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"This answer is the hardest to deal with. Since that's the case…"
Yakishio Lemon chuckled. It was a rare moment of being alone together—a rare reunion after a long time—and her next choice was to go to a burger joint.
"I've been looking for you all day and haven't eaten anything. I'm so hungry my stomach's touching my back. When you're hungry, you just have to have a burger! Kiyono, order whatever you want, it's my treat!"
The athletic girl smiled naturally, completely unaware that there was anything wrong with this.
Isn't what you just said a little scary!
Kiyono retorted, then followed her and ordered a set meal.
Lemon bought a beef-burger set meal plus an à la carte teriyaki burger, with grape Fanta as the drink. Considering a balanced diet, she also added a salad. He ordered a Big Mac set meal.
After picking up their food at the counter, the two found a window seat.
"Let's toast to the start of a new life—cheers!"
Lemon raised her plastic cup. He responded with an "Oh" and clinked his cup with hers.
As they munched on their burgers, they chatted about everyday trifles. Their views somehow aligned perfectly. As they talked, Kiyono suddenly looked up at her, a strange feeling blooming in his heart.
Although he often joked that Yanami was a good buddy, in daily interactions Lemon was more like the closest thing to a true opposite-sex buddy. After all, Yanami just had less sense of personal space; her other hobbies were still very girlish—loving good food, taking photos, sharing, and shopping…
Lemon's hobbies, however, leaned the other way. She preferred high-calorie foods over delicate ones, and sports over trying on clothes or watching movies.
Whether it was basketball, baseball, or tennis—she loved any sport with competition and opportunities for improvement.
Perhaps because of this, being with her felt relaxing and in sync.
Generally, when boys see pretty girls, they either feel inferior or want to show off in front of them, finding it hard to be their true selves. Ordinary girls are easier to get along with because you have no fantasies about them. But Lemon—despite being a refined, beautiful girl—possessed this incredible quality that made it easy for people to show their true selves.
Perhaps this was why she was so popular… As if sensing Kiyono's gaze, Lemon smiled mischievously:
"Why are you staring at me like that? Could it be… you've finally discovered my cuteness?"
"Isn't Lemon always cute?" Kiyono said, puzzled.
"What…!"
The girl's pretty face visibly flushed. Where did this natural airhead come from!
To hide her emotions, she quickly took a big gulp of her drink.
Then she felt this didn't quite fit her style. She lightly kicked Kiyono's shin with her toe and, even with a slight blush still on her face, subtly raised her chin.
"Want to play a game? If I can loop an onion ring onto your straw, you have to come play ball with me tomorrow!"
"Don't waste food or drinks!"
Yanami would cry if she saw this!
"Your cup is empty anyway." Lemon giggled, picked up an onion ring, and lightly tossed it. The result was…
"Darn it, almost!"
The girl annoyedly slapped the table. At that moment, she noticed a tiny red smudge on Kiyono's lip. She immediately leaned forward, squinted, and smiled, reminding him:
"You've got ketchup on you, Kiyono—how careless."
"Oh…"
Kiyono raised an eyebrow, pulled out a wet wipe, and casually wiped it off.
Lemon initially didn't pay attention. She picked up the onion ring that had fallen on the table and put it in her mouth. However, when she saw Kiyono's action, she suddenly froze.
Wait.
Did I miss something?
If Yanami had been here just now…
She couldn't help but imagine the scene: the blue-haired girl grabbing Kiyono's wrist and, while he was stunned, pulling out a tissue from the table to gently wipe the ketchup from the corner of his mouth. From Kiyono's perspective, the girl at that moment would surely be full of thoughtfulness and charm, making his heart flutter… Eh?
Ah ah ah ah!
Looking at the girl slumped on the table, her eyes unfocused, Kiyono couldn't help but mutter… Do you really want to run with someone that much?
In the end, Kiyono still agreed to her request.
The two walked out of the burger joint. The vibrant neon lights illuminated the girl's profile, and the bright moonlight spilled across the ground. Perhaps because today was special for both of them, they subconsciously slowed their pace.
"Are you full?" Lemon could only come up with such uninteresting topics.
"More or less."
"You're too thin—you need to eat more." The girl lightly patted his back. Are you my mother?
"Speaking of which, I don't seem to know much about your hobbies. As comrades, that's not very fitting! So, what do you like now?"
Lemon spoke again, and after speaking, she wanted to slap herself in shame—this topic was introduced too awkwardly! Am I a creepy old man hitting on girls? But there was no helping it; she wasn't as astute as other girls and could only come up with such clumsy, straightforward methods.
Fortunately, Kiyono was a man who could handle anything from corny jokes to profound topics, but at this moment, he opened his mouth, then strangely fell silent.
"Just reading… and playing some old games from back then?"
He suddenly realized that his hobbies seemed to be things from a long time ago. Since transmigrating, he had been busy with life and had no time to think much. After his basic needs were met, he didn't want to waste time—only those without talent knew how precious talent was—and even playing games felt like a sin.
As a result, he had unconsciously stopped watching new anime.
"Oh, oh! I've been reading a lot lately too—I even wrote a short poem!" Lemon walked with a skip in her step.
