Ero Manga Sensei - Volume 11 - Chapter 1

EROMANGA SENSEI VOL. 11 CH. 1

This all started when I found out about my sister’s secret, a year since that incident…

I’m Izumi Masamune (和泉 正宗)[1], a 16-year-old Sophomore High School student who writes light novels as a part-timer under the pen name: Izumi Masamune (いずみ・まさむね)[1] while attending school.
There’s this illustrator by the name of “EroManga Sensei” who only illustrates Izumi Masamune’s novels.

And this person is my younger sister, Izumi Sagiri.

Until recently, due to circumstances, I’ve been living alone with my Hikikomori[2] sister. She’s been making progress on her condition, little by little.
We were working towards a dream which we were one step closer towards.

“We will watch the anime we created together outside the room – side by side in the living room.”

Not too long ago, my family members increased by one… With my aunt here, my real family of three had begun.

It’s October, and the visualization and planning for “The Cutest Sister in the World” is going well. But on one autumnal day, I messed up. Big Time.

On that particular day, I slept much deeper than usual. I had stayed up all night due all the work that piled up from yesterday. I’ve tried to be careful lately as to not worry my family, but I was caught off guard by a very difficult situation…

As my senpais say when it comes their personal experiences– A Light Novelist’s work becomes overkill before it becomes an anime, no matter far ahead work is managed and scheduled.

In addition to making the manga, storyboard, the tie-in game, and all sorts of other supervisory materials, and also the work that is needed to be done such as interviews, promotional advertisement planning, spin-off plans, and….

…Well, all the work you have to do is endless. I was so exhausted, so I couldn’t help but just pass out.

When 5 a.m. rolled around, which is the time I usually wake up, I just kept sleeping.

I think I heard a squeaking sound of the door opening.

“Hnnn?“

Normally, I would have woken up with just that, but I couldn’t. I was barely half-awake, eyes still shut. I faintly heard footsteps—the sounds of something sneaking and creeping. Someone was approaching my slumber, but I was still sleeping soundly.

「……………………」

Suddenly, I felt the cold air coil around my neck.
I simply thought I pushed the blanket off.

「…That’s Probably It. 」

Feeling cold and in need of more sleep, I stretched my hand out to grab the blanket.

And… I felt something soft.
And then this brain-numbingly sweet smell followed.

「……………? Ah, that’s what it is…」

After we started dating, Sagiri would sneak into my futon like a cat. And so, I pulled her close, hugging her tightly.

“Hah… You’re too cute..”

I was exhausted, but I wasn’t aggravated by her visit—actually I felt so full of love and joy.

“Huu….”

Half asleep, I continued to pat her hair as she slowly curled inward.
“Huuu.. huu.. Masamune…”

Wait, that voice didn’t sound like Sagiri. And when you wear pajamas, usually there’s not this much skin.

Right?

Right?!

“Sagiri.. Sagiri? Hey Sagiri!”

Immediately, I jumped off the bed, fully awake now. The person I thought was Sagiri hid under the blanket… I pulled the covers.

“Who are—”

There laid Elf, completely naked.

“…Hi!”

It was a downright miracle I didn’t scream. If I did, the entire family would have gone into my room and saw… this.

There sat the Light Novelist Yamada Elf, a beautiful girl with hazel eyes with fair and beautiful skin that lives next door to my house, on my futon…

Completely naked.
「Oh God… Oh God…」

My mouth was wide open and eyes popping out from the shock.

「 What? What’s this? What is this right now? I’m sure I was alone in my bed last night… right? I’m a man with a girlfriend, this is not something I would have done, right?

I’m trustworthy… right? 」

My brain was frantically trying to rationalize the moment.

“Elf… When did you get here?”

Good question, me.
Elf’s blushing face was the scariest expression for me now.

“Just a bit ago~ ♡”

“O-of course!”

I restrained myself. I was furious, but at the same time, relieved, considering.

“You came in without my permission.”
“Noo I didn’t!”
“What? You’re ly—“
“It’s too early for this~”

「I’m in a situation where I woke on the same futon as a naked girl. I need to keep calm.」

“Look, get off of my futon right now!”
“Kuku~ you’re going to drive a beautiful girl out of the house naked? How perverted!”
“You—Look I’ll take you back, just please put on these clothes, and leave quietly so Sagiri doesn’t see you”
“How oddly specific”
“I’m desperate!”

I tried to get Elf out but I wasn’t getting anywhere. I couldn’t face her right now so I couldn’t do anything about it except ask her to leave. She was the most aggressive naked person.

Elf grinned and grinned.

“Besides that, Masamune… You have a beautiful naked girl on your futon, one hand touching my sacred, bare skin, aren’t you going to savor this?”

“…Be Quiet…!” That sounded like Sagiri.

In a panic, I blocked Elf’s mouth with one hand to which she fervently resisted.

“Hey! Cut it out!”
“Stop! Please! This isn’t some promised sleeping scene in a Light Novel! You’re enjoying this… aren’t you!?”

“…No, Stupid!”

I’ve been severely tempted since waking up and my willpower is in shambles. Every time, her appearance shows, it’s too risqué for me!

I’m trying so hard to stay afloat!

“Isn’t this… strange for you? I mean, you’re trying to do a love-comedy bit but… I don’t think it’s going well at all.”

“What?!”

Elf opened her eyes in shock.

“I didn’t expect you to ruin the mood like this… What’s the issue?”

For this ridiculous situation, I had to craft my own explanation.

