Chapter 64: Oh No! I Found a Pile of The Darwin Incident!
After having lunch with Machida Sonoko, Saku had originally planned to head straight home.
Utaha, however, forcibly kept him around with the excuse that it was "rare for them to come all the way out here."
In simpler terms, she wanted him to take a walk with her.
Neither had anywhere in particular they wanted to visit, so they abandoned the idea of taking transportation and slowly wandered along the road leading home.
The autumn breeze drifted lazily through the streets, carrying away the lingering heat of summer. A faint fragrance from the camphor trees lining the road rode on the wind, relaxing both body and mind.
Away from the restrained atmosphere of the publishing house and free from other people's eyes, Utaha's mature, capable aura gradually disappeared.
What remained was the languid freshness of an ordinary girl her age.
"It would be such a waste to come all the way out here and immediately go home."
Utaha glanced sideways at Saku.
Her black heels tapped softly against the smooth pavement as she deliberately slowed her pace.
Ever since they'd parted ways with Machida, Utaha had stopped maintaining her aloof, mature facade. A gentle smile stayed on her face, and even her movements had become noticeably more youthful.
"I get it."
Saku understood perfectly.
His days had become the same three things over and over: school, work, home.
He was so busy that he barely had time to simply wander around.
Even the little bits of playful fun he shared with Mai usually stayed confined to his bedroom.
Incidentally, all those cosplay outfits had been brought over by Mai herself.
That had nothing to do with him.
Well...
The maid outfit had technically been Saku's suggestion.
There were also things like cat-ear headbands.
Ahem.
That was a subject for another day.
"Jinnai-kun, there's a bookstore over there."
Utaha pointed toward the street corner.
"Come browse with me for a while."
It wasn't a forceful demand or a spoiled request. She simply made the suggestion lightly, yet somehow it felt impossible to refuse.
Saku had no objection anyway.
He'd already carved out today specifically to handle the publishing contract, and the afternoon was unusually free. There were no urgent deadlines or chores waiting for him.
Spending a little time in a bookstore with Utaha was hardly a burden.
If anything, going shopping with a beautiful girl sounded pretty great.
"Sure. I don't have anything special planned for the afternoon anyway."
A faint smile curved across Utaha's lips, and the light in her eyes brightened.
The two crossed the street side by side and headed toward the small corner bookstore they'd passed earlier.
Unlike the crowded chain bookstores in the city center, this little shop facing the street felt quiet and intimate.
Its wooden sign had been polished smooth by time, while the floor-to-ceiling glass windows were spotless. Autumn sunlight streamed through at an angle, spreading soft patches of gold across the floor.
Near the entrance stood a simple display of recommended new releases, complete with handwritten notes from the owner.
The place carried a comfortable mixture of everyday life and literary charm.
When they pushed open the door, a small bell chimed overhead.
Cool air greeted them, mixed with the faint scents of paper, ink, and wooden shelves. The combination seemed to instantly settle whatever restlessness remained in the heart.
There weren't many customers inside.
Most were nearby students or office workers with time to spare, quietly browsing the shelves. Aside from the occasional rustle of turning pages, the bookstore was almost completely silent.
Since the shop wasn't far from Fushikawa Fantastic Bunko, Utaha had passed it many times before and occasionally stopped inside.
She clearly knew the place well.
Ignoring the busier manga section, she led Saku deeper into the store toward the literary fiction and light-novel shelves.
Her slender fingers brushed naturally across the neatly arranged spines.
"This store has pretty good taste."
Utaha kept her voice low so she wouldn't disturb anyone.
"They carry a lot of excellent works that aren't particularly mainstream. Whenever I'm short on inspiration, I sometimes come here and browse."
She glanced around the peaceful shop.
"I actually prefer places like this to the huge bookstores downtown. You don't have to squeeze through crowds, and it's quiet enough to settle your thoughts."
As she spoke, she pulled a light novel from the shelf and began casually flipping through it.
Saku stood beside her and let his gaze wander.
Rows of books stretched neatly across the shelves: popular light novels, literary short stories, classics, school reading material, all clearly categorized and carefully arranged.
Manga and magazines, staples of almost every Japanese bookstore, occupied more than half the shop.
Saku wasn't the type who couldn't live without books.
Still, surrounded by the quiet atmosphere of the store with a relaxed Utaha beside him, he unexpectedly felt at peace.
「Mom, I think I'm in love again!」
「How can someone's side profile look this good? Add this peaceful atmosphere and that whole literary-girl aura... who wouldn't fall for this?」
Saku had no idea what anyone else would think.
But his own heart genuinely skipped a beat.
「Seriously... have I gotten this pent-up lately?」
The feeling hadn't been this intense before, but Mai's indulgence this past week had fanned the flames.
And yet, Mai did absolutely nothing to put them out.
Even if he occasionally played the role of a discreet craftsman, Saku still couldn't completely suppress this surge of adolescent energy.
His thoughts were practically a confession.
Hearing them, Utaha felt something shift quietly in her chest.
A faint blush gradually spread across her cheeks.
She turned slightly and stole a glance at the boy beside her.
Soft afternoon sunlight filtered through the glass and fell across Saku's profile, washing away some of his usual composed air and making him look cleaner and more youthful.
Recently, almost all of Saku's attention had been focused on Mai.
His gentleness, patience, and obvious favoritism had all gone to her.
Moments like this, where he genuinely looked at Utaha and sincerely admired her, had become surprisingly rare.
The small knot of resentment she'd been carrying all week quietly loosened.
"Jinnai-kun."
Utaha steadied herself before smiling teasingly.
"Am I pretty?"
She tilted her head.
"Your eyes are practically glued to me."
Most people would've turned red and denied everything after being teased so directly.
Unfortunately, Saku wasn't most people.
He didn't look embarrassed in the slightest.
Instead, he followed her lead without hesitation.
"Does Utaha-senpai really need me to confirm whether she's beautiful?"
He smiled.
"But today..."
"I'll admit Senpai's charm is pretty hard to resist."
"Hmph."
Utaha gave a dissatisfied snort.
She'd almost forgotten that this man was fundamentally different from ordinary boys.
Trying to make him flustered with verbal teasing was practically impossible.
"You aren't afraid I'll tell Mai?"
"If I were afraid of that, I wouldn't have let you and Michiru live in my house."
Saku had openly declared that he wanted a harem.
Naturally, he had no intention of sneaking around.
If he was going to do something, he'd do it openly.
That way nobody could accuse him of hiding anything.
If someone couldn't accept his values, then their views simply weren't compatible.
He wasn't going to force anyone.
But if someone could accept them?
Then Saku considered that an enormous win.
Whether his approach would eventually fulfill his dream or leave him alone for life was impossible to know.
All he could do was try his best and leave the rest to fate.
"You really are hopelessly flirtatious."
"I thought Utaha-senpai figured that out ages ago."
Utaha fell silent.
There really wasn't anything she could say to that.
Instead, she reached toward the shelf and pulled out a newly published light novel.
"Jinnai-kun, you're officially a light-novel author now."
She held it up.
"Want to take a look at what your fellow authors are writing?"
"Sure."
Saku didn't refuse.
But after agreeing, he didn't remain beside Utaha.
He began wandering around the bookstore instead, slowly drifting from the light-novel section toward the manga shelves.
Before long, something familiar caught his eye.
There was the latest volume of the hugely popular One Piece.
And sitting quietly beside it, somehow radiating an oddly ominous presence...
Was The Darwin Incident.
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