“I am actually… writing a novel.”

Then she got off the bed and started up her laptop on the glass table.
As I got off the bed as well, I thought to myself, I knew it.
I had an idea of what she was doing since she had been typing and describing things lately.
Yuika said as she moved the mouse.

“Remember the day Souta stayed over when I caught a cold? Do you remember that time?”
“How could I forget?”

After all, I was almost forced to kiss her that day.

“Back then, Souta, do you remember what you said? You said that if I could feel the same way as the characters in the story, then I could create something… to be honest, it made me realize something. I can’t make games, and I can’t draw mangas, but maybe I can write a… novel.”
“I see.”
“I got really excited. I love stories… so the thought that I might be able to create something that I love made me inexplicably happy.”

“But Yuika, didn’t you finish your essay in one line in elementary school? You said, ‘I can’t think of anything to write except that the field trip was fun.’”
“That’s why I was so desperate. I wanted to write so badly, but there was no way I could write a novel!”
“Ah!”

We connected.
As I sat next to Yuika, I couldn’t help but gaze at her.

“That’s why you said something about gratitude and kissing out of spite.”

“Exactly, you are correct.”
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
“My behavior at the time was outrageous.”

My childhood friend dropped her shoulders and bowed her head deeply with a red face.
As long as she knows.

“But somehow, you managed to write a novel?”
“Yeah, it’s just… short.”
“That’s great. In elementary school, you had me write your essays for you, but now you can write novels. That’s good.”
“I know, right?”

The tension exploded.
She squealed and slapped me on the shoulder.

“I didn’t think I could finish it either! It took me a few days, but I got it to the end! I was so happy, and I want someone to read it!”
“Hoho, let’s see…”

I peered at the screen of the laptop from the side. The first line was displayed in a large font and the title was “My Childhood Friend Is A Beautiful Reclusive—,” and before I finished the title, Yuika exclaimed.

“What are you trying to read—!?”
“Eeh!?”

The laptop was snapped shut with the force of a crocodile that has found its prey.
That was dangerous, my fingers almost got bitten off…
Yuika was ridiculously shaken as she slammed her hand down on her laptop.

“You can’t read someone’s novel without permission, Souta has no concept of delicacy! That’s a felony! It’s a felony to be locked in a brass cow and boiled to death.”
“Is it really that serious…?”
“It’s that serious! To be honest, it’s a lot more embarrassing than having someone look at your naked breasts, I’ll tell you that!”

“But you said you wanted someone to read it to you.”
“I didn’t say it was Souta!”
“The overwhelming contradiction of the recluse… You don’t let anyone else in your room, do you? Who else is going to be able to read this?”
“They’re here! They’re out there on the Internet!”

She asked me to lend her my phone, and I had to give her mine. Apparently, she doesn’t want to open her laptop, which is displaying a novel.
The password had been told earlier, so Yuika was able to use it without difficulty.

“Here, this.”
“Hmm?”

What was being displayed was the top page of a novel posting site.
Ah, I see, this is certainly a place where people can read her work via the Internet.
I had heard about it before, but this was the first time I had seen it.

I took the phone from Yuika and followed some links. It seemed to be a system where I could see at a glance the number of access and bookmarks to my novel, and sometimes I could even get feedback from the readers.
In addition, there are many novels that have tens of thousands of people that accessed the novel.
Wow, there are so many people who write and read.

“So you’re saying you’re going to upload it here too?”
“Ah, um. No, I’ve already uploaded it…”
“Ooh. When did you do that?”
“Uh…”

She looks into the clock display on my phone.

“I finished writing it at dawn, and was wondering whether to upload it or not… it was just before noon, I think. I couldn’t be bothered anymore, so I just clicked the post button. So it’s been about 12 hours since I uploaded…”
“Is it really that distressing…? But if it’s been 12 hours, then if you go to the page of your novel, you might get some kind of response.”
“Yes. But…”

Quietly lowering her eyes, Yuika clutched at my arm.

“… I’m scared. I’m so scared.”

It was a very thin voice that seemed to disappear if I blew on it.
Her body, snuggled in my arms, shivered as if she had been thrown into a snowy mountain. To be honest, I was a little confused.

… No, why are you so frightened? You just put your novel on the internet. Is it something that should make you shake so much…?

On a sensory level, I don’t know how my childhood friend felt.
This had never happened to me before.
Yuika rubbed her forehead against my shoulder.

“From the moment I uploaded my novel… I was so scared. I couldn’t sleep at all, even after pulling an all-nighter, and all I felt was trapped…”
“So you were waiting for me.”

I got a nod from her.

“If Souta is by my side, I will be at ease. I’m sure I’ll be fine with Souta. So…”

She looked up and I was met by a pair of clinging eyes.

“… Can you look at with me? My novel page.”

Of course, there was no reason to refuse.
I still don’t know how Yuika feels about me, but I operate my phone as she asks me to—

 

 

[TLN: I got class for the next couple of days, my teacher is horrible so I might not be able to upload a chapter, but I’ll make up for it.]