Chapter 92: The Secret Between Two People
"Yuta, do you know Tojou?"
Sonoko looked at Yuta, recalling that both of them were university students and that she had previously only seen Yuta near Tama University. She added, "Are you classmates?"
"Do you know Segawa-san too, Ms. Machida?" Aya was pleasantly surprised to discover that the two were acquainted. "Is Segawa-san also writing here?"
"Just call me Yuta. I'm also one of Ms. Machida's editors, so I'd appreciate it if you could keep that under wraps for now." Yuta hadn't previously paid attention to whom Sonoko worked with, so this was the first he heard about Aya.
Sonoko smiled, "If you're taking Tojou home, I can relax. I won't disturb you two any longer~. Goodbye!"
As she watched Sonoko leave with a smile, Aya realized she had likely misunderstood the situation and felt a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble," she said to Yuta.
"No need to be so formal. Get on; I actually had a few questions, but I didn't want to put you on the spot. What's your novel about?" Yuta started the motorcycle, moving slightly forward to make way for Aya to sit.
Aya climbed back onto the motorcycle and said happily, "My novel is quite ordinary. Yuta… Segawa-san, are you really August-sensei?"
Once Yuta spoke up, Aya felt a bit shy calling him by his first name and reverted back to her previous address.
"Just call me Yuta; that's what many people do. If you keep calling me Segawa-san, I might not respond right away," he explained as he drove. "I submitted my work on August 9th, so I went with the pen name 'Sunny Weather on August 9th.'"
"It's really you!" Aya perked up, excitedly saying, "Yuta, that's amazing! To be able to write a bestselling novel and have it so well-received!"
"What about you? What genre are you writing in?" Yuta mainly focused on novels by Utaha, reading them because he thought they might be similar to his own work, but hadn't explored other authors' books.
Aya shyly replied, "My writing isn't great. While it's also a fantasy adventure about a hero in another world, it started as a means of self-satisfaction, so it's really not good and hasn't had a chance for publication."
"Then why do you write novels?" Yuta asked. "I don't think I'm that impressive; I write to improve my family's financial situation—basically, for the money."
Yuta never believed he was anything special and, noticing how happy Aya was, he wanted to learn about her motivations for writing.
"I think you're really impressive, Yuta, for being able to write a widely recognized novel. I write because in the world of novels, I can forget about the pressures of studying and life, and it gives me something to focus on every day."
Aya explained her initial motivation for writing novels; it started as a hobby, but once she got to university, she wanted to hone her skills, and writing just happened to relate to her studies in literature.
"I see. I understand now, and I'll make sure to read your novel! It must be exciting!" Yuta, who sought out enjoyable activities in his free time from work, found it easy to relate to Aya.
When Aya heard that Yuta wanted to read her novel, she felt a bit embarrassed. There's always a certain unease about having acquaintances read her work. However, knowing that Yuta was also a novelist eased her discomfort significantly. "I'll read your novels too!"
"Um… then this will be our little secret, okay? Don't tell anyone else," Yuta said, still not wanting people to know about him, at least not now.
There wasn't much concern with "Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World," but "White Album 2" was based on an 18+ rated game script!
With the shared secret between them, Aya felt delighted. "Okay!"
After chatting a bit more, Yuta dropped Aya off near her school station. "Is your home far from here? I could take you back directly."
"No, it's fine. I can go back on my own; it's not far from here." Aya lived alone but didn't want to trouble Yuta any further.
Yuta nodded and stopped the motorcycle. "Since it's not convenient, I won't bother you then. But can you text me when you get home? I'm a bit worried."
After getting off the motorcycle, Aya pulled out her phone and awkwardly exchanged numbers with Yuta.
"Alright, I will. Thank you for today!"
Thank you for the corrections! Here's the revised version with the correct names:
After Yuta memorized Aya's phone number, he smiled and said, "No problem. I'll see you at school on Monday."
"Yeah, goodbye!" After watching Yuta leave, Aya turned to walk away, feeling that today had been an unforgettable day. "What a kind person…"
Once Yuta got home, it was already around four or five in the afternoon. Everyone, except for Sasha, had returned home by that time.
"Onii-chan, what are you doing?" Sora asked as she noticed Yuta coming in through the door, pushing a motorcycle inside.
Miu and Hina rushed over as well. Miu looked at the motorcycle in surprise, exclaiming, "What a beautiful bike! Is it yours, Onii-chan?"
"Yeah, it's mine. There's no space outside, so I'm keeping it in here for now." Yuta pushed the motorcycle forward and called out to the others, "Hina, don't get too close! Sora and Miu, help me guide it!"
"Okay~"
Curious, Hina took a couple of steps back to observe her uncle's new vehicle, which looked really impressive. Generally, cars could be parked outside, but motorcycles were better kept indoors.
"Onii-chan, you're wasting money again!" Sora exclaimed, suspecting that the motorcycle must have been expensive. After helping Yuta push the bike inside, she began to scold him.
Miu walked over to Yuta, gently brushed her long golden hair over her shoulder, and smiled at him with a mature tone, "Onii-chan, why don't you take me out for a ride to see the night view?"
"Ah! Sister! Is that flirting?" Hina shouted excitedly upon hearing Miu's words. "Hina said pretty girls often get flirted with!"
Are kids these days really so mature? Yuta didn't want to give any bad examples, so he replied seriously, "No, if someone flirts with you, you must reject them! Miu, go do your homework and don't lead Hina astray!"
Miu pouted in displeasure.
Sora also scolded Miu, "Miu! It took a lot of effort to bring the bike inside. If you go out again, it'll be a hassle! But since tomorrow is the weekend, you don't have anything planned, do you, Onii-chan?"
As she was reprimanding Miu, Sora couldn't help but feel a desire to go out for a ride with Yuta, too.
------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/EggZy