116. Taihei Doma's Phone Call

Jiang Yu, caught between laughter and exasperation, interrupted Mai Tsuji’s words and said helplessly, “So you’re saying it’s not true at all? Besides, I’ve only known Kato for a few weeks—how could she suddenly become my girlfriend? Are you really that confident in your brother’s social skills? Didn’t you just say some pretty harsh things about him earlier…”

“Ah—oh, I see… that makes sense now,” Mai Tsuji relaxed considerably upon hearing Jiang Yu’s explanation.

That’s more like it! With my brother’s painfully awkward social skills, there’s no way he could have turned a girl he just met into his girlfriend in such a short time. Even someone as easygoing as Megumi wouldn’t fall for that.

And besides… all my life, my brother has never lied to me, right?

Through her ongoing self-persuasion, Mai Tsuji basically came to believe Jiang Yu’s words. Jiang Yu himself admitted he hadn’t lied.

Poise Kasumigaoka, witnessing this exchange, let out a sigh that was hard to classify—whether relief or regret—and teased, “So it seems the junior’s evil plan hasn’t had the chance to unfold yet? What a shame~”

“There’s no ‘evil plan’ at all… please, Kasumigaoka-senpai, don’t just make up things that don’t exist. I might let it slide, but such rumors are hardly flattering to a girl, you know? And—Zemura, Tsubasa, you two should be more rational! You can’t just believe every little rumor like that!” Jiang Yu scolded, somewhat fed up with Kasumigaoka’s stubborn insistence on spreading misinformation.

Here, Jiang Yu could swear on the sacred trio of an impeccable script, perfect insert songs, and flawless animation that, if he were to relive his life and meet so many different people again, he would only care about Minami… cough, well, better not say more here.

So tell me, do you really think it’s a likely event to meet a girl who perfectly hits your sweet spot? Should I start running hypothesis tests and calculate confidence intervals for you?

Jiang Yu smirked inwardly. If he showed off now, all his four years of university might as well have been for nothing.

Hearing Jiang Yu’s firm words, Kasumigaoka finally let go of a weight in her heart. Her tone lightened considerably as she smiled, “Ah well, since you say so, I’ll reluctantly believe you~”

“Who wants to earn trust over baseless rumors, Kasumigaoka-senpai?” Jiang Yu retorted, hands shoved deep into his pockets.

Just then, Mai Tsuji, having slept all morning, let her stomach growl at the perfect moment, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Ugh~ It’s all your fault for not waking me up for breakfast, brother!” Mai Tsuji blushed deeply, scolding Jiang Yu as if trying to ease her embarrassment.

“All right, all right… then I’ll start making lunch now. Does anyone want anything special?” Jiang Yu, facing his sister’s sudden and inexplicable accusation, conceded and turned to ask the others in the clubroom.

…

Everyone responded with “anything is fine,” so Jiang Yu used ingredients from the fridge to whip up a few simple, home-style dishes he was good at—stir-fried pork with green peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, spicy boiled pork slices, and the like.

When the food was served, although the fiery red meat made everyone except Jiang Yu hesitate, after tasting it, they found it only a little spicy but otherwise quite good, and the meal ended with everyone satisfied.

After the meal was finished, Jiang Yu began clearing the table. Suddenly, a pair of hands appeared before his eyes. Surprised, he looked up and, seeing who it was, paused and said, “Let me handle this, Kasumigaoka-senpai…”

Kasumigaoka shook her head, tucked her loose hair behind her ear, and smiled, “We can’t let the junior do all the work alone~ If we’re going to do it, we should do it together…”

“If you could just stop making dirty jokes anytime and anywhere, I might actually be moved to tears,” Jiang Yu said calmly in response to Kasumigaoka’s flushed expression and suggestive words.

What a pity—if someone else had made that move and said those words, I might have actually been touched. If this were a dating sim, my affection points would probably have skyrocketed.

Jiang Yu thought regretfully—someone like Megumi Kato, Minami Kotori, or Maki Nishikino, for example.

Once everything was tidied up, Renya Aki and the others took their leave. Jiang Yu was about to ask them to stay longer when Renya spoke seriously, “I only came to check on you. Having lunch together already exceeded my expectations—though I enjoyed it—but I can’t keep bothering you. Besides, with the planner and director working so hard, and the script and original art moving forward, I, as the producer, can’t hold everyone back.”

Seeing his friend’s earnest demeanor, Jiang Yu swallowed his words of invitation, escorted the three downstairs, watched them leave the complex, and then turned back to his own home.

Thus, feeling his health was quite good in the afternoon—after all, yesterday was only the onset of a slight headache and fever—Jiang Yu began working seriously.

Specifically, he completed the writing of the first chapter of volume two of "Spring Stories" and began building the subsequent scenes of "The Witch’s House." Of course, this only meant finishing a few rooms inside the castle; he hadn’t yet written the text for the interactive objects.

Rubbing his sore eyes, ready to take a break, Jiang Yu’s phone suddenly rang, playing his favorite Canon.

The caller ID showed an unknown number, which was hardly surprising, since Jiang Yu’s contacts were limited to just four: his family, sister, father, and Renya Aki.

Could it be a telemarketer? Puzzled, Jiang Yu answered the call.

“Hello, is this Yu?”

“Ah? This is… may I ask who’s calling?”

“Heh… you little brat, haven’t seen you in two years, and you’ve already forgotten Brother Taihei’s voice?”

“Ah—sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

In an instant, Jiang Yu recalled the owner of the voice: Taihei Tsuji. Eight years older than him, Taihei was a cousin on the Tsuji side and the elder brother of Mai Tsuji.

Taihei, who had consistently ranked first in his grade, was the real-life embodiment of the “ideal child.” Although Jiang Yu’s own grades were good, they could never match Taihei’s excellence. Yet after high school, Taihei unexpectedly gave up on college entrance exams and went straight to work.

This had once infuriated Jiang Yu’s uncle—father to Mai and Taihei—but in the end, thanks to Jiang Yu’s father, Jiang He, the matter was quietly dropped.

Thus, Taihei had been working ever since graduating high school, which must have been four or five years by now.