Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

After leaving the convenience store, Uesugi Kai, whose chin was now covered in stubble, walked home alone, holding an umbrella.

The whispers of raindrops hitting the umbrella's surface filled my entire body with a chill.

Kai Uesugi didn't react much, letting the chill invade his body as he continued walking through the rain-soaked streets of Tokyo.

He answered the phone, carrying a clear plastic bag containing two cup noodles.

It is the mother.

【Akai, the letter from the University of Tokyo has arrived.】

【Um. 】

[It says on the sign that the entrance ceremony will be held on April 1st!]

That's really lucky.

[Yeah, yeah! I can't believe you actually got in, A-Zhao! This past year must have been tough, right? What do you want to eat tonight?]

Kai Uesugi glanced sideways at the two packs of Nissin Cup Noodles in his plastic bag.

The pattering raindrops continued to fill my ears.

I've already bought some instant noodles.

[Instant noodles? No way! That's unhealthy. When you get home, just wait for me to go grocery shopping; it'll be ready in a minute.]

【Um. 】

Kai Uesugi hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

Unexpectedly, it rang again.

It's Goto.

【Hello.】

[Haha, Uesugi, I passed! I passed!]

【Congratulations.】

Hey, you have no idea how tough it's been for me lately. Every night I wait for the envelope to arrive at home.

【Um. 】

###Chapter 295 The Persistent Rainy Season###

Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

The fine, needle-like rain, like smoke and mist, fell aimlessly over Tokyo.

"What do you think will be like after we get married?"

"You'll definitely be very happy!"

Kai Uesugi was dozing off in the classroom, his mind filled with images of Hanabi Hanabi smiling at him.

"Hey, Uesugi, Uesugi, which academy does your fiancée attend?"

When Uesugi Kai opened his eyes, he found that the professor of social literature was still lecturing tirelessly, with his three classmates Kiyosaki Takeshi, Totsuka Katsura, and Umezu Nana sitting beside and behind him.

Students at the University of Tokyo may seem lazy in class, but once the final exams come, they cram for a week and everyone gets a score above 90.

The grading criteria, score composition, and score representation for each subject are all determined by the instructor.

Fortunately, the professors at the University of Tokyo are very easy to talk to. No matter how lazy you are, as long as you get past them, it's fine.

Totsuka Katsura was asking him the question from earlier.

"She's not from our school." Uesugi Kai snapped out of her daze, glanced at the densely filled blackboard, and quickly jotted down notes.

"I know that. I was asking which university she goes to. I rarely see her come to visit you."

"From Tokyo University of the Arts. I once went to their school to take a class, but their teacher kicked me out." Just as Uesugi Kai finished speaking, the bell rang, and the professor stopped lecturing and slowly packed up his textbooks.

"Wow, that's impressive! They dared to skip classes without even saying a word. I heard that someone was yelled at to leave the campus after skipping classes at the Tokyo University of the Arts."

"Generally speaking, why are you asking this?"

"Just curious, just curious," Totsuka Keichi said with a smile. "Many classmates at school have been asking me about her relationship with you. The video of your performance at the May Festival was really popular."

Totsuka Katsura is a fun-loving person. He has been to bars, worked as a host, and cycled around Hokkaido.

He didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to experience life, but only superficially and wouldn't get too deeply involved.

During high school, I often stayed up all night playing games, and as a result, I would oversleep the next day and simply skip going to school.

It's infuriating that someone like that could get into Tokyo University.

As for the video he mentioned, it doesn't matter whether it goes viral online or not, as Kai Uesugi doesn't rely on that kind of fame for a living.

Sitting high up in the back, Nana Umezu laughed and said, "I didn't expect you, Uesugi, to be able to play the guitar."

"I always felt like my senior knew everything." Kiyosaki Takeshi thought of his reputation as a bow taker, even though he hadn't been to the archery club recently.

“No, I’m just an ordinary person,” Uesugi Kai picked up his briefcase. “There’s something I’d like to ask you for a favor.”

"what?"

Kai Uesugi took three bound white-covered documents out of his bag and handed them to the three people.

"The shrine maiden is a fox spirit?" Totsuka Katsura glanced at the book, then looked at the writing style on the first page. "Uesugi, you've started writing light novels?"

Everyone looked at him.

“I didn’t write it,” Uesugi Kai said. “Well, if this book sells well, it will benefit me too.”

"That's a bit of a shame. I was really looking forward to your light novel."

Both boys, Totsuka Katsura and Kiyosaki Takeshi, had read some famous light novel works, such as the Monogatari series, the Zagoon series, and Bungaku Shoujo.

