Even though it was the first morning of a weekend holiday, Kasumigaoka Utaha was already up, washed, and dressed before nine.
On previous non-school days, this time was usually when she had only just fallen asleep, or at most, was in a deep slumber.
Who could blame her? Besides being a first-year at Toyogasaki, she was also "Kasumi Utako, the rising light novel author at Shinobu Publishing."
As a writer who, in less than two years since debut, had achieved the fiery success of "three published volumes with total sales breaking 200,000 copies," it was inevitable for Kasumigaoka Utaha to develop bad habits like pulling all-nighters, "lacking inspiration until nightfall," and "needing to pressure myself to create."
Naturally, staying up all night was just part of her daily routine.
Yet today, Kasumi Utako-sensei had broken all records by being wide awake and energetic before nine in the morning.
Even more jaw-dropping was that she, a girl who had never stepped out of the house on non-school days, was currently sitting on her genkan step in casual outdoor clothes, tying the laces of her outdoor sneakers.
"Haa..." After tying her shoelaces in a daze, Utaha was about to stand up when a yawn escaped her. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she wobbled to her feet. Just as she reached for her keys, her fingers brushed the compact mirror in her bag. Remembering she'd just rubbed her eyes, a half-awake Utaha quickly pulled it out to check her face.
Hmm... good. The makeup survived.
Carefully inspecting her reflection, she confirmed the concealer hiding her puffy under-eyes from a sleepless night hadn't smudged. She let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Close call. Almost ruined it.
No wonder she was so paranoid. As a girl who rarely—almost never—wore makeup, spending so much time and effort first thing in the morning to cover up her puffiness was pure torture. She didn't want to go through it again.
It's all your fault, Aragaki-kun.
Remembering the agonizing night of staring at the ceiling, she silently blamed the "culprit" of her insomnia in her heart.
It was weird, really. She usually stayed up late writing novels, sometimes sleeping at 3 or 4 AM and waking at 7:30 for school. Yet, she'd never had under-eyes this puffy or dark circles this pronounced. Normally, no matter how late she stayed up, she'd only get faint shadows. Unless someone stared directly at her eyes, no one would ever notice "Kasumigaoka Utaha has slight dark circles."
"So, this is Aragaki-kun's fault! All his fault!"
Muttering complaints about the boy who had just left his own house, Utaha pulled her keys from her bag.
"If he hadn't just run off without a word, I wouldn't have been up all night."
"And if I hadn't been up all night, my eyes wouldn't be swollen like this."
Therefore.
It's all Aragaki's fault. All his!
...
I'm so sleepy. I really want to go back to bed.
Why isn't she here yet? Is she messing with me?
Face darkening, Utaha had been sitting in the café from 9 AM until now, 10 AM. She picked up her phone for the fourth time and checked her messaging app.
Her gaze swept over Machida's message: "Just turning the corner! Almost there!" and landed on the time: 9:23 AM.
If anyone noticed her glare, their first thought would probably be wondering if she was about to stab someone.
"A corner, a corner, a corner..." Under the table, her long legs bounced restlessly, the frequency increasing.
"Is this corner taking a detour from the Cape of Good Hope to the Atlantic? I hope you just get lost forever."
Gritting her teeth, she stomped her foot on the floor, then grabbed her now-lukewarm espresso. Downed it in one go. She elegantly dabbed her mouth with a napkin, maintaining her composure, then slowly lifted her gaze, her eyes sharp as knives fixed on the café entrance across from her.
I swear, if Machida isn't here in five minutes, I'll make this slacking editor (who never asks about my drafts and only cares about my progress with Aragaki Miyahito) experience what it's like to be chased for deadlines every single day.
But reality, unfortunately...
Just as she plotted her "revenge,"
"Sorry, sorry! Kept you waiting, Utaha-chan."
"Mm, it's fine."
The moment Machida Sonoko appeared in her line of sight, Utaha's furious, 'I'm going to kill you if you're any later' expression instantly melted into a gentle, sweet smile.
Her tone shifted to match, completely unrecognizable from before.
"I just got here too. Please, sit. What would you like to drink, Sonoko-nee?"
"Today, I'm counting on you to help me figure this out."
..... Half an hour later .....
"So? What should I do from now on, Sonoko-nee?"
Looking at Utaha's pitiful, cautious, yet hopeful expression, Machida sighed internally with a mix of frustration and pity.
You really are hopeless, Utaha-chan.
Even though she'd guessed how "perfect on paper, completely useless in practice" Utaha was from their Friday call, hearing the full story proved her initial estimates were still too low.
How should I put it? Obviously, you need to create another 'chance encounter'!
Sipping her black tea, Machida pretended to think while internally roasting her author.
You already know he practices on the rooftop. Why not just camp out there a few times? Catch him again, naturally strike up a conversation about music. So dense.
Wait, you're in the same school, next-door classes, and Utaha-chan still hasn't figured out that "Aragaki-kun is Miyani"? Is she that oblivious, or is he just that good at hiding it?
After sorting her thoughts, Machida laid out her plan.
"Utaha-chan, I think you should..."
Listening carefully, not missing a word, Utaha lowered her head to ponder.
Play along with this misunderstanding, create another encounter, and use music as an icebreaker?
Is... that even possible?
In social interactions, Utaha was far more comfortable with a "wait-and-counter" style rather than taking the initiative. She doubted she could pull it off.
Honestly, if Aragaki Miyahito initiated the first conversation, she'd be much more confident finding ways to close the distance later. After all, she was fully confident in her arsenal of "flirty remarks that make teenage boys blush." Guys liked girls with that kind of banter, right?
But to reach that point, they'd need to be familiar first. She couldn't just flirt with him on their very first real conversation. Besides, he wasn't a junior; he was her grade-mate.
Facing a peer... sorry, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't quite pull that off yet.
"Will that really work?"
"Of course. Don't worry, Utaha-chan."
A faint, almost imperceptible smirk played on Machida's lips. Leaning back lazily, chin in hand, her voice took on a tempting lilt.
"Aragaki-kun is a guy, after all. No normal guy would reject a girl as pretty, well-proportioned, and sweet-voiced as you. Trust me."
"Don't say things like that! Be serious, Machida-san!"
"Eh... Weren't you calling me Sonoko-nee just a moment ago? Your attitude changes so fast, Utaha-chan."
"Urusai! Just shut up!"
.....
However, Kasumigaoka Utaha had no idea yet.
Whether the future would unfold according to her current plans and expectations... that remained to be seen.
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