They are really too low!

"Yes, someone recommended it to me." The boy snapped out of his reverie. "Does Kasumigaoka-senpai want to buy it too?"

This time it was Kasumigaoka Utaha's turn to be stunned; her brain didn't process it for a long time.

The moment they met, this guy opened his own box?

Wait, isn't she wearing a mask?

Even if they were students from the same school, it would be impossible for them to recognize her so easily, right?

"You...you know me?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was completely baffled.

"Yes, we know each other. Haven't we met before?" The boy looked puzzled. "Senior, have you forgotten who I am?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha paused slightly, then she finally remembered.

She had seen this boy at school when she was in her second year of high school; his name seemed to be Hoshino Mi.

Because of Hoshino Mi's good looks and popularity, Kasumigaoka Utaha was deeply impressed by this boy.

The reason she didn't recognize him earlier was probably because she hadn't seen Hoshino Mi in a long time. He spent his days dozing off at school and coming home after school to brainstorm plots for his novels.

"Oh, it's you. No wonder you looked so familiar." Kasumigaoka Utaha pretended to realize something, then took off her mask. "Long time no see, Hoshino-kun."

"Long time no see, senior." Hoshino smiled slightly. "I was just thinking about whether to say hello first, but I didn't expect you to be faster than me."

Actually, he noticed Kasumigaoka Utaha from the very beginning, after all, not everyone has a window on their body.

[Target: Kasumigaoka Utaha]

[Intimacy: 12]

[Status: My debut novel is currently not selling well, which is causing me great distress. I'm even considering giving up on light novels altogether.]

Hoshino noticed something was off. He remembered the first time he saw Kasumigaoka Utaha, her status was "[I'm currently considering whether to submit my work, and I'm very confident in it]". Now it seems she has successfully debuted, but unfortunately, her work is not selling well.

Hoshino felt a little regretful that she didn't know the name of her senior's debut work, as it was a rare opportunity to show off her achievements.

Because they weren't very familiar with each other, he was too embarrassed to ask now and would just have to see if he had a chance to ask next time.

Chapter Ninety-Five: Sour It's Sour

Kasumigaoka Utaha, the most famous and beautiful upperclassman in the school, was someone Hoshino Mi had met several times.

This senior student is very tall and slender. Just by standing to the side, her beautiful legs, covered in black stockings, are unconsciously exposed. Her full thighs seem to reveal a hint of smooth and delicate skin, round and long, giving people a stunning feeling.

Even in her casual clothes, Hoshino could sense the incredibly alluring aura emanating from her senior. The tightly fastened buttons on her chest seemed to create a snow-white cleavage, rising and falling slightly with her breath. Her fair skin radiated a soft glow. Without doing anything, her impressive breasts already gave her the capital to prey on men.

From this perspective, Eriri and Kasugano Sora combined are no match for Kasumigaoka Utaha.

Only Mikazuki Fuuka could barely manage a draw with Kasumigaoka Utaha, but the two are still not comparable; the former's personality is too soft, making her a "rabbit-type" girlfriend.

Kasumigaoka Utaha is different. The moment Hoshino saw her, she felt that this senior was very suitable for wearing high heels and stepping hard on a man's head. She exuded a mature and domineering aura.

If Kasumigaoka Utaha were to be my girlfriend, I bet she would personally put a collar on her boyfriend and wish she could hold his hand every day and keep him at home forever.

Of course, these are just Hoshino's personal speculations. He and Kasumigaoka Utaha only know who each other are and can be considered nodding acquaintances. Their relationship is probably not as close as Yukino Yukinoshita's.

It was a pleasant surprise to meet you at the bookstore today.

While Hoshino was observing her, Kasumigaoka Utaha was also sizing up Hoshino.

Although it wasn't their first meeting, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a little strange seeing Hoshino Mi again. He seemed even more handsome than she remembered.

No, it can't be called handsome. His facial features haven't changed much, yet for some reason, he just makes people very noticeable.

"Why would your friend recommend this book to you?" Kasumigaoka Utaha suppressed the strange feeling in her heart; she was still more concerned about this matter. "This book... probably doesn't have much to offer."

"Kasumigaoka-senpai has already seen it?" Hoshino was surprised. She had specifically stopped him just to ask this question.

"I watched a bit of it when I was bored. The female lead's character is like a child, with no redeeming qualities. She often teases the male lead, and the male lead's personality is too indecisive. The plot is too simplistic; it's practically just two kids playing house in love."

Kasumigaoka Utaha remained unfazed, simply repeating online comments, since everyone shared this view.

"Really?" Hoshino looked surprised. "I saw rave reviews online. The female lead, Sayuka, has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and many people are happy to see her get her comeuppance. And wasn't the male lead, Naoto's, line at the end of the first volume quite touching?"

If it were only Machida Sonoko's personal recommendation, Hoshino wouldn't have come to buy the book the next day. He only became interested after seeing many readers spontaneously recommending the book online.

"It's just a small group of reviews that resonate with the author's voice, what's so strange about that?" Perhaps not expecting him to say that, Kasumigaoka Utaha subtly turned her gaze away. "Isn't the fact that it's critically acclaimed but not commercially successful just proof that this book has been a complete failure in terms of commercialization?"

