"Mmm-hmm-hmm~~~ Hmm-hmm-hmm~~~~ Mnh...!!!"
It was the next day. As Nanami hesitated about whether to call Kaede and Suzu for breakfast, the two of them opened the door and came over. Kaede was humming an unknown melody. Since she had classes the next day and it was her first time, Rin Ito hadn't worn her out too much. Kaede was relatively energetic when she woke up, but her cheeks flushed, and she stopped humming when she saw Nanami.
Did getting drilled really make her that happy? Although Nanami didn't quite understand, she could somewhat grasp Kaede's feelings. However, Nanami had never expected that Kaede had covered Rin Ito's eyes and let Suzu take her place during their first time. Nanami didn't understand but was deeply shocked.
"Let's... let's eat breakfast." Kaede kept her face down, looking slightly embarrassed. She didn't say a word until she finished breakfast and left the house with Mashiro and the others. She didn't even dare to make eye contact with Suzu.
Last night, as the base of the triangle, she had endured a lot. But honestly... it was quite pleasurable. Just being intensely penetrated by Rin Ito was great. Being able to taste her boyfriend and sister with her tongue while being penetrated, and essentially being drilled and licked simultaneously due to the Empathy Potion... How could Kaede, a little virgin, handle that?
Moreover, Suzu always teased her, and watching Suzu squirt and make shameful noises under her tongue felt incredibly fulfilling and fun... Now Kaede understood why Suzu always liked to tease her; it was truly amusing.
Hmph... If she dares to tease me again, I'll take my revenge in bed! For example, like the malicious second female lead in a doujinshi, she'd use a wand or a vibrating egg to play with Suzu's large chest or butt while Rin Ito was intensely penetrating her... Just thinking about it is fun!
If Rin Ito knew Kaede's thoughts, he would definitely laugh out loud... Was Suzu just letting her win because it was her first time? She thinks she can win in bed when she can't win in real life? She'll definitely be severely bullied by Suzu!
But Rin Ito didn't know Kaede's thoughts. For now, Kaede was thrilled just thinking about getting her revenge in bed later. She even kept smiling foolishly occasionally during her classes at school.
At school, lunchtime arrived quickly. Unlike the pleasantly eating Kaede, Eiri wasn't as happy.
"Eiri, I saw my destined heroine yesterday afternoon!" A glasses-wearing boy sat down in the seat in front of her. His black eyes behind the lenses sparkled with excitement, and his fists were tightly clenched.
"Don't talk to me here!" Eiri turned her face away, signaling she didn't know him well.
"Then after school, let's go to the multimedia room. I have something very important to talk to you about." Seeing Eiri's attitude, he didn't press further and returned to his seat, looking down and writing something.
Tomoya Aki. He was Eiri's friend who got her into otaku culture in kindergarten, and one of the few people at school who knew Eiri's identity. Now, Kaede, Suzu, Mashiro, and Nanami all knew Eiri was Kashiwagi Eri. However, the two had stopped speaking in elementary school, and their relationship only thawed slightly after they coincidentally ended up in the same high school class, exchanging contact information—but only slightly.
The time quickly came for the afternoon dismissal. Eiri would usually head to the Art Club room after school, but since she had an appointment with him, Eiri had to tell her Art Club friends she had something to do after school. Because Tomoya Aki was on good terms with the teacher in charge of the multimedia room, he arranged to meet Eiri in the school's multimedia room.
Entering the classroom, Eiri found that she wasn't the only one there.
"Utaha Kasumigaoka? What are you doing here?" Eiri frowned, assessing the girl before her, who was holding a light novel and carried a hint of languor. Her dark hair was subtly adorned with a white hair clip. Unlike the flat, plain curves of Eiri's uniform, her uniform was stretched high by a large chest, and the black pantyhose tightly wrapping her soft, pale thighs made her look even more alluring.
Utaha Kasumigaoka, like Tomoya Aki, was someone who knew Eiri = Kashiwagi Eri. As for how she knew... Utaha Kasumigaoka was a best-selling light novel author. Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eiri's meeting was similar to Eliza and Rin Ito's. Utaha Kasumigaoka saw Eiri's artwork in the Art Club and wanted Eiri to draw illustrations for her. She came to find Eiri when Eiri happened to be out, so she entered Eiri's private drawing room in the Art Club... Although Eiri wouldn't keep overly explicit drawings there, Utaha Kasumigaoka saw a drawing signed with Kashiwagi Eri's name on the brightly lit computer screen. Utaha Kasumigaoka searched the name out of curiosity, then carefully compared Kashiwagi Eri's art with Eiri's art... Holy cow, Utaha Kasumigaoka was stunned. She hadn't expected Eiri, who maintained an elegant Ojou-sama facade, to enjoy drawing degradation-conditioning doujinshi. Eiri caught her red-handed when she returned.
