"Then… aren't you worried that writing novels now might cause similar conflicts at home?"
Haruto asked cautiously after a moment. If simply playing a mobile game could get her scolded back then, then a wealthy young lady secretly writing a youth romance novel would probably be even harder for her strict father to accept.
"I'm not worried about that anymore," Reina replied softly as she looked at him. "I'm already sixteen. I can decide my own direction in life and take responsibility for it".
So that was why she had waited until now to start writing novels and finally do something she genuinely liked.
Haruto let out a long breath.
They had only spoken for a few minutes, but he could already tell that Reina's mind was exceptionally clear and well organized.
"Um… Yukino, can I borrow one of your game consoles for a bit?"
Haruto turned to Yukino, who was frowning slightly as she read through the manuscripts.
"Just don't break anything," Yukino replied casually, clearly focused on her reading.
The moment he heard that, Haruto's eyes lit up. He hurried over, pulled out the console he had been eyeing for a while, plugged it in, and placed it neatly on the table.
"Want to give it a try, Miss Adult?" he asked, glancing at Reina as he inserted the game cartridge.
The console immediately filled the room with rough, retro chiptune sounds reminiscent of old games.
Yukino would probably be buried in those manuscripts for at least another half hour.
Since they had nothing better to do, they might as well play a game. More importantly, Haruto genuinely felt that Reina was pitiful. If her childhood had already missed out on arcade halls and games, then he absolutely could not allow her to reach sixteen and still remain completely ignorant.
It was the same logic as a childhood without Contra, Super Mario, The King of Fighters, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, or Road Rash.
Completely unacceptable.
Reina was momentarily stunned.
What kind of mental leap was this? Weren't two authors whose works were currently trending on Crimson Maple Literature supposed to be passionately discussing writing techniques, foreshadowing, and how to manipulate reader emotions?
Why was he suddenly asking her to play video games?
She looked at the controller placed in front of her, then at the console emitting those rough electronic sounds, and thought for two seconds.
"I can try," she said as she picked up the controller. For some reason, a light and pleasant feeling quietly rose in her chest.
True Iron Soul was essentially similar to The King of Fighters from another world.
Players chose a character at the start and could fight either against the computer or against each other.
"I'm not really sure how to play, so you might need to teach me the controls," Reina said.
"The controls are simple. There are only a few buttons. The main thing is learning the combos," Haruto replied, but before he could finish his sentence, he froze.
Reina was staring at the screen, fingers poised and ready. Her eyes had sharpened noticeably.
Whenever something involved winning or losing, she gave it her full attention. An indescribable aura rose from her, and the relaxed teaching match Haruto had imagined instantly vanished the moment he saw that gaze.
'What is this? Is she seriously planning to crush me at this game? I did not offend her, did I?'
Haruto had spent years in arcades before junior high. He knew that look far too well. Losing a fight was one thing. Losing a game was another. That kind of loss could ruin your sleep.
If your opponent was determined to destroy you, then the only appropriate response was to show absolutely no mercy. It took Yukino quite a while to finish reading Chapters Seven and Eight of both novels.
Yesterday's Starlight had moved past its early foreshadowing and now blended fantasy, romance, and mystery into a single storyline.
To be honest, it was excellent. The quality was undeniably high. Smart people really did write different kinds of stories. The protagonist's intelligence was solid, and at several points Yukino even felt mentally pressured by the plot, needing time to think before fully grasping it.
That said, there were simply too many elements involved. Readers might find it slightly confusing. If four or five small sections in Chapters Seven and Eight were trimmed or adjusted, the reading experience would be smoother.
As for Blue Spring Ride… Yukino felt a sense of frustration.
She had interned at Crimson Maple Literature for four summers during university and had worked here for nearly two years after graduation. By any standard, she was an experienced editor.
Yet when it came to Haruto's drafts for Chapters Seven and Eight of Blue Spring Ride, she could not find anything to criticize.
This did not mean the novel was flawless. Rather, it meant she could not offer a better direction than what was already written.
It was too mature.
Ridiculously mature.
At most, there was room for refinement in phrasing and descriptive polish, but the core storyline was already that of a fully realized youth romance novel.
While reading it, Yukino felt as though she had been pulled back into her own adolescence, her girlish heart pounding with excitement.
When she reached the scene where Kou stepped off the train at the final moment and chose to stand beside Futaba, she could clearly feel her heartbeat speeding up.
She looked up and noticed the two teenagers on the sofa. Reina's white teeth were biting hard into her lower lip. Her eyes were faintly red as she stared intensely at the screen, her fingers moving without hesitation.
Every action was carefully planned in her mind.
Short hop. Low strike. Trap. Burst.
'Now!'
Her eyes lit up as she slammed the button.
Across from her, Haruto smiled.
'I can see right through you, kid. Every move you want to make is already within my grasp. There is no way a half-hour learner beats someone with ten years of arcade experience.'
A quick block. A backward step.