Toyogasaki Private School.
When the final bell rang and the teacher left the classroom, Kasumigaoka Utaha packed her things and, under the gaze of every male student in class, walked out.
Downstairs, she changed her shoes and exited the school building. Rather than heading to her club, she made her way toward the school gate.
As she walked, everyone who spotted her couldn't help but follow her with their eyes. After all, she was one of the school's most famous students—beautiful and top of her grade academically, an irresistible combination for young people.
It was a pity she gave off a rather standoffish vibe, making her inaccessible to most. She didn't have many close acquaintances at school, which only fueled her mystique.
Arriving at the school gate, Kasumigaoka Utaha originally intended to head straight home. But she recalled the café she'd seen the previous day.
She wasn't interested in the handsome manager, but the café's atmosphere had seemed promising—perhaps it would help spark her creativity.
Yes, today was its opening day.
Kasumigaoka changed direction toward the town. Just then, some conversation behind her caught her attention.
"Sawamura-san, you're not going to the art club today?"
"Mm… Sorry, I still have things to handle at home."
"Is everything all right?"
"It's nothing serious; I'll take care of it quickly."
"Okay then, good luck—everyone at the art club is waiting for you."
"Got it."
Kasumigaoka turned around and saw an extremely pretty blonde girl with twintails waving goodbye to two other girls.
Her smile was radiant, but to Kasumigaoka's eyes, it looked decidedly fake.
Kasumigaoka knew who she was: Sawamura Spencer Eriri, a first-year student.
She had blonde hair, was half-Japanese, half-foreign, and was strikingly attractive. From the moment she enrolled, she'd become as big a celebrity as Kasumigaoka herself.
In high school, few could resist the charm of a mixed-race beauty. Too bad… Kasumigaoka's gaze drifted briefly over Eriri's modest chest.
Not worth mentioning.
By now, Sawamura Spencer Eriri had also noticed Kasumigaoka. She nodded slightly in greeting and walked toward her.
But Eriri wasn't planning to say hello; the two weren't acquainted, and they'd never even talked, though each knew of the other. She passed by Kasumigaoka and left without a word.
Kasumigaoka didn't bother looking back and continued on in her high black stockings toward the café.
Meanwhile, Sawamura Spencer Eriri stopped in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder at Kasumigaoka's retreating figure, shook her head, then took off her schoolbag. From inside, she removed two drawings.
They seemed similar at a glance: a man holding a sword, stepping on a giant green dragon. But one drawing was done in crayon, crudely sketched with minimal detail, while the other was clearly a carefully illustrated version.
In the crayon one, everything was rough and simple. In the fully illustrated one, the man's sword looked intricate and sacred, and the dragon appeared much more vivid and lifelike. Obviously, the first drawing was from childhood, and the second was a refined redraw.
Still, in the redraw, the man's face remained incomplete, left unpainted.
Eriri stared down at the two drawings, her thumb brushing across the man's face. Her eyes showed a wistful longing as she murmured, "Prince Onii-chan, when will you come find me…?"
…
"Welcome," Shichen greeted Kasumigaoka Utaha with a smile as she pushed open the café door.
At that moment, Tohru was in the kitchen practicing her cooking. Since there weren't many customers in the afternoon, Shichen had let her spend time honing her skills—after all, a boss who doesn't properly utilize his staff isn't a good boss. And Tohru herself wanted to learn how to cook, since being a maid who can't cook wouldn't make sense.
The lethal effect of a handsome face was in full force. Kasumigaoka Utaha had trouble pulling her gaze away, her eyes flitting over the café.
Compared to yesterday, the place was more lively, with quite a few customers around. Evidently, she wasn't the only one who'd noticed something special about the shop.
Even with patrons inside, the café was still tranquil, which suited her needs. She asked Shichen, "Excuse me, Manager, do you happen to have any single seats that are a bit more private?"
"More private? Are you doing homework?" he asked, curious.
