On the night of elementary school graduation, Nibutani Shinka first met Yukinoshita Haruno. She immediately felt wary of the "fake smile devil." After that, she never saw Haruno again. She was relieved, thinking Yukinoshita Haruno was just a brief incident.
That was until one evening when her parents were away. She was rolling around on the floor next door, begging Shizuka-nee to let her stay the night. But as soon as Ryosuke came home, she caught a special scent on him. It was a refreshing, subtle fragrance that smelled like peonies and lilies, and it reminded her of the beautiful older sister with the constant fake smile.
From that moment on, she elevated Yukinoshita Haruno to the highest level of threat. Back at home, Shinka thought up countermeasures. She eventually developed a new skill, the "True Word Sacred Art." A fake lie will always be exposed. To purify the "fake smile devil," there was only one answer: use the most genuine bonds and words to utterly defeat her.
Even Shinka herself didn't notice that since that night, a dark, cunning side was slowly awakening beneath her gentle and cute exterior. Now, it was finally time to use it.
Inside the restaurant, Ryosuke and Kato Megumi were quietly eating. Shinka's face was beaming with a confident smile, as if victory was already in hand. That last line she'd spoken wasn't simple at all; it was powered by the formidable "True Word Sacred Art."
The smile completely vanishes from Yukinoshita Haruno's face. She looks at Shinka, who is practically exuding confidence, and loses all her prior sense of disregard. It seems her information was wrong. She had investigated Nibutani Shinka and found that she had been protected by Ryosuke since childhood, which was supposed to have made her pure and innocent. Now, it seems Nibutani Shinka is not so simple after all.
The blonde girl (Eriri) had come in and immediately directed her resentment toward Ryosuke, ignoring the person who truly provoked her. But this new girl is different. Haruno understood Shinka's subtext. The first part was a polite greeting, showing her poise and keeping Ryosuke from being embarrassed. The second part was an introduction, with her playful tone perfectly showcasing the cuteness and energy of her age. If the first two parts were groundwork, the third was the kill shot.
"Childhood friend" signifies the past bond. "For his entire life" represents the future. And "protect" signifies Ryosuke's promise to her. The fact that Nibutani Shinka said this with her head on Ryosuke's shoulder, and he didn't object, showed that their "current" relationship is also intimate. In this way, she'd claimed the past, present, and future. Nibutani Shinka is on a completely different level than the little blonde girl.
But no skill is perfect; every technique has a flaw. Yukinoshita Haruno's bright smile returns, and she praises Shinka loudly. "My, my, little Shinka is just so cute."
Nibutani Shinka is sharp as a tack and sees through her trick instantly. Is she trying to cozy up to me to lower my guard? How naive. You fake smile devil.
Meanwhile, Eriri is still in a daze, her mouth slightly agape, staring at the ceiling as her past memories with Ryosuke flash before her eyes. Suddenly, the reel of memories stops at one specific moment. It's Ryosuke's question to her: Eriri, what are you afraid of?! The words, ringing in her ears, feel as if they've returned her soul to her body.
So what if she's a childhood friend or the fiancée's sister? I have my own unforgettable memories with Ryosuke. I won't lose. Because Ryosuke told me that I am Sawamura Spencer Eriri.
She looks back at the two girls, but she doesn't find the tense, hostile atmosphere she expected. Instead, they look more like old friends catching up. Eriri's small head is filled with big confusion, as this is completely outside her understanding of how these scenes play out in manga. She frowns slightly and mutters, "Are they really that close?"
This is completely different from what happens in my manga!
Kato Megumi, who is eating beside her, seems to hear Eriri's words. She glances at Eriri from the corner of her eye, and as she chews her food, she thinks to herself, This blonde girl can't really read the air. But it has nothing to do with me. I'll just keep eating.
Nibutani Shinka responds to Haruno's words. She lifts her head from Ryosuke's shoulder. "No, Haruno-onee-san is prettier." She smiles and places a hand on her chest, her head tilted slightly, her tone casual. "Rather than me being cute, it's this dress Ryosuke got me last month that's cute, hehe~"
Yukinoshita Haruno's mouth parts in feigned surprise. She then turns to Ryosuke, winks her bright, captivating eyes, and rests a hand on the table. "Oh? Little Ryosuke, so you have such good taste. Since it's summer, why don't you help me pick out a swimsuit? Any kind is fine~"
Eriri's eyes widen in shock. What a shameless woman! She's trying to use swimsuit fan service to tempt that idiot Ryosuke! I can't let her keep going. That idiot might actually fall for it.
Thump!
Eriri slams her hands on the table and stands up. The others are startled by her sudden movement.
"My name is Sawamura Spencer Eriri! I'm Ryosuke's classmate, the illustrator for Sword Art Online, and also his... most reliable partner."
Haruno and Shinka are stunned for a moment by her string of titles. Yukinoshita Haruno is the first to recover. Does this little blonde really not know how to read the air? With Eriri's outburst, Haruno loses her interest in her "war of words" with Shinka and turns to look at Eriri instead.
"Eriri, I can call you that, right? Do you want Ryosuke to pick out a swimsuit for you too? Your skin is so fair, I'm jealous."
"If you wore a swimsuit, little Ryosuke definitely wouldn't be able to take his eyes off you, right?"
Eriri doesn't seem to notice the teasing in Yukinoshita Haruno's words. Her first reaction is to bite her lip, revealing her cute little canine teeth, a look of unmasked shyness on her face. Could I really make Ryosuke not take his eyes off me? Eriri imagines Hiratsuka Ryosuke's stunned, surprised expression when he sees her in a swimsuit. Her face flushes with a faint blush. Perhaps noticing the others staring at her, her cheeks, which were just slightly pink from shyness, turn completely red.
"What... what are you talking about?! There's no way I would let that idiot pick a swimsuit for me!" She then retreats, just like an ostrich, sitting back down and burying her head deep in her arms.
Nibutani Shinka is surprised by Eriri's reaction. Having read many anime and manga series, she immediately recognizes the tsundere archetype with her blonde twintails. So girls like that really exist in real life? That's kinda cute.
Kato Megumi calmly sips her drink through a straw, her thoughts unknown.
The air suddenly falls silent. Eriri timidly lifts her head and uses her sparkling eyes to secretly check Hiratsuka Ryosuke's reaction. But as soon as she looks up, she finds that Ryosuke is looking at her. In the blink of an eye, she reverts to ostrich mode, burying her head back in her arms. Her little leather shoes lightly tap on the floor. Hmph. So what about a childhood friend and a fiancée's sister? That big idiot was looking at me in the end, wasn't he?
Tap-tap-tap~
"Looks like I came at a bad time." A familiar sound of footsteps and a cheerful voice comes from the aisle.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke turns his head and gives the newcomer a slight smile. "No, you came at exactly the right time."