I'll post an extra chapter every 400 Power Stones. Good luck with that!
Goal for the next extra chapter: 227/400
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I walked into the classroom and placed my bag down. Then I followed Miu to a more secluded spot, near the stairs leading to the second floor of the school. Some people tried to follow us, but I stopped them right away.
Once we were alone, Miu began to speak.
"It's about the story I gave you… Did you read it?"
She was visibly nervous, her voice trembling.
"Yes, I read it," I answered honestly.
Miu's body trembled slightly when she heard my response. After a few seconds of silence, she looked into my eyes with difficulty. Her eyes were filled with tears. "Please…"
"…"
"Please forget what you read." After saying that, she turned to leave. But on impulse, I grabbed her hand.
When I held her hand, Miu shook it, and I let go. "W-What are you doing?" she stammered.
"Ah, sorry."
"I have to go now."
"Miu."
She stopped walking and turned to face me.
"Meet me at our usual bench at lunchtime. We can talk about it. I'll be waiting for you. But if you don't want to come, that's fine too." Miu listened to my words and then turned away.
Without saying a word, she walked off.
I let out a sigh and scratched my head. Damn, why did I grab her hand?
I went back to the classroom and sat down. I was tired, so I ended up falling asleep. When lunchtime arrived, Mirai nudged me awake. "It's lunchtime. Why don't we eat together?"
"Sorry, Mirai, but I have to meet someone else."
"That girl? What was her name again? She's kind of strange."
"Miu isn't strange, she just doesn't know how to express herself very well," I said flatly to Mirai. "She has tastes similar to mine. She's a nice girl." I smiled at Mirai, leaving her speechless.
Then I left the classroom and went to "my bench."
As soon as I sat down, I took out my MacBook to continue writing.
But before that, I opened my email.
When I did, I saw the same email that woman had shown me on that piece of paper. It was an email from Asuna Nakamura. I think her brother's name was Kaito Nakamura. She's praising it a lot.
She said the theme is a bit delicate, but she would definitely love to work on a film based on it.
Asuna made it clear that she would do everything she could to convince her superiors to invest in the film—or at least to find a producer willing to do so. The studio couldn't use its own funds for a project like this; they needed an external investor.
There was nothing else in the email.
I guess the script is in good hands. Asuna seems like a woman who's truly passionate about her work… But I wonder how that woman got this email. Does she work at the same studio as Asuna?
No, she's definitely a journalist.
She must have some contact inside the studio. But it's too much of a coincidence.
I really am unlucky.
Then someone approached the bench. I hadn't even managed to write anything—I had only read an email.
"I thought you wouldn't come." I closed my MacBook and looked at Miu, who was standing in front of me.
"Well…"
"Come on, sit down. I want to talk about your story. You don't need to be nervous." I smiled at her, trying to reassure her.
Miu then sat down beside me.
"That story… the main character is you, isn't it?" I went straight to the point.
"…"
Miu didn't answer, but she lowered her head, and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
"It's a very well-written story, Miu. You have talent," I told her. "It's been a long time since a story made me feel such strong sympathy for a protagonist."
"Sympathy…"
"Well, I felt sorry for her. The suffering she went through—wasn't it a bit too much? She just had the misfortune of being born into the wrong family. Don't you think the same?"
"Yes… that's right. She was born into the wrong family," Miu said, tears in her eyes. She was trying hard not to cry.
"As soon as I finished reading, I was sure that the girl in the story was you. I got scared."
"Scared?"
"Yes, scared. Scared that you might do something to yourself after giving me something like that. In the story, the girl ends up…"
"…"
Miu remained silent.
Then I looked at her hand resting on the bench and placed my hand over hers.
As soon as I touched her hand, I said, "Don't think about doing something like that, Miu. Don't even consider it. We haven't known each other for long, but I care about you."
"…"
"Well, you might not believe me, but I really do care about you." I let out a small laugh. "So don't hurt yourself. I'll support you from now on. That's what a friend is for, right?"
Miu turned to me.
"Friend?" she asked. Tears finally streamed down her face.
"You're my friend, aren't you? Or did I get it all wrong?"
"Yes, I'm your friend… a friend…" Miu murmured, finally smiling.
We had been friends for a while, but it felt like only in that moment did Miu truly "accept" me as her friend.
"How are you feeling now?"
"How do I feel?" Miu looked up. She stared at the sky for a few seconds before answering. "I feel happy. After all, I'm talking with a friend."
"Yeah, that's right. I'm happy too." I squeezed her hand a little tighter.
We both stayed silent for a moment, and then I let go of her hand and cleared my throat.
"And about my story, what did you think?"
"Your story? Oh, that!"
"What did you think?"
"You're more romantic than I expected. I didn't think you'd write something like that." Miu gave a big smile.
Her gloomy expression disappeared.
"Yeah, I am pretty romantic. I love romance," I replied honestly, giving her a shy smile.
Miu's cheeks turned slightly pink.
Maybe I'm just imagining things.
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Next Chapters: Chapter 64 - Success similar to Overlord. / Chapter 65 - Terrible acting. / Chapter 66 - You're not going to give up on this? / Chapter 67 - New car. / Chapter 68 - Meeting. / Chapter 69 - Stupid proposal.