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Getting rejected didn't really bother Andrew.
He just kept writing until 5 a.m. before finally shutting down his computer.
Stretching and yawning, Andrew had a satisfied smile on his face.
"Finally done."
He had just sent the first volume of his light novel to Machida Enko, an editor at Fushikawa Publishing.
After taking a quick shower, he went straight to bed.
Meanwhile, in the room next door, Mahiru Shiina suddenly woke up with a start.
She touched the corner of her eyes, and the dampness told her she had been crying without even realizing it.
The past few days, she'd always fallen asleep next to that jerk Andrew—either cuddled up with him or getting teased so much she didn't have the energy to think about anything sad. That's probably why she'd been sleeping okay.
But tonight, sleeping alone again, her subconscious had dragged her back into a dream about her mom, Shiina Sayo.
In the dream, her mother stared at her expressionlessly and coldly said:"You were never a wanted child. You shouldn't have been born in the first place. Your existence is a thorn in our side—something we agreed to only because of pressure from the family. We'll never love you. And you don't deserve it."
Shiina Mahiru knew her mom would probably never actually say that much.
It was just her own feelings warping things—pain twisted into a nightmare.
She was a girl who had spent years hoping, working hard, just to earn her parents' approval.
And then she found out… from the moment she was born, she was unwanted. That no matter what, her parents would never care for her.
Only Shiina Mahiru knew how much it hurt to be completely rejected like that.
Rubbing her eyes, Mahiru bit her lip and sat up in bed.
She hesitated a little, then pulled out her phone and sent a message to that jerk next door.
"You up?"
Right after sending it, she panicked and deleted the message.
Mahiru gave a bitter little laugh.
"It's already 5 a.m. No way that guy's still awake. Better not bother him…"
But sleep wouldn't come back either.
That dream left her restless, and soon she found herself staring blankly into space.
The empty feeling in her chest started creeping back, and it scared her a little.
Then—suddenly—her phone buzzed.
She looked down. A message from Andrew.
"I'm up. Just about to go to bed, actually. It's 5 a.m.—aren't you sleeping, Shiina?"
Mahiru bit her lip, her heart weirdly happy.
"Can't sleep," she replied.
And just like that, Andrew started chatting with her.
"What a coincidence, I can't sleep either. Mind if I come over?"
Mahiru: "Mm."
Andrew's eyes widened at her reply.
Wait… did she just agree?
Andrew: "I'm coming! For real this time!"
Mahiru: "Mm."
No way he could stay calm after that.
He jumped up, headed straight out the door, and stopped in front of her room. He rang the doorbell.
About a minute later, with a quiet click, the door opened, and a delicate face peeked out.
The girl stood there in white pajamas, her pale skin soft and glowing, and her pretty little face tinged with pink.
When she saw Andrew, she lowered her gaze to her toes… then stepped aside to let him in.
Without hesitation, Andrew walked in and swept her up into his arms.
They returned to that warm, fragrant bed, crawling in together under the blanket.
Andrew had already noticed the puffiness around her eyes. They were red and a little swollen.
She'd clearly been crying.
So he didn't try anything—he just held her close and gently kissed her forehead.
Then he softly stroked her silky hair, calming her down.
"There, go to sleep. It's still early—you've got another hour or so."
His gentle tone made Mahiru's heart tremble.
Even though she had said yes to him coming over, she had been super conflicted.
Part of her was scared he'd think she was just some easy girl.
But on the other hand… she felt so empty inside. She just really needed someone with her.
Still, if he had done anything inappropriate, she would've felt ashamed… even disappointed.
She would've thought, He just likes my body. Not me.
But—this guy. He was too sly.
She was in his arms, completely defenseless. She wasn't resisting at all.
And yet, he did nothing.
He just comforted her gently.
That only made Mahiru feel even more moved.
Compared to her parents, who never took her seriously, this "jerk" Andrew felt way more like family.
With his warm hand stroking her head, Mahiru felt completely safe.
And without realizing it, she drifted back to sleep.
Seeing the little angel fall asleep, Andrew closed his eyes too.
Sure, he admitted he was a bit of a perv—he'd acted on impulse around her more than once.
But when it came to his girl, he was always gentle.
Her body was so soft, and she had this subtle, addictive fragrance.
Holding her like this felt amazing.
He could totally get hooked on this.
At this point, he might not be able to sleep unless he was hugging her like this.
About an hour later—
Shiina Mahiru slowly woke up.
Still a little groggy, but once she saw the guy holding her, she snapped back to full awareness.
She glanced at her buzzing phone—it was time to get up and make breakfast. Otherwise, she'd miss the train and wouldn't have time to eat before school.
Even though she didn't want to leave that warm embrace, she gently slipped out without waking him.
She got up quietly, washed up, and put on her apron.
Then she started cooking.
For some reason, she felt really happy. As she chopped vegetables, she even started humming a little tune.
Every now and then, her eyes drifted toward the bedroom.
Thinking about someone's compliments, she started putting more care into the meal.
At the same time, her heart was secretly looking forward to his reaction when he tasted it.
He's gonna compliment me, right?
He totally will!
"..."
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