— — — — — —
Kuroneko held out her hand without the slightest hesitation, smiling brightly. "It's an honor to meet you, Copycat-sensei. You've been my idol for a long time."
Oikawa smiled back and shook her hand.
The moment their hands met, the smile on the girl's face grew even brighter.
Before today, Kuroneko had imagined "Copycat-sensei" much like everyone else online. Maybe not exactly an overweight shut-in, but at the very least someone gloomy and antisocial.
After all, how else could someone with a perfectly normal body temperature write stories that twisted people's emotions so mercilessly?
Still, out of hundreds of thousands of reposts, she'd somehow won the chance to have dinner with him. She genuinely felt incredibly lucky. More than anything, she wanted to ask him how to write novels.
Becoming a light novel author had always been her dream, but every manuscript she'd submitted had failed to make it through the selection process. Most were rejected in the very first round.
After enough failures, it was hard not to lose confidence.
Even on writers' forums, practical advice was surprisingly rare. Most published light novel authors guarded their methods like trade secrets.
"Hello. I'm Oikawa Toru. I'm glad you enjoy my work."
After the handshake, the two of them took their seats across the table.
Oikawa had been about to make a bit more small talk, but Kuroneko got straight to the point. "Sensei, what do you think makes a good light novel? Is writing style the most important thing? Or storytelling? Or is it something else entirely?"
"I've always wanted to become a light novel writer, but no matter how many times I submit, I always get rejected. I feel like my stories have these huge, ambitious settings, yet the editors won't even give me a Silver Award."
Oikawa smiled calmly.
After a brief moment of thought, he asked, "May I call you Kuroneko?"
"Of course."
Oikawa continued, "Could I take a look at something you've written? Do you have it on your phone?"
"I do!" Kuroneko immediately handed him her phone.
The case featured a black cat with a fierce expression that somehow also looked adorably clueless if you stared long enough.
Yukino would probably love it.
On the screen was a document titled The Gospel of the Dark Saint.
Oikawa began reading it seriously.
A few minutes later, his brows slowly knitted together.
Sitting across from him, Kuroneko felt her heart tighten.
"I-Is it... really that bad?" she asked quietly.
"Hmm. It's not bad exactly. It's just..." He searched for the right word, "...overwritten. That's probably the best way to put it."
The prose itself was actually solid. The real problem was the way the story and its worldbuilding were presented.
To put it in web novel terms: If someone wrote "A Certain Magical Index" ten years ago, it felt fresh. Write the exact same thing ten years later, and it just feels dated.
On top of that, the novel spent pages explaining things readers either already understood or could easily infer. Several thousand words were devoted to concepts that didn't need that much explanation. Even in web novels, that would be a major turnoff. In light novels, where pacing mattered even more, it was practically fatal.
"What do you mean by overwritten?" Kuroneko asked eagerly, standing up and moving beside him. "Could you explain it to me?"
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
It was obvious she truly wanted to become a light novel author, and more importantly, she genuinely wanted to improve.
Oikawa thought for a moment before answering. "Writing isn't about adding more. It's about taking away."
He looked at her and continued, "As a beginner, you don't need beautiful prose. What you need is to tell your readers a good story. After you've written a few thousand words, ask yourself what those pages are actually trying to say."
"Then cut everything that isn't necessary. Learning to do that takes time. It's not something you master overnight."
Just then, a member of the staff knocked on the door and entered, carrying the dishes that had been prepared for them.
"Let's eat first," Oikawa said with a smile. "We can keep talking over dinner."
For the rest of the meal, he spent most of his time answering Kuroneko's questions.
In his opinion, she had genuine talent as a light novel writer. She'd simply been heading in the wrong direction.
The meal passed quickly.
Even when it was over, Kuroneko still looked reluctant to leave. Gathering all her courage, she asked if she could add him on LINE.
Oikawa agreed without hesitation.
...
After dinner, Oikawa returned straight to his hotel.
He took a shower, collapsed onto the bed, and let out a long sigh.
He was exhausted. Completely, utterly exhausted.
Ten straight hours of signing books. No human being was meant to work like that.
And after signing nonstop all day... there were still several hundred people who hadn't gotten their copies signed.
Maybe being too popular wasn't such a great thing after all.
At least next time, he'd only have to sign "Copycat."
This had been his first signing event, and authors were expected to show proper respect to their fans by signing their full pen name.
