The silent depths of the night were ultimately filled with warmth and palpitations.
As the moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, gently sprinkling upon the intertwined silhouettes, the relationship between Michiya Gōshin and Kurokawa Akane finally crossed that invisible boundary symbolizing absolute intimacy and trust, arriving at the other shore belonging to lovers.
This night was Kurokawa Akane's complete surrender, carried out with unease and resolve, and it was also Michiya Gōshin's total acceptance and response to her heavy love with incomparable cherishing and solemnity.
The air was permeated with scorching breaths. The two embraced tightly, their eyes reflecting only pure love for one another, deeply branded into the depths of their souls.
.....
The faint morning light slowly illuminated the bedroom.
The air seemed to still faintly linger with the ambiguous scent following last night's enchantment, recounting the intimacy they had shared.
Michiya Gōshin slowly woke from his sleep amidst an unprecedented sensation of being wrapped in softness.
The first thing he clearly felt was a warm, fragrant, and soft body in his arms, closely fitting against him like a vine winding around a tree.
Kurokawa Akane was like a young beast that had finally found its safest harbor. Her entire person was curled up almost completely within his embrace, her cheek pressed tightly against the warm hollow of his neck, her light and even breathing carrying the peace and satisfaction of sleep.
One of her arms was wrapped naturally and intimately around the back of his neck with an unquestionable possessiveness, as if even in unconscious sleep, she had to firmly confirm his existence, terrified that he might vanish.
"..."
Michiya Gōshin moved his slightly numb arm a little. This subtle movement made him feel the smooth, warm touch of the girl's skin in his arms even more clearly.
He lowered his head and could see Kurokawa Akane's tranquil sleeping face close at hand without obstruction.
Recalling the tenderness and attachment of last night, a deep pity for her unreserved courage rose in Michiya Gōshin's heart. No matter what, from this moment on, they were no longer just lovers attracted to each other, but a community of destiny possessing the deepest life imprints of one another.
He did not get up immediately, and even deliberately slowed his breathing, fearing that any subtle noise would disturb her sweet dream.
Michiya Gōshin simply lay there quietly, allowing himself to be immersed in this tranquility and warmth unique to the early morning, feeling their blending breaths.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps disturbed by the gradually active birdsong outside the window, the girl in his arms let out a tiny, lazy murmur. Her long eyelashes trembled gently a few times like petals brushed by a breeze, and then, she slowly opened those clear eyes.
When Kurokawa Akane met Michiya Gōshin's deep eyes close at hand, all those blush-inducing and heart-pounding memories from last night surged back instantly like a bursting dam, occupying all her thoughts.
Thus, in the next moment, her cheeks were dyed with a bright, dripping crimson at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Her gaze flickered violently with shyness, and she subconsciously wanted to retract her arm, as if trying to retrieve a shred of reserve.
However, the girl's wrist was gently but firmly held down by Michiya Gōshin.
"Morning, Akane."
"Morning, Yu-kun..."
Kurokawa Akane's voice was as thin as a mosquito's, almost buried in the hollow of his neck.
She gave up on retreating and instead buried her still-burning cheek deeper into his solid, warm chest. Her heart was completely filled with an indescribable, massive sense of sweetness and an unprecedented feeling of steadfastness.
The two whispered intimately for a while longer amidst the soft bedding, murmuring inconsequential sweet nothings and exchanging lingering, light kisses, until the sunlight outside the window became increasingly bright and dazzling, almost illuminating the entire room.
Michiya Gōshin was the first to get up. He looked back at Kurokawa Akane, who was still curled up on the bed with flushed cheeks, and a doting arc hooked the corner of his lips.
Then, bending down, he scooped the girl, whose whole body was soft, up in a standard and powerful princess carry, walking straight toward the bathroom.
"Shall we shower together, Akane?"
"Ah!"
Her body suddenly suspended in the air, Kurokawa Akane subconsciously let out a short, soft cry. Her arms circled his neck tightly as a conditioned reflex, and the blush that had just faded slightly from her face spread rapidly again, like a fully ripened tomato.
"Okay~"
***
That morning, Michiya Gōshin had no special work arrangements, so he accompanied Kurokawa Akane wholeheartedly.
After eating breakfast, the two snuggled intimately on that spacious sofa in the living room. The TV was playing a noisy morning variety show that required no mental effort to watch, but almost none of their attention was on the screen.
At times they exchanged a knowing, sweet glance; at times they spoke a few sentences in low voices; and at times they simply quietly felt each other's body temperature and existence. The air was permeated with an atmosphere of satisfaction akin to newlyweds.
