He said it seriously.
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't know what else to say.
But she didn't forget to use sarcasm.
"You really don't seem like a high school boy at all. Could it be that my ex-boyfriend actually has some unspeakable secret?"
Yukima Azuma simply smiled.
That smile, in Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes, seemed to say:
"Senpai, didn't you already know if there's some unspeakable secret?"
She grabbed her suitcase.
Kasumigaoka Utaha entered the room and slammed the door shut.
She sat on the bed with the white sheet.
She hugged herself, her long legs clad in black stockings trembling uncontrollably.
This is so frustrating!
How did this guy become so 'sly' like this?
In the past, just a little teasing would make him blush and feel embarrassed.
Thud...
Kasumigaoka Utaha collapsed onto the soft bed.
"What am I even thinking? It's as if I'm some kind of ex-wife who can't let go of the past."
She waved her hand, casting those thoughts aside, and took out her tablet.
Kasumigaoka Utaha began to write.
The light novel she had left unfinished for the past few days suddenly sparked some new inspiration.
Chapter 3: Yukima Azuma
Chapter 3: Yukima Azuma
With a loud "bang,"
The door to the room slammed shut, sending a gust of wind that messed up Yukima Azuma's hair.
Seeing this, the corners of Yukima Azuma's mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile.
"The tenant is my ex-girlfriend. What a coincidence, this could be turned into a light novel."
Muttering to himself like that, Yukima Azuma turned around and went downstairs.
Just like their previous conversations,
Yukima Azuma and Kasumigaoka Utaha had once been in a romantic relationship.
About three years ago.
At that time, Kasumigaoka Utaha had not yet debuted as a light novel author.
Well, to be more precise, her novel The Metronome in Love was still just an unfinished manuscript back then.
It was during their time together that her first book was completed.
Unfortunately, their relationship wasn't as enduring as in the novels.
After some conflicts, there were no coincidences that helped them reconcile, nor were there any challenges they overcame together to make amends.
One day, after an argument, they broke up.
By the way,
Yukima Azuma is a person who has experienced travel and reincarnation.
He was born in this world as a child.
As he grew, the memories of his previous life gradually returned.
Therefore, before they started dating, Yukima Azuma had actually "known" about Kasumigaoka Utaha.
To be more accurate, it was because he "knew" Kasumigaoka Utaha, the genius young novelist who would eventually become a star, that Yukima Azuma was able to pursue her.
But!
Yukima Azuma wanted to say:
Loving a 2D girl isn't at all like he had imagined.
The incredible beauty of Kasumigaoka Utaha is indisputable, and her long, slender legs are hard to resist.
But her arrogance and "black tongue" are also very real.
In a light novel, this might seem like a cute characteristic of the character.
But in real-life love, it may not be as good.
Additionally, Yukima Azuma had little experience with romance at that time.
They broke up due to personality clashes and a few minor conflicts.
After the breakup,
Yukima Azuma temporarily left Tokyo due to family reasons and moved to Chiba.
It was as if he disappeared.
So, this was the first time they had met again after their breakup.
Seeing Kasumigaoka Utaha again, Yukima Azuma truly felt overjoyed.
After three years of growing up, Yukima Azuma had learned how to handle conflicts in relationships.
As for how he matured...
Romantic experience certainly cannot be gained just through words.
So... Yukima Azuma didn't just have Kasumigaoka Utaha as his ex-girlfriend...
But that's a story for another time.
Back to Yukima Azuma.
The name "Yukima" is not a famous one.
But if the surname "Yukinoshita" is mentioned, many people would likely recognize it.
The relationship between these two surnames can be likened to the relationship between "Shinomiya" and "Shijo" in a family.
Though it might not be entirely accurate to call them "main family" and "branch family," there are certain similarities.
In short, they both belong to a large family.
However, the "Yukinoshita" family, in just the past dozen years, has suddenly grown very powerful.
Not only has it surpassed social classes, but it has also become a prestigious and well-known family.
As a result, the large family where the "Yukinoshita" name originated, other families within this clan have become secondary branches.
This is how society works in Japan.
The person with the biggest fist is the one who's right.
In terms of hierarchy, it's just a sense of satisfaction when bringing down others.
Three years ago, the reason Yukima Azuma returned to Chiba was because the "Yukima" family encountered a major crisis.
