"Believe me, Utaha. You're special to me—unique," Seiji Fujiwara said, his voice smooth as silk. "What I feel for you isn't the same as what I feel for anyone else."
Utaha gave him a sidelong glance, clearly unimpressed.
All that talk… what a load of nonsense.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Kyoto—
In a slightly messy room, Eriri Sawamura set down her pen and stretched, letting out a long sigh. She slumped into her chair, rubbing her tired eyes after finishing the last line of her draft.
Her phone buzzed softly on the desk.
She reached for it and saw a message pop up on LINE.
From: Fujiwara-sensei
Her heart skipped a beat.
[Fujiwara-sensei]: Sawamura-san, is now a good time to call?
She practically jumped out of her seat. Her fingers trembled as she typed back:
[Eriri]: Of course! Anytime, Fujiwara-sensei!
In the apartment—
Seiji glanced at Utaha, still sitting beside him, then saw Eriri's reply and immediately made the call.
"Good evening, Fujiwara-sensei?" Eriri's sweet, slightly nervous voice came through the receiver.
Seiji smiled, his tone warm and magnetic. "Hello, Sawamura-san. Sorry for calling out of the blue. My girlfriend, Utaha Kasumigaoka, said she really wanted to get to know you."
On the other end, Eriri let out a small sigh of relief, though her voice still carried a faint, unconscious tension.
She quickly pushed those thoughts away and responded politely. "Ah! Kasumigaoka-senpai! Not at all—I've actually been hoping to meet you, too!"
Seiji grinned and handed the phone to Utaha, who stared at it, speechless.
Go on, my queen, his smirk seemed to say. Time for your first candidate interview.
Utaha rolled her eyes at him.
He's comforting me one second, then calling another girl the next? You really are a master of time management, aren't you?
But she didn't refuse. Taking the phone, she brought it to her ear and spoke in her usual calm, graceful tone.
"Hello, is this Sawamura-san? I'm Utaha Kasumigaoka."
"Yes! Good evening, Kasumigaoka-senpai!" Eriri's response was bright and polite.
And just like that, the two girls started talking.
They covered everything—schoolwork, fashion, friendships, hobbies, even sports. Before they knew it, half an hour had flown by.
Since it was their first conversation, they didn't want to drag it out too long.
So Seiji chimed in and suggested they meet in person.
When the call ended, both girls sounded genuinely happy—like they'd just found a friend who clicked perfectly.
Seiji, watching from the side, couldn't help nodding in satisfaction.
Excellent. Looks like my harem will be perfectly harmonious.
Utaha scheduled a meetup with Eriri for the next day, then handed the phone back to him, muttering, "I must've done something terrible in a past life to end up with you."
Her tsundere tone only made Seiji chuckle.
He scooped her up without warning, earning a startled yelp.
"As a reward for your generosity," he murmured into her ear with a wicked grin, "I'll make sure to properly 'thank' you tonight."
"Who wants your thanks?!" Utaha's face went crimson.
But Seiji—who'd been "enlightened" all day—was in no mood to show restraint.
Last night's loneliness had built up, and tonight, every ounce of it poured out onto Utaha.
By the time morning came, she had no choice but to call in sick and rest half the day.
When she finally showed up at school around noon, something about her aura had changed.
She still looked like the cold, beautiful queen of Toyonozaki, but the sharp, distant edge in her expression had softened—replaced by a calm, effortless composure.
The hallway buzzed as the lunch bell rang. Students hurried back to their classrooms, and then—
"Hey, look over there!"
"No way… those two? Together?!"
"Did Kasumigaoka-senpai get dumped?"
"Unbelievable! First Kasumigaoka, now Sawamura? Both Toyonozaki goddesses fell for the same guy?!"
"Even if it's Fujiwara-sensei, that's too much!"
In the middle of all the gossip, Seiji Fujiwara strolled down the corridor beside a golden-haired beauty—Eriri Sawamura.
