The month was May, and the air was thick with the heat of early summer while the sun shone brilliantly over the landscape.
The airport was a sea of moving people.
Among the travelers stood Haruto, dressed in a simple black short-sleeved t-shirt. His features were elegant and refined, and he carried a single beige backpack slung over one shoulder. Beside him, Reina wore a pale red baseball cap pulled low over her eyes. She gripped the handle of a suitcase, her fair skin radiant even in the harsh terminal lighting. Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of curiosity and slight anxiety as she smoothed out her emerald green dress, which reached down to her slender ankles.
"Give me your suitcase, I can handle it for you," Haruto offered.
"It is quite alright, I have it," Reina replied while giving a small shake of her head.
"Come on, do not be stubborn. Look at how long this next set of stairs is. You are wearing a dress and you are far too thin to be lugging that around. If I carry it up, we will get through this a lot faster."
Haruto did not wait for further protest. He reached out and took the suitcase from her hand, lifting it with ease. Reina watched him as he practically glided up the stairs with his extra burden. She paused for a moment, her expression unreadable, but she chose not to say anything more.
The Ascent of New Gods awards ceremony was scheduled for Sunday, which meant Haruto and Reina had to arrive in Tokyo a day early. Their chaperone for the trip was, of course, Yukino.
Since the two were technically guest authors collaborating with Crimson Maple Literature and were still socially inexperienced high school students, the publishing house would never dream of letting them travel alone. It was a matter of both personal safety and corporate public relations.
Inside the airport terminal, Yukino was leaning against a pillar, her long hair cascading down her back over a striking red dress. When she spotted the pair approaching, a playful smile spread across her face.
"Alright, the Crimson Maple Trio's two-day Tokyo excursion officially begins now," Yukino declared with the energy of a young girl out on a holiday.
Haruto and Reina exchanged a confused glance. Something felt different about her. Her usual professional demeanor had vanished entirely, replaced by a carefree spirit they hadn't seen before. What they didn't know was that Yukino had already made up her mind to resign from Crimson Maple Literature in the near future.
The entire industry was currently hunting for information on Shiori Takahashi and Airi, and the offers being floated by other publishers were far more lucrative than anything her current employer could match. Yet, the company executives were still hounding her to trick Haruto and Reina into signing long-term exclusive contracts.
The pressure was immense, the tasks were increasingly unethical, and she simply had no interest in being their puppet anymore.
To the rest of the country, the Ascent of New Gods awards ceremony was a prestigious event celebrating the best new talent in the literary world. While the public debut of these authors was significant, Yukino was far more interested in the sightseeing aspect of their trip.
The two-hour flight passed in the blink of an eye. Haruto stepped off the plane at Haneda Airport with wide, curious eyes. Having never left the Minamijo region in his entire life, the sheer scale and grandeur of the capital's airport was a revelation to him.
"Now then, let us decide on our itinerary for today," Yukino said.
"Itinerary?" Reina asked. "I thought we were just going to check into the hotel and wait for the ceremony tomorrow afternoon?"
"What fun is a ceremony? It is just a host standing on stage praising your books and reading out sales figures before you wave to the crowd. Since we are in Tokyo, we absolutely have to visit the temple. I have heard the fortunes there are incredibly accurate. I need to draw one for my career to see if my plans for the future are on the right track. As for you two, you should pray for your entrance exams. They are only a month away, after all," Yukino suggested.
"When it comes to my academic future, I do not place my faith in temples or charms. I only trust in what I have studied and learned through my own effort," Reina stated firmly.
"I do not mind going. A bit of hiking and exploring sounds nice," Haruto said before looking at Yukino with a curious expression. "But what did you mean by your new career plans?"
"You will find out soon enough," Yukino replied with a mysterious smile. The three of them left the airport chatting and laughing, unaware that a small group of teenagers was watching them from a short distance away with looks of utter shock. These five students were students at Minamijo Third High and were die-hard fans of Shiori Takahashi.
Coming from wealthy families, they had traveled to Tokyo specifically to support their fellow students who had brought such honor to their region.
However, the moment they stepped off the plane, they witnessed something impossible.
"Hey, look closely. That is Reina Fujimoto, isn't it? She is here in Tokyo with that really pretty older woman and a guy?"
"What is going on here? Does this mean what I think it means?"
"Wait, that guy looks familiar. Isn't he Haruto from Class 3? I saw him hanging around her at school before, but now they are traveling to Tokyo together?"
"I can accept that Reina might have unique tastes in boys, but I cannot accept two beautiful women hanging all over the same guy like that."
"Is it just me, or does that older woman look familiar too? I feel like I have seen her somewhere."
The group of teenagers immediately began imagining a variety of scandalous scenarios. However, they quickly dismissed the more extreme ideas.
Given Reina's family background, she would only act out of her own genuine interests. The idea that the cold, brilliant campus idol was secretly living such a colorful life was almost too much for them to process.
Driven by an insatiable curiosity, they followed the trio for a while, snapping several photos before eventually losing them in the Tokyo crowds.
That afternoon, Haruto and his companions made their way to a temple nestled high in the mountains on the outskirts of the city.
The temple was perched among the clouds, offering a breathtaking view. Haruto wasn't sure if the fortunes were real, but he was certain the climb was exhausting.
The main gate they had seen from the bottom was merely the entrance to the park. The real climb lasted over thirty minutes and felt like a test of human endurance. By the time they reached the halfway point, the physically weaker Reina and Yukino were gasping for air. Even Yukino, who usually carried herself with such poise, was starting to look haggard.
