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

“…Actually, there were signs before this.”

She still had her back to the two of them, but her tone gradually became a little powerless.

"After the first volume of the new work was released a while ago, I don't know why the sales were so awful. If I weren't still carrying the name of Kasumi Shiko, I think the library would have planned to cancel it."

She sorted out a thick stack of manuscript papers, casually swept away the other paper balls on the table, and placed the manuscripts in a more spacious place.

"When I took the finished manuscript of the second volume to the editorial office, the editor-in-chief told me straight away, 'Even if the story unfolds like this, it won't attract readers.' Even after revising it seventeen times, I still got the same answer."

She covered her eyes with her hands tiredly, and rubbed her temples gently with her back to Hoshimi and Eriri.

"And during this period, my manuscripts were often forgotten in the corner. If I hadn't waited for a reply and repeatedly reminded the editor, they might have remained in the corner of the editor-in-chief's desk, gathering dust."

Finally, Kasumigaoka Utaha turned around, with an undisguised bitter smile on her tired face.

"No matter how you look at it, this isn't an experience that can be explained by common sense—what do you think, Hoshimi-kun?"

"……I see."

The black-haired boy who had been leaning against the wall and looking at the study room piled with various books and notes retracted his gaze and nodded to Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"It's indeed a bit outrageous... It's not difficult to understand why you would want to contact me, Kasumigaoka-senpai."

"I had already vaguely sensed a slight change in Ethics-kun—but at the time, I couldn't pinpoint what it was, so I could only chalk it up to being overly sensitive."

Kasumigaoka Utaha sat down on the office chair in a somewhat dejected manner, holding her forehead with her hand, and the bitter smile on her face showed an increasingly strong hint of fatigue.

"But then, Sawamura-san's body shrank."

Having said that, she looked at Eriri, who was listening silently with a complicated expression on her face. The latter suddenly came to her senses and shuddered like an elementary school student who had been called on.

“…Now even I can’t convince myself.”

Shiyu forced a smile at Eriri, then let out a long sigh and looked at Hoshimi who was frowning and observing his surroundings.

"You're the only one who mentioned the keyword 'puberty syndrome' - so you're the only one I can think of who can help me."

This time her tone wasn't as calm and composed as usual, nor was it sarcastic and mocking - it seemed like she was speaking from the bottom of her heart.

Having said that, Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her head and smiled self-deprecatingly.

"I'm worried that you might think my request is excessive. After all, even though we're in the same club, we've rarely had a proper private chat. It's not an exaggeration to say we're familiar strangers."

"...Indeed, but I don't think this request is excessive."

Xingjian shrugged disapprovingly, then walked to the bookshelf, put his hands in his pockets and looked at the books on display.

"When people encounter difficulties and dangers, the first thing they think of is self-protection. They will also immediately seek help from those who can help them - isn't this a very normal thing?"

The most accessible area on the bookshelf is basically filled with light novels that have become very famous in recent years, and the bottom row is filled with some world-famous classics that are well-known to everyone.

"That's just absolute objective common sense—but from your personal perspective, Hoshimi-kun, I'm not 100% sure. After all... I can't guarantee what benefits you'll get from helping me."

"Benefits... In other words, Senior, do you mean rewards?"

"Ah, that's right. After all, no one can help me unconditionally - I am very clear about this. So if you can help me, Hoshimi-kun, I will give you a corresponding reward afterwards."

Kasumigaoka waved her hand, and Eriri beside her raised her eyebrows and looked at the boy standing in front of the bookshelf with a strange look.

"Remuneration... I need to think about this carefully."

Eriri originally thought that the boy would wave his hand to indicate that he didn't need any so-called reward, just like when he helped her, but he turned around and looked at Shiyu who was sitting in the office chair with his eyes slightly narrowed.

Shiyu, who also did not expect that he would actually start to seriously consider the issue of remuneration, was stunned. When she realized that Xingjian had been looking at her with strange eyes, she reacted and covered her chest with her hands.

"Ah, ah, the reward doesn't include physical rewards, junior. This is sexual harassment."

Ms. Kasumigaoka Utaha, who appeared calm on the surface but was actually extremely panicked, tried hard to maintain her dignity as a senior and smiled calmly.

"Hey, I didn't say I was interested in Senpai's body. So... is that all that's on Senpai's mind?"

