After school, Shin spotted Eriri waiting for him at the school gate.
"You're out so early? Couldn't wait, huh?"
Seeing Eriri, who seemed fully prepared, Shin couldn't help but chuckle.
After all, school had just ended. Shin had left the classroom mere minutes after packing up his bag. Yet, Eriri had already beaten him to the gate—meaning she must have rushed over the moment class was dismissed.
He wasn't sure if the Art Club had any activities today, but if they did, Eriri had likely skipped them.
Then again, as the club's ace, missing a few sessions probably wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
"W-What? I was just worried you'd run off with some weirdo again."
With her tsundere personality, Eriri would never admit she'd been looking forward to Shin visiting her house all day.
So, in response to his teasing, she offered a perfectly reasonable excuse.
After all, the rumor of Shin being approached by a girl from Shuchi'in Academy after school had already spread throughout the school.
Eriri guarding the gate early to prevent him from being whisked away again? Totally logical, right?
"Alright, then lead the way."
Shin shrugged helplessly, not bothering to argue—her stubbornness was harmless, and he was long used to it.
He could see through Eriri's true feelings but chose not to call her out. It was an unspoken understanding between them.
However, as they stepped out of the school gate, two figures at a nearby intersection caught Shin's attention.
One of them he recognized—Miko Yotsuya.
The other, though he was seeing her in person for the first time, was someone he knew a little about.
A short, golden-haired girl with twin tails—Yuria Niguredo. At a glance, she looked like a miniaturized version of Eriri.
Like Miko in the beginning, Yuria also possessed the ability to see spirits.
But her spiritual vision was far weaker than Miko's—she could only perceive relatively harmless apparitions, completely blind to true malevolent spirits.
Because of this ability, her aspirations differed from ordinary people: she wanted to become an exorcist. In the original story, she had repeatedly sought out Miko as a fellow "seer."
But this time, her reason for approaching Miko might be different.
Unlike in the original, Miko hadn't sought out an "exorcist" for help—instead, she had received a Stand from Shin.
In the original story, Yuriya's connection with Miko was facilitated by that "exorcist." This time, the catalyst was likely the Stand.
"Shin? What's wrong? Something over there?"
Eriri noticed Shin pausing and curiously followed his gaze toward the intersection.
But by the time she looked, Miko and Yuria had already turned the corner, disappearing from view.
"...No, it's nothing."
Though Shin was curious about Yuria and Miko's situation, he had already made plans with Eriri and wasn't about to bail.
Miko would probably come to him later to discuss it—after all, Shin was the only one she could talk to about spirits and Stands.
He'd deal with it when Miko brought Yuriya to him.
"Welcome, Shin-kun."
Upon arriving at Eriri's house, Shin was warmly greeted by Sayuri Sawamura.
Truthfully, Sayuri had a very positive impression of Shin. Though he seemed to have many secrets, his looks and abilities were undeniably top-tier—the best she'd ever seen.
And judging by Eriri's usual behavior, Shin had never done anything to hurt her... On the contrary, Eriri seemed utterly smitten.
Lately, Sayuri had even spotted a few sketches of Shin in Eriri's artwork—though the content of those drawings was... somewhat embarrassing.
Because of those sketches, Sayuri found it hard to look Shin in the eye, afraid strange images would pop into her mind.
"Hello, Mrs. Sawamura."
Shin greeted her with a smile, then glanced around the living room.
"Is Mr. Sawamura not home?"
Since Eriri had mentioned meeting her parents, Shin assumed her father would also be present.
But after a quick scan, he didn't spot him—unless Eriri's father had some ability to conceal his "energy," making him undetectable even to Shin?
"He's been busy lately—being a diplomat and all..."
Sayuri replied with a helpless smile. Today would've been the perfect opportunity to evaluate Shin as Eriri's "boyfriend," but her husband was absent.
"Anyway, I'll go prepare dinner. Eriri, why don't you and Shin-kun spend some time together first?"
"Got it, got it~"
Eriri, seemingly expecting this, grinned and tugged Shin toward her room at a brisk pace.
Watching their retreating figures, Sayuri wore the knowing smile of a mother—though she looked young, she was still Eriri's parent.
Seeing her daughter seemingly find her place brought her both comfort and a touch of melancholy.
But beyond that, Sayuri also felt a faint, restless stirring in her heart—likely because those sketches had inadvertently planted some... vivid mental images of Shin.
"Really... Why did Eriri have to draw so well?"
At that thought, Sayuri's cheeks flushed slightly. It had been a long time since she'd engaged in... such activities.
In truth, after seeing those drawings, Sayuri was almost certain that Shin and Eriri had already... gone all the way.
But what Sayuri probably never expected was... Eriri's boldness far exceeded her imagination.
To be continued…