Tokyo: Oreimo

"...Shi Yuze".

"Ok?"

"Can you kiss me?"

She asked the question softly, but her eyes showed no sign of flinching.

Ryosuke did not answer.

He reached out and gently cupped the back of her head, his fingers running through her hair, which was tousled by the sea breeze. He lowered his head and kissed her cool lips.

The sea breeze whistled past them, carrying the chill of December and moisture from the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

But in that kiss, everything became warm.

......

As evening approached, a crack appeared in the thick clouds on the horizon, and the afterglow of the setting sun poured down, turning the gray-blue sea into a molten gold.

The two sat side by side on the breakwater by the beach. Saori put her shoes back on, but she hadn't had time to brush the sand off her feet, and there were a few fine white grains of sand stuck to her trouser legs.

Saori leaned against him, holding a can of hot coffee she had bought from a vending machine, sipping it slowly.

"Shi Yuze".

"Ok?"

Let's come see the sea again next year.

Ryosuke turned his head to look at her.

The setting sun cast its light on her profile, turning her black hair a warm amber color. Her eyelashes cast delicate shadows on her cheeks, and a satisfied smile played on her lips.

"next year?"

"Yes, next year's Christmas Eve."

She turned her head and smiled at him.

"The year after next, and the year after that too."

Let's come to see the sea together every Christmas Eve.

Ryosuke looked at her eyes, which were bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, and remained silent for a moment.

Then he reached out and hooked his little finger around hers, which was holding the coffee can.

"it is good."

Saori paused for a moment, looked down at their little fingers intertwined, and then laughed.

"Pinky promise?"

"Ah."

"How cliché."

"That's it."

"You're not allowed to calculate."

She hooked her hand around his little finger and tightened it.

"Oh, right, Shi Yuze."

"Ok?"

"White Album 2 is on track now, when do you plan to develop a new game?"

Saori leaned on his shoulder.

"So eager?"

Ryosuke was a little surprised; it had only been released for a week, right?

Before she could even catch her breath, she was already in a hurry to create the next piece. She herself didn't mind, but Saori's ambition was a bit too much.

Originally, I planned to spend some time with her to rest before starting to prepare for the new project.

"Hmm, what are your thoughts on the direction of your new work?"

'Because time is very tight...'

Phoenix Inu Saori muttered to herself.

A third of the time has passed since the agreement with my father was made, and we are still quite far from our goal.

Aniplex has been very successful this year.

The games "FSN" and "Clannad", along with the anime "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", brought in a lot of revenue. In particular, the anime DVDs and related merchandise sold like hotcakes.

In its first week alone, DVD sales exceeded 10,000 copies, and cumulative sales have now surpassed 50,000 copies.

Only two months have passed since the anime ended, and the revenue from merchandise royalties is already approaching 100 million.

It will generate a steady stream of revenue in the future. If it is managed well and its popularity is maintained, it should not be a problem to earn 10 billion yen in royalties within three years just from this work.

But this is still a long way from her goal; she needs to get the snowball rolling as quickly as possible.

1 million US dollars, 160 billion yen.

Within the family business, this number didn't seem like a big deal, but when she actually took on the business, she realized it was a rather arduous task.

Now, the only person I can rely on is Ryosuke.

Yes.

"However, this time, there are some parts of the program that need to be modified, and I will provide you with my ideas as soon as possible."

Since my girlfriend made the request, I'll have to put the matter of resting aside.

What kind of story is it this time?

"...time travel."

Ryosuke looked into Saori's eyes in his arms, and thinking of that surname, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Perhaps, my appearance in your life force is also a choice made by Steins;Gate."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Shi Yuze?"

Chapter 199 Does Ryosuke also have a date?

After dropping Saori off at her apartment, Ryosuke went home.

When I opened the door, the light in the entryway was still on.

My parents have probably gone back to their room to rest; only a small nightlight is left on in the living room.

He changed his shoes in the entryway and took off his coat, hanging it on the hanger.

He paused as he passed Ling Nai's room. No light shone through the crack in the door; it was as quiet as if no one was there.

Without giving it much thought, he continued walking towards his room.

He paused for a moment as he pushed open the door.

A person is curled up on the bed.

Golden hair spread out on the pillow. Ling Nai lay on her side with her knees curled up to her chest and her hands clasped together under her cheeks. One of Buffy Rabbit's slippers was hanging on her foot, while the other had fallen to the floor beside the bed.

The breathing was very soft and even, and the rise and fall of the chest was slow and rhythmic.

"This guy actually fell asleep in my bed?"

Ryosuke tiptoed into the room and placed his backpack on a chair.

On the desk lay an open notebook, the NAME book of "Death Note" that had been given to my younger sister before.

He glanced at the girl sleeping soundly on the bed, completely unsuspecting.

You must have been waiting in the room for a long time again.

He crouched down, picked up the Buffet slipper that had fallen to the ground, and placed it neatly beside the bed.

Then he straightened up and looked down at Ling Nai's sleeping face.

"Hey, Ling Nai, why don't you go back to your room and sleep?"

He gently shook his sister's shoulders, but couldn't wake her. The girl looked unwilling and curled up even tighter in the blankets.

"...No way, that guy's scent is still here..."

Ling Nai muttered something to herself.

Ryosuke had a look on his face that said, "I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

Smell? What kind of peculiar fetish is this?

Even if you say that...

There's only one bed in the room. If I let Ling Nai sleep here, I can't exactly go to her room to rest, can I?

He sighed, bent down, put one hand behind her knees and the other hand on her back, and lifted her off the bed, along with the thin blanket covering the girl.

It was lighter than he had imagined.

It's completely inconsistent with her supposed superhuman strength; she probably weighs less than 90 pounds.

Ling Nai shrank back in his arms like a startled cat, mumbled something indistinctly, rubbed her face against his chest, and then stopped moving.

Ryosuke carried her out of the room. The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps and the even breathing of the girl in his arms.

He pushed open the door to Ling Nai's room with his shoulder, turning sideways. It was pitch black inside, and the curtains were not fully drawn, allowing moonlight to seep in through the gaps.

He walked to the bedside, bent down, and prepared to put the girl down.

Just as her back was about to touch the sheets, the person in her arms suddenly opened their eyes.

Ling Nai stared at him, her pupils still misty from just waking up, as if she hadn't figured out where she was or what had happened.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes.

Then, the fog gradually dissipated, and my pupils refocused.

She recognized who was holding her.