LRAB Page 164
Page 164
She proved herself with her talent and awareness.
Together with Yuto, she won this seemingly impossible battle.
"I did it... Yuto... We did it!" She hugged Yuto and cried like a child.
"Yes, we did it." Yuto couldn't help but smile, his eyes a little moist.
At the heart of this storm, another person also received the news.
Kasumigaoka Utaha learned about this through her personal editor at Shinazugawa Bunko.
When she heard that "Aniplex has bought out a ten-year priority partnership right," she was sitting in front of her computer, staring blankly at the document.
After hearing the editor's account, she remained silent for a very long time.
So long that the editor on the other end of the phone thought she might have fainted from the shock.
"Ms. Xia Shizi? Are you... are you still listening?"
"...I'm here." Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice was surprisingly calm. "I know."
After saying that, she hung up the phone.
She didn't fly into a rage as I'd imagined, nor did she break down; she didn't even show any jealousy.
In her heart, all that remained was a feeling of utter powerlessness, as if she had been completely defeated.
She lost one game.
The defeat was complete and utter, without a doubt.
Her meticulously prepared and self-proclaimed perfect "Metronome of the End" appears so pale and presumptuous in the face of "The Wasteland Rebirth Song," which embodies the entirety of their efforts and understanding.
She thought she was the strategist, but in the end, she found that she wasn't even a piece on the chessboard.
Looking at the story on the computer screen, the story of the chronicler, she suddenly felt incredibly ironic.
She reached out and pressed the "Delete" key.
On the screen, the tens of thousands of words she had spent several sleepless nights writing vanished without a trace.
After doing all this, she stood up and walked to the window.
"...Congratulations, Sawamura-kun."
she said softly.
"And... congratulations, junior."
"Your story does seem much more interesting than mine."
After saying that, she drew the curtains, shutting herself off from the world.
……
The celebratory atmosphere continued inside the apartment.
Eriri had cried and laughed enough, and now she was excitedly planning the next steps in creating "The Wasteland Rebirth Song" with Yuuto in tow.
Kato Megumi conjured up a bottle of celebratory champagne from somewhere, and together with Yuzuriha Inori, they awkwardly tried to figure out how to open it.
The entire apartment was filled with an atmosphere of joy and hope.
Looking at the scene before him, Yuto felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and peace.
He knew that the problems he faced were still piling up.
But at least for this moment, he bought a brief respite from this chaotic storm through his choices and actions.
He picked up his phone and saw a message on the screen from Megumi Kato, sent a few minutes earlier.
"Congratulations, Itsuki! You've written the first line of your diary and taken the first step in making your choice."
Yuto smiled and replied:
"Thank you, but I think it will take me a very long time to write this diary."
……
……
That evening, to celebrate the victory, Yuto personally cooked a large table of dishes.
After Eriri calmed down, she followed Yuto closely like a proud kitten, handing him plates one minute and insisting on washing vegetables the next, almost making a mess of the sink.
"You're so clumsy, let me do it." Yuto said helplessly, pushing her aside.
"I... I was just so happy!" Eriri blushed and stubbornly retorted, but she still obediently stood aside and watched Yuto skillfully handle the ingredients.
Yuzuriha Inori also curiously peered into the kitchen doorway.
She tried to help, just like Eriri, but when she picked up a head of lettuce, she asked Yuto earnestly, "Does this... need watering?"
One sentence made both of them in the kitchen laugh.
During dinner, Kato Megumi raised her juice glass and proposed, "To the birth of 'The Wasteland Rebirth Song,' and to our future great writers and illustrators, cheers!"
"Cheers!" Eriri raised her glass excitedly, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Only Kasumigaoka Utaha was absent.
She said she was a little tired and wanted to rest early.
After the meal, Eriri volunteered to wash the dishes. Although she was still flustered, she was very enthusiastic.
Yuto returned to his room to sort out his thoughts.
He opened the document for "Farming King" and planned to continue brainstorming content for a sequel.
However, when he faced the blank document, his mind was in complete chaos.
The joy of victory lingered, but a strange sense of unease quietly emerged.
He made his choice and was rewarded.
His partnership with Eriri has been recognized, and their future looks bright.
But why did he always feel that something had been forgotten, or rather, deliberately pushed into a corner by him?
Was it the tightly closed door of Kasumigaoka-senpai's room, or... the lingering emotional entanglements about other people deep within my own heart?
He scratched his head in frustration and closed the document.
Perhaps I'm just too tired today and need to rest.
Just as he was about to get up, there was a gentle knock on the door.
"Yuto?" It was Yuzuriha Inori's voice.
"come in."
The door was pushed open a crack, and Yuzuriha Inori poked half her head in, her innocent, deep red eyes looking at him.
She was holding a small plate with a few... dark-colored things on it.
"Here, this is for you." She came in and handed the plate to Yuto.
"What is this?" Yuto looked at the few pieces of biscuits that smelled burnt, and was both amused and exasperated.
“To celebrate,” Yuzuriha Inori said in her flat tone, but her eyes were full of anticipation.
"Hui taught me to use an oven."
Yuto could imagine what kind of disaster had occurred in the kitchen.
He picked up a piece and, under Yuzuriha Inori's expectant gaze, reluctantly took a bite.
It was bitter and hard, with a strange taste that was hard to describe.
"Is it good?" Yuzuriha Inori asked, tilting her head.
Looking into her pure eyes, Yuto couldn't bring himself to say "disgusting".
He swallowed hard, then nodded. "Hmm, very...unique."
Upon receiving affirmation, Yuzuriha Inori gave a very subtle smile.
She didn't say anything more, but simply moved a small stool and sat quietly next to Yuto, just watching him.
……