Chapter 293 - 293: Your Name Will Be Written in the Author Column Alongside Mine!

The next morning, Tsushima Kagami was woken by a warm, soft sensation.

He blinked awake in a daze and found Yukino draped over his chest.

Her big, fluffy tail was sweeping back and forth across his chin.

"Cut it out."

Kagami reached out to move Yukino aside, but his hand had barely moved before it brushed against something else.

He turned his head and found Hiratsuka Shizuka lying right beside him, though he had no idea when she'd gotten there.

She lay on her side, propping up her head, grinning at him.

Yukinoshita Shizuku was nowhere to be seen.

"Morning, Kagami-papa."

"Could you please stop calling me that."

"Why?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka reached out and poked his cheek.

"You seemed to be enjoying it plenty last night."

Kagami thought back on last night and immediately felt a little drained.

"Oh? Sounds like you're still not satisfied."

"Want me to help you with a little morning exercise?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka gave him a half-smile as she glanced down at the tent he was pitching.

"Ah, that's just a healthy morning phenomenon."

"No need for any morning exercise."

Her teasing dragged his mind right back to last night's madness.

The three of them had stayed with him until past two in the morning, until he'd finally finished writing chapter two.

Finishing the whole thing was still a long way off.

And then the three of them had pounced on him like starving tigers.

Thinking back on it now, Kagami still found it a little hard to believe.

Still, it had been its own kind of unforgettable.

"Seriously, going full saint-mode on me now?"

"You weren't like this last night, you know."

"Then please save it for nighttime."

Kagami said this with a completely straight face.

"Hahaha, don't say things like that with such a serious look this early in the morning."

Hiratsuka Shizuka laughed and sat up.

"Shizu, I told you to go wake Kagami up — why haven't you two even come down yet?"

Yukinoshita Shizuku's voice reached the two of them.

Only then did they turn to look at her, standing in the doorway.

Arms crossed, clearly displeased, she stared at the two of them on the bed with an expression that screamed I-knew-there'd-be-a-cheating-cat.

"Ah well, I just saw Kagami was so worn out last night, I thought I'd let him sleep in a little longer."

"Besides, Kagami looks so cute when he sleeps."

"Sure, whatever. Now hurry up and come eat."

Yukinoshita Shizuku shot Kagami a glance, then turned and said this.

"Ah well, you get to see it every single day."

"Guess I haven't gotten a really good look in a while myself."

Hiratsuka Shizuka grumbled, then turned to Kagami and patted his shoulder.

"Want me to help you get dressed?"

"No need, I can manage on my own."

Kagami got up from the bed as well.

He shed his pajamas and changed into the clothes Yukinoshita Shizuku had already laid out for him.

Once the two of them went downstairs together—

Kagami saw Nayotake by the kitchen, ladling something into bowls.

He'd only just sat down.

Yukinoshita Shizuku came in carrying a tray with a few bowls of miso soup and a small plate of pickles.

"Honestly, I should've just sent Nayotake to go wake him."

She set the tray on the table and shot a look at Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"It's all because you dawdled — we're probably going to be late again."

"Okay, okay. Once I get my driver's license, I won't have to squeeze onto rush-hour trains and be late anymore."

"And then I'll be your personal chauffeur, how's that?"

Nagged relentlessly by Yukinoshita Shizuku, Hiratsuka Shizuka could only sigh.

Nayotake, watching the three of them fill the morning with noise, laughed along.

Only then did she carry the last of the dishes over, set them down, and sit.

She murmured a quiet "good morning."

With that, everyone finally started eating.

Kagami picked up his miso soup and took a sip.

After eating a bit,

he finally turned to Yukinoshita Shizuku beside him.

"Oh, right, Yukinoshita Shizuku."

"How's your driving test coming along, by the way?"

When they'd bought the house, the original plan had been to find a place close to both the University of Tokyo and Keio for the two of them.

But in the end, this particular place fit so perfectly with the image of home he and Yukinoshita Shizuku had in mind,

and they couldn't quickly find anywhere better.

So after moving in, they'd decided to buy a car so Yukinoshita Shizuku could drive to school instead.

