After chatting and joking with his group friends for a while, Izumi Chihiro turned off his phone and fully immersed himself in his work.
Before him was good news and bad news. The bad news was that summer vacation was over, and he no longer had free time.
The good news was that although he had spent a lot of time playing with his companions during this period, his diligent work at night still allowed him to complete part of the new volume of "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World."
Therefore, as long as he maintained his progress, he could still uphold the myth of releasing a new volume every two months or so.
First day of school.
"Phew! The noisy guys are finally gone! Seriously, how much of my alone time with Ni-san did those guys take up!"
At the dinner table, Sagiri complained softly.
Izumi Chihiro rubbed his sister's little head, smiling without a word, and sent the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen, letting everyone leave with their bento boxes.
In the new semester, the students returning from summer vacation were clearly not in form, listless during class. However, the teachers were used to it, teaching on their own. After all, it was a private school; whether you learned anything depended on your own ability, and there was no need to emphasize it for those without ambition.
After class, as usual, a large circle of people gathered around the golden-haired young lady. As Eriri, the top socialite on campus, she was the object they eagerly sought to befriend, feeling as though they had integrated into high society even if they could just chat a little more.
Eriri reluctantly dealt with them, using her feigned friendly smile.
"They're so annoying! Those guys..."
At noon, Eriri found an excuse to leave. Once she arrived at the empty meeting room, her expression immediately changed.
Recently, she had been feeling down due to her manga, and dealing with those people had made her impatient, but she had no choice but to do so.
"So, Eriri, why don't you take off that mask and show your true self?"
Suddenly, Izumi Chihiro pushed the door open.
Were those words just heard?
Eriri's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly recognized who it was and sighed in relief.
"I represent Sawamura! It wouldn't be good to leave a bad impression; it would be too embarrassing."
She turned around and argued.
"It's not Sawamura's face, it's Eriri's face, isn't it?"
Izumi Chihiro mercilessly revealed the truth, and as he sat down, he was met with a 'Ora Ora Ora' style sweep from the twin-tailed girl.
A few minutes later.
"Life is already so difficult, some things shouldn't be exposed!"
Brushing her hair back, Eriri was still fuming.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this."
Izumi Chihiro said, opening his bento box and changing the subject.
"You should have seen Mashiro's second submission for the Newcomer Award, right?"
"Why are you asking that?"
"Of course, I'm concerned about you."
"Co... concerned about me?"
"Of course, as a childhood friend, I'm a little worried about you..."
Hearing this, Eriri's slightly flushed cheeks immediately changed color.
"No need to say more, Chihiro, I know what you want to say, but as a childhood friend, you should also know my personality!"
Her expression grew cold.
Some things, even if understood, are full of helplessness.
"I want to surpass her; that is my current belief. Even you, Chihiro, cannot change my current thoughts."
What came from the girl's mouth was an unshakeable determination.
"I understand."
Izumi Chihiro sighed softly; the childhood friend's answer was not unexpected.
This grudge, which had lasted for several years, would eventually be settled.
For Eriri, this was the best opportunity, a chance to bet her dreams and future, to end the long-standing enmity, and no one could stop her.
Would the girl grow under pressure, undergoing a complete transformation to surpass the latter? Or would she be so defeated that she would never recover, reliving the nightmare?
This seemed like an unsolvable problem.
They ate in silence.
"I heard you held a light novel exchange meeting. Kasumigaoka Utaha, Yamada Elf, Kuroneko… even Senju Muramasa and Kani Nayuta went?"
Eriri suddenly said.
"Yes, that's right."
He nodded.
"I heard they were all beautiful girls?"
Eriri looked sideways.
"That's correct."
He replied.
"Also… Yamada Elf and Senju Muramasa both confessed to you?"
Eriri's eyebrows furrowed, her tone slightly tense.
"You know all this?"
Izumi Chihiro feigned surprise.
Needless to say, he knew his sister had revealed it.
It seemed there was an unspoken agreement between them to share information.
"So, what are your thoughts?"
Eriri hesitated for a moment but couldn't help asking the question.
She had gotten an answer from Sagiri, but she wanted to confirm it herself.
"If I had wanted to accept, I wouldn't still be single right now."
Izumi Chihiro said slowly.
"Mm…"
Eriri's gaze shifted elsewhere.
...
Time passed quickly, especially after school started. Classes occupied the daytime, and then writing occupied the afternoon and evening.
When one's life is fulfilling, it's hard to notice the passage of time.
Now, not only was his life from Monday to Friday fulfilling, but even his weekends were booked.
Kani Nayuta and Senju Muramasa were completely at odds with each other.
The story was about to enter a new chapter!
Originally, everyone should have been looking forward to the development of this story, but the readers were still thinking about the previous volume's story.
["Heh, I just remembered a new volume is out."]
["A new volume, but why does it feel so unsatisfying? Old Thief, give me back my Rem!"]
["Ah ah ah ah ah, I'm so frustrated! It makes me think of the last volume's story again."]
["Despicable Old Thief, to actually use forced logout! This is persecution! Rem fans will never be slaves!"]
["I dreamed that Miss Rem confessed to me…"]
["My life cannot be without Rem, just as Homura Akemi cannot lose Madoka."]
["If true love has a color, then it must be blue!!!"]
["Form a group! Form a group! Let's all charge the Old Thief! Burn him! Burn him!"]
Among the latest comments under the new volume, Rem fans accounted for the majority. Fortunately, no one successfully led the charge, and everyone didn't truly lose their minds, saving him from the danger of being attacked again.
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter