After club activities, two girls are waiting for Hiratsuka Ryosuke outside the Kendo club. "Lord Shinka, the vice-captain is still inside," a female Kendo club member says respectfully to Nibutani Shinka as she passes by.
"Thank you. May the Holy Light be with you," Shinka says with a pious gesture.
Ryosuke changes out of his clothes and sees this scene as he leaves. Thump! Two fingers poke Shinka's pale forehead.
"Wah! Ryosuke, what was that for?" Shinka says, puffing out her cheeks like a pufferfish and holding her head.
"I told you not to spread your chuunibyo to other people," Ryosuke says coldly.
Shinka gets angry and says, "Hmph, I listened to you! I don't do this in class."
Ryosuke closes his eyes and rubs his forehead. It's true. Shinka kept her promise and didn't bother her classmates. But the Kendo club has fallen to her. Maybe it's because Shinka is naturally lively and popular with both boys and girls. Or maybe it's because middle schoolers are more susceptible to her chuunibyo. Whatever the reason, in the Kendo club, even though Shinka is not a member, her name, "Lord Shinka," is as famous as the captain and vice-captain.
The three of them walk to the school gate, and Ryosuke stops. "Shinka, you and Shoko can go home first. I have to go somewhere else."
"Okay! Go home early, then," Shinka says. She doesn't ask any more questions. She knows Ryosuke would tell her if he wanted to, and she doesn't want to bother him by prying.
Ryosuke explains, "I'm going to Kashiwagi Eri's place. It's probably about the light novel. Sorry to make you wait." He doesn't say "Eriri" because he knows she wants to keep her identity as Kashiwagi Eri a secret at school. As her partner, he chooses to keep it a secret.
Shinka shakes her head, holding Shoko's arm. "It's fine! We'll be going now. Good luck, Ryosuke!" As she is about to leave, Shoko pulls away from her and walks toward Ryosuke. Shoko rummages through her bag and takes out a small pouch. She smiles and holds it out to him. "Ryosuke, I made these cookies in my cooking club. I hope you like them."
"Thank you, Shoko," Ryosuke says, taking the cookies and putting them in his bag. Shinka is so surprised her mouth is wide open. How cunning!
Shoko rummages through her bag again and takes out another pouch of cookies. She smiles faintly and hands it to Shinka. "Shinka, this is yours." Seeing Shoko's innocent smile, Shinka thinks she might have been overthinking things. They are good friends, after all. "Thanks, Sho-chan!" She takes the cookies and opens the pouch. She takes a bite and her eyes widen. "Delicious!" She walks over to Ryosuke and holds out the rest of the cookie to him. "Ryosuke! Sho-chan's cookies are delicious. Open your mouth. Ahh~"
Ryosuke takes a bite of the cookie and nods. "Yeah, it's pretty good." He's eaten Shinka's leftovers before to prevent waste, so he doesn't think twice about eating the cookie. However, this natural interaction between them makes Shoko's eyes widen. But she quickly regains her composure before they notice.
"I'm glad you both like them," Shoko says with a gentle smile. After all, she was the one who came later. Ryosuke had already eaten her cookies. It's a happy thing to be able to cook for someone you like, and see them eat and praise your food.
"I'm leaving now. You two be careful on your way home," Ryosuke says, waving goodbye and walking in the opposite direction.
"Goodbye, Ryosuke!" the two girls say in unison. They look at each other and smile, then walk away from school arm in arm.
A black car pulls up next to Ryosuke. The window rolls down, and he sees Eriri's porcelain-white face. "Ryosuke, over here! Get in." Eriri moves over, and Ryosuke gets in the back. As soon as he gets in, the elegant, dignified blond man in the driver's seat, who is her father, Mr. Spencer, watches him nervously in the rearview mirror.
A little while later, Ryosuke arrives at Eriri's house. Even though she lives in the same villa district as Elf, this is his first time here. He walks into the yard and sees a fountain with a unique, artistic style. Behind the fountain, a villa with an antique, simple, yet opulent feel sits majestically. The meticulously manicured lawn and the artistic atmosphere show how meticulous the owners are. The villa door opens, and a beautiful woman in a kimono stands in the entrance.