That way she wouldn't have to squeeze onto the trains.

Later, she and Hiratsuka Shizuka had signed up for driving school together.

He'd been so busy lately with the school's mono no aware literature project that he'd completely forgotten to ask about their progress.

"..."

Yukinoshita Shizuku, who a moment ago had been every bit the fierce, nagging mother figure, suddenly turned bashful.

Nayotake and Kagami both looked at her.

That only made her more flustered, and she started shoveling rice into her mouth without pause.

It was Hiratsuka Shizuka who spoke up with a laugh.

"Yukinoshita Shizuku, well, she's—"

She suddenly felt a foot kick her under the table.

Laughing, she glanced at Yukinoshita Shizuku, who was busy stuffing her face with rice, and added, amused,

"Anyway... I'd advise Kagami and Nayotake — whenever Yukinoshita Shizuku finally gets her license, whatever you do, don't get in her car!"

"Hey, stop kicking me already!"

"I can't believe how Kagami puts up with you on a daily basis!"

Watching the two of them go back and forth, Kagami had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

Still, with Hiratsuka Shizuka being the reckless daredevil she was, worst case he'd just make her his personal chauffeur, exactly like she'd offered.

He and Nayotake exchanged an amused glance, and after a lively, noisy breakfast,

Yukinoshita Shizuku and Hiratsuka Shizuka took the train to Keio.

Kagami and Shimizu Nayotake walked side by side up the slope toward the University of Tokyo, their pace unhurried.

Today Nayotake wore a thin cream-colored jacket over a light gray knit sweater, her long hair loosely tied back with the red ribbon Kagami had given her.

A few loose strands lifted in the morning breeze, swaying gently against her cheeks.

Young and radiant.

She was no longer the girl who'd always worn that faded, washed-out school uniform.

"Nayotake, how's your health been lately?"

"Can you keep up with the medical school workload?"

"My health's fine now."

Nayotake nodded softly.

"At first, the workload really was as heavy as everyone said, but I've adjusted since then. It's nothing now."

As she said this, her gaze dipped slightly.

Her first few weeks in medical school truly hadn't been easy.

Thick textbooks, dense anatomical diagrams, endless medical terminology to memorize — it had all crashed over her like a tide.

For a while she'd sat at her desk every night until two in the morning, then had to be up again at six for early classes, her eyes perpetually bloodshot.

But she'd never complained to anyone — not even Kagami knew she'd once dozed off in a corner of the library over her pathology notes.

Because she believed this was the path she'd chosen for herself.

And once chosen, she had to walk it alone to the end.

That near-stubborn independence had been carved into her since childhood.

But now, Kagami was standing right beside her...

She'd managed to keep pace with him as best she could.

No longer just quietly watching him from behind.

Walking side by side with him, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace, an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.

"I understand..."

She heard her own voice come out softer than before.

"Good."

Kagami nodded with a smile.

"Don't push yourself too hard, okay? If you're not feeling well, take time off and tell me anytime."

"Don't worry, I will."

Nayotake answered.

The moment she finished speaking, she felt a hand pat her shoulder from behind.

The touch was light, familiar, and a little mischievous.

She recognized who it was right away.

"Good morning, Nayotake!"

The bright, cheerful voice belonged to Sayuri.

Nayotake turned around, a soft smile rising naturally to her lips.

Sayuri stood barely half a step behind her, head tilted slightly.

A huge grin was plastered across her face.

"Morning, Sayuri."

Nayotake greeted her with a smile, a bit more life in her voice than before.

She noticed faint, barely-there dark circles under Sayuri's eyes — the kind you'd miss if you weren't looking closely.

"Stayed up late again?"

"Ahaha."

"Is it that obvious?"

Dark circles and all, Sayuri looked over at Nayotake, positively brimming with energy, and grinned.

"I keep telling you, staying up like that is bad for your heart."

"You have to take care of your heart."

Nayotake's tone had suddenly turned serious.

"I will, I will. Don't go turning into a nag like Yukinoshita Shizuku, Nayotake."

Sayuri laughed it off, and Nayotake could only shake her head, resigned.

