Next Target, 400PS!
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[Congratulations, Kouhai-kun. Your new volume is a massive hit.]
Kai was briefly surprised when he saw that the message was from Utaha Kasumigaoka.
But he quickly figured out why.
Since Yui Yuigahama and Yumiko Miura were still standing in line, Kai pulled out his phone and started chatting.
[It seems Senpai's new book is doing quite well too.]
"..."
On the other end, Utaha Kasumigaoka stared at the message from Kai. She pressed her lips together, hesitating to reply for a moment.
Originally, even without Sonoko Machida spelling it out, Utaha knew exactly how terribly her book was performing. It had practically reached the point of being axed.
It wasn't that she couldn't accept failure.
It was just that, growing up, Utaha Kasumigaoka had never really failed at anything. She never expected that her very first foray into writing light novels would immediately face cancellation.
Of course, this left her feeling bitter and confused.
But not long ago, Sonoko Machida had brought her some amazing news.
"Utaha, great news! Your book's sales just exploded! How is the second volume coming along? Don't tell me you haven't finished it yet! There's a massive crowd of readers waiting for volume two right now!"
"W-What?"
At first, Utaha thought Sonoko was just playing a cruel joke on her.
After all, her book was on the chopping block just days ago. How much time had really passed? How could sales suddenly 'explode' out of nowhere?
"It's true! Utaha, go check the online reviews yourself. They're practically all overwhelmingly positive."
Seeing that Utaha didn't believe her, Sonoko quickly told her to check for herself.
Sure enough, when Utaha checked the internet, she found a flood of reviews for her book—and almost all of them were glowing.
What's more, just a short time ago, she barely had a measly twenty reviews. Yet, in this incredibly brief window, the review count had smashed right past the ten-thousand mark.
It was clear proof that her sales had truly exploded.
"This..." Utaha froze in place, unable to process the reality for a long time. It felt too good to be true.
Meanwhile, Sonoko Machida couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness she had dug her heels in and protected Utaha's book. Truth be told, Sonoko had taken on a massive amount of pressure from the higher-ups over this exact issue.
If the sales hadn't picked up, she would have undoubtedly become the prime target of office gossip and corporate backlash within the publishing house.
Luckily, her risk paid off.
"I really didn't expect this. Just having Kai recommend your book caused such a big reaction."
"But then again..."
"...it's also because the content of your book is genuinely good. Otherwise, even with Kai's recommendation, it would never have blown up like this. Oh, right, Utaha! You still haven't told me the status of the second volume!"
Still feeling dazed, Utaha replied without thinking:
"I'm already writing it. I just need a little more time to finish... Wait!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Utaha suddenly realized what Sonoko had just said.
"Sonoko-san, who did you just say recommended me? KAI??"
Even though they hadn't been in contact for a while, hearing that name again made the image of that man instantly surface in her mind—the very man who had kept her tossing and turning at night, invading her dreams, and making it impossible for her to get a good night's sleep for quite some time now.
"Yeah, Kai! Didn't you guys already meet? He signed in the same batch as you. I think he's even an underclassman at your school." Sonoko answered directly, not thinking too much about it.
After all, even though Sonoko knew that Kai was a shameless flirt, she didn't really know the details of his relationship with Utaha.
She figured whatever spark they had was already fading.
"I thought you two kept in touch regularly. I mean, all I did was mention it to him, and he agreed right away. Looks like our dear Utaha's charm is as potent as ever!" By the end, Sonoko's tone was clearly teasing.
"...I NEVER ASKED FOR HIS HELP!"
"Right, right, I acted completely on my own. Happy now?"
Sonoko already knew that Utaha was a massive tsundere who rarely spoke her true feelings, so she just humored her with a dismissive reply.
"..."
Having her bluff called so easily, Utaha was rendered utterly speechless.
Sonoko didn't mind. She figured the girl was just overwhelmed by the sudden good news, which was understandable.
"Alright, I've still got a mountain of work to get through on my end. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Don't forget to pump out that second volume as fast as you can! I'm getting back to work!"
With that, Sonoko hung up.
As an editor, Sonoko had a grueling workload. If she hadn't managed to sign a blockbuster rookie author like Kai, her daily grind would be infinitely more stressful than it already was.
"..."
Holding the disconnected phone, Utaha remained lost in thought.
'So he ended up helping me after all.'
