Ding. Ding.
The café door opened as another customer stepped inside.
She was tall, with a slender figure and mid-back-length dark hair, neatly held in place by a white headband. Her presence was calm, composed.
Ren glanced up.
Then paused for a brief moment.
He recognized her.
Utaha Kasumigaoka.
A hint of surprise crossed his face, but it quickly turned into a small smile.
The two of them were acquainted—more than that, they were friends.
They had met in the library. At the time, Ren had been completely absorbed in writing his novel, unaware that someone had been standing behind him, quietly reading over his shoulder.
Utaha as a novelist, curiosity was practically instinct.
And so, without much surprise, that encounter had turned into a conversation… and eventually, a friendship.
Ren watched as Utaha finished ordering and began scanning the café for a seat.
He raised a hand.
"Senpai, good morning."
Utaha turned toward him, clearly a little surprised to see him there, before walking over with her usual composed steps.
"Good morning, kouhai," she replied.
Her gaze shifted almost immediately to the table—specifically, the paper and pen in front of him.
There was a brief pause.
Then a faint, knowing smile appeared.
"Hm… are you still writing your novel?"
"If you mean that one, I finished it yesterday," Ren said casually, gesturing to the seat across from him. "Right now, I'm just waiting for the next one."
Utaha sat down gracefully, crossing her legs as she looked at him.
"Don't you think you should review it first?" she said. "You just finished it and you're already moving on. What if there are flaws you missed?"
Ren tilted his head slightly.
"I did check it," he said. "Well… not thoroughly."
He tapped the pen lightly against the table.
"I'm more of a wild-type novelist. If it feels right, then it's probably fine."
Utaha raised an eyebrow.
"That's quite a bold level of confidence," she said, her tone amused. "Or should I call it recklessness?"
She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand.
"Do you want me to take a look?"
Ren blinked.
"Eh? Really?" He immediately reached for his bag. "Sure. I actually brought the manuscript with me."
He pulled out a neatly stacked pile of handwritten pages and handed it over.
Utaha accepted it—but not without giving him a strange look.
"…Honestly," she muttered, flipping through the first few pages, "why are you still writing everything by hand?"
She glanced up at him.
"We live in a time where laptops exist, you know. It's faster, more efficient… and far less troublesome."
Ren leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Hm… I don't know," he said. "Writing by hand feels better."
He looked at the manuscript in her hands.
Utaha studied him for a moment.
Then shrugged.
"Well, if that's your preference, I won't stop you."
She lowered her gaze and began reading.
The title at the top of the manuscript:
Plastic Memories
Time passed.
More than an hour, in fact.
Ren occasionally glanced at her while pretending not to.
Utaha's expressions were… dynamic.
At one moment, her brows furrowed slightly.
The next, a faint smile appeared—soft and sweet.
Then, just as quickly, her expression dimmed, her gaze turning distant.
It was as if she were being pulled through different emotions in rapid succession.
Ren tapped his pen lightly against the table.
"…You look like you're going through five stages of emotional damage," he commented.
Utaha didn't respond immediately.
Her eyes remained on the manuscript.
But after a few seconds—
"…Quiet," she said softly.
Not annoyed.
Just… focused.
Hearing that, the corner of Ren's mouth twitched slightly.
Another hour passed before Utaha finally turned the last page.
She closed the manuscript with a soft exhale.
"Sigh… it's a good novel."
Ren paused his pen mid-air and looked up at her.
"Only 'good'?" he asked. "That sounds like I barely passed."
Utaha shot him a glance.
"For someone who calls himself a wild-type novelist, you're awfully sensitive to feedback," she said dryly.
She tapped the manuscript lightly against the table.
"It's more than good. The structure is solid, the emotional pacing works… and it actually made me feel something."
She paused briefly.
"…Which is rare."
Then, as if remembering something, she shifted her gaze back to him.
"By the way, you said you wanted to become a novelist, right?"
Ren nodded, casually spinning his pen between his fingers.
"Yeah, that's the plan. I'm thinking of submitting this to the Fujikawa Fantastic Bunko Spring contest."
For the first time, Utaha showed a hint of genuine surprise.
It was subtle—but noticeable.
After all, she was already a novelist under that very label.
"I see…" she murmured.
Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, as if reassessing something.
