Back in his room, Hayashi Maki showered, changed into pajamas, and fired up his laptop to write.
As a high-output author, he wanted to finish Volume Two fast. Once he sent the manuscript to his editor, Machida Sonoko, he could start a new project.
For example, he might borrow the setting from a tearjerker game he'd played in his previous life—Heaven Burns Red—and turn it into a light novel to shake the industry a little.
If he could "earn" enough reader tears, financial freedom wouldn't be far off.
That game had wrecked him—in a good way—and the music was gorgeous. The story: humanity on the brink of extinction, a squad of beautiful girl-soldiers fighting monsters on the front lines to reclaim their world, finding purpose along the way, and ultimately saving everyone.
As the plot advanced, you learned the girls weren't "real" humans—they were artificial Narby, inheritors of others' genes and memories. Battles meant death, and when they died, they reverted to mindless Narby. When Maki played, those moments stabbed him again and again.
Non-human girls leaning on each other, discovering why they exist, and fighting to save all of humanity—he wanted to bring that impact to this world.
Of course, he didn't think his prose could perfectly reproduce the game's gut-punching drama, so he'd just borrow the setting and write a similar light novel. Maybe toss in magical girl elements.
In this world, "magical girls" were still stuck at the kiddie level of Magical Girl Meruru. Hah. No dark senpai getting beheaded? How is that even a magical girl story?
Before writing, Maki had also studied other imprints' catalogs. Several Dengeki Bunko bestsellers—isekai harems that sold over a million copies—left him stunned. The author's pen name? Yamada Elf.
Sounded familiar.
If his memory was right, Yamada Elf came from Eromanga Sensei—a cute blonde loli in real life. He couldn't help roasting one thing: in her books, the heroines stripped at the drop of a hat to shower the MC with fanservice.
So the "bestseller technique" was… let the heroines go nude and get readers' blood pumping?
Maki figured he could… borrow a little of that.
Time slipped by. Around midnight, Maki yawned and went to bed.
…
Next door, Shiina Mahiru couldn't sleep.
Back in her own room for the first time in a while, she felt oddly empty. Without that warm embrace, she grew restless. She realized then that she really did have feelings for Hayashi Maki. Without him holding her, she felt… lonely.
But she was too shy to call him over in the middle of the night. He might already be asleep.
She sighed and tried to calm down.
Result: she got up the next morning with dark circles and cooked anyway.
After packing up some bento boxes, she took a deep breath, walked to Hayashi Maki's door, and rang the bell.
"Coming!"
He opened the door quickly.
Playing it cool, Mahiru handed over the lunch boxes. "I accidentally made too much again. Please help me finish it."
"No problem. I'll enjoy it," Maki grinned—and tugged her inside.
No small talk—he pulled his angel onto his lap.
"Ah—what are you doing? It's morning… don't be ridiculous…"
Mahiru squeaked, instinctively looping her pale arms around his neck, cheeks flushing. Her delicate face, rosy and soft, those big dewy eyes and pink lips—everything made Maki's fingers itch.
Breathing a little faster, he leaned in. Mahiru gave a token struggle, then nervously shut her eyes.
Of course he wouldn't waste the chance.
He dipped his head and covered her soft cherry lips with his.
A moment later, he cupped a hand over her eyes and murmured by her ear, serious this time: "Don't move. Just a sec."
Mahiru felt a coolness over her eyelids. The itch from sleep deprivation faded from her dry eyes. She blinked at the scoundrel holding her. "That's amazing—my eyes don't itch anymore. How did you do that?"
Maki's mouth quirked as he stroked her hair. "Magic. As long as I top up on my angel Mahiru's energy, I can do all kinds of unbelievable things."
Mahiru shot him a look and slipped off his lap. "As if. And I am not an angel—don't call me that."
His hands were probably just warm—that's what soothed her eyes, she told herself.
Maki let it drop, smiling as he dug into her cooking. With skills like this, she could open a shop. But he'd never let her work that hard—better she just cooked at home for him to enjoy alone.
After breakfast, he washed the containers, then he and Mahiru headed out and took the train to school.
…
"Yahallo~ Shiina-san!"
"Mm. Yahallo, Yuigahama-san."
The moment Mahiru stepped into the classroom, a busty girl with pink dumpling buns greeted her up close. Mahiru recovered quickly and replied with a matching smile.
"Hehe, Shiina-san—did you check your shoe locker today?"
Yuigahama Yui gossiped, tugging on Mahiru's sleeve. Mahiru glanced back at Hayashi Maki as he entered behind her and sighed. "We have to change into indoor shoes—of course I checked. Another pile of love letters."
"It means you're super popular! I'm jealous," Yui said. She wanted to be popular too. She tried hard to get along with everyone and had some clout, but it always felt like something was missing. Girls had vanity too.
Mahiru shrugged helplessly. "Being too popular is a headache. I can't reply to everyone, so I just… pretend I didn't see them."
The two girls' whispering turned lively, their bell-like laughter drawing sneaky glances from the boys in Class B.
Maki didn't intrude on his little angel and Yui's chatter. He returned to his seat, nodded a greeting to Hayama, then fixed his eyes on the girl in front—Kato Megumi.
"Kato-san, I fell asleep last night."
Megumi nodded calmly. "Oh."
Maki raised a brow. "Aren't you going to ask why I fell asleep?"
"I'm not curious," she said flatly, killing the topic in one line.
Maki scowled playfully, looking her over. "Kato, just wait. I've already scheduled spam calls for tonight."
Megumi's heart skipped. "So you have to harass me by phone?"
Scratching her cheek with a finger, she said mildly, "Even I would find that troublesome. Could you not?"
Maki shook his head solemnly. "No can do. I only dozed off and forgot last night. Tonight, look forward to it, Kano Megumi!"
"Who would look forward to that? Also, it's Kato Megumi."
She deadpanned the correction, but the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Hayashi Maki might be a bit of a tease—borderline nuisance—but she was still glad someone talked to her. Other classmates—and even her parents—tended to overlook her.
~~~
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