Eriri's Perspective
"Haa... this is a little embarrassing." Eriri muttered softly, clutching her schoolbag as she walked through the school gates. She could feel it — the curious eyes, the whispering voices, and the subtle murmurs that followed her every step.
"Geez… why does everyone have to stare like that?" she sighed, puffing out her cheeks slightly. "I'm the center of attention again… looks like I'll have to deal with this every single day."
Toyogasaki High School wasn't a school for the rich or elite. It was a normal high school filled with normal students. Unlike Shuchiin Academy — a place overflowing with prestigious names and noble lineages — Toyogasaki felt grounded, ordinary, real. That was exactly why she had chosen it. Even though she could've easily entered a top-class academy thanks to her family's wealth, she had wanted a school where she could just… close to him.
Still, as she adjusted her ribbon and brushed her long blond twintails behind her shoulders, she couldn't help but sigh again. "Today's the first day of school… I really hope I end up in the same class as him. After everything that happened, I deserve at least that much, right?"
She clenched her fists a little, recalling her strange adventure with Adi — that terrifying yet unforgettable dive into another world. "Even if he's a complete idiot sometimes," she murmured with a faint blush, "he's still… dependable."But he said something that made it sound like I was the losing heroine."
But the moment she saw the class list pinned to the bulletin board, her hope evaporated.
"Haaa… that's kind of depressing…"
Her name, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, was listed under Class 2-G. And Aki Tomoya — her long-time crush, inspiration, and now the source of endless frustration — was under Class 2-B.
Of course, the world just loved to toy with her.
She joined a small group of chatting classmates, trying to blend in and act normal, but her mood had already sunk. That was when a familiar appearance — calm, elegant, and dangerously mature — caught her attention.
Walking past with a paperback novel in hand was Kasumigaoka Utaha. Her long, silky black hair swayed gently as she moved, her crimson eyes unreadable as ever. She had that refined, older-sister aura — the kind of quiet charisma that made people turn their heads without realizing it. She had a different kind of charm compared to her.
Eriri froze, her expression twisting slightly.
"Of course… I see her too right now," she muttered under her breath, her tone caught somewhere between envy and irritation, her cheeks puffing in a small pout.
Utaha-senpai didn't even glance at her as she walked past with her usual calm elegance, the kind that made people around her naturally move aside. She didn't seem to care about the stares or whispers from the boys who admired her from afar. Her steps were steady, her expression unreadable—a perfect image of composure and grace.
Eriri clenched her fist slightly, her lips tightening as she watched the girl disappear around the corner. She still couldn't believe this was her rival.
"Oh well… from what Adi told me, she's just the same loser as me, right?" Eriri muttered quietly, trying to comfort herself. "But still… she's more popular than me in his world. That alone makes me so irritated… I can't even win there either."
Her sigh came out heavier than she intended, and though she tried to brush it off with a small laugh, the sound came out hollow. "Haaa… anyway, that's just a story from another world. It's not like that's going to happen for real, right?" she said, but the last words escaped her lips in a noticeably pessimistic tone.
She shook her head, lightly slapping her cheeks as if to wake herself up. "No, no… Adi said something might happen today. Some kind of 'event,' right? Then I need to be positive. Yeah… positive!" she mumbled, forcing a smile before heading back to her classroom.
As the bell rang, students began to gather and move toward the gym for the opening ceremony. Eriri followed along but soon found herself taking a small detour—toward the shoe locker where Tomoya usually put the magazines she had asked him to order. To her surprise, Tomoya was still around there, and they had a small conversation before Tomoya suddenly invited her to become the illustrator for the game he wanted to make.
It was something to be happy about if he hadn't said that he wanted to make the game after meeting a cute girl.
'Isn't that the girl who became the main heroine in Adi's world and won Tomoya's heart!?' Eriri's mind was in turmoil.
"Boy meets mysterious girl, they flirt, then share a joyous kiss, the end… That idea that 'only you can bring to fruition' fits into one sentence. Later…" Eriri said such harsh words as she threw the papers Tomoya had given her.
"Aahh… Wait, please, one more time… hear me out… just one more time…" Tomoya pleaded.
"There's nothing to say," Eriri replied, continuing to walk away.
"I'll be waiting in the AV room after school," he said.
"It's too late to be saying that now, Tomoya," Eriri thought. She was quite curious about the girl Tomoya had mentioned—the same one Adi had talked about as well. She also remembered the promise she made back in elementary school to be his artist.
But there were two problems. First, there wasn't enough material to make her interested in joining his project. And second, she didn't even know if she had the time—especially now that she had to travel back and forth between worlds to save this one from destruction.
She remembered vividly how badly Adi had been wounded back then—and how terrifying it was to stand face-to-face with that enormous Minotaur. Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.
"Yeah… I think, for now, I should focus on that rather than this…" she muttered softly, resting her cheek on her palm. "But… it's annoying since it feels like I'm admitting defeat or something… Uggh… this is so complicated!!" She groaned, lightly tapping her desk with a pen before sighing deeply. "Haa… maybe this is just how fate works…"
Her gaze drifted to the window, the afternoon sunlight casting a soft glow across her face. The sky was a clear blue—beautiful, peaceful, and somehow melancholic. It mirrored the confusion in her heart. No matter how much she told herself not to think about it, Tomoya's words and Adi's face kept overlapping in her mind, making her chest tighten for reasons she didn't want to admit.
When school finally ended, she tried to shake off the thoughts and walked toward the school gate. The moment she stepped into the car that Adi had brought to pick her up, she heard something that made her freeze in disbelief.
"Eriri-Ojou-sama! How about we make a game!!" Adi said with a bright grin, still wearing the maid uniform like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Eriri blinked once, twice, then let out a sigh. Seeing him act so confident and cheerful in that outfit made her want to smack him right there.
"Seriously… are you doing this on purpose?" she muttered, half exasperated, half amused.
[author]
Each chapter is about 1,000-1,200 words,
Monday to Saturday, every 5.00 AM in my country and maybe 3:00 PM in UTC since my reader lot from US. Thanks for reading!!!
[/author]