Hoshino paused for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "Could it be that the book's title and promotion are just terrible?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha was stunned, and then heard him continue speaking.

"First of all, there's the issue of the title. The title 'Love Metronome' is too common. I can see several books with similar titles on my bookshelf, such as 'Love 100%' and 'Love Story.' Do you think there's anything special about this title, Kasumigaoka-senpai?"

Faced with Hoshino Mi's吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments), Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression became somewhat unnatural. The book title had nothing to do with her; it was the editor-in-chief who helped her come up with it.

Well, because the original title of the book was even worse than the current one, and even Machida Sonoko criticized her naming skills.

"And then there's the tagline. Look at it: 'A debut work that won the 44th Newcomer Award.' This kind of tagline won't attract many casual readers, right?" Hoshino pointed to the novel's blurb, somewhat exasperated. "Besides readers who care about Newcomer Awards, who would care about a new author like this? It would be better to put it as 'A must-read masterpiece for every lolicon this year.'"

Kasumigaoka Utaha had a strange look on her face. She thought of Kaede Karen, whom she had just seen. Kaede Karen's works seemed to have similar promotional slogans, which left a deep impression even on passersby who had not seen them.

"You mean the lack of promotion isn't the author's fault?" Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her arms, making her large breasts even more noticeable. "But didn't other new books released around the same time also lack promotional resources? Why did their sales exceed this book's?"

Publishers are unlikely to go to great lengths to advertise every new book; they tend to adopt a "survival of the fittest" approach, where only the surviving books are likely to receive subsequent promotional resources.

Therefore, the promotional efforts they gave to Kasumigaoka Utaha were actually the same as those for other new books released at the same time.

As we all know, when everyone has the same promotional resources, the effect is practically the same as no promotion at all.

"Sales are high, but they have too many negative reviews, so most readers probably won't be willing to buy into their products in the future." Hoshino felt a little strange; what exactly was this senior student arguing about?

“But they won’t face the risk of being canceled.” Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed. “Even if there are more negative reviews, as long as there are a few pretentious gimmicks, they can attract readers and sales will continue to rise. That’s the market now.”

Hoshino found it even stranger. She greeted him for no reason, discussed "Love Metronome" with him for no reason, and then complained for no reason. What was this senior student trying to do?

Suddenly, Hoshino looked at the book "Love Metronome" in her hand, then at Kasumigaoka Utaha across from her, her expression growing increasingly strange.

The author's pen name is Kasumi Shiko, and she shares the same editor as him. Moreover, last night, the editor, Machida Sonoko, told him that this book was about to be canceled.

The status of Kasumigaoka Utaha indicates that she is also facing a premature end, which is a bit too much of a coincidence.

"Senior, you don't think this book is good?" Hoshino asked tentatively.

"After all, you just said that this book is too plain and unadorned. Even if it becomes the number one example of 'a work that can't sell no matter how good the reviews are,' I wouldn't be surprised." Kasumigaoka Utaha's tone was indifferent, but the more you listened, the more it sounded like she was complaining.

“If a work is not well-received by your senior, I think you should definitely take a look at its contents.” Hoshino smiled, as if Kasumigaoka Utaha had just been recommending it to him.

"Go ahead and watch if you want, but don't say I didn't warn you beforehand." Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her pretty face away, feeling indifferent now.

“Okay, I will read it carefully so as not to miss any exciting details.” Hoshino said with a serious expression.

For some reason, Kasumigaoka Utaha should have been happy to finally see a reader in real life, but she inexplicably felt that he was being sarcastic.

“Even if you say that, I have no expectations at all.” Kasumigaoka Utaha put her mask back on. “I think you’d be better off buying Kaede Karen’s works.”

"Why?" Hoshino was somewhat surprised. Could it be that Kasumigaoka Utaha could also discover his identity?

"There's no particular reason, but I feel like you're a lolicon, it's a woman's intuition." Kasumigaoka Utaha thought of the other person's childhood friend; guys who like small-breasted girls are mostly lolicons.

After he finished speaking, Hoshino fell into a deathly silence.

……

On the other side, Toyokawa Shoko was looking at Wakaba Mutsu in front of her, taking a small sip of her hot coffee.

"You should know what that place means, so why bring him there?"

The two were childhood sweethearts, yet the first question was so pointed.

No, rather, Toyokawa Shoko believed that it was precisely because the two of them were so close that they were able to be so direct.

"I'm sorry." Ruoye Mutsu lowered her head. She didn't know how to explain, so she could only apologize.

"Why apologize?" Toyokawa Shoko sighed deeply. "I don't mean to blame Mutsu. I just don't understand why things suddenly turned out this way."

“We…we met by chance,” Wakaba Mutsu explained softly. “I didn’t say a word about you.”

Toyokawa Shoko wasn't entirely convinced. She wasn't doubting Wakaba Mutsu, but rather Nagasaki Motoyo, that troublesome woman.

Did Nagasaki Motoyo really run into Wakaba Mutsumi and Hoshino Mi by accident?

