Wednesday.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Reina donned a black baseball cap and a matching dark dress. She carefully placed her latest manuscript into her bag and prepared to head out.
"Reina, are you going out again today?"
Her mother, noticing her movement, opened the door to inquire about her plans.
"Yes. There is a piano recital in the city today that I am interested in. I will likely be back late this evening," Reina replied softly.
"Then please be careful on the road," her mother said, pulling out her phone to snap a quick photo of her daughter.
Reina kept her expression neutral, but she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
She knew that within three minutes, a new post would appear on her mother's social media feed. It would likely brag about how exceptional her daughter was and how she was spending her summer break cultivating her soul by listening to the performances of great musical masters, all accompanied by that very photo.
Her father was a man consumed by his work, constantly reminding everyone that as the chairman of a large corporation, the livelihoods of hundreds of families rested on his shoulders.
He claimed his responsibility was too great to ever relax, often going days without being seen. Meanwhile, her mother was obsessed with the competitive social circles of Minamijo's wealthy elite, where five out of every ten sentences she spoke were about her daughter's brilliance.
Reina was well aware that her family's lifestyle was top-tier, the kind of environment millions of people dreamed of. Her parents might lack a certain degree of warmth or possess common human foibles, but they were fundamentally decent people.
And yet.
Lately, the time she spent twice a week in Yukino's apartment had become the highlight of her life.
Discussing plot developments, reviewing drafts, playing video games with Haruto, and occasionally debating the current state of the light novel industry, those hours felt increasingly precious. In the past, she had believed that only the weak sought out groups and needed friends.
Now, a faint smile played on her lips as she waved goodbye to her mother. The hem of her black dress fluttered gently in the breeze as the door closed behind her.
Reina did go into the city to buy a concert ticket, but she stayed for less than an hour before slipping out to head to Yukino's place.
Her parents weren't easily fooled; when one constantly claimed to be studying piano, attending recitals, visiting art galleries, or going on outings with classmates, one had to mix truth with the lies. Real tickets and receipts served as essential evidence of her "innocent" activities.
She timed her arrival to coincide with the end of Yukino's workday.
"You're here early," Yukino said, looking surprised as she opened the door.
"It is summer break, so I have plenty of time. I am not a member of the workforce like you," Reina explained.
She found it difficult to tell Yukino the truth: that she simply found it more comfortable to be here than at home. To describe Reina's current mindset, one could say she had turned Yukino's apartment into her own secret base.
Yukino didn't press her for more details and told her to make herself at home while she sat down to review the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Star Sea.
A long while later, Haruto arrived carrying a bag of fruit. He walked in to find Yukino's eyes visibly red. She was clutching the manuscript, staring at the pages in a heavy, contemplative silence.
"After this issue is published, Reina, I think your popularity ranking might actually break into the top three," Yukino said, her voice rising with genuine excitement.
Having grown close to her, Haruto knew that Yukino didn't bother hiding her emotions around people she trusted. For her to react this way meant the two chapters of Star Sea were something truly special.
"Oh, you're here too?" Yukino said, turning her gaze toward Haruto.
"Yeah."
"You know, once I finish reviewing the drafts you brought today, your novel will officially be complete," Yukino noted.
The pages Haruto had brought for review were the final two chapters of Anohana.
"Indeed," Haruto nodded. "Time really does fly."
Yukino let out a nostalgic sigh but didn't waste any more time. She took the final chapters from Haruto and immediately began her editorial review.
Haruto didn't stand on ceremony either.
He turned on Yukino's television, booted up the game console, and invited Reina to join him for a cooperative two-player game.
"You really should have made this novel longer," Reina said as she took the controller from him.
"The popularity of Anohana is just starting to surge. Both the reviews and the fan base are on an upward curve. Ending it at fourteen chapters... does that mean you have accepted reality?"
Her fingers moved with lightning speed across the buttons.
"What reality is that?" Haruto asked, his focus entirely on the screen.
"The reality that Anohana has lost to my Star Sea."
Even as she said those words, Reina didn't feel any particular sense of triumph. The final outcome wasn't decided yet, as Anohana still had several chapters left to air, but the victory felt almost too easy. It lacked a sense of reality, and therefore, it failed to make her happy.