"Recite a couple of lines for me?" Kiyono teased.
"Tendons like bowstrings, taut, words unspoken, only footsteps connect." The girl enunciated each word.
(My taut tendons are like a full-moon bow; those fervent emotions I couldn't express are all hidden in my footsteps.)
"Oh, this is genuinely practiced—very good." Kiyono looked at her in surprise and clapped his hands in admiration.
Lemon chuckled, her eyes curving into crescents.
"I can also play arcade games," she added.
"I wouldn't have guessed—are you a high-score girl?" Kiyono's eyes widened.
"When I was little, my parents didn't let me go to arcades, but kids… you know, the more you're told not to do something, the more curious you get. One time during summer vacation, I snuck out to play for a bit, and then I got hooked."
The girl recounted her past.
"Do you play Metal Slug? How about King of Fighters?" Kiyono became interested.
Lemon thought for a moment and said, "I'm not very skilled at side-scrolling games. I play Street Fighter more often for fighting games, right?"
"Then now… do you want to find a place to play together? I just feel restless, and after you mentioned it, I can't resist anymore. Although as post-dinner exercise, it might be a bit intense…"
Ahead was a colorful arcade. Kiyono stopped, eagerly rubbing his hands together.
"Kiyono really likes to tell boring jokes…"
"What's wrong—are you giving up already, Kiyono? You need to attack more proactively and fiercely."
The athletic girl's whisper sounded in his ear.
Kiyono remained silent, following her words, moving the joystick in his hand.
His gaze uncontrollably fell on the score display of the character on the right side of the screen—the girl's score was almost double his.
"This is what you call 'not very skilled'?"
Kiyono's mouth twitched.
Flexible movement, precise calculation for chaining weapons and grenades, perfect timing… This made the player who once, in a fit of pique, used one life to clear a stage with ten grenades feel very ashamed.
"These kinds of games only require reflexes and repetitive practice—just like sports," the girl said, regaining some confidence.
The monsters on the screen had just been cleared. Kiyono took the opportunity to glance at the music-game machine on the right and casually said:
"If it relies on physical agility, playing that would be even more impressive, right?"
"Oh, I've already gotten first place in Tokyo for that one."
"That's amazing!?"
"Hmph. I'm invincible when it comes to games that involve physical activity."
He felt like he was seeing a different side of Lemon.
Kiyono smiled, refocusing his attention on the game.
Pat-a-pat.
Boom-boom-boom.
The various sounds of the arcade blended together—like another world, lively and boisterous. His right hand accidentally brushed against the girl's arm, and a turn of his head would reveal her neck and profile.
Kiyono gazed at the two characters on the screen. The subtle loneliness that had lingered in his heart all day seemed to quietly disappear.
He didn't look at the girl sitting shoulder to shoulder beside him, but simply said softly, with a hint of a smile:
"Thank you for finding me today."
"Mm."
The girl smiled.
The next day.
Two men sat face to face in a coffee shop. On the table lay coffee with a bitter aroma, and their expressions were equally solemn.
Then the older man took a manuscript from his bag and slowly placed it on the table.
"Fuyutsuki-sensei, regarding this manuscript of yours…"
The manuscript paper was covered with dozens of sticky notes.
Kiyono straightened his back. This time there were even more sticky notes than in the simulation. Was reality really more difficult?
"We've decided to publish this manuscript directly," the editor said solemnly.
The unexpected words surprised Kiyono—it was normal for light novels to undergo several revisions before publication. Last time, he had also revised some paragraphs, so he hadn't expected such a thorough speedrun this time.
As if seeing through his thoughts, the editor smiled and said:
"To put it simply, this manuscript is already perfect. It only needs some groundwork for future anime-adaptation scenes, and I'm not even sure if it should be changed…"
"Then… why did you put so many sticky notes on it?" Kiyono was speechless.
"These are on the paragraphs I found excellent. I was preparing to have a good chat with you about them…"
Editor Yasuda's tone changed—like a devout cardinal discussing the Bible with his Lord.
"Moreover, I always feel a strange sense of rapport with Fuyutsuki-sensei, as if… we've known each other for a long time," he murmured with emotion.
—I don't want to hear lines like that from a man!
Even after leaving the coffee shop, Kiyono still felt a lingering fear and secretly decided to keep his distance from the editor in the future.
Speaking of the editor—and the simulation…
A smiling blue-haired girl flashed before his eyes.
"Since she has memories… how can Ms. Otter still resist coming to find her caretaker? Could it be…"
She was deliberately playing hard to get, waiting for him to seek her out?
After a few seconds of contemplation, Kiyono secretly shook his head, deciding to wait and see.
"I'll go find Lemon now."
He took a step, heading toward the place he had agreed to meet Lemon yesterday.
But at some point, he suddenly felt something and looked back, only to see a wisp of black hair dart past a utility pole.
Kiyono paused.
Raising an eyebrow, he stood still for a moment, then resumed walking forward. After a while, he faintly heard rustling sounds from the bushes behind him again.
Kiyono clicked his tongue softly. When he reached a less crowded area, he slowly turned around, looked at a clump of bushes not far away, and said:
"Come out. I've already seen you."