I'll give my daughter one more second.

"Did you all hear that? That cute little girl seemed to be calling out 'Daddy'?"

"Could it be one of the teacher's children?"

"I think it's more likely to be someone's daughter in the class!"

"You've been watching too many novels and anime, haven't you? How could a high school student possibly have such a big daughter?"

Who was that person who just rushed out?

"It was too fast, I couldn't see it clearly." The students in the class started to discuss among themselves.

Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed lost in thought as she recalled the little girl who had appeared at the classroom door earlier. She was sitting in the seat closest to the door, making her one of the people observing the little girl most closely and seeing her most clearly.

For some reason, when she saw that little girl's face, she always felt a sense of familiarity and closeness.

She also saw that the person who led the little girl out of the classroom was the same guy who had been paying attention to her earlier.

"I think his name is Wu Shen? Let's ask him what happened to that girl when he gets back," Shi Yu muttered to herself.

She subconsciously developed a slight interest in the little girl. As for Wu Shen's thoughtless words earlier, she had completely forgotten about them because of Wu Yi's appearance.

Author's Note:

(??????)??(??????)??

Chapter 5 My Mother is a Novelist

On the other hand, Wu Shen, carrying Kasumigaoka Mai, dashed like the wind to the rooftop, the place where Makoto had once fought.

After looking around to make sure no one was there, Wu Shen put the iron gate leading to the rooftop on top and then lowered the dance costume.

"Why are you at school?" Wu Shen asked.

Although Mai's sudden appearance in the classroom saved her from the situation, the necessary education still needs to continue. Otherwise, what if she gets kidnapped by a creepy old man?

"Because staying at home is too boring. And I also want to see the place where my dad and mom met in the past, and then see what my mom looked like when she was young!" Mai puffed out her chest energetically, her tone showing no sign of admitting her mistake or repenting.

“It’s not a big problem for a child to be lively, but you and Shiyu are really not alike in personality.”

Wu Shen sighed with regret. His own daughter was such a brat—could there be anything more tragic?

"Speaking of which, Dad, your progress is really fast. You've already started discussing stockings with Mom in such a short time?" Obviously, Wu Yi had heard Wu Shen's slip of the tongue earlier.

Okay, there's something even more tragic. It's that my own daughter is both naughty and dirty-minded.

"That was just an accident." Wu Shen's lips twitched slightly. "But since you said you're from the future, do you know how I met Shi Yu?"

Wu Shen was currently at a loss, but the appearance of the dance costume gave him a great inspiration. Although he didn't know what to do now, surely his future daughter would know some clues?

"Because my parents are always showing affection in public, I know a little bit about it. But if you don't tell me about things that are inappropriate for children, I won't know anything." Wu Yi put on a helpless expression, her little shoulders trembling slightly.

"There's no need to know too many details about what happened next. Just tell me how we met." Wu Shen covered his face, but also breathed a sigh of relief. If Wu Yi were to describe in detail the entire process of creating the next generation, that would be truly terrifying!

"I don't know the specifics either. On our wedding anniversary, whenever Dad tried to tell me about your 'great deeds' in the past, Mom would pull you back to your room with a blushing face, and then it was something that no one else knew about."

What happened to me in the future after that? Wu Shen's curiosity was piqued.

After saying this, Wu Yi pouted angrily, "That room is so well soundproofed, I couldn't hear a sound even if I tried to eavesdrop! Mom and Dad, you're being too polite!"

"This isn't a matter of whether we're strangers or not," Wu Shen said, embarrassed.

"The only thing I know is that my parents met through a novel."

"A novel?" After hearing Mai's suggestion, Wu Shen recalled Kasumigaoka Utaha's habit of always reading novels in class. Was that novel really the key to the problem?

"Hmm, Dad probably doesn't know this, but Mom is a novelist. And a very popular one at that, I think it was even adapted into an anime, and it's super popular right now!" Mai's eyes sparkled as she excitedly explained. She seemed to greatly admire her novelist mother.

Novel, an anime adaptation? Could it be that Kasumigaoka Utaha is writing a light novel? As an anime otaku, Wu Shen immediately thought of light novels.

