"Takashi, your doll-making skills are terrible."
Coming out of a toy store, Maki laughed as she held up the ugly little doll Takashi had made.
"That's impossible! I was great at sculpting with clay back in kindergarten. It must be the poor-quality materials this shop provided!" Takashi imdiately shifted the bla.
"Sure, sure. Cheap stuff is always to bla."
Maki rolled her eyes. "Co on, just admit your skills are awful."
As they teased each other and stepped out of the alley, a black rental car pulled up in front of them with a low, purring engine.
The hood bore a gold emblem in the shape of a flying fish, polished to a mirror shine without a single speck of dust.
The back windows were tinted with reflective film, making it impossible to see inside.
A well-dressed young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six, stepped out from the driver's seat.
"Miss Maki, it's ti to return ho."
He first gave Takashi a polite nod, then turned to Maki.
Her laughter instantly faded, and an air of authority and coldness settled over her.
Her expression turned frosty as she responded, "Understood."
Then, she turned to Takashi with a rare look of apology.
"Takashi, I have to go."
"It's getting late anyway."
Takashi glanced up and realized the sky had turned a deep crimson.
"By the way, did you have fun today?"
Maki's lips curled into a small, genuine smile, though she tried to play it cool.
"It was… okay. Not bad."
That ant she had a great ti.
Having spent enough ti with a tsundere, Takashi could translate their words fluently.
"Ordinary life is more interesting than I thought."
Takashi simply smiled.
"Is that so?"
He didn't take her words seriously.
She found it fun only because she was a sheltered heiress experiencing sothing novel.
If she truly had to live an ordinary life, she wouldn't last half a year.
A freshwater fish cannot survive in the ocean.
"I'll co find you next ti."
Maki said softly, bending down to take a seat in the back of the car.
After she got in, the man gently closed the rear door.
Maki rolled down the window and waved at Takashi.
"Goodbye."
Takashi tore off a piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. Just as he was about to wave back, a thought suddenly struck him.
He hesitated for a mont but ultimately couldn't hold back.
"Maki, are you really not going to give Nagisa's number?"
He still wanted to try.
Maki was stunned, her small lips slightly parted. She was about to say sothing, but in the end, she swallowed her words and changed course.
"I'll send it to you on Line later."
This ti, it was Takashi who was caught off guard.
He hadn't expected her to actually give it to him. She didn't even ask why.
"Thank you."
This ti, Takashi spoke with genuine sincerity.
This 'thank you' was heartfelt.
"Aren't we friends?" Maki brushed a strand of wind-blown hair behind her ear, unusually frank.
She didn't understand why Takashi was so fixated on getting her best friend's number.
But since he didn't want to say anything, she wouldn't pry.
Takashi felt a heaviness in his chest and responded with a quiet "Mm."
"I'm leaving."
"Goodbye."
The driver started the low-noise engine, smoothly pulling the car onto the long, straight road until it finally disappeared around a corner.
Takashi stood in place for a long ti.
Until a system notification rang—
[Order completed, calculating rewards.]
[Player has received: 5000 points.]
[Date count: Shijo Maki · Two tis]
Only then did he move his legs and head toward the station.
It was ti for the next date.
Inside the car, the driver spoke up.
"Miss Maki, I think it would be best to investigate him before further contact."
Maki rested her chin on her palm, her voice cold.
"Are you teaching how to do things?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
Maki shifted her gaze to the seat beside her.
Two dolls, one male and one female, were neatly placed together.
The corners of her lips curled into a barely noticeable smile as she tore off another piece of bread and put it in her mouth.
Imdiately, she frowned.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but the taste didn't seem as good as before.
…
At Toyonozaki Private Academy, inside an unused classroom, a glasses-wearing young man was standing at the podium, passionately talking about his ga project.
"The setting is a small southern island about an hour's flight from Tokyo..."
"Due to depopulation, the island's school decides to rge with a prestigious all-girls academy from the mainland..."
"The story begins when the protagonist cross-dresses and enrolls in the girls' school. Oh, and of course, there has to be a queen from the Moon staying at his house."
The after-school classroom was bathed in the crimson glow of the setting sun, painting it both warm and desolate.
Outside the window, the shouts of sports club mbers filled the air with energy.
Even on holidays, Japanese high school clubs—especially sports clubs—continued their activities.
Most schools remained open even on breaks.
"I'm going ho."
Eriri was tired of listening and picked up her bag to leave.
"Wait, Eriri, I haven't finished yet!" The young man at the podium quickly stepped down and blocked her path.
"I wasted over thirty minutes of my ti listening to you yell about your absurd fantasy in the classroom. I must be a complete idiot. My ti was utterly wasted."
Eriri crossed her arms and stared at her childhood friend, her tone laced with irritation.
"You should just stick to being a consur otaku like always. You have no particular talents, yet you suddenly want to make a ga? Do you think the industry is that simple?"
"Do you really think you can just gather a few people and make a ga that'll sell? People like you are called amateur speculators."
"You're the kind of person you despise the most, do you realize that?"
Her words were sharp as always.
Every single sentence struck Aki Tomoya right in the heart.
"What kind of nonsense is that?! I have passion!"
"Twice the motivation of anyone else! In other words, without , this project wouldn't even exist, let alone be completed!"
Aki Tomoya shot back.
"Then that just ans you're completely useless, doesn't it?"
"Hey! Say what you want, but don't throw away my project plan! I spent a whole night writing that!"
"You only wrote the title, date, and 'Doujin Bishoujo Ga Project (Tentative).' How could that possibly take an entire night?"
"I slept for eleven hours, so there wasn't much usable ti left."
As the argunt dragged on with no end in sight, Utaha checked the ti, closed her notebook, and spoke calmly.
"I'm leaving first."
"Wait, Senpai! Why are you leaving too?!"
Aki Tomoya montarily forgot his quarrel with Eriri and let out a wail.
"I actually have sothing to do today," Utaha replied truthfully.
She had an appointnt with Takashi.
He was going to accompany her for so research.
And, of course, she was also giving him a new phone.
That way, he wouldn't keep disappearing due to lack of signal.
"Is it for your new book? What's the the this ti? Still a youthful school romance?" Aki Tomoya asked with renewed enthusiasm.
"I haven't decided yet, so I need to look for inspiration," Utaha admitted without hesitation.
"Do you need to co with you? I also need to find inspiration for my ga, and you could give so advice." Aki Tomoya's enthusiasm was evident.
"Not today! I already have plans with soone else!" Utaha's tone carried a hint of regret.
If she had known, she wouldn't have bothered Takashi.
Making him co all the way from Tokyo—it must be exhausting for him.
"Was it that guy who was with Senpai at the bookstore last week?"
At that mont, a girl who had remained silent and almost nonexistent in presence finally spoke.
Utaha turned to her in surprise, her eyes seeming to ask: How did you know?
"That day, I happened to be at the bookstore buying study materials. I saw soone who looked a lot like Aki browsing books with you," Kato gumi explained.
"A guy?"
"Looked a lot like Aki?!"
Aki Tomoya and Eriri froze at the sa ti, then blurted out in unison.
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Check out the other translations too: [Mash-Up: Anything For Money]
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