Outside a maid cafe, a group of girls were calling out to potential customers.
Haruto, wearing a mask to hide his face, walked inside and requested a private room. He made it clear that he wanted to be left alone and did not want any service or conversation from the staff.
The servers were genuinely taken aback.
In this neighborhood, people came to maid cafes specifically for the experience and the chance to chat with the staff. If someone just wanted a quiet cup of coffee, why wouldn't they go to a normal cafe?
Haruto sat down in the private room and slid the door shut. Through the one-way glass, he looked out at the bustling street below. Tokyo was full of these otaku districts, but because his fame had reached such heights, he was constantly at risk of being recognized and mobbed. It had been years since he had been able to walk these streets just to enjoy the atmosphere.
He pulled off his mask and took a deep breath. "I really envy them," he whispered.
His gaze followed a group of teenagers on the street dressed in cosplay, Lelouch, C.C., David, Madoka. After years of relentless work, he could barely remember the last time he had been that carefree. That was exactly why he had chosen this place for the meeting.
He was too busy to enjoy these things normally, so he wanted to soak it in, even if only for a moment.
A soft knock came from the door. "Come in," Haruto said.
The sliding door opened to reveal a girl wearing a mask and a long black dress. Reina removed her mask, revealing her porcelain-white skin and clear, sharp eyes. Even though Haruto saw her every day, he couldn't help but be struck by her beauty.
Haruto considered himself reasonably handsome, and while fans often praised his looks, he was realistic enough not to let it go to his head. But Reina was on a different level. Even among the sea of beauties in the entertainment industry, she had the kind of face that belonged to a leading lady.
Despite being one of the top three authors at Kiyozawa Library, many of her fans still argued that her looks surpassed her talent, often lamenting that she hadn't become an actress instead.
"Did you need something from me?" Reina asked, her voice slightly strained as she sat across from him.
"We haven't been out for coffee in a long time. Is it so wrong for me to want to catch up with an old friend?" Haruto asked with a smile.
"Catch up? We could have done that at home," she replied, her gaze drifting to the street outside. From their vantage point, they could see that a staggering percentage of the cosplayers were dressed as characters from Haruto's own works.
"Well... hanging out at home all the time gets stifling, doesn't it? I thought a change of scenery would be nice."
"Aren't you afraid Yukino will misunderstand?" Reina asked after a long silence. "Asking me out to a private room in a place like this... if she found out, she'd definitely start overthinking things."
Haruto paused, his smile faltering slightly.
"Fair point. You're quicker than I am, so I'll just get straight to it. You're planning to end Absolute Realm, aren't you?"
"Yes." Reina nodded slowly.
"Why?" Haruto asked, leaning forward.
"I just feel bored with it. I don't want to write it anymore, so I'm ending it," she said dismissively.
"Bored? You don't want to write it?" Haruto's eyes widened. "What kind of excuse is that? That series sells fifteen million copies per volume! You can't just..."
"It's irresponsible, right?" Reina's expression darkened. "But so what? What does it matter how many people like it? What's the point?"
She looked Haruto directly in the eye. "Have you even read it? There are thirteen volumes out now. How many have you actually read? In the last chapter, I killed off a major character. I hesitated for so long because I cared about them, but I did it for the sake of the plot, to break the series out of its early constraints and reach a higher level of success. But again, what was the point?"
Haruto was speechless. He had followed the series when it first launched, but as he got busier with Code Geass, Hunter × Hunter, and Sword Art Online, his schedule had become a nightmare. Between writing and promotion, he hadn't had the time to consume any other media for over six months.
"On the other hand, I've watched and read every single thing you've made, from Blue Spring Ride to Code Geass. I've gone over them again and again," Reina said, her voice quiet but steady. "But no matter how much I study your work, it feels useless. The gap between us just keeps getting wider."
"Haruto, I know the truth. Back in high school, I never cared about the person in second place because I knew there was a fundamental gap in talent between us. No matter how hard they worked, they could never touch me." Her eyes began to redden. "I'm the same to you, aren't I? You've never truly considered me a rival. You've never actually held me in your heart."
Haruto didn't answer. He couldn't. It wasn't out of arrogance, but he knew that as an individual, Reina could never defeat him. He was a vessel for the collective masterpieces of an entire world. Even if she was a once-in-a-century genius, she was still human, and humans have limits.
"But what does that have to do with ending your series so abruptly?" he finally asked.
"Because you aren't among those millions of readers," Reina said, looking out at a girl cosplaying as C.C. "I only figured it out three weeks ago, when I realized I couldn't bring myself to write another word."
Three weeks ago. Haruto winced. That was exactly when he had announced his relationship with Yukino.
"I think the only reason I was so obsessed with surpassing you was because I instinctively realized that was the only way to keep you looking at me."
"I thought if I could keep up with your pace, you would eventually notice me, not just as a writer, but as a person. But unfortunately..." She looked up at him with a sad smile. "I fell behind."
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Haruto's shock turned into anger. "You're only twenty-one! What do you mean you 'fell behind'? There are authors in their eighties still working on the front lines in Japan, and you're just giving up?"
"But what's the use of catching up in ten or twenty years?" Reina's voice cracked. "Right now, the person you're looking at is Yukino, not me."
Haruto's hand jerked, nearly knocking his coffee cup off the table. "Are you... are you joking?"
