Kono Monogatari O Kimi Ni Sasagu - Volume 1 Chapter 2.3

It was a joyful premonition that creating with her might lead to weaving another great story.

However, if the story they created turned out to be a failure?

What would become of him if his lack of talent was pointed out again?

“Senpai? Is something wrong?”

Noticing Yuto’s unusual behavior, Kotoha tilted her head quizzically.

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s continue.”

For now—just for now, he decided to focus on the creation in front of him. He told himself he couldn’t hand over something half-baked to the drama club members.

They continued their meeting, organizing the story, characters, and setting.

Regarding the characters, Kotoha had prepared some “materials.”

Seeing the contents, Yuto let out an astonished groan.

“You… did you make this yourself?”

“Yes!”

Kotoha responded in a cheerful tone, pleased with Yuto’s impressed reaction.

“So, how is it? Is it helpful?”

“Yeah, it’s helpful.”

When Yuto answered, Kotoha fell silent.

“What’s with the sudden silence?”

“No… I was just surprised that you thanked me so straightforwardly. I thought something might be up…”

“Don’t make it sound like I’m rude. It’s just that your actions are usually too unexpected, and I don’t get the chance.”

“Really? Is that so?”

Their meeting continued in that manner, occasionally going off track.

“By the way, did you read the recent Naoki Prize winner?”

“Oh, the one about the watchmaker. Yeah, I read it.”

Although his reading habits had diminished from his peak, he still read major award winners and popular new releases.

“So, what did you think? I quite liked it.”

“I thought it was good. The calm atmosphere throughout the work was captivating. And the protagonist’s dedication to watchmaking was admirable. As expected of a Naoki Prize winner. Though, I felt the romance with the childhood friend was unnecessary…”

“What!? That part was great. It’s absolutely necessary.”

During their meeting, such digressions frequently occurred. Conversations about recent news, favorite novels, dramas, movies, and manga. These seemingly idle chats became more analytical and in-depth, likely because they were in the midst of the creative process.

“Talking like this, Senpai…”

Kotoha, sitting beside him, fidgeted.

“What? Don’t say anything weird.”

“It’s not weird. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“It feels kind of…”

“Kind of what?”

“Embarrassing.”

“…Yeah.”

He understood what she meant. From their conversations, Yuto could sense Kotoha’s preferences in story development, character creation, settings, and props—essentially her creative habits and quirks. And likely, she sensed his as well.

“Having your creative habits exposed is like revealing your fetishes.”

“Senpai, that’s sexual harassment.”

At first, Yuto didn’t grasp what she was implying.

“No, that’s not what I meant! I was talking about creative tendencies, not… you know. I meant—”

“Just kidding,” Kotoha laughed. “I understand. You mean personal quirks and tendencies, not sexual preferences.”

“Give me a break. And don’t say ‘sexual preferences’ so casually.”

They continued their meeting.

The two of them, shoulder to shoulder, solely focused on creating a single story.

This heated, feverish time ended when sunlight began streaming into the room.

“Oh, it’s morning.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Yuto stretched his arms above his head to loosen his stiff body. He felt exhausted all over, but his mind was burning with ideas.

“It’s been a while since I watched the sunrise.”

“Same here.”

He squinted against the brightness as he responded.

The sun rose, painting the mountains orange, with a hint of night still lingering in the sky above.

“Watching the dawn together feels like a poetic scene,” Kotoha joked.

“A clichéd situation.”

“It is.”

“Does it need rewriting?”

“No. Stories need their ‘tropes.'”

Kotoha laughed softly. She might have been a bit delirious from staying up all night.

But Yuto felt a bit off himself, sensing that this clichéd situation was something invaluable and possibly unrepeatable.

Kotoha stifled a yawn and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

“I should go home now. I might fall asleep here.”

“Are you okay? I’ll walk you partway.”

“No, I’m fine. You should get some sleep too, Senpai.”

“No, I’m going to start writing the script now.”

Though they hadn’t typed out the revised plot, it was all in his head. He just needed to write it down.

“Starting now? You should get some rest too, Senpai…”

“We don’t have time. Besides, my mind is active, and I want to write while the ideas are fresh.”

Kotoha fell silent for a moment, then,

“Hehe.”

She laughed joyfully. It was an innocent, somewhat fleeting, and childlike laugh, which seemed unlike the usually forceful Kotoha. It might have been due to fatigue and sleepiness.

Then, Kotoha started coughing.

“What’s wrong? Did you catch a cold?”

“No, I’ve just been talking all night, so my throat hurts.”

Upon hearing that, Yuto realized his own throat felt a bit sore.

“I see. Go home and get some sleep.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll send you the script once it’s done.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Her expression and voice conveyed genuine anticipation, making Yuto chuckle.

Why is she so eager for my story?—The question, which had been a lingering doubt, grew slightly.

“Hey, you…”

“Yes?”

“No, never mind.”

She couldn’t possibly know. ‘Fuyutsuki Haruhiko’ was a pseudonymous writer, and his personal information, except for his age, was kept secret. Asking her anything now might just open a can of worms.

Yuto braced himself slightly, worried she might pursue the conversation since he had cut it off halfway, but Kotoha said nothing.

However, he soon understood why.

He felt a gentle weight on his shoulder along with a sweet scent.

Surprised, he looked to his side to find Kotoha had fallen asleep, leaning on him.

“Hey…!”

Flustered, he sighed at her peaceful, defenseless sleeping face.

Yuto reached over to the bed, grabbed a light blanket, and gently covered Kotoha with it. Then he turned to his laptop, ready to turn the story in his head into a script, and placed his fingers on the keyboard.

In the dawn-lit room, the sound of typing—clickety-clack—echoed with a gentle rhythm, almost like the sound of soft breathing.

tln : i once experience something like this, when i was doing my group task with my campus mate, we both feel like our idea and creativity will lost if we dont pull out a nighter. its really meaninful nighter. but yeah, the one who fell asleep is my male friends instead of female :’) i’m so sad, why its so easy befriended with guys and so akward talkng to girls. i’m such a loser…, anyway, pulling a nighter for task work is really fun and enjoyable as long as no distraction.