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"When exactly… how did I not notice?" Kiyono trailed off mid-sentence, then fell silent. He remembered. It was that bread. Yanami had slipped the other snacks into his bag when he bent down.
"I don't even like this kind of stuff much."
Kiyono scratched his head. He peered into the bag again and noticed a notebook mixed in.
How could I forget even this…
He took out his phone and sent the girl a text.
"You forgot your notebook."
"Ah, that's for you. You can open it and read it."
An instant reply.
Kiyono raised an eyebrow, set the shopping bag on the ground, and reached for the notebook.
He opened to the flyleaf; the dazzling streetlights illuminated the crooked handwriting.
"The convenience store's new daifuku is buy one get one free, but Yanami Anna's snacks are—only for Little Senior to enjoy permanently."
Kiyono stared blankly. At the end of the notebook, a sticky note was hidden, with writing on it:
"To a certain gentleman who accidentally got this notebook: if the person reading this is blushing, please exchange two cans of strawberry milk for the notebook."
Days passed slowly and steadily. The final version of the light-novel manuscript had been submitted to the printing factory, and his work was temporarily over. He used the ample remaining time to improve his literary skill points.
And with each passing day, a strange question kept returning—you only get one life in reality. If he continued like this, his life would be tied to the path of literature. That wasn't bad, but…
"I still need to continue simulating."
Kiyono's thoughts grew clearer.
Among other things, the time spent learning in simulations was indispensable. Reading, writing, studying, researching… simulations could help him save huge amounts of time and energy he'd otherwise spend in reality—as well as unlock other talent entries.
But simulations had a serious problem.
"The System's nature is already obvious: an absolutely bloodthirsty, evil cuckold. As soon as the next simulation starts, it'll definitely arrange some strange heroines for me."
—This wasn't even for Big Junior's sake; after all, their relationship was only a bit closer, not boyfriend and girlfriend. This was his inner self-restraint!
So he had to avoid emotional entanglements with other losing heroines and focus solely on improving himself.
Looking at the remaining simulation time, Kiyono confirmed his goal.
Dusk was like spilled orange soda, dyeing the shopping street warm gold.
Kiyono wandered aimlessly, thinking about the literary circle. Just then, a figure ahead caught his attention—pink long hair shimmered with a honey-like luster in the sunset, and a dazzling, charming heroine walked by.
Is this… Himemiya Karen?
Before Kiyono could think further, his gaze sharpened. Next to the pink-haired girl, a small moving truck was parked, and workers were hauling cardboard boxes into the shop. She happened to be passing by, and unfortunately, one worker had stacked three boxes together to save effort; they were wobbling and about to tip.
By the time he came to his senses, his body had already reacted. He lunged forward, grabbed her wrist with astonishing speed, and pulled her into his arms. The slightly rough force knocked them both off balance, and they fell onto the road beside them.
"Ugh…"
His vision went dark for a moment.
The world spun.
Crash, crash, crash.
The boxes toppled too.
The pain in his back as it hit the ground made Kiyono gasp, and the girl landing heavily on him added a second blow.
"Are you alright?!"
A soft, worried voice sounded in his ear.
Kiyono looked up, and the girl filled his entire field of vision.
The first thing he saw were beautiful eyes like melted sunset. She straddled him, the afterglow illuminating her profile, as if the world around them had fallen silent—delicate and beautiful, gentle and lovely.
Her almost tearful face was close to his; her perfect features were clearly visible. Worse, her bent knees pressed into his inner thigh, letting him distinctly feel the smoothness of her leg.
You can even manufacture a rom-com meet-cute in reality? System, you're something else.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Get up first—don't look like I'm about to die." Kiyono rolled his eyes.
"I—I'm sorry…"
Karen quickly pushed herself up. Kiyono also sat up and, after confirming she was alright, breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her.
"Sorry for suddenly pushing you down…"
"You did that to keep me from getting hurt. I should be the one apologizing!" the pink-haired girl said, shaking her head.
"Next time, be more careful," he couldn't help warning. Then Kiyono added, "I'll be going."
To be honest, what just happened—though a misunderstanding—clearly left a good impression on the girl. What girl doesn't like a brave, gentle person? If he were interested in this beautiful returnee from England, exchanging contact info would likely open plenty of chances to keep in touch.
But he had no such intention.
"Please, please wait!"
She stepped forward and anxiously grasped his hand.
"Your hand is bleeding!"
Kiyono glanced down, indifferent. "It's just a scrape from the fall. It'll be fine in a couple of days."
"No, I'm responsible for your injury. Please let me take responsibility!"
Karen's pretty face was serious and stubborn.
"How are you going to take responsibility for this…" Kiyono muttered.