Kurokawa Akane almost completely drowned in this gentle harbor that made her feel at peace, secretly hoping in her heart that time could stop here, letting this moment become eternal.
However, Michiya Gōshin had not forgotten the arrangement already set for this afternoon.
When the clock's hands slowly pointed to noon, he checked his wristwatch. Although his heart was equally filled with reluctance, he still spoke softly to Kurokawa Akane, who was clinging to his embrace like a koala.
"Akane, I have to go discuss the manuscript for Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World with Kasumigaoka-san later. It's almost time."
Almost the instant his voice fell, Kurokawa Akane's originally soft and relaxed body stiffened imperceptibly. The arms around his waist unconsciously tightened their grip, and a clear trace of unwillingness flashed quickly across her face.
But she quickly realized she was overreacting. She strove to mobilize her facial muscles, squeezing out a smile that appeared sensible.
"Mn, I know. You go ahead, Yu-kun."
Kurokawa Akane tried to make her voice sound calm and natural, but that subtle tremor still leaked her true emotions.
Michiya Gōshin naturally took her momentary emotional change and feigned calmness into his eyes. He sighed slightly in his heart, lowered his head to imprint a gentle and soothing kiss on her smooth forehead, his tone certain.
"Rest assured, it is purely a work discussion. I promise I will come back to eat dinner with you tonight."
"It's a promise."
Kurokawa Akane raised her head, her eyes holding an unmistakable dependence and a gleam needing confirmation, like a small animal afraid of being abandoned.
"Mn, it's a promise."
Michiya Gōshin nodded seriously, giving her the most affirmative answer.
Despite this, after Michiya Gōshin left, the large apartment instantly appeared unusually empty and silent.
Kurokawa Akane curled up alone in the corner of the sofa. The sense of crisis and faint unease in her heart, which had temporarily subsided due to a night of intimacy, began to quietly breed again.
Kasumigaoka Utaha's beautiful, exquisite face full of intellectual charm, as well as her curvaceous figure, surfaced repeatedly and uncontrollably in her mind, bringing waves of agitation.
***
In the afternoon, inside Kasumigaoka Utaha's apartment, the discussion regarding Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World proceeded deeply and efficiently.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had poured a lot of heart's blood into this story, so when the two communicated, she focused all her attention on the plot progression, character arcs, and emotional rendering of the manuscript itself.
Relying on his unique vision and narrative experience, Michiya Gōshin proposed several key revision suggestions concerning the story's pacing and the sublimation of the ending.
The collision of their literary concepts and creative details could still spark surprising sparks and new possibilities.
However, in the intervals of discussion, when Michiya Gōshin lowered his head to focus on flipping through the manuscript papers, Kasumigaoka Utaha would occasionally raise those crimson eyes. Her gaze would linger on his side profile, which seemed softer than before, carrying an attitude of gentleness that was hard to detect.
What kind of events would make a man become increasingly gentle?
After thinking for a moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha guessed what the answer was. Thus, a trace of extremely faint, complex emotion would occasionally flash through her heart, but all of this vanished extremely quickly, so fast that no one could capture it.
After the discussion concluded smoothly as planned, Michiya Gōshin politely declined Kasumigaoka Utaha's invitation to have some tea and snacks, returning home on time at dusk.
As soon as the apartment door opened, Kurokawa Akane, who had been waiting for a long time and sitting on pins and needles, immediately fluttered into his arms like a bird refilled with vitality. All the previous apprehension and unease seemed to vanish into smoke within this embrace, as if they had never existed.
Dinner was an exquisite Japanese set meal cooked personally by Michiya Gōshin after tying on an apron.
Salt-grilled mackerel, chawanmushi, miso soup, and white rice.
Although it wasn't particularly luxurious or lavish, every dish was filled with the temperature of home and care. It warmed Kurokawa Akane's heart as she ate, her eyes curving into crescents, her satisfaction overflowing in her expression.
After the meal, she stuck to Michiya Gōshin's side tightly like a piece of sweet nougat, watching him open that silver-grey laptop. The screen's cold light illuminated his serious face as he began to process another manuscript into which he had poured countless efforts: The Wind Rises.
As for why he finally began the modification and polishing now, it was because after the sweetness of yesterday night, the Entry Michiya Gōshin wanted was finally completed.
[Production Queue 2: Advanced Research]
[Experience: 97/100]
[Experience: 98/100]
[Experience: 99/100]
[Experience: 100/100]
[Production Complete!]
