My Stepsister in Kyoto

"...this is great."

Sonoko was shocked by how greatly his writing had improved. She tried to search for suitable words to describe his writing, yet only those words could come out as she lacked the necessary vocabulary to describe his writing. 

"Thank you." 

Mizuto was glad to meet Sonoko somehow. 

Yet, at the same time, he realized that life was like this—unpredictable. 

After all, who would have thought this meeting, which was clearly something that he didn't want to do, somehow cleared up and fixed all the problems in his heart?

However, life was like this, right?

It is unpredictable. 

Mizuto thought that even if he had a system, he wasn't omnipotent, but he knew that he was the one who limited himself.

Even Genghis Khan, who lost his father early, would never have thought that he would conquer half of the world.

Yet, he did it!

Or rather, all of those leaders who stood above the others didn't have a good beginning.

All of them were either miserable, yet they never gave up and kept fighting, realizing something impossible was possible. 

If they can do it, then he should be able to do it, right?

Whether it was Alexander, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, or Napoleon were all human, they had two legs, two hands, and two eyes, and all of them had similar features to the rest of humanity, yet if they could become an existence that could do something that was impossible to do, then why couldn't Mizuto do it?

Especially when he had a system. 

It felt strange, yet in just a single moment, everything changed, and he felt like he was invincible. Even if he was thrown into the sea of flame, he believed that he could swim back home instead of dying and being burnt.

Still, even if he could also become immortal, achieving the dream of Qin Shi Huang, Mizuto knew that he needed to eat. He had been writing for so many hours without stopping, and all his energy was consumed during that moment. 

*Growl!*

The sound of his stomach was like a hungry beast. 

Sonoko, who was satisfied with his work, also noticed the rumble in Mizuto's stomach, which made her realize that she was also so hungry. She had been accompanying, staying, and supporting him during this rewritten process, and due to this, her stomach was also rumbling even though the sound wasn't as loud as him. 

"...." 

"How about we eat?" 

"Okay." 

Still, there was no doubt that the relationship between the two had become closer due to this. 

While Mizuto didn't think that this relationship had anything to do with romance, he was satisfied with it as this meeting with his editor brought him many rewards. 

Coming out of the hotel, the two walked side by side, but he could see Sonoko looking around in doubt. "Is the scenery of Kyoto at night something so unusual?" 

"You can't blame me. In Tokyo, everyone is still working at this time." Sonoko wasn't sure whether she felt jealous or disdain the people of Kyoto since, at this time, the people in Tokyo were still lively, either drinking or working, yet the people in Kyoto had already fallen asleep, showing a lack of energy.

Yet, even so, Sonoko had to say she was jealous and wanted to work here somehow since she could feel the warmth of humanity as most companies in this city had let their workers sleep.

If this was in Tokyo, many companies wouldn't let their workers go home.

Still, Mizuto broke that dream of hers. "I think people in Kyoto are the same. They should be sleeping in the office right now." 

"As expected, everywhere is the same, huh?" 

Sonoko thought that Kyoto was a paradise where the warmth of humanity for every worker still existed, yet she knew that it was just an illusion. In every part of this country, it was all the same. The workers had no human rights as they had become slaves to the companies. 

"If you want to live well, then it should be in the countryside, but don't expect to have money." 

"As always, in the end, it's money." 

"Let's stop talking about this. There isn't much to eat at this time." 

"There isn't?" 

"Unlike in your place, most of the stores should be closed before midnight, and only a few places are open." 

"..." Sonoko fell in silence, then asked, "So, what can we eat?" 

"Either fast food like McDonald's or a simple dinner." 

"Let's have dinner. I don't want to eat fast food at midnight." 

"I agree." Mizuto nodded, but then he felt Sonoko stare at him. "What's wrong?" 

"I thought you young generation like something unhealthy the most."

"That's a skepticism of the old generation." 

However, what he received wasn't a smart comeback but a kick on his buttocks as age was something taboo for a woman, especially for Sonoko, who was in her early 30s! 

Still, they didn't fight that long as they found the dinner and quickly chose their dinners. 

