Chapter 90: Turning a Corner and Meeting a Fellow Student
At Tama University, there are still many students engaged in activities on campus.
In the prime of their youth, most college students have vibrant extracurricular lives.
There are clubs like the Tea Ceremony Club, Culinary Club, Sewing Club, Tennis Club, Literature Club, Swimming Club, Soccer Club, and Basketball Club. There are also quite a few like Yuta, who belong to the "Go-Home Club," focusing on part-time jobs to earn living expenses.
Originally, Yuta planned to ride his bike around campus and enjoy the envious glances from others, but instead, on the way to school, he encountered comments like:
"What an old bike, really nostalgic..."
"Young man, where did you buy this? Do they still sell sidecar motorcycles these days?"
"People are still riding these types of bikes?"
"Isn't that the type of bike police ride?"
"These days, young people just love to stand out. Mainstream and non-mainstream modes of rebellion seem to have swapped places."
With a sigh, Yuta decided to shift the sidecar of his bike to the back, turning it into an elongated motorcycle. Although it looked cooler and people stopped commenting, Yuta lost interest and, after purchasing two helmets, prepared to head back.
As he was passing an intersection, a bespectacled girl suddenly ran out from the corner and collided with Yuta's bike.
Yuta wasn't going very fast, so he quickly stopped the bike and rushed over to her.
"Are you okay? Let me take you to a hospital just to be safe," Yuta offered when he saw the girl had fallen to the ground, unable to immediately tell if she was hurt.
The girl adjusted her glasses, glanced at Yuta, and sighed in relief, "I'm fine, I just got a bit anxious and was running too fast. Sorry."
"No problem, can you stand?" Yuta extended his hand to her and noticed the file folder she was clutching tightly. "If you need to go somewhere, I can give you a ride. I have some free time right now."
The girl hesitated, thought for a moment, but then shook her head. "Sorry for the trouble. I'll head off now."
With that, she dashed off, but noticing her awkward gait, Yuta quickly got back on his bike to catch up with her.
"Hop on, your foot seems to hurt. If you keep going, you might not be able to attend classes on Monday. I'm a student nearby too, perhaps we've met?" Yuta offered, pulling up beside her.
Judging by her reaction upon seeing him earlier, she seemed to recognize him, although he didn't recognize her, suggesting she was indeed a fellow student.
Though he was reluctant to admit it, ever since Yuta started spending time with Raika, there were only a few people at the school who didn't recognize him.
The girl stopped and, after Yuta looked at her, she shyly lowered her head and said, "I'm Aya Tojou, also from the Literature Department at Tama University. I've seen you in Literature History class."
"I'm Yuta Segawa. It's nice to meet you. Now, please hop on. Where do you need to go?" Yuta gestured for Aya to get on the bike and asked where she was headed.
Aya looked around and then said, "I'm heading to the station. It's not far from here. Sorry for the trouble!"
"No need to be so formal. We're about the same age. If you're heading to the station, it's likely not your final destination, right? If you hesitate any longer, you might miss your train. Let me take you there directly," Yuta urged her to get on the bike quickly.
After thinking for a moment, Aya carefully seated herself behind Yuta. This motorcycle was very different from the ones she had seen before.
Aya didn't know much about motorcycles, only that they were usually loud and not very safe. However, once Yuta started the engine, her perception changed. This motorcycle was not only quiet but also smoother than a car.
Yuta rode at a moderate speed, asking Aya for her destination as they headed toward the station.
After getting on the bike, Aya revealed her destination to Yuta upon his inquiry.
"The Denki Bookstore? I happen to know where that is, no problem. Don't worry," Yuta reassured her after hearing the name, not inquiring further about her purpose there.
Aya had never told anyone she was writing a novel, fearing a barrage of questions. But since Yuta didn't ask anything, she found herself intrigued.
After a moment of silence, Aya asked quietly, "Segawa-san, aren't you curious about what I'm going there to do?"
"Aren't you just delivering something? It's nothing that needs asking about," Yuta replied. He didn't want others knowing about his novel writing, so he respected other people's secrets.
Since Aya didn't initially want to say anything, Yuta naturally decided to help her keep it a secret.
Aya was indeed delivering something, a manuscript, which made a big difference between the two assumptions!
"Actually... I'm writing a novel..." For some reason, Aya felt a strong urge to share this but didn't want too many people to know. "Can you please not tell anyone?"
"No problem, you can trust me!" Yuta agreed decisively, finding it an easy promise to keep.
Another silence fell between them as they rode along. Finding the quiet a bit boring, Yuta asked, "Tojou-san, do you write your novels one book at a time or one volume at a time?"
Surprised by the odd question, Aya carefully replied, "I suppose I write page by page..."
"Oh, that's not what I meant. I was asking whether you send in your manuscripts all at once or in parts as you complete them?" Yuta rephrased his question.
"I usually submit one volume at a time; that's the normal way. But I know of an author called August, who often submits an entire book at once," Aya shared some insider knowledge she heard from her editor.
Yuta paused briefly before continuing, "Can I know who your editor is? To be honest, I'm also writing a novel."
Hearing this, Aya felt that she suddenly had a lot to talk about with Yuta; she hadn't expected him to be a novelist as well.
"My editor is Ms. Sonoko Machida from the bookstore. Ms. Machida is a very talented editor, and all her authors are female!" Aya happily shared what she knew, although she didn't know much. She was one of those who couldn't continue writing if she switched editors and had poor social skills.
Yuta sighed, realizing that he had been mistaken for a woman…
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