I, who tortured the readers, was knocked to the ground by them!

"Homework, homework!"

Another week has passed, and Hasegawa Shion gently shook Sakurai Itsuki's shoulder, urging him on.

Sakurai Itsuki turned around and looked at Hase Shion.

Today, the young lady is finally not wearing that classic dark outfit.

I don't know if it's because of the rainy season and I'm afraid Sakurai Itsuki will bring up that topic again, or because Sakurai Itsuki said last time that although she likes black stockings, she doesn't have to wear them every time, and sometimes she finds it more interesting to dress like a little girl.

Today, she also took off her usual thick pantyhose that could cover her skin color, exposing her snow-white legs to the air.

She also changed out of her usual leather shoes and put on a pair of thick-heeled sandals that showed off her cute toes.

That day she was still arguing, saying that her clothes and style had nothing to do with his preferences! She only dressed that way because she liked it.

But actions speak louder than words.

This is the unique cuteness of Shion Hanase.

Aside from the change in her footwear, she was wearing a white shirt and a khaki pinafore dress today.

The young lady who used to dress in a simple and serious manner has suddenly transformed into a girl next door.

The reason for wearing it like this is simple: it was bought by Sakurai Itsuki.

Even though the whole outfit cost less than a single headband in her wardrobe, it was bought for her by Sakurai Itsuki.

Although she would never dress like this before, it was something Sakurai Itsuki bought for her on their date, holding her hand!
Sakurai Itsuki turned around and looked at the girl who seemed somewhat unfamiliar at first glance: "Homework, you're asking me? Don't you know me well enough?"

Sakurai Itsuki thought to herself, "Even my own major assignments are done by you in your spare time."

This is an elective course, and you're asking me for homework?
Shion, you've been quite lazy lately.

Upon hearing this, Shion Hasegawa gently reminded him, "You forgot you promised the professor you would participate in that storyboard competition! I can't help you with this this time."

After skipping class last time, Natsuto Murakami, who always had a lot of issues to do, kept reporting the two of them skipping class and the professor's favoritism.

In the end, the matter didn't escalate, but the professor did talk to the two of them and hoped that Sakurai Itsuki could do him a favor.

He hoped that Sakurai Itsuki would participate in a storyboard design competition and help him win an award.

This storyboard design competition didn't attract much attention from casual viewers; it was purely a competition within the professional field.

It's quite important for evaluating professors.

Competition between universities is always on paper, especially among universities with the same major or type.

It would be a shame not to let the school help them win an award since they've taken in such a monstrous genius.

Sakurai Itsuki also thought that it was indeed a bad influence for him to openly skip class with others, so he agreed without hesitation.

However, just like Tang Sanzang and his disciples who forgot to ask Buddha what it would take to achieve enlightenment for the old turtle, Sakurai Itsuki, who didn't take it to heart, completely forgot about it.

Sakurai Itsuki then remembered this and looked at Hase Shion, asking, "Can't you draw storyboards too?"

Hasegawa Shion replied softly, "But you're in charge of all the storyboarding! What if we don't get first place if I do it for you?"

At first glance, Hasegawa Shion looked down on Sakurai Itsuki. She probably never imagined that one day she would firmly believe that as long as Sakurai Itsuki made a move, he could take first place.

Sakurai Itsuki didn't take this kind of reward that had no real substance to heart: "I believe in you, and besides, it doesn't matter if you don't get first place."

Hasegawa Shion insisted, "Sakurai Itsuki's name must be number one! Besides, the deadline is fast approaching, and at my pace, I won't make it in time!"

She was still just as competitive at heart, and she was competitive with Sakurai Itsuki as well, as if his loss meant her own loss.

To put it bluntly, she doesn't want anyone riding on Sakurai's head; if anyone is going to ride, it can only be hers someday.

Sakurai Itsuki felt it was too much trouble to draw a suitable short story from his mind and create a storyboard, so he suggested, "Don't you have the script for 'Hotarubi no Mori e' on your phone? Just hand that in."

Hotarubi no Mori e (Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light) isn't exactly a phenomenal hit, but it's certainly a commercially successful work, and it even has a 8.8 rating on Douban in China.

Regardless of whether the Douban rating is inflated, this level of performance should be sufficient for a college student competition.

It had a distinct feel to it as a star player bullying a trainee.

Hearing Sakurai Itsuki's suggestion, Hasegawa Shion shifted her body and whispered in his ear, "You lazybones! Is that something we can just hand in? Aren't you afraid of being exposed? Idiot!"

Sakurai Itsuki was stunned when he heard Hase Shion's cursing.

It wasn't that he had never been scolded by Hase Shion before, but rather that the words and tone used today felt rather unfamiliar.

