The Photo of Those Two

"The plot's ready. It's a short, light literature novel. As for the title, I mentioned it last time we went out for yakiniku: I Want to Eat Your Pancreas," Kotomi announced.

"Oh, right, that horror novel!" Aimi's face brightened with recognition.

"I told you—it's not a horror novel!" Kotomi sighed, speechless. Even though she was watching TV with Aimi, her mind wasn't on the screen. She felt the title was fitting, so she hadn't considered changing it, but she hadn't expected it to be misinterpreted like that.

Is it really that much like a horror novel title?

Well… maybe, just a little.

But oh well—if people mistook it for horror, so be it. If she could just make the content moving enough, readers and viewers would be able to grasp the true meaning of the title more directly.

Creating tear-jerking content wasn't easy, but with her heightened ability for emotional impact, Kotomi was confident that her readers would burn through boxes of tissues by the end. She envisioned I Want to Eat Your Pancreas first as a novel, then adapted into a manga, and ideally, just like in her previous life, as an anime movie lighting up theater screens!

The animation side would mostly be out of her control, but she particularly cared about the music. For Pancreas to deliver an emotional punch as a film, it needed not only excellent animation but a moving soundtrack.

Kotomi had asked Haruno Yukinoshita about the adaptation process a few weeks ago, and although the author is usually invited to some meetings, most creators only attended one or two sessions. Usually, they only looked over character designs or provided some feedback on plot points, but it wasn't guaranteed their ideas would be used.

But then, she thought, I don't know anything about music, do I? This is exactly when I need a pro!

Kotomi immediately called out to Kazumi, using a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Hello? Hello, are you there?"

"Hello? Kazumi here, Kotomi. What's up?"

"I wanted to ask—when I unlock new skill levels with Famous Points, does that include a music skill?"

"I'm not telling you—stop! Put down your fist! Can't we be ladylike and just talk this out?"

"Then tell me, is it there or not?"

"Of course it's there! Once you unlock and level it up, you'll not only be a great singer with a beautiful voice and tons of different vocal styles; you'll also be able to compose, play all sorts of instruments, and write lyrics too. You could be anything from a songwriter to a singer if you wanted!"

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely! With music skills, you could be the next Yuki Kajiura or Hiroyuki Sawano as a composer, and as a singer? You'd be the world's Aimer, Mai Kuraki, or ReoNa! Exciting, huh? Doesn't it just make your day?"

"Thanks, I'm excited enough—ahem. So, if there is a music skill, then does that locked sixth skill happen to be music?" Kotomi glanced at the sixth skill icon on the interface, which was still a mysterious question mark. Unlocking it required 500,000 Famous Points.

She had been close to accumulating enough, but then a recent upgrade had cost her nearly two-thirds of her points, so she was still far off from the required amount.

"That's something I can't tell you! How boring would it be if I spoiled it now? The thrill is all in the suspense, right up to that glorious moment of unlocking! Isn't it thrilling?"

"Are you… just trying to make this like some kind of gachapon game?" Kotomi muttered in disbelief.

Unlocking that sixth skill alone would cost a whopping 500,000 Famous Points—and that didn't even include level upgrades! Even games had package bonuses for reaching level 10, giving out resources and rewards for reaching milestones.

Kotomi couldn't help but quip, "Kazumi, were you a game designer in a past life or something?"

"Huh? What's a game designer?" Kazumi replied, sounding innocent.

Although she didn't know exactly when she'd unlock music skills, at least she now knew it was a possibility. This meant that even if she didn't personally handle the music for the movie adaptation, she'd have the knowledge to oversee it.

Kotomi spent the entire afternoon watching TV with Aimi. Not particularly interested in the show, she drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

"Onee-chan, Onee-chan, wake up!"

Kotomi heard Aimi's voice as she slowly opened her eyes after a three-hour nap on the couch.

Seeing Kotomi finally awake, Aimi, who had already changed and had been waiting for nearly thirty minutes, stifled a laugh and said, "Finally up?"

