The blue-haired girl stretched and murmured, "I almost fell asleep waiting."
—It was as if the legendary Fourth Progenitor had been revived.
Although she was a little displeased at being forced by Atong to postpone her entry for a year, she remained confident that she would soon become a calamity beyond worldly reason—one that would sip, kill, and destroy in some far-off city.
"So, let's begin!"
Yanami clenched her fist… then promptly flopped back down.
[Do you wish to pay five Cat Coins to enter the simulation?]
She silently answered: Yes.
[Simulation starting…]
[Entries generating… entries generated…]
Discerning Eye: You can discover nascent works with infinite potential among countless manuscripts. You also gain inspiration to help authors break through bottlenecks (extremely low probability of triggering).
Oh, oh! There's even a talent?
Yanami's eyes gleamed. She really was the fated heroine! This way, she could help that guy even better!
[New feature unlocked: You can consume Cat Coins to exchange entries for the male protagonist.]
"Is this a raising-simulation game?"
She glanced over it with interest. Unfortunately, the requirements were too steep; with her current points, she could only exchange some useless white-tier talents…
The next second, the simulation's starting tone chimed. Yanami quickly snuggled under her little blanket and closed her eyes in anticipation.
She could set out on a journey with him again.
Just thinking about it made her ridiculously happy.
In a trance, she seemed to cross a long, deep sea and arrive in another world.
---
Meanwhile, Yakishio Lemon blinked. She could hear the voice in her mind.
…She could watch a new simulation? And even enter for seven days!?
---
Patches of lingering snow clung to the cherry-blossom branches, melting into droplets that fell through the morning light. The air was crisp and cool, greenery stirred back to life, koi drifted in the pond, and the bamboo fountain tipped up and down. The courtyard merged with spring—its colors vivid and full.
On a clear morning, a boy walked the serene bluestone path. The wind carried petals that settled lightly on his hair.
Kiyono stepped onto the veranda and looked up. The kimono-clad beauty before him smiled—like a mother.
A year or two seemed to have left no trace on her, adding only a touch of mature grace.
"Have you lost weight these past few days? Even if you're busy writing, you should eat on time and rest well. You're still growing, you know."
Mrs. Yukinoshita reached up to brush petals from his head, then gently stroked his hair, both pleased and faintly worried.
"When Yukino returns, I'll have her teach you some health awareness."
Yukino's already into health preservation… Kiyono smiled brightly. "Don't worry, Auntie. I've just been running to a few book signings lately."
"I really shouldn't have agreed to let you move out. Living and eating alone, you'll end up neglecting yourself and turning sub-healthy, won't you?"
She sighed—half complaining. Although she wanted Kiyono to stay home, after he entered high school she couldn't outright refuse his request.
The reason she'd finally agreed to let him move out was…
Her gaze slid right. There, a girl popped into view with playful energy. Yukinoshita Haruno looked more mature and dazzling as a college student—not a change of face, but deliberate details that made her seem a bit older.
At this moment, Haruno patted her increasingly developed chest in promise.
"I'll take good care of little Kiyono! In daily life—and in other aspects, too!"
(Haruno had entered university and was also moving out. Her apartment was near Kiyono's; his new place was only two or three kilometers from home.)
Moved out—but not far.
Mrs. Yukinoshita nodded. She had always been confident in Kiyono's future, but she hadn't expected him to succeed so quickly. He would be an excellent marriage prospect someday; she had to keep a close eye on him.
She even regretted not deciding sooner. They'd been too young back then, and the Yukinoshita daughter was not some bargain giveaway. Besides, they had been the ones to extend kindness.
Even now, Kiyono's achievements wouldn't offer the family much practical leverage; he was merely emerging. Who knew—maybe his next book would fade into the crowd? Creative work is unpredictable.
What she valued was the whole of a person's character.
She looked at the young man and woman—both taller than her. Gradually, those subtle calculations were replaced by a mother's sentimentality, and she sighed with a touch of melancholy.
"You're all leaving, and I'll be alone at home."
"My brother and I will come back every week. And isn't Yukino returning soon? She'll be here to keep Mother company!" Haruno smiled, comforting her.
It was, truly, a gentle rebellion.
"Still, we'll be seeing each other often, Haruno."
Mrs. Yukinoshita flicked open a folding fan with a small joke—Yukino's attention was gradually shifting toward her elder sister, and those social connections were inescapable.
Haruno pouted and scoffed.
"Also—congratulations on getting into high school and university, Kiyono, Haruno."
In the early spring sunlight, the elegant woman smiled. Kiyono drifted into thought, suddenly sensing the reality of time passing—threaded with a faint worry and reluctance.
He had lived his life here thus far, walking beside these people—watching spring's flowers and trees, summer's insects, autumn's swept leaves, winter's thin snow…
Now he was leaving this home for a time. At first he had felt restrained, uncomfortable, deeply alien—but those feelings had slowly melted with each shared moment, pooling in his heart and becoming something warmer, brighter.
Could this… be familial affection?
Some things only become clear at parting.
Had he truly become part of Yukino's family?