Why does it feel like she's being affectionate with him?
She wasn't the aloof, unattainable type she initially gave off, nor was she the sharp-tongued, awkward, and arrogant person that people remembered after getting to know her.

Today, she is undoubtedly the kind of gentle and innocent young girl.

Can a change in appearance really alter so many things?
The two stared at each other at close range.

They were so close that they could almost feel each other's scent, temperature, and even breath.

Seeing his unwavering gaze fixed on her, the throbbing in Hasegawa Shion's chest made her toes, which were rarely exposed, wriggle adorably on her sandals.

"What's wrong? Is there something strange on my face?"

Her beautiful face, still free of makeup, showed confusion and shyness.

No, it's not about how you dress.

Sakurai Itsuki knew very well that the girl hidden under Hase Shion's awkward exterior was actually just that simple, without any bad intentions, and could even be considered a naive little girl.

Even if he gets bullied, he'll at most throw something, then go back to his room and cry.

It's an adorable creature that, even after crying, will send a message worrying about its love rival.

Otherwise, Sakurai Itsuki wouldn't have chosen such an outfit for her, because Sakurai Itsuki knew this very well.

Today, she simply shed her final outer shell in front of herself.

In his presence, Hasegawa Shion made no attempt to hide her true self.

Only now, in front of him, would she be so unpretentious.

This is a side that will only be shown to Sakurai Itsuki temporarily, or rather, a side that belongs exclusively to Sakurai Itsuki.

Hasegawa Shion pursed her lips and asked again, "What's wrong? Why haven't you said anything?"

Sakurai Itsuki said, "I just feel that you are very different today. Even when you're cursing, it sounds like you're being coquettish."

Upon hearing this, Hasegawa Shion shyly stepped back a little: "Annoying, do I have to yell at you? I'm just in a good mood today."

Recently, Hase Shion has been cheerful all the time, just like that night in Kyoto, immersed in sweet bliss.

No, this time I want to be happy!
He took the initiative to hold my hand, and held my hand in front of so many people.

It wasn't the wrist! And he wasn't drunk this time either!

This is no different from just dating!
He really does like me! Otherwise, he wouldn't have eloped with me!

He'll be mine sooner or later!
"Then let's not scold them. We're in the classroom, aren't you supposed to be trying to maintain a good image, class monitor?"

Sakurai Itsuki smiled and gently flicked her forehead, then beckoned her closer.

"As for the exposure of this matter, come closer and I'll explain it to you slowly."

Hasegawa Shion quickly leaned her head closer to his mouth, straining her ears to listen attentively to his explanation. Sakurai Itsuki quietly told her about his earlier conversation with Eguchi Yuna.

Of course, he concealed the concerns he had about Sakurai Itsuki's complicated love life and his eventual demise at the hands of a hatchet.

Upon learning that Sakurai Itsuki was finally going to reveal his identity, Hasegawa Shion was initially overjoyed.

She kept seeing online debates about whether Cherry Blossom Leaf or Haruki Nagayama was better, and she'd been itching to tell everyone for a long time.

But then she remembered something and asked worriedly, "But, is it okay? Won't it be too much trouble?"

"It's okay. After the official announcement, I won't be coming to school much. Of course, that's until the end of this semester. Until then, I'll have to trouble you to protect me, class president Hanase."

To prevent her from mistakenly thinking that he wasn't planning to accompany her to the elective course, Sakurai Itsuki added this explanation.

Otherwise, she might hide away again, crying and throwing a tantrum.

Upon hearing this, Hasegawa Shion smiled sweetly, her eyes crinkling. "Well, since I'm the class president, I'll let you off the hook a little, you problem student! I actually practiced a bit of kendo when I was little! Hehe."

Although the lines were still the same, Hase Shion even forgot to tuck her lips down today.

Is this considered being arrogant?
"Oh, no wonder stepping on someone's toes hurts so much."

"Hmph, scared now? If you listen to me from now on, I won't bully you anymore! As protection money, come to my house today and cook me some fried rice!"

Hasegawa Shion puffed out her chest smugly, completely forgetting that she was the one who was always bullied and cried.

Sakurai Itsuki simply shook her head and sighed, "The young lady really knows how to give orders! Print out the storyboard later and give it to the teacher."

Hasegawa Shion nodded obediently: "Okay! You're the one who's always giving orders!"

"If you're not satisfied, just send me a private message on Twitter and give me some flak. It's been a while since I've heard you say you'd be strong sooner or later."

"Don't say that in public! You idiot!" Hasegawa Shion quickly reached out and gently pressed her finger against his lips.

At that moment, the two of them suddenly noticed that the students behind them were staring at them and whispering among themselves.

Some people wore expressions like they were watching a romantic movie, with a doting smile on their faces.

Some people sighed inwardly, thinking, "That's enough, can't you be a little more considerate of how single people feel?"

