Chapter 24: That Day, Eriri Spencer Sawamura Had a New Idea
Eriri Spencer Sawamura immediately started to get tangled up.
"It can't be my parents… so is it really Aki Tomoya, that idiot? But why would he do such a thing?" she muttered under her breath. "Is it still because of what happened before…? No, it can't be him. He's not that kind of person."
Kasumigaoka Utaha, watching her confusion, extended a finger with cool precision.
"There's one thing I can tell you: I haven't met that Mysterious Person. We've only communicated online. And I'm not the only one who knows your identity. I just happen to attend the same school, so I wanted to confirm it for myself."
Her voice softened just slightly.
"Don't worry. I won't reveal your identity. In fact, we might even have opportunities to collaborate in the future."
She placed her hand lightly on her chest and revealed her "secret" — that she was a light novel author about to debut.
Even with that assurance, Eriri's mood didn't improve much. She snorted, turning her head away.
"Didn't you also know Eromanga Sensei and say you preferred her works? Why don't you just ask her to illustrate for you instead?"
Utaha gave a small, regretful shake of her head.
"Unfortunately, my 'friend' never told me her identity. He only said, 'I think Eriri Spencer Sawamura's erotic drawings are more erotic than Eromanga Sensei's.'"
Her gaze sharpened just a touch.
"By the way, if you really don't want to cooperate with me, you wouldn't mind sharing Eromanga Sensei's contact information, would you?"
Eriri, who had secretly felt a flicker of pride at first, instantly snapped.
"I don't know Eromanga! Go find her yourself!"
That was the last thing she spat at Utaha that day.
---
By the time the school day ended, Eriri was still stewing. She had asked her parents. She had even swallowed her pride and directly asked Aki Tomoya. Neither of them was the leak.
So… was she supposed to go back to that woman and ask her again?
The thought alone made her grit her teeth. That woman seemed to have a way of pressing down on her in every conversation, twisting her around like some kind of puppet.
Frustrated, she skipped the art club altogether and decided to go straight home to work on her manuscript. Better to bury herself in her own world than face Kasumigaoka Utaha again.
Or so she thought.
---
At her shoe locker, Eriri froze.
Inside wasn't a love letter, but… a manga?
"Who would shove a manga in here? …It's not anything weird, is it?" she muttered nervously.
Her mind immediately flashed to the kind of things she herself drew. Her cheeks burned as she glanced around. No one seemed to be watching. She leaned down.
The cover was oddly familiar. Just as her eyes adjusted to the title and the character on the cover—
A sudden pressure. A pale hand clamped down firmly on the manga.
Eriri's heart jolted. She leaned back on instinct—straight into a soft but steady embrace.
She looked up in shock. And her eyes met Kasumigaoka Utaha's.
Time froze.
The warmth pressed against the back of her head, the faint scent of perfume—her brain went completely blank. It wasn't until a round of gasps echoed from nearby that she jolted awake.
She stumbled upright, cheeks burning, only to realize: from the outside, with Utaha's hand still against the locker, it looked exactly like she had been wall-slammed.
"What are you doing!?" she hissed, mortified under the stares of classmates.
Utaha barely blinked. Her cool eyes swept across the hallway, and the curious onlookers instantly scattered. Then she slipped the manga into her bag, calm as ever.
"Let's have a proper chat, Eriri Spencer Sawamura-sensei."
Eriri froze again. "…Don't call me that at school. If you have to, just Sawamura-san is fine."
---
A café near the school.
Eriri sat stiffly across from Utaha, tapping her fingers against the table while Utaha typed quickly on her phone. The group chat was exploding, people @-ing her nonstop, demanding answers about the Mysterious Person's stunt.
With a long sigh, Utaha finally set the phone down. Her eyes locked onto Eriri.
"I know you have questions. I'll explain everything clearly."
She leaned forward, clasping her hands.
"Didn't I tell you yesterday that I learned about you from a 'friend' online? This manga was also put in your shoe locker by him."
Her jaw tightened at the word friend.
Eriri frowned. "…What's in it? Don't lie, I saw the cover. That was you."
"I don't know the details yet. I only saw it myself this afternoon," Utaha admitted. "But listen carefully. That friend is not an ordinary person. He's a hacker. A very mysterious—and extremely malicious—one."
The word "hacker" hit Eriri like a bullet. She immediately pictured the stereotypical super-genius who could control the entire internet from the shadows.
Utaha pressed on.
"I might have been a little sarcastic with him once. So, in revenge, he decided to pull this ridiculous stunt. He probably thought leaving this manga with you would drive a wedge between us."
Eriri's mouth fell open. "…A hacker… did this? Over sarcasm?"
She tried to laugh, but it came out awkward and forced. "Tch. Sounds like the most boring hacker alive."
Still, her curiosity burned. "Fine. Show me what's inside, then."
Utaha hesitated, then slowly flipped open the manga—just to the second page.
Eriri's eyes scanned the text.
"This is the encounter between me and my goddess."
Her blood froze. Then boiled.
"…Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Why the hell is Aki Tomoya in this manga!?"
Her voice rose an octave. "That hacker—how much does he know!? Why would he—No. No, don't tell me the next part is going to be some disgusting lovey-dovey romance between the two of you! Where am I!? Where the hell am I!?"
She lunged forward, trying to flip more pages—
—but Utaha snapped the book shut and slipped it back into her bag.
"You nearly had a nosebleed after two pages. If I let you read the rest, you'd probably collapse right here. We'll talk later."
Eriri pounded the table, cheeks bright red. "Tch… damn it…"
She could only seethe as Utaha calmly sipped her drink, the picture of composure.
---
By the time they left the café, Eriri had finally cooled down. Sort of.
"It was my carelessness," she muttered grudgingly. "That hacker really is… extremely malicious."
She thought back to the locker scene. The gasps. The stares. By now, rumors had probably already spread across the school. Tomorrow would be hell.
But then she remembered her family. Her father, a yuri otaku. Her mother, a fujoshi. Explaining it to them… might not even be that hard.
Her cheeks puffed as she glanced at Utaha again. She really was beautiful. More mature. More elegant. More everything.
If Aki Tomoya ever saw her like this…
Eriri clenched her fists. No way. No way in hell I'm losing to her.
If that manga was a challenge, then fine. She would answer it. She would make sure Aki Tomoya never strayed.
That day, Eriri Spencer Sawamura had a new idea.
---
Meanwhile, far away, Renji Miyauchi closed his diary with a faint smirk.
"They're probably tearing each other apart right now," he muttered. "Utaha cool and calculated, Eriri flustered and furious… hah, I almost feel bad."
Almost.
He stretched, the faint glow of a new reward appearing before him. Another day, another entry. Another spark to fan the flames of chaos.
"Still," Renji murmured, "I wonder how long before they realize the 'hacker' is sitting right here, writing all of this down."
His chuckle echoed in the quiet room.
The game had only just begun.
150ps=1 extra chapter
🔥 Patreon Family is growing every day! 🔥
Congratulations to our newest members:
✨ Knight Wolf ✨, ✨ Josiah Nathaniel Younger ✨, ✨ Nathan Hall ✨, ✨ Friends with all benefits ✨, ✨ dudule223 ✨, ✨ Акжол Калиев ✨ for joining and supporting the journey. Your support means everything!
📚 Love my fanfictions? Unlock more than 15 chapters in advance on my Fanfiction Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/Forbidden_lust
🎨 Love the female leads? Check out my Art Patreon for exclusive character artwork:
👉 patreon.com/PixLust
💬 Our community has moved to Telegram — join us here:
👉
I also have multiple other fanfictions ongoing, so don't forget to check them out too!