Chapter 236: Utaha-chan, You've Become Much Gentler

“I never want to stay in this town again! I never want this kind of life again! In my next life, please let me be reborn as a handsome man in Tokyo!”

…ko, …ko, …ko, …ko…

The wish echoing through the mountains at night seemed to be completely absorbed by the Lake Itomori below.

Suddenly realizing how nonsensical the words I had just spoken were, I sobered up in the night breeze.

But, even if it is like this, that’s fine.

Oh God, if you truly exist.

Please, surely….

If God truly exists, what kind of wish should I make? I actually don’t know myself.

——End of Volume 1″

“Phew…..” Gently and tenderly placing the manuscript back onto the coffee table, Sonoko, leaning back against the sofa, unconsciously closed her eyes slowly.

For a moment, it seemed she could see the realistic yet breathtakingly beautiful world depicted in Utaha’s writing. The night sky streaked by a dreamlike comet, the tranquil and peaceful countryside, the bustling and lively city. A young girl longing to leave, yet unaware of the direction her future should take. A young boy wandering and turning, yet unable to find a place where his heart could rest. Dreams of swapped identities, two strange and different souls intertwining like a traditional kumihimo braided cord.

“Truly, it is a breathtakingly beautiful story.” Opening her eyes once more, a lingering smile appearing on her face, Sonoko turned to look at the dignified and elegant Utaha beside her and said with a smile. “I can hardly wait to read the second volume.”

“Thank you for your approval.” Receiving her editor’s approval, Utaha, who had already anticipated this, responded with a calm, unfazed smile.

Sonoko was not surprised by Utaha’s breezy attitude; in her impression, Utaha-chan had always been such a confident girl.

However.

“After reading it, there’s one thing I’m quite curious about.” Brushing her fingers lightly over the cover bearing the title Your Name, Sonoko chuckled. “While reading the manuscript, why did I get the feeling that I was reading lyrics written by a certain singer? Is it just my imagination?”

“It’s not.”

Catching the hidden intention in her editor’s words, Utaha shot an exasperated glance at the deliberately mysterious Sonoko and called her out bluntly.

“The inspiration for this novel came directly from Miyahito.”

“?”

Utaha’s answer made Sonoko feel a trace of surprise. This didn’t seem like an answer the aloof girl she remembered—who was highly confident, even slightly arrogant, about her own talent—would give.

However, on second thought. When she first met Utaha, this girl was just a third-year middle schooler preparing to come to Tokyo to study. Even though her thoughts were already very mature and rational back then, ultimately, the Utaha of that time was at most just a girl with a lingering trace of a rebellious phase.

But the Utaha of now. Not only had her thoughts matured with age. More importantly, a sweet and warm romance had added a touch of gentle intellect and graceful generosity to the girl who used to be immersed solely in her own talent.

“Utaha-chan.” Watching the girl she once knew blossom with the beauty of growth, Sonoko’s gaze unconsciously took on a touch of elder-like gratification. “You’ve become much gentler.”

“…..” Facing this sudden remark from Sonoko, Utaha really wanted to ask, “Is your head okay?” but considering the destructive power such a phrase would have on her editor (especially with her currently wearing that elder-like, gratified expression).

Utaha silently suppressed the urge to ask, slightly turning her gaze away, and replied with a tone laced with a hint of impatience.

“Could you stop looking at me with such an awkward gaze? You’re not my elder.”

“Am I not?” Hearing Utaha’s slightly awkward tone, Sonoko smiled gently. “We’ve known each other for almost two years now, and we get along quite well. I thought you already considered me an older sister.”

“My dear Editor Machida Sonoko.”

Looking at Sonoko, who was looking at her with a gratified expression, with a hint of disdain and contempt in her eyes, Utaha said calmly.

“Do I need to remind you what kind of milestone year this is for you?”

You’re already almost thirty years old!

An older sister? Do you have the nerve to make a sixteen-year-old girl in the prime of her youth call you ‘older sister’?

Excuse me, even if you have no problem with it, I find it embarrassing.

After thoroughly enjoying the shift in Sonoko’s expression from gratified, to bewildered, to pitifully wronged, Utaha, who had lightly pressed down her uniform skirt and stood up from the sofa, raised her hand to gather her long hair at the back of her head.

Tying her hair into a high ponytail (Utaha: I don’t get why Miyahito likes it so much when I tie my hair up like this), with a hair tie held in her mouth, Utaha turned her head and said to Sonoko on the sofa.

“Stay for dinner later.”

“Eh, no need….”

“I’ve already cooked a portion for you.”

“No….”

“Today we’re having ‘M5 Oyster Blade Steak’, pan-seared on a Himalayan salt block.”

“Us….”

“And creamy chicken and corn soup. For dessert, there’s Oreo yogurt mousse, handmade by Miyahito himself.”

“Alright, I’ll trouble you for that, Utaha-chan.”

…..Is this what they call an adult’s ‘unyielding defiance until death’?

Learned it, learned it.

…

After enjoying a sumptuous dinner consisting of a generous portion of oyster blade steak, sweet and smooth creamy chicken and corn soup, crisp and refreshing vegetable salad, and sweet-and-sour Oreo yogurt mousse to cleanse the palate.

Unsurprisingly, Sonoko was completely stuffed.

Looking up at Sonoko, who was hugging her round, full belly, slouching ungracefully on the sofa, constantly muttering “So full, so full~” while wearing a deeply satisfied smile, the corners of Utaha’s pretty lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible arc of smugness.

Standing up from her chair and preparing to clear the dining table, Utaha suddenly heard Sonoko speak to her.

“Utaha, when did your cooking skills become so good? Clearly, in the past, you would either eat pastry bread or instant bento boxes, basically just messing around to fill your stomach.”

“That’s because, in the past, I was the only one eating.”

Holding the plate, Utaha walked into the kitchen and answered as she placed the dirty dishes into the sink, turning on the faucet.

Accompanied by the splashing sound of running water and the occasional crisp clinking of plates and bowls, Utaha couldn’t help but reveal a happy smile, her gaze gradually taking on a gentle hue.

“When I ate alone, I was too lazy to cook for myself.”

“Now, it doesn’t matter what I eat, but who asked me to find a boyfriend who is both picky and a great cook? If I don’t practice my culinary skills, my pride as a girl would cry.”

…..Report! Someone is humblebragging here! Please arrest her!

Just as Sonoko pouted, looking at Utaha, who seemed focused on her housework, with a wronged expression that screamed ‘If you don’t coax me, I’ll cry’,

Click—!

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