Nana Umezu hadn't read much of it. "I heard that light novels are basically just selling illustrations, aren't they?"

Totsuka Katsura: "That's not necessarily true, although most genre fiction is just trying to attract attention with a whimsical idea."

Kiyosaki Takeshi said, "This is actually influenced by ACG. Mainstream light novels are starting to serve the visuals more, increasing the proportion of illustrations and moving towards the style of otaku. Light novels are increasingly leaning towards a large number of beautiful illustrations, which is actually not good, because the true essence of a novel is the text. Without the spirit, buying a light novel is just buying a few illustrations."

“It mainly depends on who the author is,” Totsuka Katsura said, flipping through the papers in her hand and carefully reading the first few paragraphs. “Uesugi, is this a new author?”

You noticed?

“Hmm,” Totsuka Katsura glanced at the beginning a few more times, “because it’s not very light novel-like.”

Kiyosaki Takeshi glanced at the cover and found that it was unsigned. These few dozen pages must be from the previous volume: "The style is a bit familiar. Is there a previous work?"

Kai Uesugi thought for a moment and said, "I think I had a debut work called 'Chasing the Stars'."

Seeing that Kiyosaki Takeshi seemed to recognize her, Totsuka Katsura asked, "You know him?"

"Yes, I've seen it, and I've watched it all."

Nana Umezu asked, "What is it about? I'd like to try it too."

"An adventure story about a middle school girl who lost her father at a young age and meets a boy named Mo. They accidentally bump into the girl's father, who has been dead for many years, at school. The two follow the traces of their 'father' step by step and gradually discover signs of something called 'disappearance.' Through the 'father's' keepsake, they realize that there is an incredible secret behind 'disappearance,' and under the 'father's' guidance, they enter the legendary underground kingdom that can resurrect the dead."

"That sounds interesting."

"Well, it's a pity the results weren't very good; it's still just a niche work."

While they were talking, Totsuka Katsura had already finished reading the first few pages of "The Fox Spirit Maiden". "It's pretty good. Uesugi, how can we help you?"

Kai Uesugi: "First, appreciation; second, suggestions; and third, opinions."

Uesugi Kai believed that the others could give good advice; the author's work was quite good, but he himself lacked confidence.

Another important reason he was willing to use his classmate connections was that Tsubokawa knew that his family's paperback had works illustrated by Hanabi, so he helped out a little.

The company is willing to give up 10% of its profits to the illustrator.

In other words, in addition to the original author's earnings, Hanamaru Hanabi also receives 10% of the paperback's profits.

Kai Uesugi wasn't sure how much that 10% was, but since it concerned the sales of the work, he could only help ensure its quality and ask his classmates and professors at the University of Tokyo for their opinions.

As for the claim that they don't understand, that's not necessarily true.

Popular literature has always been a subject worthy of study.

Many students also wrote essays on the theme of light novels.

There are also quite a few light novels that have been recognized by mainstream literature.

There is no definitive definition of what constitutes a light novel, but it primarily targets teenagers and is a genre of literature specifically aimed at them.

That's how things are resolved. Uesugi Kai felt that this was just a small contribution.

He ate lunch at the university cafeteria and spent the afternoon reading at the Central Library. When his eyes were really tired, he leaned against the window and listened to the rain for a short rest.

The humid and hot weather during the plum rain season is actually not conducive to the growth of flowers, and may even cause the roots to rot in the soil due to excessive moisture.

Therefore, planting should be done in spring and autumn, and the rainy season should be avoided as much as possible.

Kai Uesugi stood on the ginkgo avenue at the University of Tokyo, gazing at the sky, thinking about buying some flowers to display at home.

------

A street scene in Tokyo at 1:39 p.m.

Cold rain sprinkled across the transparent umbrellas that were being used to walk between the high-rise buildings.

"Welcome to 7 Days Convenience Store."

"Hi, Seunghye, 300 yen."

"Sir, starting in September, you'll be charged for plastic bags. Here's your change: 190 yen. Please keep it safe."

Thank you for your patronage. We look forward to welcoming you again.

After leaving the convenience store, Uesugi Kai, whose chin was now covered in stubble, walked home alone, holding an umbrella.

The whispers of raindrops hitting the umbrella's surface filled my entire body with a chill.

Kai Uesugi didn't react much, letting the chill invade his body as he continued walking through the rain-soaked streets of Tokyo.

He answered the phone, carrying a clear plastic bag containing two cup noodles.

It is the mother.