While Mizuto chose a simple tonkatsu set, Sonoko chose a yudofu (boiled tofu) set, a menu that she would have a hard time finding in Tokyo. 

"Do you like yudofu?" Mizuto asked. 

"I want to try. What's wrong?" 

"It doesn't have much taste." 

"You don't like it?" 

"I don't really like it, but it isn't bad, though." 

"It doesn't matter since it seems it has a low calorie." 

His expression became subtle as he thought Sonoko was quite similar to Rinko Akashigata for some reason, yet to maintain their figure, they had to do this. Eating something oily and a lot of calories might be delicious, but in exchange for that, they would become overweight, and it was definitely something detrimental to being fat in this country, especially for a single woman like Sonoko. 

Soon, their food arrived, and the two ate quietly, filling their empty stomachs. 

Still, it was probably because of her habit of eating quite fast; even though it was midnight and she had nothing to do, she finished her food so quickly. Nevertheless, it didn't affect him, and he just ate at his own pace. 

"What's wrong?" 

As he ate, Sonoko was staring at him, so he couldn't help but wonder whether she had something to say. 

"I don't have anything to do." 

"Then, you are looking at my face?" 

"...." 

Sonoko couldn't be blamed since Mizuto was so handsome, after all, especially his eyes. 

If there was a "Phantom Troupe" in this world, then she was afraid that his eyes might be taken. "You are lucky that you don't like on the Hunter x Hunter world." 

Mizuto rolled his eyes and said, "If I lived in that world, I might have become the leader of one of the V6 countries, manipulating the world with my charm." 

"..." Sonoko. 

"But do you like Shounen manga, Machida-san?" 

"It's okay, but it is more like part of my job to learn more about the markets to see what kind of stories are popular." 

"My story isn't considered mainstream, though." 

"Sometimes, we have to gamble. Still, before that, we will put your book online to see the reactions of the readers." 

As expected, Sonoko started to talk about the work, showing how workaholic she was or if she had nothing except for work.

Probably the latter, Mizuto thought. 

Yet, this had become something common for everyone. 

The work took up most of their time, so how could they have time to take an interest in the other things? If they had time to do that, they might as well sleep. 

However, Mizuto didn't intend to stop her since he could see how serious she was when she talked about the future of his book, but as expected, he also felt a little sorry for her. 

"Let me pay for it." 

"Is that okay?" 

"How can I let my writer and someone who is much younger than me treat me?" 

"I am a man, you know? Isn't it normal for a man to treat a woman?" 

While some men might argue that such a thing wasn't necessary and that it made the relationship become impure due to the money involved, as the man had always treated the woman, who cares?

Still, his words caused Sonoko to laugh. 

"....." 

"...that's rude." 

"Sorry, sorry." Sonoko smiled and said, "Do you have an interest in me?" Still, she regretted her choice of words as she realized that she might have made their relationship awkward. 

"I do." Still, Mizuto nodded. "You're a charming woman, after all, Machida-san." 

"...." 

Sonoko was stunned for a while, feeling her heartbeat move fast before she took a deep breath and slapped his arm. "Stop saying something stupid! I will treat you! You can't refuse me!" 

This time, Mizuto didn't refuse and just let Sonoko treat him. Yet, he had to say, he felt like a gigolo for some reason. However, such a man, who didn't work and relied on his woman's money, was probably suitable for Sonoko, who was a workaholic. 

Though, when they left the restaurant, Mizuto couldn't help but apologize. "I am sorry, Machida-san." 

"Huh? Why did you apologize?" Sonoko was confused. 

"I planned to guide you around and have fun in this city, but I made you stay with me to work until late like this." 

Sonoko smiled and said, "You don't need to worry. This is something normal for me." 

Having to stay late to work was normal for her, and she didn't think it was weird. 

"... is it normal for you?" 

"It might be strange for you, but when you become an adult, you will understand." Still, the mood became awkward due to her words, so she quickly said, "Anyway, let's go back. Is it so late already, or do you want to stay at the hotel with me?" She thought to tease him, but—

"Eh? Is that okay?" 

"...."

As expected, this guy wasn't as innocent as he appeared to be.