Today was the weekend, and Sawamura Eriri was in a rare mood to go out for a walk.
After staying up late to finish her manuscript not long ago, her hard work had finally paid off—her new work had been published.
Unable to resist, Eriri went to the bookstore to check on its sales.
The results were excellent. As a well-known humiliation-themed doujin artist, her new release naturally drew plenty of attention.
Seeing the success, Eriri felt overjoyed and was ready to leave.
But just as she stepped outside, someone suddenly called her name. Her mind went blank.
*[I've been recognized… Could it be a classmate from school?
But how? I made sure to disguise myself. No one who hasn't seen me like this should recognize me.
This is bad. If people at school find out I'm a doujin artist, I'll be finished.
No—pretend I didn't hear it. Just walk away. Maybe they'll think they got the wrong person.]*
Resolving herself, Eriri lowered her head and walked forward as if nothing had happened.
…
On the other side, Tanaka saw her reaction and became even more certain that this girl was Sawamura Eriri from the anime world.
Although her appearance was slightly different from the two-dimensional image he remembered, her iconic twin-tails and beauty—far above that of an ordinary passerby—made her easy to recognize.
Tanaka hadn't expected that he had reincarnated into an anime world. If Eriri was here, did that mean Kasumigaoka Utaha was too?
The thought made him secretly excited. Meeting an anime heroine was the dream of every otaku.
Seeing Eriri about to leave, Tanaka called out again.
"It really is Sawamura-san."
Hearing her name once more, Eriri's heart sank. She knew she had been exposed.
She turned and glared at the man who had called her, but froze in confusion.
[Who is this guy?]
She couldn't remember ever meeting him. Since he knew her name, she assumed he must be from the same school.
Judging by his appearance, he was clearly an otaku. That at least made him easier to handle.
As one of the school's admired beauties, Eriri quickly accepted the fact that she had been recognized. Now she just had to manage the fallout.
When she noticed another passerby approaching, Eriri panicked at the thought of more people overhearing. She quickly snapped at him:
"Hey, you—come with me."
Her sharp tone carried a clear threat.
Tanaka didn't resist. He simply nodded.
"Alright."
Part of him wanted to get to know this famous heroine, and part of him thought—since she was a doujin artist—she might know how to publish manga.
The area was already remote, and Eriri soon led him into a deserted alley.
Surrounded by darkness, Tanaka glanced around curiously.
Eriri noticed and demanded, "Hey, you—"
"I'm Tanaka," he cut in.
Eriri raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, Tanaka. What a common name. So why are you looking around like that?"
Scratching his head, he gave a nervous laugh. "I just thought this place was kind of remote, haha…"
Trying to appear friendly, he forced a smile.
But his dull tone and awkward grin only made him seem sleazy.
Eriri shivered slightly.
She realized that, in order to protect her secret, she had walked into a deserted alley with a stranger.
The situation felt uncomfortably familiar.
As a doujin artist, countless "scenarios" instantly flashed through her mind.
Though the sudden burst of inspiration stirred her creative side, her real priority was to get out safely.
Shaking her head, she straightened her posture and put on a confident front.
"Hmph, none of your business."
Crossing her arms, she asked, "Are you a student at Suimei Private Academy?"
"No, I'm not," Tanaka replied. "I'm from Chiba."
"From Chiba Prefecture?"
Eriri frowned. "Then how could someone from Chiba know me?"
She narrowed her eyes at the chubby man, suspicion rising.
[Could this guy be a stalker? Or some pervert? Should I call the police?]
Her hand slipped into her pocket, ready just in case.
After only a couple of seconds of thought, Tanaka spoke quickly.
"Actually, it was just a coincidence that I recognized Sawamura-san."
"Coincidence?"
"Yes, a coincidence—because I'm a fan of Kashiwagi Eri."
The moment she heard the name Kashiwagi Eri, Eriri froze.
If someone only knew she bought certain books, that was manageable. Her classmates might laugh, but it wasn't the end of the world.
But if they knew she was the doujin artist Kashiwagi Eri, everything would collapse.
She grabbed Tanaka by the collar, glaring fiercely.
"How do you know that name?"
Her true identity was a closely guarded secret.
Her mother handled her publications to protect her anonymity. To the outside world, Sawamura Eriri and Kashiwagi Eri were separate people.
Only her parents knew the truth. And… one other person.
Aki Tomoya.
She would never suspect her parents. Which left Tomoya as the only possibility.
[No, it can't be him…]
Eriri didn't want to believe Tomoya would betray her, but once suspicion appeared, it refused to leave.
Her glare sharpened, and she barked at Tanaka:
"Tell me—who told you?"
Tanaka, unaware of the storm of thoughts raging inside her, certainly couldn't admit he knew from anime.
So he gave a vague excuse.
"I'm a fan of Kashiwagi Eri, and I just happened to find out while chatting with others."
"'Just happened to'?"
Eriri's teeth clenched.
There was no way such an important secret could be revealed by accident.
Her mind connected fragments of suspicion into a single conclusion.
[It must have been Tomoya. He must have carelessly exposed my identity while chatting with this guy online.]
Her chest heaved as her anger rose. She was breathing hard, eyes burning with fury.