Although Utaha Kasumigaoka didn't use this to blackmail Eiri into drawing illustrations for her later, their relationship was poor because one was sly and venomous, and the other was tsundere.
Utaha Kasumigaoka raised an eyebrow when she saw Eiri. "Sawamura Eiri-san? Were you called here by him too?"
"Mhm." Eiri sat down unhappily in the empty seat one spot away from Utaha Kasumigaoka. "That guy suddenly came to me at lunch and said he found his heroine over the weekend or something... What's he up to?"
"He said the same thing to me." Utaha Kasumigaoka put down her light novel and lightly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "He wants to create a GALGAME based on the heroine he saw."
"Exactly!" Tomoya Aki's voice came from the classroom door. He quickly walked up to the two. "Let me introduce you, this is my heroine, Megumi Kato!"
"Huh?"
"Mmm?" Eiri and Utaha Kasumigaoka followed his gaze to the corner of the classroom, where a bob-haired girl was sitting, holding a mobile phone.
"W-When did you get here?"
"I've been following behind you, Senpai."
Utaha Kasumigaoka's mouth twitched. Having few friends, she had gone straight to the multimedia room after class. Even though she was reading a novel, she shouldn't have failed to notice a whole person entering the room! Her presence was too faint!
As for Eiri... she stared at Megumi Kato for a while, and her mouth also twitched. Although she was probably... possibly... her classmate, Eiri momentarily failed to recognize her!
Just as the two were stunned by Megumi Kato's lack of presence, Slap! Tomoya Aki confidently slapped several stapled A4 papers onto the table. The cover had the words 'Project Proposal' written large across it.
Utaha Kasumigaoka raised an eyebrow, picked up the proposal, glanced at it, and threw it back in less than ten seconds. "Trash should be thrown in the trash can, not placed on the table."
Eiri picked it up, looked at it, and agreed strongly. "It really should be thrown in the trash can."
"Senpai, Eiri! This isn't trash; it's my project proposal!"
Seeing his serious look, Eiri sighed. He had been like this since she met him in elementary school: highly action-oriented, individualistic, and rarely caring about other people's opinions. Eiri felt that in some ways, he resembled Marin, whom she had met yesterday, and Eiri was very envious.
In elementary school, he introduced Eiri to GALGAMEs. But because her otaku interests led to being shunned and distanced, Eiri chose to wear a mask, while Tomoya Aki chose to ignore those who criticized his hobbies, much like Marin who never tried to hide hers. Tomoya Aki was relatively moderate; he strictly adhered to ethics and didn't touch 18+ content. Marin, however, openly expressed her love for 18+ games without reservation. Marin was more extreme than him. Tomoya Aki, at most, ignored people who slandered his hobbies and looked for like-minded people. Marin, on the other hand... It's just a hobby; it doesn't affect anyone else. Why should I be criticized? If someone attacked her hobbies, Marin would fiercely attack back!
The result... Tomoya Aki had many friends both in real life and online. Marin was also a social butterfly (Jyuujitsu) with many friends at school, even dragging them along to conventions and cosplay.
Only poor Eiri lived behind a mask, cautiously trying to keep her secret hidden, which made Eiri very envious. Envy aside, it didn't change the fact that Tomoya Aki's proposal was garbage.
The only commendable thing was his strong action-orientation. He had an idea for making a GALGAME with a girl he encountered on a slope, whose beret was blown off by the wind, as the heroine. By Monday, he had already written a proposal and even started scouting for collaborators.
But that was the extent of it. He essentially had the idea for a hot pot, then told a group of friends, You bring the meat, he brings the alcohol, and I'll just be the host. Other than a vague idea, there was nothing.
"If this is all, I'm leaving."
"Me too." Eiri and Utaha Kasumigaoka stood up simultaneously. The two, who usually didn't get along, had surprisingly reached a consensus.
