Itsuki Hayashi quickly settled on the story he wanted to write.
He wasn't going to outright plagiarize, of course, but he could borrow some elements and plotlines from existing works.
After all, in this world, none of these works officially existed—so stitching together a "Frankenstein" version of ideas to make some money wouldn't get him reported.
He spent two hours crafting the opening, finally stopping with a sense of satisfaction.
The title? "Childhood Friend and Senpai's Love Story—No Problems Here."
Hee-hee. It borrowed Eriri's hidden ero-manga persona and Kasumigaoka Utaha's light-novel senpai archetype.
Then, the two girls, at the protagonist's request, formed a game-development club and competed over him in a romantic comedy, with occasional stock-market shenanigans thrown in.
For an extra dark twist, in the final volume, the protagonist ends up with a random background character, leaving both heroines as the "losers," who ultimately develop a yuri relationship.
Uh… the more he thought about it, the weirder it sounded.
This would definitely get criticized.
Still, black or red, he decided to first write a sweet, slightly sour romantic comedy to make a little money.
As for the bizarre twist at the end, that could wait for the final volume.
Besides, even if he wrote it, it might not even get published—the editor had to approve it too.
Having decided on the plot, Itsuki didn't care whether Eriri or Utaha would recognize themselves in it or freak out socially.
Next, the author name.
What should he pick?
Got it!
"Musha Tenku"—an elegant, airy pen name.
No deep reason; he'd just been moved by a game called Blazing Sky before, and it stuck in his mind.
Since this world lacked such famous works, now was the time to shake up the literary world with his memories.
Of course, the main goal wasn't literary fame—it was to impress beautiful girls, get close to them, and eventually contract them as followers.
Currently, the only way to gain a follower was simple: get the target to agree to let him do anything.
That night, Shiina Mahiru had done just that in her despair—and so she became his follower.
Forcing someone wouldn't activate a contract.
Thus, to increase followers, Itsuki had to appeal both physically and emotionally.
The demon-growth panel gave him a hint: freeing Mahiru's angelic heart and fostering harmony in his garden would let his Super Recovery power improve.
So there—his path for growth was set: a generous, loving man.
While Itsuki feverishly wrote, planning to shock the literary world, Mahiru had just finished her meal.
After eating, she lay on the bed, scrolling through her phone.
Her contacts list had only two names: her homeroom teacher, Kirisu Mafuyu, and the maid, Yukino Aunty.
Her parents' numbers had been deleted.
Keeping them was useless—they never initiated contact. Even if she called, the reply would be a curt, "I'm busy with work," without a word of conversation.
Time and again, her expectations were dashed, leaving her supposedly strong heart battered and full of holes.
Yesterday, learning her parents' cold truth had shattered her entirely. She'd begun giving up on herself.
In her house, she felt completely unnecessary. No matter how excellent she tried to be, in her parents' eyes, she was just an eyesore.
She didn't want to go back there.
But… could she stay here?
Her stay had been relatively peaceful.
Yet, just thinking of the scoundrel next door made her frown.
Her feelings toward Itsuki were complicated.
On one hand, she was angry at his opportunistic behavior—he had taken advantage of her while she was emotionally broken.
On the other hand… there was an inexplicable sense of closeness.
Why?
"Is it because he said he cared about me?"
Thinking of that shameless, fiery kiss, Mahiru's delicate face flushed even hotter.
The blush spread all the way to the roots of her ears, making her even cuter.
"Ugh… don't think about him! He's just a pervert!"
Most normal high school boys, seeing a beautiful girl like Mahiru sitting on a swing, drenched in the rain and dejected, would have offered her an umbrella.
But not Itsuki.
He deliberately lured her into despair and, without hesitation, carried her to his room.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized how wicked he was, and her cheeks puffed up in indignation.
Since she had skipped class, Mahiru spent the day staring blankly in her room.
Before she knew it, night had fallen.
Stretching, Itsuki finally finished his day's work.
He had written about a third of the romantic comedy starring the tsundere blonde twin-tail and the black-stockinged senpai; the rest could wait until tomorrow.
After taking a sip of water to moisten his throat, Itsuki went to Mahiru's door and knocked.
"Shiina, are you asleep?"
"…"
"Mahiru, you awake?" When she didn't answer, he switched to a more familiar tone.
The next second, the door creaked open, and the girl appeared, visibly fuming.
"We're not even close enough to call each other by name yet, perverted opportunist!"
Flustered, Itsuki smiled awkwardly. "I thought you were asleep."
"Hmph! If you've got something to say, say it quick! I'm trying to rest!" She cracked the door just enough to block him, clearly prepared to shut it at any sudden move.
"I can't sleep… I want to sleep with you…"
"Get lost! Pervert! I'll call the cops!"
Mahiru scolded him without giving him any face, her cheeks burning red as she slammed the door.
The nerve of that jerk—teasing her in the morning wasn't enough, now he was harassing her at night.
She really needed to move out!
Being rejected at the door didn't faze Itsuki.
After all, Shiina Mahiru was already his follower.
He knew these contracts could only be broken by the death of one party.
In his mind, Mahiru was already his future wife.
Being turned away by his future wife wasn't a problem.
Her strong reaction only proved she actually cared about what happened between them.
That was a good thing.
Some things always have a first time, and countless times after.
…
And thus, the flowers bloom.