My name is Satoshi Sakai. I'm a first-year high school student with a penchant for drawing, gaming, and sometimes being more energetic than most people can handle, well not really.

Aside from gaming and sketching some stuff, a lot of my free time is spent at a local video game store, where I trade my hard-earned allowance money for the thrill of a new gaming title. So, on this particular Saturday night, I was returning home after acquiring a new title for my collection, already hyped and eager to dive into a new game to play.

As I walked down the dimly lit street, I saw a figure that I recognized instantly - Ayase Imaizumi, my best friend since childhood. But she wasn't alone; there was a man with her, holding her hand. From my distance, it looked like Ayase was in pain, her face grimacing, and the man... he was the cause of it.

Ayase was always too soft, too vulnerable, and I had always been protective of her. So it's only natural that I couldn't just stand there and watch her get hurt.

Driven by instinct and anger, I rushed towards them, my feet loudly pounding against the pavement. "Hey! What are you doing to her?" I shouted, ready to punch the stranger who was causing Ayase trouble.

Then things happened.

Fast forward a bit, and here I am, sitting at the dining table of the same man I'd been ready to attack. As it turns out, the "stranger" was none other than a man named Keiyu Kurumizawa, the same person behind the famous rookie author Kurotsuki.

Now, I'm not normally one to feel embarrassed, but this... this was a new level of humiliation. I mean, who just goes and throws a sucker punch at a famous author? Apparently, I do. But let's be fair, I was only trying to protect Ayase. Yeah, that's right, my actions were fueled by pure protectiveness.

As I sat across from Ayase at the dinner table, the air was so dense with awkwardness. She kept glancing at me, her purple eyes looked like she was begging me to say something. So I knew I had to say something, anything to break the ice, but what do you say in a situation like this?

While Keiyu was busy in the kitchen, I turned to Ayase and said the first thing that came to mind. "I didn't expect Kurotsuki to be some all-rounder hot dude," I blurted out.

Ayase's eyes widened in surprise, then she laughed a little, smiling brightly as she admitted, "I thought the same thing when I first met him,"

And after what she said in that conversation, the awkwardness returned. Man, I'm still really feeling the nerves jangle from my earlier fiasco. But I can't just sit here like a log, can I?

"Hey, are you really the Kurotsuki? The one who wrote Run With the Wind, that just ended?" I ask, trying to sound nonchalant.

Keiyu nods and says yes. Boom! Guilt hits me like a truck. I tried to hit this guy!

Unbelievable.

"Uh, I'm really sorry for my rude behavior earlier," I stammer, feeling like a total jerk.

Keiyu chuckles and playfully replies, "Calling that rude is an understatement, but it's alright. No harm done."

But then I have to be honest. "I just... I have to watch out for Ayase. She has this knack for attracting trouble, you know?"

Keiyu looks at me and nods, "Yeah, I can see that."

"I-I'm sorry for being a trouble magnet!" Ayase pouts playfully, and it's just so cute that it makes me laugh. Keiyu joins in, and we reassure her that she's not doing anything wrong. It's just... she's so cute and vulnerable sometimes.

After a few more minutes of awkward silence and me examining the dining room, which is surprisingly minimalist by the way - just the essential stuff like a fridge, a stove, a sink, and some cupboards - Keiyu finally finishes cooking. The dish? A healthy serving of curry with some veggies on the side.

Basic? Yes. But dang, the aroma that filled the room was enough to make my stomach growl. It was homecooked curry, but it smelled like a high-end restaurant dish!

Keiyu places the curry pot in the middle of the table, then proceeds to serve each of us a plateful. He doesn't forget the side dish of veggies, and after that pours us each a glass of juice.

Finally, he sits down and we all look at each other.

"Thanks for the food," we all say in unison, hands clasped together, and the meal begins.

The food is delicious. It's a basic dish, but Keiyu's cooking skills are top-notch. The curry is just the right mix of spicy and sweet, and the veggies are cooked to perfection.