Haruto was tired but still had energy to spare. The two women eventually gave up on their pride and each grabbed a corner of his jacket, using him as a human tow truck to pull them up the stairs.
"I am never coming back to this place again," Yukino panted, her pale neck glistening with sweat and her face flushed a deep pink.
"You were the one who chose this destination," Reina reminded her, though she was equally out of breath and red-faced.
"Look, I have a better idea. Why don't I just take your hands and help you up? Having you both tugging at my jacket like this is making it hard for me to breathe," Haruto said while looking back at them. The collar of his shirt was pressing against his throat, making every step feel like he was being slowly strangled.
Reina and Yukino looked at each other and fell silent. Despite their close friendship, the idea of holding hands with a member of the opposite sex was still a significant hurdle to cross.
"I realize the suggestion might seem a bit sudden, but we held hands when we were running away from that crowd at the anime expo. I am not trying to take advantage of you, I just want to make it to the top before the sun goes down," Haruto explained.
When he saw them still hesitating, he began to pull his hands back. However, at that moment, both women looked away with stoic expressions and reached out to grasp his hands firmly. Haruto let out a sigh of relief and used his strength to pull them up the final stretch of the mountain. As they climbed the steep stone steps hand-in-hand, a strange, lingering sensation began to bloom in the hearts of all three.
At the summit, Reina drew a fortune for her studies. It was a "Great Blessing," the highest possible rank.
The monk interpreting the signs told her she was essentially the reincarnation of a god of literature. Haruto's fortune was also a "Great Blessing," though the monk noted the path would be somewhat winding.
Haruto looked at his fortune and scoffed. He knew exactly where he stood academically. For this fortune to come true, he would need to guess every multiple-choice question correctly and have the exam cover only the specific topics he had mastered. It was clearly a scam.
As for Yukino, her fortune was more cryptic.
"The monk said my career will start with uncertainty but end in smooth sailing. I will face a major setback but then meet a 'destined person' who will help my business take flight," Yukino said with a thoughtful look. "Who do you think this person could be?"
"Who knows? Maybe it is your future husband," Haruto joked, his muscles aching from the exertion.
"A husband?" Yukino pouted slightly before a small smile played on her lips. "Do you really think I need a man's help to have a successful career?"
"I did not say it had to be a man. Maybe it is a woman or someone else entirely," Haruto teased before dropping the subject.
Climbing down the mountain proved even harder than going up. Reina and Yukino's legs were shaking from the strain. Yukino was suffering the most, having foolishly decided to hike in high heels. Every step was a fresh agony. Eventually, they resorted to leaning on Haruto's shoulders for support, slowly shuffling down the mountain like a pair of wounded soldiers.
That night, the three of them retreated to their separate hotel rooms and fell into the deepest sleep of their lives.
While they were dreaming, the Minamijo Third High online forum was exploding. A mysterious user had posted a photo of Haruto and Reina walking side-by-side through an airport terminal, laughing and talking.
No caption was needed. The image alone was enough to send shockwaves through the entire student body.
"Is this for real? It is not photoshopped?"
"I knew it! Why else would a cold beauty like Reina Fujimoto be so friendly with a guy from Class 3? They are obviously together."
"I refuse to believe it. Haruto is handsome enough, I guess, but isn't his family situation difficult? Why would someone like her choose him?"
"It makes perfect sense. He found a brilliant and wealthy girlfriend to secure his future. It is the ultimate shortcut."
"I am so jealous. This guy is going to have the entire school against him now."
"I just do not get it. Reina is so smart. How could she fall for a guy's sweet talk like that?"
"Maybe she is just a hopeless romantic under that cold exterior?".
Haruto and his companions did not wake up until noon the next day. Their bodies were even more sore than they had been the night before. Haruto wake up to find hundreds of notifications. When he saw the endless bickering and speculation, he was momentarily stunned. The world truly was a small place. He never imagined he would run into a classmate at a massive hub like Haneda Airport.
He briefly considered posting a clarification, but he realized there was no point. Both he and Reina were going to be on national television that evening. Once the truth came out, these rumors would vanish on their own. For now, he decided to let his schoolmates enjoy their gossip.
"I am never climbing a mountain again as long as I live. It is madness," Yukino said as she winced, taking a small sip of her coffee.
"You were the one who chose the destination," Reina repeated her jab from the previous day.
"Let us just call it a memorable experience and move on," Haruto suggested.
Once they had eaten, they headed straight for the Tokyo TV4 broadcasting center. Because they had been in contact with the organizers before arriving, the staff already knew the true identities of Shiori Takahashi and Airi.
However, when Haruto actually walked through the door, the staff on site found it difficult to process the reality. Until that very moment, they had all been convinced that Shiori Takahashi was a high school girl. The two were immediately whisked away to the dressing rooms.
Since their casual clothes weren't suitable for a national broadcast, professional stylists were assigned to help them select appropriate outfits and prepare their makeup for the stage. By 6:30 PM, Tokyo TV4 was already airing promotional segments for the Ascent of New Gods awards ceremony. The ratings began to climb steadily. By 6:50 PM, the viewership had reached a significant high. At the same time, online forums and Shiori Takahashi fan groups were reaching a fever pitch.
Thousands of fans were waiting for the clock to strike seven, desperate to finally see the face of the master behind the stories. They waited to see if she would be the cute high school girl of the rumors or the reclusive shut-in of the skeptics' imagination.
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