If it were Shiina Tatsuki, such a coincidence would be understandable, but it's highly unlikely for Nagasaki Motoyo.

Because after the band disbanded, Nagasaki Motoyo was the only one who persisted in pursuing her, sending her more than a hundred messages that very night.

If it weren't for the barrage of messages, Toyokawa Shoko wouldn't have been able to block Nagasaki Motoyo directly.

Even after being blocked, Nagasaki Motoyo did not give up and tried to find out Wakaba Mutsu's whereabouts through various indirect means.

Nagasaki Motoyo is probably now eyeing Hoshino Mi, but Toyokawa Shoko is a little confused. Has her relationship with Hoshino Mi been exposed?

Why would Nagasaki Motoyo target Hoshino Mi?

“I believe Mutsu, but what exactly did you two say back then?” Toyokawa Shoko asked. “Why did Nagasaki-san notice Hoshino-senpai?”

Ruoye Mu thought for a moment, but she didn't really understand the specific reason. She could only say simply, "She probably noticed that I was getting close to Jian. She was a little worried that I might have made some bad friends, so she talked about you a little."

Hearing this unfamiliar yet familiar name, Toyokawa Shoko felt a strange surge of bitterness, which made her sip her coffee, hoping to alleviate it with the bittersweet taste.

"What did you talk about?" Toyokawa Shoko continued to ask.

“He’s a little curious.” Ruoye Mu hesitated for a moment. “It’s the first time he’s seen Su Shi and the others, so he’s a little concerned about our past.”

She still didn't mention the minor conflict between Hoshino Mi and Shiina Tatsuki, because she felt it had nothing to do with Toyokawa Shoko and wasn't worth mentioning.

You talked about the past, but not about the present situation?

Toyokawa Shoko's expression was complicated. On one hand, she was very concerned about Hoshino Mi continuing to delve into their past, and on the other hand, she recalled what Hoshino Mi had said earlier that day.

Aside from the band, do they actually consider each other friends?

We shared such wonderful memories, so we should be considered friends from the past, right?

Hoshino felt that they were friends, and that they would still be good friends even without the band.

However, Toyokawa Shoko felt that wasn't the case; after losing the band, they could only be considered former teammates and friends.

Because what once connected them has been severed.

Shoko Toyokawa silently sipped her coffee. Today was the first time she and Mi Hoshino had differing opinions on the same matter, and even had a conflict that lasted for several minutes.

"I'm sorry." Without realizing it, Ruoye Mu lowered her head again.

"I already said, I didn't mean to blame Xiaomu." Looking at her childhood friend's expression, Toyokawa Shoko felt inexplicably angry. Did she look that scary?

Why is he all smiles when he's with Hoshino, but so timid and submissive when he's with her?

Mingming Ruoye Mu used to smile at her like that, and she used to be more talkative, so why is she like this now?

If we're talking about friendship, she's the one who's known him longer. He's just a guy she's known for less than a month, so there's no need for her to smile like that.

Ruoye Mutsu was a little uneasy. She didn't know why she had to apologize. She only knew that Toyokawa Shoko seemed to dislike Hoshino Mi's actions, so she wanted to apologize.

Shoko Toyokawa was silent for a moment, then said, "He's been writing songs lately, did you know?"

“He did say that,” Wakaba Mutsu nodded.

“I saw his sheet music today. Although it’s not very good, the guitar part sounds a lot like Komu’s.” Toyokawa Shoko smiled slightly. “To be honest, when I recommended him to Komu, I never thought he would learn to this level.”

When Momoko heard Toyokawa Shoko praising Hoshino Mi, she unconsciously revealed a faint smile, as if she were happy for the child she was raising.

Witnessing this scene made Toyokawa Shoko's mood even more chaotic; she would become like this whenever the topic of Hoshino Mi came up.

What exactly did Hoshino Mi do to Wakaba Mutsu? She knew Hoshino Mi much longer, so why didn't she have that feeling?

Shoko Toyokawa had this thought, but she seemed to have forgotten that she would also smile when she saw the message sent by Mi Hoshino.

"He gave me a gift today." As if she was unconvinced, or like a child showing off, Toyokawa Shoko casually brought up the topic.

Of course, the game console box is already at home; bringing it over would be too obvious.

Wakaba Mutsu's expression froze slightly, a hint of confusion and unease appearing in her eyes. She seemed not to understand why Toyokawa Shoko had said this, nor why Hoshino Mi had given her a gift.

“I didn’t want it at first, but this guy didn’t give me a chance to refuse.” Toyokawa Shoko lowered her eyes, as if that could hide the slight upturn of her lips, looking somewhat helpless. “This guy always seems to like making others owe him favors, and he even says he’s happy to help others.”

"A gift?" Wakaba Mutsu asked blankly.

“Yes, that guy said it was a gift.” Toyokawa Shoko couldn’t suppress her laughter; she was like a naughty child showing off to her best friend.

Wakaba Mutsu stared blankly at her childhood friend, feeling inexplicably sad. She had never accepted her help before, so why was Hoshino Mi able to help her?

Even with the umbrella from back then, she would accept it if Hoshino helped deliver it, but she wouldn't accept it if Hoshino helped deliver it herself.