Shout out to Adam Tessar for the pledge. 3 bonus chapters on Sunday.

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When Eriri finally arrived, she wasn't alone. Standing beside her was a tall, elegant beauty—her senior—whose flowing dark hair was perfectly complemented by a pristine white headband. But what really stole Nozomi's attention were those slender legs wrapped in black stockings.

His eyes widened.

So much elegance. So much presence.

Eriri shot him a withering look, her twin-tails twitching in irritation. "Your eyes are practically popping out, Nozomi! You perv!"

Nozomi coughed lightly, pulling himself together like a flustered high school protagonist. "Ahem, this lovely onee-san... may I ask who you are?"

The girl gave him a knowing smile, clearly amused. "Nice to meet you, kouhai. I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha, a second-year student at Toyosaki Academy. It's our first meeting, so... yoroshiku ne~."

"Y-Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Nozomi replied, purposely putting on the act of a bashful underclassman.

He wasn't actually nervous, of course.

He just wanted to make an impression on this stunning and clearly sharp senpai.

Eriri narrowed her eyes and scoffed. Her golden twin-tails flicked aggressively as one of them smacked him in the face. "Why are you acting so formal with her?! You were calling her out last time, weren't you?"

Her voice dripped with jealousy.

Nozomi, however, remained unbothered. With a serious expression, he responded, "I'm always polite to beautiful ladies. Please, Kasumigaoka-senpai, Eriri, come in and make yourselves comfortable."

Kasumigaoka Utaha gave him a graceful nod. "Then I'll humbly intrude~."

The trio made their way into his room, where the sunlight cast a soft glow over the art books, storyboards, and character figurines that lined the shelves.

"Please sit wherever you like," Nozomi offered. "Misaki-Senpai's out today, so you came at kind of a weird time."

"It's fine," Utaha said with a mysterious smile. "We came to see you, after all."

"Oh? I'm honored. And what's the occasion?" Nozomi leaned forward slightly, genuinely intrigued.

"Firstly," Kasumigaoka began with a playful tone, "your resident eromanga artist here wants to show you her latest draft."

Eriri instantly shot up, her face flushed. "WHO are you calling an eromanga artist?!"

Kasumigaoka turned to her with a smirk. "Kashiwagi Eri. That's your pen name, isn't it?"

"I-I mean yes, but— You damn leggy temptress in black stockings, can't you phrase it better?!"

"Just stating the truth."

Eriri puffed up her cheeks like an angry chibi character, muttering under her breath as she pulled out a stack of carefully drawn character sheets from her backpack.

Nozomi instantly snapped into work mode. His eyes scanned the artwork with focused intensity, occasionally pointing out tweaks and giving suggestions.

"Since this is going to be an adult game, Magical Girl Misaki's design needs to be more suggestive," he noted. "But remember, we're still keeping two versions: the all-ages one and the... special edition."

Kasumigaoka wandered over to his bookshelf. Her eyes narrowed with curiosity as she spotted a familiar title—"Love Metronome."

She reached out, pulled it from the shelf, and casually asked, "Have you read this one, Nozomi-kun?"

Nozomi's expression lit up. "Of course! I've read it more than once. The heroine, Sayuka, is totally my type. Cold on the outside, but soft underneath... After reading it, I wished I could leap into the book and take the protagonist's place."

He gave her a cheeky grin. "The writing style of Kasumi Utako-sensei is top-tier. It's such a shame volume two hasn't come out yet."

When Kasumigaoka Utaha heard Nozomi praise her work, the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly, a rare and subtle smile breaking through her usual composed expression. Still, she maintained her cool facade, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"Then let me ask," she said, trying to keep her voice even, "if you were Kasumi Utako-sensei... how would you write the second volume?"

Nozomi leaned back with a thoughtful expression, then answered without hesitation.

"Honestly, the first volume is already close to perfection," he said, his voice filled with admiration. "The cold, aloof heroine melting for the gentle and considerate male lead? Their growing bond, the emotional beats, the twisty detours that lead to an even stronger connection—it's everything a romantic drama should be."

He leaned forward, hands animated as he spoke. "It leaves readers hoping—no, yearning—for them to get married after graduation. That kind of emotional investment? That's what makes a story linger."

Utaha's eyes gleamed. She didn't interrupt him, letting his words sink in. In fact, she felt a strange flutter in her chest. As much as she wanted to remain unbothered, her heart betrayed her with every beat.

She had heard similar praise from her editor, who also acknowledged the brilliance of volume one. But volume two? That was a different story. The editor had even recommended scrapping it altogether and ending the story with the first volume—preserving its legacy like a one-hit wonder.

But Utaha couldn't accept that. She wouldn't.

Just as she was about to sigh, Nozomi suddenly added, "If I were Kasumi Utako, and I wanted the second volume to truly explode in popularity, I'd shake things up. Introduce a new character—maybe a golden twin-tailed tsundere childhood friend who competes with the main heroine for the male lead's heart."

Utaha raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Throw in some drama! Maybe the protagonist has a sudden accident and loses his memory. The childhood friend swoops in, trying to win his heart during his confusion. Then when he recovers his memories, he's torn—caught between his old love and a new one he didn't expect."

As he spoke, Utaha's fingers twitched with creative excitement. Her laptop was already open before he finished. She began typing furiously.

Nozomi blinked, then turned toward Eriri with confusion. "Uh... Sawamura-san, is she okay?"

Eriri smacked her forehead dramatically. "Baka Nozomi! She's Kasumi Utako herself! The one and only author of Love Metronome!"

"W-What?!" Nozomi froze like a character in a shoujo manga who just realized he confessed in front of the entire class. "No way! Utaha-senpai, please! Sign my copy!"

...

Not only did he get the autograph, but he also managed to exchange contact info with her.

His spontaneous commentary had given Utaha a surge of fresh ideas, and she had made a decision—Nozomi was someone worth befriending.

After Eriri handed over her manuscript and received a few pointed suggestions, she packed up and left to resume work on her drafts. Utaha also returned to her writing cave, fired up with a renewed sense of purpose.

Nozomi's room fell quiet once more.

With nothing urgent to do, he picked up his phone and sent a message.

Nozomi: "Yukino, why didn't you come to Sakurasou today?"

A few moments later, a familiar, cool reply arrived:

Yukinoshita Yukino: "Are you that eager to bully me again?"

Nozomi: "Wha—No! I just wanted to see you. I would never bully you."

Yukinoshita Yukino: "Hmph. You say that, but every time I come, don't you always tease me?"

Nozomi chuckled. The banter with Yukino always made his day.

Yukinoshita Yukino: "And it's not just teasing... even my lips aren't safe."

Yukino's face was probably beet red on her end as she typed that message. She quickly added:

Yukinoshita Yukino: "I think I'll stay away for a while."

Nozomi: "Aw, come on. Then will you come tomorrow?"

Yukinoshita Yukino: "We'll see. It depends on your behavior, Nozomi-kun."

He stared at the screen, a smile tugging at his lips.

He was definitely in for it next time they met.