As Sagiri spoke, she looked back and forth, her expression a bit shy.
To this, Izumi Chihiro just smiled without speaking.
His sister was truly too cute!
"Hmm? Is Eromanga-sensei a brother complex? This makes things a bit difficult."
Yamada Elf frowned.
"My apologies, Yamada-sensei, it seems you won't get your wish."
Izumi Chihiro said with a slight apology.
"Hmph! This was all part of your plan, Izumi Old Thief. A sibling relationship does seem unbreakable, but I will never give up! I will prove to you that only we are truly a match made in heaven... I will be back!"
Yamada Elf slammed the armrest, left her final words, and departed sullenly once again.
'This isn't a question of compatibility at all!'
Sagiri emphasized in her heart.
"Hm?"
Turning back again, Sagiri met her brother's half-smile, and immediately felt a little unnatural, her face growing even hotter.
"Ni-san, I'm going back to my room."
With that, she scurried upstairs like a startled little rabbit.
"Well then, it's time for me to get to work as well."
Izumi Chihiro pushed himself up and went to his room.
"From the looks of it, directly turning Eromanga-sensei against him will be very difficult, so, is the source still Izumi Old Thief himself?"
On the short journey home, Yamada Elf still harbored wicked intentions, and being taken advantage of by the Old Thief for a favor also left her quite resentful, so she was determined to poach him to the end.
But unfortunately, with the deep bond between the siblings, it wasn't something she could easily shake.
"However, this situation is still within my control. Izumi Old Thief, did you think I truly had no preparations?"
A confident smile appeared on Yamada Elf's face again. She arrived at her study, where a bookshelf filled with light novels stood. Among them, a row of light novels with the author name 'Izumi Masamune' was prominently displayed.
Previously, she had only read the entire 'Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World' because of Elmi and had been following its updates ever since.
Because it was also an Isekai-themed work, and as a strong contender whose sales surpassed her own, she believed there were indeed some aspects worth studying.
In her view, an author's sales represented their combat power, making it easy to distinguish who was superior, so even someone as proud as her had to admit this point.
Of course, this was only temporary!
However, at that time, she hadn't paid attention to Izumi Masamune's other works, because from a thematic perspective, they weren't quite suitable for her; she preferred to spend that time playing her favorite games.
But today, she decided to put her hobbies on hold. In order to conquer the Old Thief, and at the same time achieve the effect of conquering Eromanga-sensei, she would thoroughly understand 'Izumi Masamune' by reading his works!
It was nothing if she didn't look, but once she did, it stirred unusual emotions within her.
Because in her reading, she saw a different landscape, an 'Izumi Masamune' completely unlike her first impression.
...
The next day at noon, at Toyogasaki Academy.
Izumi Chihiro had just prepared to take out his bento to eat lunch when he suddenly received a message.
His gaze shifted, then he took his bento and walked out of the classroom, following the stairs all the way to the school's rooftop—the legendary place where Makoto had fought.
He pushed open the half-open iron door and stepped out.
Noticing something, Izumi Chihiro's gaze shifted to the right, meeting a pair of beautiful eyes.
"It really has been a long time, Izumi-sensei."
Kasumigaoka Utaha sat on a bench, a laptop resting on her long legs clad in black stockings. Seeing him arrive, she brushed back her hair, which was blown by the wind, her gaze full of playful amusement.
"Strictly speaking, this should be the third time, right?"
Izumi Chihiro thought for a moment before saying.
Although he and Kasumigaoka Utaha had quite a lot of online communication.
"But when chatting with Sensei online, I'm still quite happy; it feels like we're birds of a feather."
She said without changing her expression.
'Am I already willing to debase myself for the sake of being sharp-tongued?'
Izumi Chihiro's mouth twitched slightly.
Between him and Kasumigaoka Utaha, there was only a bit of tension the first time they met, and even that could only be considered a test, not counting for much.
For a long period afterward, their online conversations were quite harmonious.
But gradually, things became increasingly strange, evolving from mild teasing to increasingly deep sarcasm, occasionally even including some ambiguous jokes.
This was related to their relationship growing closer, and also to Kasumigaoka Utaha's deepening immersion in otaku culture.
Compared to when she first started, in order to improve, Kasumigaoka Utaha had read many otaku cultural works, greatly increasing her '2D' concentration.
So this taught them a lesson, which was... beware of the 2D world!
"Izumi-sensei, come and sit down, aren't you tired of standing there?"
Tapping the bench lightly with her finger, Kasumigaoka Utaha's lips curved into a slight smile.
"I understand."
As soon as he sat down, Izumi Chihiro's nose caught a scent.
Well, it wasn't the smell of food, and it was far more alluring than food.
"So, why did you call me here?"
He was slightly dazed, then turned his head and asked.
"Is there a problem with a disciple missing her teacher and wanting to meet him?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha gave him an ambiguous look, coupled with a voice that seemed full of tender affection. If he wasn't careful, his heart might waver, falling into that bottomless vortex.
Excellent acting!
Under normal circumstances, a pure-hearted young man like him would find it hard to resist such alluring charm, easily becoming her captive.
However, he had also experienced the charm of many beautiful girls, and had even personally washed the panties of a silver-haired loli and a pure-white girl; this level was not enough to shake his original intention.
"Is that so? I'm not so dense that I can't understand such obvious hints. You've been addressing me as'Sensei' from the beginning, so it's for the love metronome, right?"
Izumi Chihiro stopped playing dumb and laid his cards on the table.
Calling him'Sensei' when there was something to discuss, and 'junior' when there wasn't, was perfectly reasonable!
"As expected of Sensei, a disciple's little thoughts can't be hidden at all~"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's tone changed again.
It almost gave him goosebumps.
"Save the flattery. Even without Miss Sonoko's request, accepting your'Sensei' title, as an excellent creator I acknowledge, I am very willing to have a discussion."
Izumi Chihiro said with a sincere tone.
"To be acknowledged by Sensei, that's truly wonderful."
Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled slightly.
She felt an inexplicable emotion in her heart and was very pleased with that remark.
There was no trace of acting in her expression; it was her most genuine feeling.
"Then, Sensei, next..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression sobered, and her tone shifted to her usual composed state.
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter