She was still at it—
[Kasumi Utakoi]: "Onee-san will be checking~."
[Touji]: "You're welcome to check anytime, Onee-san!"
He even sent a cute bowing bear emoji for added effect.
[Kasumi Utakoi]: "Ara~ to address me so formally... Onee-san is a little flattered~."
[Touji]: "It's too early to be flattered! You'll be even more surprised later, just wait!"
[Kasumi Utakoi]: "Ufufu~ I thought that wasn't what you meant?"
[Touji]: "Nah, you're definitely overthinking it—it's exactly what I meant!"
...
After that teasing exchange, Touji leaned back and let out a contented sigh. The playful banter had his heart racing a bit, and the excitement building up inside him was hard to ignore. His mind was already spiraling toward the night ahead. He was fully prepared for the so-called night raid!
But after the high-energy flirting, a brief silence took over, and the thrill slowly ebbed away. That stillness gave way to doubt.
Wait a second… wasn't today supposed to be the third day of her cycle?
If his memory served right, they might still be in the no-go zone.
Could they even do that tonight?
And come to think of it, why had Utaha-nee suddenly decided to surprise him with a late-night visit?
Was it because he was getting a bit too close with Kani Nayuta lately?
Or was it the club? Ever since he joined that girl-filled circle, he'd been surrounded by all kinds of female attention.
Jealousy, perhaps?
Thinking that made Touji's face burn with embarrassment. Still, the idea of Utaha-nee being jealous was… kind of cute. He made a silent vow to spoil her extra tonight.
He glanced at his phone again. The time blinked back at him—just past six.
Still no new messages.
Waiting was agony. Every second ticked by like an eternity, his anticipation amplifying the silence. He stood up and began pacing the room like a caged tiger.
Eventually, he stopped by his desk, picked up a golden Durex Ultra-Thin condom, and casually placed it on his bedside table.
"Just in case," he muttered with a smirk.
Tonight might be the night.
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and sat back at his desk. Something to pass the time… something to distract himself from checking the time every five seconds.
His eyes landed on Eriri Spencer Sawamura's latest doujinshi. He grabbed the book, flopped into his chair, and crossed one leg over the other as he began flipping through the pages.
The protagonist of the story bore a striking resemblance to Kani Nayuta—not just in hair color, but in body type and that high schooler vibe.
But that was where the similarities ended.
In the doujinshi, the heroine was an honor student from a well-off family. She wanted to build some independence, so she got a part-time job at a convenience store. That's when things took a dark turn, as she ended up being targeted by a greasy, middle-aged store manager…
It wasn't the most original plot, but Touji had to admit—the execution was spot-on.
Unlike the usual shallow setups that jumped straight into fanservice, this one actually took the time to build up the heroine's school life, her motivations, her desire to be independent…
So when things started spiraling downward, the contrast made it all the more compelling.
And it didn't just jump into sleaze either. The progression was subtle. The intensity rose slowly, the manager's predatory gaze growing more intense over time…
It was well-paced, the tension building in stages.
The plot was gripping, the art was excellent, and—he had to admit—it was really hard to put down.
But wait a minute.
Didn't Eriri always say she struggled with writing good plots? That she was more focused on the art side of things?
Where the heck did this narrative skill come from?!
"Oi, oi, oi… What happened to your supposed weakness?" Touji muttered.
"Did you secretly max out your H-doujin skill tree or something?"
"You can't write a wholesome school-life plot to save your life, but when it comes to H-content, you're suddenly a genius?!"
He sighed, both amazed and slightly exasperated.
"So stimulating!"
Eventually, he clapped the book shut and tossed it onto his desk.
"So intense…!"
He leaned back in his chair, heart pounding. His adolescent soul was clearly shaken.
And then, a thought occurred to him—Kani Nayuta was the one who recommended this doujinshi to him.
"Wait… did she—?"
His thoughts spiraled.
"Could she have… used this?"
A blush began creeping up his cheeks.
Should he ask?
Before he could even finish forming the thought, the screen of his phone lit up beside him. He picked it up, heart skipping a beat at the timing. Speak of the devil.
[Kani Nayuta]: "Finished reading the doujinshi? (y▽)* (covering mouth and secretly laughing)"
Touji couldn't stop the grin tugging at his lips. She was always like this. Teasing, cryptic, and somehow always one step ahead.
[Touji.]: "Yeah, I finished it. The art style's amazing—I really liked it. So…"
He trailed off. His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Time to put on his best actor face.
But before he could commit to the bit, another message popped up.
[Kani Nayuta]: "You want me to be the female protagonist, huh? (/ω＼)"
Touji's fingers froze. His eyes widened.
"W-WHAT!?" he yelped, frantically typing.
[Touji.]: "Y-You're a masochist or something, aren't you?!"
To emphasize his disbelief, he sent a dramatic shocked bear emoji.
Nayuta, as the doujinshi heroine…
He definitely thought about it, okay?! But still… it's not like that's gonna happen! They haven't even met in person yet!
[Kani Nayuta]: "No, that's not it."
[Kani Nayuta]: "I just meant… if Winter-sensei made me play that kind of female lead, I'd be super troubled~."
Yeah, you don't look troubled at all, baka!
Touji rolled his eyes and was just about to type a witty comeback when another message dropped.
[Kani Nayuta]: "So what were you going to say just now?"
Touji blinked. Ah, right. He backspaced his earlier draft and quickly typed a new response:
[Touji.]: "I decided to collaborate with her on a manga."
[Kani Nayuta]: "?"
[Kani Nayuta]: "?"
[Kani Nayuta]: "?"