The crisis was so severe that the entire "Yukima" family was left with just Yukima Azuma.
At that time, when he returned to Chiba, Yukima Azuma could be said to have been surrounded by wolves.
In the end, Yukima Azuma sold most of the real estate assets to "relatives."
With decisions and actions far beyond his age, he took a large sum of money and left Chiba.
Most of the money was used to buy a villa apartment in Tokyo.
The remainder was used to sustain his life.
Because he didn't have much money, Yukima Azuma had to rent out the apartment.
However... this year, Yukima Azuma began to receive money from various sources.
He planned to go to the real estate agency in the next few days and remove the rental notice for the house.
As a result, unexpectedly, in the past few days, Kasumigaoka Utaha had been shown the property by the agency.
It's what you could call "a coincidence so big it could be written into a light novel."
And there's one more important thing about Yukima Azuma.
That is...
A year ago, Yukima Azuma finally received the "benefit" that people like him, those who are reincarnated, get.
Though a little late, it's better than nothing.
As Yukima Azuma went downstairs, put on his sneakers, and prepared for his morning jog, he opened his system panel.
[Host: Yukima Azuma]
Physical: 6
Intelligence: 8
Attractiveness: 8
Skills: Language Proficiency (lv6), Literature (lv5), Cooking (lv5), Programming (lv4), Shogi (lv7)
Human limits.
Regarding skills, level 0 means no knowledge, levels 1 to 3 are beginner, levels 4 to 6 are mastery, levels 7 to 9 are advanced, and level 10 is peak, which is the highest level.
This panel represents Yukima Azuma's entire capability.
Under each skill, there is a progress bar.
As long as he diligently practices the corresponding skills, the proficiency will increase.
When the progress bar is full, the skill level will rise.
It doesn't seem like a very powerful ability.
But if you think about it, any skill that can reach its peak simply through practice could definitely be considered cheating.
By the way, since Yukima Azuma discovered that physical training could gradually improve his stamina, he hasn't missed a single morning workout.
The high score for attractiveness on this panel clearly comes from the genetics of the Yukima family.
The high intelligence score seems to be due to the combination of his soul after reincarnation.
How to increase intelligence and attractiveness?
Yukima Azuma still hasn't figured that out.
It could also be because these two stats are so high that Yukima Azuma's experiments haven't been enough to change them yet.
As for the list of skills, the highest level skill is "shogi."
This skill comes from...
'Ringringring~...'
The phone rang.
Just as Yukima Azuma stepped outside, he pulled out his phone.
The screen displayed the caller's name: "Ginko."
Chapter 4: Sora Ginko is My Senior Sister
Chapter 4: Sora Ginko is My Senior Sister
Seeing the call from "Ginko" displayed on the screen, Yukima Azuma immediately answered.
"Ginko..."
"Saturday, come to the Chiba Shogi Club for practice."
Her voice sounded like she was not accepting any objections.
"Okay, starting from 9 AM, right?"
"..."
"..."
There was a long silence on the other end, and then a soft sound:
"Huh?"
Her voice was gentle, sounding soft enough to imagine the bewildered expression on her face.
Then, as if to confirm:
"Saturday, come to the Chiba Shogi Club for practice."
She repeated what she had just said, but this time her tone was a little more enthusiastic.
"I heard you. I'll be there on time, Ginko."
Yukima Azuma responded kindly, without any irritation.
"Umu!"
Then, the call ended.
Although it was just a brief word, it was clear that the person on the other end seemed very happy.
Ginko, or more accurately, Sora Ginko.
A 14-year-old genius Shogi player, called "The Snow White of Naniwa," and an idol in the Shogi world.
She is a two-time champion, holding the top two titles of the six major Japanese women's Shogi tournaments, "Queen" and "Women's Throne."
As a second-dan professional player, she possesses both skill and fame, and is a true genius.
And she is Yukima Azuma's senior sister.
When he was young, before his memories fully awakened, Yukima Azuma chose Shogi among other disciplines like Go, calligraphy, and painting.
At that time, the Yukima family still existed.
Thanks to that, Yukima Azuma was accepted as a disciple by Kiyotaki Ksuke, a professional Shogi player, and became a junior to Sora Ginko.
