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Chapter 101: Then Let’s Become a Literary Master!
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 06:00:48 +0000 UTC[Time continued to flow forward.]
[Under your guidance, Takina Inoue's culinary skills improved by leaps and bounds. Though she could not surpass you, she became fully capable of managing Riko-Riko on her own.]
[Even though Riko-Riko no longer required your constant attention, you still frequently visited.]
[To you, Riko-Riko had undoubtedly become a second home.]
[Takina Inoue, Chisato Nishikigi, and the others welcomed your presence warmly.]
[They remained uncertain about their future, but through constant exploration, they slowly began to find their direction.]
[Your encouragement and support filled them with warmth and reassurance.]
[During your breaks, they often invited you to their dormitory to spend time together.]
[They would rack their brains trying to pick the perfect movie for you, and they put great effort into preparing homemade desserts.]
[Seeing you enjoy their cooking—even just a small smile of satisfaction—brought them immense joy.]
[—Your visits to their dorm became more and more frequent.]
[Mika, the café manager, never once voiced any objections about the closeness between the three of you.]
[To him, as long as they could find happiness in the future, that was all that mattered.]
[But beautiful moments are never meant to last forever.]
[As time continued to pass, you began dedicating yourself to university entrance exam preparations.]
[For several months, you gradually reduced your visits to Riko-Riko.]
[Your presence there grew increasingly rare.]
[During this time, the ever-lively Chisato Nishikigi seemed uncharacteristically subdued, as if someone had clipped her wings.]
[Takina Inoue, who was usually so precise and focused in the kitchen, often found herself staring blankly at the chef's uniform you had once worn.]
[Rather than fading with time, their longing for you only deepened as the days went by.]
[On nights when she missed you the most, Chisato would pick up her phone, eager to call you—but just as her fingers hovered over the screen, she would hesitate and put it down.]
[Takina, though she never expressed it out loud, secretly went to the nearest shrine and bought multiple "Academic Success" omamori (good luck charms).]
[She carefully packaged them before discreetly slipping them into your mailbox.]
[They both wanted you to focus on your studies without any distractions.]
[Every occasional video call from you would light up their faces with happiness.]
[Just being able to see you and hear your voice was enough to make them feel at ease.]
[At the same time, for you—stuck in a monotonous and exhausting cycle of studying—they became the only bright spot in your gray, tedious days.]
[Within the Simulation: Memory Fragments Surface—]
"Ah—Minami-kun! Seriously! Do you even remember the last time you sent us a message?!"
[On the screen, Chisato Nishikigi's bright, energetic voice echoed through the video call. As she saw you looking well, she subconsciously relaxed—yet her lively personality took over in the next moment.]
[She tilted her head and called out loudly:]
"Takina! Come over here! Stop washing dishes! That heartless guy who ghosted us for eight days, six hours, and five seconds finally decided to send us a video message!"
"Huh? Is it Minami?"
[From the other end of the call, the sound of running water being turned off was heard.]
[You watched as Chisato mischievously moved aside, revealing Takina Inoue, who was being forcibly pulled into the frame.]
"Wait! I'm not ready yet!"
[Takina, slightly flustered, hastily wiped her damp hands on her apron.]
[Then, out of your line of sight, she subtly adjusted her sleek, silk-like black hair before cautiously peeking half of her face into the camera.]
"Takina, what are you doing?!"
[Chisato giggled teasingly.]
"Your face is so close to the camera! Your nostrils look huge!"
"Shut up! It's your fault for pulling me in so suddenly!"
[Hearing this, Takina instinctively pulled back, her face slightly red.]
"Hehe, no worries! Even if your face is too close, our 'heartless fiancé' here wouldn't mind, right?"
[Chisato playfully dragged out the last word, looking at you through the screen with a mischievous smile.]
"Fiancé?"
[You raised an eyebrow.]
"Hmph—"
[Without missing a beat, Chisato suddenly wrapped her arms around Takina, resting her chin on Takina's forehead as she looked into the camera.]
[She blinked dramatically and said:]
"Leaving two adorable fiancées all alone in the café, abandoned and suffering in solitude for over a week without a single message—if that's not heartless, what is, Minami-kun?"
"I don't recall ever getting engaged to either of you. And if I did, shouldn't it be to just one person?"
[You countered calmly, refusing to fall for her teasing.]
"That won't do."
Chisato Nishikigi pulled the hesitant Takina Inoue closer and hummed playfully:
"If Minami-kun wants to marry the great Chisato-sama in the future, he has to take Takina along too."
"Chisato!"
Hearing Chisato say such an embarrassing thing, the naturally serious and easily flustered Takina tugged at her sleeve and spoke up.
But clearly, Chisato just smiled mischievously and ignored her.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the video call, Minami showed a thoughtful expression upon hearing those words. After a brief pause, he casually responded:
"If you put it that way, I'm actually more interested in marrying Takina."
"Hmph—too naive, Minami-kun!"
Chisato's face lit up with her usual mischievous grin. "If you choose to marry Takina, then Chisato-sama will come along as part of the dowry!"
"Oh my, oh my, what a lucky guy you are. You must've saved the world in a past life to deserve this kind of treatment."
Chisato reached out and playfully tapped the camera lens. To Minami, it felt as if she was poking the tip of his nose through the screen.
"Ah, sure, sure."
Minami gave her a sidelong glance, his tone flat and monotone like he was reading from a script: "I truly am the luckiest man in the world."
[It was already late at night.]
[But their conversation showed no signs of ending.]
[He talked with them for hours.]
[The overly carefree and playful Chisato, and the serious yet somewhat cold Takina, both brought him a unique kind of joy.]
During their chat, the ever-free-spirited Chisato shared many of the things she wanted to do in the future.
But the thing she wanted most—
"I want to find happiness together with Minami-kun and Takina."
Her voice in the video remained as playful and lighthearted as ever.
But—
[You could tell that there wasn't a single trace of falsehood in her words.]
[They spoke their true feelings in a joking manner, hoping you would give them an answer.]
[But you did not respond at that moment.]
[Not just because you were busy preparing for your exams, but because you needed more time to think.]
[At the same time, you silently made up your mind.]
[In Reality]
"With the way this route is developing… could it really end up that way?"
Feeling the simulation memories surfacing in his mind, Minami found himself uncertain.
A double marriage…
Would that really count as a happy ending?
He rubbed his temples.
But since things had already progressed this far, all he could do was keep watching.
[Time continued to pass.]
[To everyone's shock, despite having spent nearly an entire year working at the 'Riko-Riko' café, you achieved the highest score in the University of Tokyo entrance exams.]
[However, to everyone's surprise, you did not choose the medical department at Todai. Instead, you selected the university's literature program as your new path.]
"Literature, huh…?"
Seeing his simulated self's decision, the real Minami understood immediately.
As someone who shared the same name, he knew exactly why he had made that choice.
In Japan, literary figures have always enjoyed high social status.
Even someone like Osamu Dazai, who attempted double suicide with his student, is still respected as "Dazai-sensei" in Japan.
If he pursued this path, then maybe… just maybe, society would be more accepting of his relationship with Takina and Chisato.
No…
If he really wanted to walk this road, the struggles he would have to endure…
At that thought, Minami shook his head and stopped overthinking it.
[That evening, to celebrate your acceptance into Todai, 'Riko-Riko' closed early to throw a party in your honor.]
[Takina Inoue, using the cooking skills you had taught her, prepared a delicious feast.]
[During the celebration, fueled by the mood and drinks, Mika the café owner made a suggestion to you.]
[He hoped you would move into the 'Riko-Riko' dormitory and live together with Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue.]
[Given your daily commute to Todai and the poor conditions of your current rental apartment, the 'Riko-Riko' dormitory was undoubtedly a better choice.]
[Faced with Mika's invitation, you were tempted.]