The two looked relaxed and casual. Seiji had one hand in his pocket, smiling as he explained something.
Eriri tilted her head thoughtfully, occasionally nodding or countering his points, her twin-tails bouncing with every movement—bright, lively, and full of charm.
"They're walking pretty close, huh…"
"Where's Kasumigaoka-senpai? She's not gonna let this slide, right?"
"I knew it! The only one who could rival Kasumigaoka-senpai is Sawamura!"
The crowd's eyes darted between them, then began scanning the hall for the missing queen.
And right on cue—
Utaha Kasumigaoka appeared at the top of the stairs.
Her long black hair flowed like a waterfall, her pale skin glowing under the light, and her black stockings accentuated every step of her graceful stride.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Every student held their breath, eyes flicking between the three of them.
It's happening. It's really happening.
Fight! Fight!
The air was thick with anticipation.
But Utaha simply walked forward, face calm.
When she passed by Seiji and Eriri, she paused slightly, curved her lips into a subtle smile, and said, "Good afternoon, my desk neighbor."
"G-Good afternoon, Kasumigaoka-senpai!" Eriri stammered, then quickly added, "I heard you took the morning off. Are you okay?"
"It's fine," Utaha replied lightly, leaning closer with a teasing glint in her eye. "I just overslept and needed an excuse."
The two girls began chatting naturally—laughing softly, completely absorbed in their own world.
Meanwhile, Seiji was left standing there like the odd one out.
They kept talking even after he drifted away, the entire hallway buzzing in disbelief.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai didn't even get mad… she smiled?!"
"What a queen. That's true main-girlfriend energy!"
"Looks like Sawamura-san still has a long way to go if she wants to dethrone her."
"Yeah, Kasumigaoka-senpai's position isn't shaking anytime soon."
By the end of the day, the school forum was filled with new posts analyzing every second of the "incident."
A few days later, the two met again—this time at a stylish café downtown.
Utaha had reserved a window seat.
After several days of friendly chats online and casual meetups at school, her relationship with Eriri had grown noticeably closer.
"This place is famous for its tiramisu. Try some," Utaha said with a gentle smile, sliding the plate across the table.
"Thank you." Eriri accepted it happily, though a flicker of guilt crossed her face.
Places like this were a bit pricey for her lately. But she couldn't bear to say no—she didn't want to ruin the mood with her new friend.
Utaha stirred her coffee slowly, then asked softly, "Eriri… forgive me if this is too forward, but… are you having some kind of trouble lately?"
Eriri froze, hand tightening around her spoon.
"I just mean…" Utaha added quickly, her tone kind and sincere, "I keep dragging you out to cafés like this—maybe it's been a bit much?"
Eriri blinked at her.
In those beautiful violet eyes, she saw nothing but genuine concern—no pity, no judgment.
Her chest tightened.
All the pressure she'd been holding in—the guilt, the loneliness, the shame of watching her life collapse—finally broke loose.
Her father abandoning them, her mother vanishing, their home taken away…
Everything came pouring out in sobs.
"Utaha-senpai…"
Her voice cracked, and the tears wouldn't stop.
Utaha simply listened, passing her tissues and offering quiet comfort.
People in the café glanced over, but seeing two beautiful girls—one crying softly, the other gently consoling her—none dared interrupt.
Utaha felt her own chest ache as she listened.
This girl… she's even stronger than I am, she thought, stroking Eriri's hair tenderly.
Utaha had nearly broken after losing her father. But Eriri? She'd lost everything—and still kept smiling, still kept moving forward.
That kind of strength deserved respect.
"Don't worry," Utaha said, squeezing her hand firmly. "Everything's going to be okay."
"Actually, I've decided to start writing my own light novel soon." She smiled. "Would you like to be my exclusive illustrator? Two beautiful girls teaming up—it sounds like a marketing dream, doesn't it?"
