Why wasn't I the one who got the male lead's script?

“…No, that’s not the case.”

Shiyu came back to her senses and realized that she might have lost her composure. She coughed lightly, and then slowly stirred the coffee on the table with a small spoon, which was emitting a rich aroma.

"...Ms. Machida, have I been a little too arrogant lately?"

"Huh? Why are you asking this question all of a sudden?"

Machida curled her lips in confusion. She rarely saw Kasumigaoka Utaha ask such a strange question.

"Before the success of Love Metronome, I was just writing out of passion. Perhaps it was because of this mindset that this debut novel was a huge success, and the other novels I published subsequently also received good responses. So I believe that I have talent."

The girl smiled faintly, but her eyes showed no sign of pride.

"—But after achieving success, I seemed to rely too much on my creative talent, putting myself in a high position... to the point where I inadvertently thought that many people around me were inferior to me."

"...What? It turns out it's a mentality issue."

Machida probably understood the melancholy and confusion of Kasumigaoka Utaha, and curled his lips helplessly.

"Many young or novice authors encounter situations like yours, Xiaoshi. Of course, you are all truly talented. In some ways, you are indeed better than most people, but how to deal with your pride is something that we editors can't help you with. It all depends on you."

Machida expressed his helplessness, and Shiwa nodded in agreement very reasonably.

As smart as she is, of course she understands this truth.

"……And one more thing."

However, the haze that accumulated in Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes did not completely dissipate just because she confided her feelings to others.

"Ms. Machida, do you think... that hard work can really be rewarded?"

Is it possible to really impress others by giving without expecting anything in return?

"..."

Machida Sonoko was stunned for a moment when she heard the hidden meaning, then she curled her lips, smiled and responded to her in the same tactful way.

"Well, it depends on the person in charge. For example, if you, Xiaoshi, sign a contract with our library, you'll get paid for every novel you publish here. Well, I don't think there's any unscrupulous company in the world that doesn't even pay its employees for their work..."

"........."

Shiyu, whose thoughts were wandering, just nodded slightly, then silently lowered her head and took a sip of coffee.

Seeing that she stopped talking, Machida Sonoko rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of novels... I've been having some issues with this lately, and I want to talk to you, Xiaoshi—"

"Senior Shiyu!!!"

But before she could finish her words, she was suddenly interrupted by a voice coming from outside the window.

A black-haired boy with glasses, wearing a backpack and a white T-shirt, was standing in the coffee shop, panting, and looking at Shiyu who was still in a daze with burning eyes.

"Senior Shiyu, I have something... I want to tell you!!"

"——Ethics-kun?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha was stunned.

.........

.........

In the hotel next to the cafe, only about fifty meters away.

"Thank you so much for your expense, Ms. Machida."

Machida Sonoko used her own card to book a single room for Aki Tomoya, who suddenly arrived for some reason, and asked him to wash himself in the bathroom first.

Standing outside the room, Shiyu bowed slightly to express her gratitude to Machida, who waved his hand generously to indicate that he didn't mind.

"By the way, did you have anything to say to me just now?"

She was observant and did not forget that Machida was hesitant to speak just now, and what he wanted to say was abruptly stopped because of Aki's arrival.

"...Well, actually, it's about your recent submission, Xiaoshi."

Machida's expression was a little subtle. She paused as if she was thinking about how to word it - and finally looked directly into Shiyu's eyes very seriously.

Over the next few dozen minutes, she told Kasumigaoka Utaha "something".

"...?"

When Shiyu heard the news, her originally calm and composed expression gradually froze.

That's when.

"Um, Senior Shiyu..."

After washing clean in the bathroom and putting on a bathrobe, Tomoya Aki put on his glasses, poked his head out of the door and looked at the two people standing at the door - of course, mainly Kasumigaoka Utaha.

He tried to hide the redness and swelling on his face, but the sharp-eyed Shiyu still noticed something was wrong.

"...Did you have a fight with someone, Ethics-kun?"

"I, I just fell down... Don't take it to heart. Um, I have something I want to discuss with you. Can I have a moment of your time...?"

Aki Tomoya had foreseen everything that happened today the night before. Although there were some slight deviations along the way, he finally arrived by Shiyu's side.

According to future developments, he should spend a night with Shiyu in the same room, and finally resolve Shiyu's emotional knot, allowing her to return to her club and devote herself to creation without distraction.

So, even though he knew that his future girlfriend would only be Xiaohui, he was still prepared to sleep in the same bed with Shiyu.

Rather, he is deliberately guiding it in this direction, trying to get reality back on the "right track" of the future he foresees.

Forget it, there’s no loss after all, and Xiaohui is not his girlfriend yet, right?

So it should be okay to lie in the same bed with another girl before dating... after all, nothing happened.

So, he was now waiting for Shiyu to agree to his request - to lure her into his room.

If it were her, she wouldn't refuse.

Kasumigaoka Utaha never refused any of his requests.

——This is how it should be.

"…Sorry, Ethics-kun."

But this time, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was standing outside the door, frowned and turned away, not meeting his sincere gaze.