Whoever came up with that rule was an idiot. For someone like Oikawa, who'd chosen such a ridiculously long author name (in Japanese), it was pure torture.
Half-asleep, Oikawa vaguely registered his phone buzzing.
He ignored it.
_ _ _
Elsewhere, Hina stared at the unread chat window on her phone.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard several times, but in the end, she decided not to send another message.
"Hina, didn't you go to Copycat-sensei's signing today?" Yui asked from beside her. "What did he look like? Was he handsome? Did he seem as gloomy as you'd imagined?"
She happily bit into one of the cream puffs Hina had brought back from Tokyo. "Hina, these cream puffs are amazing!"
"Really?" Hina smiled. "Then have another. You can eat my share too."
She put her phone away, then pulled out a copy of Clannad bearing Copycat's autograph and handed it to Yui. "Happy New Year. This one's for you."
"For... me?" Yui's eyes widened in disbelief. "You went through all that trouble to get Copycat-sensei to sign Clannad, and you're just giving it to me?"
Hina chuckled. "Don't worry. I still have another copy at home."
"Really? You're not messing with me?" Yui looked at her suspiciously. "Wasn't there a limit of one book per person at the signing? How do you have another one?"
"I'm really not lying." Hina smiled softly. "Copycat-sensei... well... he's a really nice person. He gave me another signed copy himself."
"Seriously?" Yui still looked unconvinced.
Hina sighed helplessly. "If you still don't believe me, I'll bring the other copy next time I come over. Happy?"
"Hehe. Okay, okay, I believe you." Yui hugged the first volume of Clannad to her chest like it was a priceless treasure.
She loved Your Lie in April, and she loved Copycat's writing.
If she hadn't had to visit relatives today, she definitely would've gone to the signing with Hina and Miura.
"So..." Yui asked again, unable to help herself. "What did Copycat-sensei actually look like?"
Girls always cared about that sort of thing.
"Hmm..." Hina looked thoughtful before smiling. "Very handsome."
Then she looked at Yui with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Though compared to your Oikawa, he's still a long way behind."
"M-My Oikawa?" Yui's face instantly turned bright red. "Oi-Oikawa and I are just friends! Really! That's all we are! Just normal friends!"
That was about as self-incriminating as it got.
Watching the blush spread across Yui's face and seeing her flustered denial, Hina couldn't help feeling both envious and a little jealous.
'Yui really is so honest,' she thought. 'If only I could be that honest too.'
After a brief pause, she smiled and said, "Yui... you're such an idiot."
"H-Hey! I'm not an idiot!" Pouting, Yui pulled a small omamori charm from her pocket and handed it over. "Hina, I got this happiness charm for you. I hope you're smiling every single day this year."
Hina laughed as she accepted it, looking it over before carefully slipping it into her pocket.
Girls never stayed on one topic for long. Soon enough, the conversation drifted to romance.
Sitting together on Yui's bed, Hina mischievously poked at her while grinning. "So... has Oikawa ever gotten this handsy with you?"
"N-No! Of course not!" Yui protested, waving her hands frantically.
Hina grinned mischievously. "What about anything else? Have you kissed?"
"O-Of course not!" Yui cried, blushing furiously.
Hina pressed, "Held hands?"
Yui's voice immediately faltered.
"...W-We have." She lowered her head, her cheeks burning as she admitted it in a tiny voice.
Hina smiled to herself. Yui really was impossible to read wrong.
Still, she couldn't hide her surprise.
Considering how shameless Oikawa usually acted, she'd almost assumed he'd have made much more progress by now.
Yet after all this time, they'd only held hands.
Honestly, that was hard to believe.
Maybe Oikawa wasn't nearly as much of a hopeless pervert as she'd imagined.
"Yui. A lot of girls like Oikawa, you know."
"...Yeah." Yui's voice grew noticeably quieter.
It was obvious that thought had been weighing on her.
"He's probably even more amazing than you realize," Hina spoke almost absentmindedly, recalling the scene at the bookstore when she'd seen Oikawa today.
She couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh.
'Why couldn't Oikawa just be an ordinary guy?'
But the thought made her smile. If he were ordinary... she never would have fallen for him in the first place.
"He's always been amazing." Hina looked at the somewhat anxious Yui and smiled gently. "You silly girl. You'd better make sure you don't let someone else steal Oikawa away. No matter who your rivals are, don't you dare go easy on them."
