Sawamura Eriri was in low spirits.
The jeers from earlier echoed in her mind like sharp thorns, each one piercing through her already fragile sense of pride, burrowing deep into her heart.
She had always been a sensitive girl, one who wasn't good at speaking up. Faced with something like that, her instinct was simply to run away.
Hiding in a corner of the school no one ever visited, all those pent-up, painful emotions spilled out together with her tears.
If only I hadn't brought those manga things to school.
If only I hadn't talked about that stuff in public.
If only… I had never liked this sort of thing in the first place…
Her thoughts—twisted and bent by ridicule—were slowly sinking into a dark abyss.
And then, at that moment, a hand reached out toward her. A hand that carried with it both light and warmth.
"Hey… are you alright?"
"…"
Eriri blinked, stunned at the figure before her.
For a few seconds, she even forgot how to react to the tissue he was holding out to her.
She knew this person.
Or rather—there wasn't a single student in the entire grade who didn't know him.
Handsome, athletic, and clever. He had ranked first in the grade for two years straight.
Why would someone like him—Minamoto Senya—be here, in front of her…?
"…Here. Wipe your tears first."
His voice was gentle.
"Ah!"
Eriri finally snapped back to reality, her tiny lips parting in surprise, letting out a soft, doll-like sound.
Senya couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction.
That smile—so effortless, so bright—was far too charming for a boy his age.
And that was what undid her all over again.
The way she saw it, he wasn't just smiling—he was glowing. Like a manga hero come to life, complete with the imaginary soft light behind him, as if flowers bloomed wherever he stood, the entire world happily serving as his background.
But when Eriri still didn't take the tissue, Senya assumed she was too upset to react and didn't press her. Instead, he gently leaned forward and dabbed away the tears himself.
It was only when she felt the touch on her cheek that Eriri's body jolted, realizing what had just happened."A-ah—! No, you don't have to—!"
Her doll-like face turned crimson with embarrassment, and she instinctively leaned backward.
But the thin shrubs behind her weren't nearly enough to hold her weight.
She lost balance.
Senya's hand shot out immediately, pulling her in.
The next thing Eriri knew, her back was pressed against his chest, his arm wrapped protectively around her, his other hand braced against the ground.
They had fallen into an awkward, far-too-intimate position.
And not far away, Yukinoshita Yukino—who had witnessed the entire scene from start to finish—narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. An icy aura seeped out from her, one she herself wasn't even aware of.
On the east side of the gym storage shed.
Senya leaned over an outdoor sink, washing the dirt off his hands.
After drying them with a tissue, he even bent down and used the damp paper to wipe the dust off his pants where he had knelt on the ground.
Yukino, long used to her childhood friend's little quirks, simply watched without comment.
But Eriri, though she tried to act nonchalant, clearly couldn't keep her attention off him.
She didn't turn her head, but her eyes kept sneaking sideways glances at Senya, darting back the moment he might notice, only to drift toward him again a moment later.
Once he was finished, Senya strolled back to them in good spirits.
Facing Eriri, his voice was as warm as before:"Feeling a little calmer now?"
Yukino shot him a quiet look.
"…I-I'm sorry about earlier," Eriri stammered, bowing her head slightly.
When she looked up again, her tears had been wiped away, though her eyes and nose were still pink. Her flushed cheeks made her look even more delicate.
Senya just waved it off."No need to apologize. That wasn't your fault. Anyway—we came here for something important."
"Important?"
"Mm. Here, this belongs to you."
Senya held out the anime badge he had picked up.
But instead of taking it, Eriri stepped back, her face clouding again.
"…No, I… I don't want it anymore."
Her emotions, which had barely stabilized, were teetering on the edge of breaking once again.
Yukino sighed softly."Liking something like this isn't wrong. What's wrong are the people who think they're entitled to mock you for it."
Her words were meant to encourage, but they didn't reach Eriri.
The girl shook her head, lowering her gaze once more.
Unlike Yukino, who had grown resilient through hardship, Eriri had always been shielded by her parents. She simply wasn't used to this kind of pain.
That was when Senya spoke again, his eyes on the badge."This character… she's Airi-chan from Magical Girl Momo, right?"
"!"
"…"
Both Yukino and Eriri turned to him.
One in disbelief.
The other, thoughtful.
Seeing that he had struck a chord, Senya smiled faintly and continued.
"Kobayakawa Airi—one of the main heroines of Magical Girl Momo. Her theme color is black. Mature, composed, her awakened ability is the 'Blade.' Unlike the others who rely on staves or grimoires to fight from afar, she shines up close, taking on enemies head-on.
Her elegance and fearless fighting style made her shoot to first place in the latest character poll, no surprise to anyone.
…Did I get that right?"
Eriri's eyes went wide. She took an eager step forward, her voice trembling with excitement."Minamoto-kun, you—you actually know all that?!"
Senya grinned, flashing bright white teeth."Of course I do. I'm a fan too. Airi-chan—the dignified Yamato Nadeshiko type, cold outside but warm inside? She's the best, isn't she?"
"!!!"
Eriri froze, utterly shaken.
The Minamoto Senya—the top student teachers were always praising, the genius, the idol of the grade—was actually… her fellow otaku?!
It felt like a dream.
Wait—if he liked Magical Girl Momo too, then…
"Hey, Eriri. Let me ask you something."
"Y-yes!"
"Do you think liking Magical Girl Momo is embarrassing?"
If he had asked her that just a little while ago, she might have agreed.
But now—she shook her head firmly.
"Then why," Senya asked softly, "do you feel like you should be embarrassed for liking it?"
"…"
The words sank deep. She didn't answer right away, but her expression faltered.
Senya gently took her hand, placed the badge into her palm, and closed her fingers over it with his own.
It felt as though an unseen force had reached out, pulling her out of the depths, back into the light.
Her nose stung, her chest tight.
"I-I get it now. The ones who should be ashamed… aren't me. It's those people—those who don't understand anything, yet still mock someone else's passions!"
"…Exactly."
Senya hesitated for a moment, then reached out and softly patted her head.
Eriri's eyes blurred again, but this time her tears came for a different reason entirely.
"…"
Yukino stood in silence, watching everything unfold.
She had been there the entire time. She had wanted to help too.
But somehow, she had never been able to step in.
And only now, at the very end, did she realize—back when Senya had been trailing after Eriri from the courtyard to the gym shed, his phone in his hand as he walked…
What he had been looking at.