"I think..." Haruto started, then paused for a moment.
In his mind, there was no harm in letting this competitive girl enjoy her confidence for a few more days. There was no need to constantly challenge her or increase her anxiety.
"Yes, this work has followed the exact path I intended from the very beginning. I wrote the story I wanted to write. If the market only rewards it with these results, then that is just how it is. If I lose, I can accept it gracefully."
"You!" Reina's heart flared with sudden frustration. Her character's movements on the screen faltered. Haruto's attitude was infuriatingly difficult to deal with. She had brought up the subject specifically because she wanted to see a flicker of resentment or competitive fire in his eyes. It might be childish of her, but she wanted him to feel the weight of the loss.
Instead, he was perfectly content.
If he had accepted the loss, then what was she supposed to do? It wasn't that Haruto didn't care about success, but his calm was so absolute it was as if the results had nothing to do with him. He had written the book, handed in the pages, and was leaving the rest to fate.
Just then, a strange sound echoed through the room. It came from the sofa where Yukino was reading. Reina turned her head toward the noise.
Yukino's eyes were bloodshot. She was staring wide-eyed at the pages, and crystalline tears were welling up in her eyes. Her light makeup, which she wore to look more professional for work, was beginning to smudge as the tears overflowed. The twenty-four-year-old editor was losing control of her emotions like a young girl, grabbing a handful of tissues to muffle a heavy sob. Her face was twisted with such sorrow that it looked like she would break down completely at any moment.
'Wait, wait, wait. Yukino, isn't this a bit much? What are you reading that's making you look like that? You're scaring me.'
Reina's heart began to sink, inch by agonizing inch.
Her own chapters of Star Sea, which she had brought with such confidence and emotional power, had only managed to make Yukino's eyes go red. But what was in those final pages of Anohana? What could possibly cause a reaction like this?
Yukino's eyes swept across every word on the manuscript.
She read of the moment the friends finally understood Menma's true wish. She read of the final game of hide-and-seek. She read as Jintan opened the note Menma had left for him.
"I love you, Jintan. My love for you is the kind where I want to marry you and be your bride."
Under the morning light, as Menma's silhouette finally appeared before everyone, the group finally expressed the feelings they had held back for years.
"We love you!"
Every ounce of character development and every bit of setup from the previous thirteen chapters converged into a single, overwhelming emotional peak.
Menma... still wants to be with everyone...
Yukino couldn't hold it back anymore. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she closed her eyes to process the scene. She remained silent for half a minute before looking up, only to see Reina staring at her with a stunned, open-mouthed expression.
And next to her was the boy, looking back with a gentle smile.
Yukino's face flushed as she hurriedly wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks with a tissue. She had been so engrossed in the story she had forgotten she wasn't alone. It was an old habit from her student days; once she found a work she truly loved, she lost all control over her emotions. It was a trait she hadn't been able to fix even after two years as a professional editor.
"Um... Yukino? Haruto's final chapters... how were they?" Reina asked, her voice small and lacking all its former confidence.
"That... it is hard to put into words," Yukino replied, her voice still thick with emotion.
"Because of the non-disclosure agreement, I cannot reveal the plot to anyone before it is published. You will have to wait two weeks to find out for yourself."
She paused, then added a little more. "But these two chapters... they completely elevate the entire work. I think... once they are published, they are going to cause quite a stir among the Crimson Maple readership."
That night, Reina had nightmares.
She dreamt of Haruto laughing wildly at her all night long, shouting that she would lose to him forever. When she woke up the next morning, her expression was grim.
She tried to console herself by thinking that Yukino's reaction was subjective. Just because one editor liked the ending didn't mean the mass market would agree. She told herself not to be intimidated.
Yukino knew how hard it was for a series to jump from seventh place to fourth. She knew the sheer mountain Anohana would have to climb to overtake Star Sea. Currently, the vote count was ten thousand to six thousand.
'The advantage is mine,' Reina thought, trying to steady her heart.
_______________________
Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Support me at patreon.com/CulturedOne and read 50 Advanced Chapters