In the art room of the private Toyosaki Academy, a heated exchange unfolded.
"Fat dinosaur! I'm warning you! If you tell anyone my true identity again, I won't hesitate to retaliate!" Eriri shouted angrily at Kasumigaoka Utaha. As a prospective freshman at Toyosaki Academy, Eriri had come to the art room to paint, which led to her true identity being revealed to Utaha.
"You're more likely to attract attention if you yell like that, Sawamura-san. If your secret gets out, you might even be suspected of breaking the law, underage Kashiwagi-sensei," Kasumigaoka Utaha remarked casually while looking at her phone.
"Hehe, Fat Dinosaur, you're mistaken. The law only states that minors can't buy H-fanzines; it doesn't say anything about minors creating H-works. I'm quite confident about that," Eriri replied proudly.
"Okay, I'm too tired to argue with you. But I want to remind you that since I was able to discover your true identity so easily the first time, it's possible that others might uncover it in the future. You should be more careful, Sawamura-san," Utaha said earnestly.
"Hmph! As long as you keep this secret safe, there's no risk of it leaking. But since you've already told Editor Machida about it, how can I trust you?" Eriri pouted, clearly frustrated.
"Don't worry, Editor Machida is very discreet. For editors like him, keeping secrets is just part of the job," Utaha assured her.
"Of course I trust Editor Machida, but I don't trust you, a fat woman. Especially since you know Mr. Hachiman; what's to stop you from mentioning this to him one day just to make conversation?" Eriri's greatest fear was that Utaha would reveal her identity to Mr. Hachiman.
"Even someone as good-tempered as me can't stand you insulting me like this any longer, Sawamura-kun!" Utaha exclaimed, clearly annoyed.
Utaha narrowed her eyes and walked towards Eriri with a smile.
" First of all, I'm not a fat woman or a fat dinosaur . I do make you feel deeply jealous in some aspects, but my measurements are absolutely healthy and perfect by any standard. "
Kasumigaoka walked in front of Eriri, bent down slightly and looked at the sitting Eriri. The huge softness of her chest gave Eriri a strong sense of oppression.
"Secondly, all the exchanges between Mr. Hachiman and me were purely literary discussions. I have never actively disturbed him, even once. He is my literary guide. Please do not taint the relationship between Mr. Hachiman and me with such worldly ideas."
Kasumigaoka held a pure respect for Mr. Hachiman and had also witnessed the close relationship between him and the elegant Senior Yukinoshita. Although Utaha believed she excelled among her peers in every aspect, sitting opposite Senior Yukinoshita made her feel as if her advantages had vanished.
"Well, yes, I'm sorry, Kasumigaoka-senpai. I didn't mean it—please don't take it personally. I actually feel the same way about Hachiman-sensei," Eriri said, realizing she had misspoken. Quickly, she backed off and sincerely apologized to Kasumigaoka. However, she then felt a gentle touch on her head.
"Hate it! Don't touch my head, you fat woman!" Eriri suddenly snapped. Just moments ago, she had been humble, but her anger flared again when Utaha, who had been teasing her, reached out and began to stroke her blonde hair.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Eriri, your golden hair is really delightful to touch," Kasumigaoka replied with a smirk, glancing at her hand as if relishing the sensation she had just experienced.
" Hmph, you have some taste. No ! You really should change your playful personality, fat woman! "
" I'm sorry, I can't do that. Besides, you look like someone who wants to be bullied, Sawamura-san. "
Utaha is not a good girl, she just doesn't show this side of her to too many people.
The two of them returned to their old ways. They had gathered today to discuss the illustrations for the latest volume of "Love Metronome". But they were just bickering and hadn't gotten any work done.
" Kasumigaoka-senpai, time is running out, so I think we should just talk about the illustrations for the new volume. My thoughts on the design of this plot are ... Sorry. "
Eriri was about to start discussing work, the cell phone in her pocket rang, so she had to stop explaining and answer the call.
" Let me see who's calling ... Hachiman- san ?! "
Eriri saw the caller 's note and shouted in joy. This was the first time they had spoken since they first met at a banquet at the end of last year and exchanged contact information.
" Hey, fat woman. I'll press speaker and let you listen to Mr. Hachiman's voice. "
Eriri said proudly.
" Vulgar! You deserve it that Mr. Hachiman has only contacted you now. You are so excited just by receiving a phone call. You are such a loser. "
Even so, Kasumigaoka's ears perked up. She was already familiar with Hikigaya's voice. But she really wanted to hear what Mr. Hachiman wanted to talk to the painter girl in front of him about.
" Hello! Mr. Hachiman , I'm Eriri Sawamura Spencer! What can I do for you? "
Eriri answered the phone and spoke loudly and nervously.
" Hello, Sawamura-san. Or should I call you, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei? "
Hikigaya's lively voice came from the phone, and the sound spread to every corner of the art room through the speaker. Hearing this greeting, Sawamura Eriri turned her head mechanically and looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha who was stunned on the side with an expressionless face.
————
The scene returns to the café.
"Mr. Hachiman, why are you teasing her? Eriri is just a junior high school girl. She must be dying of embarrassment right now," Machida Sonoko said to Hachiman with some concern.
"No matter how embarrassed you are, you wouldn't just hang up the phone... Is something wrong with her?" Hikigaya expressed a hint of worry. After he greeted her, there was silence on the other end of the line. Then came the brief sound of tables and chairs scraping against each other before the call was disconnected.
"Is Sawamura fainting? I haven't heard that she has any heart problems," Machida Sonoko guessed, her expression shifting to one of alarm, especially considering that the illustrations for the latest volume of "Love Metronome" weren't completed yet.
"Do you know where she is right now, Editor Machida? Let's go check on her," Hikigaya suggested, feeling that the situation seemed quite serious.
"Today, she should be discussing illustrations with Shiyu. Let me call Shiyu first to ask her," Machida Sonoko replied. She dialed Kasumigaoka's number but got no answer.
"No one is picking up. Shiyu should be nearby; otherwise, she would definitely answer my call. Sawamura usually goes to the art room at Toyosaki Academy to paint every weekend. Let's go there and check," Sonoko proposed, and the two set off immediately.
____________________________________________________________________________