Eri Spencer burst into the apartment.
Ethan Walters took a deep breath and calmly closed the door behind her.
He could handle a tsundere like Eri.
She was just upset about being turned away.
Once inside the living room, Eri's attention was immediately captured by the stack of drawings on the dining table.
On the surface, Eri Spencer was a dignified and beautiful young lady with a prestigious family background.
However, secretly, she was a devoted otaku and a well-known illustrator in the industry.
Of course, her primary passion was drawing.
Naturally, when she saw the drawings, she was drawn to them.
Ethan followed, noticing that Eri was engrossed in the artwork, and quietly cleared the table of the two sets of dinnerware.
Oh, Eri Spencer.
Eri flipped through a few pages, both excited and surprised.
"Is this Ethan's work? The artist is actually seventy percent as good as me," she exclaimed.
Eri knew Ethan was studying manga.
He often sought her advice on certain techniques.
However, this was the first time Eri had seen such beautiful manuscripts.
Moreover, she was quickly captivated by the story depicted in the drawings.
Eri didn't look up until she had read through the entire thing.
"This is amazing! Is there more? I want to see what happens next!" Eri said excitedly.
She was completely drawn into the storyline of the giants.
She didn't even notice Ethan removing the half-finished fried rice from in front of her.
Ethan shook his head. "These are all the original manuscripts so far. The rest will take time."
Eri put down the drawings, a bit disappointed but still enamored with them.
"Ethan, you should debut as a manga artist! After all, you were taught by me, so you'll definitely become famous soon!"
"Do you want me to introduce you to an editor? You just need to treat me to three meals," Eri offered, holding up three fingers with a sly smile.
'Three chances to go on a date alone should definitely lead to progress!' she thought to herself.
However...
"No need," Ethan replied, shaking his head.
Eri was taken aback. "Why?"
She questioned loudly, then realized her behavior was unbecoming and quickly sat back down, her face flushed.
Ethan pointed out, "Because all the editors you know, Eri, handle adult content, and the genre doesn't fit."
Eri: o.O
She had forgotten such an important detail.
Eri wanted to cry in frustration.
"There will be a way!" Eri made a final attempt.
Ethan reached out and ruffled Eri's blonde hair, smiling. "No need."
Eri shook her head, brushing off Ethan's hand. "Ethan, you're such an idiot!"
She then used her signature twin-tail attack, flicking her hair to hit him with her golden ponytails.
But the attack was stopped when Ethan gently held her cheeks.
Feeling the warmth of his palms on her face, Eri's cheeks instantly turned crimson, the blush spreading down to her neck.
"Let go, you baka!"
"Eri, you started it."
"No way!"
After Eri exclaimed her signature lines, Ethan let go.
The tsundere covered her face, taking a moment to calm down before returning to normal.
"Hmph!" Eri snorted softly, turning away from Ethan.
Coincidentally, her eyes fell on the bedroom door.
Remembering the sketches, Eri became curious.
She wondered what the place where Ethan created his manga looked like.
Jumping off the chair, Eri walked toward the bedroom.
Just as she reached for the doorknob, ready to open the door...
A hand pressed against it.
Eri:!
The door was locked and wouldn't budge.
Eri turned her head to find Ethan's face very close to hers.
'Is this... the legendary wall slam?'
Realizing this, Eri's eyes turned into spirals of confusion, and she was overwhelmed with shyness.
"Does Eri want to explore my room so badly? Does that mean she likes me?" Ethan's voice reached her ears.
Eri could even feel his breath.
Her heart, which had cooled down, began to race again.
"I...I..." Eri stammered.
Such a romantic scene, such closeness.
In addition, Eri indeed had feelings for the young man in front of her.
So...
"What are you talking about! I'm leaving! Idiot! Idiot!"
Eri chose to retreat.
Anyone else might have taken advantage of the situation, but Eri was special.
Breaking free from the wall slam, Eri fled to the entrance, opened the door, and left the apartment.
She ran all the way to her own apartment next door.
The moment she closed the door, Eri collapsed at the entrance, hugging her knees.
"What am I doing! I just... ahhhh! I blew it again!"
Eri cried, regretful of her actions.
Hearing the noise, a beautiful woman emerged from the apartment.
The woman's face resembled Eri's, and she was also petite, with twin ponytails, though her hair was black.
This was Eri's mother, Mrs. Sayuri Spencer.
Mrs. Spencer looked at her daughter crouched at the entrance, understanding what had happened without asking.
She sighed helplessly.
Mrs. Spencer worried about her daughter's future.
What would happen if she couldn't get married?
Having been neighbors for three years, Mrs. Spencer knew Ethan well.
He was kind, handsome, and had a genius mind, being the top scorer in the entrance exam.
Her daughter genuinely liked him.
Mrs. Spencer naturally hoped the two would get together.
However, three years had passed!
As a mother, she had even tried to give them opportunities.
Yet her daughter had made no progress at all.
Mrs. Spencer touched her face in frustration and sighed.
A boy like Ethan would surely be popular with girls.
If things continued this way, her daughter might end up heartbroken.
After all, a faux childhood friend plus a tsundere attitude wasn't very competitive.
Mrs. Spencer could already envision her daughter's painful future.
Alas, how could a mother help her daughter?
^IMAGE IN COMMENT ^