A newbie's anime life diary

If it were Yui Yuigahama, she might even offer to visit the boy's house, but as for Yukino Yukinoshita, it's obviously impossible.

After saying goodbye, the two parted ways and went into their respective apartment buildings.

After entering the house and putting my things away, I went to the balcony and just happened to see Yukino Yukinoshita walking into the stairwell.

The girl stopped and looked to her right, sensing something. She saw the person she had parted ways with earlier leaning against the balcony and waving at her.

She pursed her lips, nodded slightly, and without caring whether the other person saw her, Yukinoshita took out her keys, opened the door, and went inside.

"I never expected that Yukino Yukinoshita would live right across from me. Well, I haven't even lived here for more than a few days, so it's normal that I haven't seen her. But it's really amazing."

Looking at the setting sun that had already sunk below the horizon, Xuehui stretched his arms, turned around and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Alone, Xuehui ate slowly, with a bowl of rice and two side dishes, one meat and one vegetable, while watching TV.

"I wonder if Jing-jie has been eating properly. Is it really a good idea to move out so hastily...?"

Xuehui instinctively picked up his phone, but after thinking for a moment, he put it down.

Meanwhile, across the street at Yukino's house, Yukino simply stir-fried a dish and pan-fried a piece of cod. She then placed the food and miso soup on the dining table in the living room, took out her laptop, opened a website, clicked on a cat video, and ate her dinner while watching the video.

This is the most relaxing time for the girl. Watching cat videos while eating is something she never dared to imagine before, and it even makes her appetite bigger.

I was thinking that I could get a pet cat after moving out, but who knew that the apartment my family found for me didn't allow pets!

As a second-best option, the girl could only spend her days watching cat videos and occasionally visit the cat cafes in the city on weekends to satisfy her cat-loving desires.

"Let's go again in a couple of days."

The girl ate the fish in small bites, watching the kitten in the video, a look of satisfaction on her face.

While the two teenagers were having their dinners, at the Hiratsuka Shizuka residence...

Although it was dinnertime, there was no aroma of food that should be present at this time of year. Several bowls and plates were piled up in the kitchen sink, unwashed, and traces of curry and rice could be faintly seen.

In the corner trash can, besides some scraps of chopped food, there were some dark, unidentified objects. If Miss Tuanzi saw them, she would probably exclaim, "Ah, I've made these things before!"

In the living room, Hiratsuka Shizuka, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, was fast asleep on the sofa, her face flushed and muttering to herself. The coffee table in front of her was piled high with beer bottles.

But no one knew any of this...

----------

After dinner, Xuehui finally remembered his unfinished work and returned to his room to start drawing, preparing to finish the last two illustrations that night.

In stark contrast to his smooth sailing, another author under the same editor, Kasumigaoka Utaha, whom he had already met once, was currently facing a barrage of questions from her editor, Machida Sonoko.

She had written half of the fourth volume of her novel, but something just didn't feel right, so she sent it to her editor to see what the problems were.

"The plot is too uneventful. Although the relationship between the male protagonist Naoto and Sayuka gradually deepens, the storyline of the newly added second female lead, Misaki, is also naturally connected. Shinobu, your writing is still very good, but it's very boring for me to read. It's completely lacking the wow factor of the first two volumes, especially the first volume. This kind of manuscript is simply unacceptable." Machida Sonoko said this on the phone. She knew that Kasumigaoka Utaha was definitely experiencing writer's block at this moment.

It's understandable. As a new writer, she unexpectedly won the newcomer award and made her debut. She must have faced considerable pressure to gain wider recognition for her work.

"I know I'm writing terribly, but right now I'm completely lost and have no idea how to continue the story." Kasumigaoka Utaha held her phone, sitting in a chair, her smooth legs under her nightgown trembling incessantly, revealing the unease and anxiety in the girl's heart.

"Well, I can understand. After all, when a teenage girl like you writes a romance novel, you will inevitably encounter these kinds of problems. If you don't have enough personal experience, you can only rely on your own imagination to write. It's not realistic to ask you to fall in love now. As an editor, I'm not the author. The only advice I can give is to read more books or watch more movies and TV shows of the same genre."

“But all those things are the same and they don’t give me any good ideas!” Kasumigaoka Utaha said.

"That's why I told you to communicate more with other authors, but you wouldn't listen. But now there's a good option." Machida Sonoko's tone was slightly encouraging.

Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow. She instinctively felt somewhat uncomfortable communicating with other authors. She had tried communicating before, but this method was simply not suitable for her.

Suddenly, a candidate popped into her mind.

"You mean Hiratsuka Yukiteru?"