Eriri's tear-streaked face lifted, eyes wide with surprise.
Then she saw Utaha's warm, encouraging smile—and finally, she smiled too, nodding hard.
"Yeah!"
For the first time in weeks, her heart felt light again.
That evening, back at the apartment—
Utaha recounted everything to Seiji, her voice soft but conflicted.
"Eriri's a good girl," she said quietly. "She's been through enough… I don't want to see her hurt anymore."
Seiji didn't even look up. "I won't stop you, Utaha."
He set his pen down and added, "Everything in life is about choice and consent. And besides—don't you think what she needs most right now… is my help?"
It was shameless logic—but one she couldn't quite argue against.
Because in Eriri's situation, was Seiji's involvement really harm, or was it salvation?
Utaha couldn't tell anymore. She just sighed and dropped the subject.
Meanwhile, Seiji leaned back, thinking through the details he'd gathered.
Father abandoned Sayuri, went back to his hometown, remarried his childhood sweetheart… then died on the honeymoon.
Sayuri went traveling to clear her mind—and her entire plane disappeared.
The Sawamura family never approved of the marriage, and after the accident, they cut ties and reclaimed all their assets.
Eriri's only allowed to stay in that villa until she turns eighteen…
He frowned slightly.
That's… odd.
His gaze flicked to the floating system interface.
[Note: Current world version 1.0 – Peaceful Youth Slice of Life. Please enjoy the calm days.]
The mysterious disappearance of the plane lingered in his mind—but if the system said it was still a peaceful phase, he supposed there was no need to worry.
For now.
A few days later, a photo blew up on Toyonozaki's campus forum.
It showed Seiji, Utaha, and Eriri sitting together in a café—Eriri crying while Utaha held her hand.
"Love Triangle Scandal?! The New Girl Cries, the Main Girlfriend Watches—What's Really Going On?!"
The clickbait headline spread like wildfire.
"See? I told you something was up!"
"Poor Eriri—she's crying!"
"Fujiwara-sensei, how could you make a girl cry?!"
"Stay strong, Kasumigaoka-senpai!"
Public opinion turned completely against Seiji, painting him as the heartless playboy breaking two girls' hearts.
But Seiji didn't bother clarifying.
Instead, the "main girlfriend" herself—Utaha—took to her social media and shared the post, captioning it with:
"Normally, I wouldn't respond to rumors. But to avoid affecting my friend, I'll clarify: I've recently started writing my first light novel, and Sawamura-san is my exclusive illustrator."
"The tears in that photo were simply the result of an emotional creative discussion. Please don't overthink it. Thank you for your concern."
Moments later, Eriri reposted it with the same message.
The internet instantly flipped its opinion.
"Oh, so it was about work!"
"Of course! Kasumigaoka-senpai isn't that kind of person!"
"Fujiwara-sensei wouldn't hurt anyone—he's a genius, not a jerk!"
"Creative passion strong enough to make someone cry? That's beautiful!"
Just like that, the so-called "scandal" became an inspiring story about artistic collaboration.
After all, Seiji was a light novel author—so his girlfriend writing one too, with her own illustrator? Totally believable.
Public interest shifted from gossip to admiration.
Back in the apartment, Seiji scrolled through the comments and smiled in satisfaction.
Right then, the familiar system notification appeared before his eyes.
Ding! Target [Utaha Kasumigaoka] has entered the Final Stage: Complete Submission!
Stage 3 Reward: Full manuscript and outline of "The Devotion of Suspect X" + Creative Experience!
Ding! Target fully conquered.
Final Reward: Permanent Ability – Genius-Level Literary Conception!
A roaring surge of knowledge and inspiration flooded his mind like a tidal wave.
Seiji's pupils widened, the world around him spinning as pure brilliance filled his thoughts—countless ideas, plots, characters, and twists intertwining like endless threads of light.
In that instant, his creative power evolved beyond anything human.