The two continued eavesdropping for a while longer.
Most of the crowd was showering praise, and even the rare negative opinion was immediately drowned out by the rest.
Just as Kyousuke was about to take Eriri to another bookstore to buy a copy, the group finally seemed to realize how awkward their behavior was, and they each grabbed a magazine before quickly leaving.
"Nice! Looks like the majority response has been pretty great so far," Eriri said triumphantly as she stepped out from behind the shelf, hands on her hips, watching the group walk away.
"Yeah, it's all thanks to your amazing art, Eriri." Kyousuke joined her, picking up the unwrapped issue of Weekly Shounen High to check the table of contents.
Just as Editor-in-Chief Shimomura had promised, they had landed a great spot—chapter seven.
Don't let that ranking fool you, being seventh was actually a big deal.
This 230-yen magazine was a whopping 2.5 centimeters thick.
With so much content packed in, placing seventh was a remarkable achievement.
It felt surreal.
Kyousuke, who didn't know the first thing about drawing manga, had somehow helped create a profitable series using only his scattered ideas and rough skills.
Maybe being the "idea guy" wasn't such a bad gig after all.
"That's not true at all!" Eriri suddenly raised her voice, interrupting his thoughts.
"Huh? What's wrong, Eriri?"
Kyousuke turned to her, and Eriri was already facing him.
She pushed her cap back, revealing her brilliant golden hair tied neatly behind her head.
For once, it wasn't flowing freely. Her expression was unusually serious—something he rarely saw on her delicate face.
"I mean, I know I'm talented," she began, her voice firm. "But Kyousuke, you have to know too this manga's success is ninety percent thanks to you!"
For a moment, it was as if time stopped.
The sky reflected in her beautiful blue eyes seemed frozen, filled with sincerity.
Her usual mischievous grin, accented by her cute little fang, was gone.
She meant every word.
Their eyes met.
Eriri's cheeks flushed pink, but despite her embarrassment, she didn't waver.
She held his gaze, unwavering.
'Wait a minute... when did she stop acting like a tsundere?!'
Now it was Kyousuke's turn to turn red.
Hearing such sincere praise from her, of all people, left him flustered.
His eyes darted away, unable to handle the intensity of her gaze.
'Not fair, Eriri! Your eyes are practically shooting lightning!'
Trying to cover up his embarrassment, Kyousuke decided to change the vibe.
"Uhh, well… I appreciate it, really. But it's kinda weird when you suddenly get all serious like that."
"Kyousuke, you absolute moron!" Eriri yelled, completely flustered now.
'Ugh, what is wrong with me today?!' she thought.
'Why did I go and seriously praise this idiot?! I should've just smacked him with the magazine like usual!'
Dropping her serious demeanor, she grabbed the thick 2.5 cm magazine and began whacking Kyousuke with it—whap, whap, whap!
Just because she's a tsundere doesn't mean she can't get physical (even if her hits weren't that strong)!
Kyousuke let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, she was back to her usual self.
Time to take the initiative.
Without caring about the people watching, he reached out and gently grabbed her shoulders.
Bending down slightly, he met her gaze at eye level.
"Then let me say this too, Eriri. Without you, this manga wouldn't have succeeded. No—without you, it wouldn't even exist!"
Even though he noticed a few onlookers beginning to pay attention to them, Kyousuke didn't hesitate.
His black eyes were filled with sincerity.
"If I hadn't met you, if you hadn't believed in my ideas, if I didn't have your art, your support."
"I would've given up on making manga. So no, Eriri. I can't do this without you. Ninety-nine point nine percent of this success is thanks to you."
"...Nngh~"
Kyousuke thought he heard Eriri let out the tiniest, cutest sound.
As he held her shoulders, she flinched like she'd just been hit with a paralyzing spell.
Her blue eyes stared at him in disbelief.
He continued speaking, and she continued to blush deeper and deeper until her pale cheeks turned crimson, even her small earlobes glowed like rubies.
She looked so adorable it was almost criminal.
Her slender fingers spread out like she didn't know what to do with herself.
"Thank you, Eriri."
That was Kyousuke's finishing blow.
Normally, he'd go in for a hug to seal the deal, but judging by her current state, he was pretty sure she'd faint on the spot if he tried.
'Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap...'
Suddenly, soft applause broke out around them.
Eriri snapped out of her daze like someone waking from a dream.
She jolted as if struck by lightning, even the hair on her forehead standing up from the static.
Her eyes darted around wildly, only to realize they were surrounded with people.
Everyone in the bookstore had been watching.
She immediately dove into Kyousuke's arms, yanked her cap down to cover her face, then spun around and shoved past the crowd in a mad dash out of the store.