"Hmph~" Machida Sonoko's tone carried a hint of certainty. "That's right, it's Sora-sensei. When I contacted him to inquire about the progress of the illustrations, I learned that he actually bought your novel and has already finished reading it. I think if you go to see him, Xiaoshi, you'll definitely gain something, since you're the same age. At the very least, you can experience what it's like to go on a date, and maybe you'll have a burst of inspiration?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha pursed her lips after hearing this, looking somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected that the other person had already finished reading all three volumes of her novel, even though she knew that the other person was busy drawing illustrations for her novel.

If it were this person, she wouldn't mind discussing it with them, and something Machida Sonoko said later also made her somewhat interested.

Kasumigaoka Utaha is a beautiful girl who has turned 18, but so far she has never had any romantic experience. All the confessions she has received have been rejected without mercy, leaving her with the image of an unapproachable high flower at the General Affairs High School.

She had previously developed a slight liking for a junior who had done a lot of promotion for her novel, but later learned that he was an incurable otaku obsessed with anime and manga. Although she didn't discriminate against people like that, she still felt resistant to the idea of ​​dating someone who was completely indifferent to real-life girls.

Now there are more options: Hiratsuka Yukiteru, also a writer, and Sora-sensei, whose first manuscript was published. Putting aside the matter of dating, if I ask her out under the pretext of research, she is unlikely to refuse. Moreover, she is very polite in her speech and behavior on our first meeting and will not do anything inappropriate.

After some thought, Kasumigaoka Utaha decided to accept Machida Sonoko's suggestion.

"I understand, Sister Yuanzi. I will contact them."

"That's great! Xiaoshi, you're a beautiful girl. If you don't throw tantrums, the other person is quite easy to talk to. Well then, I look forward to your victory! Bye-bye~"

After hanging up the phone, the girl checked the time and figured the other person probably hadn't rested yet, so she dialed their number directly.

Xuehui was engrossed in painting at home when a telephone rang, waking him up.

He put down his pen, picked up his phone, and was surprised to find it was a number that surprised him.

"Good evening, Kasumigaoka-senpai, is there anything I can help you with?"

Just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to update for the next two days because of driving practice and some other things. I'll make up for it one chapter at a time on Tuesday. Sorry (bowing deeply).

Why is this happening in Chapter 34?

Why did it turn out like this? I finally moved back to my own home and was living a peaceful and free life for the first time. It also happened to be the Golden Week holiday, which allowed me to enjoy myself to the fullest. Two happy things happening at the same time should have made me doubly happy.

but......

"But why is it a couples' cafe?!"

Sitting in a comfortable booth, Xuehui rested his head on his hands and muttered to himself, with a freshly placed Americano iced coffee in front of him.

When he has nothing to do, he likes to find a coffee shop and spend an afternoon there, but this place is just not right!

I really shouldn't have trusted Kasumigaoka Utaha. She said some nice things last night, like she wanted to hear my opinion on the new volume of the novel.

Xuehui wouldn't mind such a request. After all, they were both authors under the same editor and of the same age, so it was fine to exchange ideas. With his original level plus the knowledge he had been cramming for recently, he was more than qualified to be a new light novel author.

However, Yukiteru instinctively remained wary of Kasumigaoka Utaha, as she was someone who rarely showed her emotions. He had originally planned to have her send him an electronic copy of his manuscript so he could review it, but Utaha insisted on meeting him in person to discuss the matter.

Seeing how sincere the other party was and how serious their tone was, Xuehui thought about it and nodded in agreement.

It can't possibly eat itself, can it?

The result? Heh...

"I should be the one to choose where we meet."

Looking at the smiling girl with long, straight black hair in front of him, wearing a pure white dress, Xuehui felt a pang of heartache.

Why choose a couples' cafe of all places? No wonder the address looked familiar when I received the text message this morning; I'd passed by here before.

Compared to Yukiteru's resentful look, Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed completely unconcerned. Instead, she was observing the café's interior with great interest, taking notes in her notebook while muttering to herself:

"Is this the couples' cafe? It looks really nice. It seems like choosing this place today was definitely the right decision. It was so wise of me to call you, junior!"

"If you want to come, just come. Why did you ask me to come with you?"

"Huh? Is that even a question? Among all the boys my age that I know, you're the only one~" Kasumigaoka Utaha put down her pen and paper, rested her smooth chin on one hand, and looked at Yukiteru with a smile in her scarlet eyes, as if to say, "It's your honor~".

"You think I'd believe that? I remember Yuanzi and I were chatting a while ago and she mentioned that there was a junior from Soubu High School who was a fan of yours. He was the first one to arrive at your book signing event, and later he even promoted your novel on his Weibo, which boosted your sales. I think his name is... Taki-kun?"

"Oh, junior, are you jealous?"

