A newbie's anime life diary

An hour ago, Yukiteru asked Haruno to help send Eriri back, while he stayed here to wander around and clear his head, and to think about some things.

Let's rewind time.

Eriri, her eyes blurry with drunkenness, leaned against Yukiteru's chest and said with a silly grin, "Yesterday, I called Aki Tomoya out too, and then, hiccup~ then I confessed~"

"..."

Not only Yukiteru, but Haruno, who was standing next to him, also stared wide-eyed. Haruno, who had always been quite concerned about her younger sister's social circle, knew a bit about Eriri, not to mention that she had met her at a banquet before.

Haruno had conducted detailed investigations into girls of similar age to her younger sister from families of roughly the same social standing in Chiba, because she didn't want her sister to associate with girls of questionable character.

Eriri is one of the people Haruno finds most pleasing to the eye.

Her outstanding appearance is the first point, plus being of mixed race makes a strong first impression. Secondly, there's her personality. She always acts very well-behaved at banquets, but Yang Nai knows what she's like in private. She's proud, not straightforward, and easily embarrassed, but she's a very innocent girl. If you put her in any story, she'd probably be at least the template for the second female lead.

Her interests are also quite unusual for a young lady. She has loved otaku culture since she was a child, and with the influence of her parents, she even started drawing in her own notebooks.

Haruno originally planned to find a way to introduce Eriri to Yukino, who was beautiful, innocent, and interesting. However, before she could even make a move, Eriri got to know Yukino through various events and eventually became a regular member of the Service Club.

As her younger sister made more and more friends, Yang Nai was quite happy, even though she didn't say it.

But something's not right now.

Eriri knew that she had a childhood friend, and she had even seen him from afar. He seemed to be a homebody, and a serious one at that. Moreover, Eriri seemed to like him quite a bit.

However, during her most recent phone conversation with Yukino, she mentioned what had happened in the Service Club over the past few days, specifically between Eriri and Aki Tomoya. The two, whose relationship had always been lukewarm, seemed to be experiencing a growing rift.

'Normally, there's no way I would confess my feelings...'

Thinking this, Haruno approached Eriri with a smile and asked, "Sigh~ Did you confess? But shouldn't you be happy if you confess? Eriri, are you happy now?"

Then, she was met with Xuehui's glaring gaze.

"Don't go looking for trouble, okay?"

"Oh, I'm just curious, aren't you curious, Yukiteru-kun?"

"..."

Eriri paused for a moment, then noticed Haruno. After burping, she said, "Wow! It's Haruno-san! Good evening, let's go for a drink~"

"Sure, but Eriri, could you tell me about the confession you mentioned earlier?"

"Sigh... this? Hehehe." Eriri chuckled sheepishly after hearing this, then broke free from Yukiteru, took two steps forward, turned around, and pointed at the two of them, saying, "Are you wondering why I confessed? Hahaha~ Do you think I'm stupid? I bet you're all idiots! Yes! All idiots! Baka! Hiccup~"

Stumbling, Eriri leaned against the roadside railing. Luckily, there weren't many people around at night, so no one would watch if she said anything.

The drunken girl continued, "That's right, I'm not very smart, my grades are average, and even though I'm of British and Japanese descent, my English is terrible. I also like drawing doujinshi and playing eroge! But do you think that makes you think I'm stupid? Let me tell you, I'm very smart! Yes, I did confess, but that was from my past self! I dumped him the moment I finished speaking, hmph~~~~"

"..."

Yukiteru and Haruno exchanged a glance; the two, who were usually quite talkative, were now completely speechless.

But Eriri wasn't done yet. She continued grinning, "I...I was at home, thinking about it for days, and I finally figured it out! Who does Aki Tomoya think he is?! It's been so many years since elementary school! I know I'm partly to blame, but he's a boy! What has he done? Has he even looked at me properly? Since that's the case, why should I bother with all this fuss? I'll take this opportunity to clear things up, and never waste my energy on this again! Hehe, how about that? Pretty clever, right? I...Waaaaaah!!! Waaaaah..."

