Wednesday came again, which meant it was release day for the newest issue of Fleeting Blossoms. This week's chapter finally stepped into the main storyline.
Kou had already told Futaba that their middle school days were long over, and that the Kou who once liked her back then had faded away with time.
But in reality, he still could not bring himself to ignore her at school.
He watched her without thinking. He worried about her. He drifted close when she looked down, and he was there to comfort her when she was hurting.
And then, at last, came the apology that had been hanging between them for three years.
He told her he was sorry. Sorry that three years ago, on that night they had promised to meet, he never showed up.
He asked, for the first time, whether she had really waited for him that night.
"I did," Futaba choked out the moment she heard him say it, and the grievance she had swallowed for three years surged up so violently she could not hold back her tears. "I waited. I really waited".
"I'm sorry," Kou said again, softer this time. "Back then, I thought you hated boys, so I… I didn't go. I truly am sorry".
Futaba raised her eyes, shimmering with tears, and all she saw was Kou smiling at her gently, looking at her as if she had always mattered.
The knot in her heart finally came undone.
This was Futaba and Kou's last meeting before summer break.
When summer ended and second year began, the class reshuffling placed Kou, Futaba, and Futaba's best friend Yuri together in the same classroom.
Kou, who had fallen from the advanced class into a regular one, became the subject of gossip among his classmates.
But readers could tell instantly what was really going on.
He had done it on purpose.
He had deliberately scored close to Futaba on the finals, all for one simple goal.
To end up in her class.
And that final beat of Chapter Three left the whole story on a perfectly cruel, perfectly delicious cliffhanger.
From the morning onward, the numbers in Crimson Maple Literature's official backend for Fleeting Blossoms were visibly surging. Blue Spring Ride was climbing fast, and the trend was impossible to miss.
On the publisher's official forum, the comments were exploding.
"This author gets it way too well. Kou's characterization is insane. I'm obsessed."
"I'm a guy, and even I'm getting pulled in. I never understood what people meant by 'a boy whose every word and action hits the softest part of a girl's heart.' Now I get it. Kou does not even have to try, and he still hits the softest part of my heart."
"The structure is genius. The protagonist escapes that gloomy first-year class environment, then second year starts and the reshuffle puts all the key characters in one class. The anticipation is through the roof."
"Does anyone know who 'Shiori-sensei' is in real life, or if she has social media? I want to follow her".
"I don't know about that, but I joined a fan group, and someone there claimed she's been close friends with Shiori Takahashi for years. She said Shiori is super pretty in real life".
"Seriously? I mean, she's definitely a girl, but pretty? Now I'm curious."
"No idea if it's true."
"You should focus on the novel itself, not the author. Even if Takahashi-sensei isn't a cute girl, even if she were a guy, would you stop reading? Don't lose the plot".
"That's fair, but don't post that hypothetical again. Shiori Takahashi being a guy is way too ridiculous. Are you saying I might have been bawling over a shoujo romance written by a dude?".
"That's actually an interesting topic."
"Interesting my foot. Don't pollute the forum with that nonsense. Do you think Shiori Takahashi-sensei doesn't read this place? If she's a girl and she sees you talking like that, she'll feel awful."
"Enough chatter. Did you vote or not? If you haven't, go vote. I got last week's results from someone on the inside. Blue Spring Ride only ranked third in votes. Can you tolerate that?"
"Who are first and second?"
"Summer Fireworks and The Day of Farewell."
"I don't like that at all."
"Same. I can't accept Blue Spring Ride losing to those two."
"Then work harder. Promote it on other forums, in Fleeting Blossoms circles, in light novel fan groups, anywhere. Let's pull in more readers. Let's go."
"If you really love Blue Spring Ride, join our group. Let's organize and push this series as far as it can go."
In Japan, following a serialized novel was starting to look more and more like idol fandom.
The culture was already there, and people knew exactly how to mobilize. After three consecutive installments, the fans of Blue Spring Ride had finally adjusted, gathered, and formed a group with real scale and real organization.
While Haruto, the actual author, remained completely clueless and unaware of any of it, they were already planning strategies to boost his ranking in Fleeting Blossoms.
After school that afternoon, the weather was bright, and the sunset dyed the sky a deep orange.
Haruto did not go straight home.
Instead, he took the train toward the address Yukino had sent him the week before.
Of course, he also carried the drafts for Chapters Seven and Eight of Blue Spring Ride in his bag.
'I wonder if that 'Airi' is easy to talk to," he thought as he entered a residential complex. "I only met her once, and even that was barely a meeting. We ran into each other in the elevator at Crimson Maple Literature. She had a mask on, so I do not even know what she looks like.'
Then his mind shifted again, a little darker.
'And please, Yukino, don't give me any weird 'suggestions.' I am not changing the main plot just because someone feels like it.'
Building Thirteen.
There it was.
Haruto found the right tower, stepped into the high-rise, and pressed the elevator button for the ninth floor.
Their agreed time was 7:30 p.m.. He still had ten minutes to spare, so he used the reflective elevator wall to check his appearance.
He smoothed the wrinkles in his uniform that had formed from walking.
Looking presentable mattered. It was basic respect.
When he reached the floor, he walked to Room 903 and rang the doorbell.
The door opened quickly.
Yukino stood there in a red dress, posture straight, hair falling softly around her shoulders.
Without her office seriousness, without that sharp, professional edge, she looked more like a warm and approachable older sister. Haruto froze for a second, caught off guard by how different she felt outside work.
Then her expression fell into clear disappointment the moment she saw him.
"I thought that was the delivery," she said bluntly.
"You're early too. Come in. You probably haven't eaten yet, right? If you're hungry, endure it. We'll wait for the food together".
'Early too?'
Haruto immediately understood.
That meant the mysterious girl author had already arrived.
He stepped inside.
It was a three-bedroom apartment with elegant, tasteful decor, but the moment you looked around the entryway, the style clash hit you.
The walls were covered in posters from anime, games, and light novels, as if her hobbies had simply overwhelmed the interior designer.
And when he reached the living room, he sucked in a breath.
Three massive glass display cases stood near the balcony. Each one was huge, nearly two meters tall, and packed tight with merchandise. Figures, limited-edition collectibles, rare game consoles, old cartridges, special releases from hit series.
The shelves were overflowing with the kind of things you only saw in auctions or collector forums.
"No way," Haruto blurted, eyes blazing. "A limited Crimson Sun Knight Brigade transformation device. You have that?".
"And that's the deluxe Magical Girl Lulu figure!"
"And this… the Space Knight Brigade diorama. The one they said only had ten thousand units worldwide!"
His gaze was practically sparkling.
This whole room was ridiculous.
Yukino was not just some editor.
She was a rich editor.
A scary rich editor.
"Hmph," Yukino said, visibly pleased by his reaction.
She nodded with smug satisfaction. "You know your stuff, Haruto. Not like a certain someone who looked at my treasures and felt absolutely nothing".
'A certain someone?'
Haruto blinked, then finally pulled his eyes away from the dazzling ocean of collectibles and looked toward the sofa.
A girl sat there quietly.
Her expression was cool and distant, her posture calm, her beauty almost unreal in that still, silent way. The moment Haruto saw her, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Then, on the second look, the memory snapped into place.
Class Seven.
Reina Fujimoto.
His mind went blank.
"Huh…?"
'What? What is she doing here?'
Haruto stood there, completely stunned.
_______________________
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