"...I have something to do, so I want to go back first."

Her voice sounded preoccupied.

“………Eh?”

The development of reality once again contradicted his predictions. An Yi looked at the two people standing in front of him in some surprise.

Kasumigaoka Utaha had a gloomy face and looked a little depressed, as if she had suffered a blow. Machida Sonoko, who was standing beside her, also looked at her worriedly, wanting to say something but remaining silent.

"Shi, Shiyu-senpai! Please reconsider this!!"

Sensing something was wrong, An Yi stepped forward and grabbed Shiyu's hand, trying to keep her with his sincere words.

"What I want to tell you is very important. It concerns the future and development of our club—"

But in the end, Kasumigaoka Utaha just gently shook off Aki's hand.

“………Eh?”

If he could ignore Shiyu's disregard for him just now, her action of shaking off his hand now really made An Yi stand there in a daze.

It’s obvious that Kasumigaoka Utaha is a girl who will blush like a little girl if you get close to him.

Shouldn't she be the one who is most vulnerable to herself?

"…I'm sorry, Ethics-kun. I can't take care of the club's affairs when I can barely protect myself. Besides…"

After a long silence, Shiyu tried hard to force a bitter and decent smile on her face.

There was a hint of sadness and a touch of sorrow in her tone.

"Do you give this sly look to everyone who wants to get along with you?"

"—"

An Yi was stunned by Shi Yu's refusal. Shi Yu took this opportunity to withdraw her hand and turned away.

Machida Sonoko also said to Aki who was standing there in a daze, "There have been some problems with Shiyu recently, please bear with her, TAKI-kun," and then quickened her pace and left behind Shiyu.

In the corridor, which was not spacious to begin with, Aki Tomoya was the only one left.

“……………………Eh?”

After a long time, An Yi, who was only wearing a bathrobe and slippers, still stood there in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.

what happened.

He tried so hard to get everything back on track——

But everything is gradually deviating from the trajectory of the future he had foreseen.

In the end, his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground in silence, his eyes blank and dazed.

………What went wrong?

He could only feel the burning sensation on his cheeks that never went away——

It was a heart-wrenching pain that I had never experienced before.

----

----

When did the alienation from friends and family begin?

It all started when people around you who used to trust you started to have a little doubt about you (laughs)

There is still a long way to go, take your time

That's all I'll be adding this morning. There will be at least one more update this afternoon. The rule for adding more updates today is one for every 300 monthly tickets/4000 recommendations/500 blades.

Follow the reward tomorrow, go go go!!

It is impossible for Eriri Sawamura to shrink her body: Prologue: Did you also take APTX4869?

[I am high school student painter Eriri Sawamura.

One day, when I was tracking my childhood sweetheart, the otaku Tomoya Aki, and his inconspicuous classmate Kato Megumi on a date at the mall, I witnessed a bloody scene between them and my little follower Haru Hoshimi.

I was so shocked that I rushed out of the door, but I just ran around and ran into an alley on the street. I don’t know why I fainted, and when I woke up, my body had shrunk.

If anyone knew that Sawamura Eriri had shrunk, not only would she be taken away for scientific experiments, but the people around her would also be dragged into the controversy. Therefore, I decided to use the pseudonym (to be determined) and secretly gather information on supernatural phenomena.

Even though his body has shrunk, his drawing skills remain superb! This renowned artist, who can easily handle any humiliation book, always has only one pose!!]

"—How about this opening line? Just come up with a name in parentheses and it'll be perfect."

"Climb!!! I don't want to be a little kid who won't grow up for more than 20 years!!!"

——The above scenes all happened on a night that was no different from any other night.

In the two-story apartment, a black-haired boy wearing a clean shirt sat on the floor of his room, hugging the soft pillow that had just been thrown off the bed.

The one who threw the pillow away at him and now sat on his bed with a crazy look on her face was a cute little girl with blond hair and blue eyes who looked no more than six or seven years old.

She was lying on the boy's bed, hugging his quilt to wrap up her small body, and her big watery eyes were filled with mist, as if she was about to cry.

"Can someone tell me what's going on? Why is my body suddenly shrinking?!"

Yes, let me briefly explain it from the beginning.

This afternoon, Hoshimi ran out of the mall and walked to the alley on the side of the road, and found Eriri, whose body had shrunk and fallen to the ground.

Because it was raining heavily at the time and such a thing was too strange, Xingjian took Eriri back to her home without thinking - it would be better to change her into clean clothes first.

Hence the current scene.

Eriri, whose body had shrunk to that of a little girl, took off her wet clothes, lay on Hoshimi's bed, wrapped herself in the quilt like a spring roll, and looked at herself and her surroundings in an alert state at all times.

"Okay, okay, just stay there for now. I'll get you some clothes."

Of course, Hoshimi wasn't the only one who witnessed Eriri's body shrinking.

After Xingjian walked to the corner, a girl with long golden hair combed behind her shoulders and a sunny and gentle smile on her fair and delicate face appeared beside her.

——This is another mask of Hayasaka Ai, Miss "Hasaka" in the state of a pure schoolgirl.