However, he found it hard to imagine that the usually dignified, elegant, and serious female academic genius was actually a light novel writer and anime enthusiast. What kind of romantic comedy is this?

Regardless of whether my guess is true or not, this is still important information.

"What was Shiyu's debut work? Do you know Mai?"

"I saw it in my mother's study. I think it was called 'Love Metronome.' If I remember correctly, it was a work my mother created when she was in high school." Mai pretended to try to recall, then seemed to remember something and patted her right palm with her left hand.

"During high school, that is, Utaha's debut work, 'Love Metronome,' has very likely already been released and sold." Based on the existing information, Wu Shen came up with a way to start a conversation with Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Wu Shen sent Wu Yi home first, then returned to the classroom, finally managing to get through get out of class around 3:30 PM. After a hurried goodbye to Lun Ye and Ying Qi, Wu Shen headed towards a bookstore near his familiar college.

As an anime enthusiast, Wu Shen had read many light novels before. After studying abroad, he bought even more light novels as reading material to improve his reading skills.

Because he has Aki Tomoya as a friend, a huge fan, Wu Shen also pays close attention to the light novels that debut in the new author awards of various paperback magazines. He would often go to bookstores to see what new books are being released, or to look for the excellent works recommended by Tomoya.

However, he didn't seem to recall finding a light novel called "Love Metronome" during his recent trip to the bookstore.

"Wuyi said that Shiyu's works are very well-known. She was called the most promising newcomer when she first debuted, but why do I have no recollection of such a book? Did I miss it before? Or is it a new work that was just released in the last few days?"

With this question in mind, Wu Shen stepped into the bookstore.

To be honest, the location of this bookstore is not very good. It is located in an inconspicuous alley, in a bustling commercial street. Apart from a simple ramen shop diagonally opposite, there is nothing else worth mentioning.

Compared to the bustling, fast-paced city, this tranquil haven is a perfect place for a bookstore to thrive.

Moreover, although the shop owner here is an old lady, she gets her books faster than any other bookseller. You can find all kinds of newly released books here, including light novels.

The bookshelves were neatly arranged with a dazzling array of books. Wu Shen walked to the new book display at the light novel counter and began searching for a new book called "Love Metronome".

However, after scanning through them all, Wu Shen couldn't find a novel with that name.

"Could it be that Grandma put the book in the wrong place?"

So Wu Shen searched through all the bookshelves again, but still couldn't find a similar novel.

Left with no other option, Wu Shen went to the cashier to ask the bookstore owner if he knew anything about the book.

As a result, he was in such a hurry when he came over that his view was blocked by the bookshelf in front of him that he accidentally bumped into another person.

Although neither of them fell, the books the other was holding scattered all over the ground. Wu Shen quickly bent down to help pick them up.

"Sorry, I didn't notice there was someone in front of me." Wu Shen apologized while picking up the books he had dropped.

"It's nothing, I was just in a hurry."

A familiar female voice, clear yet slightly gentle, entered his ears. Wu Shen was stunned for a moment, then raised his head slightly and realized that the person he had bumped into was Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Author's Note:

(っ*′Д`)っ

Chapter 6 The Secret of the Two

"Are you Wu Shen from the same class?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was also taken aback for a moment, and asked after hesitating for a while.

"Kasumigaoka? You're here at this bookstore too? What a coincidence."

Having learned from his previous experience, Wu Shen remained calm this time and thankfully didn't blurt out anything nonsensical like "Your stockings are really nice" in his panic.

He picked up the books, his peripheral vision glancing at the covers of several titles. They were all covered in colorful, anime-style illustrations, and the names were familiar to Wu Shen, an anime enthusiast, such as "My Older Sister Can't Be This Cute," "Blue-Eyed Haruna," and "Phoenix and Lion."

Upon seeing these book titles, Wu Shen froze. So, the aloof, artsy female scholar at school was actually a fan of anime! She hid it so well! Even though he was also an anime otaku, he had never noticed a single clue before.

He always thought that besides himself, the only other anime enthusiasts in his class were Tomoya Aki and Hideki Nishimura.

Both of them, including Ren, are extremely bold and passionate anime enthusiasts. They even once did the remarkable thing of discussing with the head of the student affairs office whether animated short films could be shown on the big screen. They can discuss ACG topics with others without any reservations.

