"Your story needs to be told at a faster pace. If it's too long and the pace is too slow, no one will want to read it."
"And there's also the core of the story—the passion!
The thrilling essence cannot be lost; it must remain tightly linked together."
"Hmm, and the description of the environment—the environment should be described simply and vividly. Focus on the mountains, hills, and so on. It doesn't need to be overly gentle or delicate."
"Okay!"
Sasaki had a long and passionate conversation with Sugizawa Yukari about the story's structure and specific details.
He used every word he could to describe the story to her, listened carefully to her suggestions, and corrected any mistakes in real time.
Because they were both so engrossed in their discussion, time flew by, and before they knew it, it was eight o'clock in the evening.
Ring, ring, ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Fuyumi. Are you still busy?"
"No, I'm not busy. I'm just heading home. What's up?"
"Oh, Fuyumi, don't worry. Take your time and be careful on your way home."
After giving him some advice, Tachibana Koharu explained the reason for her call.
"Have you eaten yet? I'm about to start cooking."
Clearing his dry throat and taking a breath, Sasaki lay on the bed, watching the swaying red cherry blossoms outside. Confused, he asked:
"It's eight o'clock now, isn't it? Why are you eating so late today?"
"I don't know why, but Mom seems very tired today. She's been sleeping all this time and hasn't woken up yet. Otome Rinka and the others aren't hungry. My sister just got back from playing basketball and is taking a shower."
"I see."
Speaking of which, Sasaki realized he hadn't had a proper meal all day.
Now that Sister Koharu had asked, he suddenly felt a little hungry.
So, taking a bite of a red cherry cake, he replied: "Then I'll have beef rice, baked potatoes, and fried shrimp..."
Silently noting Fuyumi's request, Tachibana Koharu, who was worried about his safety, gave him one final reminder:
"Don't worry. Take it slow on the road and be careful."
"Okay! I'll be home soon."
"Hmm."
After hanging up the phone, Sasaki straightened his back and asked:
"It's the last round. Is that okay?"
"Oh! I'm going crazy..."
Her words seemed incoherent.
Seeing that she was no longer in a state to communicate, Sasaki shook his head in resignation.
Ten minutes later, he sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at the beauty hurriedly getting dressed without fully cleaning up, he tilted his head and asked:
"In such a rush? Is someone else at home?"
Pulling down her underwear, Sugizawa Yukari tilted her head to look at him and smiled.
"Yes."
Checking the time on her wristwatch, she quickly moved to the door, then waved to Sasaki, and said, "I can't talk about it now. We'll continue discussing the plot when there's a chance. I'm leaving now. Bye!"
After watching her leave the room, Sasaki turned his head to look at the red blood marks beside him and scratched his head in confusion.
"Strange..."
The cold girl, burdened by communication issues with her family, wanted to prove her adulthood.
So, despite not having a boyfriend, she chose to give her first time to him casually.
Although the idea seemed foolish, it had its own logic.
But for someone as mature as Sugizawa, why would she still have red spots?
And…
After running his fingers along his neck and confirming there was no bleeding, Sasaki dismissed the thought.
Still, why does she like biting people's necks so much?
.
.
At night, there weren't many passengers on the bus. Route 21 quickly brought Sugisawa Yukari back home.
Her apartment was in a rather secluded area. Other than the dim, cold streetlights, only a few residents had their lights on.
In an environment that would typically instill fear and unease in an ordinary woman, Sugisawa Yukari showed no signs of panic. Instead, her slightly flushed, delicate face revealed a satisfied and relaxed expression, as if she had just eaten and drank to her heart's content.
As if taking a casual stroll, the clicking of her high heels echoed eerily to outsiders. She entered the building, took out her keys from her bag, and opened the door.
As she bent down to change her shoes, a small, delicate, and pale hand gently rested on top of her head.
The cool, soft touch on her head made Sugisawa Yukari instinctively look up.
"Miku, are you up?"
"Yes."
Standing before her was a young girl wearing knee-length, cream-colored pajamas, her long ice-blue hair cascading down as she squinted her crescent-shaped eyes and nodded with a faint smile.
Although the girl was in pajamas, Sugisawa Yukari still asked cautiously, "You didn't go out, did you?"
The exquisite and adorable girl shook her head, indicating a negative response.
Relieved, the woman let out a small smile.
"That's good. Lately, there have been more of those kinds of people showing up. The police have started getting involved, and it's been a bit chaotic.
A few of them have already been taken care of by that monk. Just stay home if you can, alright?"
"Okay."
Whether she truly listened or not, the girl simply nodded with her usual cheerful smile.
Satisfied with the answer, Sugisawa Yukari finished changing her shoes, stood up, and patted the girl's soft, icy hair as she passed by her.
"I'm going to take a bath now.
Go to bed early, okay?"
As she watched Yukari enter the bathroom, the little girl, standing where she was, twitched her delicate nose slightly.
She picked up a faint but enticing scent, which led her to the area outside the bathroom where dirty laundry was kept.
Stretching out her pure, white, and flawless little hands that looked like snowballs, she retrieved two items: a pair of Sugisawa Yukari's crotchless stockings and a light purple triangular wrapper stained with melted pudding.
Glancing at the stockings, which were no longer wearable, the girl threw them into the laundry basket and unfolded the wrapper in her other hand.
There wasn't much left of the melted white milk pudding on the wrapper, but its scent was tantalizing to the girl.
The scent wasn't too different from the crystal stones she used to eat at home.
Treating it as food, the girl slightly opened her small mouth.
Her soft, rosy lips parted to reveal neatly aligned white teeth, and her tender pink tongue reached out to lick the remnants of the pudding off the wrapper.
After tasting just a bit of the flavor, she smacked her lips.
Dissatisfied with the small amount, the girl furrowed her delicate brows and examined the wrapper closely.
After confirming there was no more pudding left, she reluctantly placed the wrapper back into the basket.
But she didn't leave. Instead, she tilted her head in thought, staring at the blurred silhouette visible on the frosted glass of the bathroom door.
There was a stranger's scent there, and also food.
So, stranger = food.
And since she had bowls for eating...
If she could find that person, she could use her bowl to get food and no longer have to drink the disgusting, foul-smelling red stuff Yukari brought back.