Chapter 70: Inserting and being inserted, right?
Chapter 70: Inserting and being inserted, right?
How did they still not turn into a pervert?
“Eh? That’s strange…”
Kasumigaoka Utaha murmured softly, tapping her chin lightly with a finger.
“You’re the one who knows it’s strange! So stop doing such weird things!”
The surprise attack on her sensitive spot jolted Kirinokoji awake instantly, banishing all traces of her earlier drowsiness.
Now, Akito Himekoji was just as alert as her… little brother, all thanks to Kasumigaoka’s teasing.
Unconsciously, she rubbed her earlobe, then glared at the other girl, flushed with both embarrassment and anger.
“Ms. Kasumi! Do you even realize how dangerous what you just did could be?!”
Akito felt relieved she’d activated her “Option Immunity” skill beforehand. Otherwise, the outcome could have been unthinkable.
If memory served, the last woman who dared tease him so recklessly ended up utterly dehydrated by the System, right?
Well, because of that, she also spent a whole week at the police station…
Huh, seems she got sidetracked. Better get back on topic!—
Faced with Himekoji Akito’s complaints, Kasumigaoka Utaha merely tilted her head and blinked, wearing an innocent “I have no idea what you’re talking about” expression.
“Hey! Stop playing dumb! I’m being serious here…”
“Himehime-kun, we’re in Wagou City. Time to get off.”
Kasumigaoka suddenly cut him off mid-sentence, her eyebrows rising slightly.
The girl picked up her bag and turned away, leaving him with only the clean, straight lines of her long dark hair.
All his complaints got stuck in his throat. Akito opened his mouth but could only sigh before quickly following after her.
After arriving in Wagou City, what they did felt more like sightseeing than gathering material.
Kasumigaoka Utaha led the way without a word in front, while Himekoji Akito trailed closely behind.
This pointless “waste of life” went on from nine till ten-fifty.
Eventually, their positions shifted without either noticing. Kasumigaoka Utaha, wearing high heels, somehow ended up lagging behind Himekoji Akito.
“Hey, Himehime-kun…”
Kasumigaoka, who had barely spoken since getting off the train, suddenly reached out and tugged Akito’s sleeve from behind.
“Could you not call me that at least when it’s crowded?”
Feeling the strange stares from passersby, Akito turned back, looking flustered as she voiced her request to her willful senpai.
“How an author chooses to address their editor is every author’s right.”
What kind of right was that?!
Akito thought silently, but didn’t bother arguing aloud.
“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right, Ms. Kasumi. So, why’d you stop me?”
“I’m hungry.”
“It’s almost noon. Should we find somewhere for lunch?”
“I can’t wait that long. Go buy me bread and juice,” the girl ordered naturally, seeming utterly accustomed to bossing Akito around. “That’s what editors do, right?”
“No! That’s what errand runners do!”
“It’s also what editors do, though.”
Suddenly, Akito understood why she always saw her editor, Machida Sonoko, constantly making coffee, buying snacks, picking up takeout, or collecting deliveries…
“Sonoko-nee makes perfect coffee: the right temperature, just enough sweetness. The snacks Sonoko-nee buys are delicious: generous portions and always match my tastes perfectly. Sonoko-nee always gets takeout super fast, never gets lost. Sonoko-nee is incredibly reliable with deliveries, never once forgotten or lost a package I asked her to get.”
Kasumigaoka Utaha actually counted off Machida Sonoko’s virtues one by one on her fingers, perfectly serious.
Wow, listening to that, Machida-san’s skills were seriously impressive!
Of course, all these “skills” were basically just errand-running skills…
So—
Hey! Give me back my respect and admiration for the editing profession!
“Work hard. Aim to surpass Sonoko-nee and become the best editor.”
Kasumigaoka Utaha patted Akito’s arm encouragingly.
“Hurry up and get that bread! Oh, and don’t you dare forget the juice!”
Akito rolled her eyes dramatically before reluctantly accepting the task.
