"Calm down, Erika. Let's talk like adults," Akira said, as reasonably as one could under the circumstances.
He was currently hanging upside down.
Suspended about three feet off the ground. Wrapped head to toe in crimson ribbons like a neatly packaged cocoon. Feet dangling uselessly in the air.
Erika stood below him, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
Akira had absolutely no idea what he'd done wrong this time.
Sure, the Darth Vader wake-up this morning had been… questionable. Understandably questionable. But that had already been dealt with.
Right?
So what was this about?
His mind raced, replaying everything he'd said and done since breakfast.
And then it hit him.
"Ah, is it because I asked her to be my meat shield?"
In hindsight, maybe phrasing it like that hadn't been the smartest move. Emotional support would've been better. Much better.
"…Yeah. That was probably it."
He winced internally as he dangled there, thinking as fast as he could.
Below him, Erika was having her own complicated thoughts.
"Why did my mind go there?"
By now, she knew his character. She knew he was an idiot. A certified one. And yet…
She still couldn't let it go that easily.
"I'll give you one chance to explain," she said.
Akira, as if grabbing onto the last thread of hope, blurted out, "I only want you there with me as emotional support! Did you forget? I said the girl I'll marry will be my emotional meat shield… I mean emotional support! And help me in social situations! So I just wanted you to help me by coming with me to the meeting since now you're my girlfriend!"
Erika blinked.
Now she was even more confused.
"What are you talking about?" She asked. "Where are you going? What meeting?"
Akira blinked. "Oh. I didn't tell you about this."
He cleared his throat awkwardly, still upside down. "Okay, well… how should I put it… Remember the Light Novel I told you about? The one I wrote?"
Erika nodded.
Of course, she remembered. She had even planned to buy it and read it properly, but with everything that had happened recently, she simply hadn't had the time.
"Well," Akira continued, "today I'm meeting my editor for the first time face to face. So I wanted you to be there."
Erika tilted her head slightly. "Okay… but what about the interview?"
"Yeah," Akira said. "Tomorrow I have a magazine interview and a public signing event. And today is the meeting for that. And a mock interview."
Erika stared at him.
"Wait. You have what?" Her brows furrowed. "Why didn't you tell me something so important before?"
Akira laughed weakly. "Well… sorry about that. So many things happened. Even I forgot about it, haha. I only remembered last night after my sister reminded me."
Erika let out a quiet sigh. "I see…"
She hadn't expected something like an interview. But at the same time, she felt a small spark of pride.
"His Light Novel is that successful already…"
Even though she hadn't read it yet.
Then Akira looked at her earnestly.
"So… can you come with me to the meeting? I'd be more comfortable if you're there with me."
Erika answered almost immediately. "Okay."
She had her reasons.
She wanted to know more about him. Spend more time with him. And, more importantly, she had absolutely no idea what kind of stupid things he might do if she left him alone.
So she accepted without hesitation.
"Then when are we going?" she asked.
Akira brightened visibly. "Thanks! The meeting's at 10:30. At a café. I'll send you the location."
Erika nodded. "Fine. I'll go change."
She turned to leave.
"Eh…Erika?" Akira called out.
She paused.
"…Before you go, can you please let me down?"
Only then did Erika realize he was still hanging upside down in midair.
"…Oh."
Erika did release him eventually. She knew him. She knew he was an idiot. And she wasn't really that mad, so she decided to let it go. Besides, they had a meeting today. She didn't want to waste more time on this.
In the end, Erika changed into an all-white frilly blouse, worn with her school neck ribbon, a long black pleated skirt, and long white stockings. On her head were her signature two red ribbons.
When she stepped out of her room, she froze.
Akira was standing there wearing a black hooded cloak that covered half his face.
She paused in shock.
Akira looked at her and smiled. "Oh, Erika. This dress looks good on you."
Only his mouth was visible beneath the hood, which somehow made it look even creepier.
Erika shook her head. "What the hell are you wearing?"
"Well," Akira replied, "I thought this looked cool. Today is a meeting after all. I wanted to wear something cool."
"It's disturbing," Erika said.
"It's mysterious." Akira countered.
"It's going back in the closet."
Without another word, she grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him back toward his room.
"No. Go back and change. No, I can't leave you alone. I'm coming with you."
In the end, with Erika's supervision, Akira changed into something presentable: black jeans, a white T-shirt, and a white blazer. He also wore enchanted black sunglasses to hide his eyes.
Erika nodded in satisfaction. "Yes. This looks perfect…" she said, smiling to herself.
Akira glanced at her. "Well, it's good. Now we match."
Only then did Erika realize it.
White and black. Clean, coordinated, unintentionally couple-coded.
"Oh."
Akira turned to her again. "Again, your dress looks good on you. It suits you perfectly."
Erika felt her cheeks warm slightly. "Really…?"
"Yes," Akira said without hesitation. "It looks perfect on you."
Just then, he received a message and looked at his phone.
Akira glanced at the time and said, "Oh no, time is running out. We need to leave if we want to catch the train."
So, they hurried out of the house.
On the way, they ran straight into Raven, Rose, and their ever-growing crow army gathered dramatically near the gate like a personal escort squad.
"…No," Akira said immediately.
Raven tilted his head. "Caw?"
"You are not coming."
After several stern warnings and a very clear "stay near the house," they somehow managed to leave without an airborne procession following them.
By some miracle, and a small amount of sprinting, they caught the train.
Once seated, the early-morning rush settling around them, Erika finally asked something that had been on her mind for a while.
"Akira… about that light novel of yours. What's it about, anyway?"
Akira leaned back slightly. "Well, it's a sci-fi space adventure. A little boy travels from planet to planet with his parents and has a grand adventure."
Erika blinked. "Huh. Really…?"
She hadn't expected that. But at the same time… it wasn't exactly out of character for him either.
"Actually," Selena's voice echoed in her mind, "this story is about him. Or rather, what he did after he left you."
Erika stiffened slightly. "What?"
"He wanted to see if his story would sell," Selena continued calmly. "So, he recorded his journey. He just tweaked some things. Countries and realms became planets. Magic became space magic. People became aliens."
Erika turned to him slowly. "Really? You wrote all your adventures in there?"
Akira nodded. "Yeah. Just a few changes. But mostly, it's the same."
"Even you are in there," Selena added. "As a character."
Erika blinked. "I am?"
"Yes, only in one volume," Selena replied. "But a lot of fans like your character."
Erika didn't know what to say.
This was all… too much.
But at the same time, curiosity bloomed in her chest. She had always wondered what had happened after they were separated. Now, right here, was the perfect chance to find out.
She turned to him. "Akira, do you have your book? I want to read it."
"Really? Now?"
"Yes. Do you have at least one volume? I can read it on the way."
Akira looked around. There were a lot of people nearby. So instead of pulling it directly from his inventory in plain sight, he casually reached for Erika's handbag. From the outside, it looked like he simply took something out of it.
In reality, he retrieved Volume 1 from his inventory and handed it to her.
"Here."
Erika looked at the cover.
She froze for a moment.
The cover illustration showed them from back then, or rather, anime-styled versions of them.
Her expression turned complicated.
But beneath that… there was unmistakable excitement.
Quietly, she opened the book.