Saying nothing, the pink-haired girl led him to a nearby pharmacy, bought first-aid supplies, then made him sit on a bench. She sat beside him to treat his hand, her movements gentle, as if handling fragile porcelain.
Feeling the cool medicine on the back of his hand and the girl's warm, soft fingers, Kiyono wore a strange expression. He hadn't expected to get roped into a fated encounter…
"All done!"
After tying a cute bow over the bandage, Himemiya Karen finally smiled.
"Is there anywhere else on your body that feels uncomfortable?" She carefully inspected his exposed skin. Most girls would be shy in this situation, but she was unusually serious—her concern for the boy outweighed her instinctive shyness.
"I'm full of energy now." Kiyono raised the hand with the bow and smiled.
"That's good. As compensation…"
Karen pulled a tin box tied with a red ribbon from her bag and, with an air that brooked no refusal, handed it to him. The sweet scent of cookies and her faint fragrance wafted over together.
"These are shortbread cookies I baked. Since I just came back from England, I originally made them for my new neighbors, but now they're for you!"
Oh? She can make desserts too?
As expected of a hexagonal warrior.
After a moment's thought, Kiyono accepted—he felt that if he didn't, this Miss 8K wouldn't let him go…
"Finally, let's exchange contact information! You're the first person my age who's spoken to me since I returned to the country!" The girl's smile was utterly unclouded.
"—Don't run away!"
He was pulled back.
In the end, he was forced to exchange contact information.
Under the sunset, looking at the number on her phone, Himemiya Karen tilted her head. This time, it seemed the story had shifted, and he was even gentler than she'd imagined…
A cool, elegant girl in uniform read under the setting sun, her profile focused and gentle.
At a certain moment—
She heard a strange sound, raised her stern eyes, and looked out the window.
"Simulation countdown remaining…"
How many times has he stood at the entrance of summer?
He inadvertently pondered this question. The summer in the boy's memory had no gentle festivals or oceans—only pure sweat and work. In the end, his impression of summer was just that bright, clear blue.
—When he crosses the threshold of summer again, will he see a different scenery?
He saw it as soon as summer arrived.
And it was the terrifying kind.
Kiyono lay on the sofa, looked at the messages on his phone, and his mouth twitched.
"Little Senior, did you watch TV yesterday? You probably didn't, right? But it's okay, I remembered it for you. Here's yesterday's program information: to celebrate the arrival of summer, the government will hold a Summer Festival this Saturday from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM. All citizens are welcome to attend in pairs."
—This was Yanami, constantly hinting at something.
"Hehehe, Kiyono, let's watch the fireworks together! It's summer now!"
—This was Yakishio Lemon.
"Qing, Qingqingqingye, Yuuta and Haruna are pestering me, saying, saying they want to watch fireworks with you. I can't help it, so… do you have time this weekend?"
—This was Komari.
What the hell are you all doing!?
Expressionless, Kiyono tossed his phone onto the bed.
In front of the full-length mirror, Yanami held the collar of her yukata with one hand and the obi with the other, grunting for a long time. Her expression shifted from solemn to despair; finally, she could only turn and quietly ask her mother for help.
"Mom, help me with this."
The blue-haired beauty walked behind her with a smile, took the obi from her daughter, and pulled it back firmly.
"Is this tightness acceptable?" she asked curiously.
"Ugh— I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!"
Yanami's pretty face went pale. After her mother loosened the grip, she reluctantly dropped her shoulders, then sighed.
"I've reduced my snack intake to one-third recently. Why have I only lost this much!?"
"You've been eating too much lately," her mother said helplessly.
"Th-this…" The girl blushed, unable to refute. This was the so-called withdrawal symptom. She took a deep breath, puffed out her chest, and sucked in her stomach, her tone proud.
"Mom, one more time! I think as long as I believe in the power of my mind, I can definitely tighten it a bit more!"
"Anna, don't fantasize about things that violate the laws of physics."
The blue-haired beauty pressed a hand to her forehead, continuously instructing: "Raise your hands higher," "straighten your back," "don't move around."
On the other side, the gloomy girl also faced the mirror seriously, slowly turning her body, movements like a butterfly flapping its wings.
"How does big sister look in this outfit, Yuuta?" She tilted her head, looking expectantly at her little brother—though, speaking of which, it was a bit sad she could only ask an elementary-school family member.
"You've asked more than a dozen times already. I think it looks great! Master will definitely like it!"
Her little brother bore a pain beyond his years.
"Then… that's good," Komari breathed, slightly relieved.
Dusk enveloped the shrine, and the crowds surged. Elderly couples walked hand in hand against the sunset, and beautiful girls in yukata walked very close to the boys beside them, their fingers occasionally touching.
Thump, thump.