Here came the storm.
Touji's screen filled with question marks in rapid-fire succession.
[Touji.]: "Oi, stop spamming!"
[Kani Nayuta]: "?"
Did she not hear him? Is she casting a question-mark curse now?
'The other party is typing…'
[Kani Nayuta]: "What the heck do you mean you're collaborating with her on a manga!? I don't get it!"
[Kani Nayuta]: "Also, who's 'her'??"
[Kani Nayuta]: "Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a greasy old dude!? SHE'S A GIRL?!"
Bam. She hit the jackpot.
Touji sighed, shaking his head.
[Touji.]: "I just found out recently, okay? Turns out, she's actually a girl from my class."
Because they'd been chatting online, and their real-life circles didn't overlap, Touji hadn't felt like it was betraying any trust. No names, no personal info—he was just ranting to an online friend. Right?
That's what he told himself, anyway.
[Kani Nayuta]: "!"
Touji stared at the screen, heart pounding.
He could already sense the chaos that was about to unfold.
—Meguro Ward, Kani Nayuta's bedroom—
Sitting before her glowing computer screen, silver-haired Kani Nayuta blinked rapidly, her sapphire-like eyes widened in disbelief. Her soft lips parted slightly, and she looked completely disoriented—as if reality had suddenly gone off script.
"Uwaaah—!"
"How is this possible!? Kashiwagi Eri is actually a girl, and she's Touji's classmate…?!"
Was this some kind of manga plot twist?! The kind that happens when the author gets bored and throws in drama for the sake of excitement?!
"Ugh, what's up with these past two days? The world is getting smaller and smaller! When is it gonna be my turn to star in one of these 'the world is so small' stories?! Mou~!"
Slapping her cheeks lightly to refocus, Nayuta reached for her mechanical keyboard with her delicate fingers and furiously typed:
[Kani Nayuta]: "Is Kashiwagi Eri... pretty?"
"She can't be a bishoujo too, right? Right?! There's no way!"
And then—
[Touji]: "She's quite pretty, but not my type."
Nayuta nearly fell out of her chair.
"She really is a beautiful girl—!" Her voice cracked as she covered her face with both hands. Her silver twin-tails trembled in outrage.
A big-name doujin artist. A legendary name in the R18 world. Turns out she's a high school girl. And not just any high school girl—an actual bishoujo! This plot is totally out of control!
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
A boy secretly living as a food and music blogger… A girl secretly famous for drawing adult manga…
"Huh? This smells like a ship I didn't sign up for."
"No! I won't let this become a Touji x Eri story! I'm the heroine here!" Nayuta jumped up from her chair. "I won't be pushed into being the background character that helps the main couple get together!"
"I won't become Background Character A!" she declared with righteous fury, punching the air.
Then, as if seeking validation from her online comrades, she messaged her guild chat:
[Kani Nayuta (Shield Warrior)]: "You guys won't believe this! The doujinshi I recommended to Winter-sensei? The author is actually his classmate! And she's a beautiful high school girl!"
—Tokyo, Kita Ward, Sawamura Residence—
Inside a luxurious mansion on a quiet hillside, Eriri Spencer Sawamura sat sipping tea in her room, finally relaxing after the chaos of the day. That is, until she glanced at the guild chat.
Then—
"Pfft!! cough cough cough—!"
Eriri choked violently, slamming the teacup down and clutching her chest with one hand, the other steadying her on the desk.
"W-What the heck?! Have I been found out?!"
Eyes darting across the screen, she quickly scanned the messages. There was no mention of her real name—whew. But…
"This is bad… super bad!"
It was well-known in her class that she was the most beautiful girl in Class G. She had joined the art club. People who put two and two together could figure it out in no time!
"BAKA—!!" Eriri stood up, her twin-tails practically standing on end.
"That idiot Kasumigaoka Touji! He promised to keep it secret for me! And now he's gone and blabbed it within a day! He's a hopeless baka baka baka—!"
Fuming, she whipped out her phone and sent a barrage of voice messages that could practically melt eardrums. If Touji had been standing in front of her right then, she would've launched into her patented Twin-Tail Whirlwind Attack without mercy!
Not even a heartfelt dogeza could save him now!
—Guild Channel—
[Gabriel (Priest)]: "Man, this is totally one of those 'the world is too small' moments…"
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "I know right? Everything lately feels unreal. Like, how is this even possible?!"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "It's like we're in some wacky rom-com light novel."
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "Right!? You get it, UMR-chan!"
[Gabriel (Priest)]: "Huh? What are you all talking about now?"
[Kani Nayuta (Shield Warrior)]: "All these weird coincidences… it seriously feels like we're in a light novel."
[UMR (Assassin)]: "I'm pretty sure I'm still real though, lol."
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "Suddenly existential?"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "Hahaha~ (＾▽＾)."
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "If this is a light novel… then even crazier stuff might be coming."
[UMR (Assassin)]: "Like what?"
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "Like—what if the doujin artist is someone we know IRL? (laughs)"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "Noooo way~ That'd be too much!"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "I'm not! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!!"
And just like that…
The entire channel fell into stunned silence.
A moment later—
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "Wait… come to think of it, Shining-chan can draw, right?"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "She did say she was going to the art store the other day…"
[Gabriel (Priest)]: "She even mentioned needing new inks for her project!"
[Kani Nayuta (Shield Warrior)]: "EHHH?! Don't tell me—Kashiwagi Eri = Shining?!"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "…"
The little Kuroko had revealed her chicken feet.
Correction: Eriri Spencer Sawamura's secret identity was exposed.
Cue collective mental breakdown in the chat.