Chihiro, growing more and more impatient, just came out with the question. Yeah, Haruto texted back with a grin. Itsuki replied with a sticker of an anime character nodding and going “Ahh, I see”; Chihiro replied with silence. She might have been behind all of this, but seeing actual results from it must have given her mixed feelings—that much was clear to Haruto.
She said we can get together once she makes something with Itsuki that surpasses Protagonist.
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She’d actually said that she would say yes whether she was successful or not, but he fibbed a bit, partly to motivate Itsuki and partly just to mess with them.
Huh? Why?!
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Itsuki’s troubled comment was greeted with another text from Haruto: So hurry up and make your greatest masterpiece yet. This, in turn, resulted in an “I have no idea” sticker.
Hurry up and write that masterpiece, chimed in Chihiro, adding a sticker of Golgo 13 readying his sniper rifle for good measure. Itsuki sent a sticker of someone shouting, “Why me?”
Well…try your best for us, Itsuki. Because clearly the future of me, Miyako, and Chihiro is riding on your shoulders.
Haruto imagined how much Itsuki must be panicking by now, even as he wished him the best of luck.
The night after Haruto and Miyako returned from Hakodate, a drunken Chihiro Hashima was at Itsuki’s place, using her brother as a sounding board to vent her sorrows. Kazuko was in the bedroom, helping Sora fall asleep.
“I swear-a god! Whuh th’ hell’s he doin’, goin’ all th’ way up to Hokkaido?! Just connect with ’er already! He’s jus’ leavin’ me in limbo!”
“Yeah, yeah…”
Itsuki, growing exasperated at Chihiro’s cycle of taking a swig of beer and repeating herself over and over again, was barely even part of the conversation anymore.
She was drinking Lindemans Pêcheresse, a fruit beer with peach juice added, and the ABV on it was a low 2.5 percent. Itsuki got it specifically for her since he knew how bad she was at holding her drink, but she wound up downing a few as though they were sparkling fruit drinks or something, and now this.
“Does he have any idea what it took, puttin’ all ’is together?! Haruhiko’s such a putz! A piece-a shit! Does ’e even have a dick attached to ’im?!”
“I know, I know, Haruto’s an impotent putz, et cetera.”
Chihiro’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Ey! Don’ talk mean ’bout Haruhiko!”
“Which do you want?” Itsuki growled.
“I give ’em a hotel together,” a spellbound Chihiro replied, “an’ he still has restraint! Izz so awesome! Not everyone can do that, y’know. Ahhh, I love ’im…”
“Uh-huh.”
Drinking with his little sister was a situation that would once make Itsuki foam at the mouth. Now that it was his reality, it was such a pain in the ass.
“B’sides! Myaa-ko’s bein’ a total ass about it! They both love each other, but they never get to-damn-gether! Wha’s the point?! They’re like one a’ those romcoms that just won’t end!”
She accentuated her point by banging on the table. Itsuki smiled a bit.
“Well, I do agree that Miyako is being way too much trouble about this.”
“Y’see?”
“But that’s also one of her good traits, so…”
That earnest drive to remain sincere to her own heart was absolutely one of Miyako’s best points. It was a nice contrast from Chihiro, who valued rationality, liked to make snap decisions, and acted on them quickly.
“Whuhh?! Izzuki, whose side’re y’on?”
“Y-your side, of course, Chi!”
“Good!!” After a satisfied nod, Chihiro suddenly stared at Itsuki with sullen eyes. “So write yer stupid masterpiece already. Hurry up. Do it now.”
“You can’t write a masterpiece just because you want to. Otherwise everyone would do it.”
Itsuki chuckled at the idea, while Chihiro puffed up her cheeks like a grade schooler throwing a tantrum.
“Well, do it anyway! ’Cuz if you don’t, Haruhiko’s gonna be a virgin the rest-a his life!”
“Oh, right, yeah. Well, I’ll give it my best shot.”
It really didn’t matter to Itsuki whether Haruto went his whole life without ever getting laid, but honestly speaking, he really did want to surpass I Want to Be the Protagonist. He just didn’t know what he needed to achieve that. After the assorted novels he’d written in the past three years, he was sure his writing skill had improved—or it should have, anyway.
“Well, try, okaaay? ’Cuz when y’put yer mind t’somethin’, Izzuki, ya do great…”
With that final muddled outburst, Chihiro finally placed her head on the table and passed out.
“Eesh… My little sister causes me so much trouble.”
With a sigh, Itsuki picked up his phone and messaged his father: Chihiro just fell asleep, so she’ll stay with me tonight.
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