"Mom!" Eriri bounces over to the woman and hugs her. She then introduces her partner. "Mom, this is my partner, Ryou, the author of Sword Art Online."
"Ara, what a pleasant surprise. I've read your work, too. Our whole family loves it," Sawamura Sayuri says with a gentle smile, holding her hand to her cheek.
Ryosuke is confused. The whole family? Are they all otaku? He already knows the elegant blond man is Eriri's father, a British diplomat. He can't imagine a man like that reading light novels. Ryosuke quickly shakes the thought from his head and says politely, "Nice to meet you, Auntie Sawamura. My name is Hiratsuka Ryosuke. Please, just call me by my name. Thank you for having me." He is respectful to Eriri's mother.
"Eriri, take your friend to your room. I'll get some snacks ready." Eriri nods and gestures for Ryosuke to follow her.
On the second floor, they arrive at Eriri's room. If he were to guess based on Eriri's image at school, he would never have guessed that her room would look like this. Besides being large, it's a typical otaku's room. The walls are covered in posters, and there are all kinds of anime merchandise and figures. Her work desk is a mess, and there's a stack of blank paper. The trash can on the floor is overflowing with crumpled-up drafts, a testament to how much she works on her art.
"I... I just haven't had time to clean up. It's not usually like this," Eriri says quietly, fidgeting. Her face, as pale as a peeled egg, is now crimson. It's unclear if she's embarrassed by the messy room or by showing her true self to a boy her age.
Eriri clears her throat and gets to the point. "Ahem, Ryosuke, do you like reading romance novels?" she asks. She knows that while Sword Art Online has romance, it's not a pure romance novel. Yamada Elf's novels, while not as highly regarded, are more nuanced in their romance. That's why Eriri, even though she doesn't like the nudity, is a fan of Elf.
Ryosuke shakes his head. He has read a few pure romance novels, but not many.
Eriri continues, "What about games? Like dating sims?"
Ryosuke shakes his head again. He mostly plays games where he can just slice and dice enemies. He doesn't like storylines. When he plays a game, he skips all the dialogue. As a player, he has no idea where he is or who he is, only that he is about to go on a killing spree.
Eriri holds her hand to her head and sighs. "How are you going to beat Yamada Elf? She's already started writing. She's cheating! I've read the beginning, and it's really good."
Ryosuke nods calmly. "I know."
Eriri's eyes widen. "You know she's already started? And you're still competing with her at something you're not good at?"
Ryosuke looks at the girl in front of him and says calmly, "I've known Yamada Elf for over a year. I know her habits. She always writes in secret when no one is looking, pretending she hasn't started, and then shows off her finished manuscript. She's just being her usual self."
"Yamada Elf is that childish?" Eriri's eyes widen again. Her behavior is like the classic kids' conversation: "Did you study?""No, I didn't." But they secretly studied and got the best grades.
"Besides," Ryosuke adds calmly, "I won't let her have you." He doesn't want to think about what Elf might do to Eriri.
His words cause a stir in Eriri's heart. "Y-you... you... you idiot! What are you saying?!" Eriri's eyes are wide, and her lower lip trembles. Her face turns red all the way to her ears, and she jumps and whips him with her twin tails.
After a while, Eriri stands still, out of breath, and calms down. There's still a hint of red on her face. She pulls a box out from under her bed and pats it. "If that's the case, to make it fair, I'm going to help you." She thinks to herself, This is only to make the competition fair. It's not because I'm biased. She takes a deep breath and looks at Ryosuke again, her voice feigning sternness. "The relationship between anime, comics, games, and novels is inseparable. You have to experience a little of everything. You haven't read enough romance novels, so from now on, I'm going to give you a crash course!"
Eriri bends down and takes a book out of the box. She points to the book with her slender finger. "Ryosuke, this is my favorite romance manga. It's from Yumeno Sakiko, a popular shojo mangaka known as the 'Spokesperson for a Girl's Heart.' It's called Monthly Romance, and the series is Moe Love!"
"Now, to get your creative juices flowing, we'll start with romance manga. Let that cheating fairy see the power of our partnership!"