This is the First Chapter to Our Novel

“Akimoto-san.”

“Yes sensei.” Akimoto said as if I were her samurai teacher.

“Progress update?”

“I finished volume three chapter five.”

“Ahhhhh! We’ve got nothing! Fujioka-san’s right!”

You should’ve automatically Akimoto wasn’t referencing our novel, but the one she was reading. Seriously, this is impossible! We’ve gotten the main ideas but now what!?

It was already well into the afternoon, and my document was blank.

“You’re really not helping me at all… I should send you back home.” I grumbled to myself.

Akimoto rolled over on my bed to face me. “Sure I am, I’m getting inspiration right now by reading this light novel.”

“The Time I Got Reincarnated as a Boy in a World Where Yaoi is King and Also it’s an RPG…”

I recited the title of the book she was reading.

“How the hell is that gonna help you write a contemporary romance!?”

“It’s not about the content my dear naive Kiyotaka-kun, it’s about the writing itself.”

“Don’t gimme that. I saw you pack them when we were at your house.”

“Mmm~”

That’s not a response…

“I forgot to as you last night Kaoru-chan.” A new voice through itself into the fray. “Are you and Mako dating?”

“S-Sayuri!? Since when have you been in here!?”

“Bro… I’ve been playing OS2 for almost three hours now. You even changed while I was in here… I was gonna call you a pervert but I had to clutch.”

I didn’t have a mirror or anything but if I did, my face would be a deep red.

Akimoto set down her book and sat up. “Nah we aren’t dating. I’ve only known him for like… two weeks or so.”

“Shame… I would really like a cute older sister like you.”

Akimoto crawled on my bed closer to Sayuri and wrapped her arms around her.

“Awww! You’re too precious! It’d be amazing if I could take you home with me!”

Directly after finishing her sentence a light novel made impact squarely with her head. She fell off my bed with a yelp and glared at me.

“Hey! What the hell was that for!?”

“For not writing!” And making a move on my sister! 

After a short back and forth, I convinced Akimoto to sit at the table and write. She reluctantly did so---crossing her arms and legs, then frowning at me with a pout.

I turned the laptop with the blank document towards her.

“Please, write,” I said.

Akimoto pounded out a few words and turned it back towards me. It read: “I. Hate. You.”

“Okay… You’ve thrown two books at me and now I throw one and you’re acting like this!?”

I’ll admit her pouting face was really cute. But that isn’t enough to get her out of her commitments!

“Haa~ fine… I have a suggestion actually.”

“Really!?”

“You said Suzuki-san starts off popular. I think we should just cut that. Who’s gonna relate to that? Well except me of cou—”

A second book has hit Akimoto.

“Okay-okay! I think she’ll feel more relatable if we make her more like you.”

I sigh and shake my head—I do sadly understand what she means.

“Fair enough… So… how do we start? I’ve been staring at my cursor for hours.”

“Kiyotaka-kun… have you been trying to start this novel on a whim? Have you plotted out any scenes or interactions?”

My face felt hot again… I have this nervous reaction too much, I’m gonna get it checked out. “No… I haven’t…”

“There’s problem number one.”

“...”

“I just laid it out perfectly for you and you got nothing?”

“...”

I’m sorry, Akimoto.

“Okay… Oh! I know! To start off, let's do some RP!”

“Roleplay…?”

“Yeah! To get ourselves in the scenes. Just get an idea of a character from the story and improv some ideas.”

“Do we really have to do all that…? Can’t we just do the web thing again? Or talk through a scene?”

“Nope! We’re doing this!”

***

After disappearing for a while, Akimoto came back dressed in baggy white jeans, a white blazer and a sarashi covering her chest.

“What the hell is that!? This isn’t Yakuza roleplay club!”

“I thought it was neat…”
“Why’d you even bring that!?”

She acted really timid. “You never know…”

***

Next was a white Pl*g suit.

“I’m not getting in the robot, Akimoto-san…”

***

“Well? Texas Red? What’ll it be?”

“Again, why!?”

What situation could call for a cowboy outfit?

***

“Woah! Woah! Woah! Stop stop stop! Ahhh!”

Akimoto was covered in thick, detailed black orange and red body paint—without any clothes. Sayuri stood next to her with a match and body oil.

***

“Okay! I’ve had enou—”

Akimoto stepped into my room with a high school uniform. Well, the skirt was a sorta risky length, her blazer was deep purple and her hair was pink. Clearly an anime cosplay, but that's exactly what we needed for this scene.
“Why did it take you so long to decide on this?”

“Whatever. We’ve wasted enough time, let’s get to it.”

I had already changed into my actual school uniform.

“Uhm— how do I begin…?”

“Whatever feels natural. Just uh, pretend you’re a confident guy that sorta knows everyone but doesn’t have friends, black hair. Boom, there’s a character.”

“O-okay… Let’s begin.”

“Scene, homeroom, beginning of the new school year.” Akimoto set the stage.

Line Makoto: “Hey, you.”

Line Kaoru: “Hm?”

Line Makoto: “Here, I think you’d like this.”

I handed Akimoto a blank sheet of paper.

Line Kaoru: “What’s this…?”

Line Makoto: “I’ve seen you watching guitar videos on your phone before… Our school is starting a rock club. I thought you might be interested.”

Akimoto looks down at the sheet then back up at me. She pretends to be a little embarrassed.

Line Kaoru: “T-thank you…”

“Probably insert a little monologue here or something…” Akimoto whispers.

Line Makoto: “The clubs’ still looking for a lead guitarist, so I think they’d be happy if you tried out.”

Line Kaoru: “For real!? Ah— sorry. I meant, for real?”

I manage to pull off a decent smile. I say this because based on Akimoto not cringing, it must’ve been alright.

Line Makoto: “And based on their skill, I think you’d get the part as well.”

“Uh, then two guys come and pull me away to hangout with them.”

“Suzuki-san then has a short monologue about him noticing her watching videos or something.”

After that it naturally felt like our scene came to an end. Also because clapping came from my desk-chair.

“Wow. That was not bad. I didn’t want to teamkill myself.”

It was Sayuri. I forgotten she was here, meaning she saw all of that…

“What does that mean…?”

“It means it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t terrible. I expected a lot worse.”

Akimoto came up behind me and slapped my back.

“Wow Kiyotaka-kun, I didn’t know you could actually carry yourself with confidence. If you acted like that normally I probably would’ve fallen for you.”

“What?”

“Good acting! But, that feels like a scene more towards the end of the first chapter or something… It’s not a good opener.”

Akimoto plopped down right next to where I was gonna sit.