"By the way, Sawamura-san, do you happen to know soone nad Tomoya Aki?"
Nozomi tilted his head slightly as he asked, his tone casual, but his eyes glead with a curious spark that made Eriri Sawamura Spencer montarily stiffen.
The blonde girl blinked behind her glasses, clearly thrown off guard. "Huh? That na sounds familiar... Yeah, I know him. Why?"
"Just curious about your connection," Nozomi replied, his voice smooth as ever.
Instantly, Eriri's entire posture changed—her arms crossed defensively and a deep frown etched on her face.
"Don't even bring him up! I have nothing to do with that guy," she said, voice taut with tension.
Nozomi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That intense, huh?"
Eriri let out a sigh and glanced away, her tone more subdued now. "He used to live next door when we were kids. But… he died in a car accident back in elentary school."
A mont of silence followed.
"Ah. He died?" Nozomi murmured, genuinely surprised.
Tomoya Aki—Eriri's supposed childhood friend in the original source—dead? That was quite the deviation.
Well… that's one less love rival to worry about.
"So then," Eriri narrowed her eyes, suspicion returning. "Why did you even ask about him?"
Nozomi raised a hand, half-covering one eye, and put on an exaggeratedly mysterious tone. "Because... my eyes can perceive things hidden from ordinary sight. I once saw a boy nad Aki Tomoya wandering around, mumbling sothing about buying the latest gal ga."
"Hyaa?! Are you trying to scare or sothing?!" Eriri flinched, then quickly masked her fear with a loud huff. She crossed her arms again and gave him a look of pure disdain. "Chuunibyou much? No wonder you write such over-the-top lines in your scripts!"
Nozomi chuckled. "If that's the case, how do you explain knowing his na?"
Eriri paused, clearly not expecting that counter.
After a mont, she sniffed and said with conviction, "You must've lived nearby when we were kids. That's the only logical explanation."
"Then… are we childhood friends?" Nozomi asked with a playful grin, not confirming or denying anything.
Eriri imdiately scoffed. "Not a chance! As far as I can recall, today's the first ti I've ever seen you. And FYI, I've always been super popular at school, so it's totally normal for people to know without knowing them."
She gave a dramatic hair flip, then leaned in a little closer.
"Also, keep your mouth shut about my pen na, Kashiwagi Eri. Nobody at school knows my true identity. Capiche?"
"Relax, I'm not from Toyogasaki, so who would I even tell?" Nozomi replied smoothly. "Besides, now that we're part of the sa animation club, we're companions. There's no way I'd betray my lovely co-mber's trust."
Hearing that, Eriri couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips.
"But seriously," Nozomi leaned forward, eyes glinting, "the whole bit with cute girls getting bullied by creepy uncles in your comics—those are your own ideas, right?"
Her smile instantly vanished.
Eriri's face turned red, and her voice cracked a little as she shouted, "Y-yeah! I an… sorta! I borrow from other stories too, okay?! I just thought it was what people liked!"
She clenched her fists, cheeks puffed, and eyes watery.
"So many readers are self-conscious, so I figured a relatable, scruffy middle-aged guy getting the girl would help them connect. It's not like I want to draw it—it's what sells!"
Nozomi nodded thoughtfully, his tone oddly sincere. "That makes sense. In a way, those uncles did what many main characters couldn't—take initiative. I get why it clicks."
Then, his eyes narrowed just a bit.
"But... have you ever thought about what you'd do if sothing like that happened to you?"
Eriri gasped, then threw both hands up in protest. "W-what nonsense are you spouting?! I don't like creepy uncles, okay?! That's fiction, not reality! I'm still a girl, thank you very much!"
Eri was on the verge of tears.
Why did it feel like the more she explained herself, the more people misunderstood her? She wasn't that kind of weird girl! Really!
Nozomi looked at her unraveling expression, the storm of emotions swirling behind her eyes, and smiled with a calm, knowing air—as if he were watching a tsundere heroine fumble through a love confession scene.
