Kira Yoshikage Craves a Peaceful Life

Twenty-three minutes had passed, and Shimazaki Yuna stared at the computer screen, momentarily dazed by the 2,192 characters-per-minute input speed displayed.

Was this truly a speed achievable by a human?

Kira Yoshikage's typing pace was so fast she couldn't even keep up with her eyes...

Just as the girl was lost in thought, Kira Yoshikage had already closed the document and shut down the computer.

"Aren't you going to keep writing?" Shimazaki Yuna asked instinctively.

"It's already eleven."

Kira Yoshikage said flatly, walking straight to the bed and lying down, simultaneously turning off the room's light.

"Mmm~"

Shimazaki Yuna felt a bit at a loss—should she leave?

Kira Yoshikage pointed to the tatami mat on the floor:

"You can sleep on the floor; there's a futon in the cabinet. Or you can sleep on the bed, but a single bed will be a bit cramped for two people..."

"It's fine."

Shimazaki Yuna's voice trembled as she walked to the bedside, gently lifting the covers and slipping in.

Under the moonlight, the girl's fair cheeks were already flushed with crimson.

To willingly crawl into the futon of a stranger she'd known for less than three hours—she'd surely be mistaken for a "god-sent girl," wouldn't she?

But right now, she had nothing.

If this could give her something to lean on again, maybe it wasn't a bad thing.

After all, he had saved her!

Kira Yoshikage gazed at the girl's still-delicate face in the darkness, frowning slightly.

He wasn't surprised by her choice. Clearly, someone who would attempt suicide by jumping in front of a train had no lingering attachment to this world.

And Kira Yoshikage, who had risked himself to save her from the subway, would undoubtedly become her sole reason to keep living.

But faced with a charming, lovely young girl, catching the faint citrus scent from her, Kira Yoshikage—though already BOKI—felt no excitement. Instead, he frowned and ordered bluntly:

"Give me your hand."

A beautiful girl without hands is meaningless!

Shimazaki Yuna blinked and obediently extended her hands...

And Kira Yoshikage didn't hold back—he needed these hands to help pass bills in the House of Commons.

Chapter 8: Kitagawa Marin

Time: 7:50 AM.

Having slept a full eight hours, Kira Yoshikage was refreshed. The released pressure allowed him to face the next day without any lingering fatigue.

After spending five minutes washing up, he poured himself a glass of milk, then sat down at the computer to work.

He planned to write another fifty thousand words before school, since the submission requirement for major Japanese light novel publishers was one hundred thousand words—roughly the length of a published light novel volume.

With Kira Yoshikage's superhuman typing speed, fifty thousand words took only fifteen minutes.

The girl, who had woken up at some point, recalled the previous night's experience and blushed. Her palms still seemed to retain a sticky sensation, even though she had washed her hands.

Barefoot, she padded over to the computer, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead, and looked astonished:

"Already finished?"

Shimazaki Yuna didn't know when Kira Yoshikage had woken up, but the word count displayed on the screen had already exceeded one hundred thousand. Given the speed he'd shown last night, this hundred thousand words was likely the result of less than an hour's work.

"Which publisher do you think I should submit to?"

Kira Yoshikage looked at the girl beside him and asked abruptly.

"Huh? You're asking me?"

Shimazaki Yuna tensed up, then glanced at Kira Yoshikage's novel. Though her reading speed couldn't keep up with his writing speed, she could still tell from some extracted keywords that this was a school romantic comedy.

After a moment's hesitation, she softly suggested:

"Umm~, among the three major light novel publishers, Fumishigawa Bunko has always focused on school romance light novels. In contrast, Dengeki Bunko pushes isekai adventure light novels, and school romance has never been a priority there. No matter how well written, it's unlikely to win a grand prize..."

She paused, hesitating to voice the other reason. That was Dengeki Bunko's submission deadline of April 10th—only a few days away.

Fumishigawa Bunko's deadline, on the other hand, was August, giving her ample time to create illustrations. So if he submitted to Fumishigawa Bunko, her illustrations could go in alongside his work, possibly increasing their chances of winning.

But that might sound hurtful, as if his work couldn't win without her illustrations.

Kira Yoshikage, hearing her analysis, didn't hesitate:

"Alright, then I'll submit to Dengeki Bunko."

Shimazaki Yuna's mouth fell slightly open—wasn't she supposed to be recommending Fumishigawa Bunko?

Kira Yoshikage's fingers flew across the keyboard, searching for Dengeki Bunko's website, clicking apply, registering an account, submitting—all in one smooth motion.

He stood up from the desk and said:

"I'm in a hurry. There are fresh towels and a new toothbrush in the bathroom—you can take them when you leave. Also, remember to close the door on your way out."

The girl gently tugged at Kira Yoshikage's sleeve, looking up at him with pitiful eyes.

"C-can I go to school with you?"

Kira Yoshikage gazed at her delicate, pleading expression, unmoved.

But then he glanced down at her fair, soft little hands...

Cute. Wanted to lick them.

Kira Yoshikage was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Five minutes."

"I'll be quick."