[But at the same time, you had to consider—aside from you, the 'Riko-Riko' dormitory was an all-female residence. Especially on the second floor, where Chisato and Takina lived, there were vacant rooms.]
[Upon hearing your concerns, the members of 'Riko-Riko' simply exchanged knowing glances and smiled.]
[They had already accepted you as family, so how could they possibly reject your stay over something so trivial?]
[You officially moved in with Chisato and Takina.]
[Living with Chisato and Takina was filled with both joyful moments and awkward ones.]
[For example, when you were about to use the bathroom, only to find Takina already sitting inside, her face flushed red in shock as she stared at you.]
[Or waking up in the morning to find Chisato sprawled on top of you—sometimes, Takina too.]
[Or when you went to do laundry, only to find the washing machine stuffed with an overwhelming amount of women's undergarments.]
[Or leaving your room half-asleep, only to bump into Chisato, who was dressed far too casually for comfort.]
[At times like these, you often felt that Chisato was doing it on purpose. But against her reaction speed (LV5) and natural evasiveness, you could never catch her in the act, leaving you with no choice but to let it go—for now.]
[Meanwhile, Chisato and Takina also noticed a change in you.]
[You seemed to be taking your studies even more seriously than before your entrance exams.]
[While restocking supplies for 'Riko-Riko,' they would hear you mumbling about novel structures.]
[When preparing ingredients, they would see you flipping through complex foreign literature.]
[Sometimes, the light in your room would stay on until late at night.]
[Your sudden change puzzled them.]
[After all, your academic performance was already top-tier among your peers.]
[Since you had already reached the pinnacle of your age group, why couldn't you slow down and take a break?]
[But they never voiced these thoughts. Instead, they silently chose to support you.]
[They would often struggle to carry your sleeping figure from the desk to your bed, carefully removing your outer jacket and tucking you in—only to end up drenched in sweat from the effort.]
[They would also stay up late to prepare nourishing soups for you, ensuring you took care of your health.]
[No matter how late you worked, whenever you stepped out of your room, their figures would always be there.]
[In the long, moonless nights, there were no stars.]
[Only them—by your side.]
[You took everything to heart.]
[You remembered every single moment.]
[Hard work always pays off—for ordinary people, and even more so for geniuses.]
[Your naturally exceptional academic talent was pushed to its limits through sheer effort.]
[But you knew that if you were to walk this path—one that society could not accept alongside them—you would have to work harder than anyone else.]
[Your academic proficiency soared, reaching a value of 9.]
[Neither coursework challenges nor difficult questions from literature professors could stump you.]
[The following year, under the pen name 'Chisato Takina,' you published a short detective novel, The Doll, in one of Tokyo's most prestigious pulp fiction magazines.]
[With the help of the publisher's marketing, The Doll achieved impressive success.]
[That same June, you wrote and published Café No. 3 in the renowned literary magazine Shinchō—a work of mono no aware (the pathos of things).]
[In it, you delicately depicted the story of a young man from the countryside who arrived in Tokyo, dazzled by its fleeting beauty, and accidentally met and fell in love with two girls—'Chiko' and 'Tako'—in a deeply moving tale of love and sorrow.]
[That year, books written under the name 'Chisato Takina' saw soaring sales.]
[In your third year, you became the first student at the University of Tokyo to skip a grade and earn a Master's degree in Literature.]
[During this time, you continued to publish works under the pen name 'Chisato Takina' in the Tokyo literary scene.]
[Every time you released a new piece, its distinct style would astonish readers.]
[Countless people sought to befriend you—a young man who had already achieved such literary success at such a young age.]
[Because you were not only young and accomplished but also exceptionally handsome among your peers, numerous prestigious families in Tokyo extended marriage proposals to you.]
[But you declined them all with polite indifference.]
[Your heart had long since been equally divided between two people. No other woman could ever catch your attention.]
[Your journey could not stop here.]
[You had to aim even higher.]
[Only by striving for greater heights could you be worthy of their unwavering devotion.]
