I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"...I've heard that the longer you play basketball, the more you can tell whether a shot will go in the instant you release it. It turns out that's true."

With these thoughts in mind, Tenkuji Yu turned and left the spot, twisting his wrist and arm as he did so, trying to remember the feeling of hitting the target before the skill's effect completely disappeared.

As for the result, we know it without even looking.

blow!

The crisp sound of the basketball swishing through the hoop rang out behind me.

This was followed by even more delightful exclamations from the little girls.

"They're in!?"

"Wow! What a cool jump shot!"

"Look, it doesn't seem like a guess..."

"Wow~ Big brother is so amazing, much more amazing than Hinata~"

"That jump shot form..."

"..."

Facing the beautiful sunset that embraced all the chaos and noise, Yuuki Tenkuji couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling refreshed.

"Ah, that felt great!"

Regardless of what others say—this skill was worth using!

△

Hiding behind a telephone pole and witnessing all of this, Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned and jotted down a piece of information in the notebook disguised as a paperback.

"She's very expressive and a lolicon...tsk, you can't judge a book by its cover."

He's clearly a handsome guy, and his shooting just now looked like it was done by a professional. His character is already leaning towards being a perfect person who excels in both academics and sports...

It turns out he was a criminal reserve officer?

"However, it is precisely in these 'abnormal' places that more stories can unfold..."

A slightly fanatical smile appeared on her lips as Kasumigaoka Utaha emerged from the shadows of the telephone pole and followed after it from a distance.

I won't post the image because it's been censored twice. I'll just enjoy it myself.jpg

Chapter Thirteen: Ah, an interesting man.

Yuu Tenkuji realized she was being followed at the entrance of an alley not far from her home.

At first, he thought it was his imagination; a giant, beautiful girl shouldn't be following a low-key, handsome boy...

Only when he became alert and observed the scene behind him through his phone, and discovered that even when he deliberately walked into sparsely populated alleys, there was always a figure walking and reading a book following him, did he have to accept the reality that the other party was indeed following him.

So what is the reason?

Yuuka Tenkuji didn't think he was handsome enough to be followed by a beautiful girl. After thinking it over, he figured the most likely reason was his performance at Shibuya Station, which successfully attracted a "fan".

However, the other person neither spoke to him nor stared at him with longing eyes; their mere presence hanging behind him left him somewhat puzzled.

Who is she? What does she want? Is she after my body or my skills?

Regardless, even if this level of stalking isn't illegal, Yuu Tenkuji wouldn't ignore it and let the other person follow him all the way home.

Even if this person is busty, has long legs, and is very beautiful, Yuu Tenkuji will never tolerate any behavior that violates his privacy or may even endanger Sora.

A slight smirk appeared on his lips.

He suddenly turned around and walked into the entrance of an alley with few streetlights and dim lighting.

△

"Have we been discovered?"

As soon as he led her through the winding paths, deliberately heading towards less crowded areas, Kasumigaoka Utaha realized that this observation was about to come to an end.

This was expected; she's not a professional stalker, so it would be strange if she hadn't been discovered by now.

Most importantly, what she gained in the process.

Kasumigaoka Utaha had never observed or focused so deeply on someone's daily behavior to guess what kind of person he was—and this undoubtedly brought Kasumigaoka Utaha a new experience and gave her a more profound understanding of character portrayal.

To bring a character to life, you must first observe how real humans actually live.

His walking habits, the places his eyes linger, the expression on his face when he strikes up a conversation with an elementary school girl, the confidence and grace with which he shoots a basketball, his reaction when he encounters a pervert like her who stalks others...

All of these are essential conditions for creating characters and making novels more vivid, and are fundamental skills that all authors should master.

In the past, although she possessed writing talent that put her peers to shame, she clearly hadn't mastered the fundamentals, which led to her current tragic fate of having her three volumes canceled.

Therefore, even though she hasn't yet uncovered the story behind the young musician, Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn't regret making this impulsive decision.

The harvest was truly abundant.

She couldn't wait to find a hotel room, pull out her laptop, and start coding for a whole day and night, afraid that inspiration would slip through her fingers and she would waste this opportunity!

But before that, we still need to settle things with him.

"bring it on."

After the fervor comes composure.

