The Writer Osamu FF

Chapter 39

In addition to the original picture, Megumi had given the cover some more thought and painted it on a book she had drawn herself. This gave Kaede the opportunity to look at it from this angle when the book was lying on a table. The black-haired girl had also drawn a red cloth ribbon so that nobody would have to buy a bookmark.

Kaede found it indescribable what she could see in the picture. It showed a beautiful but mysterious garden surrounded by rose bushes.

In the middle was a gentle path made of gravel and sand. Next to the path were some stone pillars, followed by a small staircase that would lead further into the garden.

Megumi had really summed up the cover very well. Every person Kaede knew would want to retreat to a garden like this. Her mother, who could no longer cope with her muscle disease, Kazumi, who would want to avoid the perpetrators and hide in it. Her grandmother, who before her dementia would have gone to such a place to think of her deceased husband.

Chika, who had sought refuge from the bullying. Just like Megumi herself, when her classmates would laugh at her name and her glasses again. But Kaede herself would also have liked a place like this for herself. A place where she could think about her past. A place where she could be clear about her feelings, which she had never expressed to anyone except her grandmother. In such a garden, she would certainly have had many ideas for writing.

"I...thank you...Megumi..." Kaede breathed softly and really hadn't expected it. Especially because Kaede hadn't given her or Chika any texts that addressed all these topics.

"I was happy to do it." the girl smiled. "What should I give you for it?" Kaede wanted to know straight away, which surprised Megumi. "Nothing at all. Your friendship is good enough."

Kaede felt a little uncomfortable. She would actually like to give Megumi something in return. Even if it was money. "Just tell me what the title is. Then I'll be happy too." "Yes, I'd like to know that too! Have you found one yet?" came from Chika promptly.

"To be honest, I don't know myself yet. I thought I'd come up with something over time. But I think I'll have to wait until the end." Kaede admitted and had never thought about it again since she started writing.

"But...what I do know is that I don't want to use my real name." "Whaaaat? Why not?" Chika asked in astonishment. "It's your novel. Why shouldn't you use your real name?"

"I don't know how everything will turn out. I'd rather keep my identity unknown until I know whether my book is really good. There are many artists who use an alias to protect their families and themselves." Kaede explained her thoughts.

"Oh, I see. So you don't want to be in the public eye if your book goes viral?" Chika nodded understandably. She had never thought about that. She often used made-up names when gambling.

"Have you thought of one yet?" asked Megumi, who always wrote her signature on her drawings so that no one could steal them. However, she didn't do this with her real name either. "No...but I'm thinking of using some combination of my real name."

"From Kaede Tokoyami, then..." Chika murmured, holding her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I'll think of something." she promised, which made Kaede very happy. Her two friends were really great. She was glad that she had stood up for them and not looked away.