Chapter 210: Utaha's New Book

"If this isn't a dream, let me hear it...."

'Hmm... it should be this line.' Frowning, Miyahito subconsciously bit the pen cap as he filled in the lyrics line by line. He looked at the mostly completed lyrics on the paper with a somewhat troubled expression.

It had to be said, compared to sheet music, Miyahito felt that lyrics were the hardest part to complete.

After all, the melody of a song has its own rules and isn't affected by language buffs.

Just like how some people don't understand foreign languages, but that doesn't stop them from understanding the melody and rhythm of a song.

"Sigh....." After a light sigh, Miyahito looked at the lyrics, which were about 70 or 80 percent done. He put down his pen, took off his headphones, and relaxed against the soft backrest of the booth sofa.

He planned to relax his tense mind and dig into his memories properly after his brain cleared up a bit.

Just then.

"I've got a rough idea for the new book."

Hearing his girlfriend's voice from the front booth, Miyahito subconsciously looked up.

New book? When did Utaha get inspired?

Showing a hint of curiosity, he tidied up the table, stood up, and walked over to the front booth with his lyric notebook and mint soda. He rested one hand on the back of the booth sofa and looked curiously at the confident Utaha.

"What new book?"

"Hmm?" Hearing her boyfriend's voice, Utaha subconsciously looked up. Seeing him with one earphone in and the other hanging, she huffed and beckoned him over.

After Miyahito obediently sat next to her, Utaha reached out to take off his messily worn headphones. Then, she continued to explain.

"Didn't you already write a series of songs before? The album with the title track 'Dream Lantern'."

"....'Dream Lantern'?" After pondering for a moment, Miyahito finally remembered which album it was and realized. "Oh~ That album? Yeah, I'm planning to release it next month."

"Exactly." Utaha nodded with a bright smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes flashing with a hint of pride as she blinked. "Thanks to a certain singer in my family, I've got the inspiration for my new book."

"Eh?"

Miyahito blinked blankly, his tone full of confusion as he asked back.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you get it? Is what I said that complicated?"

Utaha huffed and wrinkled her nose. She raised her right index finger and lightly poked Miyahito's bewildered face with a hint of annoyance, repeating word by word.

"Your songs gave me the inspiration for my new book."

"Ah?" This time, Miyahito finally reacted. But the second he came to his senses, he suddenly asked Utaha in a small, inexplicably cautious voice.

"So, Utaha, what kind of new book do you want to write?"

"Hehe." For some reason, seeing Miyahito's cautious look, a desire to tease him suddenly welled up in Utaha's heart. She proudly tilted her chin, crossed her arms, and said in a suspenseful tone.

"The outline isn't fully fleshed out yet.... but~~"

"But...." For some reason, Miyahito suddenly started feeling nervous.

"I've already decided on the title for the new book."

".....So... what is it?"

"How about the title is—Your Name?"

"!"

Hearing the title of the new book from Utaha's mouth, Miyahito froze for several seconds. Then, in an even more cautious tone, he whispered softly,

"You're aiming straight for the masterpiece tier right out of the gate, aren't you?"

Huh? Why did he suddenly get so serious?

Utaha tilted her head, slowly projecting a question mark.

Seeing his girlfriend's bewildered reaction, Miyahito became even more confused. Just as he was about to say something else, a sudden round of applause interrupted their conversation.

Clap, clap, clap—!

"Listen." Seeing this young 'shameless couple', Miyahito and Utaha, turn their heads in perfect sync like a single entity, casting her an inquiring gaze that wasn't just similar, but completely identical, Sonoko's expression instantly became indescribable.

Yeah, it was probably something like the ugly expression of someone who just got paid and was ready to have a fun drink at the izakaya, only to find all their colleagues had already been invited out, leaving them to go get drunk at the izakaya all alone.

Suppressing the urge to commit arson, Sonoko leaned back, resting her back against the soft booth sofa. Crossing her arms, she looked at the two lovey-dovey idiots across from her, who were wearing identical innocent expressions, and spoke with a deadpan face.

"I have fully grasped that your relationship is very stable. So, could you please put aside your sticky affection for a moment and focus properly on work?"

"Unlike you two high school students, your older sister here doesn't have that much free time."

Older sister?

Utaha and Miyahito turned to look at each other, confirming their thoughts with a glance.

'Yeah, thirty versus fifteen. If you're thick-skinned enough, you can indeed call yourself 'older sister'.'

Feeling inexplicably targeted, Sonoko watched the two communicate with their eyes as if she didn't exist, a vein on her forehead twitching. "You two...."

"Ahem, Sonoko-nee is right." With a slightly reluctant expression, Utaha spoke up before Sonoko's temper could flare. "Come on, let's talk about the plot."

"Grrr..." Squeezing a sound of frustration through her teeth, Sonoko stared straight at the two pretending to be innocent. Helpless, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Well then, Kasumi Utako-sensei, when do you plan to start working on the new book?"

"Probably next month."

"Next month, hmm... No problem. The publishing house hasn't found any promising new talents recently, and the entire editorial department is currently worrying about how to handle next month's performance targets....."

Following that, Sonoko and Utaha briefly discussed some details regarding the new book's release. After settling on a rough plan, just as the discussion was about to wrap up...

"Oh, right, Miyahito-kun." Remembering there was still one more work matter, Sonoko turned to look at Miyahito, who was leaning slightly against Utaha, looking down at his lyric notebook in thought, and asked, "I heard from Akane-chan that there seems to be no news at all about the theme song you're in charge of....."