After the lunch break ended, Busujima Murasaki left Kamiyā Yuu's office and stopped disturbing his work.
*Rustle!*
Kamiyā Yuu picked up the small stack of key animation storyboards beside his desk. After flipping through them for a while, his brows unconsciously furrowed.
These storyboards were the result of his entire morning's work. After carefully reviewing them, he found that their quality was worse than defective scraps.
The events of the past few days had made Kamiyā Yuu feel as though several months had passed. Even his skill at drawing storyboards had grown somewhat rusty.
"Last night, Sora and I stayed up too late. I fell asleep without even entering the consciousness space, and I didn't have time to adjust my condition."
Kamiyā Yuu crumpled all of the morning's results into a ball and threw them into the trash can beside him.
"No choice. I'll enter the consciousness space and adjust my overall mental state. Otherwise, getting back into shape in reality would take at least several days."
With that, he leaned back in his office chair and closed his eyes.
As his mind sank into darkness, he followed that familiar sensation and entered the consciousness space.
In an instant, the environment there became identical to his real office.
The unique mental state of the consciousness space quickly allowed him to immerse himself in constructing new storyboards.
Kamiyā Yuu was very familiar with the changes in his mental state inside the consciousness space. He had named it the "mental excitation" state. In a more embarrassing mood, he had once tried names like "God Mode" or "Divine Descent."
Inside the consciousness space, his mental strength would be expanded without limit. His concentration, creativity, logical thinking, and other abilities surpassed ordinary limits, entering an indescribably all-capable state.
Inside the consciousness space, Kamiyā Yuu waved his hand. The sensation from his body was no different from reality. Strength and precision were both perfectly simulated.
With a thought, an animation pencil and special storyboard paper appeared in his hand.
"I'll start revising from Sakura Kyōko's appearance in episode twelve. The anime has only aired up to episode nine, so the overall production schedule isn't too rushed."
Recalling the revised storyboards he had already planned out, Kamiyā Yuu began drawing line by line.
In this state, it took him only ten minutes to recover the familiar feeling of drawing storyboards.
Storyboards as refined as finished key animation began to appear one after another.
Beside each storyboard, he wrote concise explanations describing the requirements for turning them into key animation.
The follow-up work could then be handed over to the group of key animators in the animation department.
Kamiyā Yuu practiced in the consciousness space for most of the day.
In reality, he had only slept for about thirty minutes.
When he woke, he clenched his right hand in satisfaction.
The feeling from his practice in the consciousness space still faintly remained. He could even feel the mark left by gripping the pencil for too long.
"Work, work. I'll think about other things after getting off."
Muttering to himself, Kamiyā Yuu picked up the pencil on his desk.
His movements were no longer awkward like before. With smooth, flowing strokes, he began drawing the revised storyboards needed for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.'
Soon, the strong-willed red-haired girl appeared vividly on the storyboard paper.
Every movement, every expression, and every line had been carefully considered.
...
Kamiyā Sora lay weakly on her desk, looking at the scenery outside the window.
Beneath her silver hair, her lonely, absent-minded gaze watched bright strands of sunlight pass through the leaves, swaying gently with the breeze.
Yet even such a peaceful and pleasant scene could not dispel the gloom in her heart.
Her mind was filled with the words Kamiyā Yuu had spoken to her the day before yesterday.
Now, she could almost see that thieving cat acting intimate with Kamiyā Yuu at the 'Yosuganosora' animation company.
"Yuu, you big idiot."
Kamiyā Sora puffed up her cheeks angrily and muttered under her breath.
When Kamiyā Yuu said those words, why had she not doubted them at all?
Probably because she had already had a similar premonition.
When she met Morishita Aoi.
When she met Uehara Etsuki.
Kamiyā Sora had known that their relationship with Kamiyā Yuu was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
What angered her even more was why the person Kamiyā Yuu confessed to had not been Morishita Aoi or Uehara Etsuki.
If it had been one of them, she might have been able to understand, at least a little.
Kamiyā Yuu had indeed changed.
She had clearly sensed it from the moment he ambitiously began creating the first volume of 'RWBY.'
Was that a good thing?
In truth, from that point on, Kamiyā Yuu had become more outstanding. Both his personality and abilities had undergone earth-shaking changes.
But Kamiyā Sora wished even more that he were still the older brother who always stayed by her side.
Back then, she herself had been Kamiyā Yuu's entire world.
