Chapter 236 - 236: Fuji Television's Invitation!

Of course, if she could live long enough to see herself graduate from university…

Or land a steady job.

Or even…

Shimizu Nayotake's eyes shone, but the smile she wore as she looked at Tsushima Kagami neither widened nor faded.

As unreadable as ever.

I'm getting greedier and greedier.

Shimizu Nayotake scolded herself for it.

Then she slowly lowered her head again.

Seeing how bright Shimizu Nayotake seemed today, Tsushima Kagami felt the knot in his chest loosen.

Everything was heading in the right direction, it seemed.

All that effort hadn't gone to waste.

"Hey, what are you still standing there for?

"Come sit down already."

On Yukinoshita Shizuku's other side, Hiratsuka Shizuka spoke up with a grin.

She shifted over and patted the space she'd just cleared, signaling for Tsushima Kagami to sit between her and Yukinoshita Shizuku.

He walked straight over and dropped into the seat without ceremony.

"What do you want to eat?" Yukinoshita Shizuku held out a menu to him.

She and Shimizu Nayotake had both worked the morning shift at the convenience store. Tsushima Kagami had still been sleeping in when they left, so he'd almost certainly come here without eating a thing.

Let's see.

The moment Tsushima Kagami picked up the menu, Hiratsuka Shizuka pressed herself right up against him, one arm hooked around his.

"I came without eating either," she said. "How about we get pasta?"

Tsushima Kagami had no particular objection.

But at that moment the conversation across the table - Sayuri and the others - cut off dead.

He finally looked up at them.

"Something wrong?"

Sayuri waved a hand. "N-nothing. Nothing at all."

"Kagami and Koharu have gotten awfully close lately, haven't they," Seika Ijichi remarked out of nowhere.

Before Tsushima Kagami could ask what she meant, Kosaka Akane laced her fingers together, propped her chin on them, and smiled at him.

"Did something good happen over winter break?"

Tsushima Kagami blinked. "Meaning what?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka, still clinging to his arm, looked up at him with the same curiosity. "Did something good happen to you over break?

"How come I don't know about it?"

"I don't know about it either?"

Tsushima Kagami was completely lost.

Yukinoshita tugged at his sleeve, then pointed at Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was glued to his side.

Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced down and discovered that Tsushima Kagami's arm had sunk deep into the twin peaks of her chest.

It clicked then - everyone had been aiming their questions at Tsushima Kagami, but their eyes had been on her the whole time.

She let go in a hurry.

"Ahaha.

"Honestly, I've just gotten used to it these past few days at Kagami's place.

"It really is only habit."

Hiratsuka Shizuka scratched her head as she explained.

Every gaze swung to Tsushima Kagami.

He nodded. "It's true. I'm used to it."

Over those winter break days, Hiratsuka Shizuka had camped out at his house whenever she had nothing better to do.

She'd constantly dragged him and Yukinoshita Shizuku into games that involved a lot of physical contact. And when there was nothing on, she'd wrap herself around his arm just like Shizuku did and watch TV.

At first Tsushima Kagami had told the two of them off about it. A few days later, he was thoroughly desensitized.

Hearing them both say it, Kosaka Akane and the others turned to Yukinoshita Shizuku. Even Shimizu Nayotake, beside her, looked over.

Yukinoshita Shizuku managed a strained little smile. "At home it's just become normal, yes."

Privately, she found the whole thing exhausting.

It was bad enough that Hiratsuka Shizuka parked herself at their house every single day. She also kept copying her methods for getting her hands on Kagami.

What a shameless little copycat!

It had gotten to the point where Shizuku no longer dared touch him while Hiratsuka Shizuka was around, for fear the woman would steal that move too.

And then, once Shizuku stopped, Hiratsuka Shizuka only got bolder - insisting that a bit of physical contact during games between friends was perfectly normal.

Hah. As if I don't know exactly what's normal and what isn't.

Well, they were back in Tokyo now. There was no way she was letting her keep loitering around the house.

Beside them, Sayuri leaned toward Kosaka Akane and murmured, "What a sly woman."

She'd kept her voice low, but just loud enough that Seika Ijichi and the rest all caught it anyway.

Every one of them nodded inwardly.

Just as the mood threatened to go cold, Shimizu Nayotake - head bent over her copy of No Longer Human - spoke up and rescued it.

"Still.

"With Kagami's talent, I think whatever he writes next will be a work known throughout Japan. Throughout the world, even."

Tsushima Kagami went still for a second.

He hadn't realized Shimizu Nayotake had such high hopes for him.

He looked over and nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Nayotake.

"I'll do my best to live up to that."

Shimizu Nayotake nodded back, then lowered her head to the pages again.

What she was thinking behind those eyes, nobody could say.

Yukinoshita Shizuku picked up a cup of coffee and passed it to Tsushima Kagami.

"Don't overthink it. Today's about celebrating you."

"That's right, that's right, celebrating you!

"But you're picking up the tab!" Sayuri chimed in with a laugh.

"...Huh?

"If it's my celebration, shouldn't you all be paying?

"At the very least we go AA and split it," Tsushima Kagami said, entirely serious.

"Oh, come on, a great literary master can't be that stingy!" Sayuri planted her hands on her hips.

"What are you talking about?

"I'm the most respectful-toward-women author in all of Japan.

"Splitting it AA is how a woman's independence gets acknowledged.

"So Sayuri, you and I will just go AA, that's all."

Sayuri opened her mouth to argue - and then noticed everyone giving her a very strange look.

She followed their eyes down to her own conspicuously unremarkable chest.

Her face went red. He hadn't been talking about splitting the bill at all.

He'd been talking about her cup size!

"That is so rude!

"Even someone like me has some curves, thank you!"

She threw her shoulders back and pushed her chest out as hard as she could.

Tsushima Kagami flexed his own pecs in response.

"Mine are bigger than yours!"

Sayuri deflated like a punctured ball.

Everyone else burst out laughing, loud enough that the other customers turned to stare.

Halfway through the party, while they were all in the middle of a game of Uno, Tsushima Kagami felt his phone buzz.

He pulled it out and glanced at the number.

Kobayashi Tomoaki.

"Hold on, I need to take this."

He slipped away under the curious glances of the others, who kept playing as they watched him go.

He found a relatively quiet corner and hit answer.

"Mr. Kobayashi."

"Kagami-kun, congratulations!" Kobayashi Tomoaki's hearty voice came down the line.

There was noise in the background, like an office.

Tsushima Kagami laughed helplessly. "Mr. Kobayashi, you've congratulated me several times already, starting from the day of the broadcast."

"Have I?

"Well, when something's worth celebrating, there's no harm in saying it a few extra times.

"Anyway.

"The reason I'm calling today is to ask whether you're free this evening."

"Tonight? I don't think I have anything planned.

"What is it?"

"Here's the thing - someone from Fuji TV would like to meet with you tonight.

"Would that be convenient for you, Kagami-kun?"

____

👻🔥Walnut-chan ;) — P@tr3on🔥👻

🔥 New history: Zenless Zone Zero: Rewriting Fate in New Eridu — live on The_Mikudayo

📚 Tired of waiting? Walnut-chan puts you 40 chapters ahead and keeps the translations coming

Help smash these goals:

🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter (for everyone)