"Tch, Miyabi-sensei is really cold toward me!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's beautiful eyes flickered with light. Her soft red lips parted slightly as she looked at Sato with a smiling expression.
"If you have something to say, just say it quickly. I don't have extra time to waste here with you. Also… please don't call me that name at school."
Sato looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha with a hint of warning in his eyes.
"Huh? No extra time?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha showed a look of surprise, then quickly came to a realization. "Right! There are still so many cute girls waiting for Sato-sensei to accompany them. So… sensei, are you a male host?"
Sato suddenly lowered his head and let out a soft sigh. This person's personality really was awful…
When he raised his head again, Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly noticed that his gaze had changed. Compared to his previous calm and gentle look, there was now a sharpness, a hint of dominance and force.
That change made her heart skip a beat.
Sato looked at her calmly, then slowly stepped forward twice, carrying a strong sense of pressure.
Utaha instinctively stepped back, forced into the corner against the wall.
Thud!
Sato raised one hand and pressed it against the wall beside her. The girl in front of him was slightly shorter, so he tilted his head down as he looked at her, while she had to tilt her head slightly up.
At such close range, her delicate, smooth skin, her high, elegant nose, her bright, lively eyes, and her soft cherry-colored lips were all clearly visible.
Not only that, at this distance, he could even hear her heartbeat pounding, and feel her orchid-like breath brushing against his face.
"Then, Miss Kasumigaoka, what kind of service would you like this time?"
Sato looked at the girl before him with a faint smile, lowering his gaze slightly as he asked.
A blush spread across Kasumigaoka Utaha's fair face at a visible speed. Her wine-red eyes trembled slightly with unease, and she looked both embarrassed and annoyed.
Th-this guy!
Kasumigaoka Utaha pressed her teeth lightly against her lips. This position made her feel a certain ambiguous tension.
Before she could speak, the sound of something falling suddenly echoed through the deep corridor.
Thud!
Utaha and Sato both turned their heads instinctively, then saw a short-haired girl standing near the stairwell.
The girl stood there looking at them. She seemed surprised, yet her delicate and calm face showed no change in expression.
Time fell into a long silence.
"Sorry for disturbing you."
After a while, the short-haired girl reacted first. She bowed slightly to the two of them, her voice soft and flat.
She calmly picked up the documents on the ground, then quickly turned and walked downstairs.
Sato looked at the departing girl with some surprise and murmured, "That was… the heroine?"
Suddenly, the girl in front of him pushed him away with her palm.
Utaha stood there, taking a deep breath, but she still could not calm the agitation and embarrassment in her heart. The intense sense of shyness left her face flushed red.
With no other choice, she glared at him, both angry and embarrassed. "Look at what you've done. What are we supposed to do now?!"
"How is this my fault?"
Sato replied shamelessly, just like a scumbag who refuses to take responsibility after the fact.
Utaha, however, calmed down instead. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him coldly.
Sato met her gaze calmly. He absolutely refused to take the blame for this.
Suddenly, Utaha smiled, looking at him with a gentle expression. "Speaking of which, I'll be graduating next year. I won't be staying at this school much longer. If anything unexpected happens, Miyabi-sensei will have to handle it yourself."
"Either way, I'm not at a loss."
Sato said expressionlessly, completely indifferent.
"Tch!"
Utaha narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at him with displeasure. "Come with me!"
At the moment she turned around, Sato quietly let out a breath of relief, his whole body relaxing.
…
Club building, rooftop.
Watching the girl skillfully open the rooftop's iron door, Sato asked in surprise, "How do you have the key to the rooftop?"
"Got it from a teacher. Outstanding students get certain privileges."
Utaha answered without turning back.
The rooftop was unexpectedly clean. There were also many chairs and desks that looked abandoned.
After sitting down, Utaha found a barely usable chair and handed it to Sato. The two sat facing each other.
A slightly salty breeze blew across the rooftop. From here, they could see the vast, endless sea in the distance.
"So what exactly did you come to me for?"
Sato sat on the chair, looking at her. After all this fuss, it was time to get to the point.
Utaha's black hair fluttered slightly in the wind. She gathered the loose strands and secured them again with her white headband, then shot Sato a glance before saying, "It's a task Machida-san assigned."
"Machida-san?"
Sato raised an eyebrow. How did this suddenly involve Machida Sonoko?
If there was an issue, Machida Sonoko should have contacted him directly. Why would she suddenly go through Kasumigaoka Utaha?
Just as Sato was feeling puzzled, he saw Utaha take out a small notebook and a pen from somewhere.
The girl looked at him with a smile and said, "Today, we have the honor of inviting the rising star light novel author, the record holder for the fastest ten million sales, Miyabi-sensei from Fujikawa Shoten."
"Since your debut, Miyabi-sensei, you have created one astonishing record after another. However, before this, you have never publicly accepted interviews or shown your face. It is truly our honor to be able to invite you."
"May I ask, Miyabi-sensei, why have you always refused to appear in public?"
Sato looked at the serious Kasumigaoka Utaha and froze for a moment.
This is… an interview?!