She smiled at Yukiteru, but in her heart, Kasumigaoka Utaha was cursing Machida Sonoko. Wasn't this just making things more difficult for her?

"No, you're overthinking it. This is the only thing that will absolutely not happen, please don't worry," Xuehui replied without hesitation, still looking utterly hopeless.

Ah, I feel like I'm going to end up with Hachiman's dead fish eyes if this keeps up...

With a barely perceptible purse of her lips, Kasumigaoka Utaha began to doubt her own charm for the first time. However, thinking back to the scene she witnessed near the sports field, and the girl standing next to her, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt somewhat relieved.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to get down to business and explained, "That person did help me a lot. It was also his suggestion to add the second female lead in the second volume. However, he is a shut-in who always puts himself in the position of a reader when communicating with me. He can't give me the answers I want in many places. Compared to that person, Xuehui-kun, you can definitely solve my current problem."

Looking at Kasumigaoka Utaha's serious expression, Yukiteru sighed. This woman was more troublesome than he had imagined, putting on such an expression that made it hard for him to refuse: "I'll believe you for now since you're so serious. But you still haven't told me why it's a couples' cafe!"

"Huh? Didn't I say that?" Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head, looking completely bewildered.

"Of course not! Besides, your public image has completely collapsed!"

"We came here, of course, to gather material!"

“Gather…gather materials?” Xuehui repeated, a bad feeling creeping over him.

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded, looking on with a look of reminiscence, and said, "When I was thinking about where to meet today, Sonoko sent me a message directly. Since we're meeting, let's be more straightforward and go to some places we don't usually go. Let's treat it as research. Anyway, it will definitely help with the novel later, and so on. Then she sent me the address of this store. Ah, Sonoko is such a good person."

“Machida Sonoko…” After muttering his editor’s name and cursing her several times for not being able to find a boyfriend, Yukiteru finally calmed down: “I understand the general idea. So, whatever you’re planning, come on, give me your novel manuscript first.”

After he finished speaking, a stack of printed A4 papers appeared in front of him.

Without saying much, Xuehui quickly flipped through the manuscript after receiving it. The other party was not someone like Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, so he had to put in some effort to read it carefully.

For a moment, the small space, devoid of communication, became exceptionally quiet.

Kasumigaoka Utaha sat opposite, sipping her drink while quietly watching Yukiteru's serious expression.

'Although she was a little angry about my actions, just as Yuanzi said, she really takes her promises seriously. That kind of personality would be perfect for a male protagonist, maybe I should use him as a template for the next book? Oh no, this series isn't finished yet, I'll just keep that in mind and go back to work on the character designs... And the female protagonist... should I use myself?'

Looking at the boy's face, Kasumigaoka Utaha became lost in her own world.

A couples' cafe, as the name suggests, is a place to add romance to couples' dates. The people who come here are mostly young men and women. Although society is more open now and there is no longer discrimination against men and women, I still didn't encounter any couples here.

Among today's guests, Yukiteru and Kasumigaoka Utaha were undoubtedly the most eye-catching couple. Although neither of them spoke, just sitting there, with the woman looking at the man, made the staff who had witnessed the grand occasion feel a little... envious and jealous. The men envied Yukiteru, and the women envied Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Perhaps some of them are the opposite? Well, whatever, that's the gist of it.

About half an hour later, Xuehui finished reading through Kasumigaoka Utaha's manuscript, which was almost half-written.

Rubbing his slightly sore eyes, Xuehui looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha and said, "So you're having writer's block. It seems you're not very familiar with the descriptions of the relationship between the three. Compared to the plot between the male and female protagonists in the first volume, the plots in the second and third volumes are noticeably dragging, especially the third volume."

Faced with the other party's evaluation, Kasumigaoka Utaha, unusually, did not get angry, and nodded: "As expected of a newcomer strongly promoted by the paperback, you saw through it at a glance. Do you have any good suggestions? I don't know how many words I've deleted lately."

"I believe you're not someone who hasn't read romance novels. The reason you can't write one now is simply because you feel it's not suitable or doesn't suit your taste. Even if you followed those formulas, it wouldn't be much different from this manuscript." Xuehui twirled the paper in his hand, feeling the slight tremor from the ground, and asked, "Do you want to write something so sweet it'll make your teeth ache, or something that will make your stomach hurt so much you want to die?"

I finally have some time, so I'll work through the night to finish today's two chapters, and start writing yesterday's two chapters tomorrow!

Chapter 35 is all about inspiration, isn't it? I'll give you inspiration.

Upon hearing Yukiteru's question, Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes lit up. Her author's heart instinctively sensed that the upcoming conversation would influence her future creative path.

"What if it's sweet? What if it hurts your stomach?"