manynovel Page 99
Page 99
"And for our... strongest team!" Yuto Itsuka shouted.
"cheers!
Amidst the crisp clinking of glasses, everyone burst into laughter.
Eriri looked at the people around her who were supporting her, and...
But this time, she didn't cry.
She took a deep breath, suddenly stood up from her seat, and raised the glass in her hand high.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, an unprecedented flame burned in her clear blue eyes.
That is the pride and confidence of a genius painter after breaking free from all constraints and confusion.
She straightened her chest, mustered all her strength, and shouted out her victory declaration:
"Just you wait, Akane Akasaka!"
"Watch, the whole world!"
“I am Eriri Sawamura Spencer—”
"I want to become the strongest illustrator in the island nation!"
Outside the window, Tokyo's night view was ablaze with lights, as if offering the most dazzling applause to this great painter who had just won a new lease on life.
……
Volume 1: Chapter 112: The Third of Toyosaki's Three Great Beauties
Wednesday, August 18th.
The long and fulfilling summer vacation has come to an end, and the lingering heat of summer still hangs over Tokyo, but the students of Toyonosaki Academy have already put on their uniforms again and returned to their familiar campus.
Inside the classroom of Class B in the first year of high school, the noise during break time was as usual.
"Have you heard? 'Farming King' is getting an anime adaptation! And the production company is A-1 Pictures!"
"Really?! That's an A-1! Are you crazy?! A new author's debut work is being hyped up like this!"
"Who cares? The novel is so good, it's only a matter of time before it gets an anime adaptation! Eri Kashiwagi's illustrations are the best in the world, it'll definitely be even better when it's animated!"
Inside the classroom, several boys were gathered together, excitedly discussing the bombshell that had been dropped into the light novel world this summer.
Sitting in his seat, Itsuka Yuto listened to the discussions with a faint smile on his face.
He twirled the pen in his hand, his gaze falling on the leaves outside the window, glistening in the sunlight.
This feeling is amazing.
His own work became a hot topic of discussion among others, while he, the instigator, could sit quietly to the side like an outsider, enjoying this unknown glory.
"Hey, Itsuki." Yoshihiko Uesugi in the front seat turned around, lowered his voice, and couldn't hide his excitement. "How does it feel to hear them discussing your work? Isn't it awesome?"
Kohei Onodera, who was standing nearby, also came over and winked, saying, "This is even more satisfying than getting a hidden ending in a game, isn't it? You're now the rising star of our otaku world, Itsuka-sensei!"
"Alright, you two, keep your voices down." Yuto smiled helplessly and waved his hand at the two clowns. "If someone hears us, my peaceful life will be over."
“That makes sense.” Yoshihiko Uesugi nodded in agreement, then put on a gossipy expression. “But speaking of which, Yuto, has your relationship with Eri Kashiwagi progressed to… hehehe.”
He nudged Youdou with his elbow.
Although the online controversy during the summer vacation was eventually quelled by Akane Akasaka's apology and an official statement, the distorted version of "the beautiful knight fighting against an industry bigwig for the sake of his beloved" circulated more widely in small circles.
To readers unaware of the facts, this is practically a real-life romantic comedy.
Before Yuto could even complain, a calm voice came from beside him.
"Uesugi, you haven't handed in your summer homework yet, have you?"
Kato Megumi had somehow appeared at the table, holding several notebooks in her hand, her expression as calm as ever, as if she hadn't heard anything at all.
"Ah! Kato-kun!" Yoshihiko Uago jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I...I'll go look for it right away! I might have left it in the locker!"
With that, he dashed out of the classroom.
Kohei Onodera also chuckled awkwardly and made an excuse to slip away.
"Thank you, Kato-kun," Yuto said sincerely, looking at Kato Megumi.
"You're welcome, Itsuka-kun." Kato Megumi placed the workbook on the podium, then walked back and sat down in the empty seat next to Yuto.
