My deskmate is actually my yandere reader.

"So they really are living together..."

Seeing Kurose Izumi's strong reaction, Inari Yuki immediately confirmed it.

If they weren't living together, they should be able to refute it quite calmly, right?

"No!" Kurose Izumi denied it outright.

"Is that so... Well then, no. Sorry for saying something strange all of a sudden."

Inari Yuki stopped dwelling on whether they were living together or not.

After all, it's someone else's privacy.

She went too far by asking the question so abruptly and then repeating it.

"It's alright, I didn't mean to blame you." Kurose Izumi gently shook her head, indicating to Inari Yuki not to worry about it.

Meanwhile, Shiraishi Chiren, who had remained quiet throughout, ate her lunch in silence, not joining the conversation between the two.

"Shiraishi-senpai's bento is delicious!"

"Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad it suits your taste."

She didn't speak until Inari Yuki praised her.

After lunch and tidying up, Inari Yuki went to the cupboard to get the tea set and brewed three cups of steaming black tea.

She was knowledgeable about tea ceremony, so she was in charge of brewing the tea.

Although Shiraishi Chiren possesses this trait, she doesn't want to reveal it to Kurose Izumi, lest this trait overlap with Kuchiki Touko's.

She would try her best to avoid anything that might give her away.

The truth is often pieced together from subtle clues.

Inconspicuous details, overlooked little things... these are all flaws.

"Let's start writing."

As Kurose Izumi spoke, he turned on the tablet, opened a new TXT document, and his fingers flew across the keyboard.

There are about 60,000 to 70,000 words left to complete the ending. If I work quickly, I can finish it next week.

After completion, the original manuscript was sent to the editor-in-chief of MF Library, who then polished it, published it on the website, and finally printed it into a physical copy.

This process takes about a week to complete, but polishing and publishing only takes two days.

Inari Yuki, watching Kurose Izumi intently typing, said, "Senpai, I went back and watched 'The Abyss of the Boy' yesterday."

"Ok?"

Kurose Izumi paused, looked up from the computer, and asked Inari Yuki, "How's it going? How much have you watched?"

"I read slowly, so I've only read two volumes. But I think it's well-written and quite interesting."

After taking a sip of tea, Shiraishi Chirei said, "I hope you'll still hold onto this idea when the fifth volume begins."

The first four volumes of "The Abyss of the Boys" are all lighthearted and humorous, simply depicting everyday life.

But starting from volume five, when the relationships and plots with the female leads began to unfold, it suddenly became a stomachache!

Especially in the "Eternal Flower" volumes of volumes eight and nine, my stomach ached to the extreme!

The pure white flower bloomed, but it was so ugly and illusory that it plunged the protagonist into despair.

He never imagined that the flowers he painted would bloom in such an ugly and disgusting way.

And this is also the reason for the original ending, the Bad Ending!

Having finally learned the truth and everything, the male protagonist drowned himself in the lake, finding release in the process.

"When will the caged bird fly away?"

This sentence runs throughout the entire text, constantly telling the story of the obsessive male protagonist, who is bound in a cage and unable to break free.

All readers are eagerly anticipating the protagonist's escape and speculating on how he will ultimately break free.

but--

They never imagined that their final escape would be so shocking.

"—To take flight amidst death."

This is the abyss of youth.

The male protagonist is always in a state of meaninglessness, drifting aimlessly like duckweed, rising and falling at the whim of the outside world.

Shiraishi Chiren felt an extremely strong sense of empathy for this story.

Her seventeen years of life seemed to have no particular meaning; it was as if she had been given anesthesia, and the ground beneath her feet had no real feeling.

Their own emotions were so lacking that they could be faked at will.

But no matter how much you pretend, your heart feels like it has a gaping hole, completely empty, and you can't feel anything.

Twelve years spent with his parents, fame spreading overseas, countless accolades received, and he was hailed as an all-around genius...

Shiraishi Chiren felt no emotional fluctuation whatsoever, nor did she feel any joy or pride.