“First of all, the ‘I woke up with a beautiful girl was next to me’ bit was something I’ve written about, and while readers liked it, when it happens in real life, it’s not funny at all.”

That’s precisely it. Unless it were Sagiri, the most attractive, wonderful, beautiful woman in the world, I would be confused. This isn’t something that normally happens in real life and I wanted to convey to her that if people actually did this to each other, it only causes fear and confusion.

“Well… you got a point there.”

Elf says that as she rubs her chin.
As she does though, I caught a glimpse of a white breast.

「 ……! 」

Quickly, I look away.

This is how Elf makes me nervous—this being a prime example. Although… Other methods would have been more effective.

“Another thing: You took off your clothes too quick. I told you before—nakedness is the least popular style in the world.”
“That is just wrong based on that fact that my writings are proven to be amazing! My love-comedy novels are funny because the heroine, written by yours truly, is attractive and can be conveyed through my writing.”
“I don’t think the naked scene would increase the heroine’s “Moe[3] Power Level” in the slightest. Honestly, it would have been even more interesting if it was just lewd.”
“That’s not true! It’s because I am naked that makes the love-comedy scene that much better! Even now, the waves of precious Moe must be making you dizzy!”

Relax, don’t get frustrated.
In actuality, I am very dizzy, but I’ll never admit it to you.

“I’m just tired of seeing you naked.”

“Tired?! Did you just say you’re tired of my nakedness? Since when did this become too normal for you?”
“Don’t twist my words! I’m just saying if you just keep appearing like this over and over again, I’m bound to just get used to it!”
“I’m not like that at all! I was peeped by you at first and I was forced to play twister by Eromanga sensei! I even showed you my bikini during training camp! You talk about me being naked way too much!”

As she says this, I found it hard to be convinced by it seeing as how she was still sitting there naked. Though, I guess she’s correct in some sense.

“Uh.. Well… I mean..”

Tracing back, Elf really hasn’t been naked all that often actually.
Come to think of it, the last time she was naked was when she and Senpai were assisting for an illustration—And even then Senpai was a lot more erotic, having to do a bath scene.

What kind of company is A-1 Pictures anyway?

“… I think you’re right. I’ll admit you don’t take your clothes off that often even though you’re still naked as we speak.”

Elf’s posture began to heavily wane, her hands now clenched against her knees.

“I don’t get it—how come I have all this Moe-ness but it doesn’t work on you? It shouldn’t be like this… Am I that unattractive to you…?
I’m really about to cry!”

Panicked I couldn’t stop myself.
“That’s not it! Look, I was really trying to keep my cool, but I was so tempted that I almost took advantage of you!”

「…Almost Took Advantage of You…!」

“…What…?”

Elf, who was now biting her lip, looked up with rosy cheeks.

“Really…?”
“Er—uh I mean like you’re attractive”
“…Oh… I see…”

Just then, Elf shifts over and tries to lean on me.
I’m paralyzed. If another woman were to see this, it would be suspicious to say the least. But another man might understand—this situation is brutally tempting!

「……………………」

I muster everything I could to move my weak body away. But as soon as I started, Elf clasped onto me more, touching me more with her bare ski—

“… What are you doing?”

「……………………」

My heart sank. I felt the cold sweat drip down. Elf and I looked at each other for a moment in the hostile silence, but after a few seconds, turned our eyes to the source.

「……………………」

She was there.

“Nii-san… Elf…”

There she was, the beautiful, silver-haired woman in pajamas.
She stared at us at the entrance of my room, clenching a big pillow in her arms. We were so caught up in the moment that we didn’t realize the noise we were making—and therein the sounds of the door opening. My sister, my love, my fiancée, just stood there.

“… What are you doing?”

Her name was Izumi Sagiri and this was the worst possible outcome.

“Ah, ah, ah… Sagiri er—good morning,”

「……………………」

“Sagiri… When did you get here?”

I cringed as I asked Sagiri the same question I asked Elf.

“From ‘I was so tempted that I almost took advantage’”

This was not good.
“This is a misunderstanding! This is no–”
“This is a scene of cheating~”
“Elf, you need to shut up!”

I didn’t want any of this.

“…Well…”

Sagiri whispered as she let go of her pillow.
Then, she picked up Elf’s clothes, which were haphazardly thrown beside the bed, and walked out of the room.

I stared at the door, though I could feel Elf’s gaze behind me.
“Oh! Did I get robbed of my clothes and am now trapped?”

Don’t lose hope, me.

After some time, Sagiri came back empty-handed.
“First, Elf-chan will be questioned. Please come to my room”
“What about my clothes?”
“Huh? Don’t you like this look? You prefer this over wearing clothes, right?”

Sagiri continued,

“You won’t see your clothes again and I’ll be interrogating you like this.”

「……………………」

My chest hurt so much I wanted to die.
Sagiri, who now assumed the role of judge, jury, and executioner, took a brief look at me.
“I don’t want to see your face for a while. Get out of this house.”

Shocked, I dumbly replied,

“Wait what? I’ll come back by lunch right?!”
“Huh?! Just Leave!
You idiot!

You Cheater!”

This was all wrong. This was all absolutely wrong.
I grabbed my things and ran out of the house in tears…

… Just like the real cheating bastard I am.

As I walked, I confided in the hope that no matter how angry she gets, Sagiri and I would make amends sometime during the day.
Having my work gear with me, I headed towards Arakawa Bank.

Coffee Shops aren’t open this early in the morning so upon arrival, I sat down, opened my laptop, and began work.
“Well… This is my Holiday I guess.”

My grandiose plan of working and flirting with Sagiri has utterly collapsed.

