The joint class cooking practical at Shuka High School had ended.
Jhin figured that since he could travel quickly between the two schools using the Problem Child Countermeasures Club, and since resolving the issues with Eriri and the others was the current priority, he decided to focus on Mihama Academy for the time being.
He'd walk Gabriel to school in the morning, then head to Mihama Academy through the Countermeasures Club. If he wanted to have lunch with Hitori Gotoh, it was easy to go back.
After school, he could return if he felt like it, or stay at Mihama Academy if he didn't. After all, he still held the title of 'Old Dorm Gatekeeper'.
Does this count as having a preliminary grasp on the art of time management? Jhin thought smugly, rubbing his chin with his right hand.
He planned to help Eriri with her problem first. Among the three of them, his relationship with her was currently the best.
To unlock her true potential, he first needed to gradually coax out her hidden identity as a doujinshi artist. At the very least, he had to know about it himself. If he couldn't even manage that, there was no point in talking about solving her problems.
With a general direction in mind, Jhin quickly came up with a plan. He specifically bought some currently popular novels and manga to take to Mihama Academy.
First, start by talking about otaku topics with Eriri!
Mihama Academy's self-study teaching style didn't affect Kasumigaoka Utaha in the slightest. After all, she was the kind of top student who could sleep through class all year and still consistently rank first in her grade. However, even for her, in a classroom with only ten people including the teacher, it was a bit too embarrassing to maintain her usual style of snoozing through class like she did at Toyogasaki Academy.
Not to mention, the girls here were all very enthusiastic. Even if Kasumigaoka Utaha tried to exude a 'keep away' aura, it would always be inadvertently broken by the simple-minded Michiru Matsushima and the naturally airheaded Komine Sachi. People like them were the natural counters to her type.
More than half a month had passed since the final volume of 'Love Metronome' was released, yet Kasumigaoka Utaha still lacked inspiration for a new work. Bored and unable to sleep, she could only pick up her pen and scribble something random in her notebook.
Eriri noticed that her old rival, for once, wasn't sound asleep in class. She snickered with schadenfreude, knowing Kasumigaoka Utaha had a habit of being nocturnal.
So you can get embarrassed about sleeping in the classroom after all!
Ah... how do you read this English sentence again?
As someone of Japanese-British descent, Eriri's grades in all subjects except English were excellent. Her English scores, however, were generally abysmal.
Why does a subject like English even exist! It's not like you'd ever use this stuff unless you're in a related profession!
She felt a bit discouraged and subconsciously wanted to throw the ballpoint pen she was holding onto her desk. But she immediately realized she had to maintain her image in front of others and snatched it back into her palm just as it was about to fly out of her hand.
That was close, I almost threw it.
Maintaining the image of a refined young lady in front of others was a disguise Eriri had kept up for so long it was almost instinctual. However, besides Kasumigaoka Utaha, two other people had seen her scruffy appearance, wearing a green tracksuit and black-framed glasses.
Jhin and Komine Sachi.
Eriri had already secretly approached Komine Sachi and asked her not to mention her disheveled appearance from that time. Sachi had solemnly promised her she wouldn't. As for Jhin, because he was a special student who attended both schools, Eriri hadn't yet found a suitable opportunity to talk to him about it.
Just as Eriri was wondering how to approach Jhin, the bell signaling the end of class rang, and Jhin came over to her on his own, holding manga and novels.
"Eriri, have you read the latest popular manga?"
"Huh? Which ones?" Eriri answered subconsciously, then immediately realized she shouldn't have replied that way.
How did I just expose the fact that I read manga? It's fine, it's just reading manga, a completely normal hobby. Eriri, stay calm!
"Here, these two. One is a 'shipping war' manga called 'The Perverted Elf and the Pure Succubus Surround Me,' and the other is a fluffy girls-love manga called 'Miss Ghost Won't Say No.'" Jhin placed the two manga, with their beautifully illustrated covers featuring various cute girls, on Eriri's desk.
Oh, it's these two. I just finished the latest volumes yesterday.
Hmph, some 'perverted elf' and 'pure succubus.' They're all girls who just showed up out of nowhere. There's no way they can beat the natural beast-girl childhood friend!
Look at their obscene breast sizes! And what dirty tricks are they using? Drugging, kidnapping, illusions, seduction... This isn't a shipping war, it's a competition to see who can sink the lowest!
And that damn author! Just let the childhood friend enter the fray! The elf and the succubus are fighting so hard the very fabric of reality is tearing, but the beast girl is still living in peaceful bliss. If she doesn't make a move soon, the male lead is going to be snatched away!
Eriri was like someone who'd bought a stock that kept plummeting into the red, yet still believed it could make a miraculous comeback overnight and earn her a fortune.
As for that yuri manga, Eriri had read the latest volume for the sake of gathering reference material, because the heroines were drawn to be quite sensual.
Ugh... I really want to discuss the future plot developments of the shipping war manga with Jhin,
But...
Eriri glanced around the classroom out of the corner of her eye. Everyone's gaze was fixed on Jhin, who was talking to her. Didn't this just make it even harder for her to speak her mind?
"I'm sorry, Jhin-san, these two manga, I..."
"It's okay, Eriri. It's just liking manga, it's not a big deal." Jhin smiled and turned to shout at the other girls, "Hey! If you want to read these two manga, just come get them from me later. Stop staring over here. Or you can check my drawer, there are a few novels in there too."
"Hey! I'm the first one to get brother's novel!"
"You should've said so earlier, honestly! Wait, Makina, that's the one I wanted to read!"
"No way I'm giving it to Michi-Michi! Last time it took you a whole week to read a book, that's way too long!"
Michiru Matsushima huffily chased after Irisu Makina, who was holding the novel high above her head with both hands. Like a puppy being teased with a bone, they playfully frolicked between the desks.
Jhin winked at Eriri. "See? Liking manga isn't a weird hobby."
Compared to Komine Sachi, who liked to study explosives, and Irisu Makina, who practiced her sniping when she wasn't doing morning training with Jhin, Eriri's hobby of reading manga was so harmless it almost made Jhin want to cry.
He really keeps his word... Eriri recalled the answer Jhin had given her when they first met, and a warm feeling spread through her heart.
Eriri pressed her small, cherry-like lips into a thin line. Her nostrils flared slightly as she took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. With a smile in her blue eyes, she reached out with her slender, white fingers and opened one of the manga. The faint, unique fragrance of a paper book wafted out as the pages turned, joining the cheerful classroom air.
In a pleasant, slightly trembling voice, Eriri quietly said "Thank you" to Jhin, and then began to discuss the manga with him.
___
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