended to subtly read his reactions—to guess the truth from vague expressions and ambiguous replies.
She never expected him to drop the answer so bluntly.
Completely breaking the script!
Her heart skipped a beat. She leaned forward, her voice anxious.
"Wait… are you saying you're Unknown-senpai?"
Nanashi didn't hide it.
"My pen name is indeed Unknown."
"Wait—Unknown—that's you?!"
Utaha was visibly shaken, her eyes wide with disbelief. She had never imagined that the senpai she admired so deeply was her own underclassman!
She asked cautiously, voice filled with nervous excitement,
"Do you… still remember Utako Kasumi?"
That roundabout phrasing made Nanashi sigh.
"Don't beat around the bush. The junior I once chatted with, who wrote 'Love Metronome', is you—Kasumigaoka Utaha."
"…"
Her black-stocking-clad legs trembled slightly, a mix of flustered embarrassment and restrained emotion making her voice tight.
"You're still as sharp-tongued as ever, senpai…"
Nanashi gave her a light pat on the shoulder and shook his head.
"It's not about being sharp-tongued. You're just too roundabout."
"When we used to talk, you always danced around the point. I just prefer being direct."
"…"
Utaha glanced at the hand on her shoulder but didn't pull away. Instead, she furrowed her brow and asked the question that had been on her mind for so long.
"…Why did you retire from the writing circle senpai?"
Nanashi blinked.
"Can you stop calling me 'senpai' already?"
Utaha: "?"
"You're my senior at school, and I'm yours in the writing world. It's confusing. You call me senpai, I call you Kasumigaoka-senpai—it's just weird. Just call me Nanashi."
That was pretty messy, now that he said it out loud.
Utaha nodded.
"Alright… then Nanashi-kun, can you call me… Utaha?"
"Got it." Nanashi smiled. "As for your question—it's pretty simple. I retired after I made enough money."
"...Huh?"
Utaha's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting such a blunt—and practical—answer.
Her leg twitched unconsciously as she pressed on,
"Then… why did you stop communicating with me? Was it because I wasn't good enough?"
That question had lingered in her mind for so long.
Ever since she'd completed Love Metronome with his guidance, Nanashi had vanished without a word.
She'd come up with countless theories.
But the one that hurt the most… was that she'd disappointed him.
Nanashi chuckled.
"You're seriously overthinking this."
"Actually, you're amazing. I just thought my advice was no longer needed. You've already surpassed me when it comes to writing."
It might've sounded modest.
But to Utaha, those words felt a little… ironic.
Nanashi had dozens of best-selling light novels that were industry-defining.
Meanwhile, she only had Love Metronome.
Even the sales of her debut couldn't compare to his least popular book.
Nanashi noticed the shift in her expression.
He knew exactly what she was thinking.
So he spoke, this time with heartfelt sincerity.
"I mean it. I'm telling you the truth."
His tone was serious—so much so that for a moment, Utaha found herself doubting her own doubts.
"…But your works…"
The numbers didn't lie, right?
Nanashi shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Those aren't really my works."
"I just used them to make money. I even rewrote the protagonists to resemble myself."
The Flower We Saw That Day, Heaven's Lost Property—he hadn't created them from scratch.
He'd simply transplanted what he knew.
It wasn't original creation. It was repackaging.
He considered it shameless—using borrowed ideas for profit, tweaking the main characters for personal reasons.
He never pretended to be noble or virtuous.
To him, he was just a guy exploiting what he could.
"…"
Utaha stood silently, her hair fluttering in the wind.
Nanashi's confession was… hard to accept.
He was essentially admitting to plagiarism—lifting ideas that weren't his and profiting off of them.
From a logical standpoint, that's what it sounded like.
And as a writer herself, Utaha couldn't help but be shaken.
The senpai she admired…
Was this the kind of person he really was?
For a moment, Utaha stood in the wind, completely at a loss.
Nanashi could see what she was thinking, but he didn't offer an explanation—nor was there a way to explain it.
He couldn't exactly say, "I'm from another world."
And really, there was no need to explain.
What others thought had nothing to do with him.
Leaving behind a windblown Utaha, her hair fluttering in the breeze, Nanashi turned and walked away alone.
In the Paranormal Research Club
It was clear that everyone had been summoned this time.
"Nanashi, is there something important going on today?" Yukino asked.
Nanashi glanced around at the group. "Would you all be interested in joining my clan?"
"Clan?" Several heads tilted in confusion.
The word itself carried... certain implications.
Yumiko's earlobes flushed a soft red. She waved her hands defensively, flustered. "Shouldn't you be asking Yui, Yukino, Megumi, and Eriri? Maybe even Umi?"
She hurried over to the ever-drowsy Miko and muttered, "What's this got to do with us?"
After spending a good deal of time in the club, Yumiko had long since pieced together the interpersonal web here.
Yui, Yukino, Megumi, and Eriri were obviously involved with Nanashi. Umi had an ambiguous, almost flirtatious dynamic with him.
But her and Miko? Their relationships with Nanashi were perfectly innocent. Suddenly lumping them into some 'big family' felt... strange.
They hadn't even been on a date. No confessions. Wasn't this kind of sudden?
"Ehh? Letting Yumiko join too?" Yui exclaimed. "That's great! Then we can be best friends forever, even in the same clan!"
Yumiko twitched and protested loudly, "This has nothing to do with friendship!"
"..."
He'd definitely been misunderstood.
"Ahem."
Nanashi stepped in to clarify, "You've got it all wrong. By 'clan,' I mean something like a personal faction—an organization under my command."
He straightened up slightly, his tone more serious now. "One of my powers is called King of Kings. It grants me the title 'King of Time,' and through that, I can bestow abilities to others by bringing them into my clan."
He looked over the group, his gaze sharp. "With the rise of ghouls, the world is becoming more dangerous for ordinary people."
"So as members of this club, I'm offering you a chance to join. Having power could give you an extra layer of protection."
In truth, he was mostly directing this toward Yumiko and Miko.
The others? He didn't really worry about them. He'd already made arrangements for Yui and the rest.
As his girlfriend, Yui naturally wouldn't be treated unfairly.
"So that's what you meant…"
Yumiko sighed in relief—though for some reason, she felt a strange and subtle sense of loss in her chest.
"I'm in!" Miko blurted out first.
She'd been traumatized enough by evil spirits. Gaining powers? That sounded like a dream come true.
The others quickly followed suit.
Of course, none of them would refuse—especially Eriri and Megumi.
They'd probably agree to wear collars if he asked nicely. If added a little persuasion, they'd sign away their souls without hesitation.
Not that Nanashi was that perverted.
Well... maybe just a little—when they were alone.