109 Study Abroad Exchange Meeting
"So that's how it was, huh? You've had a tough time, Shirou. Sorry for saying you were acting strange." Asuna said with a gentle smile. "Well, that's the natural reaction, isn't it? For us, it's only been less than a day since we last saw you." Yukinoshita argued logically. "That's true... I'll be more careful from now on. But didn't you all agree to this already, Mash?" Shirou retorted. "No, Mash has always been like this, hasn't she?" Yuigahama looked at the other girls, asking for confirmation. "Mm. When I bumped into her in the hallway earlier, this kid warmly came up and greeted me, 'Good morning, Senpai. Did you recharge properly today?'" Asuna replied with a soft smile. "Then it's settled, it's the same Mash as always." Yukinoshita nodded.
"Eh?" Shirou looked suspiciously at the pink-haired girl. Is this really the Mash I know? "What's wrong, Senpai Shirou?" Mash blinked in confusion. "No... forget it. Let's just eat." Shirou held his head.
Clearly, the aftereffects of his temporal dislocation hadn't completely worn off yet.
After that, everyone leisurely began eating their lunchboxes together, scrambling for the best dishes from Shirou's bento. Perhaps this was the small happiness of everyday life that truly belonged to him.
.
.
.
That afternoon after school, a tall woman wearing a suit jacket and a white lab coat walked in. "Shirou! Grab your bag and come with me. There's a meeting you need to attend." "What's this about? I'm not a class representative, nor the class president, nor a club leader." Shirou stepped forward, looking puzzled at teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka. "It's about this vacation's exchange event with our overseas branch school. Come with me." Hiratsuka said firmly, leaving no room for refusal as she led him toward the school parking lot.
At the parking lot entrance, two figures were standing face-to-face, seemingly in confrontation. "Looks like everyone's here. You're all well-known at school, no need for introductions." Hiratsuka said, looking over with a tone that suggested she was used to such situations. "Wait here, I'll bring the car around." She said to Shirou before heading to her beloved car.
Shirou turned to look at the two girls and recognized them immediately.
On the left, nearly bristling like a cat about to explode, was blonde twin-tailed Eriri Spencer Sawamura from the international class.
Because she usually kept a low profile, she wasn't as constantly in the spotlight like Mash, but she was actually quite popular among the boys — a half-Japanese beauty and the ace of the art club.
On the other side was a long-haired black-haired girl with a hairband, arms crossed, her expression cool but with the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.
Her tall figure in uniform paired with black stockings gave her an aura of mature elegance.
She was a famous third-year, refined and beautiful, said to consistently hold the top academic ranking. With her mysterious and quiet atmosphere and sophisticated style, she was dangerously alluring to the average high school boy.
Shirou nodded slightly and greeted them: "Eriri, Kasumigaoka-senpai, hello." "Ah! Why are you here, Shirou! …Classmate." Eriri yelped, then quickly corrected herself. "No, just call me Shirou. We were elementary school classmates — no need to be so stiff, right?" Shirou thought, puzzled. "Hmph! I've got nothing to say to this guy!" Eriri folded her arms and turned her head away.
'What, just because our names were once written together under an umbrella, she has to act like this? Or is she still holding a grudge from when I told her in middle school to cut back on games or she'd end up a loser in life?'
"Hmhm~ Shirou-kun, was it?" Perhaps because of the blonde twin-tails, the senpai looked Shirou over with curious eyes. "I've heard your name plenty of times. Your archery performance went viral online, didn't it? Very impressive. Would you let me interview you sometime, for reference material in my next work?"
"Senpai, are you a writer, or part of the newspaper club or something?" Shirou asked, confused.
The girl in front of him seemed elegant and quiet, but gave off a slightly dangerous vibe.
"Shirou! Don't talk to that shady woman! She'll eat you alive, like the Big Bad Wolf!" Eriri ran forward, her blue eyes glaring defensively. "Oh my, that's quite a cute metaphor from you, Sawamura-san. But when you say 'eat,' do you mean in the sense of appetite… or…" the hairband girl said calmly. "Waaah! Kasumigaoka Utaha!! What are you trying to say here?!" Eriri shouted nervously.
"How many times have I told you, don't go around calling people by their full name. Kashi something, wasn't it? Sensei." The hairband girl's red eyes locked onto Eriri, delivering a deadly strike. "Waaaaah!! Don't say that name here!!" Eriri screamed.
"Kashiwagi? As in 'tree'?" Shirou asked in confusion. "Shirou! You idiot! Don't say that!!" Eriri rushed forward, swinging her twin-tails furiously as she slapped at him. "Whoa, wait—!" Shirou failed to dodge, taking her Twin-Tail 16-Hit Combo.
At that moment, Hiratsuka had already pulled the car around, honked, and shouted from the window: "Hey! You three! Are you here to chat or to fight? Get in the car already!" "Yes…" "Got it." The three finally got inside.
Eriri and the senpai sat in the back, bodies pressed toward the windows, leaving an obvious gap between them.
"So, what's the deal with bringing them along?" Shirou asked from the front passenger seat. "You know them, don't you? One's a painter, the other's the up-and-coming light novelist, Kasumi Utako. And you, Shirou, are the archery ace." Hiratsuka said casually. "So Eriri is representing the art club, and Kasumigaoka-senpai is representing literature, both for this exchange event?" Shirou summarized. "Pretty much! You're all the talents I hand-picked. So you'd better do well. Isn't that right, Sawamura… Kashi-something-sensei?" Hiratsuka said meaningfully while driving. "Y-Yes! That's right, Teacher! I'll do my best!!" Eriri answered quickly, blushing. "...You didn't get blackmailed or something, did you?" Shirou couldn't help but think she seemed guilty.
"Whether Sawamura-san is here voluntarily or not, that aside… as for me, sometimes my work requires me to take leave for activities like this, so having a teacher who understands is a big help. Though that teacher seems like the type who would do anything for her own goals." The senpai added. "T-There's no blackmail or anything like that!!" Eriri shouted back, blushing furiously.
On the surface, Eriri was the elegant, well-mannered young lady. But in truth, she was an obsessive otaku with shut-in tendencies.
In the underground world, however, she was the famous illustrator Kashiwagi Eiri, known as the "Deep-Sea Painter"!
Her latest work — a spicy yuri doujin of Jeanne Alter x Jeanne Alter Lily in the backseat of a car — had recently been posted online and was extremely well received. One could say that in the underground world, she reigned as a queen with very high standing.
But recently, she had one major problem: one of her teachers had somehow discovered her pen name.
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