The weekend after finishing Beginner Black Magic.
Most of the students in Class A had gathered together in preparation for next week's battle with the Cyclops.
That included Group 8 as well. Even though this group had already proven that they could defeat a Cyclops with a flawless score, none of them believed that being the best meant they could relax.
If anything, it only pushed them to strive even harder to remain the best.
So they decided to gather in a café that had a private room. There, under Knox's lead, the group brainstormed two possible scenarios. The first was to improve and refine the strategy they had used during the simulation. The second was to abandon the old plan entirely and create a completely new strategy.
After a long discussion, they ultimately decided to go with the first option.
Their previous strategy had already proven effective. It only needed refinement and better coordination.
Later, after finishing their discussion about the next evaluation, the atmosphere in the room gradually relaxed, and their conversation shifted into casual chatter.
"Pheww! That really hit the spot!" Cindy said after gulping down a drink that looked like some kind of carbonated beverage.
Merida glanced at her and commented flatly.
"Cindy… you look like an old man after drinking booze."
Claudia immediately burst into laughter.
"Pfft—hahaha! Did you hear that, Cindy? You look like an old man!"
Cindy froze for a moment.
Then she suddenly threw a small tantrum toward Merida.
Of course, Merida ignored her completely.
After finishing her tantrum, Cindy let out a long breath before her eyes suddenly landed on Knox.
At some point, Knox had pulled out a thick stack of papers from somewhere and was now reading them with a surprisingly serious expression.
Cindy tilted her head.
"Knox, Knox. What are you reading? Is there something wrong with our plan?"
Claudia and Merida also noticed the papers in Knox's hands. Both of them turned their curious gazes toward him.
"Hm? Ahh, this?" Knox lifted the papers slightly.
"This isn't related to our plan for the next evaluation~" he said in a mysterious tone.
Merida frowned slightly.
"…Knox. Riddler. Bad."
Cindy immediately pointed at him.
"Bad! Bad!"
Claudia sighed as she looked at the two of them behaving like children. Then she turned her attention back to Knox.
"Ignore them, Knox. But I'm a little curious. What made you look so serious while reading those papers?"
Cindy's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh! Oh! I know!" She leaned forward dramatically.
"It must be some kind of secret mission, right?! Like espionage! Stealing secret documents! Orrr… assassination?!"
Knox's eyebrow twitched. "Stop. Cindy. You've been reading too many novels."
Cindy placed her hands on her hips proudly.
"Indeed I have! Besides, that's not something you should say, Mr. Author."
Claudia laughed when she heard that. But then, as the words author and novel registered in her mind, she suddenly paused.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Wait… don't tell me…"
She pointed at the papers Knox was holding.
"Those papers you're reading… are they a manuscript for your new novel?"
The moment she said that, Cindy and Merida's eyes immediately lit up.
"What?! Is that really true, Knox?!" Cindy exclaimed.
Merida remained silent, but the way her eyes stared at Knox made it look like two flashlights shining directly at him.
Knox simply smiled. "Bingo. Your guess is correct, Claudia."
Then he lightly waved the stack of papers.
"But too bad, there's no reward~"
For a brief moment, the room went completely silent.
Then—
"WHAAAAAT?!"
Cindy slammed both hands onto the table so suddenly that the glasses rattled.
"You're writing a new novel already?!"
Her eyes sparkled as if fireworks had just gone off inside them.
Claudia leaned forward as well, curiosity clearly written across her face.
"A new manuscript already? That was fast. What's the title?"
Meanwhile, Merida had already shifted closer to Knox without anyone noticing. Her sleepy eyes were now locked onto the papers in his hands.
"…Title."
Knox glanced at the three of them, then smiled with that same innocent expression of his.
"Honkai Impact: Fire Moths."
"…Honkai Impact: Fire Moths?" Claudia repeated softly.
Cindy blinked. "Huh? That sounds cool. But what's it about?"
Knox tilted his head slightly.
"Well…"
He tapped the manuscript lightly with his finger.
"You could say it's a very heartwarming and uplifting story about a hero's journey, hehe."
Cindy immediately leaned across the table.
"A hero story?!"
Claudia folded her arms thoughtfully.
"A hero's journey…? That sounds like a pretty classical structure."
Merida nodded slowly.
"…Heroes good."
Knox chuckled.
"Well, if you're curious…"
He flipped through the pages before pulling one sheet out.
"I'll let you read just one chapter."
"ONLY ONE?!" Cindy protested.
"Just kidding, hehe. Here, just read these papers first. More than these would spoil too much," Knox replied calmly.
The three of them immediately crowded around him as he slid the paper across the table.
***
In Changkong City, Chiba Academy, inside the library, Mei was reading when suddenly a faint discussion reached her ears.
"Look at that bookworm. She's reading there again."
"Exactly, exactly. Every time I come to the library, I see her reading there. Doesn't she have any other hobbies?"
Two girls were whispering nearby.
Mei didn't pay any attention to their discussion. Everything they said was true anyway.
Mei attended Chiba Academy, located in Changkong City in the Far East. Because her father was a world-renowned electromagnetic physicist, she had been influenced by him since childhood and decided that becoming a scientist would be her goal in life. Because of that, Mei had almost no interest in anything other than studying.