It was as close to a confession as he had ever heard.
"It's pathetic, isn't it?" Reina said with a watery laugh. "I didn't even realize that my obsession with your shadow was actually a desire to have you chase mine. I don't even know when I fell in love with you."
The tears finally began to spill over.
Haruto opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet he felt entirely to blame. He forced his brain to work. He was a rational person, and he knew that panicking wouldn't help. He truly valued her as one of his few real friends.
"Fine. If you brought me here to ask why I'm quitting, I've given you my reason," Reina said, wiping her eyes and standing up to leave.
"Wait," Haruto called out. "What are you going to do after you end the series? Are you... are you giving up on writing altogether?"
"I don't know," she whispered, a look of lostness in her eyes.
'Dammit.'
Haruto knew that if he let her walk out like this, things would spiral toward the worst possible conclusion. He couldn't accept a world where someone as talented as Reina gave up on her passion because of him.
"Your current series is actually pretty boring. That's why I stopped reading it," Haruto barked, his voice sharp. "It's probably for the best that you're ending it."
Reina froze, her expression shifting to one of total bewilderment. She didn't expect comfort, but she didn't expect a direct insult either.
"The truth is, no matter how long you write Absolute Realm, it will never be on the same level as Sword Art Online," Haruto continued, locking eyes with her. "But I have to correct you on one thing. To say I've never cared about you is a lie."
"In all of Japan, in this entire world, you are my favorite novelist. Out of every author I've ever known, you are number one in my book."
Reina's eyes widened. "Haruto... what are you..."
"Liking someone isn't just about dating them. If you give up on your career here, then I can tell you for a fact that you will become my least favorite author in the world."
The color returned to Reina's face, though her expression was unreadable. "Is this just some psychological trick to get me to work?" she asked quietly.
"It's a provocation, yes. but it's also the truth." Haruto stood up. "Look, if Yukino stopped loving me tomorrow and we broke up, I'd be devastated for a while, but I would never stop creating. I'm not that weak. I won't use a failed romance as a shield for my own inadequacy. I've never had my heart broken, so I can't say I feel your pain, but the Genius Author Reina Fujimoto that I admire would never let her life be ruined by something like this."
"I hear what you're saying about your feelings for me, and I'm sorry. But I refuse to accept that you are this cowardly. You're willing to throw away your fans and your career just for this?"
Haruto felt a twinge of guilt toward the editors at Kiyozawa Library. They were probably begging her to keep the series going, and here he was telling her it was boring and should be killed off. But he knew that Reina would never find her spark again by dragging out a series she no longer believed in.
If he hadn't existed, she would be the brightest star in the industry, the one leading the new era. He couldn't let his presence extinguish that light.
Reina remained silent for a long time. "Saying all this won't change anything," she muttered.
"Maybe not," Haruto admitted. "But Reina, our connection exists because of our work. Without novels, we're like a bird and a fish; we'd never have a reason to sit across from each other like this. If you give up on writing, you're essentially giving up on our relationship entirely."
"That's how people drift apart. I haven't talked to a single person from high school in three years because we no longer have anything in common. I don't want to look back after graduation and realize the last time we ever spoke honestly was right now."
"So if I stop writing, you'll cut me off?" she asked.
"I won't have to 'cut you off.' You'll simply cease to exist in my world," Haruto said without hesitation. "The person who shines in my eyes is the novelist, Reina. As for some ordinary girl who happens to share your name... I have no interest in her."
Reina stared at him, seeing her own reflection in his pupils. She stood there for several seconds, then took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and walked out.
Haruto slumped back in his chair, a bitter smile on his face. Reina was far too smart for sweet talk; if he had tried to sugarcoat things, she would have seen right through him. He had to be brutally honest. If even that didn't work, there was nothing more he could do.
He put his mask back on, called the server, and ordered a meal. He ate alone in the silence of the room before heading home with a heavy heart.
When he arrived, Reina hadn't returned yet. Yukino immediately cornered him. "Well? How did it go?"
"I said everything I needed to say. The rest is up to her." Haruto didn't divulge any of the details, and Yukino was respectful enough not to pry.
It was 11:00 PM when Reina finally walked through the front door, looking exhausted.
The next morning, Kiyozawa Library made an announcement.
Absolute Realm would conclude within the next two months. However, the bigger shock was that Reina would be launching a brand-new series the very next week after the finale.
She had clearly spent her night negotiating with the publisher.
She was done with the series Haruto had called boring, but she wasn't done with her career. This time, it wasn't about surpassing Haruto; she was simply going to give it everything she had. The news sent shockwaves through the community.
And Haruto let out a massive sigh of relief.
The provocation had worked.
When Reina came home, it was as if their conversation in the cafe had never happened. The atmosphere was still a bit stiff, but she had returned to her usual, composed self. However, whenever they sat at the dinner table together, she would occasionally pause for a few seconds, a thoughtful look crossing her eyes as she watched him.
Haruto had a thick skin. He couldn't control how others felt about him; he could only focus on his own actions. He might feel awkward on the inside, but he remained calm on the outside.
To an observer, nothing had changed between them, but both of them knew the air had shifted.
They were no longer just friends. Every moment was now a reminder of the distance they had to maintain.
And with that, the first half of May drew to a close.
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