"That jerk..."
Acting on instinct, she tapped her phone and opened her chat with Kai. Their last message felt like it was sent a lifetime ago.
Back then, she had stubbornly waited, telling herself that if she didn't message first, Kai would eventually give in and contact her.
But now...
"I guess I lost."
Sure enough. The one who couldn't hold back anymore was her.
Riding a chaotic wave of swelling emotions, Utaha Kasumigaoka finally broke the silence and sent Kai a message.
——————————
Snapping back to the present, Utaha suddenly smiled and typed out a text:
[I bet you're feeling pretty smug right now, Kouhai-kun!]
[Shouldn't I be?]
Even though they hadn't spoken in a while, the moment they started chatting, they fell right back into the rhythm of old friends.
[So, what are you up to right now? Don't tell me you're out on another date with some cute junior girl!]
[What else would I be doing? It's not like I have anything better to do with my free time.]
"..."
'That is way too honest!'
However, considering Kai's personality, Utaha didn't find it surprising in the least.
If it were anyone else, Utaha would absolutely brand the guy as a total scumbag, a shameless player, and she would despise him for it.
But evidently, humans are creatures of double standards—and Utaha Kasumigaoka was no exception.
When it came to Kai, Utaha somehow convinced herself that this was just a display of refreshing honesty...
'At the very least, he isn't lying to me, right?'
'He definitely cares about me. That's why he can't bring himself to deceive me.'
Comforted by that ridiculous logic, Utaha continued typing.
[Since Kouhai-kun already went out of his way to help, why not see the favor through to the end?]
[?]
That message actually caught Kai slightly off guard.
Utaha promptly replied:
[Well, Sonoko has been breathing down my neck about the second volume. But there are still some aspects of romance that I don't quite grasp, so I'm dealing with a bit of writer's block.]
[If I could experience some romantic elements firsthand, I'm sure it would give me a massive surge of inspiration!!]
Utaha's novel, Koisuru Metronome, was fundamentally a romance story. But ironically, Utaha Kasumigaoka had exactly zero personal experience with dating.
Because of that, a lot of the romantic developments felt hollow and ungrounded.
Honestly, if her actual prose wasn't exceptionally top-tier, even with Kai's recommendation, it would have been nearly impossible for the sales to skyrocket the way they did.
[Are you asking me out on a date, Senpai?]
[Do you really have to phrase it so bluntly?]
'Doesn't he know how to leave a girl with at least a shred of dignity?'
The only reason she framed it as "research" was because she was too embarrassed to ask Kai out on a proper date outright.
She hadn't expected him to tear down her fragile excuse instantly.
"You awful jerk!"
She couldn't help but mutter the complaint out loud.
But secretly, her heart did a joyful little leap. He had guessed it immediately. Didn't that prove he understood exactly how she felt?
They say a girl's IQ plummets into the negatives when she falls in love, and it couldn't be truer.
The usually brilliant Utaha Kasumigaoka, who always ranked first in her grade, suddenly became incredibly clumsy and foolish the second romance was involved.
[So, are you going to reject me?]
The moment she hit send, her heart involuntarily leaped into her throat.
'Is he actually going to say no?'
Even though Utaha was highly confident in her own appeal—with her striking looks and spectacular figure, what man in his right mind would ever turn her down?
Yet, even someone as fiercely confident as her couldn't stop the sudden wave of panic creeping in.
That is, until Kai's reply finally popped up on the screen.
[Why would I reject you? I'll have you know, Senpai, I've been craving those black tights of yours for a very long time!]
"..."
'Oh, come on! What is with his obsession with my black tights?! He makes it sound like I don't have a single other attractive quality besides my legs!'
[But honestly, I'm completely booked for the next few days. How about next week?]
[Sure!]
She had just been mentally complaining about him a second ago. But the instant his text arrived, she agreed without a microsecond of hesitation.
It was as if she was terrified that if she replied a second too late, he might suddenly make other plans.
After all, Utaha knew better than anyone just how incredibly "busy" this guy usually was.
[OK!]
Kai replied with an "OK!" sticker, casually adding one last message:
[Alright, gotta go. I'm getting back to my date with the girls!]
"Tch!"
Knowing that Kai was cutting their conversation short just to go flirt with other girls made her click her tongue. Even though she knew exactly what kind of person he was, it still left her feeling distinctly annoyed.
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