"Um... please wait! I... I'm writing a proposal like this for the first time. If you have any suggestions, please tell me, and I'll try my best to fix it."
"Mhm." Utaha Kasumigaoka nodded, then continued under Tomoya Aki's expectant gaze, "Regarding corrections, I think it shouldn't be thrown in the multimedia room's trash can, but in the school's combustible trash can."
"Mhm, mhm, mhm. That way, you won't bother anyone with sorting it." Eiri nodded in agreement. "Utaha Kasumigaoka, that's surprisingly the best thing you've said."
"Um..." Megumi Kato also stood up and spoke cautiously. "Although being a heroine sounds nice, it also sounds like a lot of trouble. Let's just forget it."
Utaha Kasumigaoka lightly brushed her hair aside and turned to leave. "I don't have time to play these spur-of-the-moment creator games with you."
"It's not spur-of-the-moment! I've always wanted to be a creator just like you! Senpai, you said I might be able to become a creator like you, right!? Even if it's only a possibility! I want to try! This has always been my dream! Please!!!!" Tomoya Aki bowed deeply to the two.
Although they didn't want to join this project, which seemed completely unreliable at a glance, if Tomoya Aki insisted on trying, it wasn't impossible. Eiri would agree out of guilt for having isolated him when they were younger. It's just drawing a few character designs; it won't take long before he gives up. Utaha Kasumigaoka would also agree as thanks for him helping to promote her novel. At most, I'll help him write an outline; he'll give up soon anyway.
But before the two could agree, another cold voice came from the doorway. "Eiri, you're here."
"Ah... Mashiro, don't go in. Don't interrupt people talking business! Sorry, sorry for the intrusion." Nanami was apologizing while trying to drag Mashiro out by the wrist.
Mashiro had planned to go to the Art Club to find Eiri after school, but Eiri wasn't there. After asking people in the Art Club, she learned someone saw Eiri enter the multimedia room, and they happened to bump into the discussion.
"You are... Shiina-san?" The news of Mashiro Shiina, the world-class artist, transferring to the school had already spread everywhere.
"Shiina-san, have you heard of GALGAMEs? If you're interested, why don't you try..."
"Not interested." Mashiro rejected him with a cold voice. Being rejected in a pitch was common, so Tomoya Aki didn't mind and refocused his attention on Eiri and Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Please, this has always been my dream."
"What does your dream have to do with Eiri... Mnh!!!" Mashiro was interrupted by Nanami covering her mouth. Mashiro really couldn't read the room; the right choice now was to quietly leave.
But... if she understood how to read the room, she wouldn't be Mashiro. Moreover, she didn't need to read others' moods; everyone else always read hers.
"Yeah, what does your dream have to do with us?" Eiri, who was about to agree, choked on Mashiro's words. If she agreed now, it would be like shamelessly volunteering! She could only play tough now.
"That's right. If you want us to join, bring us a decent proposal that can move us." Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had similar thoughts to Eiri, also refused Tomoya Aki.
"I... I apologize." Tomoya Aki's face flushed red from Mashiro's comment. Tomoya Aki himself knew his proposal was trash, but he had been trying to persuade the two to join using the pretext of his dream. They were both famous in the doujinshi and light novel circles. It wouldn't be easy for anyone else to get them to join a project. They were about to agree out of guilt and to repay a favor, but Mashiro's words put Tomoya Aki on the spot. Tomoya Aki still cared about his reputation.
Even if Eiri and Utaha Kasumigaoka agreed now, he wouldn't accept. If he accepted, wouldn't it be emotional blackmail? This was his dream, not theirs. He was trying to persuade them not by presenting an excellent proposal but by using the excuse that it was his dream... Continuing to press the issue would just be harassment.
"I'm sorry for bothering you today. I'll go back and write another proposal. I will definitely earn your recognition!" With that, Tomoya Aki left the multimedia room.
After Tomoya Aki left, Mashiro blinked. "Did I mess things up?"
"Thank you for getting us out of that," Eiri smiled at Mashiro. Mashiro didn't not read the room; she simply didn't care about the atmosphere and did as she pleased.
"Well, I'll be going now." Utaha Kasumigaoka then left the multimedia room.
Eiri, meanwhile, dragged Mashiro and Nanami along to the Art Club.
Only... Megumi Kato looked utterly bewildered in the empty classroom... Did they forget about me?