Chapter 30: Success... ?

Yet another weekend rolled around, and Kasumigaoka Utaha once again arrived to find Shichen first thing in the morning. This time, she came even earlier—so early, in fact, that Shichen and the others had only just woken up.

However, since all three of them were already out of their bedrooms, she had no idea that the three of them slept together every night.

"You might as well just live here at this point," Tohru couldn't resist grumbling when she saw Utaha strolling upstairs as if she owned the place.

"I wouldn't mind. Would you have no objections, then?" Utaha asked with a smirk.

"Object to what? You come here practically every day anyway; it's no different from actually living here," Tohru huffed.

"You do have a point." Utaha folded her arms across her chest, nodding as though in agreement.

"Hmph." Tohru immediately followed suit, crossing her own arms—which were rather more formidable.

"…!" Utaha gave her a long-suffering eye-roll.

"Heehee~ I'd be really happy if you moved in, Utaha!" Chisato said brightly.

"And why would you be happy about that?"

"Because it's more fun with more people around!"

"You two aren't scheming something, are you?" Utaha asked warily, glancing from one to the other. She was well aware that both Tohru and Chisato harbored feelings for Shichen, so it seemed suspicious that they'd be so welcoming of her moving in.

"You're the one with a sneaky mind," Tohru retorted, rolling her eyes. She couldn't be bothered to continue and headed downstairs to help with breakfast. Her beloved "Chen-dono" was waiting for the breakfast she'd filled with love.

"Huh? So you brainwashed her?" Utaha asked Chisato, recalling how Tohru used to regard her with suspicion.

"I didn't do anything. Maybe it's just your own mind that's twisted." Chisato laughed and followed Tohru downstairs.

"What's that supposed to mean, 'twisted mind'?" Utaha muttered with a frown.

Just then, Shichen—having finished washing up—stepped out of the bathroom.

"Where'd Tohru and Chisato go?" he asked, glancing around nervously. Not seeing them, and noticing the bedroom doors were shut, he felt some relief. If Utaha saw the chaos in the bedroom—clothes strewn everywhere—it would have been too obvious what was going on. The bed was a mess, and there were three sets of pajamas thrown around. She'd definitely get the wrong idea.

He wasn't ready for her to know that he was sleeping in the same bed as the other two—even if it was forced on him. He'd never asked for them to share his bed, and he'd even suggested they sleep separately, but it always failed. Now with Chisato added to the mix, it was a two-to-one vote. His house rule was that the minority obeys the majority.

"They went downstairs to start cooking," Utaha replied, all the while staring intently at Shichen's face.

"W-what?" Shichen asked, subconsciously touching his face.

"You don't use any skincare products, do you?"

"I'm a guy—why would I?"

"Then why is your complexion better than mine?"

Shichen was at a loss. "Why do you care so much? Aren't there plenty of people with better skin than you?"

"But you're a man, and didn't you say you already graduated from college?"

"Maybe I'm just naturally blessed."

"Let me check." Utaha stepped up and reached out a hand to Shichen's left cheek.

"You're not doing this on purpose, are you?" Shichen asked, somewhat suspiciously—but he didn't stop her.

"What do you mean, on purpose? I don't follow," she said as her palm touched his face, feeling it carefully. "It really is so smooth…"

"I think this is unfair," Shichen said, feeling her soft hand against his face. He spoke in a serious tone.

"'Unfair' how?"

"Aren't you forgetting 'do unto others as they do unto you'?" he said, placing a hand on Utaha's cheek in return.

Shichen didn't usually notice much about his own face, but Utaha's was incredibly soft and cool, with a slight springiness—he felt an impulse to give it a pinch.

Utaha froze, the hand on Shichen's cheek going still as she felt his palm's warmth on her own face. Her heartbeat quickened. Then Shichen actually did pinch her cheek.

"What're you doing?" Utaha gasped, hastily retracting her hand and slapping his away, face flushing red.

"Sorry, sorry. Couldn't help myself."

