"I see, I see..." "So that's how it is!"
Machida Sonoko sat on the living room sofa with her arms crossed, nodding repeatedly like she'd just cracked the code to an ancient mystery.
After learning that Kasumigaoka Touji wasn't a blood relative but rather adopted—and could technically be considered a child groom—she let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, then turned her gaze toward Kasumigaoka Utaha with a mock-hurt expression.
"Utaha-chan, seriously! You scared me to death!"
"Fufu, did it bring you joy to be startled, Machida-san?"
"Of course it did."
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't even attempt to feign innocence, admitting it with a straight face.
"Baka! You're too mean!" Machida-san puffed out her cheeks slightly, clearly flustered.
Still, her curiosity remained unsatisfied. She glanced back at Utaha and asked, "Hey, when you were writing Love Metronome, did Kasumi Utako already know about this little detail?"
To be honest, she had always assumed it was just another quirky sister-con light novel. But to find out it was semi-autobiographical? That hit like a plot twist straight out of volume seven!
"Nope. I only found out the day before yesterday," Utaha replied, her lips curling into a faint, uncontrollable smile.
Ever since she learned that her beloved Otouto-kunr could become her child groom—and with their parents' support, no less—she'd been riding high on cloud nine.
What else could a girl ask for in this world? This was the ultimate win!
"Eh?! The day before yesterday!?"
Machida Sonoko blinked in disbelief.
She'd written Love Metronome months ago... yet the real-life development only came to light recently?
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you telling me your youth romantic comedy novel actually turned into reality?! That's way too much of a cheat!"
Machida clutched her head like she was on the verge of exploding.
"It's like... some kind of wish-fulfillment I only ever see in light novels... and now you're living it?!"
Utaha, smug but slightly self-conscious with Touji beside her, tried not to let the gloating show too much. But her pride leaked through nonetheless. After all, the protagonist of the story was practically modeled after the boy sitting next to her.
Feeling a mixture of embarrassment and triumph, she suddenly reached out and pinched Touji's waist.
"Ow—! What was that for?!" Touji yelped, instinctively flinching. He turned to her with a betrayed look, rubbing his side.
"Don't act like you didn't deserve it," she huffed, but then Touji retaliated by reaching toward her waist too.
She leaned back, lifted her leg to kick him away—only for him to catch her leg midair. He followed up by pressing her down and pinning both her arms in place, straddling her casually on the couch.
The entire posture looked... questionable. Very questionable.
"Oi oi oi!" Machida Sonoko facepalmed. "Can you two not?! I'm right here, you know? Treat me like a guest, at least a little bit!"
She could smell it—the heavy, syrupy scent of sweet, sweet love.
It was suffocating!
Looking at the two lovebirds rolling around on the couch, Machida Sonoko felt like she'd just eaten a bowl of vinegar.
They were just high schoolers!
Meanwhile, she was about to hit her thirties... still single... and these two were practically performing a romcom stage play in front of her.
How unfair was life?
"You two better thank your lucky stars I quit the FFF Inquisition. Otherwise, I'd have summoned a mob to burn you at the stake by now!"
Machida Sonoko waved her hand dramatically, but just as the words left her mouth, she noticed something strange. The flirtatious "siblings" on the sofa had stopped their teasing and were now staring at her with wide eyes, as if she had just said something horrifying.
"Wha… what's with those looks?" she asked, a bead of cold sweat running down her temple. That guilty feeling came rushing in for no apparent reason.
"Otouto-kun," Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head, brows furrowed in disbelief, "how old is that meme?"
Touji scratched the back of his head, clearly trying to recall. "Hmm… I don't know. I haven't heard anyone say it since middle school."
Thump, thump!
Two imaginary arrows pierced Machida Sonoko's chest. Her composure cracked.
Don't tell me... am I the kind of auntie who's still stuck in the internet culture of a bygone era?! She shook her head fiercely, rejecting the very thought.
"I-It's just a classic, okay! Timeless jokes never die!" she huffed, trying to salvage her pride.
Touji chuckled, and Utaha's lips curved slightly in amusement.
"By the way, Machida-san," Touji quickly shifted the topic, "what brings you here this morning?"
Now that she thought about it, this was Machida Sonoko's first time visiting their home—and she hadn't even called in advance. It wasn't like her usual courteous self.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had already straightened herself up from the sofa and casually smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes. Her wine-red eyes glanced at Machida-san with clear annoyance, as if silently screaming: You're interrupting something important!
Machida Sonoko: "…"
Yes, yes. I'm interrupting your little love comedy. Gomen nasai for daring to exist in your couple bubble!
Sensing she was unwanted, she coughed lightly, straightened her posture, and quickly got to the point.
"Ahem, I came to check on the progress of the second volume of Love Metronome, Shizuka-sensei."
Her tone was formal and polite, but her gaze was sharp, like a homeroom teacher suspecting her student of hiding unfinished homework under the futon.
Even though the official deadline was still more than a month away, any editor worth their salt knew not to trust an author's verbal promises alone. Too many times had she been deceived by, "It's already halfway done!" when in reality not even a title had been written.
And if persuasion didn't work… well, there was always the "black room."
Kasumigaoka Utaha, however, remained calm and composed.
"It's already finished," she said plainly. "I was planning to send it to you sometime this week."
"Eh? It's done already?" Machida Sonoko's eyes sparkled with joy.
A diligent author like this was truly a rare species! She wanted to give Utaha a trophy!
Utaha turned slightly toward her Otouto-kun. "Touji," she called softly.
"I got it," he replied, rising from the sofa.
The completed manuscript was upstairs in his room—Touji had read the entire thing as her first proofreader back in late March. It was still stacked neatly on his desk.
A few minutes later, he came back down, holding a thick bundle of neatly stacked manuscript paper. He handed it over to Machida-san.
"I'll email you the digital copy later," Utaha added as she leaned forward, resting her hands on the back of the sofa.
"Got it." Machida Sonoko accepted the manuscript with both hands, her face glowing with approval.
But then her lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Well then… I'll take my leave and leave you two lovebirds to enjoy your two-person world~"
"You're such a baka sometimes," Utaha muttered, rolling her eyes.
Still, the mood wasn't angry. As Touji opened the door and stood beside her, they both watched Machida-san retreat to her red Honda, which slowly pulled away from the driveway.
As soon as the car disappeared around the corner, a moment of silence returned to the house.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Now, it really was just the two of them again.
…