158 I Don’t Want to Be the Main Character of a Doujinshi! 

"What do you mean, 'what's the plan'? Of course, I'm going to set up my booth and sell out instantly!"

Eriri tossed her head with a flourish, her golden ponytail tracing a perfect arc through the air.

Her voice was filled with confidence and pride.

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Kyousuke just stared at her silently, watching that smug expression on her face.

If Sayuri-san hadn't asked him for help, he might've actually believed her bluff.

It was just a few days ago, one afternoon while he was training with the kendo club, that he got the message.

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"Kyousuke-kun, Eriri is really nervous about this doujin event. Could you come check on her?" —Sayuri-san

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Nervous? Eriri?

Kyousuke almost laughed out loud.

The girl who has more confidence in her drawing than a god in their divinity... nervous about some indie doujin convention? That had to be a joke.

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"Did she not finish the manuscript?" That was the only plausible explanation.

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When he'd visited her house last time, she was clearly pressed for time.

Thinking back, he realized that must've been the reason and now he felt guilty for having taken up so much of it.

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"That's part of it. She was actually almost done with the piece she originally planned to submit."

"But then she suddenly decided to scrap it and start a new one. Now there's definitely not enough time."

"Still, even while rushing, she's been diligently doing her exercises like you recommended. 😊" —Sayuri-san

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Scrapping a nearly finished project at the last minute?

Yep. That was peak Eriri behavior impulsive, passionate, and a little too earnest.

From one angle, she was like a child, innocent and direct. And, yeah… also childishly stubborn.

Some might say she was temperamental, holding grudges over the smallest things. But Kyousuke knew the truth: she didn't hold grudges at all.

Remember when she got mad over his prank the other day? She forgave him the second he apologized.

That kind of pure-hearted personality was honestly... kinda adorable.

She was basically easy to coax, like a good kid.

So, yeah, if she wanted to throw everything away and start from scratch, Kyousuke could understand that too.

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"What can I do to help?" he asked without hesitation.

"We're not really worried about whether she finishes it or not."

"Honestly, it's not the end of the world if she doesn't even attend. But knowing her, she'd probably pull an all-nighter every day to get it done."

"We're keeping an eye on her to make sure she still gets some rest." —Sayuri-san

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Sayuri still hadn't said what she was truly worried about, but Kyousuke had already figured it out.

It wasn't about finishing the doujinshi—it was about her nerves.

Selling her own work for the first time was clearly freaking her out.

Eriri could talk a big game, but she was all soft on the inside.

Even if she believed in her art, it made sense she'd be anxious.

Come to think of it… wasn't Love Metronome also her debut work under "Kasumi Utako"?

No wonder she took that fan's gratitude so seriously.

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"Got it. I'll stop by."

"No rush. It's just that this new piece is… well, kind of related to you, Kyousuke-kun. I thought having you around might help her feel a little more at ease." —Sayuri-san

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…Huh?

'Related to me?'

Oh! Right, she said she got inspired by One Punch Man. Maybe the new piece was influenced by that?

That must be it.

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"Understood. I'll be there."

"Thanks, Hojou-kun."

"Don't mention it."

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After the chat, Kyousuke started wondering if he should drag Eikichi Onizuka along to cheer Eriri on.

That guy did have experience hyping up a crowd.

He still remembered how Love Metronome went from totally ignored to selling like crazy overnight.

If something like that didn't happen here, Eriri might just collapse into a little grey ghost of despair.

But realistically, things probably wouldn't be that bad.

Unlike novels, doujinshi live and die by the art—and Eriri's art was nothing short of stunning.

Even people who didn't care about the story would buy it just based on the cover.

The only issue was whether she'd be happy knowing people were buying it just for the visuals.

Anyway, in the end, it all came down to the quality of her work.

If it was as good as Kyousuke thought it would be, then all they needed was standard promotion.

But if the time crunch had affected the final product… well, he had backup plans. Discreet ones.

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Back to the present.

Kyousuke looked at the overly confident girl and decided not to mention Sayuri's message. Instead, he said naturally:

"Then let your chief promoter take a look at what we're selling."

He held out his hand.

"Ugh, don't stick your nose in everything! I already told you, all you need to do is enjoy the event!" Eriri snapped back, instantly defensive.

"…You haven't finished it yet, have you?" Kyousuke's tone was calm but laced with suspicion.

"W-What?!" Her blonde hair practically bristled with indignation. Those sharp blue eyes now carried a look of… was that disdain?

"Hah? Do you have any idea who I am?! I, Sawamura Spencer Eriri, would never leave a project unfinished with only two days until the event!"

She looked deeply offended, her pale cheeks flushing bright red as she turned toward him.

Her little fang peeked out as she hissed: "Idiot! Saying something that ridiculous… You total idiot, idiot, idiot!"

"So… you really haven't finished it. Especially with just one day left before the convention." Kyousuke cut straight through the act.

"Shut up! This is how real creators work, okay? The best ones always finish just seconds before the deadline. That pressure is what gives the work emotional punch!"

Eriri swung the envelope in her hand like it was a sword of justice. Her tone was fierce and full of conviction.

Luckily, Kyousuke had grown up listening to Sakura's endless nonsense, or he might've actually believed that speech.

"So? How much have you finished?" he asked plainly, ignoring her flailing.