Kyousuke blinked, momentarily stunned.
He hadn't even processed the applause yet and was still trying to figure out who started it.
"Onizuka! Pay for this!"
He tossed his wallet at the guy with the ridiculous spiky yellow hair and dashed off after Eriri, manga still in hand.
"Leave it to me, boss!" Eikichi Onizuka called out cheerfully, catching the wallet.
As Kyousuke turned a corner, he glared back at Onizuka, who had clearly been causing more chaos than helping.
'Whoa!' Onizuka's eyes lit up.
'That look from the boss, he's telling me he's going to win her over no matter what! What conviction! No wonder he's the legendary heartbreaker!'
The narrow aisle was now packed with curious onlookers and new customers.
Kyousuke, despite his athletic build, had trouble squeezing through.
Just a few meters ahead, he saw Eriri's small frame disappear through the exit.
His physical strength, usually a source of pride, felt more like a burden now.
Meanwhile, Eriri, having bolted out of the store, didn't even bother checking her surroundings.
She ran aimlessly before ducking into a quiet alley and hiding herself between two capsule toy machines.
'Thump... thump...'
Leaning against the cold wall, she placed her right hand over her pounding heart and her left on her flushed face.
The sound of her own heartbeat rang in her ears loud and clear.
And along with it, Kyousuke's voice echoed vividly in her mind:
"I can't do this without you."
"You're the most important person to me."
"Thank you for always being by my side."
Although she'd always known that guy had a nice voice, she never expected that just hearing him talk could be enough to make her blush.
Her hand, still caressing her flushed face, slowly moved down to her earlobe.
Usually cool to the touch, it now felt warm like a piece of glass gently heating up.
The texture was the same as always smooth and delicate, but now even the slightest brush sent a jolt through her.
'Damn it… Could Kyousuke's voice might actually make ears pregnant or something?'
In her heart, Eriri kept trying to pin the blame on his voice, as if it had some magical power.
She absolutely refused to admit it was because of his recognition that her emotions had gone out of control.
'No way!'
'There are tons of people online praising the genius artwork of "Kashiwagi Eiri-sensei" every day!'
'How could I possibly be this happy just because of one person's praise?'
'That'd be way too embarrassing!'
'I'm not the kind of girl who gets all flustered just because Kyousuke said "thank you."'
'It's just… the cold wall behind me reminded me I was out in public, okay?'
'I only ran because I was scared of being recognized! That's it! It's definitely not because that idiot's gaze was too intense or anything!'
'Ugh, it's all his fault! Saying dumb things again. If he's grateful, just keep it to yourself and feel it quietly. Why say it out loud like that?'
'Wait…'
Suddenly, she slapped her hands over her mouth, but it didn't stop a soft gasp from escaping.
The alley was dim, but the glow of the nearby gacha machines lit up her wide, stunned eyes.
Within her vibrant blue irises shimmered a kaleidoscope of emotions.
'Was that just now… a confession?!'
She glanced at the manga magazine she had carelessly set down beside the gacha machine.
'Oh no… I didn't even pay for it yet!'
'Wait—no, focus!'
'That's not the point! I'm the one holding the manga now, but that still fits the setup. There were people clapping. They were congratulating us…'
But he's just a first-year middle schooler!
Even if he does like me, we can't just suddenly jump into a relationship, right?! And even if I, just hypothetically, reluctantly accepted… what then?
Her thoughts spiraled, her eyes glazed over, and her face, which had just started to cool down, began to blush all over again.
Meanwhile, after dashing out of the bookstore, Kyousuke found no sign of Eriri anywhere.
Thankfully, the expressions and reactions of passersby helped him trace her path.
Judging from the way people kept looking behind them, he could totally imagine Eriri charging down the sidewalk like a giant hamster, hiding her face and bolting full-speed.
Even though the image was hilarious and honestly kind of adorable, he knew the most important thing right now was to find her before she accidentally ran halfway across the city in a flustered panic.
He broke into a light jog down the sidewalk, following the trail of people reactions.
When he reached the mouth of a narrow alley between two buildings, he stopped.
It was tight, but illuminated thanks to a pair of brightly lit gacha machines inside. Sure enough, a bit of green fabric of her clothes peeked out from behind one of them.
She really is just a kid sometimes.
Shaking his head with a helpless smile, Kyousuke stepped into the alley, intentionally making his footsteps louder so she'd hear him coming.
Sure enough, the unexpected sound snapped Eriri out of her daydream.
Her eyes blinked wide, and she took a deep breath as if trying to calm herself down.
Peeking out with one eye, she looked toward the entrance of the alley.
The bright light from outside was blocked by the figure walking in.
Even though he was strolling through a cramped alley lined with gacha machines, he moved with the confidence of someone heading into a grand ballroom.