As she was talking, she started crying, and then, as if all her strength had been drained, she plopped down on the ground.

She was crying and hiccuping from the alcohol...

Looking at Eriri sitting on the ground, Yukiteru glared at Hinano with annoyance: "Look what you've done. I told you to shut up."

"Uh...hehehe, sorry." Yang Nai didn't make any more excuses at this point; it was indeed her curiosity that caused all this trouble.

Yukiteru ignored Haruno, walked over, grabbed Eriri, and pulled her up from the ground.

"Okay, don't sit on the ground, be careful not to catch a cold."

"Ugh...whoosh..." While wiping her nose, Eriri also wiped it by grabbing Yukiteru's clothes.

Looking up at Yukiteru through her tear-filled eyes, Eriri pouted again: "You're no better! You harem protagonist!"

"...Okay, it's my fault." Xuehui's lips twitched involuntarily, but he still didn't choose to argue with a drunk person.

As Yukiteru led Eriri towards the car, he heard her continue, "But I don't dislike you at all. You're much better than that guy, at least you're quite caring, and we get along quite well. I wish I had met you sooner... but it's so late now, and I'm only just starting to like you... *sob* *hiccup*"

"..." After silently helping Eriri down in the back seat, removing the alcohol from her system, and casting a calming spell to put her to sleep, he looked at Hinata in the driver's seat and said, "Take her home for me."

"how about you?"

"I'll go back later and wander around here for a bit."

"...Don't stay out all night, Yukino is still waiting for you at home."

"I know."

Watching the sports car drive into the distance, Xuehui turned around and left in the opposite direction, waving his hand and stopping the car that had been waiting in the distance from following.

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I cut the story short, so I'll take the blame.

P.S.: I saw the news yesterday, A Certain Magical Index 3 is coming out, and Sword Art Online 3 is coming out too. We used to say whoever got their 3 first was a dog, but now they've all become dogs.

However, we'll have to wait until next year...

Chapter 227 Awkward Late-Night Chat

When Xuehui came to his senses, he checked the time and it was already past 9 o'clock, almost 10 o'clock.

"I don't usually have this habit, but since I've come all this way, I didn't expect time to fly by so quickly..."

Standing up, looking at the park where only the streetlights were shining and there was no one around, Yukiteru was extremely distressed. How should he explain this to Yukino and the others when he got back?

"And Yang is here too, so she probably won't say anything bad about me... Sigh, I feel like there are so many different things happening lately."

As Xuehui stretched and walked out of the park, he suddenly sensed a very distinct aura in the dead of night.

"This is Ikebukuro, right? What are you doing here?"

He immediately abandoned his plan to go home, leaped up and ran up the tall building, and met the group of guys who were heading in his direction.

On the other side, they also noticed the figure that had suddenly appeared on their path and were about to make a move when they were stopped by the leader.

"What are you doing in Ikebukuro so late at night... a bunch of monsters?"

Yukiteru looked at the yokai in front of him, led by Nura Rikuo, and asked with great curiosity.

"We're the only active yokai organization around Tokyo, so as good citizens, we should naturally contribute. Besides, nighttime is when yokai are active, so as long as they don't disturb the neighbors, it's fine, right?"

Looking at Nura Rikuo, whose manner of speaking and acting was completely different from his human state during the day, Yukiteru shrugged: "Well, I was just a little curious, so I came to take a look. Just know your limits, but don't stay out too late. Don't forget you have to go to school during the day."

"Can we not talk about this? I really feel uncomfortable with it." Slapping his forehead, Nura Rikuo really didn't want anyone to bring up school, after all, he was thinking like a yokai now.

"You're talking about me, but don't you have to go to school too?"

"Besides going to school, I also have a job and need to earn money." With a wave of his hand, Xuehui prepared to leave. "Get some rest when you're done. Long live world peace."

"Wait a minute." Suddenly, Nura Rikuo called out to Yukiteru, "Do you have time? Let's talk."

"???"

Yuki-onna, standing next to Nura Rikuo, objected immediately, saying, "Young Master Rikuo, aren't we supposed to rush back to report to the Commander-in-Chief?"