"Huh, Kagami, why do you have dark circles too?"

"Honestly, Nayotake shouldn't only pick on me."

"Give Kagami a talking-to as well!"

Hearing Sayuri say this, Nayotake suddenly realized exactly how Kagami had gotten those dark circles.

The moment her eyes met his, all her earlier confidence evaporated.

She ducked her head again without meaning to.

"Ahem."

Seeing Nayotake blushing to the point of shutting down, Kagami hurried to change the subject.

"Oh, right, Sayuri."

"What is it?"

Sayuri, who a moment ago had been about to ask something, forgot entirely what it was the instant Kagami said her name.

"Sayuri, let's meet at the same lecture hall as yesterday after lunch."

"...? Something up, Kagami?"

Sayuri blinked, an obvious question mark practically hovering over her head.

"Can't you just tell me now?"

"There is something, but let's talk about it at lunch."

"Class is starting soon anyway, and we're not even in the same elective."

He glanced down at his watch.

Thirteen minutes until the first class.

"Fair enough."

Sayuri pouted.

A little put out, but she had to admit he had a point.

As much as she wanted to know right then what he was getting at, she wasn't the type to push things too far.

"Then I'll be waiting for you at the lecture hall after lunch."

"It's settled, then."

Kagami nodded, smiling.

"See you later!"

At the first fork in the path, Sayuri waved to the two of them and turned lightly onto the road on the left.

Her twin ponytails swung in a pretty arc behind her head as she went.

Nayotake watched Sayuri's figure vanish around the bend, then turned to Kagami.

"Is this about your Little Prince thing from yesterday?"

"Yeah, it is."

Kagami replied.

"Then I'll head to class. See you tonight."

Nayotake pointed toward the medical school building.

"See you."

"Yeah, see you."

At noon, once Kagami had finished lunch, he made his way to the lecture hall he'd arranged to meet Sayuri at earlier.

She was bent over a book, a notebook spread open beside her, its pages crammed with writing.

"What are you reading now, Sayuri?"

Kagami sat down across from her.

Sayuri looked up and saw it was him.

"Oh, nothing — just some notes from this morning's classes."

Kagami raised an eyebrow at the notes crammed across her notebook.

"That's rare — Sayuri studying on her own initiative."

"Who'd have thought college would actually make you more diligent."

"What's that supposed to mean, Kagami!"

"I'll have you know I got into the University of Tokyo too!"

Having said her piece,

Sayuri blinked and closed her book.

"Oh right, what did you want to talk about earlier?"

"Would you be interested in a part-time job?"

"A part-time job?"

Sayuri's expression turned serious at once.

"What kind of job?"

"Drawing."

"Drawing?"

Sayuri looked puzzled.

"Drawing what?"

"The same kind of picture-book and illustration work you've been getting into lately."

Kagami pulled a stack of manuscript pages from his bag and handed them to her.

Sayuri took them, glanced at the first page, and her brow furrowed slightly.

Then she flipped to the second page, the third...

As she flipped faster and faster, her expression grew more and more astonished.

"This is..."

She looked up at him.

"Did you write this, Kagami?"

"Yeah, last night."

Kagami nodded.

"I owe it to your inspiration yesterday, actually."

"After I got home, some ideas just came to me all at once."

"So I sat down and wrote them out right away."

"It's only two chapters so far, but it's a short story, so it won't take long to finish."

Sayuri said nothing, just kept reading.

She read with total focus, sometimes pausing at a particular passage,

staring at the page for a long moment before continuing on.

Kagami sat quietly beside her, watching her read, a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.

About twenty minutes later, Sayuri finally reached the last page.

She let out a long breath and set the pages down carefully on the table, as if afraid of damaging them.

Before she could say anything, Kagami went on.

"There are still four more planets to write, plus the Earth section."

"Um..."

Sayuri hesitated, then pointed to a spot on the page.

"It says here — 'after the boa constrictor swallows the elephant, its belly looks just like a hat' — is this..."

"That's the part I need you to draw for me."

Kagami tapped the blank space on the page, smiling.

Sayuri's eyes went wide.

"You mean... you want me to illustrate this story?"

