Chapter 44: It's not time yet
After attending the opening ceremony, they returned to the classroom, and then the homeroom teacher arranged for a lottery to fairly decide the seating order.
After they were seated, Izumi Chihiro glanced at the student next to him with some surprise.
This was a familiar stranger.
Although he had seen her name on the class roster, he hadn't expected her to become his deskmate.
The girl had her face turned, looking out the window, giving off an air of detachment, showing no interest in her future deskmate.
However, with his personality, he would naturally greet his deskmate.
"Nishikino? I didn't expect to be deskmates with you."
"Hm?"
The girl turned her head, looking a little surprised.
Only then did Izumi Chihiro see her full face.
Long, red hair cascaded over her shoulders, her eyes were purple, and her upturned eyebrows gave her the appearance of a noble, cold beauty.
"It's you, Izumi?"
Nishikino Maki was also a little surprised.
Once, at a party hosted by Eriri's father, Nishikino Maki had performed, playing a piano piece.
Although she was still young, her playing technique was impressive.
As a childhood friend, Izumi Chihiro had tagged along with Eriri, essentially crashing the party, but he had met many people there.
Nishikino Maki was one of them, but they were only casually acquainted.
During their first year, he would occasionally see her walk by, but they never stopped to chat.
"Where's Sawamura?"
She asked another question.
"Eriri was assigned to Class A, I think."
Izumi Chihiro replied.
"You specifically asked about Eriri, are you perhaps interested in her?"
He asked curiously.
If possible, he could introduce the two to become true friends.
However, that seemed a bit far-fetched.
"I just thought you two would be inseparable; I wasn't curious, I just found it strange."
Nishikino Maki explained indifferently.
"Is that so? That's a pity, after all, as fellow young ladies, meeting in such a public school, I thought you would have common ground."
He sighed.
"This was just my father's arrangement."
Nishikino Maki explained, then fell silent.
Despite having excellent grades and being a young lady, choosing to attend such a public middle school aroused suspicion among her classmates, which led to her being ostracized in her first year. So, when Izumi Chihiro saw her, she was always alone.
Of course, she never cared about it.
She was merely following her father's arrangements and had never thought about getting along with other classmates.
...
Although he had a new deskmate, Izumi Chihiro's daily life didn't change much. He continued to go to and from school every day, and after school, he would return home to think about the next volume's writing.
The two-week spring break had allowed him to slightly recover his state, and now it was time to re-engage.
The path of growth was still long and arduous, and the time spent pausing was always brief.
He got to know some new classmates slightly, and then returned to his two-point-one-line life.
Life always involves finding meaning to persevere amidst monotonous repetition.
For him now, the meaning of daily perseverance was to make his work as good as possible.
...
One afternoon.
Izumi Chihiro was walking home when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him.
"Izumi-dono, wait for me."
He slowed his pace slightly and turned to look.
The girl sprinted over, her chest already showing a slight rise and fall.
"What's wrong, Takasago-douchi."
Izumi Chihiro asked.
"I just happened to run into you, can't we walk together for a bit since it's on the way?"
Takasago Tomoe countered.
"Of course."
He nodded, adjusting his steps to walk alongside her.
After being classmates for so long, and frequently visiting her store to buy novels, he couldn't exactly say they weren't familiar, could he?
"Oh, right, Izumi-dono, before you go back, how about a trip to Takasago Bookstore? You might find a work you like appearing soon, you know."
The girl began to chat.
"Takasago-douchi certainly knows how to find time to promote, it seems you'll definitely become an excellent proprietress in the future."
Hearing her invitation, he smiled and said.
"Izumi-dono, can that even be considered a compliment?"
Takasago Tomoe raised her finger and pouted.
Her movements were casually cute.
At her invitation, Izumi Chihiro came to Takasago Bookstore, looked through some books, and prepared to find some works that interested him.
Suddenly, his gaze noticed the very top position of the recommendation column for female characters, where a work had appeared in the previously empty spot.
"Izumi-dono, you must be curious, right? The spot that had been empty for so long has finally been filled."
The girl noticed his gaze.
[No, no, no, I'm not curious, because I had already anticipated it.]
Izumi Chihiro thought silently, expressionless.
"This is 'fantasy demon blade chronicles' by Senju Muramasa-sensei, who debuted last week. It's incredibly good, it simply astonished me! To think someone could write a light novel to a degree that some anime can't even portray, Senju Muramasa-sensei is truly amazing! I was immediately conquered by Senju Muramasa-sensei, and from now on, I am her fan!"
"Although it might sound a bit offensive to say this, I feel like Senju Muramasa-sensei's style is exactly like yours, Izumi, but a more advanced version. Anyone who has read both works would probably feel the same way..."
"Oh, right, weren't you always reading these hot-blooded light novels before? I think, Izumi, you could buy it for reference, and I believe your abilities will improve even further."
Takasago Tomoe said to herself.
Izumi Chihiro picked up 'fantasy demon blade chronicles', his gaze somewhat lost.
"Izumi, are you listening?"
She saw that he looked a bit dazed.
"...Mm, I'm listening."
Izumi Chihiro's reply was slightly stiff.
"As friends, I'll give you this book. Don't thank me too much, consider it a reward for your support of Takasago Bookstore!"
Takasago Tomoe directly gave him 'fantasy demon blade chronicles'.
After returning home.
Izumi Chihiro sat on the chair at his desk, looking at the cover with the fiercely brandished sword, lost in thought, his expression inexplicably solemn.
After a long hesitation, he extended his right hand, trembling slightly...
Ultimately, he placed 'fantasy demon blade chronicles' on the bookshelf beside him without even opening a single page.
"Now is not the time."
Izumi Chihiro mumbled, glancing out the window, just as a dark cloud arrived.
Amidst faint thunder.
The sky, as if afraid, began to drizzle.