"I can help you with that," she said. "If you're submitting to Fujikawa Fantastic Bunko."
Ren blinked.
"Eh? You can?"
He tilted his head slightly, as if confused.
"I know you're into literature, Senpai, but… don't tell me you're secretly a novelist or something?"
He said it casually.
Too casually.
Utaha's eyes narrowed just a fraction.
Then—
She smiled.
A slow, knowing smile.
"What do you think?" she replied.
Ren didn't answer.
He simply smiled back, equally vague.
A brief silence passed between them—strangely balanced, as if both sides were choosing not to say something.
Utaha leaned back slightly.
"Coincidentally, I'm meeting my editor here today," she said. "I could show your manuscript to her."
Ren's eyes lit up.
"Seriously? That would help a lot."
Without hesitation, he pushed the manuscript slightly closer to her.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Senpai."
Utaha accepted it without ceremony, though her gaze lingered on the pages for just a moment longer than necessary.
"…Very well," she said.
The two continued chatting for a while longer.
Nothing particularly unusual.
Just casual conversation.
Yet—
At some point—
Utaha's fingers paused briefly on the manuscript.
As if she had felt something.
But when she looked down—
Everything seemed normal.
"…Must be my imagination," she muttered under her breath.
Time passed quickly.
Soon, Ren glanced at the clock and stood up from his seat.
"Well then, Senpai," he said, stretching slightly, "it was nice running into you, but I need to get going."
Utaha looked up at him.
"That's fine, Kouhai-kun," she replied. "I'll send you the results after I show your manuscript to my editor."
Ren gave a small grin.
"Thanks, Senpai. See you tomorrow."
He turned and walked toward the exit.
The morning sun had just begun to settle into a comfortable warmth as Ren walked down a quiet residential street.
as he reached Marin House, Ren glanced at the time.
09:59 AM.
"…Perfect timing."
He stopped in front of a house that matched the address.
After a brief pause to confirm, he walked up and pressed the doorbell.
Ding dong.
Almost immediately—
Footsteps echoed from inside.
Quick.
Eager.
The door swung open without delay.
"Ren!"
Marin stood there, already dressed casually, her energy as bright as ever.
No surprise.
Just excitement.
"You're right on time!" she said with a grin. "Nice!"
Ren gave a small nod.
"I try to avoid breaking time itself."
"…That's a weird way to say 'being punctual,' but I'll take it."
Without hesitation, Marin stepped aside and gestured inside.
"Come in! I've got everything ready!"
Ren walked in calmly.
The atmosphere inside the house was completely different from the quiet street outside.
Bright.
Lively.
Filled with color.
Fabric, wigs, and cosplay materials were neatly arranged around the room, giving it a creative—almost chaotic—energy.
Marin closed the door behind him and turned around, clearly excited.
"So! You're finally here."
Ren glanced around briefly, taking in the environment.
"…You weren't exaggerating."
"Huh?"
"You're serious about this," Ren continued. "This isn't a hobby anymore. This is… a full setup."
Marin placed her hands on her hips, puffing up slightly with pride.
"Of course! Cosplay isn't just dressing up—it's about bringing a character to life!"
Ren nodded slowly.
"…So it's like summoning."
Marin blinked.
Then her eyes lit up.
"Wait—that actually sounds super cool!"
She laughed, clearly pleased.
"Alright, alright! Let me show you what I've been working on!"
Without waiting, Marin quickly ran toward another room.
"Stay right there!"
Ren remained where he was.
For a moment, the house grew quiet.
His gaze drifted slightly—
Landing on a mannequin positioned near the corner of the room.
It was dressed in an unfinished costume.
Detailed.
Carefully made.
For a brief second—
Ren thought the angle of its head had shifted.
He stared at it.
"…If you're alive, blink twice."
The mannequin did not respond.
"…Alright."
Ren looked away without concern.
A second later—
Marin's voice came from the other room.
"I found it!"
Ren turned toward the sound
Footsteps rushed back into the room.
Then—
Marin appeared again, carefully holding the costume in both hands.
"Okay! Here it is!" she said, placing it down on the table with visible excitement. "My latest work!"
Ren stepped closer, his eyes scanning the outfit.
It was detailed—far more than he expected.
