pertwk Page 195
Page 195
"Clinical Surgery".
"Great, me too. Please continue to guide me in the future."
Please give me your guidance...
After saying goodbye to Suzuya, Aki Tomoya chuckled softly.
I also made contact with Suzuya, who was ranked first in the same class, which was my first unexpected gain after the start of the school year.
……
"Hey, are you really going to change your mind?"
At Kasumigaoka Utaha's house, Eriri was holding a manuscript and asking the other person a question.
Eriri was utterly shocked when she learned that Eriri had started writing popular literature.
"Using fake accounts, will we really be able to sell them?"
She looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha with concern.
After all, they've been partners for so long. To suddenly hear this news from them, Eriri felt nothing but surprise and worry.
Popular literature is not the same as light novels, and Kasumigaoka Utaha has already made a name for herself in the industry, so Eriri doesn't quite understand why she suddenly wants to write popular literature.
"Don't tell anyone, especially Ms. Machida."
Kasumigaoka Utaha had anticipated Eriri's reaction.
However, as a partner who had worked together for so long, after the novel was approved and confirmed to be ready for publication, she still decided to tell Eriri about it.
"Who else knows besides me?"
"...Aki".
"Rinya?! Don't tell me you did this because he supports you?!"
"How could that be? Just like you now, you're a rising star at Tokyo University of the Arts and will become a renowned painter in the future. I don't want to be just known as a light novel author."
Kasumigaoka Utaha probably had this in mind, considering the future.
"I want to ask you something."
"what?"
Chapter 226 You want me to fight you for it? (1/?)
After her first submission to a publisher was rejected, Kasumigaoka Utaha did not give up.
Money wasn't a problem, but popular fiction presented a new challenge.
I hope to be more valuable as a writer.
Just like Eriri is now a rising star at Tokyo University of the Arts, not only Eri Kashiwagi, but also many others are very likely to become famous painters in the future.
Simply put, Kasumigaoka Utaha no longer wants to be confined to the light novel genre.
The main reason is that they are still young, have enough money, and want to improve themselves.
After several rounds of refinement, she finally opened the window to popular fiction. This time, her new book was not rejected and had the opportunity to be published.
During her university years, as a second-year student in the Faculty of Letters at Keio University, Kasumigaoka Utaha was ahead of most of her peers.
While admiring her skill, Eriri also worried about her for a while.
Similarly, the fact that Kasumigaoka Utaha was able to tell her this proves that she considers Kasumigaoka Utaha a good partner, even if they can't work together this time.
As for Machida Sonoko, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't plan to tell her about it. After all, even if it flopped, she could still make money by continuing to write light novels.
What she's even more concerned about is whether Machida Sonoko will think she's gotten too big for her britches after Kasumigaoka Utaha says this.
"You need my help? Can I ask you for a favor?"
When Kasumigaoka Utaha asked if she could help, Eriri asked in return.
She seemed a little unhappy.
"I don't need you to do me any big favors, I just want you to be my reader for the time being."
"...I am not interested in any medium other than light novels."
"What I want to do is to make you interested, as long as it's good, it doesn't matter what genre the novel is."
Kasumigaoka Utaha was not surprised by Eriri's statement.
We're all seasoned homebodies, and after knowing each other for so long, we understand each other's interests, not to mention we share common interests.
"Hmm... whatever, but as expected, the first person you told about trying to change your image was Tomoya."
There was no reason to refuse the other party's request, so Eriri finally agreed. However, she later mentioned that after she decided to change her career path, the first person to know was Aki Tomoya.
Eriri's tone was somewhat subtle, as if she was struggling with something.
"I still care about his opinion, so why..."
She still doesn't understand what Kasumigaoka Utaha is thinking.
"How miserable it must be for you to pity me... You're thinking too much about my relationship with him. He's my most familiar reader, okay? Instead of gossiping about my love life, you should focus on improving yourself."
Kasumigaoka Utaha rolled her eyes at Eriri.
Eriri, upon hearing this, did not rush to ask further questions, but instead quietly looked at her.
Feeling a little guilty under Eriri's gaze.
"...Are you really that concerned about a woman who got rejected after confessing her feelings?"
So, you do have your own thoughts after all?
"If I still had any ideas, I wouldn't be standing here chatting with you; I would have gone up to you long ago."
Replying to Eriri with a helpless tone, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally sighed.
If she really wanted to try again, she wouldn't be so passive.
And look at Eriri now, even she is so proactive now. If she really had that kind of thought, she would definitely be even more proactive than Eriri is now.
"I might still want to prove my point, like telling a woman that I let go of such a wonderful woman. That kind of pathetic thought is happening to me right now."
Kasumigaoka Utaha calmly described her state of mind in this way.
She looked up, meeting Eriri's gaze: "But, if the other person doesn't care at all, or might even wish you well, isn't this vengeful mentality a bit ridiculous?"
It's like doing a lot of things, only to find that they were ultimately meaningless.
Eriri sensed the other person's complicated feelings.
It's not just for myself or my future; I still care about the past, and I might even be a bit obsessive.
"In short, if you think of me as an opponent, you're probably mistaken. I don't need your sympathy either. In the Keio University Faculty of Letters, Kudo, who has been here for a year, is your biggest rival."
Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke as if she were completely detached from the matter.
But that's not what Eriri cares about.
Of course, she also admitted that the relationship between the two classmates who had been classmates for two years was also extraordinary.
But after hearing Utaha Kasumigaoka say this to her own ears, Eriri's feelings became somewhat complicated.
During high school, after noticing that Aki Tomoya and Kasumigaoka Utaha were getting closer, she did some bad things.
For example, to avoid them getting too close, or perhaps considering that Kasumigaoka Utaha was fooling or being an otaku like Aki Tomoya, she even went directly to him and said it.
Now, Kasumigaoka Utaha is an "outsider".
"At least he must have liked you before."
"Don't try to comfort me like that, it just makes me feel even more disappointed."
"Then just pretend I didn't say anything."
Eriri regretted saying those words without thinking.
I really don't know what I was thinking at that moment, that I said that to Kasumigaoka Utaha.
However, she also had to admit that when she had interacted with Aki Tomoya before, specifically before university, she had seen a lot of regret in Aki Tomoya's eyes, and those regrets flashed by when he mentioned Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Eriri could sense how the boy felt at that moment.
But Eriri didn't know exactly why that person rejected Kasumigaoka Utaha.
She sometimes thought about it, and every time she did, she would think of what the boy had said to her after the CM doujinshi convention during the summer of her junior year of high school.
How can people from different worlds be together?
Undoubtedly, Kasumigaoka Utaha was a genius who could be chosen from any of the three top private schools in Hayate at that time, and her childhood friend had to stand out and prepare for the exam with all her might.
This could be one of the reasons, but Eriri is not the real person, so it cannot be completely confirmed.
"But one thing I'm sure of now is that, compared to two years ago, the distance between Tomoya and me is gradually shrinking..."
The reason is simple: Eriri clearly remembers a sentence her mother, Sayuri Sawamura, said: "It's so great that Tomoya Aki got into the University of Tokyo."
"You're much smarter now. Being childhood sweethearts has a big advantage, so make the most of it!"