Chapter 227: The Past of Izumi Sagiri

Chapter 227: The Past of Izumi Sagiri

Izumi Household.

December 10th—today is Izumi Sagiri's birthday.

"Sagiri, what do you want to eat today? Mom will cook for you~"

The first-generation "Eromanga-sensei," the grown-up version of Sagiri—Mrs. Izumi, stood in front of her daughter's room and asked.

It was her birthday today.

She should celebrate it, even if just a little.

A moment later, the door creaked open, and Izumi Sagiri peeked out, looking at her mother.

"I don't have anything special I want to eat."

Hearing that, Mrs. Izumi helplessly rubbed her forehead.

"I see... Then how about I make you a birthday cake?"

Izumi Sagiri immediately shook her head.

"No... no need. There's really nothing worth celebrating. Just keep it normal."

After saying that, she withdrew back into her room and shut the door.

Mrs. Izumi let out a resigned sigh.

It felt like her adorable daughter was entering a rebellious phase.

When she was younger, Sagiri used to cling to her all the time.

Always wanting to jump into her arms, watching intently as she drew.

Maybe it was a generational gap?

Even though her own hobbies were quite youthful, she wasn't a young girl anymore.

Mrs. Izumi sighed to herself for a while before heading downstairs, preparing to go out and buy groceries.

Even if Sagiri said to keep things normal...

It was still her birthday. How could she not prepare a nice meal?

...

Inside the room.

Sagiri buried her face in her blanket.

Although she seemed to be in a rebellious phase, Izumi Sagiri didn't actually want to distance herself from her mother.

She simply felt that her existence had become a burden on mother.

For so many years, her mother had to carry the weight of raising her.

Her life always had to be planned around her daughter.

As Sagiri grew older, she gradually realized this.

Moreover, there was something else.

A lingering regret in her heart.

It was about her mother and Izumi-san's honeymoon trip.

Her mother had finally found someone to remarry.

She should have had a happy time with that person.

Yet, because of young Sagiri, the trip was ruined.

Because of her, they had to rush back home and missed their flight for the honeymoon.

At the time, both of them said it was fine.

That they could make up for the honeymoon later.

But more than a year later, Izumi Kotetsu had an accident and passed away.

The trip they promised to take later became an unfulfilled regret.

Because of this, Izumi Sagiri always felt deeply guilty.

Now, she only hoped her mother wouldn't worry about her anymore.

That she would go find her own happiness.

Buried in her blanket, Sagiri's thoughts drifted back to her childhood days.

It was the first year her mother had married into the Izumi family.

The two had temporarily left home as planned to go on their honeymoon.

Izumi Sagiri was entrusted to Izumi Kotetsu's younger sister.

Her aunt, Izumi Kyouka.

That day, just like today, light snow began to fall.

Back then, young Sagiri had no fear of going outside. On the contrary, she was full of energy.

As soon as she saw the snow falling outside the window, she couldn't hold back any longer.

She rushed outside to play in the courtyard of the Izumi household.

As she was playing—

Izumi Sagiri suddenly noticed something in the snow.

Beneath the pure white layer of snow, something was emitting a brilliant golden light.

Intrigued, Sagiri immediately ran over.

She brushed away the thin layer of snow.

Underneath was a strange, glowing sphere, radiating golden light, with a pair of wings.

It looked just like a spirit from legends.

Naturally, young Sagiri was completely mesmerized by the dazzling golden glow.

Just as she was about to pick it up—

The small sphere suddenly flapped its wings and soared into the air.

It transformed into a streak of light and shot out of the courtyard.

At that moment, Izumi Sagiri didn't think much.

Mesmerized, she instinctively chased after it without hesitation.

She quickly left the Izumi household.

She kept running, running—until she had unknowingly left even the familiar street behind.

By the time Izumi Kyouka realized it—

Izumi Sagiri's figure had completely disappeared.

The aunt, who had been entrusted with watching over her, panicked immediately.

She was so frightened that she nearly burst into tears.

Meanwhile, Izumi Sagiri was still entranced by the golden sphere.

She would run, then stop.

Each time Sagiri stopped, the golden sphere would also stop.

As if it was deliberately waiting for her.

Finally, on an unfamiliar street—

Izumi Sagiri managed to catch the golden sphere.

She was overjoyed for a moment.

But then, when she looked around—

She realized she was in a completely unfamiliar place.

She had no idea how to get home.

Stunned for a moment—

Izumi Sagiri suddenly felt afraid.

She crouched in the corner of the street, sobbing.

Fortunately, there was a police station nearby.

