September 4, 2019.
Three days had passed since the tsunami disaster in Qinggang City. The memories of that natural catastrophe had finally begun to fade with time, and Utaha was gradually returning to her usual state.
All the personal items she had brought for the seaside vacation had been completely destroyed. Her most important possession—the laptop—was left behind forever in Qinggang City.
Fortunately, before setting out, Utaha had backed up her materials. What she lost were only some inspirations and plot ideas recorded during those five days of vacation.
Now, through her efforts to recall them, everything had already been rewritten into a new text document.
Leaning back against the chair, Utaha stretched her arms and let out a soft sigh of relief.
Maintaining the same posture for a long time was indeed bad for the shoulders and lower back.
"Haizaki-kun, peeking isn't a good habit…"
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Haizaki, who was sitting on the bed in the room.
"Didn't you ask me to help you recall things?"
"Even so, being watched by you makes me feel a little embarrassed…"
"It feels like you're starting to lead things in a certain direction again."
The black-stockinged, voluptuous girl before him—Utaha—was now showing her true nature. Her everyday conversations were filled with hints and teasing.
"What are you talking about? I'm a pure seventeen-year-old high school girl. I'd never lead things that way."
"That's something even you don't believe. In a way, you're already a veteran driver…"
In the past, she might not have understood what that meant.
But after spending five months with Haizaki, there was no way she hadn't picked up on some of the Eastern Union's colloquial expressions.
"Hey, hey, you've never even ridden in my car…"
Her long legs wrapped in black stockings naturally shifted position. The girl's graceful movement casually released a hint of temptation.
Utaha's gaze remained fixed on Haizaki's face, and she noticed the change in his eyes. That only deepened the smile in her heart.
"Do you want to touch it…"
After all, aside from a direct confession, she was prepared to try everything at least once.
And after the tsunami incident, she felt an even stronger sense of urgency.
One massive natural disaster after another—and they had happened to encounter them all.
Was it really just coincidence?
She found it hard to believe.
Because of this, Utaha worried that someday in the future, they might face even more violent disasters.
Haizaki's behavior over the past three days had also made her realize that he shared the same concern.
As a result, Utaha, who had originally planned to wait longer and give Haizaki more time, decided to accelerate her advance.
Men, after all—
Were bound to have needs. Especially physiological ones.
Haizaki feeling desire toward her now was proof of her charm. At this point, she didn't really mind anymore.
"As long as you want to, it's fine."
The girl's aggressive gaze wandered over Haizaki's body.
Haizaki instinctively felt that he had become prey in her eyes.
After confirming her feelings for him, Utaha had become more open, more unrestrained, freely releasing her emotions—and her affection.
This time, the shock of the tsunami had likely intensified that change.
After a brief moment of thought, Haizaki judged the reason behind the girl's obvious shift.
It really caught him off guard.
"Give me a little more time… okay?"
This was the second time he had used this reason.
He believed—
"That's fine."
Utaha's expression didn't change. At the same time, her crossed-leg pose—where her long black-stockinged legs subtly revealed a glimpse of her underwear—returned to a normal sitting posture.
There was an unspoken understanding between the two of them.
"Then let's talk about the beach vacation arc of your story…"
Haizaki stood up and walked over to her, one hand braced on the desk, the other pointing at the text on the screen.
The faint scent of a young girl lingered around his nose—familiar, yet still pleasant.
"This beach trip—nothing much actually happened, right?"
"For example, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or an accident in the changing room."
These were common tropes in beach scenes, but under Utaha's writing, the descriptions felt so vivid that Haizaki couldn't help but complain.
"Research material doesn't have to be based on things that actually happened. Pure imagination works too."
Although she had just agreed to give Haizaki more time, that didn't mean she couldn't engage in a little playful teasing.
Utaha still found Haizaki's helpless reactions and expressions amusing.
"Or do you think these scenes need to happen for real? That's fine too."
Her slender right index finger pointed toward her red lips.
"For mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, we can do it right here. Just be gentle, okay? It would be my first time…"
"Or do you want to start with the changing room scene first? Haizaki-kun, you're really H."
A mischievous smile she couldn't hide flowed across her fair, delicate face. Teasing Haizaki had become one of her greatest daily pleasures.
Of course, she also held onto a bit of hope that it might actually succeed.
What she received instead, however, was Haizaki's "righteous punishment."
Utaha clutched her head with both hands, pouting in dissatisfaction.
"Stop messing around. Finish this early so I can go to sleep."
"Can I sleep here too— mmph…"
Seeing Haizaki raise his fist, Utaha immediately changed her wording.
"Right away, right away. I'll finish it now and let you sleep."
This woman was still as mischievous as ever.
…
Love Metronome 2, Volume Three: Setting—Beach and Seaside.
Using the Qinggang City beach vacation as material, Utaha burst forth with inspiration and typing speed beyond anything before.
By September 14th, in less than ten days, she completed the third volume of Love Metronome 2.
However, the tsunami incident was not included.
"There's only one volume left…"
The fourth volume—the final volume. Only one remained before Love Metronome 2 officially concluded.
Thinking about how Love Metronome 2 was nearing its end, Utaha couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
A work into which she had poured her heart and soul was reaching its conclusion. For an author, it felt much like parents watching the child they had raised grow up and eventually live independently—a mix of countless emotions.
As for her other new work, its ending was still far away.
Her story with him was still long. She and he still had many more beautiful memories to create.
But when she recalled the wish she made beneath the meteor, her heart sank.
The meteor that carried her hopes had instead been the culprit behind the catastrophic tsunami.
If Haizaki hadn't reacted quickly and acted decisively, she and Haizaki might have—
This made her feel that perhaps she shouldn't have made that wish at all.
…