"Kurotabo can speak for me, and you can rest assured about Hiratsuka-kun's words."

On the other side, the doctor, dressed in monk's robes and still wearing a straw hat at night, Kurotabo paused for a moment before replying, "I understand, Lord Rikuo. Everyone, let's go back together."

"Huh? Kurotabo, why are you like this too!" Yuki-onna grumbled in dissatisfaction, but there was nothing she could do; it was their master's order, and in the end, she could only obey.

After Rikuo's still incomplete Hundred Demons left, he pulled Yukihira along and sat down on the rooftop of the building.

"Did you call me over because you need something?"

"You seem a bit troubled? I've seen you so many times before, but I've never seen you like this before," Nura Rikuo said, looking at the distant cityscape of towering buildings at night with a look of pure enjoyment.

"Are all Nurarihyon's senses this sharp?" Yukiteru glanced at Nura Rikuo in surprise, then smiled nonchalantly. "It's not really a worry, just a bit of a感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, often including nostalgia or reflection). So many things happen suddenly, and some people change without you even realizing it, it's a bit unexpected. Oh, right!"

Suddenly remembering something, Yukiteru clapped his hands and looked at Nura Rikuo, asking, "Although you are only 13 years old, the yokai age is different. It seems that you are 16 years old, which is considered an adult for a yokai, right?"

"That's true. What, is there a problem? Because monsters have powers that are different from ordinary people, the rules for adulthood are different for each category."

After receiving Lu Sheng's affirmative reply, Xue Hui said with a mischievous grin, "In that case, let's discuss some topics between men."

As he spoke, Yukiteru carefully examined Nura Rikuo's appearance: "Your whole family are all good-looking. Kid, do you have someone you like?"

"...Why are you suddenly asking this?" Completely different from his human state, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his incredibly handsome face as Nura Rikuo replied, "Whether or not... well, you could say yes, but I don't want to think about those things for now. My goal is to establish my own Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) and become the lord of all demons and monsters."

"These two things don't conflict, do they?"

"...You want to fight, huh? Deliberately engaging in this kind of awkward late-night conversation?" Nura Rikuo looked at Yukiteru, suddenly understanding something, and hooked his arm around his shoulder, laughing as he said, "So you're troubled by this kind of thing? What? You're just as clueless, aren't you? Although I don't really understand, I've encountered quite a few experienced yokai lately. Using some of their experience, when it comes to women, a man has to be decisive, you know? Enough of this, come on, let's drink."

Whether intentionally or not, Nura Rikuo immediately picked up the sake gourd at his waist and took out two small sake cups.

As soon as the cork was unscrewed, Xuehui smelled a very strong fragrance.

"Hey, this isn't the kind of wine you drink with your hundred ghosts, is it?"

“You’re not a monster, of course I won’t give you that kind of drink.” Lu Sheng explained as he poured Xue Hui a glass and handed it to her. “Usually, Xue Li and the others keep a close eye on you, so you don’t have much of a chance to drink. Enjoy yourself today.”

"Actually, you called me over just to find an opportunity to have a drink, right?"

Taking the glass, looking at the clear liquid inside, Xuehui smiled with relief, tilted his head back, and drank it down in one gulp.

After that, the two of them drank one cup after another, chatting as they went, talking about everything from monsters to humans and other things, and the topics they discussed kept getting wider and wider.

This drinking session lasted for nearly two hours.

By the time Xuehui got home, it was past midnight.

I opened the door, intending to be careful and make no noise, but as soon as I entered, I saw a dim light in the living room.

Upon entering, Yukiteru saw Yukino sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed, her head nodding slightly.

"Honestly, why don't they go back to their room?"

As I walked over, intending to carry Yukino back to her room, she woke up.

"Hmm...you're back." Rubbing her eyes, Yukino saw Yukiteru standing in front of her in the light from the television.

"Yes, I'm back. Sorry for getting home so late."

Sitting up, Yukino removed the blanket from her body and twitched her nose: "Have you been drinking?"