"No. If Yuu hadn't changed, then my relationship with him wouldn't have changed like this either."
Kamiyā Sora felt deeply conflicted.
Her delicate face was full of exhaustion and helplessness.
The familiar faces from the 'Yosuganosora' animation company surfaced in her mind.
Uehara Etsuki, Morishita Aoi, Yūki Chinatsu, and even Gogyo Ruri, who got along very well with her.
At that moment, Kamiyā Sora felt an incredibly urgent desire to graduate from school immediately.
After graduation, she would be able to join the animation company where Kamiyā Yuu worked and stay by his side, preventing those thieving cats from taking advantage of any openings.
Yesterday, Kamiyā Sora had clung to Kamiyā Yuu all day.
She had asked many questions she had never asked before.
She had also told him many of the worries buried in her heart.
Yesterday had probably been one of the happiest days she had experienced in the past year.
Without Kamiyā Yuu's unsatisfying answers, it might have become the happiest day of her entire life.
Remembering his confession, her heart ached again as though pricked by needles.
She lowered her head even further, unwilling to let others see her increasingly pale face.
"Yuu... I want to see you."
...
*Click!*
Kamiyā Yuu had just opened the door while carrying ingredients bought from the supermarket when a white figure rushed into his arms with a fragrant breeze.
Like a clingy kitten, she hugged his neck tightly and rubbed against him, as though afraid of losing the person before her.
Kamiyā Yuu had already sensed someone behind the door.
He put down the ingredients and gently wrapped his arms around Kamiyā Sora's waist.
"Sora, school ended early today?"
"Mm..."
Kamiyā Sora shook her head.
After letting go of him, she nervously played with her silver hair and explained softly:
"I applied to leave early during lunch break. The teacher knows my health has always been poor, so she approved it."
"Do you feel unwell somewhere?"
Kamiyā Yuu quickly placed his right hand on her forehead to check her temperature.
"Nothing."
Kamiyā Sora shook her head calmly.
After a pause, she bit her lip and said with a complicated expression:
"I just really wanted to see you."
Kamiyā Yuu froze.
Lowering his right hand, he asked in a complicated tone:
"Sora, you've been waiting for me since noon?"
"Mm."
Looking at Kamiyā Sora's pale and fragile face, Kamiyā Yuu knew this must be the aftereffect of the words he had spoken the day before yesterday.
She was like a little girl whose beloved toy had been stolen away.
Inside the apartment, the television was off, and her laptop was nowhere to be seen.
For Kamiyā Sora, who suffered from "internet dependence," this was far beyond unusual.
It also showed just how uneasy she felt right now.
Kamiyā Yuu placed the ingredients in the refrigerator, then carried Kamiyā Sora, who had been following behind him, into the bedroom.
Together, they fell onto the soft bed.
Her startled appearance was fragile and adorable.
Kamiyā Yuu couldn't help lowering his head and kissing her sweet, beautiful lips.
As he carefully tasted that sweetness, Kamiyā Sora's emotions gradually settled down.
For some reason, however, tears glimmered behind her tightly shut eyes.
"Sora."
"Mm."
"Tomorrow... no, from now on, don't go to school anymore. Stay by my side."
Kamiyā Yuu whispered gently in her ear.
Kamiyā Sora lifted her small head in confusion.
Her tear-bright eyes looked at his face.
She could tell he was serious.
"I'll explain things to the school. Tomorrow, we'll move into an apartment closer to the company. Starting today, you're my special assistant."
Kamiyā Yuu raised his right hand and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes, feeling a deep pang of tenderness.
The progress between him and Busujima Murasaki could be slowed down.
The one thing Kamiyā Yuu did not want was to keep hurting Kamiyā Sora.
He had not expected her to be even more fragile about this matter than he had imagined.
Was this pale, delicate girl really still the same Kamiyā Sora in his memory—the calm, slightly venomous, and very intelligent girl?
Kamiyā Sora curled up in his arms, hesitation flickering across her face.
"You don't want to?"
Kamiyā Yuu asked softly.
"No. You can decide."
Kamiyā Sora rubbed against his chest dependently.
Then she couldn't help taking the initiative to kiss his neck, biting it hard enough to leave a faint mark.
There was nothing left in high school that Kamiyā Sora was attached to.
Since that was the case, they could simply go through the formalities and have her return only on exam days.
...
The next day, Kamiyā Yuu arrived at Kamiyā Sora's school in a suit.
This was one of the best high schools in Tokyo.
