Ryosuke walked over to Yamada Elf and gently pulled her arm.
"Get up first. Whatever it is, we can talk after dinner."
After dinner, the four people sat on the sofa. Yamada Elf, gesturing wildly, tearfully recounted her plight. The trouble Elf faced was a problem encountered by authors at all levels: writer's block.
"That's basically it. Today's Friday, and the deadline is next Monday. Ryosuke, I don't want to go back into that room with eight locks." Yamada Elf covered her face and spoke with a look of utter despair.
Ryosuke was curious, wondering if being locked up by an editor to rush a manuscript wasn't just Elf's daily routine. So he voiced his question, "Fairy-sensei, with all due respect, when are your manuscripts not rushed out after being locked in a room on the deadline?"
Yamada Elf looked at Ryosuke with a humble gaze and shook her head. The usually energetic girl's bright eyes were somewhat dim, and her voice was low.
"Only stories written when my motivation is MAX-burned are truly interesting. I've always treated novel writing as a passion."
"In the past, people would call my work repetitive, mass-produced trash, or a poison-maker, and I didn't care. Because I knew many silent people were supporting my work."
"This time is different. Before, I had ideas in my head; playing games was just to adjust my writing state. But this time, I've genuinely been stuck for a long time and can't produce content. If I can't update on time and have to go on hiatus, my silent readers will be disappointed, won't they?"
As she finished, her voice grew quieter. Elf did not, this time, refer to herself as the "strongest beautiful girl light novelist in history," the "savior of the light novel industry," or use the first-person "this lady" (hon-ojōsan). Nor did she call her readers "servants."
Though she usually had many flaws and often seemed indifferent to her readers, in reality, she was a kind girl who was very considerate of others. This was why both Shinka and Ryosuke were friends with Elf.
Everyone present heard the sincerity and dejection in Yamada Elf's voice. Ryosuke nodded and responded, "I understand. How can I help you, Fairy-sensei?"
Clap!
Yamada Elf clasped her hands together and made a sincere invitation, "Please go on a date with me tomorrow, Ryosuke."
Before Ryosuke could reply, Hiratsuka Shizuka narrowed her eyes and interjected first.
"Tsk tsk, your luck with the opposite sex seems to be getting better and better, kid." Her voice held five parts teasing, four parts resentment, and a trace of casual sourness. Hiratsuka Shizuka completely failed to understand why, despite being siblings, she was like a repulsive force field to the opposite sex.
Upon hearing Elf's date invitation, Ryosuke's first reaction was to secretly glance at Shinka out of the corner of his eye, before quickly looking away. This small action happened in a flash and was not even noticed by Elf directly across from him, but Shinka beside him caught it.
Nibutani Shinka only knew Elf needed Ryosuke's help, but not the specifics. Hearing Yamada Elf invite Ryosuke on a date right in front of her, her brow initially furrowed. Then, she noticed Ryosuke's unintentional subtle movement. Finally, her brow smoothed out, and she began lightly twisting a lock of her long hair with one finger, a subtle smile appearing on her fair, delicate face.
Yamada Elf, seeing Ryosuke hadn't answered immediately, suddenly realized she had overlooked something. She quickly turned to her friend and explained, "Shinka-sama, don't misunderstand, it's just for research!"
Shinka smiled brightly and said gently, "I won't interfere with Ryosuke's decision. If there's anything I can do to help, just ask. We are friends, after all."
Ryosuke followed up, saying softly, "Fairy-sensei, without you, I wouldn't have my current light novel. If I had to figure things out on my own, I don't know how long it would take to achieve my current success. So, if you need my help, just ask. Shinka is right, we are friends. What time are we meeting tomorrow?"
Yamada Elf realized Ryosuke had agreed, her eyes crinkled into slits, and she said cheerfully, "Thank you, Ryosuke. Tomorrow morning at eight, let's meet at the aquarium. I'll head back now." With that, she stood up from the sofa and waved goodbye to everyone in the living room.
Hiratsuka Shizuka noticed the things Nibutani Shinka had brought in earlier and sighed softly to herself. It's great to be young. Then, she got up, grabbed a can of beer from the refrigerator, and returned to her room.
The large living room now felt somewhat empty, leaving only Ryosuke and Shinka.
Shinka proactively sat down next to Ryosuke and asked casually, "How many did you get this year?"
"Two." Ryosuke took two boxes of chocolate out of his school bag. The number is much lower than in elementary school.
Shinka tilted her head, gazing at the two boxes of chocolate. She blinked, pondered briefly, and then tentatively whispered, "They're from Shōko and Eri, right?"
"Shinka, are you Zhuge Liang reincarnated today?" Ryosuke opened a box, took out a piece of chocolate, and asked, "Want some? You used to snatch my chocolates."
Nibutani Shinka's eyes curved into a smile, and she waved her hand dismissively, then said, "I won't snatch your chocolate this time." If it were before, she might have worried about others challenging her position. But Ryosuke's unintentional glance at her when Elf asked her question made her feel secure. That kind of unintentional, first-reaction glance is the most likely to expose a person's inner thoughts.
She openly took out her own gift and handed it to Ryosuke, "Here. I made this one myself this year too. Eat it gratefully."
Ryosuke accepted Shinka's chocolate and tossed a piece into his mouth. The dark chocolate, with its extremely low sugar content, was immediately bitter upon entering his mouth. However, Ryosuke had grown used to the taste over the years.
Nibutani Shinka watched his calm expression, then picked up a piece of chocolate from her own box. As soon as she put it in her mouth, the bitter taste made her tightly scrunch her brows. I made it myself, so I have to finish it, even with tears. She stubbornly swallowed the dark chocolate she had made. Then she quickly grabbed the water glass on the table and gulped down a large mouthful.
Shinka complained with a frown, "It's still so bitter! I don't know why you like eating this kind of thing."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke hadn't liked the bitter dark chocolate initially, either. He only slowly got used to the taste later.
Years ago, the young Shinka couldn't distinguish between milk chocolate and dark chocolate. When he received Shinka's dark chocolate then, he also swallowed it with tears. Seeing the girl's expectant eyes, he couldn't bear to dampen his childhood friend's enthusiasm. So Ryosuke told his first lie.
"It tastes great. I love it."
He never expected that one sentence would lead to him receiving a unique box of dark chocolate every year.
His thoughts returned to the present. Ryosuke reached out and ruffled Shinka's hair.
"Ah, you messed up my hair again," Shinka complained, shaking her head exaggeratedly.
Ryosuke released his hand and looked at the girl next to him, who was lowering her head to fix her hair. As for the girl's question just now, Ryosuke's heart had answered it years ago.
Why else?
Because you, this idiot, made it for me with your own hands.