An hour later, after finishing the dinner meeting, Leo and Asuna exited the Okura Hotel together and stepped into the stretch limousine.
The driver familiar started the engine without a word. The car pulled out smoothly, carrying the two of them toward the estate.
Asuna glanced back at the hotel, now shrinking into the distance. For some reason, a faint melancholy filled her eyes.
"Already missing your family?"
Leo's voice came from beside her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"If you really don't want to stay here, you can go back to Tokyo." Leo didn't look at her. Arms folded, shoulders against the seat, he spoke with his eyes seemingly closed. "As long as you come to the estate at night to get your work done, I won't force you to live here."
Honestly, he preferred his servants to live with him—but he wouldn't force it.
If Asuna truly didn't want to stay, she could go. He wasn't a lonely hermit desperate for company.
Whether Asuna sensed that or not, she let out a soft sigh and steadied her emotions.
"No… it's a rare opportunity. I want to try living differently." She looked forward, voice calm. "And I'm not feeling homesick. It's just… it feels like something has come to an end today. So I feel a bit complicated."
She thought of how her family accepted her becoming someone else's servant—helpless, but not angry. For a moment, Asuna even wondered if, in their hearts, she wasn't important at all.
Especially her mother, Yuuki Kyouko. The only thing visible in her eyes was irritation that the life she planned for her daughter had been disrupted—not a shred of concern. Asuna couldn't help wondering whether she even counted as her mother's child.
Look at Yukinoshita Yukino. She always felt unwanted at home, overshadowed by her sister, even isolated. But after today's incident, her family kept her back—clearly with important things to discuss.
But her own family?
Her father thanked Leo for saving her, and her brother blamed himself for not protecting her. Yet none of them tried to keep her home. They just let her walk away with Leo…
So I'm really starting a new life… and none of you have anything you want to say to me?
As her thoughts spiraled, Asuna's mood grew low.
"Pop!"
Suddenly, a flick against her forehead.
"—Ah!"
Asuna yelped, startled and stinging at once.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" Leo withdrew his finger without a hint of guilt. "You're at that sentimental age, sure, but that abandoned-puppy look on your face is making me a little irritated."
"…Leo-san, you're only a year older than me."
Asuna rubbed her forehead and muttered.
"But you give off this vibe that makes me feel like I'm raising a daughter," Leo smirked. "I wouldn't mind fast-forwarding to having a cute little kid to spoil. But you're too old for that. Might as well wait for you to pick up some stray AI girl before I start raising anybody."
"AI girl?" Asuna blinked. "Artificial intelligence? You can… pick that up?"
"Who knows." Leo chuckled lazily. "Probably impossible in this world. But it's good to have dreams."
"…I have no idea what you're talking about." Asuna frowned delicately, thought hard for several seconds, then gave up. "Leo-san always says weird things… and does shocking things out of nowhere."
"That's how you keep life fun." Leo looked sideways at her face, smiling. "Maybe I lived too quietly—too restrained—before. Now I'm letting myself be free. Doing whatever feels good."
"That really is a devil-like way of living." Asuna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, cheeks a bit warm. "But… it's enviable."
"No need to envy. You can do it too." Leo patted her shoulder. "From now on, live however you want. Nothing can bind you anymore."
"Really?" Asuna's mood visibly lifted. She even joked, "But aren't you my master? Won't you bind me?"
"That depends on whether you behave." Leo said seriously, "If you don't… I'll tie you up and spank you."
"…Pervert." Asuna's face flushed. She muttered, "I won't give you any chance to bully me."
"Then I'm looking forward to it." Seeing her mood fully recovered, Leo smiled. "Let's get along from now on, Asuna."
Asuna froze for a second—then nodded firmly and smiled.
The limousine soon reached the estate and rolled through the garden before stopping at the main entrance.
Leo and Asuna parted ways on the first floor, each heading to their own room.
But just before entering her room, Asuna's phone buzzed with a new message.
Take good care of yourself. —Yuuki Kyouko
Asuna stared at the text. Her eyes grew misty.
...
Meanwhile, Leo reached his room and pulled out his phone to check his own notifications.
My sister and mother will take me to school tomorrow. Let's meet on campus. —Yukinoshita Yukino
Well? Have you dealt with Miss Musashi yet? —Sitri Sona
Pervert Akuma-kun, I finished a new chapter! This time for sure! I uploaded it to your computer—go read it and tell me what you think! —Kasumigaoka Utaha
Along with these familiar messages, he received updates from several contacts reporting on various matters.
Leo read through them one by one and replied to each—except Utaha's.
"She already wrote something new?"
Raising a brow, he grabbed his laptop from the bedside table.
He powered it on, opened his email—and soon found the message from "Kasumiko," Utaha's pen name.
He opened the draft, skimmed through it, and immediately typed a reply.
This is just more of the same. Still sweet fluff between the leads from beginning to end. Sure, it makes readers smile a bit, but like I said before—it has no sense of anticipation, none of the pull that made Volume 1 shine. If I had to score it, 3 out of 10. One point for your lovely prose, one point for your charming heroine, and the last point is charity from a fan's filter. Keep working on it~~~
After sending the email, Leo tossed the laptop onto the bed and headed for the shower.
He had no idea that somewhere else, a certain rising light novel author was exploding.
...
"What do you mean charity from a fan's filter?!"
In a Chiba City apartment, Kasumigaoka Utaha trembled with fury, nearly chucking her laptop across the room.
She was in her room—and looked like she'd only just come out of the bath.
Her hair was still damp, steam clung lightly to her skin, and she wore nothing but a towel that left her shoulders, arms, and long legs exposed. It was an eye-catching sight.
"That pervert akuma-kun… how dare he talk to me like that…"
Practically naked, Utaha gritted her teeth in indignation. Her breathing grew unsteady, loosening the knot of her towel and revealing even more of her figure.
"And I actually looked forward to his feedback! I should've just kept it to myself!"
Unable to vent her frustration, she snatched a pillow off her bed and pounded it violently—clearly imagining a certain someone's face.
After exhausting herself, she grabbed her laptop again and reread the chapter she had written. A soft sigh escaped her lips.
"…Is it really that bad?"
She murmured, looking disheartened.
This was a side of her she would never show anyone else. Only alone in her room would she let herself crumble like this.
"Don't tell me I really can't write Volume 2…? Will Love Metronome really get axed?"
The worry and sadness on her face were enough to make anyone's heart ache.
"Isn't there any solution…"
She paced her room, kicking aside the clothes she had left on the floor—then kicking them even farther.
"Hm?"
Something fell out of the pocket of the kicked clothing—a piece of vintage parchment.
Utaha paused.
She remembered where it came from.
"This charm really works, you know. If you're troubled, it might give you a little help."
That boy's bright smile as he handed it to her surfaced clearly in her mind.
Feeling both annoyed and hopeful, Utaha picked it up.
"If you can really help me, then hurry up and do it." She huffed. "Help me finish Volume 2. Don't let Love Metronome get axed."
At the exact moment she said that—
Zing—
A faint magic circle on the parchment lit up.