Luckily, the weather was nice and the working environment was refreshing. From where I sat, I could see people working out and running.

“Huh, maybe I can concentrate more than I thought.”

With that, I lost myself in my work.

A Few Hours Later

I noticed that my laptop was running out of power. I glanced at the time and it’s already 10 o’clock.
「Sagiri… Are you still angry with me…?」

It’s almost lunchtime, Sagiri might be hungry now. Even if she doesn’t forgive me, I have to cook a meal for her.

「At 12, I’ll go buy Sagiri’s favorite desert and go home, I think」

I stopped working, left the bank, and headed for Takasago Bookstore. I figure if I see a new book or something interesting, I’ll buy it.
Or, at least be able to vent to her and feel a bit more relieved, somehow. With that being the goal, I arrived just after it opened.

“… Okay, here: explain it and I will listen thoroughly.”

Tomoe Takasago smiled bewildered at me, the first customer of the day. She looks good in aprons and sneakers, is my classmate, and constantly asserts that she’s my childhood friend, though I deny it time and time again.
We began to talk right after my debut but… I think we’re closer to each other than just childhood friends.

“…. Hnnnn? You slept with Kyoka-san?”
“It was the 3 of us at that time!”

Tomoe suddenly squealed in a loud, awful voice.

I’m so glad there’s nobody else here… Don’t shout out of the blue!

“No! You have a weird misunderstanding! Occasionally, us three just sleep together as a family!”

I began to explain the complicated relationship between Aunt Kyoka, Myself, and Sagiri. She, like us, was hungry for all sorts of family-like interactions. So we’ve been getting along. And although it is embarrassing to sleep hand in hand with family this age, I thought it would be good for a little while.

After hearing the story, Tomoe expels a sigh of relief.

“I see, that’s a good story isn’t it?”
“Well yeah but you’re too much of an erotically delusional person.”
“Well, age difference in Light Novels is the popular thing nowadays…”

Don’t blame Light Novels.

Though, it is popular nowadays, huh? The heroine with an age gap—either up or down.

“So.. how much do you know?”
“It’s a rough situation with your sister at the moment, which is rare even in Light Novels”

For some reason, this made me upset.
“Mune-kun reported to me, didn’t you? So what’s the matter now?”
“I was kicked out of the house early in the morning after a fight.”

Tomoe suddenly decided to sit upright.

“And?”

I glance at her face for a moment.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Oh, sorry. I can’t explain well why but tell me more in detail and I will listen to your complaints as your close childhood friend!”

How many times do I need to tell you that we’re not childhood friends?

“… It’s getting worse.”
“Are you breaking up? Are you ending the engagement? Are you going to be with a black-haired heroine with a loose heart in the future?”

She said this while continuously pointing at her face, happily.

“… You’re pretty self-centered, aren’t you?”

Visibly more annoyed, I pointed at her face. Tomoe seemed to have lost some energy from that.
“Well then, Mr. Izumi Masamune, how can I help with your morning fights?”

I began to tell her my complicated story like a Light Novel, how I’ve been working more and more, sleeping later and later, and the odd events that have occurred in my life.
“Are you still just as busy? You’ve been doing a lot of work for the show…”
“Well, my work as a writer passed its peak I think so it’s easier than it used to be.”
“Oh okay. Continue”
“So this morning, I thought I pushed my blanket over. I was half asleep while I was grabbing a blanket and felt a person that I thought it was Sagiri hiding in my futon with me. And so I hugged her tightly.”
“Okay?”
“But it wasn’t her, instead I found a nude, blonde girl instead of Sagiri.”
“Uhuu? Is this that Moe Anime that aired on Thursday?”
“No! This happened to me in real-life!”

Understandably, Tomoe didn’t believe me at first when I managed to tell her and the interaction thereafter with Sagiri.

“That’s why I was treated as a cheater and kicked out of the house.”
“As always, you are the main character of a Light Novel.”
“Fine, I’ll accept that. So please give me advice. What should I do?”

Tomoe put her arms together and thought for a brief moment.

“Well, why don’t you break up with her since she doesn’t understand much and go out with a new girlfriend who is generous, kind, and loves Light Novels?”
“First of all, I don’t intend to ever break up with Sagiri. I want to know how to calm her down!”
“Isn’t it okay for her not to calm down? Wasn’t this always an inevitability?”

“Well I mean we fight but…”
“Well there you go! Just part ways!”
“Why are you taking this so lightly?!”

How much do you want me to break up with her? “It’s not that! I’m trying to sympathize with you! It must have been awful being caught under fire by a tightly wound, young girlfriend!

“…Listen Mune-kun, both you and her should just say goodbye to each other and find a partner that better suits you both.” “What are you tal—“ “Good Luck!”

Tomoe raised her fist in empowerment for her advice.
“If you do my route, it will lead you to a happy marriage, wouldn’t it?”

She wasn’t wrong but…

“Are you satisfied with my advice?”
“Well, you see… I understand but Tomoe, you don’t seem to grasp what I want.”

“… Idiot.”

Maybe it’s because I’m going through this rough patch in life right now. Honestly, I’m very afraid of all this.
Tomoe clicked her tongue, saying suddenly,
“Hey, Masamune? Why not go out with me then?”
“Huh? What are you—I’m not—“
“Go – Out – With – Me,”

She began,

“You know, a relationship between a man and women?”

What game are you playing at Tomoe?

“No… I have a girlfriend—a fiancée!”

Tomoe then changed her voice to a more casual tone.
“I know Mune-kun has a girlfriend. But that’s the root of the problem: only ever going out with one girl, well it doesn’t give you a lot of experience, right? If you hope to stay with a woman that’s higher maintenance like Sagiri, shouldn’t you have more practice?”

「… Need more practice..?」

“What are you on about?”
“How about this: Suppose Mune and I are dating—At first, we liked each other and then began to love each other.”
“Aren’t you embarrassed right now?”
“Why would I be embarrassed?!”

…It’s easy for you to lose your temper, huh?

Tomoe’s cheeks flush with anger.
“Where was I?”
“… You just mentioned we started to be in love.”
“Ah yes.”

Tomoe steps back. “Let’s pretend that we were in love. What then?”
“You mean like… what kinds of dates we would have, conversations that we’d do, and pretend about things like that?”
“Yes.”

…Interesting.

“This may be interesting preparation for a date interview…”
“Ha hah! First psychological hurdle has been cleared!”
“… Excuse me?”
“Oh no, nothing. Now imagine we’re going out—I’ll ask you one thing right away: What kind of place will Mune-kun take me for our first date?”
“… Nothing in particular comes to mind…”
“You’re kidding, right? I’m going to hurt you.”
“That question is just sudden! I can’t think that fast—I never thought about going out with you!”
She pierced me with a gaze. Why the sudden anger? You don’t have to get irritated if we’re just pretending, Tomoe.
“I’ve never thought about it. It’s always been ‘Hi Good Friend, Hey Good Friend’ between us.”

Tomoe gives a light chuckle.

“Then I will have to be the one that thinks of the kind of date we’ll do if Mune-kun and I go out?”
“Yeah, that’s about right.”

Her eyes suddenly shined brightly.

“You’re always lurking, aren’t you?
“Well, that’s because koibanas[4] are helpful for when I’m writing rom-com stories.”

If there are ten people in a room, then there would be more than 10 kinds of conversations. Birthdays, preferences, ideas, important events, likes, dislikes, etc. It’s the key elements for stories about love, important for even the opposite gender. And since all these elements will not come from just me, it’s important that I gather it from others.

“Especially if it’s a classmate that’s talking, I’d love to listen in.”

Another traditional way to create rom-coms was through “Combining” which fuses different stories together into a new one.

But Tomoe is trying to do that in real life.

A small part of me couldn’t help but be excited. With everything going on, I was entering a world of “What-ifs.”
Like…

What if it were Tomoe instead?

“Ah that’s what it is. That would explain why you made the teacher get mad at you for sneaking into school at night when you were writing about a school fight.”
“And thanks to that experience, the script came out great!”

This may have been a strong advantage for me, a high school light novelist. Not many people in this industry can describe a rooftop during lunch time nor a pool during summer break by themselves.

Meanwhile, I can go to those locations and write on those very spots.

“For me, that’s why I always enjoy Koibanas.”

With a glance, I smile briefly towards Tomoe
“Well..? Come on, out with it.”
“It’s a little hard when you expect a lot from me…”

Tomoe clasps her cheeks shyly.

“Well… If I was your girlfriend, I’d like to go on a reading date in my room.”
“… A Reading Date?”
“Yeah! Imagine it. Dad takes over the store as we go together to my room, bring a light novel or a manga, and just enjoy each other’s company.”

She must really be imagining this right now. Her mouth loosens to a warm smile.

“We can share our opinions and share our favorite books… Heh heh… I think that would be the best date… What do you think of it?”

“…Seems kinda dull?”

“What did you just say?!”

She definitely did not like my response.

With a vicious yell, she put me in a headlock and since I have zero skills in fighting, I, like always, was put into submission.

“I give, I give! You didn’t have to get so angry!”
“You made fun of my life-long, ideal date! I won’t forgive you for this!”
“I said that because something like that is better with 3 or 4 friends than with a lover!”
“Then you’re gonna have fun with other guys to enjoy ‘Light Novel Hour’?! Gross!”
“Hey! Don’t put words into my mouth!”

While this was going on, Tomoe did not loosen her headlock in the slightest. In fact, her grip intensified and I felt the blood being sapped from my head.

“I’m going to enjoy my hobby with my favorite lover and have our shoulders sometimes touch each other! We’ll be open with each other because of the trust we have in one another! That’s the kind of thing that I yearn for! It’s not something so simple to be made fun of!”
“Pain! Pain!”

I felt the world slowly grow dark.

image
“Nothing sounds better than being able to glomp my boyfriend’s back while he’s reading a light novel on my bed, you know?”

As my taps weakened, she finally released me. In a coarse voice, I said,
“Well… A little…”
“Do You?!”
“Yes!”

Scary… The man who becomes Tomoe’s boyfriend will have a difficult life.

「… And Yet..」
“Actually, that’s a pretty good date plan.”
“What? Are you being serious?”
“Yeah. After hearing your reasons, I had a change of heart about it. I think it’d be great if I could hang with my girlfriend—sharing my favorite hobby with her—and being able to have fun talking with each other.”
“I know, right?”

Tomoe smiled proudly.

I rub my painful, red neck.

“But, I don’t think we’d be able to do that unless we get along super well.”
“Yeah… That’s the only bad thing about my dream… But—"

Tomoe peered in closer to me and smiled

“You’d be able to do it, wouldn’t you Mune-kun?”

「………!!」

That caught me off guard. I started to imagine us in that dream she so adamantly wants. I’m at my desk, working, she’s lying on the bed, reading a book. The sunlight that’s shining through the gaps of the curtains lights on her bottom. And all the while, even though she keeps saying she won’t distract me, she’ll keep talking to me, glowing as she talks about light novels.
“…Maybe I can.” I said.
“Oh, then do you really want to go out with me?”