"…Why did you suddenly touch my face?" she demanded, face burning. She tried to sound stern, but her embarrassment was obvious.

"Didn't I say it's just returning the favor?"

"A man and a woman aren't the same…"

"It's the modern era—equality of the sexes, remember?"

"…"

Utaha scowled at Shichen and then stomped off downstairs, footsteps hurried.

Shichen watched her flee, smiling. Then he headed down after her.

…

After breakfast, Tohru and Chisato took charge of the café, leaving Shichen and Utaha free to go out. Their destination: the bookstore, once again.

Early that morning, Utaha had received news from Machida Sonoko: the Love Metronome cancellation had been revoked!

Sales had suddenly soared, and they might even need a reprint. Of course the publisher wouldn't axe a moneymaker—only a fool would do that.

Machida Sonoko had tried calling Utaha late the previous night after seeing the updated sales data. She was so excited she'd tried to contact Utaha right away, but Utaha hadn't answered, so she sent messages instead. By morning, Utaha saw them and immediately phoned back to confirm.

Hence her rush to see Shichen first thing, suspecting he must've been the one to turn things around. That explained her chipper mood, even to the point of wanting to touch his face.

As they walked, Utaha was in unusually high spirits, wearing a faint smile. Anyone watching might think she was just thrilled to be on a date. Indeed, they looked like a couple—both in regular street clothes, strolling side by side.

Sadly, their "date" led them to a bookstore, not exactly the most romantic place. But what greeted them upon arrival was completely different from their previous visits: the entrance was swamped with people, bustling and lively, with everyone holding copies of the same novel. Some held two copies, and others had already started reading. The cover was instantly recognizable to Shichen and Utaha as Love Metronome, by Kasumi Utako.

"Thank goodness for the recommendation from 'Heavy Artillery Under the Starry Sky,' or we'd have missed out on such an amazing novel!"

"Right? Lately, all the new light novels have those long, super-blunt titles. This one's title seemed kind of subtle, so I almost overlooked it—glad I didn't."

"We nearly let something this good get cancelled. That would've been on us."

"With a writing style this solid, I'm definitely becoming a Kasumi Utako fan!"

"I hear Kasumi Utako is a woman."

"Then I like it even more."

"What if the book isn't that good?"

"You're buying it for the story, not the author—who cares what they're like?"

"…Fair point…"

Their chatter drifted to Shichen and Utaha's ears. Compared to before, it was a world of difference. Utaha couldn't hide her excitement; a smile tugged involuntarily at her lips. Shichen, seeing her delight, smiled as well.

"Want to go inside and have a look?"

"Not necessary," Utaha said, shaking her head.

"Got your motivation back, I see," Shichen teased.

"Sure do. And Editor Machida wants the second volume as soon as possible," Utaha nodded, eyes drifting to the hubbub around the bookstore entrance.

"In a hurry, huh?"

"She wants to seize the current momentum."

"She's an editor, and she's obviously invested in you, so I'd say trust her."

"Mhm… So tell me: how'd you pull it off?" Utaha finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.

"Pull what off?" Shichen feigned ignorance.

"Don't give me that!" Utaha snapped, giving him a playful punch.

"Haha, really all I did was make sure more people knew your book existed."

"Knew about it…?"

"I said it before: your novel's great. Once people actually read it, they'll love it. But you're a newcomer, and readers often hesitate to try unknown authors unless they're already fans of that style or super dedicated. Without a push, they might skip right over your work."

"I never realized that," Utaha admitted, not being a big light novel reader herself. She'd started writing out of mere interest, and only truly fell in love with the craft after seeing her "first fan" approve of her.

"Anyway, no worries now," Shichen said lightly.

"True—and it's all thanks to you," Utaha added, nodding in earnest.

"So… is there a reward for me?" Shichen asked, winking as he teased her.

"Oh, there is," she said.

"What is it?" He looked intrigued.

"Come with me to my house," Utaha replied.

"Huh?"

~~~

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