A patrolling officer quickly noticed the lost little girl.

The officer brought her to the station.

Since Sagiri didn't remember her parents' phone numbers—

The police had no choice but to send someone to search the area.

Eventually, they found Izumi Kyouka, who was frantically looking for her niece.

Everything was finally resolved.

The moment she realized Sagiri was missing—

Izumi Kyouka had immediately called her brother and sister-in-law.

Izumi Kotetsu and his wife hurried back.

By the time they arrived—

Kyouka had just finished getting a stern lecture from the police and was leading Sagiri out of the station.

Even though the situation had been resolved—

Because they rushed back, they had missed their flight.

Moreover, it was peak travel season at the time.

Getting a new flight was nearly impossible.

So, the two of them had to give up their honeymoon trip.

The whole family returned home together.

…

Recalling that childhood memory—

Izumi Sagiri crawled out from under her blanket.

She walked to her desk and pulled open the bottom drawer.

Inside, a golden sphere lay quietly.

No longer emitting a mesmerizing glow.

No longer possessing its magical wings.

It was just an ordinary golden sphere.

Back then, Sagiri had told Izumi Kyouka, Izumi Kotetsu, and her mother about it.

After seeing the tiny, lifeless metallic sphere—

All three of them simply thought it was Sagiri's childish imagination.

They didn't scold her too much.

Now that she was a little older—

Izumi Sagiri started wondering whether what she saw that day was real.

She picked up the small sphere from the drawer.

Raised her hand high, about to throw it into the trash bin.

But after holding that position for a long time—

She couldn't bring herself to do it.

In the end, she silently lowered her hand and placed it back into the drawer.

Sagiri buried her face in her desk, feeling somewhat unsettled.

Of course, she wanted a birthday cake.

But she felt unworthy of making her mother go through the trouble of preparing one.

As she lay on her desk, feeling down—

Izumi Sagiri suddenly remembered her stepfather.

The stepfather who had passed away in an accident—Izumi Kotetsu.

During the time they lived together—

Sagiri and her stepfather had a very good relationship.

Izumi Kotetsu had once left behind a small note.

On it was a contact number.

He had told her that if one day he was no longer around—

If Sagiri had any wishes, she could contact this person for help.

Sagiri had once asked who this person was.

Izumi Kotetsu only said that it was a friend of his.

Remembering this long-forgotten memory—

Izumi Sagiri pulled open the drawer once again.

At the deepest corner of the drawer, she found the now yellowed note.

Using the phone number on it—

Sagiri added the contact to her personal Line account.

As she sent the message—

She felt a bit nervous.

She wasn't sure if it was because she feared rejection or something else.

After all, suddenly messaging a stranger, saying she wanted a birthday cake or something—

Even Sagiri herself found it strange.

Fortunately, the other party agreed.

A sense of anticipation began to build up.

Izumi Sagiri ran to her window, constantly looking outside.

"Dad's friend… what kind of person will they be?"

Muttering to herself.

Her mind painted various images.

A middle-aged man in a neat suit.

A scruffy, unshaven old man.

An ordinary-looking man with nothing special about him.

Or maybe even an overweight otaku.

Why was she only thinking of old men?

Of course, because he was a friend of her father—logically, he had to be an uncle, right? Umu.

As she imagined all sorts of possibilities—

A figure suddenly entered Izumi Sagiri's view.

A tall young man, his every step carrying a gentle breeze.

His outfit was far from formal—no suit, no tie, just a simple hoodie and casual pants. But even in such simple clothes, he exuded a comfortable, approachable aura.

As an illustrator, Izumi Sagiri felt that the young man who had appeared in her sight—

Looked just like the protagonist of a manga, standing out completely from everyone around him.

Her eyes were unconsciously drawn to him.

Just as Sagiri's heart skipped a beat from staring too intently—

The young man suddenly looked up.

Their eyes met in midair.

Izumi Sagiri's eyes widened immediately.

Wasn't this Yukimi-sensei, the person who had suddenly called her on video earlier!?

Why was he at her house?

Could it be he was just passing by?

But the young man continued walking closer.

He had already stepped into the front yard.

Sagiri's heartbeat quickened.

A thought flashed through her mind.

All the images of middle-aged men instantly vanished.

Especially when her gaze fell on the large box in the young man's hands.

The image she had imagined gradually overlapped with the figure in front of her.

Even though she still found it a little unbelievable—

Izumi Sagiri truly hoped that this young man was the one who had come to fulfill her wish.

If that were the case—it would be truly wonderful.

(Note: For this chapter… I don't think I should add emojis.)