MTLNOVEL Chapter 13: An Interesting Guy
Yuu realized he was being followed in an alley not far from his house.
At first, he thought it was just his imagination. A beautiful girl with a great figure shouldn't be stalking a humble, handsome guy like him…
But when he grew cautious and checked behind him using his phone, he noticed that even though he deliberately took quiet alleys, a figure reading a book kept following him. Only then did he have to accept that she was indeed stalking him.
So, what was her reason?
Yuu didn't think he was attractive enough to warrant being followed by a beautiful girl. After racking his brain, the most likely possibility was that his performance at Shibuya Station had attracted a "fan".
But she didn't approach him to talk or look at him with curious eyes—just kept following from a distance, leaving him a bit confused.
(Who is she? What does she want? Is she interested in my body or my skills?)
Regardless, even if this level of stalking wasn't illegal, Yuu wouldn't ignore it and let her follow him all the way home.
Though the woman had a great figure, long legs, and was very pretty, any action that invaded his privacy or potentially endangered Sora was something Yuu wouldn't tolerate.
The corner of his lips curled into a slight sneer, as if showing a cold smile.
He suddenly turned around, heading into a dimly lit alley with few streetlights.
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"Caught?"
Since he started leading her through twists and turns, deliberately heading to secluded areas, Utaha knew this observation session was nearly over.
This was expected—she wasn't a professional stalker, so it was odd she hadn't been caught until now.
The important thing was what she gained from the process.
Utaha had never observed someone so deeply, or rather, focused on their daily behavior to guess what kind of person they were. It gave her a new experience and a deeper understanding of character portrayal.
To make characters come alive, one must first observe how real people live.
Walking habits, the direction of their gaze, expressions when talking to elementary school kids, confidence and style when shooting a basketball, reactions to a strange stalker like her…
All these were essential for creating vivid characters and making a novel come alive, the foundation every writer must master.
In the past, despite her writing talent that shamed her peers, she clearly hadn't honed this foundation well, leading to the tragic fate of her novel facing cancellation after three volumes.
So, though she hadn't uncovered the story behind the young pianist, Utaha didn't regret her impulsive actions this time.
The results were bountiful.
She now desperately wanted to find a hotel, pull out her laptop, and write for a day and night, afraid the inspiration would slip through her fingers, wasting this opportunity!
But before that, she had to "settle" things with him.
"Let's do this."
After the bustle came calm.
Utaha took a slow breath, tucked away her notebook, followed his steps, and with a neutral expression, entered the dimly lit, slightly creepy alley.
Being followed was deeply uncomfortable.
As a woman—or rather, a stunningly beautiful girl with an alluring figure—Utaha understood this well. She was prepared to explain, apologize, and thank him.
Of course, pepper spray and an alarm were gripped tightly in her palm. In this alley, where it seemed like thugs or vagrants could appear at any moment to kidnap her, she was ready to protect herself.
*KRAK!*
The sound of footsteps was stark in the eerily silent night. Though she tried to stay calm, Utaha still felt tense.
Her palms sweated, her heart raced, and she pursed her lips tightly, cautiously turning a corner, stepping carefully into an alley more shadowed than lit.
Dusk had long turned to night, dark clouds covered the moon, and sudden bird chirps seemed distorted into hoarse wails.
Seeing the empty, silent path ahead with no one in sight, Utaha instinctively hugged her arms, seeking a bit of security.
"Tch, what a weird sense of humor…"
Deep down, she knew this was likely a classic trick: "lure the stalker to a secluded place, circle behind them, and when they're startled by losing the trail, calmly ask, 'Looking for me?'"
(He probably wants to scare me with the atmosphere here, right?)
After all, with all the detours he took, he had plenty of chances to confront her earlier but only now chose to act.
That's why she called it a weird sense of humor.
Thinking this, Utaha walked to the middle of the alley, looking left and right at the branching paths but still finding no one.
(Once he entered the alley, he must've sprinted, circled back here, and is preparing to sneak up on me.)
Adopting the mindset of a detective novel protagonist, Utaha confidently made her judgment, casually brushing back her soft black hair, her lips unconsciously curving into a smile.
"Whatever, I was wrong first. I'll let you scare me this time, kid~"
She wasn't unreasonable.
This playful mentality made Utaha feel more relaxed. After guessing his next move, she pretended to know nothing, looking around anxiously, her steps quickening with fear and unease, like a timid girl lost in a forbidden area.
And so she walked and walked…
Ten minutes later.
Utaha stopped, her gaze suddenly sweeping behind her, then up at every spot on the walls where someone could hide.
"Where is he?!"
Dropping her act, she panicked slightly.
Where was the promised trick?
How could she have gone back and forth through this alley two or three times without seeing anyone?!
Don't tell her she'd encountered a ghost?
"…No, that's not it!"
Her wine-red eyes widened, and Utaha's mouth fell open as she realized:
"I've been played?!"
He led her into the alley with no intention of confronting her or asking why, too lazy to keep "walking the dog." so he just ditched her in a random place!
She'd guessed his weird sense of humor but hadn't anticipated his complete indifference to the "beautiful girl stalking incident." abandoning her without following the rules!
"Heh…"
Realizing this, Utaha couldn't help clenching her fists, her ample chest heaving with anger, her face showing a furious smile as she gritted her teeth, a cold laugh escaping.
"What an interesting guy!"
She finally uttered that clichéd line, but she felt no joy—only the urge to throw her notebook at him.
If this was punishment for stalking him without permission, fine, Utaha accepted it. She wasn't so petty as to hold a grudge—
But she wouldn't just accept this bad luck either.
Most girls are selfish. Even if they know they're wrong, when retaliated against, they still feel upset and indignant.
As for the cold, July's weather wasn't enough to chill her.
Taking a deep breath to calm her emotions, Utaha walked toward the alley's exit with a flat expression, but she heard the sound of paper rustling in the breeze nearby.
Shining her phone's flashlight on the wall, she found a note taped there, seemingly written in a hurry with slightly messy handwriting:
[I'm heading home first. Not sure when, or if, you'll see this.]
[Anyway, if you have something important to discuss, you can talk to me directly when we happen to meet someday.]
[I'm a good person, you know. As long as you don't stalk me, you can say whatever you want, and depending on the situation, it's free of charge.]
[But if there's a next time, I'll choose to call the police.]
[Lastly, this alley's dark, and screaming might not be heard, so be careful on your way home.]
[Thanks, maybe because the area's pretty safe, Miss Stalker.]
"…"
Utaha fell silent, reading the note before slowly crumpling it into a ball.
She wanted to toss it to the ground but hesitated, then tucked it into her bag.
"Leaving a note for a stalker… This guy's brain is seriously abnormal."
Yet his tone was so polite, mixing threats with concern, making it impossible for her to stay mad or say, "I'll remember this grudge!"—she knew her own fault and couldn't get angry.
Letting out a soft, disgusted sigh, Utaha pulled out her notebook and jotted down the final point of the day:
[No relation to pedophilia; he's not a normal guy, can't be judged by normal logic.]