The shifting shadows did nothing to dampen his steady presence.
'Ugh, seriously? Why is he walking like some kind of model?'
Watching him draw closer, Eriri's embarrassment strangely faded.
She leapt out from her hiding spot with a dramatic pop, planting her hands on her hips like a cowboy ready for a duel.
"You're so slow! We were supposed to play the gacha machines, and I've been waiting here forever!" she huffed with her usual pride, sounding absolutely exasperated.
Relieved by her usual energy, Kyousuke let out a small breath.
He'd been worried she'd be too flustered to talk.
Now that she seemed back to normal, he finally glanced around and realized this alley was the exact place Eriri had pointed out to him earlier as a gacha hotspot.
"My bad. You were just acting way too much like someone who was skipping out on paying, so I stayed back to apologize to the store owner."
He rolled his eyes, half a head taller than her, and casually played along with her script.
"W-What?!" The reminder of what she'd tried to forget hit hard, and Eriri immediately grabbed the manga, flustered and scrambling.
"I'm joking. I didn't pay either. I just chased after you. Which means… we're partners in crime now."
That mischievous smile made Eriri's breath catch.
'Partners in crime?!'
Images flashed through her head was an anime scenes of boys and girls robbing banks, going on the run, and slowly falling in love through their adventures.
"I never thought I'd see my own work printed in a magazine and I… stole it," Kyousuke said as he reached her side, casually taking the book from her hands while she was still muttering things like "partners in crime… fugitives…"
Tsk.
The print quality really wasn't anything to write home about, but considering it was a thick magazine for just 230 yen, it wasn't fair to expect more.
Even though this kind of situation seemed fun in anime, Eriri knew better than to mix up fantasy with reality.
She barely held herself back from impulsively keeping this "evidence" of their joint crime, and with wide, shimmering eyes, she hesitantly suggested:
"Kyousuke, maybe we should go back and… pay for it? I mean, if we just explain things, the store owner will probably forgive us."
"It's fine. I'm a delinquent, remember? Doing stuff like this every now and then is totally normal. I'm sure the guy'll understand." He turned away, hiding a grin Eriri couldn't see.
"Th-Then, as a one-time exception… I-I'll allow myself to go along with your nonsense!" she declared, like she was making a noble sacrifice on behalf of all humanity.
"Eriri, actually—"
"Don't say anything," she cut him off, puffing up her cheeks. "I took the book. That makes me the mastermind."
"You're just an accomplice, got it? Now come on, let's read our manga!"
'Hey, hey, wasn't that way more of a foul than what he said back in the bookstore?!'
Listening to the girl's words, Kyousuke felt genuinely moved.
He knew besides her otaku side, she was always a proper lady.
Doing something like skipping out on payment probably hadn't even crossed her mind before.
But he didn't dare say that aloud.
If he did, Eriri might just sink those tiny fangs of hers into him. Better to play it safe… for now.
"Whoa… Seeing it in a magazine really is a whole different feeling from the computer! Even though I drew it myself, it still feels so overwhelming!"
What Kyousuke saw as poor-quality print, Eriri saw as undeniable proof of their fated encounter.
In the narrow alley, bathed in the light from the nearby capsule machine, the two quietly read through the pages of their manga.
From time to time, Eriri's clear, bell-like laughter rang out.
———————————————————————
Later that night – Kyu-Furukawa Gardens
After washing up, Eriri sat at her desk, the copy of Weekly Shounen High they'd bought earlier lying in front of her.
Inside the cover, on the blank page after the front, were both of their signatures—real names and pen names.
Four names in total.
Staring at them, —Kyousuke / Sawamura Spencer Eriri and EGOIST / Kashiwagi Eiri
Eriri's sapphire eyes sparkled with happiness.
Her lips curved into a wide smile.
Picking up her pen again, she gently added two more characters underneath:
"Partners in Crime"
Just then, her phone screen lit up. Turning her head, she saw a new message from Kyousuke.
———————————————————————
"I already paid for the magazine btw."
———————————————————————
"AAAHHHH!! That idiot! That super ultra mega idiot!! What kind of pervert tricks a pure-hearted maiden like that?!"
The room echoed with Eriri's shrieking tantrum.
After a while, the sound of flipping pages replaced her outrage.
Under the soft glow of her desk lamp, she quietly returned to the manga every panel etched perfectly in her memory, even when she closed her eyes.
The moment they met outside the manga shop, The time in the café when he grabbed her ankle, The time in the arcade when she caught a glimpse of his rough sketches…
And now their work, published in a serialized manga.
Each memory surfaced in her mind one by one, and her smile deepened, stretching into a full arc.
"That idiot…"