"That's right."

"But..."

Sayuri bit her lip.

"I've never drawn anything like this before... I don't know if I can..."

"I saw the picture book you made yesterday, didn't I."

"I don't think there's anyone better suited for this than you."

"But you could draw it better than me yourself..."

Sayuri looked at him, confused.

"That's true, but after seeing your picture book yesterday—"

"I realized there's something in it that's uniquely yours, something I just don't have."

"And that's not something technical skill alone can make up for."

Sayuri's face flushed instantly.

"Am... am I really that amazing? That indispensable?"

"Of course you are."

"Your style fits this story perfectly."

Kagami said it without hesitation.

"So, will you do it?"

"Think of it as just another part-time gig, like your picture books."

Sayuri lowered her head, staring at the manuscript on the table, and didn't answer right away.

"This story... what's it about?"

she suddenly asked.

"What do you think it's about?"

Kagami asked back.

Sayuri was quiet for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"I think... on the surface it's about a little prince's adventures across different planets, but underneath, it seems to be about..."

She looked up, her eyes turning serious.

"...grown-ups all turning into exactly the kind of adult they hated when they were kids."

Kagami blinked, caught off guard.

He hadn't expected that after just one read-through, Sayuri would nail the core theme of The Little Prince so precisely.

No wonder she was the one who'd chosen children's literature purely on instinct — the field best suited to her, even before she'd realized it herself!

Kagami started clapping right there.

"As expected of the picture-book master of children's literature, the queen of illustration!"

"Honestly, you only had to ask and I'd have said yes."

"You don't need to butter me up with such over-the-top compliments."

"It's not flattery — I feel like I can already picture your future achievements."

Sayuri's face flushed even redder.

"If I'm going to draw the illustrations... what do I need to do?"

Kagami thought for a moment.

"I'll write a description wherever an illustration's needed, and you just draw based on that."

"The style's entirely up to you — I won't interfere."

"But it absolutely has to look like a child drew it."

"Like a child drew it..."

Sayuri repeated the phrase and nodded.

"I... I want to give it a try."

"Then it's decided."

Kagami pulled out one more thing from his bag,

an envelope, and slid it across the table to her.

"This is your pay."

Sayuri opened the envelope, and the moment she saw the amount inside, her eyes went wide.

"This... this is way too much..."

"It's not much at all."

Kagami shook his head.

"There'll be plenty of illustrations for this story — it's no small workload."

"And besides..."

"Are you underestimating your own talent, Sayuri, or underestimating my work?"

"My commissions aren't the kind of odd job any random newcomer gets to take on."

"Well then, I won't be shy about it."

Sayuri smiled and pocketed the envelope.

Sayuri knew Kagami had never once shortchanged the Manga Research Club when it came to money.

Sure, Akane-senpai and Sonoko-senpai were both financially comfortable already.

But the money she herself had made selling doujinshi at conventions with everyone had mostly gone toward art supplies, things she liked, and everyday expenses.

Her University of Tokyo tuition had, in fact, been secretly saved up by Kagami during all those years everyone worked as his assistants,

and given to her once she graduated.

The original arrangement had simply been that everyone would assist Kagami in exchange for him teaching them to draw.

Even Akane-senpai and Sonoko had thought at the time that Kagami was the one getting the short end of that deal, that they ought to have paid him a gift on top of tuition.

Looking back on it now, that whole stretch of time had really been happy.

Sayuri smiled to herself at the thought and looked over at Kagami.

"So when do I start drawing?"

"No rush."

Kagami got to his feet.

"I'll keep writing the rest of the chapters tonight. Once I'm done, I'll give you the complete manuscript, and you can do all the drawing at once then."

"Okay."

Sayuri stood up too, clutching the stack of pages tightly to her chest, as if holding something precious.

"Oh, right."

Kagami had reached the stairwell but turned back.

"The story's called The Little Prince. When it gets published, your name will be listed right alongside mine in the author's credit."

"Never mind — I need to go to the bathroom!"

Sayuri stood frozen in place, and only after Kagami had hurried out of the classroom did she slowly come back to herself.

____

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