So loving, you might as well kill me to entertain them.

Although they couldn't hear what the two were whispering about, given how close they were.

However, just looking at Hase Shion's expression...

And those little gestures of her constantly leaning closer to him, as if she wanted to rub her face against his body, you could feel the sweet and cloying atmosphere between the two of them.

Most people actually like Sakurai Itsuki and Hase Shion.

Regardless of anything else, this handsome man and beautiful woman combination alone is pleasing to the eye.

Moreover, Sakurai Itsuki was once a renowned genius screenwriter, and many of her classmates were her fans. Some of them, even those who had never played White Album, bought it and played it after hearing about her.

Once you start playing, you get hooked.

Therefore, they were quite tolerant of the two being affectionate in the classroom.

However, there is one exception.

Natsuto Mura stared at the two lovebirds with a gloomy expression, his negative emotions surging forth.

He was holding his phone, constantly posting defamatory comments about the two of them online.

"He's all hype, but in the end, he can't compare to Haruki Nagayama or Yoru Sakuragi at all."

He deleted all his comments from two years ago on the forum praising "White Album" and began to criticize it harshly.

Natsumi's deskmate in the same group looked at him with disdain: "That's enough. They're a perfect match, what right do you, a monster, have to object?"

Honestly, he had long wanted to avoid being around such a despicable person, but the group had already been formed, so he couldn't just leave.

He still plans to participate in the competition.

Natsuto Murakami's skills were passable, so these guys could only grit their teeth and bear with it.

"Hehe, I'm not jealous that he has a woman. I'm just telling the truth. He can't compare to those two manga artists. After all, the status of a galgame writer is not as high as that of a manga artist."

Moreover, those two have consistently produced hit videos, while he, in contrast, hasn't even finished the final chapter of "White Album" after more than two years. He just happened to debut at the same time as those two; he's just there to make up the numbers among the three scoundrels.

Natsumi Murakami launched into a long explanation of his theories to those around him.

"That makes sense. Perhaps he's not as good as those two geniuses, but what does that have to do with you? You're not even as good as those two geniuses."

A single sentence from his deskmate left Natsumi Sho speechless for a moment.

After stammering for a long time, Natsuto Mura finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "I am a fan of Haruki Nagayama and Yoru Sakura, and I don't think he deserves to be compared with those two."

At that moment, another person jokingly said, "What, you think your idol is better than Sakurai Itsuki, so you can stand up proudly now?"

"Honestly, instead of worrying about Sakurai Itsuki, you should worry about yourself. Your grades have been almost completely deducted from your daily practice. Aren't you worried about failing your course?"

Natsuto Murakami immediately blushed and blurted out that Sakurai Itsuki was a nepotism case where the professor deliberately protected her, that she was being deliberately targeted by the professor for speaking out for justice, and that failing a course was not considered failing for the sake of the righteous path.

This caused everyone around to burst into laughter.

Hearing everyone's laughter, Natsumi Mura clenched her fists in anger. "I'll also participate in the competition. If I win an award, the professor won't be qualified to fail my course. Besides, I think I'm better than Itsuki Sakurai."

He knew that while scriptwriters in visual novels are called scriptwriters, they are actually more like screenwriters who write scripts.

It is different from the scriptwriters in film and television who are involved in performance scenes, camera work, and art direction.

Ultimately, how impressive can a visual novel's presentation be? It simply can't compare to other genres.

Natsuto Mura, on the other hand, has been a fan of Haruki Nagayama from the very beginning, and has been studying his god-like storyboarding for many years.

In contrast, Sakurai Itsuki either sleeps or skips class, and his girlfriend usually does all his homework for him.

Moreover, this time I was competing in a group, while Sakurai Itsuki did not register to join a group and could only compete under his own name.

Even three cobblers can outwit one Zhuge Liang, let alone Sakurai Itsuki, who is probably just a cobbler!
I'm not without a chance of winning! No, my chances are very high!
Of course, everyone laughed even louder when they heard Natsuto Mura's words.

"Ha! If I can't beat him, I'll drop out of school!" Murakami exclaimed in exasperation.

Everyone was even more puzzled: "Who cares if you drop out of school or not?"

Natsumi was so anxious she felt like she was going to vomit blood, but there was nothing she could do.

He could only stare at Sakurai Itsuki, whose hand had been taken by Hase Shion again, and grinned angrily.

I wonder if he would faint from anger if he found out that all his intense negative emotions would be used as part of their date budget.

Of course, Sakurai Itsuki didn't care about this.

What bothered him was that even after the two of them left the classroom after class, Hase Shion still refused to let go of her hand.

He doesn't dislike it that way.

If that blonde girl hadn't shown up at the classroom door today... (End of Chapter)