Gotta Take Protective Measures  

"So that's how you two met." 

At the family restaurant, Sayuri Sawamura also heard from Eriri how she and Shin had gotten to know each other. 

Since Sayuri Sawamura herself was an otaku—even being the one who had dragged Eriri into the world of doujinshi—Eriri didn't bother hiding anything. She openly talked about how she had brought her drawing tools to school to meet a deadline, only to be discovered by Shin, who then admitted he also read doujinshi and even gave her suggestions. 

This finally cleared up a long-standing question for Sayuri Sawamura: why Eriri had revealed her identity as a doujinshi artist to Shin. After all, Eriri usually went to great lengths to hide her otaku side at school, let alone her secret life as a doujinshi artist. 

So, they had met because of doujinshi sketches—no wonder Eriri was so unguarded around Shin. Though the way they met was a bit unusual, Sayuri Sawamura didn't think it was a bad thing. Having shared secrets between them would only make their relationship grow closer. 

However, as Eriri continued to recount what happened after she and Shin became acquainted, Sayuri Sawamura's expression gradually began to falter. 

Eriri mentioned that during their school lunches, there were always several other girls present—Megumi Kato, Hitori Gotou, Ikuyo Kita… These were names Sayuri Sawamura was hearing for the first time. And from how Eriri described them, Shin seemed to be on very close terms with these girls—even closer than with Eriri. In fact, they had known him longer than she had. Wait, so Eriri was the latecomer? 

The more Sayuri Sawamura listened, the stranger her expression became. From the sound of it, Eriri was perfectly content with this situation. Even though there were multiple girls close to Shin, she didn't seem the least bit bothered by it. She didn't appear to have any intention of monopolizing him and even spoke highly of the other girls, as if they could all become great friends. 

"Though I always knew Shin would be popular… I didn't expect it to be to this extent." 

Sayuri Sawamura quickly took a sip of tea to steady herself, gaining a deeper understanding of just how sought-after Shin was. After all, his looks were outstanding, so it was only natural he'd be popular with girls. But Sayuri Sawamura hadn't expected him to be able to get along so well with so many at once, even forming what seemed like a harmonious harem. 

At the same time, she couldn't help but feel exasperated by Eriri's complete lack of awareness. If you keep being this naive, Shin's going to be snatched away by another girl. 

She glanced at Shin, only to find him looking back at her, which made her heart skip a beat. She quickly lowered her head. 

Perhaps influenced by Eriri's sketches, Sayuri Sawamura found that every time she saw Shin now, her mind would drift to strange thoughts. Before, even if Eriri mentioned him, she wouldn't think much of it. But ever since meeting him in person, it was like her brain had unlocked something—constantly imagining all sorts of inappropriate things, making her too embarrassed to even look at him for long. 

After lunch, Sayuri Sawamura prepared to head home. 

Eriri's latest doujinshi had indeed been a huge hit, selling out by the morning. The booth had already been packed up, so there was nothing left to do. This was exactly why many otaku rushed into the convention hall first thing in the morning—because the popular booths really would sell out within a single morning. 

Normally, Sayuri Sawamura would have been thrilled that Eriri's doujinshi sold so well. But knowing that its improvements had come from Shin's input, she couldn't help but sigh. 

She wasn't against Eriri and Shin getting together. It was just that Eriri's naivety made her worry that she'd end up at a disadvantage competing with the other girls. 

As Eriri's mother, she knew her daughter's personality better than anyone. Despite being a doujinshi artist with more "theoretical knowledge" than most, Eriri was still quite childish at heart. 

Her life up until now had been fine—thanks to their family's comfortable circumstances, she never had to fight for anything and still enjoyed a much better environment than most. 

Looks like I'll have to teach her how to secure an advantage properly later… 

With that thought, Sayuri Sawamura walked over to Eriri and, under her puzzled gaze, slipped a small box into her hand. 

Eriri looked down in confusion. 

[Durex – Extra Safe.] 

"I get that young people have a lot of energy, but you still need to take protective measures properly." Sayuri Sawamura said meaningfully. 

"Oh, and next time there's a chance, invite Shin over to our place." 

Since she had decided to help Eriri get closer to Shin, visiting each other's homes was a natural step. 

From what Eriri had said earlier, both Megumi Kato and that Kessoku Band had already been to Shin's place. Only Eriri was lagging behind in this regard. 

If Eriri was too shy to suggest going to his place, then Sayuri Sawamura would just have to invite him over herself. That way, she could also help entertain him. 

After giving Eriri this advice, she waved at both her and Shin before leaving. 

The rest of the afternoon would be left to the two of them. 

…I just hope they don't end up using up that entire box. 

"Ahem… Anyway, let's head back to the convention hall." 

After Sayuri Sawamura left, Eriri seemed to notice Shin's gaze and hurriedly stuffed the box into her bag. 

Sure, what Sayuri Sawamura gave might come in handy later… but making a girl carry this stuff is just too embarrassing! 

Shin, of course, had clearly seen what Sayuri Sawamura had handed Eriri—and honestly, he had rarely ever used those before. 

But since Eriri wanted to pretend otherwise, he didn't call her out on it. 

After all, she'll be the one to take it out and hand it to me when the time comes. 

To be continued…

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