As Ayase digs into her food, she comments about how nice it is to have a homecooked meal after a long, hard day. That's when I remember something about this childhood friend of mine – she barely ever eats homecooked meals.

You see, Ayase, is used to basically living life as a hermit. Not in the typical and literal sense, but in the sense that most of the time she'd be holed up in her room all day, drawing, or livestreaming her art sessions. She didn't have lots of time to learn or cook meals for herself, so she usually just had convenience store food. But don't get me wrong, she's not a shut-in or anything.

Let's say that she just has her own troubles.

I point this out to Ayase, "It's nice to see you eating something else besides the school meal sets and convenience store food for once, Aya," She chuckles and nods, clearly agreeing with me.

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Then I ask, "So, how did the work go today?" hoping to learn more about what they had been doing earlier, because all I know is that she works part-time at Kurotsuki's place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Keiyu cleared his throat and answered, "We just submitted the final manuscript and Ayase's illustrations to Hikari Suisei. They're going to be printed in next month's issue of Hikari Monthly."

His words bring a smile to my face. "That's awesome, man! Congratulations!"

Keiyu explains, "I won't celebrate yet, since we're still testing the waters with this one-shot. If it gets popular, there's a chance we might be given a full serialization."

"Still, that's a big thing, I'll support you two! And count on me buying a copy once it's out." I continued with my excitement.

"Sakai-san, your energy is seriously something else," Keiyu teases, causing Ayase to chuckle.

"Yes, Sato-kun's like that since we were kids. But he's a nice guy, really," Ayase adds to defend me.

"For a nice guy, he does throw a good punch," Keiyu jokes.

"Hey, hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" I playfully protest.

The laughter dies down, and Keiyu turns to me, his face all of a sudden becoming serious. "Anyways Sakai-san, I need to ask you a favor. Even if we're from different schools, please don't let anyone know that I'm Kurotsuki. I want to keep my real name separate from my pen name."

I was a bit surprised by the sudden request, but I quickly recover and respond, "No worries! Your secret's safe with me, in fact, Aya here keeps her identity separate from her online alias as well."

Keiyu nods, "Thank you, I appreciate that."

And with that, the three of us ate Keiyu's dinner with complete delight. It's only my first time trying out his cooking, but I already can't get enough of it, even his veggies were no joke. After all, food tastes better when someone makes it for you, as long as it's not poisonous.

"Phew! That was a meal and a half!" I exclaim, patting my full belly with a satisfied sigh. I stand up, ready to help with the dishes, but Keiyu stops me.

"I'll handle it. It's getting late, you two should head home," he says, glancing at the clock on the wall, and I also notice that it's almost 9 PM.

"Oh, I'm sorry for not helping with the dishes..." Ayase apologizes with her soft voice.

"Don't worry about it," Keiyu reassures her, standing up and leading us toward the entryway.

As we walk through the living room, my eyes land on a video game console sitting beside Keiyu's television. "Whoa! You have the latest console?" I ask with my voice full of excitement upon recognizing the console.

"Yeah, I find that playing video games helps me find inspiration for my stories," Keiyu explains.

"Dude, we should totally play together sometime!" I said to him with a smile.

Keiyu chuckles and nods, "Sure, why not."

Eventually, we reach the entryway and say our goodbyes. "I'll walk Aya home, Kurumizawa," I tell Keiyu, "She might trip or something."

Ayase rolls her eyes but smiles at me, "Geez, come on, Sato-kun."

"You two take care now," Keiyu chuckled and smiled at us before closing the front door as we left.

As Ayase and I walk down the dimly lit streets on the way home to her apartment, I make sure to stay close to her side, just in case any stray cats decide to jump out and scare her.

"So, Aya, do you plan on becoming a full-time illustrator for light novel authors soon?" I ask, genuinely curious of her plans for the future.