Those who could enter were either elite students with far higher-than-average deviation scores or the children of influential families.
Kamiyā Sora had been admitted based on grades that completely surpassed the entire school.
Thanks to her grades, Kamiyā Yuu had barely paid the expensive tuition fees over the past three years.
Otherwise, with his meager early salary as a key animator, even working himself into the hospital repeatedly would not have been enough to cover her tuition.
The so-called "deviation score" referred to a numerical value measuring deviation from the average. It was a formula used in Japan to measure a student's academic ability and ranking.
It reflected each person's level among all examinees.
In Japan, the deviation score was seen as an accurate reflection of learning ability and naturally became a standard for evaluating academic performance.
The formula was:
[(Individual Score - Average Score) ÷ Standard Deviation] × 10 + 50 = Deviation Score
The school with the highest deviation score in Japan was the University of Tokyo, the only S-rank university. Among its faculties, the science departments had the highest deviation score, reaching 73.
Generally speaking, a student with a deviation score of 50 was considered fairly good. Above 60 was enough to enter some good universities. 75 was the highest value.
Kamiyā Sora basically maintained a deviation score of 75. In her last individual deviation score test, she had even ranked thirteenth nationwide.
As a side note, Urashima Keitarō, the male protagonist of the harem anime pioneer 'Love Hina,' dreamed of getting into the University of Tokyo, but his deviation score was only 48.
Since Kamiyā Yuu had already scheduled a phone conversation with Kamiyā Sora's homeroom teacher, after explaining the situation to the school gate guard, someone soon escorted him to the school chairman's office.
Kamiyā Sora was the top-scoring student in the third year.
At such a critical time, the entire school had very high expectations for her.
Her grades concerned not only her own future but also the reputation of the school.
"Mr. Kamiyā, correct? I am your younger sister Kamiyā's homeroom teacher, Furukawa Ōhira. This is our school's chairwoman, Ms. Maezono."
After Kamiyā Yuu entered the chairwoman's office, a stern-looking old man introduced himself first, then introduced the kindly old woman seated behind the luxurious desk.
Although the chairwoman looked quite old, she possessed a composed, intellectual aura that made her impossible to underestimate.
"Please, have a seat."
Chairwoman Maezono stood and gestured to Kamiyā Yuu with a smile.
After the three of them sat down, Kamiyā Sora's homeroom teacher, Furukawa Ōhira, spoke with a gloomy expression.
"Mr. Kamiyā, you said over the phone that you do not wish for your younger sister to continue attending school. What is your reason?"
Kamiyā Sora's grades naturally also affected the personal interests of this homeroom teacher.
Having such an outstanding student in his class was itself a source of pride for him.
"Yes. We would like to understand what led you to make the decision to stop Kamiyā from attending school. Has Kamiyā herself agreed to this decision?"
Chairwoman Maezono asked gently.
Kamiyā Yuu smiled and answered:
"My younger sister's health has never been very good. Recently, her body has become especially weak. So I thought it would be better for her to rest at home for this period. If anything happens, I can remain by her side."
Furukawa Ōhira and Chairwoman Maezono exchanged a glance.
Kamiyā Yuu's explanation was perfectly reasonable.
If it had been an ordinary student, they would likely have approved it already.
Furukawa Ōhira looked at Kamiyā Yuu and shook his head with difficulty.
"Mr. Kamiyā, you know the national unified exams will be held in a few months. This concerns Kamiyā's future. Her grades are outstanding. If she maintains them, entering the University of Tokyo would not be difficult."
Strictly speaking, this was not Kamiyā Yuu's first time entering this school.
The first time had been when Kamiyā Sora's university application choices caused a commotion, forcing Kamiyā Yuu to come to the school as her guardian for a proper discussion.
At that time, Kamiyā Yuu had not yet become the Kamiyā Yuu of today.
"My sister and I are not very interested in the University of Tokyo. She attended high school mainly because I used to have very little time to accompany her at home, and I didn't want to leave her with unpleasant memories."
"Her studies are important, but I care more about her health."
"Or are you saying that if anything happens to her health at school, the school is willing to take full responsibility?"
Kamiyā Yuu looked at the old homeroom teacher with a faint smile, leaving him speechless.
Furukawa Ōhira did not dare answer that question.
Chairwoman Maezono removed her glasses and chuckled.
"Kamiyā is a student of our school. If something happens to her health while she is here, then naturally, the responsibility will be borne by the school."