After deciding to give up, I became popular

“……”

In short, after observing Kato for a while and confirming that she was gradually falling asleep, Natsukawa Kanade put on a helpless smile and whispered his final words: “Good night, Kato…”

“……”

Then he hung up the phone, but instead of going back, he quickly opened LINE and sent a message to Eriri:

“Why didn't you tell me that Kato is also attending the cram school tomorrow!!!”

He knew that Eriri wouldn't be sleeping at this hour and would reply to him soon, so he waited there. Sure enough, his message changed to 'read' and he quickly received a reply from her.

“Eh, eh, eh! Did I not say it?! I'm sorry, I forgot (＞人＜；), even though I haven't gotten your permission yet…”

Natsukawa Kanade shook his head, thinking that this girl was indeed unreliable. “I'm not talking about that. I don't mind tutoring one more person. I'm worried about something else ε=(′ο｀*) sigh.”

“What is it? (ΩДΩ)”

“Is your doujin artist identity… confirmed to be exposed in front of Kato?”

“……!!! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ Wow! I almost forgot if you didn't mention it!”

“You already forgot, didn't you?! →_→”

“Then, then, then… what should I do? (〃＞目＜) Is it still possible to refuse or suggest changing the location?”

“No, don't do that. It'll make it seem like you have some contraband at home that can't be discovered, which will only make people more curious.”

“Wuuu ┭┮﹏┭┮, what should I do? I'm not ready to reveal it to Kato yet. At least… at least let me mentally prepare myself before I actively tell her, guu…”

“Hmm…” Natsukawa Kanade frowned and thought carefully. “Then, how about you lock your room tomorrow and say that it's not clean and you're embarrassed to let people visit? Anyway, don't let anyone in, and we'll just study in the living room. But this method isn't completely foolproof; it's ultimately a last resort…”

“After all, we're going to a friend's house. Even if we initially suggest studying in the living room, I have a feeling it will still develop into a 'visiting a friend's room' scenario. So, I think you should work a little harder tonight and move all the 'dirty' stuff in your room, whether to the study or your parents' room. Just move it all away…”

“Also, it's best to tell your mom in advance and ask her not to expose your identity…”

Even though this would be like giving her a heads-up—a cute girl is coming to our house tomorrow, so get ready—Kato might really turn into a fitting room doll.

However, compared to the ending where Eriri exposes her underground identity in front of Kato, this is more acceptable. It not only satisfies the eye but also doesn't require him to come forward to appease the two who might have a conflict.

The only downside is that Kato might suffer a bit… but maybe Kato actually likes to dress up nicely? Then everyone would be happy.

After comforting and instructing the little blonde a few more times, she still felt a little insecure, so she simply suggested changing the meeting time to after noon tomorrow, so she would have more time to deal with the 'dirty stuff'. Natsukawa thought it made sense and agreed, but Eriri had to come up with the reason for the delay and tell Kato herself. Otherwise, wouldn't it make Kato misunderstand if he ended the call and Eriri sent a message to decline shortly after?

Since she wanted to keep it a secret, she naturally had to make the most thorough arrangements. Although he himself felt that it would be better for Eriri to just let things take their course or simply talk to Kato openly, how could Kato not accept the secret that her 'friend is actually a famous doujin artist in the industry, and a messed up one at that' with her tolerance?

After all, Kato doesn't have many friends, and she must cherish her friendship with Eriri.

216. What are you expecting?

After the phone call, Natsukawa Kanade stood by the window, enjoying the breeze and spacing out for a while before slowly moving back to his room.

On the way back, he was worried, thinking that the senpai would definitely not let it go easily. The key was that he had dropped that kind of thing from his pocket earlier. Now, after going back, he would definitely be teased and ridiculed.

However, it was impossible not to go back. After all, it was so cold outside, and all his clothes were still in the room, so how could he withstand the biting cold air?

So, in this state of wanting to go back to sleep but fearing that the senpai would do something big, he finally welcomed his fate in a strolling manner—

After pushing open the door, the strange welcome ceremony he had expected did not arrive. Natsukawa Kanade originally thought that the senpai was asleep and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but he noticed the blanket move. Then, Kasumigaoka senpai propped herself up and said to him while rubbing her sleepy eyes:

“Is it Kouhai-kun who's back? Come and sleep quickly. Staying up late is bad for your health…”

“……”

You're the least qualified to say that!

Some creators slack off when they don't have inspiration, refusing to write a single word no matter what, as if they don't work at all on weekdays. However, when they have inspiration, they will frantically overdraw their bodies, even staying up all night to work.

Kasumigaoka Shiwa is obviously one of these people!

He knew very well that this girl's favorite thing to do was to pile up all kinds of work and then rely on her usual 'research' to clean it all up in one go when she thought she had a burst of inspiration.

As for her so-called burst of inspiration… it could happen at any moment!

