I really don't want to be reborn.

"You all bit your tongues, didn't you?"

The black cat following behind Kousaka Kyosuke and Kasumigaoka Utaha appeared nervous, but also somewhat dejected.

She was observing Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Even though Kirino Kousaka often says how awful this woman is, no matter what, both Kirino and Kuroneko have to admit that this person is excellent.

It's not just about having excellent grades in school, but more importantly, about other aspects—of course, these other aspects refer to career and love.

Unlike the chubby Kirino Kousaka, Kuroneko thinks Kasumigaoka Utaha is truly a "perfect woman".

The elevator doors opened, and the three people stepped onto the third-floor corridor of Dengeki Bunko, which was covered with a red carpet.

The black cat felt increasingly uneasy and sensitive, not only because this was the editorial department of Dengeki Bunko, but also because the quietness in the corridor made her feel too serious and solemn.

After turning a corner, several posters featuring the titles of award-winning light novels appeared before us. The top-ranked novels each had their own dedicated booths, with staff members nearby to assist the authors.

When the two popular high school authors appeared, a row of people crowded around the booth, and a reporter carrying a camera suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

The flashes were so bright they made it hard to open one's eyes. The black cat instinctively tugged at his clothes and followed behind, her tension reaching its peak.

"Relax a little, lift your head up."

"Waaah..."

The black cat no longer had the courage to look up, and the hand that was holding his clothes was like a lifeline.

"Why are there reporters here?"

"It's probably just a warm-up, a kind of gimmick they came up with. Pudding mentioned it on the phone yesterday, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time."

Kasumigaoka Utaha walked calmly beside her, showing no surprise or fear in front of the camera: "Those are CX reporters, right? They usually cover romance or business stuff, what are they doing here... Reporters are obviously interviewing the big shots, but luckily we're both relatively low-key."

This was said to the black cat, to reassure her not to be too nervous.

The black cat narrowed her eyes, looking at the two fearless people in front of her. She almost forgot that besides being Kirino's brother who was obsessed with his sister, Kousaka Kyosuke was also a popular light novel author.

Kyosuke recalled for a moment: "Two years ago, CX's direction was already leaning towards the ACG field, but more towards manga than light novels—Kuro Neko, what's wrong with you?"

The black cat suddenly loosened its grip: "I'm going to find a seat. Don't forget me later!"

"Okay, if anyone asks, just say I brought you. Don't worry, I'll take you away after it's all over."

The black cat walked toward an inconspicuous seat, looked back, and saw the woman whom Kirino Kousaka had always portrayed as a villain whispering something in his ear.

He looked at her and smiled, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

The black cat was watching him from an inconspicuous corner. When Kyosuke Kosaka was talking to the reporter, he only showed the side of his white shirt.

That profile overlapped with the dark image in her mind.

Every time Black Cat sees this figure, he feels that this is the real Kyosuke Kousaka. This man appears gentle and humble, but deep down he wants to keep his distance from others, yet he doesn't want to stray too far from the crowd.

What to say?

The sense of distance is too unpredictable.

"Oh, young lady, may I ask who you are?"

Sure enough, someone came to ask. The black cat lazily pointed to Kousaka Kyosuke, who had already turned around and was talking to a guy who looked like Akuma: "He brought you here?"

"Are you his girlfriend? Everyone on these three floors thinks his girlfriend is the one in the yellow dress."

"No."

The black cat sighed in boredom: "...It's my little sister."

…………

"Oh, it's been a long time, Ms. Xia Shizi."

"Hello, Pudding Sauce."

"..."

His real name is Kumagai Ryunosuke, and he has a fierce look that surpasses even Daisuke's. When he heard the girl teasing him about his nickname again, he looked at Kyosuke speechlessly.

"Can't you do something about this?"

"what?"

Pudding Sauce said indignantly, "Control your woman."

Kousaka Kyosuke smiled without saying a word, while Kasumigaoka Utaha retorted as usual, "We're not in that kind of relationship yet, don't talk nonsense."

The girl's stingy way of feeding the dog food (a metaphor for being reluctant to part with the food) caused a chorus of boos and jeers in the editorial office. The single male editors pulled Kousaka Kyosuke aside, offering him a barrage of blessings and curses.

He waved his hand and said, "Don't be like that. When looking for a wife, you have to be down-to-earth. Always hoping to meet a beautiful writer will not lead to anything."

"You need to take responsibility for your words, Kousaka. So how did you meet her? —Hey, who's that little girl behind Kasumi Utako?"

"My younger sister also loves writing. Is it alright if I bring her here for a visit?"

"It won't affect anything."

Pudding smiled slightly: "Let's finish the business first. I have to attend a new project meeting for a mobile novel this afternoon. Ishimaru's proposal isn't ready yet, is it? There's not much time."

The male editor who had been the most vocal in the commotion let out a strange yell and ran out of the place, which was reserved for editors to boast and chat, as if his pants were on fire.