Hearing this, the black-haired boy tilted his head innocently, his childish and slightly handsome face full of harmless doubts - and this just happened to make Shiyu's forced smile stiffen for a moment, and then a slightly unnatural blush appeared on her face.

"What are these things? I have never thought about anything shameful—"

"Eh, so in the eyes of seniors, [these things] are really just dirty tricks... woooo..."

"Well……!"

This guy is really good at pretending to be innocent.

In a way, Kasumigaoka Utaha really has no way to deal with this younger, fair-skinned boy.

Miss Eriri, who was standing by, curled her lips in displeasure at the sight of Hoshimi's appearance, and stared at Shiyu with a look that said, "You finally see this guy's true face, right?", with the indignant look of someone who had suffered greatly from him - at the same time, there was a hint of gloating in her eyes as if to say, "Kasumigaoka, you have come to this day, too."

"Well, let's get back to the point. There's no need to discuss compensation or anything like that. I'll help you to the best of my ability. After all, as a fan of Kasumi Shiko-sensei, I'd be sad for a while if my favorite author suddenly went silent and didn't produce any new works."

Xingjian saw that Shiyu was no longer as self-pitying and depressed as before, and at least had the strength to guard herself, so he smiled and restrained his overly obvious artificial expression.

"What's more, after helping the people I want to help, my mood will also improve - this should be considered a kind of reward."

"...What a strange theory."

Hearing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha slowly put down the pillow she was holding in her arms, and the blush on her face gradually faded.

"However, please take care of me during this time."

This little woman-like posture was indeed the first time Xingjian had seen it.

"Speaking of Kasumigaoka Utaha, what about me?"

Eriri, who had been feeling left out, pointed at herself.

"Oh, do you need an Elizabethan collar, Sawamura-kun?"

"You—you are a vicious woman who can't tell good from bad, doesn't know what's good for you, and is just like a dog biting Lu Dongbin!"

Xingjian, who was standing by, held his forehead with his hand - he still needed some time to get used to the daily bickering between these two people, and perhaps carrying a pair of headphones with him was the best choice.

----

Counting the extra chapters from the last bounty, there are 37 chapters in total.

I don't dare to offer a reward during this period. Let's talk about it in early September orz

Automatically shut down the small black room and become a ruthless coder. The bosses' votes = catalysts that can increase the speed of the updates owed by 100% (dog head)

Kasumigaoka Utaha is unlikely to be out of ideas: Chapter 3 Kasumigaoka Utaha's Dilemma (Part 4)

Puberty syndrome - this abnormal phenomenon is not unfamiliar to Xingjian, but not long ago he didn't know the specific cause and solution of this thing.

However, after experiencing Eriri's body shrinking → about three weeks of taking care of the baby → a series of events happening → Miss Eriri's body returning to its original state, he came to a rough conclusion.

That is, this symptom must be triggered by a condition that affects the person's mood, and the solution is usually to untie the person's knot.

Eriri successfully returned to her original state. Although she herself did not respond directly, Hoshimi had guessed what was bothering her.

It was simply because he felt guilty towards Aki Tomoya and wanted to escape back to the past, which led to his body shrinking back to the size of six or seven years old.

Although Eriri still finds it difficult to let go of that past incident, the impact it had on her seems to have faded. Everything that follows depends on her personal wishes, and then this matter will come to an end.

Utaha Kasumigaoka also suffered from puberty syndrome. With the experience from last time, Hoshimi at least had a starting point this time.

——The general direction now should be to find the heart knot of Kasumigaoka Utaha.

But... would someone as delicate and unpredictable as Kasumigaoka Utaha be willing to tell him her thoughts and troubles without any concealment?

"Be it worries or unpleasant things. Tell me what you've been unhappy about lately, Senior."

As expected, when Hoshimi sat upright on the sofa in the reception room, took out a small notebook and planned to write down all the key words like a student who was listening to the lecture and taking notes seriously, Kasumigaoka Utaha who was sitting in front of him shrugged helplessly and sighed.

"For me, the troubles are the things I mentioned before. Manuscripts were rejected, my work speed is much slower than before, and I even feel at a loss when I start writing. After all, I have revised the new work seventeen times, and my inspiration is almost exhausted. How about it, Xingjian-kun, can you give me some new inspiration?"

"That's unlikely. In some ways, I'm just an insignificant figure among many boring and ordinary humans. I can't offer any creative inspiration to you, Senior."