Kotomi stretched her arms, pointing her toes straight as she arched back in a stretch.

Then she pulled off the blanket covering her… wait, a blanket?

"Did I fall asleep with a blanket on?" Kotomi asked, still dazed.

Aimi, amused by Kotomi's half-asleep state, replied, "It was your adorable little sister who covered you up."

Hearing that, Kotomi's sleepiness finally lifted as she glanced at the clock—it was already six p.m. She realized she'd slept so long that she'd overshot their planned time.

"Sorry! I think I overslept."

"'Think'?" Aimi raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I already tried waking you at 4:30, but you were out cold, wouldn't budge no matter what I did."

"We still have time, don't we?"

"Another half-hour and the tonkatsu place might be packed."

"Alright, let's go!" Kotomi jumped off the couch, quickly grabbed her coat, and called a quick goodbye to her mom before heading out with Aimi.

…

"I'm home!" Izumi Kaneyoshi called out as he stepped in after work.

"Welcome back! Would you like dinner first, or a bath?" Akina asked, poking her head out of the kitchen.

"I'll go take a shower first." He looked around. "Where are Kotomi and Aimi?"

"They went out for tonkatsu tonight. They made plans for it days ago."

"Oh, tonkatsu? It has been a while since we had that. No wonder Aimi dragged Kotomi along."

"She just loves tonkatsu. Since they're eating out, do you want to go to a restaurant tonight too?" Akina suggested.

Kaneyoshi thought for a moment and replied, "Let's stay in tonight, but how about this: later this week, the four of us go out to eat?"

"Of course! But where should we go?"

"During lunch break at work, I heard about a popular new sukiyaki place here in Chiba City. It's supposed to be really good. How about sukiyaki?"

"Sukiyaki sounds perfect! And I'm craving some fatty beef. What's the name of the place?"

"'Tako-nee's Sukiyaki House.' I also heard they have a promo where every 100th couple or married pair gets a 20% discount and a complimentary 'Fruit Festival' dessert—a giant fruit parfait with ice cream."

"Oh, that's great! Both Kotomi and Aimi love ice cream! Although, that name does sound a bit odd… If not for the 'sukiyaki' part, I'd have thought it was a seafood place."

"Yes, but it's only for the 100th couple or pair, so it's pretty rare to win that."

"Well, there's no harm in trying, right?" Akina replied cheerfully. "It's settled then! This week, our family's having sukiyaki at the Octopus Sister Sukiyaki House!"

"We'll tell the girls when they get back tonight," Kaneyoshi agreed.

"Actually, let's wait—Kotomi has midterms starting tomorrow. After her exams finish, we'll let her and Aimi know."

Akina sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead, worry evident in her expression. "I just hope Kotomi's scores are decent. If she passes every subject, I'll be happy."

"As long as she does her best, there's nothing to worry about."

While Kotomi and Aimi were happily eating tonkatsu, Kotomi had no idea that, in a few days, she'd be returning to that very sukiyaki restaurant with her parents and sister.

Meanwhile, back at the Tako-nee's Sukiyaki House…

"Miss Koyama, where should we hang this picture?" one staff member asked, holding a newly printed photo.

"Hm?" Miss Koyama, who'd just removed her octopus-themed headpiece, looked at the picture and smiled knowingly.

"Oh, that's the photo of those two girls from this afternoon, isn't it? Let me see… Let's put it right in the center, where everyone can see it. It's perfect for attracting attention!"

"Got it!" The taller staff member quickly hung the photo in the most prominent spot on the wall.

Miss Koyama looked at the photo of Kotomi and Iroha, then turned to her colleague with a sentimental smile.

"Look at them. They're so in love, so brave. It's amazing to see a girl confidently tell the world that another girl is not only her friend but her partner, her future wife. Love is truly powerful."

"Letting them be our 100th customer couple was so meaningful. The manager was moved when she heard and told us to keep that photo up for several days."

"Then let's keep it up for a whole month."

"Agreed!"

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