Writer's Block

Matsuki had plenty of time to hone her writing skills, what with being an outcast and all. She hated being alone and without friends, but she made up for it by putting her heart and soul into her novels. She wrote about love, adventure, friendship, anything her imagination came up with. And as it turned out, she was pretty good at what she did. She began to publish her books and became a famous author. She was so great at it, she was accepted into Hope's Peak with the title of Super High School Level Writer. It was a dream come true.

And even so, she didn't feel so lonely. The characters she created gave her a lot to think about, so it wasn't like she was completely alone. There was one character she loved the most. A brave and valiant prince, who was handsome and kind. He protected his people no matter what the cost, and put his kingdom at top priority. The safety of his subjects was always his top concern. And as it happened, the books she wrote about him were always the most popular. Men and women, young and old, everyone loved reading the tales of his journey and trials. But there was always a question she was asked about him. "Will the prince ever find true love?"

If she was being honest with herself, Matsuki wanted to give him a love interest. But not a single character she came up with felt like the right match, nor did any of her pre-existing characters work with him either. Not to mention there was all the story details that needed to be worked out. How would they meet? Would it be love at first sight? How would it tie into the story? Would they get married? How would they realize they were soulmates? What kind of person would the prince fall in love with? There was just too much to consider!

Writer's block was the worst.

She tried to distract herself from the tales of her prince with her new school life. She managed to make some friends, one of them a Super High School Level Biker of all people, and put her next story in the back of her mind until her free time. But no matter what, her writer's block persisted. She couldn't continue like this. She needed something to fix this. She needed inspiration. But what? How was she going to find the source of inspiration she needed?

"Excuse me!" As she was sitting in the library staring at the rough draft for her next book, she heard a voice in front of her. Matsuki looked up, wondering who was talking to her. When she saw who it was, she nearly jumped back in shock. It was a young man around her own age, with combed black hair and red eyes that seemed to look into her own soul. He stood with a slightly stiff posture, his hands behind his back. His mere presence felt commanding and powerful. Matsuki couldn't help but blush, because this man looked exactly like the prince from her stories.

"Y-y-yes?" she said, standing up from her seat. "How can I help you?"

"Are you Shizuka Matsuki by any chance?" The young man asked.

"Um...yeah..." she said, realizing she was staring at him but unable to look away. "Why do you want to know?"

The young man smiled as wide as he could and put his hand into her own. "I can't believe it!" he said with a hearty laugh as he shook her hand. "It's such an honor to meet you! I had heard you were accepted into the school but haven't been able to meet you these past few weeks!"

"Are you...a fan of my work?" Matsuki asked. She knew the answer was obvious but her mind was drawing a blank due to the way he looked.

"Indeed I am!" he said. "Usually I am not the type to read fiction, but your stories have so much heart and soul put into them that I couldn't help but read them myself! I especially love your books about that prince, he's a true ruler without a doubt!"

"Erm, thank you..." Matsuki said. She was tempted to say that she wasn't surprised since he looks so much like her prince, but figured keeping her mouth shut was the better option. "So um, who are you exactly?" she asked.

The young man let go of her hand. "My apologies! I was so excited to meet you that I forgot my manners! Do forgive me!" he said with a bow. He stood up straight, the stern look from before returning. "I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Super High School Level Prince!"

Matsuki froze. It couldn't be true. There's no way the Crown Prince, the son of the Emperor, was a fan of her books. And a fan of the books about a prince at that! This had to be some sick joke! But the Crown Prince was called Kiyotaka Ishimaru, and his behavior seemed fitting for a prince. If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up from it. "Y-y-y-you really like my books?" she asked, no other words able to come from her mouth.

"But of course!" Ishimaru said. "You're not the Super High School Level Writer for nothing, after all!"

Matsuki's cheeks turned completely red. "T-t-thank you very much!" she blurted out.

"There's no need to thank me!" Ishimaru said, a hint of red on his own cheeks. "I should be the one thanking you! Your books have inspired me! I've fallen in love with your words and characters! So much in fact, that I wish to know you better! That is, if you're willing to have lunch with me!"

Matsuki felt the heat in her face. Someone like her spending lunch with the Crown Prince?! But she was a nobody! A simple writer with nothing special about her! And he wanted to spen time with her? Before she was able to give an answer, Matsuki fainted from the stress.

She woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. Sitting up from the bed she mysteriously found herself on, she took out her phone and answered it without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?" she said.

"Holy shit, it's about damn time ya answered!" The voice of Kazumi Katsuya, Super High School Level Biker, shouted on the other end. "I've been tryin' ta get a hold of ya fer at least an hour now! Where da fuck are ya?!"

Matsuki looked around the room she was in. "It looks like I'm in someone's dorm room." she said.

"Why didn'cha fuckin' tell me ya were gonna leave da library?!" Kazumi asked.

"I fainted and just woke up here!" Matsuki said.

"Whateva'." Kazumi said. "So long as ya ain't in trouble, I guess yer fine. Unless ya are in trouble an' I gotta punch someone!"

"No, no, no! Everything's fine!" Matsuki insisted. "There's no need for starting a fight!"

"Fine, fine." Kazumi said. "Jus' lemme know when yer done an' I'll meet'cha wherevea' ya want."

"Alright. Talk to you later." Matsuki said. She ended the call and sighed. Kazumi was such a difficult person to deal with sometimes. She stood up from the bed and tried to figure out what happened. Oh yeah, she fainted in front of the Crown Prince and made a fool of herself. Well, she certainly didn't have a fan anymore.

"Ah, you're awake!" Matsuki turned to see Ishimaru standing in the doorway. "Are you feeling alright? You suddenly fainted!"

"Yeah...I'm fine..." Matsuki said. "Did you...bring me to your room?"

"Do forgive me, I did not know where your dorm room was!" Ishimaru said, a blush on his cheeks. "But I couldn't just leave you there! So I brought you here so you could rest!"

"How long have I been out?"

"About two hours!"

Matsuki stood there in shock. She was out cold for around two hours?! She sighed as she looked at her feet. "I'm sorry, this probably isn't going how you expected. I'm nothing like you expected I bet..."

"I don't mind!" Ishimaru said, causing the writer's head to perk up. "In fact, you not being what I expected is a good thing!"

"How so?" Matsuki asked.

"I wasn't sure you would want to speak with someone like myself..." Ishimaru said, looking away.

"Don't be silly," Matsuki said, walking over to the Crown Prince. "I'm always happy to talk with a fan." She smiled. "Especially a fan like you."

Ishimaru continued to blush. "So, um... About having lunch..." he said.

"I'd be happy to." Matsuki said.

It wasn't long after the two started spending time with each other that Matsuki's writer's block vanished. A few weeks later, she released her new book, with Ishimaru getting an early signed copy as a gift. He was surprised to find two things in the book. The first was a mark left from lipstick next to the signature, which he would hug the writer for later. The second was the new character the prince encountered. A young girl from a noble family the prince had heard of. Their meeting was unexpected, and the girl fainted at the end of it, but Ishimaru couldn't help but smile at how familiar it was.