Dragging her tired body home, Eriri patted her cheeks, forcibly dispelling the negative emotions in her heart. Now was not the time to dwell on such things; the deadline was still hot on her heels…
The deadline.
Thinking of this, the girl froze as if struck by lightning, and then the expression on her pretty face quickly twisted.
"Ugh, I'll have to work at least thirteen or fourteen hours a day for the next three days, and there's still so much I haven't prepared…"
A heavy sense of crisis enveloped her again. The girl paced back and forth anxiously. To complete this arduous task, she had to push her time to the limit. She would eat only one meal a day—and not too much, or she'd get sleepy. The remaining hunger would have to be soothed with energy drinks and quick-energy snacks.
Should I go to the convenience store again? But it's already so late…
Just then, light, lively footsteps—like a young girl's—sounded. A petite beauty walked up and said with a smile,
"Eriri, you're back. A handsome boy just delivered a big bag of things for you."
"A handsome boy? Delivered things for me?"
Eriri tilted her head in confusion. The first person she thought of was her childhood friend, but she immediately dismissed it. Her family and Aki Tomoya were all very familiar with each other. If it were Tomoya, her mother would definitely not use that term.
Someone who knew her home address, was close to her, and could be called handsome…
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She quickly walked into the living room and opened the plastic bag on the table. Familiar food came into view—dark chocolate, sugar-free bread, Snickers, coffee milk, energy drinks…
These were all the things she ate before a submission deadline.
Ring, ring, ring. Her phone rang.
"I didn't know what flavors you liked, so I bought one of each. I'll be waiting to be amazed by your work." —Kiyono.
So that's how it was.
Eriri raised an eyebrow, and little stars gradually sparkled in her eyes.
Kiyono was also a creator like her, so he understood that what she needed at this moment was neither concern nor encouragement. As long as she was fully prepared, she would definitely overcome this limit—because this was her pride as a creator.
This unspoken understanding made her truly realize for the first time: Ah, this person and I are indeed partners who understand and strive together.
Honestly.
The blonde girl secretly revealed a smile; under the light, her pretty face looked exceptionally charming. The grievances she'd felt because of Aki Tomoya also slowly began to fade…
----
In the meeting room, Kiyono and the editor sat face to face, hands steepled beneath their chins, checking their phones every thirty seconds. The air was tight with serious tension.
Last half hour… twenty minutes… ten minutes…
"It's too late!" The editor clutched his head.
"Believe in our friendship and bond." The light-novel author's face was solemn.
Ring, ring, ring. The phone rang. Both quickly picked up. There was only a simple sentence on the screen.
[It's done.]
These three short words seemed to conjure the image of a girl writing tirelessly under the faint glow of a desk lamp late into the night—falling asleep on the table from exhaustion, only to jolt awake and burn everything, like a moth flying into a flame.
The editor immediately rushed to the computer, and Kiyono, moved, quickly sent several messages of concern to his partner.
But there was no reply.
"Sawamura-san? Kashiwagi Eri-sensei?"
Like a stone sinking into the sea.
Kiyono stood stunned, a tear falling.
Tragic.
Eriri is dead.
After the release of the "Death God: Enhanced Version" light novel, its first month's sales were more than one-third higher than the previous volume. This was partly due to the revisions and partly to Eriri's 120% effort.
Kiyono still hadn't revealed to either circle that he was both a literary author and a light-novel author. If the literary world found out, he would face all sorts of persuasion and questioning—why he had "fallen." Better to wait a bit longer.
However, there was no need to hide it from those close to him, such as the Yukinoshita family, to whom he was loyal.
"So… you mean Kiyono has written another blockbuster light novel?"
In the study, Yukinoshita's mother, who was organizing her book collection, turned to look at her eldest daughter. Her dark-blue eyes flickered with confusion and a peculiar expression.
"It's been quite the hot topic recently." Haruno handed her phone to her mother, leaning against the bookshelf with a smile.
She had been equally amazed when she heard the news. She considered herself to have met many outstanding peers, but most of their achievements were aided by their families. A young man like Kiyono, who achieved everything entirely on his own, was practically nonexistent.
A truly rare species—and one she had raised herself! The sense of crisis in her heart grew even stronger.
"Light novel…?"
The kimono-clad beauty quietly looked at the information on the phone, one hand pressed to her forehead.
Her first thought was that it was a farce.
Yukinoshita's mother shared the same view as the more conservative people in the literary world: as a future first-rate literary writer, why aren't you focusing on deep study and aiming for the Nobel Prize in Literature, instead of writing light novels—people who don't know might think the Yukinoshita family can no longer support you, and you're writing to make a living!
She wanted to advise Kiyono, but she couldn't bring herself to speak in the face of his achievements—and, most importantly, Kiyono hadn't spent much time writing this novel. With such terrifying earning potential, she really couldn't find a good reason.
This was truly the first time she had seen such a young man. She was confident that as long as Kiyono wasn't hit by a car and killed, his future was immeasurable. Now, it might be continuous stock surges, the light novel another jump after a calm period. In the future, there would be continuous positive announcements and trading suspensions. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a diamond-level potential stock.
Fortunately, the Yukinoshita family had already gone all-in early and would not give anyone else a chance to hold shares in the future.