Like the male protagonist in "The Abyss of Youth," she lost her sense of purpose and simply followed the responsibilities that came with it.

The male protagonist works hard to support his family, who have incurred millions in debt to pay for his medical treatment.

She did so to fulfill her parents' expectations—to repay the debt of gratitude for giving her life and raising her.

The male protagonist was punished for desecrating the love of the female protagonists, and was stripped of his emotions, turning into a monster devoid of feelings.

Faced with the female lead's anger, sadness, accusations, and despair...

He felt nothing but emptiness and desolation.

'A monster without any emotion...'

Shiraishi Chiren silently repeated these words in her heart, recalling a day five years ago when she had also been said the same thing.

That really resonated with my state of mind back then.

Empty and desolate, utterly meaningless.

78

As lunch break was about to end, the three of them tidied up their tea sets and personal belongings before returning to their classroom to sit down.

After the first Mandarin class, the last class is home economics—last week it was cooking, this week it's sewing.

Sitting on the sewing machine, Izumi Kurose followed her teacher's instructions and loaded the bottom and top threads into the machine.

Then, the thread is threaded through the needle, and the bottom thread is pulled out through the eye of the needle.

Although his technique was a bit clumsy, he still managed to finish it in about ten minutes.

Beside him, Shiraishi Chiren had already begun sewing a handmade bag with practiced ease.

After arranging and aligning the fabric she was going to sew, she moved the fabric around and stepped on the pedal repeatedly, making a continuous clicking sound.

In no time, the basic shape of a briefcase with smooth lines and neat stitching was formed.

Kurose Izumi, who had been staring intently at Shiraishi Chire's suturing technique, was completely dumbfounded.

He swallowed hard, his voice hoarse, and said, "Bai... Baishi, is there anything you can't do?"

"Ok?"

Shiraishi Chiren stopped sewing, turned her head to look at him, and said, "There are many things I don't know, far more than I do know."

"I feel like you can do everything."

Kurose Izumi scratched his head, looked around, and then said seriously, "Shiraishi, you...you're not Superman, are you?"

"What a strange description!" Shiraishi Chiren laughed. "Because there are home economics and sewing classes in elementary and middle school, so I learned it."

"That's amazing!"

Kurose Izumi gave a thumbs up and said, "Could you teach me? I'm afraid I'll hurt my hand if you sew it up, wouldn't that hurt a lot?"

"Kurose, are you an idiot?" Shiraishi Chiren sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "How could you possibly have stitched your hand up?"

"I...I'm just scared..."

"Okay, I'll teach you."

"That's great!"

After agreeing to help with guidance, Shiraishi Chiren moved her chair next to Kurose Izumi, almost shoulder to shoulder with him.

She pointed to the sewing machine and said, "Put the fabric you want to sew into the sewing opening and lower the presser."

"Oh, okay..." Kurose Izumi did as instructed. "And then?"

"Move the pulley while pressing the pedal. If you're not familiar with it, do it one step at a time, don't rush."

But even though I say I'm not in a hurry, I still can't help feeling nervous.

Like a thief, Kurose Izumi carefully turned the pulley and gently pressed down on the pedal, just like a beginner driver pressing the accelerator.

Click—after the pedal was pressed, the sewing machine moved slightly, and a thread pierced through the overlapping fabric.

Kurose Izumi was startled by the sudden noise and instinctively stepped on the pedal again.

Then, there were several clicking sounds in succession.

Then... the clothes being sewn were stitched smoothly, but became crooked.

Chiren Shiraishi glanced at the sewing machine, then at Izumi Kurose, who looked embarrassed.

Even she remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "...Why are you so afraid?"

"I... I was just afraid that if I used too much force at once, I would sew it crookedly," Kurose Izumi said, her face slightly flushed.

He felt truly ashamed, and despite his caution, he was still terrified.

However, this effect should be similar to how timid people watch horror movies, right?

Even when you are focused and mentally prepared, you can still be startled by sudden noises or frightening images.