All the people who like me are other people’s girlfriends! ?

——Now it's time for me to show up! I have to solve the case of Kiyono-kun!

Ba Nai saw a resolute look in his eyes.

...

ps: Originally this chapter was going to be long, but after I finished writing it, I suddenly thought of a better way to narrate it, so I just overturned it and rewrote it. I’ll make up the word count tomorrow!

...

025. More like an adult

In Hanaijian's eyes, Qingye has always been reliable, strong, and optimistic. Even when he encounters something upsetting, he always has a smile on his face and will never bring negative emotions to others. He's just too old-fashioned and likes to tell some boring jokes - but that's not a shortcoming, it's a plus in the eyes of girls.

Although Yanaijian has always been labeled as "positive and optimistic" by people around her, she feels that Qingye is actually a truly positive person. She can more or less guess the other party's special situation. If she were in Qingye's position, she would definitely not be as strong as him.

So, when she saw Qingye distracted from time to time and with a heavy expression from time to time, she was indeed a little worried.

But how should I ask?

The door of the lounge room was quietly opened a crack, and Banai saw the young man looking at the front through the gap with a distressed expression - am I a voyeur?

Several approaches flashed through her mind, serious, tentative, and subtle, but in the end she decided to do it in their style.

"Hey, what's wrong, young senior? You've been in a daze all day."

Just ask directly.

Banaijian approached Qingye who was tidying up the table and gently bumped his shoulder like a junior high school boy, speaking in a playful tone.

"Are you preparing for the junior high school entrance exam?" She looked Qingye up and down.

Qingye looked at her in surprise, paused, and replied, "That's about right... To be precise, the light novel is ready for submission."

He also did not hide anything. The reason why he did not take the initiative to tell others about such things was, firstly, because he did not want others to think that he was bragging, and secondly, because he did not want to be ridiculed or advised. But he understood Banaijian and knew that she would not do that. She would only find ways to encourage herself.

"So it's a submission... Eh!? So soon?"

Banaijian put her hands on the table and widened her eyes. She was really a little surprised. In her impression, light novels needed to be conceived for a year or two before they could be submitted - this was not a stereotype. Japanese professional writers could only squeeze out a small book in three months.

It’s clear that Qingye had only written more than half of it a while ago, and it’s only been less than a month, and he can submit it?

"Actually, we still have a few days left. If a good idea comes up, we might be able to postpone it."

After tidying up the items on the table, Qingye sat on the chair and explained.

"Will there be a discussion with the editor? For example, if they ask you to change the plot, but you're unwilling to compromise, and the two of you have a heated debate or even an argument over the story..."

Yanaijian stood behind his chair, hands behind her. She had only a vague idea of ​​what a novelist was, a scene she had seen in some obscure TV series.

"Basically not. That's a privilege only for writers who have passed their manuscripts. Most people are rejected with just one letter when they submit their manuscripts."

"Have you decided where to submit your work, Kiyono-kun?"

"We've currently decided on Dengeki Bunko, but the competition there is too fierce, and 70% of the books are about other worlds, so we might be eliminated. So we'll consider Shogakukan and other bunkos that focus on daily life.

"Wow, that's a name even I've heard of."

Ba Nai Jian exclaimed subconsciously, and then fell into silence inexplicably.

She chewed over their conversation over and over again.

Even though she couldn't see Qingye's expression through the chair, she could imagine the boy's bright eyes and determined expression - Qingye was obviously the kind of person who would not give up until he achieved his goal and would not be easily defeated by difficulties.

So that's it——

He is not writing for fun, nor is he just talking about dreams.

He is seriously aiming to be a novelist.

At first she thought Qingye was just a middle school student like most boys of his age, but she still underestimated Qingye's will.

——Qingye is indeed more adult-like than her.

Yanaijian suddenly felt a little lost. She felt that she was slowly getting to know Qingye. Recently, she had read many light novels and secretly borrowed some writing-related books from the literature club. But unknown to her, Qingye was making great strides.

The blue-haired girl moved and sat opposite Qingye, took out a large bag of chocolate bars and opened it - because she was used to sharing with Qingye, she increased the portion of the snacks. However, she surprisingly did not put the chocolate bars in her mouth at this time, but absent-mindedly held them in her hand and slowly rotated them.

In the slightly silent atmosphere, she raised her head and uttered something incomprehensible.

"Hey, Kiyono-kun, can I ask you a strange question?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you the color of my underwear."

Banai glared at him angrily and continued, "Is becoming a novelist your dream?"

If the motivation is not longing for or pursuing a dream, she finds it hard to imagine that an adolescent boy would have such clear ideas and actions. At least for now, she is still confused about her future, which makes her feel emotional and a little envious - as for making money?

Any change of goal is much more practical than that of a novelist.

"Not really." Qingye shook his head slowly and clearly.

His dream is not to become a writer, or rather, he has not even thought about the word dream at this moment.

His original idea was really just to survive!

"Well, that's it."

With a snap, Banaijian bit off the tip of the chocolate. As the sweet taste filled his mouth, the sentimentality that had just emerged was swallowed into his stomach.

That's not what's important now.

Kiyono-kun is about to face an important 'exam' in his life.

Then, it was clear what she had to do.

"Let me help you read the novel!"

...

ps: The second update will be here soon!

...

026. Yanaijian, a prankster

Banaijian slammed the table and looked at him with a stern look.

After experiencing so many light novels, she felt that she was also a veteran... ordinary reader! She could at least offer some suggestions from a female perspective!

"Okay."