"I was almost done… but I just got a new idea." She stopped waving the envelope and turned to stare at the ceiling, voice suddenly quiet.

Kyousuke burst out laughing. "You never run out of ideas, do you?"

She might be a nightmare as an employee, but she was absurdly lovable.

"What's so funny?! That spark of inspiration when it hits you, it's unstoppable!"

Eriri puffed up again, then froze mid-sentence.

Her comeback died in her throat.

'You wouldn't understand,' she was about to say.

'You're already a professional manga author now…' But the words wouldn't come.

Kyousuke had beat her to it, he had crossed the threshold into the world of creators before she had.

"…It's fine. I get it. I wasn't laughing at you," Kyousuke said gently. "Actually, I think it's admirable and kinda adorable how seriously you take your work."

Eriri suddenly stood up as if startled.

Her back turned to him, and she walked to her workstation.

As she moved, she said something, voice carefully controlled, like she was holding back a flood of emotions.

"You're always saying nice things like that. Do you really think I'd be happy hearing that? Idiot!"

Right, right.

I can totally tell how much you hate hearing compliments like that. I'll make sure to say even more next time.

Kyousuke shrugged and stood up, walking over to her.

"Here, this is what I've got so far. I'm mainly thinking of tweaking the male lead's character."

He took the manuscript Eriri handed him and started flipping through it.

So she really preferred drawing by hand, huh? The times she used a tablet must've been just to accommodate him…

'Wait—what am I doing? Why the hell did I let him see this!?'

It hit Eriri a moment too late what she'd just done.

She wanted to snatch the drawings back immediately, but wouldn't that only make her look even more suspicious?

The once-eager girl waiting for feedback suddenly crab-walked her way over to the couch and pulled out a game, pretending to be deeply invested as if to distance herself from her own work.

Kyousuke blinked, watching her move in total confusion.

Wasn't she pressed for time?

Why was she suddenly playing games? Were all creators this… chaotic?

He shook his head and focused back on the drawings.

But the cover, it felt strangely familiar.

A shirtless guy, holding a girl in a frilly princess dress with twin-tails…

'Wait a sec. Isn't this the same drawing she was working on last time I was here? The one that got partly torn so he couldn't see the guy's face?'

Now that he could see it clearly—yeah, there was no mistaking it.

Kyousuke slowly turned to look toward the couch.

Eriri, who'd been sneaking glances from over the couch, froze.

Her sapphire-blue eyes shrank into little dots, and her cheeks flushed crimson before she quickly spun back around, gripping the controller with both hands and furiously mashing buttons.

The game on the TV screen started flashing chaotically.

"Hahaha, wow! This game's so fun!" she called out in a shaky voice that could barely hide her panic.

"Say, Eriri… You didn't… happen to use my face as a reference for the male lead, did you?"

"Hahaha, this NPC is hilarious!" she replied, turning up the game's volume like her life depended on it.

"…Yeah, no need to answer. I get it."

Kyousuke turned back to the pages and opened to the first scene—a familiar bookstore, so vividly detailed in Eriri's art that he recognized it instantly.

It was the very place he'd met Eriri, back when he was buying manga in Akihabara.

Sure, the female lead had a different face, but the events in the doujin mirrored their actual meeting almost exactly.

That is… until they got back to the guy's house.

Wait, scratch that—what do you mean "a little different"? What the hell is this?

He, Hojou Kyousuke, did not blackmail a cute girl into doing questionable things just because he discovered her secret otaku side!

The manga didn't show anything explicit, but the implications… the implications were extremely not safe for work!

"Hey, Eriri. Putting aside the fact that you made the guy look like me, what's with the borderline-R18 plot?"

"And earlier you said you wanted to adjust the male lead's personality… don't tell me you're planning to add that delinquent story I just told you?"

Given the current content, he really couldn't imagine how twisted things would get if she added a "bad boy" angle.

Weren't first-time doujin creators supposed to play it safe? …Or wait, was this her playing it safe?

"Sh-shut up, you narcissistic pervert! What do you mean I used you as a model? Writers pull from real life all the time!"

Her back was still to him, eyes glued to the TV, voice filled with defiant pride totally devoid of guilt.

"This isn't just inspiration anymore. I think I have grounds for a defamation lawsuit."

"Hah!? Being featured in my work is a privilege people would kill for!"

She finally turned around, kneeling on the couch with her hands gripping the backrest, cheeks flushed, but her tiny fangs bared as she glared at Kyousuke with her fierce little sapphire eyes.

"In that case," Kyousuke said, tapping the manuscript with a smirk, "why didn't you model the female lead's face and body after yourself?"

"Hah!? That is me! I just applied a bit of artistic enhancement, alright!? Not that I owe you an explanation! Now give it back!"

Eriri lunged at him from across the couch, fingers stretched as far as they could reach.

Kyousuke watched her lean dangerously far over the couch and immediately felt a bad premonition.

"Careful, you'll—"

Thud.

"Ow! That hurt—!"

Sure enough, she tumbled off the couch.

Thankfully, Kyousuke had seen it coming.

He'd leapt from his chair with the reflexes of a seasoned kendo practitioner and caught her just in time.

…And unfortunately, that meant he had a front-row view of her blue-and-white striped underwear.

The moment he realized she was falling, he'd launched himself like a missile and caught her just before impact.

The whole thing happened in under a second, who the hell has time to ogle anything under those circumstances?

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