Seriously, is this the kind of work I’ll be doing from now on?
It really is… Sigh!
A faint sense of despair washed over Akito concerning this job she’d be stuck with for the next few weeks…
Five minutes later.
Errand-runner Akito started running as soon as she entered Kasumigaoka’s sight, pretending to be out of breath.
“Huff… Puff… Got the bread and juice.”
“You’re too slow!”
Eh? Even after putting on such an act, she still gets scolded?
“You dummy! Didn’t I tell you it had to be a strawberry spindle bread for Saturdays?!”
“Huh? When did you say that?”
Akito froze instantly.
Impossible, right? Since when did the young lady make such weirdly specific demands? Besides, she distinctly remembered Kasumigaoka hadn’t mentioned this earlier!
To be sure, Akito mentally scanned back over the text.
Hey, dear readers, you can back me up on this, right!
Tell me, isn’t she right? This stubborn senpai is obviously being unreasonable!
She is totally being unreasonable, right?
Thanks! Thanks!
Seeing readers side with her made Akito feel a little better inside.
The two sat on a bench by the roadside, eating their bread.
A whole morning seemingly wasted without accomplishing anything.
Himekoji Akito thought for a moment before speaking up.
“Ms. Kasumi, you had a rough plan for today’s material gathering, right? I think we might need to pick up the pace later. Since we’re in another city, it’d be better to finish earlier.”
“Better to finish earlier?”
Swallowing the last crumbs, Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly raised an eyebrow, repeating Akito’s words as a question.
“Huh? Well, of course it is.”
Akito nodded as if it were obvious.
The moment the words left her mouth—
“I’m tired. So I’m resting.”
Suddenly, long, thick, jet-black hair cascaded softly onto Akito’s shoulder. It was very close; she could smell the faint, pleasant scent of shampoo.
Weight settled abruptly on her shoulder.
Kasumigaoka Utaha quietly rested her head there and closed her eyes.
Hey, hey, hey! What kind of weird situation is this?!
The sudden “lap pillow” (shoulder pillow) startled Akito, making her whole body tense up instantly.
What are you doing?! An action like this, before even the “Option Immunity”, would have been a 100% trigger event!
“After satisfying your appetite, you satisfy your need for sleep? For a popular author, try not to live entirely by instinct!”
Being touched so intimately left Akito deeply uncomfortable. She tried making a snarky comment to calm herself down.
But—
Nope! It wasn’t working!
“The work must come before sleep! At least wait till we’re done working!”
Akito finally chose to remove the flag, swiftly pushing Kasumigaoka Utaha away.
“Okay. Then we’ll sleep together after work.”
“I didn’t say sleep together!!”
Ignoring Akito’s protest, Kasumigaoka blinked and spoke.
“Hmm. Let’s head to that aquarium over there first. Follow me.”
The girl stood up first.
“That’s where the main characters go on their date in Volume One.”
Seeing the author lady finally remember the actual purpose of their trip, Himekoji Akito breathed a small sigh of relief.
So Kasumigaoka Utaha had seriously considered the material gathering? Thank goodness!
“The Aquarium? That sounds great!”
Akito stood up immediately and followed.
Fifteen minutes later, they reached their destination.
Himekoji Akito looked up… and froze.
She stared blankly at the building before them named “Aquarium” – a love hotel. A cascade of black lines practically fell down her face.
“W-Wait a minute!”
Snapping back to reality, Akito quickly grabbed Kasumigaoka, who was already striding calmly towards the entrance.
“Why… Why a love hotel?! Are you planning to include such… intense scenes starting from Volume One?! Too extreme, so it’s not appropriate!”
“Eh? But in a harem romantic comedy, starting an ‘H-scene’ anytime makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”
Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had been stopped, tilted her head slightly. Then, the next moment, the girl famed for her quiet persona uttered a line that completely shattered that image—
“It’s the theme of inserting and being inserted♂, right?”