As soon as class ended, Irisu Makina hung onto Jhin like a koala, pouting her pink lips and pleading with him: "Big Brother, Big Brother, tell me a story."
Jhin supported her youthful buttocks with his hands to prevent her from losing her grip and falling. He then pulled out a chair and sat down firmly. Irisu Makina straddled his thighs, rubbing her cheek—white and tender as a freshly peeled egg—vigorously against Jhin's face, as if she would keep rubbing until class started if he didn't tell her a story.
"I'm not the King of Stories; where would I get so many stories to tell?"
"Please, just tell one more, just one." Irisu Makina gazed at Jhin pitifully with watery eyes.
Jhin grabbed her cheeks, which still had some baby fat and felt excellent to the touch, and rubbed them for a while before beginning his story: "In a certain world, there exists a peculiar phenomenon. Its underlying principles are unknown, it only occurs in adolescents, and the effects produced vary from person to person."
"It is known as—Adolescence Syndrome."
"The protagonist of the story is a huge star named Sakurajima Mai. She entered the entertainment industry as a child actor at the age of six, and her acting career soared triumphantly thereafter, but she chose to halt her activities at the peak of her popularity."
"The reason, well, was due to her busy schedule and her inability to adapt to normal school life."
"Huh? Shouldn't a big star be even more popular at school?" Michiru Matsushima was puzzled. Wasn't being popular at school a very good thing? Why would she be unable to adapt? She really didn't understand.
"Matsushima-san, it is precisely because of her status as a big star that she is more likely to be put on a pedestal and isolated at school, don't you think?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was only a somewhat famous light novel author, yet she had to carefully conceal her identity at school, let alone Sakurajima Mai, whose identity was known by everyone. Balancing the dual roles of a student and a professional was no ordinary hardship.
"That's true too."
Seeing the girls stop their discussion and look quietly at him, Jhin cleared his throat:
"Ahem, then I'll continue."
"One day, Sakurajima Mai suddenly had the thought that she didn't want to be watched or observed by others. Consequently, Adolescence Syndrome manifested in her. Sakurajima Mai discovered that she was gradually becoming unnoticeable to others."
Hearing this, the girls all felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
This is definitely a story based on Kato-san, isn't it?
"At first, those who couldn't notice Sakurajima Mai were classmates with whom she had little interaction. Then it was passersby on the street. The influence of Adolescence Syndrome grew greater with time, to the point that even when Sakurajima Mai went shopping, the cashier turned a blind eye to her, treating her and the items in her hands as transparent air."
"There's absolutely no solution to this anymore, is there?" Eriri thought about what it would be like if she were ignored by everyone in the world. A chill involuntarily surged in her heart, and she hugged herself, rubbing her arms. "Just thinking about it makes one feel despair."
"Well, it's actually not as bad as you imagine. Sakurajima Mai later met a boy who could observe her. In the end, through his unremitting efforts, he successfully solved the Adolescence Syndrome for her. After that, Sakurajima Mai returned to the entertainment industry and started dating that boy."
"Why is the ending so rushed? It's like a light novel that was hastily axed." Kasumigaoka Utaha was listening intently; the premise of the story had deeply attracted her. She felt the story had only just begun, only to be forcibly wrapped up by Jhin. She questioned him with a resentful tone: "Jhin-san, surely it isn't because you can't make up the rest?"
This isn't an original story of mine. To tell the whole thing would take ten days or half a month, not to mention I don't remember the original content very clearly.
Jhin spread his hands helplessly: "It's just a brief little story. I heard it from someone else; it's not my original work."
"Oh? A real-life friend?"
"No, a netizen."
As if I'd believe that!
Eriri quietly rolled her eyes. She still remembered how she had been tricked into crying by Jhin using this "netizen" lie. This story was definitely something Jhin made up on the spot, and he only rushed the ending because he didn't want to be pestered for the sequel.
It's a pity for such a good story. If it were written out in detail, it would surely be a best-selling light novel, wouldn't it?
"Did that netizen not say how the male protagonist solved Sakurajima Mai's Adolescence Syndrome?" Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't care who originally created the story; she just wanted to know the details of what happened next.
Jhin thought it over but only remembered the male lead's confession scene; the rest of his memories were already blurry:
"During an exam, the male lead rushed to the school playground and confessed to Sakurajima Mai facing the school building. His voice was so loud it startled everyone, and that solved the problem."
"That simple? No..." Kasumigaoka Utaha furrowed her beautiful brows, muttering to herself:
"Is this an attempt to shatter the atmosphere of Sakurajima Mai being ignored within the school, placing her directly in the most conspicuous position so that people are forced to re-acknowledge her existence?"
"Jhin-san, this story of yours is indeed fascinating." Kasumigaoka Utaha had to admit that if Jhin tried writing light novels, the works he produced might just become viral hits.
What a pity. Such an outstanding person, yet he's a two-timing scumbag.
Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed in her heart. Jhin's excellence was certainly dazzling, but the fact that he was cheating was enough, for a girl like her, to overshadow all his merits.
Scum as Jhin might be, it didn't stop Kasumigaoka Utaha from continuing to observe. She suddenly felt that writing a light novel where the heroine falls for a scumbag male lead, and the two eventually end up together after many twists and turns, seemed very interesting. The soil of her inspiration, which had been near depletion, was instantly nourished by this idea turning into rain.
Kato Megumi: "Jhin-san, could I trouble you to come to the garden during the lunch break?"
Jhin: "No problem, is something the matter?"
Kato Megumi: "You promised before to solve one thing for me, do you remember?"
Jhin: "Of course I remember."
Kato Megumi: "I want to ask you to solve a problem for me. We'll talk when we meet during lunch break."
Jhin: "Okay."
Kato Megumi put away her phone and sat quietly in her seat. Resting her delicate cheek on her hand, her eyes gazed at the clear azure sky outside the classroom window.
After listening to Jhin's break-time story, she felt a bit nervous about her own gradually thinning presence. She even felt that Jhin used this story to remind her that she must take this situation seriously, otherwise, if it developed to the state of Sakurajima Mai, it would be irreversible.
If it's Jhin-san, who can actively notice my existence, he should have a way to solve this problem.
Kato Megumi recalled accidentally seeing Jhin's ability to produce items out of thin air, and her confidence in him grew even stronger.
____
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