By the way, thanks to his high intelligence, Yukima Azuma was once a famous genius in the Shogi world.
"The youngest professional Shogi player," "fifth-dan professional Shogi player," and "a true genius of Shogi"...
These were the titles that used to be associated with Yukima Azuma.
However, after the fall of the Yukima family, Yukima Azuma no longer pursued the pinnacle of Shogi.
The complete awakening of his memories, coupled with the family crisis, had significantly changed Yukima Azuma's goals and principles of action three years ago.
For the past three years, Yukima Azuma's primary goal had been "to make money."
First, he needed money.
Only then could he climb the social ladder.
Therefore, Yukima Azuma had to put Shogi on hold.
Although Shogi, a popular game in the country, also offered substantial prize money from tournaments, it was...
Unfortunately...
Three years ago, a player holding the title of "Meijin" had been shaking up the Shogi world, as if "slaughtering" all his opponents!
At that time, Yukima Azuma had tried to challenge this "Meijin."
And he was easily crushed.
According to the skill level estimated from the system's board, that "Meijin," the strongest in Shogi history, had a Shogi skill around level 9.
To defeat him with certainty, Yukima Azuma would likely have to raise his Shogi skill to the maximum level, meaning reaching the peak.
At that time, when the system hadn't awakened yet, Yukima Azuma didn't hesitate to give up on Shogi and turned to other ways to make money.
In the past three years, Yukima Azuma hadn't participated in any official Shogi tournaments.
Only occasionally, when Sora Ginko came to visit, would the two play Shogi privately.
During these three years, Sora Ginko consistently invited Yukima Azuma to the Shogi club once a week to study Shogi.
Yukima Azuma refused, and Sora Ginko never asked why.
Perhaps this is why, when Yukima Azuma agreed to go to the club, Sora Ginko was so surprised, and couldn't hide the excitement in her voice.
As for the reason why Yukima Azuma suddenly agreed to go to the club?
It's simple.
He had earned a bit of money, and that allowed him to have more time and energy to focus on other things.
More importantly, the "Meijin" who had once shaken the Shogi world...
Had now won the title of "Eternal" in all tournaments except "Ryuou."
In accordance with the rules, the person in question was not allowed to participate in the most recent "Ryuou" match.
In the recent major tournaments, it seemed that they hadn't participated, possibly preparing to take a break and then return next year to win the "Ryuou" tournament comprehensively.
If that happens, it will be an unprecedented achievement: seven eternal crowns and hundreds of other major titles.
And when that "Meijin" is no longer around...
The current Shogi world...
How should one describe it?
Hmm...
It's full of "mediocre" opponents.
While reflecting on Shogi, Yukima Azuma quickly finished his morning run.
When the message "Slight increase in Physical" appeared in his field of vision, Yukima Azuma gradually slowed down and eventually stopped.
He had run about ten kilometers.
Far from Shibuya Station, nearing the Gakushuin-shita area.
He remembered that his refrigerator at home seemed to be empty.
Yukima Azuma figured out the direction and decided to stop by a nearby supermarket to buy some ingredients.
From now on, his apartment wouldn't be just his ownKasumigaoka Utaha would also be staying.
It could be predicted that the food consumption would definitely increase.
Even though Kasumigaoka Utaha hadn't mentioned anything about "eating for free," Yukima Azuma knew he had to be well-prepared.
Although this was the Academy district, due to the spring break, the streets were quite empty.
Turning a corner, a spring breeze blew by, carrying the final coolness of the season, along with the pink cherry blossom petals falling like rain.
Having just exercised, Yukima Azuma squinted slightly, enjoying this natural gift.
The saying "When faced with trouble, one can ask the spring breeze" seemed fitting here.
A gentle spring breeze like this surely possessed a special power to sweep away worries and clear the knots in one's heart.
However, it seemed that the power of the spring breeze was not limited to that.
In his field of vision, a white object was floating in the wind.
Yukima Azuma blinked in surprise, instinctively catching the object that was drifting towards him in the spring breeze.
In his hand, the soft texture and faint floral scent immediately filled his senses.
It was a white beret.
As he looked more closely at the item, Yukima Azuma experienced a strange sense of familiarity.
It felt as if this spring breeze, this white beret, were carrying with them two words:
