「I… I’m still looking at Sophia and seeing Sophia… So, well, just know that there are people like that, so don’t worry about it.」
「…Eh? Um, what do you mean?」
「…Well, um, I can’t really put it into words either. I’m not thinking about your parents when I look at Sophia. I look at Sophia, think about Sophia, talk to Sophia, spend time with Sophia, and I enjoy it. I enjoy it because it’s Sophia…」
…How can I say this?
I enjoy being with Sophia because she’s Sophia, and I’m glad she’s my fiancée.
I can’t feel that way with her mother. It’s not about age or anything.
I desperately search for words to somehow convey this feeling, but I can’t quite express it.
However, as she listens to my words, Sophia’s face turns red.
「N-No… stop. That’s enough…」
As I continue to speak, trying my best to convey my feelings, Sophia turns her reddened face away.
H-Huh? Even her ears seem to be bright red, and she averts her gaze while covering her mouth with one hand.
C-Could it be… she’s embarrassed?
Thinking back on my words… Certainly, well, it was a little… no, it was quite embarrassing.
Once I thought about it, I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to explode, and as I looked down, Sophia spoke in a low voice.
「Don’t self-destruct like that… It makes me even more embarrassed.」
「…No, well… Sorry.」
「…What do you mean, “Sorry”? Are you saying everything you just said was a lie?」
「I-It’s not a lie! It’s what I truly feel…!」
「I-It’s fine already!」
Sophia’s face turns red again, and seeing that, I feel embarrassed too.
For now, let’s make an excuse along with an apology…
「I’m sorry… well, I’ve been alone most of the time, and I haven’t really conveyed my feelings to people… I just wanted Sophia to be herself… I’m really sorry.」
「Don’t add insult to injury when someone’s trying to calm down…!」
Sophia shouts with a bright red face.
…I-It’s probably better if I don’t say anything anymore.
We were silent for a while, but after a bit, the redness in her face subsided.
Sophia took a deep breath and then slowly opened her mouth.
「…Honestly. You like teasing people too, don’t you?」
「No, I wasn’t teasing you…」
「Ahh, just shut up!」
Sophia stood up and sat down next to me, glaring at me and bringing her index finger close.
I’m forcibly silenced by Sophia’s beautiful, slender finger.
「…And, I’m sorry. For consulting my… sort of fiancé about this.」
「Even if it’s “sort of”, you’re my fiancée. I’m glad I could be of help.」
「Yeah, thanks. I’m glad… you’re my fiancé after all.」
Sophia’s pure words and smile hit me hard.
…I was just saying all sorts of things to her, but that’s unfair of Sophia too.
As I turn my face away in embarrassment, Sophia grabs my cheeks, then blushes slightly and continues.
「This time too, it’s not a joke. …Thank you.」
Too? Isn’t it always a joke?
Sophia whispers her words of gratitude and then sits back in her chair.
「I want you to keep today’s conversation… a secret.」
「Ahh, of course.」
「…Yeah, thanks. If you have any problems, you should consult me, your fiancée.」
Sophia seemed to have completely recovered her spirits and puffed out her chest with a smile.
…I’m glad.
I’m not very good at interacting with people, but it seems like it worked out somehow.
But, there were a lot of things I need to reflect on. …I think I would have made her even angrier if it wasn’t Sophia.
I’ll be more careful in the future…
Sunday. I was alone in my room, writing my novel on my computer.
Lately, I’ve been able to write more smoothly than usual.
I think this is… partly thanks to Sophia.
There are people like Sophia who are working hard at the same age as me… I felt like I didn’t want to lose.
…Also, when she consulted me, I didn’t understand Sophia’s feelings because I thought it was probably because I haven’t been able to fully devote myself to something yet.
…I want to get closer to Sophia, even if just a little. I think that’s one of the driving forces that keeps me going.
Since most of my time is taken up by school on weekdays, I need to make steady progress on weekends to secure time for writing.
That said, it’s not like I can move forward just with motivation.
There are times when I inevitably get stuck, so I try to take breaks during those times.
I don’t know if it’s actually true, but I’ve found that I can often make progress after resting my brain.
That’s exactly what I was doing now.
I browse through web novels while fiddling with my smartphone.
There are two main ways to debut as a light novel writer, which is my goal.
One is through a newcomer award, and the other is being “picked up”.
Web novels have been getting a lot of attention recently, and there are many cases where works that become popular online are noticed by editors and lead to a debut.
So I’m aiming for both of these, but it’s not going so well.
Well, that’s to be expected. It’s only natural that my work gets buried among thousands and millions of other works.
While I’m a little disappointed that my work isn’t getting much attention, I can’t just conclude that it’s bad luck and leave it at that.
I look at the popular works in the rankings and analyze what’s different about them compared to my own work.
I think it’s a good thing that I learned martial arts from my old man because of this aspect of watching and learning.
The physique of the person instructing you and your own physique are different, so in the end, you need to watch and adapt the movements to your own body.
This can also be applied to creative work. I take the good points from other people’s work and incorporate them into my own work, my own style.
In this way, I create my own work as if I’m inheriting a school of thought.
…That’s why I like this time. This time when I can think alone and create my work alone.
It was when I was enjoying the time in my calm world. My smartphone vibrated.
I thought it was a message from someone, but it wasn’t.
It’s an incoming call. The name of the caller is Sophia…