Hearing that, Misumi Uika showed no disappointment or awkwardness at all—if anything, she looked excited.
"I noticed that too! For example, the largest star right now definitely isn't UY Scuti!"
"It's Stevenson 2-18," Asai Yu replied smoothly.
Uika's interest was instantly piqued.
"That's right! Asai-kun knows a lot—do you like stars too?"
"I'm pretty interested in the night sky. I know a bit about it," Asai Yu answered.
At that, Misumi Uika smiled as if she'd found a kindred spirit.
"Actually, I'm just like you, Asai-kun—I really love stars!"
She immediately started picking topics from the planetarium film they'd just watched.
Asai Yu responded to each one calmly. He could answer every question she asked, even expanding on them to a certain extent.
Gradually, the conversation broadened.
Misumi Uika went from casual chatting to full-on curious kid mode, asking about everything under the sun.
Asai Yu answered part of it, but seeing how increasingly excited she was getting, he felt a bit helpless.
At this pace, they'd be talking all night.
So, no matter what Misumi Uika asked next, his answers became uniform.
"I don't know."
"Not really sure."
"Haven't looked into that."
Misumi Uika eventually noticed something was off and finally returned to her usual composure.
Thinking about how overexcited she'd been just now, a faint blush crept onto her fair cheeks.
"Um… sorry. I kind of lost myself there."
She apologized immediately, then added with a sigh tinged with warmth, "Asai-kun really knows the stars. It's been a long time since I talked about them with someone this happily…"
"Yeah. It's getting late," Asai Yu said, nodding.
Hearing that, Misumi Uika froze for a moment, feeling utterly powerless.
Asai-kun, you really don't read the mood at all…
"It really is late. If we get the chance someday, I'd love to use a telescope with you to look at real stars in the sky," she said.
"If there's a chance," Asai Yu replied.
"Mm—then it's a promise!"
Misumi Uika clasped her hands together, smiling brightly.
Seeing that, Asai Yu said nothing more.
Honestly, the more time he spent with Misumi Uika, the more he realized she was actually a very normal girl—completely different from the almost superhuman image she had in anime.
Maybe she only devolved into an overexcited golden retriever when it came to matters involving Togawa Sakiko.
After saying goodbye, Asai Yu returned home.
The manuscript fees from his novel had already come in—140,000 yen.
(It was only the digital edition; there hadn't been a physical release.)
It didn't compare to the money he made through the system or music, but it was still a very respectable income.
At the same time, elsewhere—in Sumita Mana's apartment.
The blonde girl and the black-haired girl sat facing each other in the living room.
"So, how did things go with Asai-kun?"
Sumita Mana's eyes were filled with curiosity.
At that, Misumi Uika immediately began recounting everything that had happened that evening. Mana listened intently, ears practically perked up.
By the end, Misumi Uika concluded, "Asai-kun really is an interesting person. He just… doesn't really pay attention to the mood when he talks."
That's just because he's not interested in you.
Sumita Mana thought silently.
"It's a shame we're going back to Tokyo tomorrow. I won't be able to invite Asai-kun to the planetarium again," Misumi Uika sighed, then suddenly brightened.
"Oh! I've got it—next time I have free time, I can just come to Osaka to see him."
Hearing that, Sumita Mana froze for a second. Her expression gradually settled, and she lowered her head slightly, quietly eating her donut.
…She's probably just saying that offhandedly.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, another four days passed.
During that period, Asai Yu spent almost every day fully using the twelve-hour life-experience limit on Togawa Sakiko.
He woke Sakiko up in the morning and supervised her studying. After school, they went to RiNG to practice piano for two hours—teaching her along the way. At night, he went home and secretly studied composition a bit more, ending the experience only when time ran out.
If it was a holiday, nearly the entire day went into composing. He didn't mind being tired—what mattered was squeezing every last drop out of Sakiko-sensei.
At this moment, Asai Yu was seated at the piano in RiNG's second-floor café, performing a piece.
Sakiko listened carefully to his explanations in her mind. Over the past few days, she'd benefited immensely.
She didn't know if it was the influence of Yu controlling her body, but when she practiced at the music shop at night, her piano skills had undergone a qualitative leap.
Even when playing highly difficult pieces, she felt incredibly fluent.
Probably because she was a genius too. Sure, she couldn't compare to Yu—but it was more than enough.
Come to think of it, she'd prepared a surprise for Yu today.
It should arrive before six—the new piano she'd bought.
Asai Yu, of course, had no idea what the girl was planning. His attention was fully on whether the system was finally willing to give him some blue numbers.
He'd been practicing under the Lv.2 bonus for days now—how was there still no movement at all?
As he was thinking that, the system notification suddenly rang out in his mind.
[Piano Level Lv.2]
[Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[Piano Level Lv.3]
(Note: Lv.3 corresponds to professional level 3)
In an instant, Asai Yu's understanding of the piano leapt to a new height. Pieces that had once carried minor flaws—like Liszt's La Campanella—now gradually became flawless, forming a style uniquely his own.
Finally leveled up!
At his current level, even performing at the highest tiers of international piano competitions would be effortless.
As a fellow professional-level pianist, Togawa Sakiko immediately sensed the subtle change. Listening to the shift in style, her heart filled with shock.
This guy—how did he improve this much again?!
A wave of despair rose in her chest.
Even if she played piano her entire life, she'd probably never catch up to Yu.
As the piece ended, the two-hour session came to a perfect close.
[Piano Bonus Lv.2 (500/500)]
[Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[Piano Bonus Lv.3 (0/2000)]
[Note: Lv.3 bonus effects are ten times those of Lv.1]
[Detected first time a special bonus has reached Lv.3. Sending two special rewards:]
[Bonus Fixation Card (1/1): Permanently bind one bonus as your own]
[Life Experience Target Card (1/1): Expand one experience target slot]
Just as he'd expected—reaching Lv.3 came with rewards.
And not just one, but two.
First was the Bonus Fixation Card. In simple terms, it allowed him to permanently fix Sakiko's piano bonus onto himself—meaning he could train with the bonus daily without even entering a life experience.
An excellent reward.
And then there was the Life Experience Target Card.
That was a real surprise.
Asai Yu could already see it—a new life was reaching out to him.