--
This thought surfaced in his mind, but upon seeing the blue-haired girl's flustered, teary-eyed expression, he clicked his tongue.
At this moment, Yanami, who had successfully become the center of attention, could no longer hold back. She quickly pulled out her phone and made a distress call to her parents.
But when the call connected, she froze in place.
"What? Dad, you still have an hour before you get off work?"
"What? Mom, you're at Grandma's house and can't come over right now?"
Heh, hehehe…
The girl let out a hollow laugh at her phone, already imagining the tragic future of "a high school girl being dragged to the police station for dining and dashing" in her mind.
She was silent, trembling, her finger moving across the phone screen, then lingering on Hakamada Sosuke's number, but she couldn't bring herself to press it.
What to do, what to do!
Someone save me!
—Just then.
"Miss, if you forgot your money, you can choose to work part-time at the store to pay off your debt, you know."
A voice as gentle as a stream suddenly sounded in her ear, and the waiter who had left a deep impression on her earlier walked up to her.
Yanami's eyes widened.
Part-time… work?
Could it be that this is… this is… helping me!?
Yanami stared blankly at the boy in front of her, like a nun in distress suddenly seeing a deity.
This scene truly made people's imaginations run wild.
A pure and lovely high school girl is trapped in a store because she can't pay the bill. In her despair, the shop owner, with a tempting tone, suggests she can work to pay off her debt… However, Yanami didn't suspect anything. Most of the family-restaurant staff are students, not some suspicious organization… probably.
In fact, the girl had considered working part-time these past two days because she spent too much on food, and the pocket money her parents gave her had long been used up. But this was a simulation!
A simulation is for enjoyment, isn't it? It would be too miserable to have to work for money even in a simulation!
A thought flashed through her mind, and Yanami took a deep breath. Her azure eyes, which always sparkled with cheerful light, also became resolute.
"I'll do it!"
—Don't make it sound like you're going to do something strange!
Kiyono's smile remained unchanged. "Then please follow me."
He led the way, and Yanami followed behind. After feeling the strange gazes on her disappear, she relaxed. Her eyes fell on the boy's back, and she secretly made up her mind.
You really are a kind and good person! I will definitely repay this kindness in the future!
Kiyono pushed open the door to the staff office. Since it wasn't peak dining time yet, Big Sister, the manager, happened to be free. He led Yanami to Big Sister and briefly explained what had just happened.
The reason he had taken the liberty of making such a suggestion earlier was because Big Sister had recently complained to him, "We're short-staffed, so short-staffed! If you meet a child as cute and obedient as you, you must trick them into working here!" Otherwise, as a small server, it would be difficult for him to speak on behalf of the store.
He believed Big Sister wouldn't fail to see Yanami's great potential.
Sure enough, when Big Sister saw Yanami's delicate beauty and lively, adorable demeanor, her eyes lit up.
"Classmate, don't worry about the money. Would you like to seriously consider working part-time at our store? Even if it's just a try, you'll definitely look adorable in our uniform! Just two hours can cover the bill!" Big Sister enthusiastically entered professional mode.
At first, Yanami was somewhat hesitant, but the more she listened, the more tempted she became—mainly because she was indeed very short on money recently, and the working hours weren't long, so it wouldn't affect her life.
Hearing the end, Yanami lightly twirled a strand of her blue hair, her mind already made up, but for some reason, her gaze suddenly drifted, focusing on Kiyono beside her, as if asking for his opinion.
—Why are you looking at me!
Kiyono muttered in his heart, then nodded. "I have no objection."
Actually, he did have some objections; he didn't want to have intimate contact with the female protagonist, but there was nothing he could do in that situation.
"Phew! Then it's decided!" With a crisp clap, Big Sister clasped her hands together, a beaming smile on her face as she handed the contract and pen to Yanami.
And so, a beautiful young corporate slave was born.
"I feel somewhat subtly complex about this," Yanami mumbled, scratching her head in distress.
Big Sister was about to say something more when she heard a call from outside the door. She slightly raised her voice to reply, then gave them a playful smile.
"I'm going to work now. It happens to be less busy today, so during this time, I'll leave it to Qingye-kun to guide her. You're a senior now, you know."
Big Sister lightly patted his back and then walked out the door.
The air instantly fell silent.
They both blinked, then slowly looked at each other.
"Sen… senior?"
A soft voice, like a feather lightly brushing an earlobe.
After a long silence, the blue-haired girl turned around, faced Kiyono directly, and slightly raised her head, looking at him with pure and endearing eyes, her lake-blue eyes shimmering.
The sweet, unique scent of a young girl wafted over.
Don't use such a gentle voice! I almost thought Ayane Sakura was calling me just now!
Looking at the girl in front of him, who exuded a different aura, Kiyono lightly coughed, his expression a little strange. Was Yanami originally… such a soft-spoken personality?
—The moment this thought popped into his mind, the girl revealed her true colors.
"…Senior, you're younger than me, aren't you?"
Yanami suddenly moved closer to him, circling him continuously, and as she circled, she scrutinized him like a detective, her pretty face adorned with an innocent—or perhaps foolish—smile, as if the adorable girl from just now was merely an illusion.
"Is that really what you're focused on…?"
For this simulated female protagonist, Kiyono originally wanted to maintain a certain distance, but as soon as he spoke, his tone naturally relaxed, because the girl's smile was too bright and too lively, like the midday sun. If you didn't respond to her smile, it would simply be a sin.
"Hehe, it feels a bit strange, calling a boy younger than me 'senior' or something… How about I just call you 'Little Senior' from now on?" Yanami's tone rose, showing quite a friendly attitude toward the boy.
"Anyone who can survive on their own two hands is already an excellent adult, so I am already an adult. Please call me Senior." Kiyono puffed out his chest.
