Katsuragi Ren looked sideways at Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was sitting very close to him, without speaking. The boy closed the light novel in his hand.
Everything had a price.
That Utaha Kasumigaoka controlled the distance between them to be so close meant she definitely wanted something from him.
After witnessing how he treated his friend, she still wanted something from him?
Interesting.
Katsuragi Ren felt a bit of interest in Utaha Kasumigaoka, anticipating what kind of amusement she could bring him.
"Kohai, what do you think of Metronome in Love?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka spoke, revealing her purpose.
"Metronome in Love?"
Glancing with surprise at Utaha Kasumigaoka, whose face was full of expectation, Katsuragi Ren confessed frankly, "Tasteless, but a pity to throw away."
Recalling the content he had read in this light novel, Katsuragi Ren added a sentence.
"Senpai, you have definitely never been in a relationship, right?"
This last sentence added by Katsuragi Ren dealt an invisible critical hit to Utaha Kasumigaoka.
That's right, Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had been first in her grade since entering Sobu High and was the object of admiration for her juniors...
Had never been in a relationship even once!
Because Metronome in Love had dismal sales when it was first published, it only finally picked up after Tomoya Aki helped with promotion.
She had originally planned to try confessing to Tomoya Aki after the start of the second year, but unexpectedly, she encountered the incident with Katsuragi Ren directly.
After seeing Tomoya Aki's attitude towards Eriri Spencer Sawamura later, Utaha Kasumigaoka was no longer in such a hurry to confess.
Utaha Kasumigaoka couldn't figure it out. She had clearly only sought Katsuragi Ren to ask for his thoughts after reading Metronome in Love written by her, so why did he directly see through the fact that she had never been in a relationship?
"Kohai, this has no direct relation to my question, right?"
Neither admitting nor denying it, Utaha Kasumigaoka steered the conversation topic back to her light novel.
"Senpai, your Metronome in Love is too sweet. Sweet to the point of being unrealistic."
"So sweet that despite the very ordinary setting you gave the male protagonist, he can win the female protagonist's heart without any obstacles."
"This isn't reasonable. Relying solely on mutual affection is useless. It lacks the redemption, the push-and-pull, and the breaking up and getting back together that a light novel should have. You are just blindly distributing sugar."
"Distributing it until... you don't know how to continue writing now, right?"
Katsuragi Ren said, looking at Utaha Kasumigaoka, whose eyes held a hint of guilt.
For a "sugar-distributing" type of light novel like Metronome in Love, if it continues to distribute sugar, it should end when the sugar runs out.
But looking at Utaha Kasumigaoka's appearance, she obviously wanted to continue writing the second volume. Utaha Kasumigaoka, having used up all kinds of artificial sweeteners, naturally wouldn't know what to write next.
Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had never been in a relationship and had never experienced the breakups and reunions within one, could only grope slowly in the dark for the tricks of the trade.
The framework was not constructed well, and there was an editor chasing her for the manuscript from behind. Under the pincer attack from both sides, the collapse of the second volume was destined.
"Mhm, I really can't write anymore..."
Utaha Kasumigaoka opened her laptop and clicked on the draft of the second volume, which she was consistently dissatisfied with no matter how she modified it.
"Kohai, can you help me take a look?"
Since Katsuragi Ren could point out the problems with her light novel at a glance, Utaha Kasumigaoka believed that after finishing reading the second volume, she would be able to offer effective suggestions.
"No."
Katsuragi Ren refused without even thinking.
What a joke. He and Utaha Kasumigaoka were neither relatives nor old friends; he had no obligation to help her for free.
Katsuragi Ren's refusal, which didn't drag through the mud or water at all, stunned Utaha Kasumigaoka.
No matter what, she was a beautiful girl, right? Wouldn't Katsuragi Ren consider it a bit more?
Katsuragi Ren, lacking any romantic sentiment, didn't want to continue the back-and-forth with Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Rather than letting me help you look at the second volume, Senpai, you might as well go find a boyfriend and experience the feeling of love yourself."
"Speaking about it endlessly is not as good as experiencing it personally."
"Tsk, you guys are so noisy."
A slightly irritable voice sounded from above.
A girl with long silver hair tied in a high ponytail poked her head out. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the girl spoke with dissatisfaction to Katsuragi Ren and Utaha Kasumigaoka below.
Obviously, the chat between the two people below had disturbed her sleep.
"Kawasaki, it is class time now. And this period is Hiratsuka-sensei's class."
Katsuragi Ren recognized the girl's background and reminded her with a smile.
New amusement again. Fantastic.
Katsuragi Ren happened to know the girl catching up on sleep above. It was Saki Kawasaki from his class. She usually exuded an aura of "don't come near me," often causing other classmates to mistake her for a delinquent girl.
As far as Katsuragi Ren knew, Saki Kawasaki's grades seemed to be at a medium level.
In other words, she did not have the privilege of skipping class.
"Hiratsuka... Sensei? Shizuka Hiratsuka!?"
Saki Kawasaki, whose brain was still dizzy from being woken up, instantly sobered up upon hearing Katsuragi Ren mention Shizuka Hiratsuka's name. Even the grumpiness that had just risen vanished into smoke at this moment.
Saki Kawasaki hurriedly jumped down from above, about to pull open the rooftop door and rush to the classroom.
Shizuka Hiratsuka's "Iron Fist of Justice" believed in gender equality; Saki Kawasaki was equally afraid of Shizuka Hiratsuka's fist.
Just as she grabbed the iron door handle, Saki Kawasaki sensed something was wrong and looked at Katsuragi Ren suspiciously.
"Katsuragi, if it's Hiratsuka-sensei's class, why aren't you in class? You still have time to be here whispering sweet nothings?"
"I transferred to Sobu High with full marks in all subjects."
Katsuragi Ren smiled at Saki Kawasaki.
"What about her?"
Saki Kawasaki turned her gaze to Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"I have maintained the first rank in the grade since enrollment."
Utaha Kasumigaoka gave her own explanation.
"Goodbye!"
Following Saki Kawasaki's malicious farewell, the rooftop door was slammed shut with force.
Katsuragi Ren, intending to leave the rooftop and wander elsewhere in the school, also prepared to depart.
"Kohai, just now when Kawasaki-san asked you if we had time to whisper sweet nothings here, you didn't seem to refute it, did you~"
Utaha Kasumigaoka revealed a cunning smile like a black-hearted little fox.
Didn't Katsuragi Ren say she had never been in love? Utaha Kasumigaoka had a very good idea.
Pretend to be a couple with Katsuragi Ren to experience the feeling of falling in love, and after she got the inspiration...
"What, Senpai wants to date me?"
Katsuragi Ren turned around to look at Utaha Kasumigaoka, speaking with a faint smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"Can we pretend for a bit?"
Seeing that Katsuragi Ren saw through her thoughts but didn't leave immediately, Utaha Kasumigaoka felt there was a chance.
Receiving the accurate answer given by Utaha Kasumigaoka, Katsuragi Ren left the rooftop without a second thought.
"Pretend? I don't play house, Senpai."
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I also want to apologize for the lack of updates this month, haha. My PC completely died, and uploading chapters from my phone was pretty complicated.