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The next morning.
When Andrew opened his eyes, his little angel Mahiru was no longer in his arms.
She'd gotten up early—already busy in the kitchen.
With someone this caring looking after him, Andrew was starting to feel like a complete freeloader.
Before Mahiru came along, he'd drag himself out of bed to make his own breakfast. If he was short on time, he'd just grab some bread and milk from the convenience store and call it a day.
But once Mahiru started making burger for him, his meals became ridiculously good.
If it weren't for his special constitution—being able to burn off excess calories by channeling magic into strengthening his body—he would've put on at least ten pounds by now.
This girl… she'd take the money she earned from part-time work, never spend it on herself, and instead buy delicious or highly nutritious ingredients to make meals for him.
How could a guy not be moved by that?
So, after getting up and washing his face, he waited for a moment when Mahiru was frying eggs, then—just like last time—he slipped behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
"Mmph… cut it out… I'm cooking here."
Mahiru didn't even turn around, still focused on the food in the pan, though her cheeks had taken on a faint blush.
She wasn't as upset about "that little thing" he did before anymore.
The truth was, she was easy to please—just a little warmth, a little care, and a warm home were enough to make her happy.
And Andrew, the man who had barged so strongly into her life, had given her that sense of home.
It was the first time she'd been treated with this kind of affection, so naturally she treasured it.
Whenever she had something good, he was the first person she thought of.
In fact, since she couldn't always give him what he wanted, she'd even considered turning a blind eye and letting him "sneak a taste" elsewhere.
But—if he was going to cheat—it could never be with some unclean woman.
That was for his health, after all.
Andrew didn't let go of her slim waist. If anything, he hugged her tighter, resting his chin on her fragrant shoulder.
She was small, soft, and smelled so nice that just holding her could make a man feel at peace… and, well, a little fired up.
He glanced at her lovely side profile and couldn't resist stealing a quick kiss.
Feeling the warmth against her cheek, Mahiru instantly lost her composure. She shot him a sidelong glare and threatened:
"If this egg gets burnt, you're eating all of it."
Andrew had no desire to eat burnt eggs, so he reluctantly let go and obediently sat down to wait.
Of course, after breakfast, he wasted no time pulling his little angel back into his arms—
—and this time, he kissed her soft, pink lips.
Morning just wouldn't feel right without this little ritual.
Mahiru's eyes widened at the sudden attack, startled for a moment. But then she remembered they were at his place—no one else would walk in—so she relaxed.
Looping her arms around his neck, she naturally returned his kiss.
When their lips finally parted, Mahiru was sitting on his lap, chest rising and falling with quick breaths.
Andrew gently stroked her silky golden hair and leaned in to whisper by her ear.
"Mahiru, my angel… you're not allowed to leave me. Not now, not ever. For the rest of your life—you're mine."
Hearing the possessiveness in his voice made her heart melt.
She gave a small nod in reply, though in her heart she was thinking:
As long as you don't throw me away, I'll always be by your side.
After a little more closeness, they headed out together to catch the train.
This time they didn't enter the school gates one after the other—they walked side by side, step for step.
By coincidence, they ran into Yukino Yukinoshita right at the entrance, the girl radiating her usual icy aura.
The moment she saw Andrew, she gave a sharp "hmph" and turned away without a word.
Mahiru tilted her head at him. "Andrew, when did you manage to offend Yukinoshita? She just hmph'ed at you."
Andrew shrugged. "Probably because I'm too handsome. She hates good-looking guys."
Mahiru rolled her eyes.
"Do you even believe yourself?"
Could it be… that the girl Andrew's been secretly flirting with is this Yukinoshita—the one who's just as pretty as me?
Mahiru Shiina gave the girl a thorough once-over, quietly tucking that thought away for later. She decided that, if the opportunity came up, it might not be a bad idea to get on Yukinoshita's good side.
Mahiru wasn't immune to a little sense of crisis. Especially when it came to a beautiful girl who could rival her looks—someone like that would definitely tempt Andrew, given his… let's say, "appreciative" personality.
Still, she was determined to protect her own position. She'd make sure he kept liking her, kept cherishing her.
As for Yukinoshita… yeah, her face was cute enough, but Mahiru didn't think she was a huge threat.
Why? Well, one glance at Yukinoshita's chest explained it all. Andrew clearly preferred girls with her kind of proportions.
The thought made Mahiru instinctively straighten her back.
Her school uniform curved in a way that left little to the imagination—and anyone could guess just how soft that looked.
Sure enough, the move caught Andrew's attention. His eyes flicked down, and he sneaked in a couple of extra glances before dragging them away. If they weren't in school with people all around, he'd probably have reached out already.
After all, he knew exactly how soft his little angel was.
Once they arrived at school, Mahiru slipped right back into her friendly, approachable mode.
Radiant and perfect, she was everyone's "angel" again.
Watching her bask in the attention, Andrew felt an odd swell of pride. After all, the angel everyone adored… was already his.
And once they got home, he could be as close to her as he wanted.
By late morning, classes were over and it was time for lunch.
Unfortunately, Mahiru had been swept off by Yumiko Miura and her friends for a burger lunch. Even Kato Megumi joined in—it was the kind of girl-bonding you couldn't just refuse without coming off rude.
Not wanting to hang out in the clubroom alone, Andrew decided to take the lunch Mahiru had made him up to the rooftop.
It was a great spot: wide open view, a light sea breeze, and a laid-back atmosphere. You could see the whole schoolyard from up here.
Down below, the noise of students was constant, and for Saki Kawasaki, it was just irritating background clamor.
She gave the guy eating lunch on the roof—him again—a quick glance, downed her rice balls in a few bites, and left without another word.
Andrew noticed her, of course, but didn't think much of it. He just popped open his meal and dug in.
Meanwhile, Utaha Kasumigaoka had just read the message Andrew left her.
It was his feedback on her second volume of Love Metronome, along with a few pointed questions.
His summary was sharp: Volume 2's plot was too straightforward. The main couple's date went way too smoothly. Why not shake things up—have the guy or girl get into a car accident and ruin the perfect date?
Then—memory loss! Throw in a childhood friend who tries to swoop in while one of them is amnesiac, angling for a relationship.
And just when the original couple's about to get back together after the memory comes back… the other one loses their memory.
Back and forth, tug-of-war. Turn a simple romance into a messy love triangle—or even a square.
Basically: never let them have an easy date. Make it dramatic. Make it hurt.
After reading his "advice," Utaha felt like she'd wasted her entire career.
You can do that in a light novel?Back-and-forth angst? Torturing the leads?
What kind of brain did this "Evening Sky" guy have to come up with stuff like this?
Why had she never thought to torment her protagonists like that to spice up the plot?
Then again… if she really wrote it that way, the readers would probably send her a mountain of razor blades.
"..."
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