Morning jog—finished.
By the time Su Yu returned home, Yui Yuigahama was still fast asleep.
For her, waking up early was a struggle.
Su Yu didn't rush to wake her. Instead, he started preparing breakfast first.
Once breakfast was ready, he finally walked into Yui's room.
Her sleeping face was adorable, making it hard for Su Yu to resist reaching out and pinching her cheek.
A few seconds later—
Yui's eyes fluttered open.
She blinked sleepily at Su Yu and rubbed her eyes.
"Su Yu-kun… what time is it?"
"If you don't get up now, you're going to be late."
Su Yu showed her the time on his phone.
Yui took one look and immediately jolted awake, sitting up and getting ready to change.
Su Yu handed her clothes to her and left the room without lingering.
She quickly dressed, freshened up in the bathroom, and then came to the dining table.
Su Yu brought over breakfast.
The two ate quietly.
After the meal, Yui took the initiative to help clean up the dishes—it went smoothly, for the most part.
At School
Upon arriving at school, Hina Ebina approached them with a teasing smile, sizing them up.
Yui's face turned slightly red under her gaze.
Meanwhile, Yumiko Miura's expression was more complicated.
She already knew from Yui that she was staying at Su Yu's house.
The three of them had a small chat group, after all.
"Oh, right, Su Yu-kun, I finished writing my story. Want to take a look?"
Ebina pulled out a small notebook and handed it to Su Yu.
"A story about your 'observation target'?"
As Su Yu said this, he glanced toward Hachiman Hikigaya.
Ebina chuckled and nodded.
Taking the notebook, Su Yu started reading through it.
He had seen stories like this before—back in his original world, a new writer he had met online had written something similar.
Thinking they might have common interests as authors, he had asked for the title of her work.
After reading it, he was shocked.
Then, he promptly deleted her contact.
He had since forgotten the contents, but he remembered one thing—it was terrifying.
That author's descriptions had been way too detailed, to the point where Su Yu didn't even want to recall them.
Compared to that, Ebina's story felt much milder. It had elements of that genre, but it wasn't entirely that genre.
Instead of simply transcribing real events, she had modified and adapted them.
Hachiman's character was mostly unchanged, but Su Yu's involvement had been removed.
The story followed Saika Totsuka, who, after seeing Hachiman play tennis well, took the initiative to approach him—leading to an unfolding drama.
Of course, the characters' surnames had been changed, leaving only "Hachiman" and "Saika."
After finishing, Su Yu handed the notebook back to Ebina.
"So? What do you think, Su Yu-kun?"
Ebina adjusted her glasses, eager for his opinion.
"Ebina-san, have you ever considered becoming an anime scriptwriter?"
"Eh?" Ebina blinked in surprise.
"We'll talk more at lunch."
Su Yu didn't elaborate.
"…Alright."
Ebina didn't press further—class was about to begin.
Lunch Break
The morning classes flew by.
When lunch break arrived, Yui and Yumiko headed for the Service Club.
Meanwhile, Ebina, carrying her lunchbox, turned to Su Yu.
Su Yu walked out of the classroom, and she followed him.
Watching this, Saki Kawasaki raised an eyebrow.
Since when were those two hanging out together?
The hallway was quiet.
Ebina followed behind Su Yu without asking where they were going.
After all, this path led straight to the rooftop.
The two reached the rooftop.
Su Yu walked over to an empty bench.
Ebina sat beside him, keeping a small distance between them.
"I wrote a story before—the main characters were based on Yui and Yukinoshita…"
Su Yu began sharing the plot of a previous story he had written.
As she listened, Ebina's expression became increasingly intrigued.
The story was interesting, sure, but—two girls as the main characters?
Su Yu noticed her thoughts just from her expression.
"This is the kind of story that appeals to a certain niche audience. Your story is similar—it also caters to a specific group of people."
"Oh! So Su Yu-kun wants me to write the kind of stories I like to attract a particular audience?"
Ebina's eyes sparkled.
"Exactly. You're already familiar with these genres. I don't own an animation company yet, but I can offer you a good price for your scripts. In the future, they might be used for an anime adaptation."
Su Yu nodded.
"My stories are really just a hobby…"
Ebina hesitated.
"If you can turn your hobby into your career, wouldn't that be great? As a creator, I've always loved my own stories—every single character in them."
Su Yu's voice was calm.
"I love my stories too, but… I don't have much confidence in my scripts. So if you're interested, you don't have to pay me anything. Just let me talk to professional anime scriptwriters."
Ebina smiled.
"If your script gets used, I'll buy it at market price. If you want to gain more experience, you can go to Flash Animation Studio with Yukino. They have plenty of scriptwriters there."
Su Yu thought for a moment.
"Oh? That sounds interesting."
Ebina's eyes shone.
Flash Animation Studio had many scriptwriters.
Most of their job was to adapt manga or light novels into anime scripts.
They had probably considered original scripts before, but since the studio didn't produce original anime, those scripts were never used.
Letting Ebina learn from professional scriptwriters was a solid idea.
Of course, the main reason Su Yu picked her was Yui.
The second reason was her actual writing skills.
Ebina was aware of this.
That's why she wanted to seize this opportunity and improve herself as much as possible.
"Su Yu-kun, can I ask you a question?"
Ebina suddenly looked at him.
"Nope. We should head to the Service Club now. Also, don't tell Yui about our conversation. As for the question you asked last time—I've already found a solution."
Su Yu stood up.
"Oh?"
Ebina realized he was talking about Yumiko Miura's situation.
"Yumiko has more potential than you. She works hard, but she lacks opportunities. I want to give her one."
Su Yu spoke seriously.
"Give her an opportunity?"
Ebina looked puzzled.
Su Yu didn't elaborate. Right now, everything he wanted to do was limited by money.
To give Yumiko a chance, he needed a lot of money first.
Of course, this wasn't just for her—it was for himself too.
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X