Every day she was either reading or on her way to read.
Because of this, Mei gradually became known as the bookworm of her class—no, of the entire academy.
However, even someone like Mei had recently gained a new worry.
"Mei, Mei! So you're here! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
A tall boy with short silver hair and a bright, cheerful smile on his face suddenly appeared and called out to her.
Mei slowly raised her eyes from the book.
"Kevin… this is a library. Please be quiet."
The boy standing in front of her was named Kevin, a transfer student who had arrived not long ago.
With his handsome appearance and exceptional athletic ability, Kevin quickly became one of the most popular students in Chiba Academy. Among the girls in the school, he was even given the nickname "Prince Charming."
Confessions came to him almost every day. And every single one of them was rejected.
Because from the very first day he transferred here, the moment he saw Mei sitting quietly in the library—
Kevin had fallen in love at first sight.
To pursue Mei, Kevin had tried countless methods and tactics.
The result?
Every single one of them was ignored by the studious Mei.
However, hard work eventually pays off.
Under Kevin's relentless attempts, Mei gradually got used to the idea that someone would always appear beside her.
Day after day, he accompanied her.
And little by little—
Kevin slowly began entering Mei's heart.
Although Mei herself still didn't really understand what love was, she felt that if there ever came a day when she truly fell in love with someone…
That person would probably be Kevin.
"So, Kevin," Mei asked calmly, "why were you looking for me in such a hurry?"
Kevin immediately pulled two tickets from his pocket.
"Didn't I invite you to Eden's concert last time? Look—I managed to get the tickets!"
Mei blinked slightly.
"Aren't tickets to Eden's concerts extremely hard to obtain? It must have been difficult for you to get two."
Kevin laughed awkwardly.
"Haha… not really, not really."
In his mind, Kevin suddenly recalled what had happened earlier.
"Su! My good brother, please help me! I promised Mei I'd take her to Eden's concert, but I couldn't even get a single ticket!" Kevin wailed into the phone.
On the other side of the call, Su sighed.
"…Forget it. I happen to have two tickets here. I originally planned to go with you, but you and Mei can take them."
"Thank you so much, Su! I'll definitely treat you next time!" Kevin shouted excitedly.
"You should just enjoy it with your Mei. Goodbye."
Click.
The call ended.
Back to the present.
Su… if you ever need anything, your brother will definitely help you!, Kevin swore silently in his heart.
Then he looked back at Mei. "So… are you free that day?"
Mei thought for a moment before answering.
"Yes. I'm free that day."
Kevin's face instantly brightened. "Yes! That's great!"
Then he smiled widely. "Let's go to Eden's concert together!"
Mei closed her book and nodded slightly. "Okay. Let's go together."
***
Cindy was the first one to finish reading.
For a moment, she simply stared at the paper.
Then her eyes widened.
"W-Wait…"
Her gaze slowly moved from the manuscript to Knox.
"Knox… did you just write… romance?"
Her ears turned slightly red as she said that.
Claudia, who had been reading quietly beside her, also paused. When she finished the page, she slowly lowered the paper.
"…I didn't expect that either."
A faint hint of embarrassment appeared on her face as she cleared her throat.
"I thought it would be some kind of heroic adventure from the beginning."
She glanced again at the manuscript.
"But the opening scene… Kevin and Mei… it's surprisingly sweet."
Cindy quickly covered half of her face with the paper she was holding.
"A popular guy secretly chasing a quiet bookworm girl… and even inviting her to a concert…"
She peeked at Knox again.
"…You wrote this?"
Knox blinked innocently. "Is something wrong with it?"
Claudia shook her head quickly.
"N-No, not wrong."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's just… unexpected."
Beside them, Merida finished reading as well.
She looked between the manuscript and Knox.
"…Cute."
"…Very cute."
Cindy suddenly leaned forward.
"Okay! Next!"
Before she could grab the manuscript, Knox calmly pulled it back.
"No."
"WHAT?!"
"Come on!"
"Just a little more!"
Knox shook his head with a helpless smile.
"No spoilers."
Cindy immediately slumped onto the table.
"You're evil…"
Merida nodded seriously.
"…Cruel."
Claudia let out a small sigh, though she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
"Well… I suppose that's exactly how authors keep their readers hooked."
Knox only smiled innocently.
Cindy suddenly straightened up from the table, crossing her arms.
"I-I mean… it's not like I like romance stories or anything!"
She quickly looked away, trying to act indifferent.
"I just didn't expect you to write something like that, that's all!"
Claudia glanced at her calmly.
"…Really?"
Cindy froze.
Claudia rested her chin on her hand.
"If I remember correctly, someone cried while reading three romance novels last month."
Silence.
Cindy's face instantly turned red.
"T-THAT WAS DIFFERENT!"
Merida nodded thoughtfully.
"…True."
Then she added in the same flat tone,
"…Cried a lot."
"HEY!" Cindy protested loudly.
Meanwhile, Knox watched the scene with a quiet, amused smile, saying nothing at all.
If only Cindy knew what would happen to her future self after reading Honkai, she might have regretted ever picking up this novel. Because sooner or later… she would end up crying again.