There were no specific signs, no specific triggering mechanism, and it didn't visit you regularly like a good relative. It seemed to be completely determined by her own temperament. The only thing he was sure of was that the senpai would become ruthless at this moment, and her whole person would fall into a very self-centered, manic state, almost completely unaffected by external movements. After that, unless her inspiration ran out or the entire stage of work ended, it would be difficult to stop her even if she tried her best.

In short, among the people he knew, only this girl would stay up late or even be used to staying up late and all night, so he almost laughed out loud when he heard her comforting tone.

Of course, thanks to this, he could indeed feel that the senpai had not given up on teasing him, otherwise, how could she say such obviously self-contradictory words? Perhaps even her seemingly just-woke-up, defenseless response mode was a strategy to first show her 'harmlessness', thereby making him relax his guard and be seduced, and then she would take the opportunity to do something to him…

What a realistic performance, Senpai! No wonder people always say that girls are born actors. He has seen it today.

So, he immediately put on a rejecting attitude and replied firmly, “No need, Senpai. I'm not sleepy yet. You go to sleep first. I'll play on my phone for a while.”

After almost a day, his phone battery was actually running low, but he still couldn't show weakness at this time. He even turned on the lock screen to make the light of the screen shine on his face to enhance persuasiveness.

“Oh, then I'll go to sleep first… Also, please turn off the light for me, thank you. It's a bit dazzling.”

“……”

Very well, you're acting very realistically, Senpai! Natsukawa Kanade sighed inwardly, thinking that Kasumigaoka Shiwa was worthy of the name. Even if he exposed her conspiracy, she wouldn't panic at all. She even simply took the opportunity to let him turn off the light to create a “time to rest” atmosphere. This must have been her plan long ago.

But he still did it. After all, this was a normal request, and he had no reason to refuse it forcefully, lest it seemed too rude.

So, he stood up and first turned off the light in the room, and then slowly moved to the side of the bedding.

But Natsukawa Kanade didn't intend to get into the bed just like that. Instead, he sat cross-legged next to it and looked towards the starry night sky.

He was going to pass the time by counting stars.

The Kasumigaoka senpai beside him seemed to have no movement at all. Only a few occasional regular breathing sounds reminded him that there was such a person beside him.

“……”

“……”

It's hard to endure a cold and lonely night. Even though the world is peaceful and harmonious at this time, it always reflects more desolate things in people's hearts. It's no wonder, after all, 'people' are ultimately social creatures. Even if some are used to or prefer to be alone, they still cannot escape society. It's not entirely true to say that they live alone, but they are just living without direct contact with others for information exchange.

And for Natsukawa Kanade, he should have been the kind of guy who was forced to always maintain a solitary life, but since coming to this world and meeting all kinds of people, he could no longer endure such a lonely life, nor did he need to endure it anymore.

He felt that life had become meaningful, and every day was worth looking forward to. When he was in bed, his mind would be full of wild thoughts, thinking about what tomorrow would be like, and what it should be like, and what he could make it become.

But the most important thing was that from then on, he no longer allowed life to define what kind of person he was, but through his own efforts, he lived a life that conformed to a certain definition.

——He became the dominant role, and he would continue to be so in the future.

“The moonlight is beautiful… the wind is gentle… that's why I like this world…” Natsukawa Kanade sighed.

“……”

“So, Kasumigaoka senpai… for the sake of the beautiful world, let's always be 'normal' good friends, okay?” He whispered to Kasumigaoka Shiwa, who seemed to be asleep beside him.

“……”

He was still a little unconvinced and leaned over slightly, patiently listening to her breathing and observing her appearance—her breathing was steady and regular, her brows occasionally furrowed and then quickly relaxed, her nose twitched occasionally, and her mouth smacked a few times.

“……”

Confirmed, the senpai was indeed asleep. This appearance could never be faked.

So, he breathed a sigh of relief and began to carefully climb to the edge of the bedding.

God knows how much he had prepared for this situation. He had rehearsed all kinds of coping methods countless times in his mind. Although it seemed that the other party was indeed unable to respond because she was asleep, he was not dissatisfied at all, but secretly rejoiced even more.

Then, he carefully lifted a corner of the quilt and slowly moved into the bed in a snail-like manner, for fear that his movements would wake up the senpai who seemed to have fallen asleep.

He didn't dare and didn't want to disturb her at all, because he was afraid that she would wake up and start disturbing him all the time.

He couldn't be sure what would happen after that. At that time, it might develop into all sorts of things that might disturb them… or maybe not, if they were forgetful enough.

In short, he was a little worried, so his movements were always very careful, and of course, the reward was also very rich. He did enter the bed safely and unscathed, and he hadn't alarmed the senpai.

However, just as he wanted to relax and prepare to close his eyes and rest, a rustling sound suddenly came from beside him—

Kasumigaoka Shiwa, who had not moved and was thought to be completely asleep, suddenly turned over and began to face him, staring at him with a pair of eyes that showed no sign of sleepiness, while teasing him with her usual sly and charming tone: “It's so late, why hasn't Kouhai-kun fallen asleep yet?”