She turned her head and looked into Yuto's eyes, those eyes that always seemed a little hazy, but now reflected a clear smile.
"However, I still want to say it again, congratulations, Itsuka, you are really amazing."
“It’s nothing special, just protecting what I have to protect.” Yuto’s tone softened. “Besides, I couldn’t have made it through without you and everyone else.”
He was referring to the time when Eriri was in seclusion for her spiritual retreat, during which Kato Megumi would come over almost every day, quietly helping with cleaning and preparing refreshments, offering her support in her own unique way.
“I didn’t do anything.” Kato Megumi shook her head gently, turning her gaze to the window. “I just think it’s nice to see everyone working towards the same goal. I really like that atmosphere.”
A comfortable silence fell between the two.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow on her smooth, short hair, making her usually somewhat blurry face appear exceptionally gentle and captivating.
Just then, the back door of the classroom was opened, and the homeroom teacher, Yoshiko Hasumi, walked in.
She looked around and her gaze quickly settled on Itsuka Yuto.
"Wuhe, come here for a moment."
Yuto followed Hasumi-sensei into the corridor.
"How was your summer vacation?" Kanoko Hasumi leaned against the railing, turned her head to look at him, and smiled gently. "I heard about your novel being adapted into an anime. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Hasumi-sensei." Yuto leaned against the railing, feeling the gentle breeze.
“However,” Hasumi Yoshiko’s tone was tinged with worry, “I later saw those messages online. Although they were eventually resolved, that kind of experience was too stressful for a high school student like you.”
"If you encounter something like this in the future, don't bear it alone. The school and your teachers will support you."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Xiaolian."
"You have to greet the teacher at school." Hasumi Kinoko gave him a reproachful glare, but couldn't help but smile. "Alright, class is about to start, go back now. Study hard in the new semester too, and don't let becoming a great writer make you slack off, understand?"
“Yes—” Yuto deliberately dragged out the tone.
“You child…” Hasumi Yoshiko shook her head helplessly, turned around and walked back to her office.
……
On his way back to the classroom, Yuto Itsuka saw several boys from the next class huddled together talking about something. He didn't pay attention, turned around, went back to the classroom, and sat down in his seat.
"Itsuka! Itsuka!" Yoshihiko Kamigo, sitting in the front seat, suddenly turned around, looking very excited.
He lowered his voice, as if sharing some top-secret information: "This is incredible! We've finally gathered all three of Toyosaki's most beautiful girls!"
"?"
Yuto Itsuka gave him a questioning look.
Kohei Onodera chimed in, "That's right! Kasumigaoka-senpai, Sawamura-senpai, and now we have the national idol Sakurajima Mai-senpai! Ah, Toyonosaki~"
Uego Yoshihiko stroked his chin seriously and analyzed with a "professional" eye: "However, in this case, the rankings will probably change. Although Kasumigaoka-senpai is also a super beautiful girl, in terms of popularity and national recognition, her opponent is Sakurajima Mai! Now, Sawamura-senpai's 'perennial second place' position will probably have to be given to Kasumigaoka-senpai."
The "perennial runner-up" that he and his friends were talking about naturally referred to Eriri, who always ranked below Kasumigaoka Utaha in various unofficial popularity polls.
Yuto Itsuka belatedly realized that Yoshihiko Uesugi had indeed mentioned the urban legend of the "Three Beauties of Toyonosaki" to him before, but he hadn't paid attention to it at the time. He never expected that the last one would be Mai Sakurajima.
He felt a headache coming on.
To be honest, he hadn't figured out how to face her yet.
During that brief encounter on the sunny beach of Atami, he had already deduced that the real Mai Sakurajima was different from Shoko Nishimiya.
She seemed to have no memories from the simulation at all; at most, they were just vague dream imprints.
Reason told him that simulation is simulation, and reality is reality.
He should treat her like an ordinary female senior, keeping his distance and not disturbing her.
This is the best choice for both myself and her.