Xingjian quickly rejected it, then changed direction and asked again.

"What about interpersonal relationships? Has the senior disliked anyone recently?"

"Hoshimi-kun, I always feel that your way of questioning is as old-fashioned as a routine police interrogation."

"I'm just copying the detectives in movies and TV shows. I'm really sorry. Right now, I think it would be better for you, Kasumigaoka-senpai, to stop complaining about others and shift the focus to yourself."

"Well……"

Shiyu pursed her lips and frowned her beautiful eyebrows in displeasure when her habitual complaints were refuted by Xingjian with a very ordinary answer.

This junior is so eloquent.

"People I don't like—does Sawamura-kun count?"

"??? Kasumigaoka Utaha, there's something wrong with you!!"

Miss Eriri, who had been drinking tea peacefully as if it had nothing to do with her, suddenly came to her senses, her face full of surprise and anger, and her twin ponytails trembled slightly as if as a warning.

"Okay, okay, I'm just kidding."

Shiyu smiled and waved her hand to calm down Eriri who was almost about to explode, and her originally tired face also showed a little relaxation.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, I sincerely want to help you, so please answer my questions seriously, at least for your own sake."

Xing Jian rubbed his forehead, and his usually calm and nonchalant face was now filled with solemnity and seriousness.

"Although I have some understanding of this syndrome, the symptoms vary from person to person, and I'm not a professional."

To be honest, he didn't think that Shiyu's manuscript being rejected and a series of other career setbacks were the "cause" of the adolescent syndrome.

This should be the "manifestation symptom" of puberty syndrome.

"...That's easy to say. But if this was something I could easily understand, how could I have ended up like this?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression did not become serious after Hoshimi explained the seriousness of the matter. She just sneered and curled her lips slightly, looking away.

That sneer wasn't directed at anyone else—it was directed at herself.

"Maybe I don't know myself as well as I thought—or maybe I don't know you, the people around me, as well as I thought."

She held her forehead as if she had a headache. The always steady and reliable Kasumigaoka Utaha showed a rare vulnerable side.

"I... don't know what to do."

The impact of her work being cancelled was not as insignificant as it seemed.

"If this continues, I'll lose the only thing that keeps me by your side—the only thing that keeps me by the club and Ethics-kun."

It was precisely because he understood this so well that Xingjian frowned slightly.

It goes without saying what kind of existence Kasumigaoka Utaha, who has no writing talent and no works to support her, is to this club that is just starting out and short of staff.

"I don't know why, but when I saw Lunli-kun and that newly debuted artist, Hajima-san, at the comic convention, Sawamura-kun suddenly flashed through my mind."

The black-haired girl, who had originally lowered her head, folded her arms, then slowly raised her head, and her gaze towards Eriri became somewhat meaningful.

"At that moment, a very scary thought came into my head."

She spoke her guess slowly, but the palpitations that could not be easily erased were still retained between the lines.

"...Are we all replaceable to Ethics-kun?"

"—"

Suddenly, Eriri's mind flashed with the words that Shiyu said when she hugged her during the day.

She was also stunned and lowered her head, with only heavy and complicated emotions left on her cute pink face.

This was a question that Eriri couldn't answer, not to mention that she didn't want to think about anything about Tomoya Aki recently.

It's not that she hadn't thought about it - it's more like she thought about it the first time she knew about the existence of Bo Island.

However, she couldn't answer the question raised by Shiyu, and it was definitely not because she didn't know what choice Aki Tomoya would make -

On the contrary, it was because she knew the answer that An Yi would definitely give that she found it so difficult to speak.

----

I estimate that I can start paying back the accumulated extra chapters from the day after tomorrow√

I played games with my friends in the sand sculpture group all day today. I am so tired orz

Our group is 491736180, which was established in 17. In fact, I mentioned it once at the end of the first few chapters that you are welcome to come and chat.

Kasumigaoka Utaha is unlikely to be out of ideas: Chapter 3 Kasumigaoka Utaha's Dilemma (V)

"...Actually, the day before yesterday, I had a long-awaited chat with Lunli-kun."

Seeing that Eriri had a sullen face and was unwilling to speak, Shiyu took a deep breath, and then told her what happened yesterday with a slightly depressed expression.

"...It was just about the outline and the first three chapters of the text adventure game our club is making. Apart from that, we didn't talk about anything else. It was just business as usual."