“Is it because… you're expecting something to happen?”

Natsukawa Kanade: “……”

He knew that this woman had ideas, as he expected!

PS: Wow, I made it, I made it. Before 6 o'clock, it's still today's update. I didn't break my promise to everyone. Seriously, it's too scary. I originally wanted to start writing after taking a shower, but after blowing my hair dry after the shower, I felt inexplicably sleepy, so I set an alarm clock to go to sleep for a while first, and then I would start writing when I got up. As a result, when I got up, I found that the network was down, and it took me a long time to restore the network, and then I worked non-stop.

And the key is—writer's block, damn it.

Sure enough, I'm also the kind of person who finds it difficult to write things when I don't have inspiration. Only when I have enough inspiration can I be a crazy writing machine. Anyway, let's just leave it like this for now. It's not early, so I'll continue to write tomorrow's chapter—

It's impossible to sleep when I go to bed. I'm awake as a pen right now, unless I die suddenly, it's impossible to go to sleep.

217. Just… hug me today.

“……” Natsukawa Kanade twitched his lips, then turned his face to stare at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to empty his mind. “Senpai, don't wrongly accuse me. I'm just a little slower than the average person at falling asleep.”

“Oh? Is that so? I thought, Kouhai-kun was… because it's his first time sharing a bed with a girl, so he's incredibly nervous…”

“……” Natsukawa Kanade remained silent.

She wasn't wrong about that, but the main reason he was nervous was because he knew that his senpai was someone who liked to stir up trouble.

“——So, he doesn't know when it would be appropriate to make a move on a girl because he has no experience.”

“That's absolutely not it!” Natsukawa Kanade exclaimed sharply.

However, Kasumigaoka Utaha just said lightly, “Then why did you specifically prepare that kind of thing, Kouhai-kun?”

“……” So, Natsukawa Kanade fell silent again, and after a long while, he slowly squeezed out a sentence: “I have nothing to say…”

Kasumigaoka Utaha blinked her eyes, then suddenly chuckled. “What, so Kouhai-kun is even more innocent than I thought…”

She had almost thought that Natsukawa Kanade had already done it with someone else, and she was vaguely angry, but seeing his reaction, she knew that he hadn't, and it was just some foresight from a certain Chunan.

But this also shows that her Kouhai-kun has indeed fantasized about being with her… cough, she is naturally very happy to have such thoughts, but it is obviously not the time yet.

At least for her, it shouldn't be done because the atmosphere is right, but because she likes and "loves" the other person.

However, she definitely has to collect interest. She shouldn't miss this rare opportunity.

So, she slowly reached out her hand, put his arm around her chest, and gently rubbed her head against him.

“……”

Natsukawa Kanade's body instantly tensed up, feeling as if his brain had lost consciousness for a moment, and all sorts of messy thoughts suddenly popped up in his mind:

Should I close my eyes? As long as I don't move, it doesn't count… No, no, that's clearly being an ostrich, how can there be such a thing as being innocent if you don't resist?

But then again, it's not like he doesn't like Senpai. Although Senpai has a bad personality and likes to tease people, she is really good-looking and beautiful, and her figure is also… No, no, don't let your imagination run wild! Her figure doesn't matter, the key is whether she likes him or not!

If there are no feelings involved, then he can't hurt Senpai no matter what. Even if she takes the initiative, he should reason with her and tell her that she should cherish herself more…

But… that is to say, but… is there a possibility that… she actually likes him a little bit too? It's just that the time hasn't come to the point where they can date, and today might be an opportunity…

Umm… this is too much of a headache!

“……”

Natsukawa Kanade was still struggling.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was beside him, felt extremely at ease.

Her sleep wasn't good at all. Whenever it was night, she would lie in bed and have trouble falling asleep. Even if she fell asleep quickly because she was tired, she would always wake up suddenly in the middle of the night for no reason, and then it would be even harder to fall asleep.

Perhaps a large part of the reason for this is because she had long been accustomed to working at night, which caused her to become excited and have trouble falling asleep at night, and she would often think of all sorts of things she was concerned about, such as “How should the subsequent development of her work be” “She's already in her third year of high school, so she should pay more attention to her studies,” etc., but in fact, she was most concerned about her Kouhai-kun.

She was always worried about the situation and progress of the other party's “infidelity,” worried that after he really started dating someone, he would become inaccessible… In fact, she would never have worried about these things before, and even had the idea that “It doesn't matter if Kouhai-kun really starts dating someone else,” because she believed that she had enough confidence and strength to snatch him back, and from another point of view, Kouhai-kun, who has dating experience, will obviously become more considerate, and she likes this very much, likes the feeling of him always revolving around her.

However, during the time after he rejected her, she gradually understood one thing—if he has already started dating someone, or has already started pursuing someone, then there will be no other girls in his eyes. Such a him, she doesn't even have the possibility of approaching, let alone how to snatch him back.