"The works that have been decided to be adapted into anime this year have been announced: 'The Sky of Iriya' published in 01, 'Doclot the Angel of Death' in 03, and 'Looking Up at the Half-Moon' in the same year..."

Kyosuke frowned slightly: "They're either lolis or cats, this is a bit too much of a cutesy, innocent vibe."

"...and Shakugan no Shana."

No way! No way! No way!

"what?"

Pudding shrugged: "They've already released their tenth volume this year, it would be a bit much if they didn't adapt it into an anime soon. Actually, the editor-in-chief initially wanted to turn your novel into a script and sell it to CX..."

"No, no, the people at CX are out of their minds. A while ago, because their competitor released a comedy about an older man and a younger woman with a very young wife, they started to compete with it and ended up with this 'wife is 48 years old' slutty stuff. It shows how bizarre their thinking is."

Kyosuke Kosaka dismissed Fujimi TV's proposal with disdain, saying outright, "Besides, isekai stories aren't really suitable for being adapted into TV dramas. If it doesn't work out, forget it. I'm not in a big hurry."

Since the Dengeki Bunko anime adaptation couldn't be realized this year, he thought of the Musashino animation company. After chatting with Pudding and the others for a bit, he prepared to go to Kasumigaoka Utaha's place to ask about her plans.

Hopefully, that guy won't make a rash promise to her editor that a new volume will be released in the second half of the year. This girl already often stays up late, and her workload can't be increased any further.

"Let's not talk about that. Kasumigaoka and I will be staying here for the next few days. Do you have any good recommendations?"

"A good place? A brothel?"

The one speaking was the oddball man with a towel wrapped around his head.

Kyosuke Kosaka smiled helplessly, picked up his water glass, and said, "It's a hotel, in Koto Ward, a hotel you guys think is nice..."

"How would we know about the hotels over there...? I think the brothels over there even have cosplay services. Kousaka, are you into that kind of thing?"

As he drank his water, he glanced at Kasumigaoka Utaha, thinking to himself that he was a believer in premarital sex and should remain chaste.

Then he noticed that Kasumigaoka Utaha was also staring at him, her face flushed.

The female editors behind her seemed to be chuckling mischievously, as if encouraging something, while the black cat looked at her strangely.

"Ok?"

Kasumigaoka took a deep breath, her expression like she was playing truth or dare, and turned her cheek to the side, opening her arms to him shyly: "...I want, I want a hug!"

Kyosuke had only drunk half of his water when he suddenly spat it all out with a "pfft".

------

Please recommend me, give me monthly tickets, tips, and even knife blades (a metaphor for emotional appeal).

Now I can finally settle down and start writing. I haven't written much these past two days.

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Person Like a Rainbow (3,500 words)

The hug was done in a flash.

This isn't describing the speed of the embrace, but rather the feeling of that instant.

In the editor's office at Dengeki Bunko, Kasumigaoka Utaha shyly opened her arms to him, asking for a hug.

If her position as editor hadn't been so tempting, she would never have done this. Even if she had, even if she had wanted to be held by him in a moment of passion—it would never have been in this situation where she was practically being watched.

She endured immense shame, watching furtively as the boy she liked walked straight towards her. Their personal space slowly encroached upon each other, their body heat acting like magnets.

Like a bullet hitting her chest and exploding, every drop of blood stopped flowing. She felt as if every cell in her body had stopped thinking, listening intently to the vibrations of that embrace.

My heart felt like it was jumping out of my body and going bungee jumping; one moment it was plummeting into the dark depths of an abyss, and the next it was soaring high into the sky.

She was swaying, seemingly drunk amidst the fluctuating highs and lows, but the cheers of others were like a breeze waking a hangover sufferer; she had sobered up and wanted to break free from his embrace.

But she remained motionless, unwilling to leave.

Her body told her to just hang on to him like that.

Let go of all your pride and hesitation, let go of your doubts about love, become a koala, and find the most reliable eucalyptus tree in the forest.

"Then let's hug..."

One minute later, Kyosuke Kousaka said these words.

Everyone started to cheer.

Two minutes later, the jeering subsided, and everyone's smiles faded.

Three minutes later, the two were still hugging...

The cheerful atmosphere in the office suddenly turned sour; the two lovers' public display of affection became like a muffled fart in a secluded room, inescapable for anyone to hear.

……

"That hug just now..."

"That, that's the editor... Hmph, she said it herself, that's her condition for not rushing me to submit the manuscript."

"uh-huh?"

In the corridor, Kasumigaoka Utaha walked incredibly fast: "Don't you understand? My editor is a woman who's always looking for a man. She likes to do those... boring things like the King's Game, saying that as long as I treat you like that, she won't rush me for the manuscripts in the second half of this year."

Ta-ta-ta.

The girl's shoes stepped into the sliver of light falling through the window, her steps seemingly hurried and disheveled, but actually joyful and carefree, like a drop of deep red extracted from the rich colors of summer.