No wonder you’re the Savior, brimming with care for all humanity.

"S-so, just now... I was just happy that even a pervert like you could say something like that."

What kind of image do I have in your mind? I’m a professional novelist! It’s perfectly normal to blurt out things like that instinctively.

"Having someone take your novel seriously—even if it’s just a slightly capable pervert—is still affirmation for the author. As creators, we crave honest feedback most. So when you said that, my body and heart couldn’t help but feel joyful."

Right then, I finally understood why I could still get along with Willow Ran despite her awful attitude toward me.

This girl’s personality was genuinely great—so straightforward about everything. Talking to her left me feeling incredibly refreshed.

As we chatted, our ordered cake arrived.

"Alright, let’s head back after eating."

So this was that super expensive cake from the menu? It didn’t look any different.

I glanced at Willow Ran. She nodded perfunctorily, then ignored me to savor it, instantly wearing an utterly blissful expression.

Was it really that delicious?

Curious, I tried a small bite with my fork.

The moment it hit my tongue—

!

A wave of warm happiness flooded through me.

This taste was beyond price—I thought that at first. But at checkout, I broke into a cold sweat.

Thankfully, I had a bank card in my wallet. Otherwise, I’d have ended up dining and dashing.

Mourning my poor wallet, I walked out of the café with Willow Ran. It was late; the once-bustling streets had grown quiet.

I really couldn’t let this girl walk home alone. What if some creep followed her?

After saying, "I’ll walk you back," Willow Ran stared at me like I was a monster. It didn’t seem like me.

"...W-wait, that’s so weird out of nowhere! You kicked me out of your apartment earlier... Or are you plotting something?"

"Get lost! If Elder Sister Liu Xin finds out you walked home alone this late, I’m doomed. She’ll make my life hell."

"My sister isn’t that petty!"

Willow Ran puffed her cheeks unhappily—a classic protective instinct.

She probably didn’t know how Elder Sister Liu Xin treated me after I accidentally mentioned her age once. "Making my life hell" was putting it mildly; it was like the ten great tortures.

"Anyway, if that’s your worry, don’t bother. Sister’s stuck at the editorial department reviewing manuscripts all week. She won’t be back."

"Editors have it tough too... What about your parents?"

"They work in Canada."

"Oh, so you’re alone..."

No wonder she’d been visiting my place so often lately. For someone like her, solitude was pure torture.

"Hey! Were you just thinking something perverted?"

"What?! Rude! I’m a shoujo novelist, not an erotic one!"

"Eh... really?"

She eyed me with clear disbelief. I was her favorite author—yet this strange loneliness washed over me.

"Don’t think I’ll invite you upstairs for a chance to take advantage."

"I haven’t thought that at all!"

"And forcing yourself on me won’t work either!"

"Were you even listening?!"

Ugh. I felt utterly drained, my stomach churning.

Seeing my exhausted state, Willow Ran finally grinned.

"Hmm, but honestly, you wouldn’t dare. If Yao Xingyan found out, you’d be finished!"

"Then stop messing with me!"

This girl was impossible.

Truthfully, I didn’t care if Yao Xingyan knew. But I had my own plans—I still needed to "use" her for my writing career.

After safely dropping Willow Ran off downstairs, she didn’t even offer to let me come up. So ungracious.

Not that I wanted to. I turned straight for home.

Come to think of it, being alone at home... Willow Ran and I were really alike in that way. Kindred spirits.

Back home, I tried opening my textbook to study. But the silence made it impossible to focus. I couldn’t even start my new manuscript.

Then I remembered what Elder Sister Liu Xin said about the Xianxia Grand Prize. It was only ten—too early to sleep. Might as well brainstorm.

But I had zero experience with xianxia. Asking Elder Sister Liu Xin was pointless; she was swamped and handled shoujo novels anyway.

No matter how I wrote, nothing felt right. I glanced at "Slaying Immortals" on my desk. How did Teacher Oathbound Sword come up with such a fun story?

Before I knew it, midnight arrived. With no progress, I sighed over wasted time and hit the sack.

As final exams neared, school pace quickened.

Usually, classrooms buzzed during breaks. Now, everyone buried their heads in revision—no one wanted summer make-up classes.

Earlier, Elder Sister Liu Xin texted me to focus on studying, not manuscripts.

Don’t get the wrong idea. She didn’t care about my grades. She just feared split attention would ruin my writing quality.

On valuing novel quality, the Liu sisters were identical. Truly blood relatives.

Staring at my notebook crammed with lecture highlights, I wondered if I could memorize it all before exams.

Borrowing Willow Ran’s brain would help—if studying while she’s "powering up" doubled efficiency?

Crap. Daydreaming again. Not a single word absorbed.

Just as regret hit me, a figure appeared at the classroom door—

—Yao Xingyan, looking thoroughly annoyed.