The only thing that made Yukinoshita's mother a little worried was…
Was the description of the heroine in this light novel a bit… off?
He really does… for Yukino…
The next day during lunch break, as soon as the bell rang, many students pushed their desks together and enthusiastically ate lunch. Some also formed groups to go to the courtyard to enjoy lunch and play a little ball to aid digestion.
Kiyono also received invitations from classmates. High school wasn't like elementary or middle school; his past deeds were hardly discussed anymore. As a popular, handsome youth, he could easily step into the popular crowd.
But the pure-love warrior already had his own destination.
He politely declined the invitations, walked out of the classroom, passed through the corridor, and silently headed toward a certain place, finally stopping.
It was an unmarked, abandoned classroom. Opening the door, he saw desks and chairs piled in the back corner. The classroom was quiet, with only one girl sitting there calmly.
Yukino Yukinoshita.
His childhood friend—a lonely girl with justice and ideals in her heart, gradually ostracized by others because of her exceptional talent and beauty.
The wind blew through the open window, gently stirring the curtains and her delicate black hair. Her focused gaze and the occasional gesture of raising her hand to brush her hair away were both so charming.
Hearing the movement, the girl gently closed her book and turned her head to look.
"It's not your first time here, so why are you making such a strange, sentimental expression?" Her ethereal, clear voice—sarcastic even now—was still so pleasant to hear.
As a childhood friend, and a "childhood friend from the sky," Yukino was unsurprised by his appearance.
"Life always needs a little sense of ritual, doesn't it?"
Kiyono sat down gracefully, seemingly waiting for something. The cool and aloof girl sighed, silently taking a bento box from her backpack—ever since they'd entered high school, she had been responsible for Kiyono's bento.
After all, making one portion was making one; making two was also making two.
The two ate lunch as usual. This scene, which would seem extremely ambiguous in the eyes of ordinary people, was merely an insignificant daily embellishment for childhood friends.
After eating—
"No one's here," Kiyono said, propping his cheek with one hand.
"No one's here…" Yukino echoed.
Since the school's most beautiful girl formed a club, she hadn't encountered a single person asking for help, which left her a little dejected.
"Knock, knock, knock…"
Just then, a gentle knock sounded on the door of the Service Club.
The two exchanged glances, and finally Yukino said calmly, "Please come in, the door isn't locked."
The classroom door slowly opened, and two girls walked in. They weren't the pink-haired girl Kiyono had imagined, but rather one long-haired girl and one short-haired girl. Their uniform ties indicated they were second-years.
"Hiratsuka-sensei told us that wishes can be granted here."
The short-haired girl stood before the desk and spoke enthusiastically, seemingly not shy at all.
"Grant wishes?" Kiyono looked at Yukino.
"…I never said that. I merely offer help to students within my capabilities," Yukino replied helplessly.
"Then… Yukino-san, could we ask you to help us write a script for the Drama Club?"
The short-haired girl pressed her hands on the desk, eyes sparkling.
"A script?" Both were surprised.
The girl explained:
"The senior who used to write scripts for our club left for some reason, and the other members don't know how. Now we can only do some basic exercises, so we wanted to ask Yukino-san, who is ranked second in Japanese literature, to help us write a romance script…"
Drama, huh…
In class, Yukino pondered. To be honest, she didn't know much about drama and wasn't sure she could do a good job, but she still decisively accepted the task.
This was the first time someone at school had asked her for help. It was memorable, so she had to give it her all.
Moreover, she understood one thing: she had a cheat-like existence. As long as she asked him, the Service Club's first request would definitely be completed perfectly.
—Kiyono.
The girl whispered his name in her heart. She knew such professional work was best entrusted to Kiyono, but after some quiet consideration, she still decided to do it herself.
First, because she didn't want to rely on him too much.
Second, because she didn't want to take up his time with her request—Kiyono was already a famous writer now.
However, asking him for advice was still fine.
Thus, the Service Club president entered work mode.
The script's theme was a convoluted romance. Perhaps she could reference "Romeo and Juliet"?
First, she obtained the personal information of the Drama Club's male lead, female lead, and supporting characters. By interviewing the two leads and personally observing their performances, she roughly deduced suitable roles—truly tailor-made.
Then she perused several drama theory books and began to write the script.
In the evenings, she would have brief discussions with Kiyono via video call.
Just like now.
Kiyono looked at the laptop in front of him. The screen clearly reflected a serene, beautiful face. Today, Yukino had tied her hair in a side ponytail, which made her appear less aloof and more gentle and elegant.
"How much have you written?" he asked with a smile.
"One-third," the girl replied.
"It's only been two or three days—already that much?" Kiyono was surprised.
"After all, it's just simple scenes for two or three people. Once detailed actor profiles and personalities are created, designing the characters is like filling in blanks."
Yukino's voice was still cool and clear, but Kiyono keenly caught the details in her words and raised an eyebrow—he knew Yukino pursued perfection in everything, but creating all those materials must have taken a lot of effort.
You weren't that serious when you showed me your novel!
"Eh, ah, well, hmm."
"What's suddenly wrong?"
"Nothing, just… some admiration."
Looking at the young man who had suddenly become distant, Yukino tilted her head in confusion. She thought carefully for a moment, understood the change in Kiyono's attitude, and a knowing smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.