After bidding farewell to Kanade and Mio, Yuki left for school with Origami and Kotori.
Kanade and Mio stood at the villa's front gate, watching the three until their figures disappeared, then returned inside.
Mio noticed the flicker of excitement and anticipation in Kanade's eyes and said with a smile, "Don't worry. Yuki is submitting your admission application today; it should be approved very quickly. Today happens to be Friday, so you should be able to start school next week."
Hearing this, Kanade nodded lightly. "Mhm!"
A faint smile couldn't help but appear on her face. Clearly, the young girl had been looking forward to this for a long time.
Seeing Mio return to the kitchen to clean up the dishes, Kanade quickly followed. "Mio-san, let me help."
Mio was about to refuse, but seeing the determination in Kanade's eyes, she agreed. "Alright." Mio nodded gently.
The two then stood side-by-side at the kitchen sink, washing dishes while chatting.
Mio explained many things about Spirits to Kanade, including how Yuki had traveled back thirty years ago and how she had created other Spirits using her own Sephira Crystals while waiting for him.
Kanade became curious about these created Spirits and why they weren't around now. Mio simply explained, "Hehe, because I didn't tell them when I moved here. So, the Spirits still on Earth can't find me."
"Uh... I see," Kanade nodded slightly.
"Speaking of which, I just remembered—Ellen and the others should be returning today! Looks like I'll need to prepare more dishes for dinner tonight."
Mio seemed to recall something, speaking thoughtfully.
"The Magician you mentioned?"
"Yes. They've been out beyond the galaxy for quite a while now. They should be back soon. And once they return, the fact that I've been hiding Yuki here will probably come out pretty quickly!"
Mio smiled, showing no sign of remorse for having kept Yuki all to herself.
Watching this, Kanade couldn't help but think to herself:
'Is this what years of friendship look like? Sneaking around to have him all to yourself... It feels a bit like those so-called 'fake best friends'!'
Despite her internal retort, Kanade's expression remained as calm as ever. She continued chatting with Mio while helping with the dishes.
On the way to school, Yuki, as usual, ran into Marin Kitagawa. The cheerful girl had spotted them from a hundred meters away and came jogging over, waving enthusiastically.
"Good morning, Yuki-kun, Kotori-chan, Tobiichi-san!"
"Good morning, Marin."
"Good morning."
"Morning."
After exchanging greetings, Marin joined their group. As she chatted with Yuki, she gradually noticed something about Origami and Kotori.
"Hmm? Kotori-chan, Tobiichi-san... It feels like you two are looking even more beautiful today. You give off a slightly different vibe compared to yesterday."
Marin slowly observed them as she spoke.
Hearing this, both girls instinctively touched their faces.
"Really? I don't feel any different! Has anything changed?" Kotori puzzledly took out her phone, checking her reflection repeatedly.
Origami, upon hearing this, thought for a moment and then calmly said, "Probably due to... nourishment."
Then, a slight blush tinged Origami's cheeks as she gazed at Yuki with amorous eyes. "After all, Cum is a very good moisturizing essence for girls."
Origami's words instantly made Marin blush and her heart race.
'What did I just hear?! Tobiichi-san actually said that word?!
This... this is so embarrassing! Yuki-kun is right here!!!
And why do you even know about this kind of thing?! Hey!!!'
Marin's mind was a whirlwind of retorts, unsure where to begin. Perhaps because the statement was so shocking, combined with her existing understanding of Origami's personality, she simply decided to treat it as a joke.
"Ah, hehe! Tobiichi-san, you're such a joker! Stop it! Girls shouldn't make jokes like that so casually!"
Marin quickly glossed over the topic, choosing to chat with Yuki about other things instead.
Naturally, the conversation revolved around manga and anime. However, most of Marin's interests lay in Shoujo manga, which was a blind spot for Yuki, so he mostly just listened as Marin enthusiastically explained.
"By the way, Marin, do you usually only read manga and watch anime?" Yuki asked with a smile.
"Not necessarily! I read light novels too!" Marin shook her head. Mentioning this seemed to remind her of something.
"Oh, right! There's a really popular light novel lately that I think is excellent! I've read it several times already! If you haven't read it, Yuki-kun, I highly recommend it! You too, Tobiichi-san and Kotori-chan!"
Hearing this, Kotori and Origami became curious.
"Oh? What light novel is it?" Yuki asked, though he already had a good guess about which one Marin was talking about.
"It's Utako Kasumi-sensei's Love Metronome! The story is about a love triangle between the male protagonist and two female protagonists. Utako Kasumi-sensei has a great grasp of the story; it's not only captivating but also has smooth, excellent writing. It's truly a top-tier work..."
Marin continued to praise the work enthusiastically.
Yuki, meanwhile, struggled to contain his amusement, forcing himself not to laugh.
The pen name "Utako Kasumi" might be unfamiliar to others, but to Yuki, it was all too familiar. The person behind that pen name was none other than Utaha Kasumigaoka from Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend.
If Yuki had to pick a favorite among the three main heroines from the original work back on the Blue Planet, it would undoubtedly be the senpai, Utaha Kasumigaoka.
When he first transmigrated here and learned of Eri's existence, it was only natural for him to look for Utaha Kasumigaoka as well. Sure enough, among the rookie authors at a certain light novel publisher, he found the name "Utako Kasumi."
However, back then, she wasn't as famous as she is now. At the time, she was still a struggling author. The sales of her first light novel weren't great, and it was even on the verge of being axed.
Seeing this, Yuki took the opportunity to connect with "Utako Kasumi" online, pointing out issues in her novel and helping promote her work, allowing her to survive that near-cancellation experience. So, for Yuki, "Utako Kasumi" was an old acquaintance.
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