For this reason, he deliberately avoided all news and information about Mai Sakurajima for the rest of the summer vacation, trying to bury that profound memory.
He believes that as long as he doesn't actively touch upon it, that past will quietly slumber in his heart.
But to his utter surprise, the other party turned out to be a student of Toyonosaki Academy, and after taking a leave of absence, chose to return to the school at this time.
Can't hide anymore.
He could convince himself that the simulated experience was fake, but he couldn't erase the real emotions he felt.
"Hey, Itsuka, what are you daydreaming about?" Yoshihiko Uesugi waved his hand in front of his eyes. "Are you too excited to see your idol? That's right, it's Mai Sakurajima! If I could just say a few words to her, I'd die happy!"
"Your last words were really cheap," Yuto remarked, snapping out of his reverie.
……
Lunch break.
The cafeteria was bustling with noise, and almost everyone's conversation revolved around the new idol senior.
It was quite a struggle for Itsuka Yuto and his two companions to find a corner to sit down.
"See that! It's over there! Oh my god, she's smiling at me!" Yoshihiko Uego excitedly nudged Yuto with his elbow, pointing in a direction not far away.
Yuto followed his gaze and saw Mai Sakurajima holding a plate, politely declining the invitations from several boys who wanted to share a table, and standing alone to the side.
She seemed to notice the gazes directed at them, her eyes sweeping over and lingering on Yoshihiko Uego's face for a fraction of a second before she gave a polite nod and looked away.
"She nodded at me! She really nodded at me!" Yoshihiko Uego was so happy he almost fainted.
"Wake up, she's just looking at Itsuki." Onodera Kohei ruthlessly shattered his illusion.
"Kangping! You rascal!"
Yuto ignored the two clowns and focused on picking at the rice in his bowl.
However, things didn't go as planned. The more he tried to pretend he didn't exist, the more trouble came knocking on his door.
A fragrant breeze wafted by, and a cool, clear voice rang out beside their table.
"excuse me."
The three of them looked up at the same time and saw that stunning figure that had captivated the entire cafeteria standing quietly beside their table.
Mai Shima's gaze passed over the stunned Uesugi and Onodera, landing directly on Yuto Itsuka.
“My two juniors,” she said, glancing at the petrified Yoshihiko Uego and Kohei Onodera, her tone polite yet distant, “could I trouble you…”
Before the words were even finished, Yoshihiko Uego and Kohei Onodera swiftly picked up their plates and exclaimed in an almost tragic tone, "No trouble at all! We're full! You two continue chatting!"
After saying that, he fled towards the other end of the cafeteria.
In the blink of an eye, only Yuto Itsuka and Mai Sakurajima remained at the dining table.
Yuto put down his chopsticks, looked up, and gazed at her with an expression that tried to appear calm.
He didn't know what she wanted to do, nor how he should react.
His heart was pounding unnaturally in his chest, partly because of the all-too-familiar face before him, and partly because of the experience that only he knew.
Mai Sakurajima didn't seem to mind his silence; she gently pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.
A small dining table separated the two people, and the noise of the cafeteria seemed to be isolated by an invisible wall.
Countless gazes, filled with envy, jealousy, or curiosity, were focused on him, making Yuto feel like he was being pricked by needles.
"Um..." In the end, it was Mai Sakurajima who spoke first.
"Have we... met somewhere before?"
coming.
Yuto Itsuka took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and replied, "During summer vacation, in Atami, I was on the beach with some friends, and I think that's when you met me, senpai."
He paused, then added, "Besides, you're a celebrity, I don't think there's anyone in Toyosaki who doesn't know you."
Mai Sakurajima listened quietly, her long eyelashes drooping slightly. After a moment, she raised her eyes and said, "Is that so... You're right."
She seemed somewhat disappointed, but the sense of familiarity that lingered in her heart did not dissipate.
The boy before me, his eyes, his aura, all kept overlapping with the blurry figure in my dream.