I pause briefly and shook my head.

“No, I will not go out with you.”
“Ugh you tease!”

She shouts as if it’s an unbelievable notion.

You’re shouting way too much today, Tomoe.
“Tease?

Tomoe sharpened her lips.
“Are you that much of a tease? Your line was something along the lines of a confession, wasn’t it? I just wanted to talk about it in a friendly way when I have a friendly relationship with you. If it didn’t work, then we could have played it off as a joke. That’s the secret to success when trying to talk to people about hard topics, isn’t it?”
“… Isn’t that a bit too tryhard?”
“I know! You Idiot! Go Die!”

Her emotional instability is crazy. I don’t know what to do.

“… But, I did consider it a little.”
“Uh huh, sure,”

Tomoe squinted at me as if I was lying and I used it to soothe her.

“I’m not the only one this would work with and I’m sure it’ll work with others”
“Ugh!”
“No, I’m being serious! I would like to have that kind of “Light Novel Hour’.”
“Haha, if you ever want to, let me know. I’ll keep a note of it in the back of the shop, so you better remember that”

A cheerful voice suddenly came from behind.

“Hello Tomo-chan~ Hello Onii-chan~! ♡”

The voice came from the pretty, ponytailed girl with the brightest smile—Jinno Megumi.

“Oh, Megumin, Hey.” I said.
“It seems everyone knows and loves Megumi.”

Megumi, Sagiri’s classmate and class chairman, walked our way, waving her hand and smiling.

“Tomo-chan, were you able to have your happy love story?”
“Well, as you can see, I got stone-walled.”
“Ohh? I’ve been listening to it since the beginning, but it seems like you were the problem, Tomo-chan!”
“Ahh excuse me, what?”

Oof. Tomoe started to give Megumi a death glare.

But, Megumi remained un-phased, un-frightened of her face-slicing glances. She turned to me.
“It’s true that you’re such an oddball that you didn’t fall in love with me at first sight… but I don’t think you’re a tease persay.”

She leaned in.
“You got into a fight again with her today, huh?”
“Er—You’ve been listening, yeah?”
“Actually, no. I went to your house before I came here.”

「…………!!」

“Really? Did you hang out with Sagiri?”
“Well, I had something to do with her today—but no one came out when I rang the bell.”

Makes sense. Sagiri, who can’t leave her house, has no choice but to ignore the doorbell. Even if there’s a doll figure were to be delivered or if my friends come to visit, if I’m away from home, it can’t be helped.

“I talked with Sagiri-chan over the phone about the situation. I was at the front door, but we still had to talk through the phone. Oh the details!”
“… I’m curious.”
“Tee-Hee~”

Megumi smirked

“I heard a lot of bad things about you, Onii-chan. ‘I kicked the cheater out of my house! I’m so angry!’”
“… I see.”

Sagiri is still angry? I was hoping to go home soon…

“She said she won’t forgive you this time.”
“I didn’t think she would let me in”
“And that’s precisely why~ Onii-chan who was just kicked out of the house is now with Tomoe~”
Megumi said that with a deceptively sharp cut.
“I think it’s great that you fought with her then immediately go to another woman, Onii-chan~♪”

Another person came from behind Megumi.

“Don’t say it like that.”

The lady in Japanese-styled that appeared was Usami Suzune, a third-year junior high schooler I met the other day. She’s also Muramasa-senpai’s classmate and best friend.
“Why are you here Suzune?”
“I have business with you. I asked Megumi-chan because I really wanted to see and talk to you again.”
“I feel like you’re playing me.”

Tomoe gave me this face that exuded, “Oh, another new woman?”

I then remembered that Suzune is also Megumi’s friend as well.

“Well, if you want to talk, I’ll listen.”
“No, not here, not right now. I don’t want to have a talk in a place like this.”
“Oh! I’m sorry about this place. And who exactly are you?”

Tomoe challenged her in a coarse, aggressive voice.

Suzune then turned to her, bowed politely with her hallmark smile.

“My name is Usami Suzune, third-grade junior high schooler at Nanohana Junior High.”
“So young! Why—How do you know Mune-kun?”
“My school had a culture festival a few days ago and we met.”

Suzune and Tomoe’s self-introduction continued for a bit. Then a pause followed.

After a bit, Suzune continued,

“Actually, Tomoe-san, you were talking about something fascinating, weren’t you? I was wondering if Onii-san was romantically challenged.”
“Yes, I got stone walled and Megumin just played it off.”
“Huh.. interesting… a timely topic.”

Suzune curved her mouth into a suspicious smile and seeing that gave me chills down my spine.

“Onii-san, if you don’t mind, may I confirm something? It’s quite concerning.”
“Confirm… something? How?”

“If you could follow me, that would be delightful.”

「…………………??」

That seems super suspicious. As she pointed out before, how much of a boyfriend would I be if I followed an invite with another girl on the day I fought with my girlfriend?

Of course, Tomoe is just a friend and has no ulterior motives and those two are the same.

However… I have a bad feeling about this. I can’t put my finger on it… but there’s something completely off about this scenario.

“Well…”

I was about to open my mouth and say no.

“Well, would you like to have a free Usami Suzune and Jinno Megumi’s Koibanas service, Izumi Onii-san~?”

“…Fine, Let’s Go.”

I was easily tempted. There’s not a lot of chances to get koibanas of a junior high school girl. As a Rom-Com novelist, this was an invitation I could not refuse.

Megumi laughs bitterly at me.

“Oof, he’s super easy.”
“That’s because of my professional habits! There’s no way to know my true colors just by that!”
“Hnn..? Your True Character? That’s exactly what I want to learn.”

This black-haired lady said that in a tone as if she already knew.

“That’s what I’m curious about.”

After we left the Takasago Bookstore, Megumi led us to a karaoke lounge near Gotano Station. The place, which had a cute name and small private rooms, seemed like an unusual choice for Jinno Megumi, who looked they she would be more familiar with a playground.

「Why did we go all the way out here…?」

Under normal circumstances, I would be worried about this whole situation. But, unfortunately for me, the lure of being given more data on koibanas removed that bit of sanity and rational I would normally have. Even when we turned to the sketchy part of town and stood at the storefront in the Adachi Area, I continued to follow without any doubt. Walking down the hallway, there was this familiar, retro vibe. We proceeded to enter the room.

“As expected from Megumin… This is a nice place”

The first person to give an impression was Suzune, who was giving off an aura of a young lady who definitely didn’t fit in with a place like this.

「…Am I the Tight-knit one?」 I thought
「…Maybe.」 It seems Megumin and I were telepathically talking to each other.

“Now then, Onii-chan. Why don’t you take a seat over here?”

This shabby couch was the only one in the room. I was accustomed to being ordered others, but that kind of voice was a kind I was afraid of.
“Oh, yes do that.”

Suzune still had a sacred air surrounding her.

I really have no choice but to do as I’m told. With Megumi and Suzune holding me on both sides… I finally came to the conclusion that perhaps, maybe this arrangement was not good. The room was so small that it was already crowded with three people here.
I was caught in a dangerous predicament of being in between two junior high schoolers. This reminded me of the loneliness and fear of being lured into a hunting ground.

A place like this was never a good place to go in solo. It would be like a two sleazy men bringing a girl into a place like this. It’s exactly the same for both genders.

… I feel like I’ve written too many negative things about this place. I hope the locals aren’t able to find out where I’m talking about. Just think of this place like an imaginary karaoke lounge. This is a personal request from me, Izumi Masamune. And just because it doesn’t match with Megumi and Suzune here, I do strongly advise giving this place a visit since it’s a good place to sing solo.

Anyway, Moving on.

This was a very bad situation.
“Aw whats wrong Onii-chan? You’re retreating so much~ What’s wrong?”
“I’ve never had such close contact with a man in my life. It feels so wrong, yet I’m so excited.”

What a frightening combination! They’re doing this on purpose..
They’re making fun of me!

「………………………………!」

But I can’t react badly. If I were to call them out now, Megumi in particular, who always pretended to be a grown up but is as innocent as Sagiri in heart… She may end up crying.
And so, I have no choice but to remain silent—for her sake. As for Suzune… well I’m not too sure about her.

I wish I was with Sagiri. Of course, I can’t say that though.

“Well… it’s late now, but why don’t we go to another place?”
“Eh? We can’t, right Suzune-chan?”
“Yes, Onii-san. That’s out of the question. We came all this way to verify one thing.”
“Verification? Why are you doing this?!”
“I’m in love with you, I already told you that~”
“… This is a set-up, isn’t it?”
“Well~”
“Hah hah! You fooled me! Let’s go home!”

“Oniichan… The walls seem very thin. I wonder what would happen if we cried and shouted here?”

「………………………………」

Maybe this place doesn’t report…? No… I don’t have the courage to test it.
“… What do you want to confirm?”
“Onii-san…”

Suzune gripped my arm.

“Why did you reject Hana-chan?”

「 !? 」

I looked at her, with both surprise and confusion. “Hana-chan” is how Suzune calls Muramasa-senpai, who is a fellow Novelist and is in love with me. The other day, I was invited by Muramasa-senpai to a cultural festival at Nanohana Junior High, where she and Suzune attend. From when we met, Suzune became interested in me, the person her best friend loves, through many interactions during the festival.

Interested to test me, to be more precise.

Muramasa-senpai, a person I don’t know well— whose charms I don’t know how to convey.
Is a Person Who Refuses to Lose

I was told by Muramasa-senpai that she was going to do her best at the night festival. – But… there’s someone I love deeply.

– So I cannot give her what she wants.

“I just couldn’t be with her. There’s no point in me saying that again.”

Megumi chimed in,

“I have decided to take us to this place for us to talk to you, properly. Hehe~♪ You can’t weasel your way out of this situation now, can you?”
“…You’re right, Megumin. By the way, I’ll let you know that your breasts are poking my elbow”
“Oh hoh! Onii-san!?”
“Eep! Sorry! I didn’t realize until you said it!”
“Really?! Ah.. geez Onii-san…You’re so erotic.”

Despite her losing her composure, Megumi quickly put her grown-up act up once more. Her face red while she was holding me by my arms.

I was convinced now that Suzune is a far worse girl than Megumi.

If Megumi was a small adult trying to be a demon, Suzune was a devil in a saint’s body.

“So—care to go more into depth?” the little demon smirked
“Yes, why did you refuse Hana’s confession?”
“I can’t go out with anyone else… I have a girlfriend that I love.”
“Oooh oh? You mean the girlfriend you had a fight with this morning?”

「………………………………」

“I’ve already heard all about that. But I still don’t understand. No matter how wonderful your girlfriend may be, I don’t think I would be able to reject Hana-chan’s confession if I were you—especially when it was so well prepared.”

Strangely, Suzune looked away. Perhaps these two third year girls have the same opinion.

Maybe it’s because they’ve known Muramasa-senpai for a long time, know how charming she is, understand how cute she is, and how happy she would be if she was loved.

Let’s suppose that Sagiri and I were not in love, and Sagiri was in love with someone else. Suppose it came to a story of “I was dumped by Sagiri.”

I’m sure I would react the same way as Muramasa-senpai.

“That’s… That’s stupid! There can’t be a man who can handle someone as cute as Sagiri.”
“Well… That’s your opinion.”
“I get that. After hearing the story from Hana’s father, I talked to the class members without Hana-chan present. I wondered what all this was about, who this dull man was, and maybe there was something we were missing.”
“Did you think… Did you think the reason why Senpai was rejected was, ‘She didn’t do exactly as I told her’?”
“Honestly, yeah. So… after a long, long class meeting, we came up with that conclusion.”

I wanted to die of embarrassment from knowing a whole class had a meeting to reflect on my confession, or worse, if Muramasa-senpai found out. Muramasa-senpai, you really are loved by your class. As I was reflecting that, Suzune continued,

“Do you mind if you answer this for me?”
“What is it?”
“Did Hana-chan pull out a knife while she was confessing?”
“What kind of opinion do you have of your best friend?!”

“Well, I think she may have did something like that. If Hana-chan confesses her love with a knife in hand… Onii-san’s reason for saying he has a girlfriend and having someone else he like more would have made a lot more sense to us. Everyone agreed with that conclusion too. We all thought, ‘If she pulled out a knife, she would have failed’ right?—you agree, right?”

“Well I mean, yeah! But that’s not the case though”

Unexpectedly, the class had a rude opinion of Muramasa-senpai.

As I was getting upset with the rudeness towards my important senpai, I noticed Suzune was staring at me.

“I.. I don’t think you’re lying at all. Then… Is it true? Do you really like Sagiri that much more than Hana? You really refused her because of Sagiri?”

“Yes.”

“That… That can’t be true.”

Suzune had a distorted look on her face. Meanwhile, Megumi was playing on her smartphone while listening in on the conversation.

She suddenly smiled, looking like she was having so much fun.

“Megumin… Why are you smiling?”
“Oh Sagiri, you are so loved.”
“Of course she is. How much do you think I like her?”
“Fufu~ A lot it seems.”

Still smiling, Megumi tells Suzune to use her phone and spoke out,
“Suzu-chan, you satisfied with his answer?”
“Well… yes.” “Well then, let’s continue with our love test! We did promise to have our koibanas together!”

Megumi winked at me.

“…What?”
“While I talk about my thoughts on love, I will examine that Onii-chan’s iron-wall of love ♡”

Excuse me?

Megumi playfully gets up and sits on my lap.

“Oh—Hey!”

Déjà vu. This reminded me of the first time I met Megumi. That day too, she was in close contact with me just to make fun of me.

“Hmmm~ Your body is warm.“

Even though she was called out about her chest touching my elbows, she’s getting more and more physical with me… I don’t understand what’s going on.

Just then, Megumi moved her mouth close to my ear and whispered,

“.. Hey Masamune-kun…”

That sent shivers down my spine.

“Wha—What is it?”

“Hehe… Don’t you want to be called like that?”
“Wha—“
“I like Masamune-kun.”

She blew delicately into my ear.

“I won’t tell Sagiri but… Why don’t you secretly cheat on her with me?”
“No, I will never.”

When I immediately answered, she made an almost inaudible whimper.

“Oh, but you’re doing it now, aren’t you~♪? You’ve endured my teases, great. I said I was going to test your iron-wall, but I won’t. Yours is plenty strong.”
“You didn’t mean what you said, did you?”
“Ehh? What’s wrong with you. I’m not lying when I said I liked you~ ♡”

Megumi’s lips were almost touching my ear as she moves in.

“… Please push me off your lap, then.”

“… Wha–? What do you mean?”

Megumi flicks my nose.

“You love her very much, right? I do too, there’s no doubt about that. But you don’t resist at all when other women forces themselves on you.”

“Uh…”

That’s… true. This may seem like an excuse, but I’m reluctant to touch or to push a girl away… I don’t know what to do.

“To put it bluntly Onii-chan, this is one of the reasons why you guys fought. This is the reason why I wanted to test your iron-wall. As expected, Onii-chan was serious about his feelings towards Sagiri, but when I tease you like how I am right now, you don’t resist strongly enough. I’m not gonna say who did something like that to you, I’m sure you can figure out who I’m talking about. So~♪ How was this koibana? Did you find this helpful?”

“Yes… I’ll keep this in mind.”

This was Megumi’s advice. Keeping it close to heart, I push Megumi off my lap.

“Ah, where are you touching me, you pervert♡"

“Ugh.”

You really would have screamed if I touched you in a place like this.

“Hey, Megumin? Thank you.”
“Yep yep! I always want to help with my friends’ problems.”

As the conversation came to the close, Suzune, who has been silent with a saddened face, spoke to me,

“Onii-san.

…If you don’t mind… Could you explain it to me more? I heard Hana-chan isn’t her enemy now…”

“About Sagiri?”

“Yes. I’m very curious about why Onii-san likes her so much.”

Suzune put her hands on her chest.

“I believe love… is what I do to make myself happy.”
“Oh hoh~ is it’s Suzune’s turn for her love talks?”
“Don’t make fun of me, Megumin, I’ve been taking this seriously… I’m embarrassed. I’ve heard a lot from Megumin and Elf about Onii-san’s girlfriend. I also had a chance to talk with her a little over the screen—She’s a lovely and beautiful woman from what I’ve heard. She has a talent for drawing, she has a common dream— the wonderful relationship you both have, and how much she adores you.”

“Oh… thank you. It’s embarrassing to hear it from someone else other than myself.”

“But, Onii-san. After all that, I don’t think Hana-chan still should have lost if that’s all she has to offer. I’m sure you would have been happier if you were with Hana-chan instead.

… If you two got married, you two would definitely be happy.”

Understanding how Suzune feels now, I replied with a voice gentler than I intended,

“But I’m happiest when I’m with Sagiri.”

「………………………………」

“When Suzune talked about her idea of love, I remember reading it from a book… While people typically act for themselves, in the end, it’s usually because it’s for the sake of someone else… I think that’s right, do you agree?”

Maybe she didn’t understand the intent of that. Suzune shook her head. I can’t explain myself as well as when I write.

“I used to have a lot of troubles, and I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. What makes me happy? After becoming a light novelist, I started thinking about it more seriously. I want people who read my book to feel happy. ‘What is happiness?’ ‘What is interesting?’ I thought I couldn’t write well unless I understood it.”

“Onii-san… You don’t make sense,”

Suzune giggled,

“But, that’s alright. What did you find? What is happiness?”

“I think it’s different for each person. What interests you and what makes you happy – that varies between person to person. There might be things that many people think make them happy and things that they are interested in, but simply putting it in writing will never be the best way to show it. Even if you read it, something will always be a little wrong. I’m convinced that my happiness can only be made-to-order. Only you can find it, think about it, and get it for yourself.”

It’s like the “Most Interesting Novel in the World” Muramana-senpai is looking for.

“I know for myself that the happiest thing for me is ‘Living with my family with laughter and joy.’ It may be over-done or too common, but I’ve always wanted that. Whenever I imagine happiness, I always see Sagiri’s smile. I want to make Sagiri happy because she makes me happy.”

So it can’t be anyone else.

As I told them this, Suzune clicked her tongue in disgust.

“… I feel like I’ve been told an outrageous love story.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can explain it well, but I’m happy that it is what it is.”

“You have a clear vision of happiness. You are willing to do what it takes to get it and nothing sways you from that goal even in the face of other attractive women. I understand now, she is indeed a strong enemy. I’m satisfied.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

“… So,

If I wanted to get rid of her—the only way to do it is presenting a vision of a future better than what you have now. I don’t know what that vision is but… Yeah, I’m satisfied.”

“What would you do to try to change that?”

“I would try to make her cheat on you.”
“…I’m really glad that you don’t like me.”

Suzune is a very frightening person, isn’t she?

Of course, I believe Sagiri would never cheat on me, but I don’t want to test fate by antagonizing the devil.

“Masamune-kun…”
“Megumin… please stop calling me that.”

Something was off. She called out for me too uncomfortably.

“Onii-chan.”
“What?”

“You’d better go home now.”

“… I’m here because I was kicked out of the house. Sagiri seems to still be angry with me. I’ll go buy Sagiri’s favorite food and go home around noo—"

“No seriously! You need to go home! I won’t say why!”

Megumi seemed visibly flushed for some reason.
She turned her smartphone off and pressed it against her head with a face I couldn’t describe.

“Ahhh Sagiri-chan…! I think I’m gonna be in trouble because of you!”

Something was wrong.

I left the karaoke lounge without knowing why, and ran home as fast as I could as Megumi told me to.

‘Go home now because Sagiri… It doesn’t have to make sense, just go home right away.’ ‘I telling you right now, just do as I say!’

「No, oh god, please!」

In my mind, I see Sagiri.

It was a scene of her having an affair, looking at me with an empty expression.

「Please!」

I arrived in front of my house, heart clenched in fear. I opened the door and suddenly,

I immediately felt my waist tighten.

“Ah—”

Sagiri suddenly was clasping her arms around me. It seems like she was waiting at the door for me to come back. I couldn’t see her face when I looked down. With her arms wrapped around me, she buried her face in my chest.

“Sagiri..”

She continued to hug me, tightly.

“What’s wrong?”

There have been times when Sagiri greeted me when I returned, but today, Sagiri looked different.

“Did something happen while I wasn’t here?”

Sagiri shook her head strongly. And…

“You Idiot! You Idiot! Idiot! You’re Awful!”
“W-what?”

She buried her head further into my chest. There’s something really wrong. Megumi was right, I don’t know what it is—Sagiri was distressed.

I wasn’t hurt or sick, but I still left by myself suddenly. I didn’t realize I was doing that.

My chest, which was encapsulated with Sagiri, was getting hot. I think I felt her heartbeat.

“I’m… I’m sorry for today. Are you hungry? I’ll make you lunch right now.” “Uuuuoohh.”
“That… After that… What happened after Elf left?”
“I cried.”
“Oh… I see.”

I won’t ask the details…

“Nii-san…”

Finally, Sagiri looked up at me. She was still holding me closely.

“Let’s stay together forever.”

She smiled at me.
And I couldn’t help but feel happy.

Translator’s Notes:
1. Real Name is in Kanji, but registered Pen Name (Author’s Alias) in Katakana
2. Japanese Term for a Shut-in, typically due to trauma, family issues, societal pressures, or mental illness
3. Moe : “Budding” – Refers to idealized vision of the youthfulness / innocence / vulnerability of a female
4. Koibana: An old term for “Girl Talk,” it refers to gossip, stories, or advice typically from females.