Could time's long thread let him call her Mother?
---
He moved into a new place.
It wasn't a luxurious apartment like Yukinoshita Yukino's, but something more modest—within reach for a newly established author's royalties. (Mrs. Yukinoshita had wanted to match Yukino's housing, but he politely declined.)
It wasn't embarrassment about accepting kindness—he already saw the Yukinoshita family as his own. Even with one's real parents, though, he preferred living independently. Paying for it himself—with a small family discount—felt just right.
Kiyono stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the vast blue sky, the river and sea. He drifted into thought.
He reviewed the past year. Though his literary results had exceeded expectations, the money he'd earned so far was far less than his initial light-novel income. Traditional literature was inefficient: review, publication, and promotion took half a year or more. Classics also needed time to ferment—their growth was slow.
Even so, his was the highest-selling Akutagawa Prize work in recent years—a sign of literature's overall decline.
Still, his social standing had risen. If he went out now, people would respectfully call him "Sensei." He'd also entered the literary circles intertwined with politics—an intangible asset.
If his current sales gained another zero, the top universities ordinary people dream of would scramble to grant him honorary degrees.
"I feel like I'm still missing an opportunity… Anyway, once the results climb higher, I'll release the light novels."
He stroked his chin. He'd replicated the light novels long ago but had waited patiently until after the literary award—perception mattered. With literary laurels first, people would only tease him for not focusing. If the light novels came first, prejudice would harden. Such is the social climate.
As he mapped out the route, his phone rang.
Kiyono glanced at the number and picked up.
"Kiyono-sensei, have you rested well? There's another signing today…"
---
In distant, bustling Tokyo, a pure beauty stared at her reflection in a full-length mirror.
The blue-haired girl stood sideways in a dress. Her skin was snow-white, her figure graceful, her waist slender and soft.
"Hmm… I totally pass for a third-year high schooler. As expected of me—after starving for a year—my figure is perfect!"
Yanami shifted poses, face flushed with self-satisfaction.
With such invincible stats, handling a junior should be easy, right!?
Thinking this, she stopped admiring herself and took action.
After arriving in this new world, the first thing on her mind was neither her heavy course load nor humanity's noble pursuit of delicious food, but…
Images flashed: Kiyono smiling; Kiyono frowning; Kiyono shocked—bewildered—and then joyful upon seeing her…
In the end, one pure thought remained.
She wanted to see him.
They hadn't really been apart for long, but that didn't matter. Kiyono had secretly lived in this world for a year! That meant they hadn't seen each other for a year! A moving reunion was a must!
Yanami shrugged on her coat—as if donning armor—and strode out.
As the girl who understood Kiyono best, she could easily deduce what he'd achieved and where he frequented this year.
First stop: the family restaurant!
That was where the boy had gotten his first startup capital. She was sure she could get information there!
No? Then she'd check his apartment!
A moment later, the blue-haired girl stood downstairs, phone in hand, willing to sacrifice a little surprise to get his details.
She just had to confirm—confirm that he still lived somewhere near—confirm that they were still connected by the same drifting sounds.
So, she listened closely.
Beep—beep—beep—
The signal vanished from the world.
Yanami frowned and went home, opened her computer, and searched… Had this guy seriously not published the light novels yet? That couldn't be right.
Unrelated links scrolled past in her pupils—until a headline snagged her attention.
"Akutagawa… Prize? The strongest new literary writer of the Heisei era?"
She clicked, scanned the author's bio and the prologue—and her eye twitched.
It had to be him.
This person was him.
Her expression turned dazed.
So… huh? How had Kiyono evolved again in just one year? What do you mean, a literary prize—did he plan to become a modern literary giant!? She'd never met a big shot like this!
She hesitated for two seconds, a bad premonition prickling. And why was Kiyono in Chiba now?
No wonder she couldn't find him!
Yanami's gaze fell on the words Hope for the revitalization of modern literature and Jointly recommended by professors from various universities. It felt like reading about someone from another world. Every time she thought she'd narrowed the distance, he'd surge ahead again—his brilliance too dazzling.
A faint frustration and sense of loss rippled through her, and the flame of her fighting spirit flickered.
She paused in silence for a few minutes, then decisively shut the laptop and ran for the entryway.
So what if it was Chiba? It was less than an hour away.
So what if he was a literary writer? She would become an excellent editor and help him.
So much had happened between them; their bond was irreplaceable. She wouldn't back down because of this.
Yanami hurriedly changed her shoes and yanked open the door. Her mother's gentle voice drifted from behind:
"Anna, it's already dark. You're not eating dinner at home tonight… are you?"
Only then did she notice the city's lights glittering—night deepening, stars and moon bright. Going to another city now wasn't wise, but…
"Yes! I have something important to do!"
She stepped out without hesitation.
She had to see him now.
Yanami jogged to the station and boarded a train to Chiba.
The carriage swayed silently, rushing forward.
By the time she arrived, it was nearly eight in the evening. Chiba, after all, was primarily agricultural—not a sleepless metropolis like Tokyo—and its streets felt much more peaceful and cozy.