"You guys… what… what are you doing?!"
Aki Tomoya behind finally reacted, and he also recognized the new transfer student.
That man who took the beret. That fated beret was supposed to be his. The background girl heroine should have been his too.
Seeing Eriri take the initiative to throw herself into the arms of the new transfer student, Aki Tomoya's worldview was completely shattered.
'Wasn't Eriri a firm childhood friend faction? Also, wasn't Eriri an epic-level tsundere? It's impossible for her to suddenly like someone else, right?'
In Aki Tomoya's mind, even if he and Eriri weren't together, Eriri couldn't be with someone else either.
If the ordinary Megumi Kato was the "protagonist" of his life, then Eriri was a more colorful "supporting character."
In beautiful girl romance games, even supporting characters should belong to the male protagonist. Even if she didn't choose the protagonist, she should at least remain pure for the protagonist.
It's just different story routes, that's all. Who knows, maybe in another world, he and Eriri would have ended up together?
While in the middle of this brainstorming, Aki Tomoya suddenly noticed Eriri's face full of tears.
'Could it be... Eriri was being threatened?'
Aki Tomoya felt he had discovered the truth. Most likely, Eriri's identity as a doujinshi artist was discovered by the new transfer student.
'Using the identity of "Eri Kashiwagi" to threaten Eriri into being his girlfriend, that's why Eriri was crying while hugging him, right?'
Feeling like he had uncovered the truth, Aki Tomoya immediately decided he would be the one to save Eriri.
As for how to save her? Aki Tomoya didn't think that far. Even if it meant exposing Eriri's identity as a doujin artist and letting her face strange looks at school all the time, she still couldn't fall into the hands of this hateful man before him!
"Let go of Eriri!"
"Eriri, don't be fooled by him! One wrong step and everything goes wrong!"
Although Aki Tomoya hadn't seen any adult-oriented works, he understood clearly that in the abusive genre doujins that Eriri drew, NTR plots often started exactly like this.
If Eriri didn't turn back in time, based on the doujin plots, she'd become a plaything.
The sudden appearance of Aki Tomoya brought everyone back to their senses. Eriri, who had been sniffing the scent of the new transfer student, also realized, they were at school. Hugging the new transfer student like this would cause trouble for both of them.
Letting go of the new transfer student, Eriri turned her head to look at Aki Tomoya. Her expression changed from surprise to disgust.
Childhood friends? What a joke. In another world, Eriri had plenty of time to reflect on herself, like about this so-called childhood friend, Aki Tomoya.
Wasn't he just a rotten person who never considered others' feelings and only caused trouble? Back then, she wasn't wrong at all. She was just an elementary school kid, what could a child even do?
Rather, it was Aki Tomoya, this guy, who was the true source of the problem. He never considered other people's feelings, an extremely selfish and egotistical person, worshipping his ridiculous pride.
"What do you mean I was fooled? Aki-san, did you have some business with me?"
'Aki-san?' That stiff form of address made Aki Tomoya freeze for a moment.
'She must have been threatened. She's afraid her identity will be exposed, that's why she's saying that, right?'
Eriri was protecting him. No, no matter what, he couldn't let Eriri keep falling deeper. There's an abyss ahead.
Aki Tomoya's imagination was wild. He already brain-filled an entire dramatic play.
"Eriri, did he find out your secret identity and used that to threaten you? Don't be afraid, even if your identity is exposed, it's no big deal! You must not fall for his tricks!"
Eriri frowned. She knew Aki Tomoya had definitely made up something in his head. Most likely, he thought she was being threatened by the new transfer student.
If the new transfer student wanted to do something, would he even need to threaten her?
"Aki-san, I don't know what you're talking about. I've known Shin-chan for many years. We just haven't seen each other in a long time. This has nothing to do with you, right?"
Eriri's voice was devoid of any emotion, making Aki Tomoya realize he might have guessed wrong. Eriri didn't seem to be the Eriri he once knew anymore.
But Aki Tomoya refused to believe it. He still stubbornly thought Eriri was being threatened. If not, how else could this be explained?
"Eriri, I know you must have been threatened by him. Don't be afraid! We can ask Aunt Sayuri for help. Even if your identity is exposed, it's fine!"
In Aki Tomoya's heart, even if Eriri's identity was exposed, it didn't matter. He had never hidden the fact that he was an otaku, right? Why hide it?
As for whether Eriri could face others' strange looks, whether this would affect the Sawamura family, those were completely outside of his concern.
"You two, do you know? Eriri's hidden identity is—"
"Shut up." Just as Aki Tomoya was about to say Eriri's identity as a doujin artist, Shin-chan could no longer stay silent.
Eriri was the young lady of the Sawamura family. If her identity as Eri Kashiwagi was exposed, it would cause a lot of trouble.
Aki Tomoya's behavior was utterly ugly, talking to himself, refusing to listen to others' explanations, assuming his own perspective was the truth.
A character like this in a novel or manga might just seem a little cringey and self-centered. But in the real world, someone like Aki Tomoya was simply unbearable.
Aki Tomoya didn't expect Shin-chan to stop him, and Shin's aura was sharp and intense, like a sword drawn from its sheath, forcing him to shut his mouth.
"Kazama, and you, Yukinoshita-san, I have something to talk about with Riri. Could you give us some privacy?"
"Sure, see you tomorrow then."
Kazama had great trust in his best friend. He also recognized Eriri, she was the girl their Kasukabe Defense Force once helped, and her relationship with Shin-chan wasn't bad.
Behind him, Yukinoshita Yukino likewise didn't believe that Eriri was being threatened by Shin-chan. As a girl herself, she didn't see any signs of coercion in Eriri's behavior.
After hesitating briefly, Yukinoshita Yukino nodded lightly. Without saying another word, she simply chose to leave.
She was curious about Shin, but Yukinoshita Yukino's personality was cold and proud. She didn't want to get involved in this kind of emotional mess.
For someone to capture the hearts of both the Otome family's and the Sawamura family's daughters, Shin-chan was undoubtedly a highly skilled womanizer. Yukinoshita Yukino had no intention of letting herself be conquered too.
[Ding, system task issuing…]
[New mission has been issued. Please check.]
[Mission Name: Yukinoshita Meow]
[Mission Description: Yukinoshita Yukino has always hidden her love for cats. Please make her willingly meow like a cat in front of you!]
[Mission Reward: 51% ownership of Yukinoshita real estate.]
Hearing the system voice in his head, Shin-chan froze for a moment. Why did this mission feel even harder than the previous two?
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/XenosX
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