Chapter 1

Japan, Tokyo, Private Otonokizaka Academy.

On the rooftop of the main building.

"Let me ask you, are you planning to jump? The barbed wire here is three meters high, not very friendly to ladies who want to jump." Because he was skipping class and sleeping on the highest level of the rooftop—

That is, the highest level that surrounds the stairs.

It's called a rooftop, but it's actually higher than a rooftop, a place where ordinary people might not even notice if they came up.

However.

It was precisely because of this that a boy who was sound asleep while skipping class to read a novel was suddenly woken up by a commotion. Then, the boy looked at the source of the noise and asked the most reasonable question.

At least, in his view, it was the most reasonable.

...

Kasumigaoka Utaha had been feeling very irritable lately. After becoming the top student at Private Otonokizaka Academy, her hobbies started to pick up.

A few months ago.

"Hey, this light novel is really good."

"The author is amazing, able to portray the male and female leads so vividly."

"..."

Listening to the discussions around her, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but frown. Please, as the author, isn't it easy to portray the male and female leads vividly? What are these people even reading?

This was her first encounter with light novels.

Light, fun, and a pleasant reading experience—this is what light novels are.

I see.

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded in understanding.

But then she thought, what's the big deal? I can do it too!

After some hard research, she started writing.

The constant flow of inspiration in her mind, combined with her solid literary foundation, made her feel like she had divine assistance.

The first volume of her novel was smoothly signed and published.

Although it wasn't a huge hit, for a newcomer, it was already a significant achievement.

Of course, this wasn't anything impressive; she was Kasumigaoka Utaha after all!

However, due to her lack of understanding of the industry and the loss of inspiration, the sales of the second volume plummeted, almost to the point of being cut in half.

What could she do? She was also desperate. She had put so much effort into it, why weren't the readers buying it?

In the end.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was just an ordinary high school girl.

During this time.

Although her editor, Machida Sonoko, had said, "The poor sales aren't your fault, Utaha. It's all the fault of the marketing department, who don't promote new authors at all."

These words were true, but the self-reproach and disappointment in Machida Sonoko's eyes made Kasumigaoka Utaha feel even more depressed.

To her, this woman in her late twenties who hadn't married yet was probably already a friend, and she, Kasumigaoka Utaha, couldn't meet her friend's expectations.

The sales were terrible...

At school, Kasumigaoka Utaha could only maintain her aloof persona, and the only place she could really relax was probably the school rooftop.

For the world of light novels, the school rooftop in Japan is a place where countless plots have unfolded.

But in reality, to prevent students from being bullied to the point of jumping, the rooftop door is usually locked. Of course, this didn't stop Kasumigaoka Utaha. As the top student, and with her aloof persona, both the school leadership and teachers would trustingly hand her the key.

However...

Today, she had only been in her own little world for a short while when she was woken up by a voice.

At first glance, it was a handsome boy.

But.

"Let me ask you, are you planning to jump? This..."

"Tap, tap, tap!" Hearing only half of it, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a surge of anger inside her, and her legs started to tremble involuntarily.

Her small feet stomped on the rooftop in a rhythmic pattern.

This guy actually thought she was a girl who wanted to jump. She, Kasumigaoka Utaha, was the top student at Otonokizaka!

So.

When the boy finished speaking.

Kasumigaoka Utaha took her turn.

"Hey, hey, have the gorillas evolved now? They choose to chat up girls who are troubled, wow, or maybe I just slept for a day, and the amoebas have evolved to have IQs, hmm." She raised her head, looking at the boy with her wine-red eyes full of mockery.

Hearing this, the boy turned over, sat cross-legged, and scratched his face.

"Ugh, speaking of which, is this what they call a sharp tongue? Indeed, it's troublesome. Hey, girl, I was just writing a review for a troublesome tsundere lady and her useless little sister..."

"As for you..." The boy looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Girl, your facial expressions are great. I saw you go from full of anger to reluctant, and finally to a look of acceptance. It's normal to assume you were planning to jump. By the way, are you studying acting?"

The boy smiled, seemingly oblivious to the danger.

Then.

"Ha ha..." Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a dark energy filling her body. She wasn't alone; Iwami Yuno, Katsura Kotoba...

"So, did you see what I just did?"

Looking at the girl who was about to break down, the boy decided to be honest for once.

"Just a joke, I said I was writing a review for a certain tsundere lady and her useless little sister. I didn't have time to pay attention to anything else. If you hadn't triggered the barbed wire, I probably wouldn't have even noticed you."

Kasumigaoka Utaha: "..."

Anger, so much anger. Although she usually didn't want to be noticed by other boys and had confronted many of them, this stranger's attitude of ignoring her made her even more angry.

Turning and walking away is a privilege every girl has...

But when Kasumigaoka Utaha turned, she saw the boy holding a novel, nodding, and typing something into his phone.

For a moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha was silent.

Then, she stared at the boy and asked hesitantly, "Let me ask you, what do you mean by 'writing a review'?"

"Thanks to a certain tsundere lady, I'm writing things like, 'What do you mean, I didn't ask you to, why is this book so good but not popular...'"

The boy said without looking up.

"What do you think?" Hearing the word "good," Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips involuntarily curved up, but she quickly interrupted.

"What?" The boy was slightly surprised.

"Do you think the novel in your hand is good?" Kasumigaoka Utaha pressed on.

This situation made the boy feel speechless. This was already the third girl asking him about the novel. Could this novel be some kind of cheat code?

The boy glanced at the cover of the novel again, "Love Rhythm."

Indeed, girls mature earlier than boys.

"Name?" The boy sat up a bit straighter.

"Huh?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was slightly surprised. "You don't know me?"

"Self-centered answer." The boy smiled. "Do you think a new transfer student must recognize every popular figure in the new school?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha: "..."

Indeed, she had no memory of the boy's face.

The boy still smiled. "So, when asking a stranger a question, it's polite to introduce yourself first. Please, start your performance."

Damn it!

Kasumigaoka Utaha felt the boy was deliberately doing this. It was just a self-introduction, but he said "start your performance." Was she a monkey show?

Suppressing her anger, Kasumigaoka Utaha tried to remain calm.

"Kasumigaoka Utaha, second year..."

"Sonomura Souta, by the way, everyone says I'm a sadistic bastard, but watching you get so angry and yet be powerless against me is truly delightful!" The boy, no, Sonomura Souta, stood up and interrupted Kasumigaoka Utaha with a bright smile.