Today was the weekend, and Sawamura Eriri was in the rare mood to go out for a walk.
Thinking back to how she had stayed up late rushing manuscripts some time ago, and how—thanks to her own efforts—her new work had finally been published, Eriri couldn't help herself.
She headed to a bookstore, planning to check how her latest release was selling.
The results were, naturally, good.
As Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, a well-known artist in the industry specializing in humiliation-themed doujinshi, her new work had attracted quite a lot of buyers.
Seeing this, Eriri felt extremely satisfied and prepared to leave.
But just as she stepped out of the shop, someone suddenly called out her name.
Her mind went completely blank.
[I've been recognized?! Is it someone from school?
But how did they recognize me? I'm clearly disguised. With this look, there's no way someone I've never met could identify me!
I'm done for. If people at school find out I'm a doujin artist, my life is over.
No matter what, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. If I act cute and play dumb, maybe I can muddle through—there's a chance they'll think they made a mistake.]
Having made up her mind, Eriri lowered her head, acted as if nothing had happened, and walked straight ahead.
...
On the other side, Tanaka Masao had already confirmed it the moment he saw her reaction.
That girl was definitely Sawamura Eriri from the anime world.
Although her real-life appearance differed slightly from her two-dimensional image from his previous life, her iconic features—and looks far above the level of ordinary passersby—made it easy to connect the two.
Tanaka Masao hadn't expected that he had transmigrated into an anime world.
And if Eriri existed here… then did Kasumigaoka Utaha exist as well?
Did this mean he was in a single Saekano world, or a full-blown multiverse anime crossover?
The realization made Tanaka genuinely happy.
Running into anime heroines—this was practically every otaku's dream.
Seeing Eriri about to leave, Tanaka called out again.
"Looks like it really is Sawamura-san."
Having her name called out again, Eriri's heart sank straight to the bottom.
She knew she'd been exposed.
She turned around and shot a fierce glare at the man who had called her name—only to freeze on the spot.
[Who… is this guy?]
She couldn't recall ever seeing Tanaka Masao before.
Since he knew her name, she guessed he was probably a student from the same school.
And judging from his appearance, he was clearly a hardcore otaku just like her—which made him much easier to deal with.
As one of the school's recognized beauties, Eriri was used to being recognized, so she quickly accepted the situation.
Now the problem was how to clean up the aftermath.
Noticing more people nearby, Eriri worried about attracting further attention and said to Tanaka,
"Hey. You. Come with me."
She even bared her little fang slightly—her threat unmistakable.
Faced with Eriri's "invitation," Tanaka Masao nodded without hesitation.
"Alright."
On one hand, he wanted to properly meet a famous tsundere heroine.
On the other, she was a renowned doujin artist—someone who would definitely have access to publishing routes.
The area was already fairly secluded, and Eriri soon led Tanaka into an empty alley.
Surrounded by the dim atmosphere, Tanaka couldn't help glancing around.
This behavior didn't go unnoticed by Eriri, who had walked a bit ahead.
She turned around and was about to say something—
"Hey, you—"
"I'm Tanaka Masao."
Hearing the name, Eriri casually remarked,
"Oh. Tanaka, huh. That's a pretty common name. What are you looking around for?"
Tanaka scratched his head.
"I was just thinking this place feels kinda secluded, haha…"
To leave a good impression, he even forced a smile.
Unfortunately, his deep, dull voice combined with that smile somehow gave off an unmistakably creepy vibe.
Eriri's body trembled involuntarily.
Only now did she realize that, in order to protect her secret, she had brought a complete stranger into a deserted alley.
A heroine whose unspeakable secret is discovered.
To prevent it from being exposed, she comes to an empty alley with a man.
What kind of R18 doujin plot was this?!
As a veteran doujin artist, 108 different scenes had already flashed through Eriri's mind.
While she was pleased by this sudden burst of inspiration, her immediate priority was still to leave safely.
Eriri shook her head and forced herself to look more confident.
"Hmph. None of your business."
Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked,
"You're a student at Toyogasaki Private Academy, right?"
"No." Tanaka shook his head. "I'm from Chiba."
"Chiba Prefecture?"
Eriri frowned slightly.
"Then how does someone from Chiba know me?"
She stared straight at the somewhat overweight man in front of her, a thought surfacing in her mind.
[This guy isn't some kind of stalker or pervert, is he? Should I call the police right now?]
As she thought that, her hand slipped into her pocket.
In just two and a half seconds, Tanaka Masao figured out how to respond.
"Actually, meeting Sawamura-san was pure coincidence."
"Coincidence?"
"Yes. Coincidence—because I'm a fan of Kashiwagi Eri-sensei."
The moment those four words were spoken, Eriri's brain exploded.
If people only knew she bought doujinshi, that wouldn't be a big deal—at worst, she'd get teased by classmates.
But if people found out she was actually a doujin artist herself… that would truly be the end.
She rushed forward, grabbed Tanaka by the collar, and demanded fiercely,
"How do you know that?!"
Very few people knew about her identity as Kashiwagi Eri.
To protect her, all matters related to manga publishing were usually handled by her mother.
So outsiders had no idea that Eriri was Kashiwagi Eri.
Aside from her parents, only one other person knew her true identity…
In an instant, the image of someone she both loved and hated surfaced in her mind.
Aki Tomoya.
She wouldn't suspect her parents—so inevitably, her suspicion shifted toward Tomoya.
[No… it can't be him.]
She didn't want to believe Tomoya would leak her secret, yet somehow she couldn't stop herself from making the connection.
Once suspicion takes root, the verdict is already decided.
Baring her fang, Eriri asked angrily,
"Talk. Who told you?"
Tanaka Masao had no idea about the storm of thoughts going on inside Eriri's head.
And there was no way he could say he knew all this from watching anime.
So he answered vaguely,
"I'm a fan of Kashiwagi Eri-sensei. I found out while chatting with other fans."
"Found out?!"
Eriri ground her teeth.
How could something this important be found out "by accident"?
At this point, combining the clues with her own assumptions, she had already formed a rough conclusion.
She cursed inwardly.
[It must've been that idiot Tomoya—while chatting online with this Tanaka guy, he accidentally exposed my identity.]
Eriri's mood hit rock bottom.
She breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling sharply, eyes blazing as if they were about to spit fire.