Bang!
Eriri slammed her hands on the table with some force, startling the other customers in the café. The waiter and the manager both looked visibly troubled.
"He would definitely choose Megumi!"
She raised her voice slightly, declaring confidently.
"Oh? Is that so? I believe that in Love Metronome, Naoto will ultimately choose Sayuka. You see, when writing a novel, authors often insert part of their own personality into a character. So I don't think he'd mistreat himself."
The one responding was Yazuki, who sat across from Eriri, arms crossed, exuding absolute confidence.
From the looks of it, the personality of the first heroine in Love Metronome clearly reflected the author's own traits; on the surface, she appeared refined and elegant, but behind the scenes, she was a sharp-tongued, somewhat hysterical woman.
Right now, he and Eriri were arguing over which of the two heroines the protagonist would ultimately choose.
In reality, if Eriri had initially supported Sayuka, he would've backed Megumi instead. Likewise, if he had chosen first, Eriri would have picked the other girl.
It was simple—they just didn't get along. There was no way they would choose the same answer.
"Oh? Want to bet on it?"
"A bet? Hah! You think I'd be scared?"
Both of them wore arrogant smirks.
So, what should they bet on?
"If I win, then you… you'll—hmm…"
Eriri bit her pinky, deep in thought about what kind of punishment would be fitting for this bastard.
"I've got it! If you lose, you have to join my circle, Egoistic-Lily!"
The doujin game circle Egoistic-Lily was the group Eriri used to participate in Comiket.
Everyone in the art community knew that Kashiwagi Eri and the Demon King had an infamously bad relationship. They were like fire and water. If this guy joined her circle, it would mean he had surrendered to her.
"In that case, if you lose, you'll have to join my circle, Teufel-Grosse."
Teufel-Grosse was Yazuki"s own Comiket group, a name that perfectly matched his pen name.
"Deal!"
"Back out, and you're a—"
"A dog?"
"You're so childish. You're already a loser, what's the difference?"
"Hah?! Just you wait! I'll definitely crush you at this winter's Comiket!!!"
"Sure, sure, you say that every time~"
Yazuki shrugged, looking completely unconcerned, as if he didn't take Eriri seriously at all.
"Grrr—!!"
She gritted her teeth like an angry little puppy.
It was only then that they realized—the café was almost empty, with only three people left at their table.
Wait, three?
Ah, they had completely forgotten about Megumi Kato!
The two had been so engrossed in their argument that they didn't even notice her, while she had quietly sat there, playing on her phone.
Looking at the table in front of her, there was a towering stack of plates, how much had she eaten?!
It wasn't that Yazuki minded the cost, but it seemed that during their debate, Megumi had tried to interject multiple times but couldn't get a word in. He vaguely remembered catching hints of her voice earlier, but he had misinterpreted it as her wanting to order more food. So, he had casually waved his hand, telling her to order whatever she wanted, he'd cover it.
Eriri had also egged her on, saying there was no need to hold back. She even claimed that rather than letting Yazuki waste his money on pointless things, it was better spent feeding Megumi.
Looks like Megumi had really taken their words to heart and gone all out.
"Sorry for keeping you here so late, Megumi."
"Ah, it's fine~"
"But about what I was saying about your curse—"
"Oh, looks like the last train home is leaving soon. Hmm? What were you saying, Yazuki-kun?"
Megumi suddenly checked her phone and let out a small cry of alarm.
"You did that on purpose! You totally pretended not to hear me!"
"Nope~"
Her indifferent response left Yazuki speechless.
"Alright, I'm heading home!"
"Mm, take care~"
Watching Megumi disappear down the street, Yazuki turned and chased after Eriri. He didn't have enough money to get home.
"Not enough money? Tch."
Eriri clicked her tongue in irritation. She should have kept chatting with Megumi a bit longer, making her order more food, so she could watch Yazuki squirm.
Such a missed opportunity.
Wait, if the last train to Chiba was gone, then this guy would need a place to stay.
She stuffed her money back into her wallet.
"You can sleep at my place tonight."
"Oh? Alright, I'll take you up on that."
To them, this was just a normal conversation. Yazuki had stayed at Eriri's place before due to certain circumstances.
But if someone else had overheard, their words could easily be misinterpreted.
And someone had overheard—an office lady passing by.
Short black hair, blue eyes, refined features, and fair skin. Her curvy figure was wrapped in a sleek black business suit, and her well-shaped legs were clad in sheer black stockings.
She looked at them with mild surprise before murmuring under her breath,
"High schoolers these days are so open? Especially the girls—so bold. Back in my time, we were all still innocent kids…"
Her voice carried a mix of sighing, regret, and maybe even a bit of envy.
Hearing this, Eriri froze, then immediately turned bright red, the blush creeping up her pale neck to her ears.
"Y-Y-You! W-What nonsense are you spouting?! I-I'm not bringing this guy home to have se—mmph!"
Her panicked attempt to deny it came out in a shaky, stammering voice. In her flustered state, she ended up blurting out something way too straightforward (and indecent), causing her to instantly slap her hands over her own mouth.
"I see, I see."
"See what, you idiot?!!"
"So, how many times have you done it?"
The office lady suddenly leaned in with an overly familiar air, throwing an unbelievably embarrassing question at Eriri.
"H-How many times? O-Once—"
Not even once! Who the hell would like this bastard?!
"Oh? So you've done it once already? How was your first time? Did it hurt when he pushed his thing in?"
"H-Hurt—"
Hurt your damn head! What kind of nonsense is this woman asking?!
Eriri was so embarrassed, angry, and panicked that she thought she might explode. Did this woman have no shame?! But before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted again.
"It really hurt, huh? Then—"
"If you're so curious, why don't you go experience it yourself? You unwanted old hag."
A sudden, cutting remark shut Eriri up completely. The office lady's expression froze as if she had been struck by lightning, her face immediately turning dark. Like a machine, she slowly turned to look at the one who had spoken.
"Excuse me, but who are you calling an unwanted old hag who's gone thirty years without a single relationship?"