Aki Tomoya was very troubled. Receiving a love letter from his shoe locker in the morning, he didn't know what expression he should wear.
He didn't tell anyone about this. At the same time, he found an opportunity to take a look, and it said to come to the rooftop at noon, which left him completely baffled.
Confessing or saying they want to be together, is it really all based on feeling?
Aki Tomoya was very helpless.
He didn't even know her, and being liked unilaterally was very troublesome for him, but he had to respond in some way.
And she was a third-year Senior, so she was probably close to graduating and decided to say it now.
However, what surprised him more was that this matter would be seen by others.
"Good afternoon, Kasumigaoka-senpai."
Aki Tomoya turned his head and looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha in surprise after hearing that somewhat gritted voice.
After thinking carefully, it wasn't strange to see Kasumigaoka Utaha here at noon, but the timing wasn't very good.
"...Good afternoon, Aki-kun is really amazing."
Seeing that Aki Tomoya's expression was so calm, Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately straightened her attitude and looked at him with her usual expression.
"Amazing in what way?" Aki Tomoya asked with a smile.
"You rejected one at the after-party, and now you've rejected another. Isn't that amazing? You're really becoming more and more popular."
Seeing Aki Tomoya sink another girl here, Kasumigaoka Utaha's mood was very complicated.
Thinking about it carefully, this guy had been burying himself in hard study since the beginning of last year, and he really achieved results that made people look at him with new eyes.
When he was an otaku, Aki Tomoya's persistence was very attractive, but few people paid attention.
But when his persistence was put into studying and yielded results, it was different. The school's opinion of him immediately changed.
Even though it was embarrassing to admit, Kasumigaoka Utaha was certain that if Aki Tomoya dressed up a bit, he would attract even more people who valued looks.
In summary, in the eyes of ordinary people, excelling in important matters like studying, while also being good-looking, made his popularity perfectly normal.
Moreover, this time it happened to be a girl from her own class.
Kasumigaoka Utaha liked to read quietly by herself on the rooftop, but when Aki Tomoya was here, it would become a sad place for her.
"You knew about the after-party too?"
Aki Tomoya looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha in surprise. He remembered seeing Eriri that night, but he didn't remember when Kasumigaoka Utaha was around.
"Sawamura told me."
"Oh."
That matter was just refusing someone's invitation. The former was an insinuation, the latter was a direct statement. Aki Tomoya refused both.
As for this kind of thing, Aki Tomoya could only comment on what just happened, saying, "Direct confessions can't just rely on feelings, especially when asking to date."
"Is that not allowed?"
Her tone carried a hint of something unusual, sounding as if she were defending the girl from just now.
"That Senior is about to graduate just like you, and I don't even know her. Suddenly asking to date or something is very troublesome."
"That's a completely merciless way of speaking."
"When I answered her, I was quite tactful."
"..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha hesitated to speak.
That was indeed the case. She had nothing to refute. Given the situation between Aki Tomoya and that girl just now, being rejected might have been cruel, but Aki Tomoya had no other option.
Although she said it was to not have regrets before graduating and to speak those words, keeping them in her heart might leave room for beautiful fantasies in the future, in addition to regret, instead of the blow of being rejected.
"You taught Sawamura, didn't you?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't dwell on the previous topic but instead brought up Eriri.
Eriri had previously asked her for the right to speak. Kasumigaoka Utaha had compromised but also saw that someone had likely given Eriri advice.
She was just purely curious if the person who taught Eriri was Aki Tomoya, and had no other thoughts.
"The person you're collaborating with is Kashiwagi Eri, and your dedicated editor is the Vice Editor of the publishing house. How enviable, Xia Shizi Teacher."
Aki Tomoya replied with a pout. Although he didn't answer directly, he almost admitted it.
Who is Kashiwagi Eri?
A long-established, top-tier artist in the industry. Collaborating with a light novel author who only debuted two years ago, would she still have to care about others' opinions?
What is the most important thing for a light novel in the industry today?
Illustrations!
If the character design is good, and the 'wife' is great, even if it's garbage, people will say it smells good.
If it weren't for seeing that Eriri truly cared about the work and Kasumigaoka Utaha as a companion, Aki Tomoya wouldn't have taught Eriri to say those words.
One is the Vice Editor who is particularly easy to talk to, and the other is a top-tier artist in the industry. Everything Kasumigaoka Utaha possesses is truly enviable.
Of course, it cannot be denied that she put in unseen effort and has the ability to tell a good story, but she truly doesn't lack benefactors by her side, especially good people like Machida Sonoko, and then top-tier artists like Eriri.
She only debuted two years ago, and the resources available to her can already be considered top-tier treatment.
Coupled with recently being accepted into Keio, the top private University, it can be said that she is successful in both her career and studies.
"Excuse me, I'll be leaving first."
Aki Tomoya ignored Kasumigaoka Utaha's reaction and left.
"Even if you didn't say it, I know now how important Kashiwagi Eri's illustrations are, and how important Machida-san's support is."
After he left, Kasumigaoka Utaha muttered to herself.
"Without Kashiwagi Eri, it would have been impossible to achieve such exaggerated results from the very first volume. Without Machida-san, if I had been moved to another publishing house, I might not have been able to create so easily. I know it clearly. Even that Hongzaka Akane, what she said was spot on. If it were her, she could definitely help me improve."
Kasumigaoka Utaha clenched her hands, a trace of struggle flashing in her eyes.
After seeing the Taki account reappear on the forum that day, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally took Machida Sonoko's opinion to heart.
From that moment on, Kasumigaoka Utaha began to sort things out.
Although she felt an inexplicable sense of rejection when she met Hongzaka Akane, after she woke up, she found that if she continued like that, she seemed to be turning into the other party one day.
That was really close!
She tried to compromise a little, no longer able to ignore the flaws in her work.
Especially later, when Eriri was unusually assertive in front of her once, Kasumigaoka Utaha had truly thought deeply because of her words.
But similarly, she also found that from Taki's reappearance on the forum and Eriri's rare assertiveness, there was Aki Tomoya's shadow.
"Trying to find comfort in Eriri, I'm such an idiot!"
But she had to admit that it was precisely because Eriri genuinely cared about their work, and for this purpose borrowed Aki Tomoya's account to make Taki reappear on the forum to get her attention, and recently was unusually assertive in front of her once to demand the right to speak, that she was able to properly sort things out.
Therefore, not only should she thank Eriri, but she should also treat Eriri well.
Similarly, she had accommodated the Vice Editor, Machida Sonoko, an unusual number of times.
The first warning, the second warning, and now the third warning.
Hearing this third warning from the person who taught Eriri to say those words, Kasumigaoka Utaha's mood was unusually complex.
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