The stitching was clean, the layering of fabric was carefully done, and the overall silhouette already resembled a proper character design.
"…You made all of this?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Marin nodded enthusiastically. "Well, most of it. I followed references, but I had to adjust some parts myself."
She leaned in, pointing at different sections.
"This part was super hard to get right, and the sleeves? Don't even get me started—I had to redo them like three times!"
Ren nodded slowly, taking it in.
Then he crouched slightly, bringing his gaze closer to the outfit.
"…It's good," he said.
Marin froze.
"…'Good'?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes slightly. "That's it?"
Ren glanced at her.
"…Do you want the honest version or the upgraded version?"
"…Honest."
Ren pointed at the outfit.
"The structure is solid. But something feels… off."
Marin immediately leaned closer.
"Off? Where?!"
Ren reached out and lightly adjusted part of the collar.
Then the sleeve.
Then the waistline.
"It's not the quality," he said. "It's the balance."
"Balance?"
"The proportions feel slightly inconsistent," Ren continued. "Like each part is correct on its own… but when combined, it loses the original impression."
Marin blinked.
Then blinked again.
"…Wait."
She grabbed the outfit and held it up, stepping back slightly.
Looking at it again.
More carefully this time.
"…Oh."
A pause.
"…Oh wait."
Her expression shifted.
"…You're right."
She stared at the outfit, her brows slowly furrowing.
"I thought something felt weird, but I couldn't figure out what it was…"
Ren casually adjusted the sleeve again.
"A little shift here fixes the silhouette," he said. "And if you tighten this part—"
He made a small adjustment.
Marin's eyes widened.
"…It looks better."
"Yeah."
"…But…"
She tilted her head.
"…It still feels wrong."
Ren paused.
"…Yeah," he admitted. "It does."
They both stared at the outfit in silence.
Marin crossed her arms, clearly deep in thought.
"It's like… I got close, but not close enough," she muttered. "Like something important is missing…"
Ren leaned back slightly.
"…Then maybe the problem isn't the outfit."
Marin looked at him.
"…Huh?"
"It might be the reference," Ren said. "Or your interpretation of it."
"…My interpretation…"
She froze.
Then suddenly—
Her eyes lit up.
"WAIT."
"I KNOW WHAT'S WRONG."
Marin grabbed his arm again.
"You haven't seen it, right?!"
"…Seen what?"
"The source!" she said. "The actual character! The original material!"
Ren thought for a moment.
"…No."
Marin pointed at him dramatically.
"That's the problem!"
"…How is that my problem?"
"Because you're helping me!" she said immediately. "If you don't understand the character, you won't understand the outfit!"
Ren considered that.
"…That makes sense."
"Right?!" Marin nodded rapidly. "Right?!"
"…A little too much sense."
"Exactly!" she said—then paused.
"…Wait, what does that mean?"
Ren ignored that.
Marin suddenly rushed off again.
"Wait here!"
A few moments later— She came back.
This time holding— A game case.
She placed it in front of him.
"…Play this."
Ren looked down at it.
Then back at her.
"…You want me to play a game?"
Marin nodded seriously.
"This is the original source. If you play it, you'll understand the character—and then we can fix the outfit properly."
Ren stared at the case for a moment.
"…So this is research."
"Exactly!"
"…Work-related."
"Yes!"
"…I see."
Ren nodded.
"I accept this mission."
Marin grinned.
"Nice!"
Time passed quickly after that.
Discussion turned into planning, planning turned into more adjustments, and before either of them noticed—
The sky outside almost dark.
Ren stood near the entrance, holding the game.
"…It's night already."
"Yeah…" Marin rubbed the back of her head. "We kinda lost track of time."
Ren nodded.
"I'll go through this," he said, lightly lifting the game case. "For research purposes."
"Make sure you actually pay attention, okay?!" Marin said. "The character details are important!"
"…I'll try not to get distracted by the plot."
"…What does that mean?!"
Ren stepped outside.
"See you tomorrow," he said.
Marin waved from the doorway.
"See you! And message me your thoughts!"
The door closed.
Ren glanced at the name of the game in his hand.
'Saint ♡ Slippery Girls' Academy: The Young Ladies' Shame Club – Lewd Dream Life'
"…Research huh."
A short pause.
"…This might take a while."
And with that—
He walked off into the night.