Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at him, then opened her small mouth and accepted the mint candy. A moment later, Hozuki Nozomi slowly lowered his head once more. Kasumigaoka Utaha gently wrapped her arms around his neck, her beautiful eyes growing slightly hazy.
Afterwards, naturally, they shared another lingering kiss before finally, reluctantly, parting.
Kasumigaoka Utaha lightly slapped away his mischievous hand—the one that had been resting on her beautiful, black-stockinged leg. She then picked up the laptop beside her and handed it to him.
"Here. My latest plot outline. Hurry up and give me your feedback."
Hozuki Nozomi quickly switched gears and began to read her novel with serious focus.
Kasumigaoka Utaha's writing style remained exceptionally elegant and beautiful. Her prose was delicate and evocative, immersing the reader completely and making the heroine's image increasingly vivid. She had fully incorporated his previous suggestions.
In Love Metronome Volume 2, she had added a tsundere, blonde twin-tailed character as the male protagonist's childhood friend from thirteen years ago. This character would engage in a fierce rivalry with the heroine, Sayuri, vying for the male protagonist's affection. This blonde twin-tailed character was the spitting image of Eriri Spencer Sawamura. And in the end, this 'Eriri' character would become the 'loser,' while the heroine emerged as the winner in life.
After finishing his read, Hozuki Nozomi gently closed the laptop.
"How is it?" Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at him expectantly.
Hozuki Nozomi gave her a thumbs-up. "It's great! The characterization of the 'Eriri Spencer Sawamura' character is exceptionally well-developed. Her rivalry with the heroine is lively and engaging, and Sayuri's charm has reached new heights. Moreover, having the tsundere childhood friend lose because she couldn't be honest is a perfectly understandable plot point. However… has Eriri herself read this? I feel like if she did, she'd be absolutely furious."
Hearing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled triumphantly. "I plan to show it to her tonight. So, do you have any other suggestions regarding the overall plot?"
"Of course, I do!" Hozuki Nozomi immediately responded. "Utaha-senpai, your first volume was about high school romance. The second volume focuses on the male and female protagonists' relationship after they enter university. At this stage, both protagonists have matured and have a clearer vision of their futures. One could say you've written the second volume perfectly—the male and female protagonists get married, and the childhood friend 'loser' blesses them. It's like an expanded, conclusive ending for Love Metronome."
He paused, his tone shifting. "But… this isn't very conducive to setting up a third volume. Let me ask first: have you considered writing a third volume?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha, excited by his engagement, leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I hadn't thought about it before, but now I think I should listen to your suggestions first before considering the plot for a third volume."
"Okay, then I'll continue." Hozuki Nozomi touched his cheek, smiling knowingly. He organized his thoughts and continued to share his views. "First, if you are planning a third volume, then the second volume should end with a shocking cliffhanger. For example, during the wedding ceremony, the heroine's mother suddenly objects, saying something incredibly explosive."
Kasumigaoka Utaha was startled. "What explosive thing?"
Hozuki Nozomi revealed a mischievous grin. "You could write: [The heroine's mother cries out tearfully: 'You cannot get married! Because you are biological siblings!'] Lovers discovering they are siblings—isn't that script explosive enough?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes widened. Her mouth fell open slightly. After a long moment, she gave him a thumbs-up. "As expected of the angst master who created a magical girl like Misaki! Although your suggestion is brilliant… I have to ask: are you a devil?"
She was genuinely in awe of his wildly dramatic ideas. Her Love Metronome was a pure love story about two people meeting, getting to know each other, falling in love, overcoming trials from a childhood friend and other rivals, and finally entering marriage. And then he, with a single stroke, blew the entire premise to smithereens by making the lovers biological siblings.
So, should they marry or not? While love is said to conquer all, the boundaries of societal ethics and morality are not so easily challenged. Therefore, the ending he proposed—"Lovers Finally Become Siblings"—was undeniably explosive.
"Utaha-senpai, how could you ask that? Of course I'm a human!" Hozuki Nozomi protested, feigning injury.
"I'm just seriously brainstorming plot ideas for you."
"Hehe, I know," she chuckled. "I was just marveling at how you come up with such explosive settings. Hurry up and tell me more. If that's the ending for the second volume, what should happen in the third?"
Hozuki Nozomi thought for a moment before answering seriously.
"Isn't it simple? Since the male and female leads are biological siblings, marriage is naturally out of the question. Their parents forcibly separate them. Then, a year later, the male lead's childhood friend and the female lead's other suitor begin pursuing them again. You'll have to flesh out that part of the plot yourself.
Anyway, in the third volume, you can really go wild—have the heroine lose her memory, or maybe the hero loses his, too. After experiencing various pursuits and manipulations from the childhood friend and a handsome new rival, the male and female leads eventually return to the place of their first date and regain their memories.
Ethics, morality, love, and reason constantly clash. Finally, the male and female leads decide to go abroad, find a place where no one knows them, and continue to be together."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And then, at the very, very end, you can reveal that they actually aren't biological siblings. What if the male protagonist's mother had more than one affair? Then the female lead could legitimately marry him after all, right? Of course, whether or not to use this twist is entirely up to you. You can also consider reader feedback before making a final decision."
After he finished speaking, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't contain herself. She immediately opened her laptop and began feverishly typing, recording every spark of inspiration. She took a deep breath, her heart still racing. Her ample chest rose and fell with her excitement, showcasing her exquisite figure and making her all the more captivating.
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at the boy who had given her this inspiration, her beautiful eyes sparkling. She threw herself into his arms.
"Hozuki Nozomi, you're amazing! Thank heaven for letting me meet you!"
Hozuki Nozomi smiled softly and raised a hand to gently stroke her hair. "I'm glad I could help. I also thank heaven for letting me meet such a beautiful and charming Utaha-senpai."