[Obtained Entry: [Advanced Research (Green)].]
After the Entry production was completed, Michiya Gōshin performed the synthesis without the slightest hesitation.
[Junior Novelist (Green)] + [Tireless Writer (Green)] + [Advanced Research (Green)] = [Bestselling Author (Purple)]
"Perform Synthesis."
[Bestselling Author (Purple)!]
In the next moment, the creative philosophies of a large batch of famous masters flooded into his mind. Thoughts intersected and iterated, finally allowing him to step further forward.
This moment of enlightenment came suddenly, yet it happened as naturally as water flowing into a canal.
Michiya Gōshin realized that the highest level of storytelling is not the showing off of techniques, but the art of restraint.
Just like the "negative space" in a painting, the true power lies not where the brush and ink touch, but in the white space left behind. Those unspoken confessions, those yearnings that failed to be transmitted, those unfinished farewells—they obtain the most enduring vitality precisely within the cracks of the text.
The novelist is not a creator, but a night watchman. We only need to light the necessary lamps, and the darkness will complete the rest of the work.
The reader's imagination has never been a container needing to be filled, but a tinder waiting to be ignited. A precise detail surpasses a thousand words of explanation; an appropriate blank space can evoke resonance more than dense description.
Michiya Gōshin looked at the manuscript of The Wind Rises in the computer. He decided to no longer obsess over pursuing flowery and novel language, but to dedicate himself to finding that one unique, accurate verb. He would no longer attempt to explain every motive of the characters, but would be willing to trust that the reader's wisdom could complete the deep logic of the story.
However, before truly proceeding with the modification and polishing, there was one more thing to do.
That was, since the production of the [Bestselling Author (Purple)!] Entry was completed, Production Queue 2 was now empty, and the choice for the next Entry had to be made.
After thinking carefully for a while, Michiya Gōshin decided to take a further step in the direction already decided.
[Lyric Writing (Green)] + [Arrangement Mastery (Green)] = [Song Producer (Purple)]
"Then let's continue delving into the direction of songs."
Michiya Gōshin placed the [Lyric Writing (Green)] Entry into the [Entry Production Station] as well. Everything was ready to advance steadily along this path.
[Production Queue 1: Arrangement Mastery (Green)]
[Experience: 55/100]
[Production Queue 2: Lyric Writing]
[Experience: 0/100]
After finishing this matter, Michiya Gōshin began the formal polishing of the The Wind Rises manuscript.
His expression became unusually focused, as if he had entered another world, with all the clamor of the outside world shut out.
His fingers tapped swiftly and accurately on the keyboard, making rhythmic soft sounds. Occasionally he would stop, frown slightly with the light of thought flashing in his deep eyes, and then decisively make deletions or adjustments.
Kurokawa Akane sat quietly on the soft cushion beside him, hugging her knees and tilting her head, watching the side profile of him throwing his whole heart into work without blinking. She felt that at this moment, he radiated an indescribable masculine charm that was captivating.
***
Two days later, the polishing and modification of the manuscript had to be set aside, because a new round of intensive promotional activities for Alice in Borderland arrived as scheduled.
Today, Michiya Gōshin needed to travel to the Kansai region to participate in the recording of a prime-time, high-rating TV program, as well as a fan meeting of considerable scale.
Early in the morning, the black nanny van arranged by the agency stopped punctually and low-key downstairs at the apartment.
Michiya Gōshin bid a gentle farewell to Kurokawa Akane, who was wearing cute pajamas and insisting on seeing him to the door. After dropping a light kiss on her lips, he turned and got into the car.
Kato Megumi was already sitting in the front passenger seat, just like on countless past workdays. A detailed itinerary for the day, the event flow, and a list of media to pay attention to were placed neatly on her lap.
The car started smoothly, merging into the traffic flow of the Tokyo morning rush hour, driving toward the direction of the airport.
Michiya Gōshin leaned back relaxedly in the comfortable leather seat of the back row, closing his eyes slightly to rest his mind.
The substantive breakthrough in his relationship with Kurokawa Akane seemed to have catalyzed some subtle changes in him that were hard to describe specifically.
Of course, this was not any abrupt change in external image or speech and behavior, but a calmer aura naturally radiating from the inside out.
That sense of relaxation and warmth—coming from being in a stable passionate love where both body and mind were fully nourished and settled—invisibly softened the sharp contours he would occasionally reveal unconsciously when falling into deep thought or facing huge work pressure. It made his entire person appear more approachable, even carrying a trace of faint charm belonging to a mature male.
