Legs Worth a Year of Admiration  

"Oh my, did I scare you, Eriri-chan?" 

Kasumigaoka Utaha wore a seemingly friendly smile, but to Eriri, it felt dripping with malice. 

"Perhaps Eriri-chan should take a break first and let me have a little chat with Shin alone?" 

Since she still had questions for Shin, Utaha refrained from sharp-tongued remarks toward him—but she held no such restraint for Eriri. While her main goal was uncovering the truth behind that "paranormal incident," she couldn't ignore the hostility radiating from the blonde. Utaha suspected Eriri had misunderstood something, hence the animosity. 

Well, if she's so possessive of Shin… 

Noticing how attached Eriri was to him, Utaha decided to strike where it hurt—and the effect was immediate. 

"What did you say?!" 

Eriri immediately flared up, wrapping her arms around Shin's arm and glaring at Utaha like a guard dog. 

"I was here first! Shin already promised to spend the whole day with me, so don't even think about it!" 

This outburst quickly clued Utaha in on Eriri's personality—despite being the same age, she had a somewhat childish streak. 

Though Eriri desperately wanted to shoo Utaha away, she couldn't bring herself to do so. 

The reason? Utaha had overheard her earlier conversation with Shin—and knew about the photobook she had just bought. 

Utaha was, after all, a fellow student at their school. If Eriri outright rejected her now, who knew what rumors might spread? 

Shin didn't particularly care, but Eriri still had a reputation to uphold. 

So, in the end, she reluctantly agreed to Utaha's suggestion—heading to a nearby café together. 

--- 

"So, what exactly are you after?" 

Seated side by side with Shin, Eriri eyed Utaha warily from across the table. 

Utaha chuckled, resting her chin on her hand. "Must you phrase it so harshly? 'What am I after?'—as if I'm some kind of villain." 

Her tone was light, but her gaze lingered on Shin just a fraction longer than necessary. 

Truthfully, she wanted to probe into his background and the so-called "paranormal incident," but with Eriri present, she couldn't just blurt it out. Asking something like that outright would make her sound delusional—and she definitely didn't want to give Eriri ammunition to mock her. 

No, she'd have to wait for a chance to question Shin alone. 

For now, she had another reason for dragging them both here. 

"Eriri-chan, Shin, you two probably don't know this yet, but—" 

Without Eriri noticing, Utaha had already dropped the honorific when addressing Shin, making her tone noticeably more intimate. 

"—I've been gathering reader feedback, but I rarely get opinions from people my own age." 

"You… write light novels?" Eriri blinked in surprise. 

Utaha was known as one of the top students at their school—a model "winner at life" in the eyes of many. The idea that she was secretly a light novel author (and thus, an otaku) was unexpected. 

If this got out, it would probably shatter a few illusions among the student body. 

But upon learning Utaha's secret identity, Eriri felt an odd sense of kinship. 

After all, while Utaha hid her life as a novelist, she concealed her work as a doujinshi artist. 

…Though Eriri's lips twitched at the thought. 

A light novel author was one thing, but a doujinshi artist? That was a bit too risqué to admit casually. 

She wasn't about to spill her own secrets just because Utaha had shared hers. 

"Otherwise, why would I be at a comic convention?" 

As she spoke, Utaha pulled two books from her bag—copies of Love Sync, her own work. 

She always carried a few spares for situations like this. 

"Since Eriri-chan and Shin seem to share similar interests, I'd love to hear your thoughts." 

When she handed the books over, her fingers just so happened to brush lightly against Shin's palm. 

Shin raised an eyebrow, but Utaha merely smiled back innocently—as if the contact had been purely accidental. 

Had he not been able to sense the subtle shift in her "energy," he might've believed her. 

Eriri, oblivious to the exchange, accepted the book. 

"Love Sync?" 

Though an otaku, Eriri's tastes leaned more toward anime, manga, and games—she rarely read light novels, so the title meant nothing to her. 

"Yes. It's not exactly a bestseller, but it's done decently," Utaha said with a modest smile. "Still, I want to improve, so I'd appreciate honest feedback." 

Eriri nodded in understanding. 

None of her friends at school were into this kind of thing either, so she could relate. 

"Alright, I'll give it a look." 

The convention had been exhausting anyway—she'd planned to take a break at some point. 

Though originally, her idea of "resting" had involved finding a quiet spot with Shin for… other activities. 

Now that Utaha had ruined that plan, reading a light novel over dessert (courtesy of Utaha's treat) wasn't a bad alternative. 

"Thank you both." 

Utaha smiled sweetly—then, under the table, slowly slid her leg forward. 

Shin, who had just opened the book, suddenly felt something silky brushing against his ankle. 

He glanced up, meeting Utaha's gaze. 

She blinked back at him, the picture of innocence—as if her foot wasn't currently tracing teasing circles around his calf. 

This woman… 

Eriri, nose-deep in the novel, remained blissfully unaware of the battle of wills unfolding across the table.

To be continued…

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