"Mmh!" Yui gave a firm, resolute nod. "But Hina, why are you being so..."
"Shh." Hina gently cut her off. "Go to sleep."
"Oh," Yui mumbled with a little pout. "Hina... could you maybe take your hand off me? It feels a bit uncomfortable."
"Nope." Hina
"Fine," Yui huffed, puffing out her cheeks.
After a brief silence, Hina spoke again. "I'll shoot a set of photos for you tomorrow for free. My photography skills have leveled up big time lately, so I guarantee you'll look gorgeous."
"Can I pass?" Yui looked at her warily.
"Absolutely not!" Hina turned her down flatly, her grip tightening instead.
Before Oikawa's hands could ever get near her, she was going to get her fill first. Call it payback!
Soon, playful giggles and squeals echoed through the room. Both girls were laughing heartily, like a pebble dropped onto a serene lake, sending gentle ripples across the surface.
...
..
After a night filled with restless dreams, Oikawa Toru was still half-asleep when a sudden knocking at the door pulled him toward consciousness.
He ignored it at first, pulling the blanket over his head, but the knocking only grew louder and more insistent.
"Who is it?!" he groggy groaned, stumbling out of bed with full morning irritability. "Are you out of your mind?"
He yanked the door open—and froze.
Standing right outside was Utaha Kasumigaoka, looking thoroughly irritated.
In that split second, Oikawa felt his brain instantly kick into overdrive. Before Utaha could demand an explanation, he beat her to the punch.
"I must be ill," he said dramatically. "In my sleep, I saw the face of the person I miss most, and a sudden wave of sorrow washed over me. I'm used to parting ways with the world, but I suppose I'll never get used to you not being by my side."
He softened his tone, gazing at her warmly. "My dear kouhai, you really are drop-dead gorgeous today. Neither April cherry blossoms nor November maple leaves could touch my heart the way you do right now."
"Um..." Utaha's scowl melted away despite herself, a subtle smile creeping onto her lips. She glared at him, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "Smooth talker. I knew I shouldn't have come to see you!"
"What do you mean 'shouldn't have'?" Oikawa pulled her directly into his arms, leaning down to whisper softly near her ear, "It was love that brought you to me, and it's love that made me so happy the moment I opened my eyes today."
"Liar. Didn't you just ask if I was out of my mind?"
Feeling his warm breath brushing against her skin, Utaha felt her face flush even hotter. She tried to squirm out of his embrace, but her strength completely gave out.
"How could I?" Oikawa replied innocently. "The only person with a problem here is me, for spending all my time studying instead of coming to see you."
With a cheeky grin, he leaned in close before she could formulate another reply. Soon, any further objections were smothered into muffled gasps.
A long moment passed before Utaha, flushed and breathless, managed to break away from his hold.
"You jerk," she hissed, glaring at him through dazed eyes as she took a cautious step back, terrified he might try something else. "I came all the way here so early, and all you do is pick on me!"
"It takes two to tango, so how does that make me a jerk?" Oikawa teased playfully. "Utaha-kouhai, weren't you talking about taking things to the next level just two nights ago? What happened to all that confidence?"
"Who... who said anything about taking things to the next level?!" Her face turned a fiery shade of red. "Don't put words in my mouth! I said I'd consider it!"
There was no way she was going to make things easy for this insufferable guy. Absolutely not!
"Pfft. All talk, no action!"
Oikawa's eyes glinted with mischief. He slipped over to her side, pinned her against the wall, and let his hands wander with restless intent.
"Hmph! If you try to force me, I'll scream!"
"....Fine, if we're not sealing the deal just yet," he murmured softly, "can I at least collect a little interest? You can't expect a horse to run without feeding it, Miss Utaha. I worked myself to the bone yesterday, and today I have to accompany you shopping. That's hard labor!"
Utaha bit her lip and stared at him, unable to conjure a comeback.
"Silence means consent?"
As Oikawa grew bolder, Utaha's face burned even hotter, her skin flushed deep red. She knew all too well that if she didn't give him a little sweetness, he wouldn't let it go. Still, the jerk was pushing his luck way too far.
Biting her lip softly, she muttered under her breath, "Your hands are cold..."
"Cold? They'll warm up in a second," he replied smoothly. "Don't you know body heat transfers?"
Utaha rolled her eyes without saying a word.
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