There were relatively few opinions from girls. Qingye walked to the corner, opened the document on the computer, and motioned her to sit down.

"Let Yanami-sama tell you what high school girls like these days!"

Ba Naijian sat down in front of the computer with graceful movements, just like an empress ascending the throne surrounded by her ministers.

Qingye curled his lips and quietly sat down in the seat where Banaijian usually sat, leaving her a quiet space, while he himself lay on the table and daydreamed.

After a while, Banaijian finally looked away from the computer. He took a long breath and stared at the ceiling with lifeless eyes, as if he had entered sage mode.

Qingye picked up two chocolate bars, walked to her side, put one in his mouth, threw the other to her, and asked:

"How about it?"

Ba Nai saw that he had not spoken yet.

She closed her eyes as if she was thinking about something.

The lighting in the lounge was very good. The girl sat there with her pretty face slightly tilted up, her blue hair draped softly on her shoulders, her white cheeks slightly flushed, and her long eyelashes trembling - if you didn't know, you would think she was waiting for a kiss!

There was a long, pregnant silence, and then she suddenly opened her eyes.

A serious evaluation was given.

"It's beautiful. I love it."

—Isn't this the same as not saying anything at all? You've been thinking about it for so long that I thought you had some brilliant ideas!

"It would be even better if the hero and heroine were childhood sweethearts."

——Don’t instill your personal hobbies casually!

Qingye's forehead was covered with black lines, and after Yanaijian playfully livened up the atmosphere, he quickly cleared his throat, sat up straight, and said seriously:

“I think most of the place is beautiful, but some places just don’t feel right.”

"For example." Qingye came over and looked at the screen with her.

Yanaijian picked up the chocolate bar that Qingye had thrown on her skirt, put it in her mouth, and scrolled the mouse. "There are some minor errors in the details of the campus and clubs here. Most high schools don't have such a layout. Did you look up the information recently?"

Qingye looked a little embarrassed. She was right. He had never been a Japanese high school student in his two lifetimes. He could only use the great search engine.

"What details are wrong?" he asked humbly.

The blue-haired girl wanted to write it down for him, but after trying to write a few words, she gave up decisively and stood up to dictate. Qingye sat on the chair she had just sat on and turned her words into words.

"The prose-like sentences here on the riverbank are so beautiful! I had to read them several times before I understood their meaning."

Banaijian was standing next to him controlling the mouse, and a strand of hair fell on his arm, making him feel a little itchy.

"That's because you're an idiot. Isn't it also a kind of reading enjoyment to try to think about the meaning behind the metaphor?" Qingye crossed his arms.

Although it was just a casual discussion, he was surprised to find that the girl was indeed giving advice seriously.

"The first half seems like an ordinary school story. Isn't the hero a death god? Can you make it a little more romantic? Like, flying through the night sky with the heroine in his arms!"

"That's a vampire..."

The girl's words were full of strong personal emotions, some of which were praise for the exquisiteness of the story, and some of which were complaints about the character settings. This outsider's evaluation of the overall picture of the story inspired Qingye.

"I always feel that there are some similarities between Qingye-kun and this Mr. Death."

"where?"

Yanai saw a slender finger pressed against her cherry lips, her smile carrying a hint of mischievous teasing——

"For example, stubbornness, clumsiness, wanting to solve everything on my own, and being duplicity."

"Hey! You just want to take this opportunity to discredit me!" Qingye slammed the table in dissatisfaction.

Banai suddenly leaned forward slightly, her blue eyes staring at him, and her smile gradually softened.

A moist sound rang in my ears.

"But it's also gentle."

"..."

Qingye looked away somewhat uncomfortably. What was going on with this sea otter?

Yanai saw that nature naturally changed the subject, "By the way, have you read that novel that won the Rookie of the Year Award a while ago? It was announced that it would be animated after only one volume, and everyone in our class is talking about it."

"Hmm? That book about the hero's death, right? I've finished reading it." Qingye took the chocolate bar handed to him by Yanaijian.

"That book is so good! Especially the love story with the childhood sweetheart princess mixed in with the epic..."

"I think it's great, too. The story structure is incredibly solid, and the suspense is brilliant. It's worthy of being the top newcomer. However, I think the storyline about the childhood sweetheart princess is a bit redundant. Compared to the childhood sweetheart, I prefer the scheming saint."

Qingye finished her off without any emotion.

The childhood sweetheart immediately exploded, shaking his shoulders back and forth, "Idiot! That part was well written! How could it be redundant?"

Their discussions would occasionally stray into gossip, favorite novels, TV shows, and comics, and the conversations were almost the same as their usual small talk.

But there is still a difference, Ba Nai Jian thought.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling, but she could sense that she now understood Kiyono more deeply than usual—she could understand the development of Kiyono's favorite stories, the type of heroines he liked, his heart-warming daily moments, and so on.

Maybe this is because Qingye is talking to her from the perspective of a creator?

——Of course, she can now understand Qingye's preferences and quirks, and the same is true in reverse.

"You're a hopeless childhood sweetheart. Childhood sweethearts are a thing of the past. How about trying to throw yourself into the arms of the "Heaven-Falling Party," Miss Hanaijian?"

Qingye chuckled.

"In reality, there won't be any beautiful, cold, righteous, rich, high-class beauty with long black hair who will meet you. Please stop fantasizing about this, Senior Qingye!"

Ba Nai saw a look of pity on his face.

The two looked at each other, snorted coldly at the same time, and turned their faces away.

After the usual commotion, Qingye stood up and stretched his body, praising, "You might be suitable for being an editor, Miss Yanaijian."