After forcing herself to calm down, Eriri finally managed to steady her emotions.
Tanaka watched her sudden anger with confusion.
Is it because I know she's a doujinshi artist? But shouldn't that make her worried or scared instead?
Why is she angry? I really don't get this whole tsundere thing…
Anyway, I should probably try that method now.
He cleared his throat lightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, and spoke in a deliberately casual tone.
"Sawamura-san, you don't want others to know that you're a doujinshi artist, right?"
[Depravity value +1]
Huh? Why did my depravity points go up all of a sudden? Is it me, or is it Eriri?
Eriri, who had still been fuming over Tomoya Aki, was jolted back when Tanaka's voice broke through her thoughts.
Looking up, she found herself staring at his round, smiling face.
That expression, paired with the way he spoke, instantly put her on guard. She subconsciously covered her chest and stepped back.
Her voice trembled nervously.
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't want to do anything," Tanaka replied calmly. "I just want to show you something."
He slung his backpack off his shoulder and began rummaging through it.
But to Eriri, it looked like he was about to start stripping. Her panic shot up immediately.
"I don't want to see it—don't come any closer!"
She backed away in a rush, only to realize she had cornered herself against the wall.
Her eyes darted toward him, ready to seize any chance to escape.
But Tanaka only pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to her.
"Teacher Kashiwagi Eri, this is the doujinshi I drew. Please take a look."
"Huh?"
Eriri froze. She blinked at the manuscript in disbelief. Then, as her eyes landed on the cover, her face turned scarlet.
Not from embarrassment—rather, because the image appealed to her hidden tastes all too well.
Her blush came from excitement. The nervousness and fear vanished completely, replaced with eagerness.
"You… you also draw doujinshi!"
…
Half an hour later.
At the Sawamura residence, Sayuri Sawamura heard the sound of the front door opening and came out to welcome her daughter.
"Eriri, you're back—"
She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Tanaka following behind. Her expression twitched slightly.
Tanaka, seeing the elegant and beautiful Sayuri, immediately bowed politely.
"Hello, sister. I'm Tanaka."
Hearing him address her that way, Sayuri quickly regained her composure, smiling warmly.
"So it's Tanaka-kun, Eriri's classmate. Please, come in and sit."
She ushered him into the living room, then pulled Eriri into the kitchen under the excuse of preparing tea and snacks.
Once the door was closed, Sayuri lowered her voice.
"What's the deal with this Tanaka? Is he your new love? He doesn't look like a bad person, but… isn't he a bit—"
Sayuri knew her daughter's feelings very well. She knew Eriri liked Tomoya Aki, and she also knew about the conflict between them.
In truth, she held many complaints about Aki.
It wasn't because she hated otakus; she was one herself.
And it wasn't that Eriri refused to share her otaku hobbies with Aki—she simply didn't want to do it openly at school.
That was perfectly reasonable. After all, otakus were easy targets for bullying.
Why couldn't her daughter just enjoy a normal school life?
Did Aki really want Eriri to be ridiculed by others, with him as her only otaku companion, for him to feel content?
But no matter how she thought about it, Sayuri couldn't do much about her daughter's stubbornness. Every time she brought it up, Eriri would just avoid the subject.
And now, seeing her finally bring home another boy… but one whose appearance wasn't exactly ideal…
Ah… is this really the kind of boy my daughter's interested in?
Sayuri sighed inwardly.
"New love!"
The words made Eriri flare up instantly.
"Mom, what are you talking about! How could I have a new love? I don't even have someone I like!"
But as soon as she said it, she thought of Aki and turned her head away with pride.
Sayuri could only sigh again in her heart.
Daughter, daughter… this stubborn pride won't help you at all.
Knowing her temper, Sayuri dropped the subject and asked instead,
"So who exactly is Tanaka? How did you two meet?"
"I met him by chance," Eriri answered truthfully.
"By chance?" Sayuri clearly didn't believe it. It seemed too unlikely for her daughter to bring home a complete stranger.
Seeing her mother's skeptical eyes, Eriri explained,
"He's one of my juniors. He came to ask me questions."
"Oh? About what?"
"About drawing doujinshi."
Since it was her mother, Eriri saw no reason to hide it.
"Doujinshi?!" Sayuri's eyes widened. "You mean… that boy also draws doujinshi?"
She should have been happy—her daughter had finally found a friend with the same interests.
But wasn't this a little too… unconventional?
A boy and a girl locked in discussion over doujinshi… it sounded far from innocent.
Sayuri's imagination began to run wild. She pictured Tanaka and Eriri locked away in a room, poring over storylines.
And then, "discussing" things in practice afterward…
After some hesitation, Sayuri offered,
"How about I join you later? I'm also an artist. I could give you both some advice."
Hearing this, Eriri nodded immediately. "Okay."
She herself felt it wasn't proper for a boy and girl to discuss doujinshi alone. Having her mother present would make things much more appropriate.
······
Tanaka waited in the living room for quite some time before the two returned, each carrying a tray with tea and snacks.
Sayuri smiled warmly. "Tanaka-kun, sorry to keep you waiting."
Seeing her radiant smile, Tanaka felt his heart stir.
Mrs. Sayuri's charm… it's even more dangerous than Eriri's.
Sitting a bit stiffly on the sofa, he stammered,
"No, it's fine. I didn't wait long."
Sayuri didn't seem to mind his nervousness. She set down the tray, poured him a cup of tea herself, and said kindly,
"Here you go, Tanaka-kun. Please, help yourself."
"Thank you."
Once the three of them were seated, Sayuri spoke first.
"Tanaka-kun, I heard that you also draw doujinshi. You came here today to ask for advice, didn't you?"
"Ah—!"