"It's like you suddenly said something amazing!"
Yanami narrowed her eyes and smiled, then she took two steps back, straightened her body, and slightly bowed her head to the young man in front of her.
"Anyway… thank you so much for what happened just now! My name is Yanami Anna. Could you tell me your name, Senior?"
At the end, she raised her face and looked directly into Kiyono's eyes.
"I didn't do it specifically for you; I just wanted to find more people to share the work with… Besides, I might have just pulled you into a deep pit."
Kiyono lightly snorted and stated his name.
"Then, Kiyono Senior, please guide me from now on!"
Yanami smiled brightly and extended her hand to him. The girl's fingers were long and fair, and her nails were pink, neatly trimmed. Kiyono hesitated for a moment before gently shaking her hand. It was as soft and warm as he had imagined.
Your hands touched and parted instantly.
Next, you personally guided Yanami through the work content. Although you didn't intend to increase the girl's favorability, for that one "Senior," you still diligently guided her, teaching her all the experience you had accumulated during this period.
However, considering Yanami's astonishing social skills, you did not intervene when introducing her to colleagues, but left it to Yanami herself, to avoid any misunderstandings.
Things unfolded as you expected; Yanami, with her outstanding looks and sunny personality, easily connected with her first colleague.
But then, standing beside the girl, you suddenly noticed Yanami's hands, smilingly placed behind her back—those slender hands were trembling slightly.
You inexplicably realized something. Before, in your eyes, Yanami was a very cheerful and outgoing girl, and social interaction was a very simple matter for her. But seeing this, you realized that no matter what, she was still just a girl who had just started high school. It was natural for her to feel nervous and uneasy when suddenly entering a completely unfamiliar environment and facing completely unfamiliar people. The only person she could call familiar here was you.
You were silent for a moment, sighed, and quietly stood beside the girl, helping her introduce everyone to each other, alleviating the girl's pressure.
Yanami tilted her head and glanced at you.
Time passed in busyness.
After finishing the evening's work, both you and Yanami felt a tangible sense of exhaustion. You saw the girl rub her shoulders, then her cheeks, grimacing and complaining, "Ah, I feel like my face is going to freeze from smiling so much!"
Even so, the girl still smiled at you, eagerly wanting to chat, but you had a serious expression.
For Yanami, today's journey as a corporate slave to the Sanzu River had ended, but for you, this was just the beginning of the battle!
That's right! You still had to continue to accomplish your career!
Thinking of this, you suddenly woke up, ignored the beautiful girl in front of you, and walked straight out of the store toward your destination—the internet cafe.
Stepping into the internet cafe, a subtle, damp smell, like decay, wafted over.
This was the cheapest internet cafe he had found nearby, costing only one hundred yen per hour, and accommodation was only one thousand. Most importantly, they weren't strict about identity verification, allowing someone like him, without proper documents, to blend in unnoticed.
Of course, at this price, one shouldn't expect any particular environment or service; the facilities were quite old and dilapidated, only meeting the most basic needs.
Kiyono, accustomed to it, came to the front desk, swiped his membership card, and then took the elevator to the floor where his room was located. When the elevator opened, the first thing he saw was a row of lockers. Most of the internet cafes he had found before didn't have these, and these lockers indicated that many people chose to live here long-term.
"Don't ask me how I know, because I did it too."
Kiyono mumbled, pulled open the door to his room, took off his shoes, and turned on the light—it was called a room, but it was actually just a small cubicle, about two meters in area, with a horizontal space of less than a meter. The entire room could barely fit a single bed, and with the pale, energy-saving light from above, it was ready for a horror-movie shoot.
He certainly didn't like this environment, but he couldn't ask for too much. After all, it was still better than a small quilt under a bridge!
Wasn't he working hard precisely to change this situation?
Instead of complaining, it's better to steadily accumulate strength bit by bit.
"My simulated self, go for it!" Kiyono muttered to himself as he turned on the computer.
On the computer desktop, there was only one open Word document.
After these days of research, he generally understood the effect of the [Exquisite Writing] trait.
It is a [Growth-type Talent], nota [Rule-type Talent].
At first, he imagined that he could just wave his hand and churn out ten thousand words daily, amazing editors, readers, and media, with large sums of money flowing into his pockets, directly activating the urban dragon-among-men mode… But when he actually started, he realized this was just a fantasy.
Exquisite Writing indeed brought him outstanding literary talent, giving him a natural sensitivity to words and storytelling. However…
Talent is just talent.
Even the most talented athlete, if he doesn't practice diligently, will slowly fall behind others.
Even a highly talented painter, if he doesn't paint regularly, will gradually lose his touch.
Talent has different effects on people with different personalities. If it were an arrogant person, they might die from their own complacency; if it were a sensitive person, they might become discouraged after experiencing setbacks… Those who truly succeed not only have talent but also need to tirelessly hone their innate weapons to reach the pinnacle.
Exquisite Writing is also like this.
He is a true genius who can rapidly improve as long as he works hard, but whether he will succeed later and what kind of achievements he can make depends entirely on his perseverance, luck, and himself.
"This is enough."
It's better this way, in fact.
Only what he earned with all his might felt real.
Now, all his literary efforts—all his painstaking work—were deeply etched in his mind. Even if he returned to reality, he wouldn't forget a single bit. Compared to the fleeting phrase "Your light novel was a great success" or so-called system-bestowed skills, he felt this was better.
With such thoughts flashing through his mind, Kiyono's hands rested on the keyboard, carving out his ideals word by word.
"How can I make it more interesting?"
Kiyono's fingers slowly tapped, and he pondered over the document in distress.
His outline was as follows.
There are two main characters: