--
Nozomi, casually browsing her bookshelf lined with treasured first editions and rare doujin, suddenly turned his gaze toward Eriri.
Their eyes met.
Eriri, caught red-handed mid-peek, froze like a guilty character in a school-life anime. Her body tensed, and she tried to widen her eyes innocently—as if sheer willpower could erase the moment.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that?!" she stammered, voice rising a few octaves too high.
Nozomi raised a brow, frowning with a bemused smirk. "I should be the one asking, Sawamura-san. You've been staring at me like you're reading my stats page. What were you thinking about?"
"N-Nothing weird! Not Sese! Definitely not Sese!"
Her panicked denial hung in the air like a faulty line of dialogue.
Nozomi blinked. "So it was about Sese."
Eriri turned crimson. "I-I mean no! You're twisting my words! D-Don't talk nonsense!"
Nozomi chuckled, stepping back from the shelf to face her more fully. "But I never mentioned Sese in the first place. That was all you."
"T-That's because I was making sure you weren't thinking about Sese! My bookshelf's full of work from famous mangaka, you might get, y'know... ideas!"
He laughed again—soft, teasing, and maddening.
"You're digging your own grave, Sawamura-san. Just admit it: you're a nerd. A precious, flustered, manga-hoarding nerd."
"I'm not flustered! I'm researching! It's called learning from the masters! Any serious illustrator would do the same!" she snapped, stomping a foot like an indignant chibi character.
Nozomi gave her a wry smile, slowly taking a step toward her.
Eriri's breath hitched.
She retreated instinctively, nearly stumbling as her calf bumped against the edge of the bed.
"You... what are you doing? Don't come any closer!"
He didn't stop. "Your mom thinks we're dating, you know."
That made her brain short-circuit.
Before she could protest, her heel slipped and she tumbled onto the bed with a yelp.
Nozomi leaned in.
His hands planted on either side of her head, body leaning over hers. Not touching—yet still close enough for her heart to punch through her ribcage.
Eriri's hand shot up and pressed against his chest. "Y-You have a girlfriend! Don't forget! If you try anything weird, I'll scream!"
Nozomi tilted his head, smirk widening. "Scream all you want. But even if you do, no one will come to save you."
"Wh-Why are you quoting villain lines?! What kind of manga plot is this?! Did my mom seriously let a pervert wolf into the house?!"
He grinned and whispered, "This is revenge."
"R-Revenge?! For what?!"
"For pouncing on me earlier like a deranged tsundere. You caught me off guard. It's only fair I return the favor. Balance has been restored."
Eriri's eyes trembled. "I-I won't cry!"
"Good," Nozomi said, closing the gap just a bit more.
Their bodies brushed.
The warmth of his torso, the rhythm of his heartbeat, the scent of his cologne—every detail assaulted her senses like a thousand embarrassing tropes.
"A-Ahh—!" she whimpered.
Then, just as suddenly, he stood up and stepped back.
The moment snapped.
"Revenge complete. Now I can leave with a clear conscience," he said, grinning like a smug final boss. "See you next time, Sawamura-kun."
Before she could respond, he leaned in and pinched her cheek lightly.
"You're surprisingly soft, by the way."
With that, Nozomi waltzed out of the room.
Eriri sat frozen in stunned silence.
Then—
"Y-YOU PERVERT! GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!"
She hurled a pillow at the door with enough force to make a sports anime protagonist proud.
Her cheeks were burning, her eyes glassy, and her chest still heaving.
Everything that just happened.
The fall. The teasing. The whisper close to her ear. His body against hers.
All of it proved one thing.
She, Sawamura Spencer Eriri—esteemed artist and beautiful teenage maiden—had just been shamelessly teased by Nozomi.
A guy who had a girlfriend, no less!
Her heart was racing, tripping over itself like a schoolgirl in love.
No... no, no! That wasn't it!
Was it?
She plopped onto her bed, burying her face in a pillow.
"Ughhhhhh!!!"
Moments later, as Nozomi returned to Sakurasou, his phone buzzed rapidly.
Message after message from Eriri flooded in:
"Go die, pervert!!"
"You're absolutely done for next time!"
"I'm telling your girlfriend EVERYTHING!"
Nozomi stared at the screen and chuckled.
"Yep. Classic tsundere."
Eriri: "I will! You better be scared! I'm gonna tell Kamiigusa-senpai everything!"
Nozomi: "Oh? You're sure it's Misaki-senpai?"
Eriri: "Eh...? Wait. Don't tell me it's not?!"
Nozomi: "Even if it is… do you really want to tell her I got excited because you were sitting on me? What if she takes your side?"
Eriri: "Y-You pervert! You had a reaction! That proves you were thinking something weird!! You cheating ero-manga protagonist!!"
Nozomi: "Guilty as charged. I admit I did think a few things… but when I imagined you crying afterward, I stopped myself. See? I'm not that bad."
Eriri stared at the screen.
Not that bad…?
Nozomi: "Besides, your mom—Sister Sayuri—already invited me back. She even said next time I could wait in your room again. I swear, this was all her doing."
Eriri's mouth dropped open.
"M-Mom?!" she hissed, glaring daggers in the kitchen's general direction.
That traitorous woman!
Nozomi: "Honestly, how could I not listen to your mom? She's terrifyingly persuasive."
Eriri: "She is scary…"
She deflated, pouting with a tiny grumble. Her thumb hovered, unsure of what to type next.
Another message came through.
Nozomi: "Don't worry. I won't tease you next time. You were just too cute today—I couldn't resist."
Eriri: "...You're so annoying."
She sent the message and dropped her phone onto the bed.
Then stared at the ceiling.
Why... why did she feel disappointed when he said he wouldn't tease her again?
Was it because...
Her thoughts drifted.
Nozomi looked too much like the male lead from her manga—the cold, powerful type who mercilessly bullied the heroine until she fell for him.
And when he'd leaned in close, when his warmth pressed against her...
It felt like she'd stepped right into the pages of her own story.
If he'd gone further...
Would she really have cried?
Probably.
But that's what made him dangerous.
Because even if he teased her relentlessly...
He was gentle.
Damn it...
That stupid ero-protagonist was gentle!