"Hmm, I think I'll stick to part-time for now," Ayase answers. "I don't plan on being an illustrator for authors forever, but as long as I can create my artwork, I'll be happy."

"I can see that," I nod. "I bet you'll make a name for yourself as an illustrator and maybe even sell your artwork full-time one day."

Ayase smiles at my encouragement and then turns the question on me. "What about you, Sato-kun? What do you want to be in the future?"

"Well, since I love drawing too, I might practice becoming a mangaka or something," I say while scratching my head. "But I also have other goals in mind, like learning how to become a game programmer or something like that."

"That's nice to hear, I'll support you as much as I can, Sato-kun," Ayase tells me with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Aya," I grin back. "I've got your back as well."

As we continue walking, I slide an arm around Ayase's shoulder, causing her to look at me in surprise. "Hey, Aya," I start, a mischievous glint in my eyes. "If Kurumizawa ever does something nasty to you, make sure to tell me, okay?"

Ayase bursts into small laughter, swatting my arm off her shoulder. "Oh, please, Sato-kun! Keiyu doesn't seem like that kind of person. He's...he's really kind."

"Oh...?" I notice her smile changes when she talks about Keiyu. It's a softer, more content kind of smile. It makes me feel a little... strange. Still, I shake off the feeling and playfully nudge her. "Oi, Aya, you falling for our author friend or something?"

Immediately, Ayase's cheeks turn bright red. "W-What!? No, I-I'm not!"

"You sure about that?" I tease, "Your red face tells me otherwise."

"N-No way, Sato-kun!" Ayase insists, stuttering over her words. "Kurumizawa-san and I are...we're so different. He's so smart and good-looking, and...and he's almost too perfect!"

Her face grows hotter with each word she says, and I can't help but laugh at her flustered state.

"Well, Aya," I kept going, unable to keep the grin off my face. "Who says you're not perfect in your own way?"

Ayase looks at me, her blush keeping itself alive, "W-What do you mean, Sato-kun?"

I shrug, "You may not think you're as smart as Kurumizawa-san, but you have your own kind of intelligence. You have this... amazing ability to read people and see them for who they are. That's a kind of smart, don't you think?"

Ayase looks at me in surprise, but I continue. "And sure, you have your quirks and your past, but who doesn't? You're one of the kindest people I know, Aya. Kurumizawa-san would be lucky to have someone like you."

Suddenly, Ayase stops and looks at me, concern etched on her face. "Sato-kun... are you okay? You're talking differently than usual."

I shake my head and smiled, trying to brush off her concern. "I'm fine, Aya. I just think... that you should consider the possibility that maybe Kurumizawa-san might come to like you too. I mean, he already worries about you like an old hen."

"I-I can tell but... that doesn't mean he feels something towards me," Ayase smiled back at me weakly.

As we reach the front of Ayase's apartment building, I find myself continuing to ramble about her and Keiyu. Their compatibility, shared passion, and apparent ease around each other. It's as if I'm trying to convince both of us of their suitability.

Ayase looks more and more concerned with each passing minute until she finally steps in front of me and sighed, her hands lightly clapping on my face, her purple eyes boring into mine.

"Sato-kun, please," she implores, "Stop and tell me what's wrong."

Seeing her concern, I can't help but give her a weak smile. I've always been the dude to lighten the mood, to bring happiness and laughter. But now... my heart feels heavy, and for once, I was really having trouble trying to keep my vibe up.

So, I decided to be honest.

"Aya," I start, my voice soft. "I... I like you."

The surprise on her face is evident. She stammers, her eyes wide as she tries to find the right words. But in the end, she simply says, "I... I don't know what to say, Sato-kun. I... Good night." And with that, she quickly retreats into her apartment, leaving me alone on the dimly lit street.

"Good night, Aya," I whispered as I'm left standing there, watching her jog away. I can't help but wonder if I did the right thing, confessing my feelings. But at least now, the weight I've been carrying is finally off my chest after so many years.

I think I did the right thing.