Kato Megumi had been sitting next to Michiya Gōshin all along, so she sensed these changes very quickly.
She keenly captured that extremely subtle sense of relaxation between his brows, as well as that extra portion of warmth and gentleness in the indescribable aura around him.
This formed a sharp contrast with the state he radiated a few days ago, which was mixed with work fatigue and complex interpersonal troubles.
She could almost be one hundred percent certain that this change was related to Kurokawa Akane. Combined with various signs, this likely meant that the relationship between the two had stepped into a more inseparable level recently.
This deduction caused Kato Megumi's fingers holding the edge of the documents to tighten imperceptibly.
However, Kato Megumi did not show any abnormality. She merely took a few more looks at Michiya Gōshin's eyes, closed in rest, and continued to throw herself into the subsequent work arrangements.
Arriving at the event venue in Kansai, after a round of tense and orderly makeup and styling preparations, Michiya Gōshin rendezvoused with Sakurajima Mai in the dedicated backstage lounge to conduct the final flow check and chemistry communication before going on stage.
Sakurajima Mai was wearing a high-quality pale green skirt suit today, perfectly setting off her exquisitely curvaceous and tall figure.
Seeing Michiya Gōshin walk in, an extremely faint smile appeared on her face.
The two exchanged simple pleasantries. Although Sakurajima Mai had relented last time, her attitude toward Michiya Gōshin hadn't changed that quickly, and Michiya Gōshin knew this, so he continued to coordinate with her pace even more gently.
The whole day of promotional activities finally concluded amidst a tense and busy rhythm.
Judging from the on-site feedback and online public opinion, the effect was generally quite good. Media reports were positive, fan response was enthusiastic, and the expected publicity goals were achieved.
Returning to the noisy and busy backstage, the staff began to skillfully pack up various equipment and devices, while the managers naturally gathered together, discussing the upcoming itinerary arrangements.
"The main domestic promotion has come to a temporary pause. The next stop is the crucial overseas promotion, with the focus being the massive Xia Country market."
The representative sent by Nenshi was a middle-aged male with a capable style, wearing black-rimmed glasses. Holding a thick schedule, he spoke seriously to the crowd.
"According to feedback from the partners over there, the Xia Country audience's expectation value for our series is very high. Several large-scale fan meetings, joint exclusive interviews with mainstream media, and live broadcasts on online platforms have already been arranged."
"Regarding the relevant flights, hotels, ground transportation, and accompanying interpreters, the agency is already intensifying coordination and confirmation to ensure nothing goes wrong."
The person in charge from the event organizer, a woman dressed fashionably who spoke very fast, also immediately added.
"Yes, the counterpart in Xia Country specifically proposed that they hope the two lead actors can try their best to learn and master a few simple Chinese greetings and self-introductions, such as 'Hello everyone,' 'Thank you,' and 'I love you all.'"
"They believe this can greatly narrow the psychological distance with local fans, appearing exceptionally sincere and approachable, which is very helpful for enhancing the favorability of the series and the actors themselves."
"We can urgently contact an experienced temporary language teacher here to conduct a few crash course training sessions before departure, ensuring the pronunciation is as standard as possible."
"Michiya-san, and Sakurajima-san, you two can do a crash reinforcement over these few days."
Everyone present, including Michiya Gōshin and Sakurajima Mai's assistants and publicity staff, nodded one after another to express agreement.
This was indeed an almost indispensable standard operation for international artists conducting overseas promotion, embodying respect for the local market and fans.
However, just as everyone had begun to discuss specifically which teacher to hire and what time would be suitable to arrange the training, Michiya Gōshin, who had been sitting quietly on the rest chair nearby listening to their discussion, suddenly raised his head.
He looked around at the crowd in heated discussion, and then used his unique calm tone to speak up, as if stating something as ordinary as "the weather is nice today."
"Regarding Chinese..."
He paused slightly, seemingly organizing his language, but this brief pause caused everyone's eyes to subconsciously focus on him.
Then, Michiya Gōshin continued.
"I can speak Chinese. Basic communication can be handled easily, so there is no need to specially arrange another teacher."
His voice was not loud, but it was like a meteorite falling without warning, instantly landing in this slightly messy and weary backstage lounge.
In a split second, the entire room felt as if all the air had been instantly sucked away by some invisible force.
"Eh?"
"???"
"Michiya-san, you can speak Chinese?"
Even Sakurajima Mai was stunned for a moment, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at the man who always brought her surprises.
________________________________________
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