"Relax, I'm not judging you," Nozomi said, his tone light, but with a teasing edge. "I'm just genuinely curious about where you usually get your material. If you ever need help with ideas, I can lend a hand. Oh, and while we're on the subject, I have a small suggestion."
"W-What suggestion?" Eriri asked, warily.
Nozomi leaned forward, hands in his pockets, eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Next ti you draw your doujins... could you tone down the heroine's breast size?"
"Huh?!" Eri's entire face flushed a deep red, her mind instantly blanking.
"I an, so of those designs are so exaggerated, the only word that cos to mind is 'cow.' The proportions are all over the place. It's hard to focus on the actual character. All I can think about is how gravity's going to win in a few years."
"Y-You—!"
"Honestly, I liked the earlier ones more. They were cute, the size matched the heroine's vibe, and it made the story easier to get into."
Steam practically erupted from Eriri's head. Her whole body trembled with embarrassnt.
In the beginning, she had drawn them more realistically—basing the proportions off her own figure, then tweaking slightly. But ever since so loudmouth fans online accused her of making them too small, she'd caved. Bigger and bigger she drew, until she'd created walking balloons disguised as characters… and yes, they sold better.
Nozomi continued, still sounding far too casual.
"You see? Even though your art is popular, no serious light novel publisher has ever asked Kashiwagi Eri to do an official adaptation, right?"
Eriri's expression froze, and then she nodded slowly, her twin tails drooping ever so slightly.
"You're not wrong. Even though my books sell well at Comiket, whenever editors hear it's behind them, they quietly pass up."
Nozomi patted her shoulder with a look of gentle encouragent.
"Co on, Sawamura-san. You're part of our ow Star Club now. With this team, we're going to make waves—and help you reinvent yourself. So from now on, trust just a bit more, alright?"
"...Ugh. I… fine, I'll try to listen. But—wait a second! Why should I just listen to you like that? What if you're trying to pull sothing shady?"
Realizing she'd nodded without thinking, Eriri quickly jumped up and crossed her arms, defensive once again. Her face burned red, her little tiger fangs peeking out as she glared.
Nozomi rolled his eyes like a tired protagonist dealing with a fiery side character.
"Geez, calm down. I just an we should work well together. You handle the visuals, I handle the story, but let's keep things balanced. No alien cows with ani eyes."
Then, casually, he added, "Besides, I've already got a girlfriend, okay?"
Eriri blinked.
Oh. So… he wasn't hitting on her. Her heart felt oddly lighter, though she couldn't explain why. A weird sense of disappointnt flickered at the edge of her thoughts before she quickly squashed it.
Then, a pout ford on her lips.
Wait… what's that supposed to an? You have a girlfriend, so I'm not good enough to be hit on?
She was about to grumble when Nozomi interrupted her storm of thoughts.
"Sawamura-san, we should exchange phone numbers. For convenience, of course. Better communication for future projects."
"O-Okay."
She gave him her number and saved his in return, though she wore a sowhat conflicted expression the entire ti.
Although she didn't dislike him, and yes, he was talented and kind of charming in his own smug way, she still didn't know him that well. It was better to establish boundaries now.
"Don't send any weird ssages," she said firmly.
Nozomi smirked. "As long as you don't harass either. I happen to be quite popular with the ladies, you know."
He leaned in slightly, voice smooth.
"Sawamura-san, please don't fall in love with , or I might just do sothing unforgivable."
"As if!" Eriri snapped, flustered. "You're the one who better not fall head over heels for just because I'm beautiful! If you dump your girlfriend because of my charm, I swear I'll reject you on the spot!"
The mont the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Her cheeks turned crimson, her ears burning.
What the hell did I just say?!
Was she being led astray by this guy's weird rhythm?!
Nozomi grinned, completely unbothered.
"Then let's wait and see, Sawamura-san."
His voice was light, teasing… but sothing about it sent a little jolt through her heart.
"Tch… idiot," she muttered, turning her head away.
But her lips were already curving into the smallest of smiles.
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