Yingqi, on the other hand, is a so-called open-minded otaku who never hides his hobbies and can chat freely with any guy. He is known by others as someone who "can talk about otaku topics without any problem."

Influenced by the impressions of those two, Wu Shen didn't deliberately hide his hobbies. So he subconsciously assumed that others wouldn't hide their preferences either.

To my utter surprise, my target, Kasumigaoka Utaha, turned out to be such a deeply hidden individual.

"They're just some ordinary youth literature." When she noticed that Wu Shen's attention was focused on the books he had picked up, Kasumigaoka Utaha's usually calm expression showed a hint of panic, and she hurriedly snatched the books back from Wu Shen's hands.

I was afraid he would figure out something from it.

Normally, Wu Shen might have left without saying a word. But now that he had decided to pursue Shi Yu, Wu Shen wasn't going to give up such a good opportunity to establish a connection.

As the saying goes, a shared secret is the strongest bond. Wu Shen had been struggling to find common ground with Shi Yu, but now he had found a way forward.

I never expected to run into them at the bookstore, and I even discovered their secret! It's like heaven is helping me out. It seems like I have a huge advantage now.

"Kasumigaoka, these books... Do you like reading light novels?" Wu Shen pointed at the books in Shi Yu's hand, pretending to be very curious and harmless.

Upon hearing the words "light novel," Kasumigaoka Utaha's body involuntarily trembled, but she quickly calmed down and regained her composure.

"Well, but I hope you..."

While Shi Yu was still choosing her words, unsure how to explain things to Wu Shen, Wu Shen interrupted her earnestly: "I understand. Don't worry, I will keep this a secret and will never tell anyone."

If a secret is revealed, it ceases to be a secret. Having finally obtained the secret that binds the two together, Wu Shen certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to tell anyone. Moreover, considering only Shi Yu's personal feelings, Wu Shen wouldn't reveal this matter either.

Seeing that Shi Yu still looked slightly uneasy and doubtful, Wu Shen smiled and said in the gentlest tone possible, "I'm also an anime enthusiast, so I understand your feelings and thoughts. I respect other people's principles."

"However, it's inevitable to feel lonely sometimes. If you have any topics you'd like to discuss with someone, feel free to contact me anytime. I've also read many novels, read many comics, and watched many anime."

Instead of making any forceful demands, they subtly suggested a possibility. This way, even if Shi Yu doesn't have such thoughts now, when she encounters any problems in this regard, the first person she'll think of will definitely be Wu Shen, who made the tactful invitation.

"Thank you. I'll consider it if there are any problems." Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded slightly, revealing a playful smile, which had a hint of mischievousness to it.

She had never paid much attention to her classmates, focusing instead on her own little world. However, after the events of the day, Shiyu had begun to develop a slight interest in Wu Shen, the boy.

Wu Shen could sense a significant distance between himself and Shi Yu in her words, but that was normal, given that the two had never interacted before. It would be a big problem if they became familiar with each other in just one day.

Now that the iceberg is melting little by little, and we can see a corner of Shi Yu that was sealed and hidden behind the iceberg, Wu Shen is already satisfied.

As the saying goes, you have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. You can't rush things.

The next step is to gradually close the distance between the two sides.

After Kasumigaoka Utaha put away her novel, paid at the cashier, and left, Wu Shen suddenly noticed a small head peeking out from behind a row of bookshelves. Mai was secretly smiling and looking in their direction.

"When did you get here?" Wu Shen was too lazy to explain to her why she had sneaked out again.

"You've been doing this from the very beginning. Whoosh, as expected of Dad, you've already struck up a conversation with Mom so quickly. Things are progressing incredibly fast. But it's a little different from what I imagined." Wu Yi gave Wu Shen a thumbs up.

"The plot you're imagining? What plot?" Wu Shen suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Hehe, if you don't want this secret to become known throughout the school, then listen to me and don't resist." Wu Yi imitated Wu Shen's tone, lowering her voice.

"I would never laugh so lewdly," Wu Shen said, embarrassed.

"Haha, saying no with your mouth, but your body is not so honest! That's probably how it will unfold later."