"…Something like that," she replied.
"I see. We don't really have single seats, but there's a two-person table that's a bit out of the way."
"That'll work."
"Don't worry, I doubt we'll have many more customers this afternoon, so no one's going to bother you. I'll show you the way," Shichen said reassuringly.
"Thanks."
He led her to the farthest table inside, two seats away from the nearest patrons. Kasumigaoka was quite satisfied; she dropped her schoolbag on the seat and sat down eagerly.
"How's this?" he asked.
"Perfect," she said with a nod.
"Great… Would you like to order anything?"
"Do you have juice?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll have an iced juice, and a plate of cookies."
"Sure, please wait a moment."
Shichen headed off, while Kasumigaoka Utaha took out her laptop from her bag. She opened a document titled Love Metronome, and lines of dense text filled the screen.
She was writing a novel by that name, recently struggling with writer's block and seeking inspiration. She'd usually write at home, but sometimes going out helps spark new ideas. When she found this café, just standing outside had given her a sense of calm, as if inspiration might strike at any moment. Now, sitting here, she discovered it was true—her mind was flooding with ideas, her fingers already dancing over the keyboard.
By the time Shichen returned with her juice and cookies, Kasumigaoka Utaha had slipped into a trance. Her eyes were glued to the screen, and her hands typed furiously, ignoring everything around her.
He placed the juice and cookies gently on the table and then, after a quick glance, noticed that she really was writing Love Metronome, seemingly in the early stages. So Kasumigaoka was only in her second year of high school.
Shichen felt relieved.
He set her order down quietly and took a seat across from her, observing her focused expression. The shop was calm for the moment, and as the manager, he had the right to take a break anyway. Plus, since she hadn't even noticed her order yet, it made sense for him to wait.
It was nearly an hour before Kasumigaoka Utaha finally snapped out of her writing trance.
"Phew…" She let out a breath. She was just about to stretch her stiff fingers when she noticed Shichen sitting across from her, staring into space.
"Manager?"
"Hmm? Oh, done writing?" Shichen responded, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Just one section for now… So, Manager, you realized I was writing a novel?"
"Sorry, I only glanced at it out of curiosity," he apologized.
"It's fine—I don't mind people seeing me write," Kasumigaoka said with a slight shake of her head.
"That's good to hear."
"Do you like novels, Manager?"
"I love 'em. Novels, anime, manga—you name it."
"So the Manager's an otaku," Kasumigaoka teased.
"Yup, I'm definitely into '2D' stuff," he said with a grin, then added, "By the way, could I read a bit of your novel?"
"Huh?" She blinked, surprised.
"Is that not okay?"
"It's just… a bit sudden."
"I see. But isn't the purpose of writing novels for others to read?"
"Some people do it just for themselves, too."
"True. So, you—"
"I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha, a second-year at Toyogasaki Private School," she said, introducing herself.
"Nice to meet you, Kasumigaoka-san. I'm Shichen."
"Shichen? That sounds like a Chinese name."
"I am Chinese, actually."
"So are you an exchange student or something?"
"Nope," Shichen answered with a smile. "I've already graduated from college."
"Eh?" Kasumigaoka looked stunned.
"What's wrong? Do I not look it?" Shichen chuckled.
"You look so young… I assumed you were younger than me."
"Haha, guess you misread me," he said. "So you're probably wondering why I'm running this café?"
"I guess so."
"Didn't I say earlier? I'm an otaku."
"…Okay, that's… strangely convincing," she admitted.
"So, about your novel—can I see it?" Shichen asked again.
"Shichen-san… you really want to read my writing that badly?" Kasumigaoka's eyes sparkled.
"I do. After glimpsing it, I'm very interested."
"You're not just being polite?"
"Not at all," he replied earnestly.
"But I'm just a rookie… This is my first time seriously writing a novel."
"That's perfect."
"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"I'd get to be your very first fan."