Shimazaki Yuna nodded happily, padded barefoot to the bathroom, found the new toothbrush and folded towel placed in plain sight, and finished washing up as fast as she could.

Standing in front of the sink, Shimazaki Yuna looked at herself in the mirror and, on a whim, brought her hand to her nose.

Mmm~

The girl's cheeks flushed crimson. Even though a long time had passed, it seemed she could still catch a whiff of that scent.

"Kira-kun."

Her face still red, she opened the bathroom door and came to the genkan, speaking softly. "I'm ready."

"Put on your shoes."

Kira Yoshikage pointed to the shoes and socks neatly arranged at the entrance.

"Mm."

Shimazaki Yuna obediently crouched down on the floor, slipped the black socks back over her fair feet, and pulled on her leather shoes with a flick of her index finger.

"Let's go."

Kira Yoshikage opened the door and waited for the girl to step out before closing it again.

The apartment was less than a hundred meters from the nearest subway station, so it took them only five minutes to board the train heading to Minato Ward.

As long as nothing unexpected happened, they'd make it to school right before class started.

"Kira-kun."

On the subway, Shimazaki Yuna, sitting beside Kira Yoshikage, pulled out her phone and asked cautiously, "Can we add each other on LINE? Could you send me the novel again? I-I'll finish the illustrations as soon as I can..."

"Sure."

Kira Yoshikage thought it over and decided it was necessary. He took out his phone, added Shimazaki Yuna as a LINE friend, and sent her the document saved on his device.

The girl immediately began reading the document the moment she received it, afraid to miss a single word.

Ding!

At 8:40, the subway arrived at Mita Station.

Kira Yoshikage glanced at Shimazaki Yuna, who was already absorbed in the novel, sighed softly, and took her hand to lead her off the train.

Just outside the station, not far away, stood Shuchiin Academy—less than two hundred meters in a straight line.

But since Kira Yoshikage and Shimazaki Yuna didn't attend the same school, they parted ways at the station exit.

At 8:45, five minutes before class started.

The students in the classroom were gathered in small groups with their familiar friends, chatting quietly.

Kira Yoshikage's arrival caused a brief moment of silence in the room, but it didn't last long. After all, a guy over 180 centimeters with blond hair might be intimidating, but this was still a school.

Kira Yoshikage walked past the crowd, sat down in the second-to-last row by the window, and quietly watched the cherry blossoms drifting outside.

He had already decided to use the income from light novels to maintain his peaceful life, but that wouldn't happen overnight.

It was early April now. The deadline for the Dengeki Bunko Newcomer Grand Prize was April 10th.

After the deadline passed, Dengeki Bunko would conduct a total of four rounds of selection for the submitted light novels.

Each round lasted a month, and most works would be eliminated along the way.

The fourth round was the final, aimed at selecting the shortlisted works from those that passed the first three rounds.

Depending on the number of Main Prizes and Sub Prizes awarded each year, the number of shortlisted works ranged from four to eight.

In other words, from the time Kira Yoshikage submitted his work to when he could win the prize and receive the award money—or even get published—it would take at least four months. And during those four months, he couldn't just live off his savings. That meant he still needed to find a part-time job to tide him over...

"Kira-kun?"

A fair, slender hand waved in front of his face, pulling Kira Yoshikage back to reality.

His gaze followed the retreating hand and landed on its owner.

A girl with long golden hair, the tips dyed a gradient pink, her face seemingly always carrying a bright, radiant smile.

Kira Yoshikage recalled the class roster and matched the girl to the name in his memory—

Kitagawa Marin.

"Good morning, Kira-kun."

Kitagawa Marin flashed a bright smile and greeted him openly.

Chapter 9: Ammonia Zinc, No Worries

"Good morning, Kitagawa-san."

Kira Yoshikage glanced at the girl's small, fair hands—each finger adorned with press-on nail tips—and replied calmly.

They were fine hands, but he preferred them natural.

These, however, were a clear waste of potential, like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, a pity to discard.

Even setting aside those hands, Kitagawa Marin and he belonged to completely different worlds. School had barely started two days ago, yet she'd already smoothly formed her own little clique—a textbook social butterfly.

And to Kira Yoshikage, who craved a peaceful life, people like her were nothing short of a disaster.

Kitagawa Marin felt his gaze was a bit odd, but she still explained earnestly:

"It's like this, Kira-kun. Just now, a girl named Aoyama Nanami came looking for you. Do you know her?"

"Aoyama Nanami?" Kira Yoshikage lifted his gaze, as if seeing this girl clearly for the first time.

"Mm."

Kitagawa Marin nodded lightly. "She said she had something important to tell you, but since you weren't around, she asked me to pass it on. Hey, could you add her on LINE? Even just a quick chat would be fine."

Kitagawa Marin pressed her palms together, her earnest expression hard to refuse.

"LINE?"

Kira Yoshikage fell into thought. He and Aoyama Nanami worked at the same bookstore, but they had no contact beyond work—they hadn't even added each other on LINE privately.

"Alright."

Kira Yoshikage gave a slight nod and pulled out his phone.