Kasumigaoka Utaha took a soft breath, put away her notebook, and followed his footsteps, calmly walking into the sparsely lit, somewhat gloomy alley.

Being followed is a very unpleasant feeling.

As a woman, or rather, a beautiful girl with a top-notch figure and appearance, Kasumigaoka Utaha was well aware of this, and she was prepared to explain, apologize, and express her gratitude to the other party.

Of course, she already had pepper spray and an alarm in hand, ready to protect herself in this alley where it felt like thugs or homeless people could rush out and kidnap her at any moment.

Ka—

The footsteps were quite noticeable in the eerily quiet night. Although she tried to remain calm, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but feel nervous.

Her palms were sweating and her heart was racing. She pressed her lips tightly together and slowly crossed the corner, stepping cautiously into the alley where the shadows outweighed the light.

The sky had long since turned to dusk, dark clouds obscuring the moon, and the sudden bird calls seemed to be distorted into hoarse roars.

Looking at the empty and quiet road ahead where no one was, Kasumigaoka Utaha subconsciously crossed her arms to gain some sense of security.

"Tsk, what a twisted sense of humor..."

She knew in her heart that this was probably the classic tactic of "deliberately leading the stalker to a deserted place, circling behind them, and then casually asking, 'Are you looking for me?' while they are still surprised to have lost you."

Perhaps they wanted to scare themselves with the environment here?

After all, that guy had countless opportunities to block me on that long detour, yet he only decided to do so now.

That's why it's called a perverse sense of humor.

Thinking this, she walked to the middle of the alley, looked left and right at the forks in the road, but still didn't see anyone.

'I guess he took off running as soon as he entered the alley, then took a detour back here, planning to ambush me from behind.'

Using the mindset of a protagonist in a detective novel, Kasumigaoka Utaha made a confident judgment, casually tossing her long, smooth black hair, a smile involuntarily spreading across her lips.

"After all, I was in the wrong first, so I'll let you scare me this once, kid~"

She's not an unreasonable person.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's playful attitude made her feel much more relaxed. After guessing the other party's next move, she pretended not to know anything and looked around anxiously. Her steps were hurried because of fear and unease, like a timid girl who had accidentally entered forbidden territory.

And then we walked and walked...

Ten minutes later.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stopped in her tracks, her gaze sweeping sharply behind her before looking up at any spot on the wall where someone could stand.

"Where is he?!" She dropped her act and became somewhat frantic.

What happened to the planned routine?

I've walked through this alley two or three times already, and I haven't seen a single person there!

Could it be that I've encountered a ghost?

"...No, that's not right!"

Her wine-red eyes widened suddenly, and Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her mouth slightly before she realized what was happening:

"I've been tricked?!"

The other person led her into the alley, with no intention of catching her to find out the reason. Instead, they were too lazy to continue "walking the dog" and simply found a place to release her!

She had guessed his perverse sense of humor, but she hadn't expected him to be completely unconcerned about the answer to the "girl stalking incident" and to dump her without any regard for the rules!

"Ah……"

Having figured this out, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but clench her fists, her full chest heaving with anger, a chilling laugh escaping from between her teeth as she forced a smile through gritted teeth.

"An interesting guy!"

She finally managed to utter that cheesy line, but she felt no joy whatsoever; instead, she wanted to smash someone with her laptop.

If this is the punishment for following him without permission, fine, Kasumigaoka Utaha accepts it. She's not so petty as to hold a grudge like this.

But it's impossible to just accept one's bad luck like that.

Most girls are willful. Even if they know they are in the wrong, they will still feel angry and their chests will tremble when the other party retaliates.

As for cold, the weather in mid-July isn't cold yet.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Kasumigaoka Utaha walked expressionlessly toward the alley entrance, only to hear the sound of papers being blown by the wind not far ahead.

She shone her phone's flashlight on the wall and found a note taped to it. It seemed to have been written hastily, the handwriting somewhat messy:

I'm going home now. I don't know when or if you'll see this message.

In short, if you really need to contact me, you can come and talk to me on the day we happen to meet.

I'm a very nice person. As long as you don't follow me, you can talk to me about anything. I won't charge you depending on the situation.

If it happens again, I will call the police.

Finally, the alley is dark, and you might not be able to hear anyone if you shout, so please be careful on your way home.

Thank goodness this area is relatively safe, Miss Stalker.