Let's do it again, Yukino.

The bespectacled boy glanced at Kasuga-kun, and without hesitation, smiled slightly and made way for him.

He silently watched as Haruhi and the blonde girl walked away together.

"At this moment, what Ethics-kun didn't know was that when they met again, his childhood sweetheart would have already taken the form of another boy."

"Stop trying to guess my thoughts like a narrator, Kasumigaoka-senpai. Your way of putting it is really disgusting."

The bespectacled boy turned around, both amused and exasperated, and complained to the senior who was whispering in his ear.

"Aki-kun, what do you mean by 'becoming the shape of other boys'?"

"You don't need to understand these things."

The bespectacled boy, covering his head, silently answered another question from a short-haired girl.

"Shouldn't you chase after her and see? Maybe she's trying to steal her away from you, one of those blond-haired characters that often appear in certain works."

The long-haired senior whispered a sly question in the bespectacled boy's ear.

The boy shook his head.

"I believe Eriri isn't that kind of girl, and I don't need to do that, because right now, I'm more interested in completing the club's mission."

……

…………

Inside a café near Toyonosaki,

Springtime ordered a coffee for the little lion in front of him and for himself.

Compared to the howling north wind outside, the coffee shop was quite warm, at least springtime had slowly taken off the uniform coat of Soubu High School.

Before the coffee arrived, and before getting straight to the point, Haruhi chatted with the little lion in front of her about the boys and girls she had just met.

"Is that the boy with glasses the one you said you liked before, Little Lion? I feel like if he changed his hairstyle and wore contact lenses, he'd be quite handsome. Why don't you give it a shot?"

"No way!! You're overthinking it."

Blushing instinctively, she retorted to Chunri's teasing, then, remembering her childhood sweetheart with his terrible personality, the girl couldn't help but let out another cold snort.

"Rinya is just my ordinary childhood friend. Besides, all he does is hang around Kasumigaoka and the others all day long. He never makes a serious decision. So I hate guys who are fickle."

"Well, it's easy to say that since I'm not in that situation, but I can understand what you mean by that Tomoya-kun's thoughts. He's probably hesitant because he's afraid that if he chooses a certain path, the complicated emotional entanglements will cause the club he's built to fall apart."

Haruhi shared his thoughts, though of course, these were only his own ideas.

"But we have to face it sooner or later, so, men, ah—"

Eriri gave a cold laugh.

Well, if we include Eriri, from our first meeting, that bespectacled boy who looked like a herbivore was indeed surrounded by quite a few girls.

If it were me, I probably would have torn the boat to pieces by the suspicious Xiaoxue long ago.

"Just say what you want to say, don't look so awkward."

"I'm just saying what I think. If I were him, I would probably choose the girl I like the most on the first day. There's no need to keep flirting with the girls around you. This isn't some harem anime. You can only marry one girl in the future. There's no need to keep wasting time like this."

As Chunri finished speaking, she winked at the little lion.

"Moreover, the 'sudden arrival' type completely defeats the 'childhood sweetheart' type. Little Lion, aside from being golden-haired, arrogant, having twin tails, and fangs, I've discovered another 'loser' trait in you."

"I've already said I'm not a loser. One day, I will find my true love who only loves me. I'm sure of it."

The young waitress brought over two steaming cups of coffee and happened to see the blonde girl clenching her fist and making a grand vow. A nostalgic smile appeared on her lips, and she shook her head slightly before handing the coffees to Haruhi and the little lion.

The little lion took a sip of coffee, the warm liquid filling her entire body. She let out a soft, comfortable hum and glanced at Haruhi, who already had a girlfriend.

"You must never become a guy like Tomoya. Even though you're a jerk, at least you have one redeeming quality compared to Tomoya: you don't seduce pretty girls."

"Don't praise me like that, I'll get arrogant. Besides, I have a girlfriend, and I don't have the energy to have an affair for the next thirty years."

Chunri scratched the back of his head and chuckled modestly.

It will be squeezed dry.

"...Men, they're always like that."

He pulled out the recommendation book that Chunri had been holding under his arm and brought it to his face.

"Just sign your name here, it's such a hassle. I'm only helping you because of this cup of coffee."

The little lion grumbled, complaining about the trouble, but his hands still moved smoothly as he wrote his name in the book.

Eriri Sawamura Spencer

The characters are beautiful, giving the impression of an artistic painting.

"What a long and tongue-twisting name, Eriri, right? Just as they said, but I still prefer to call you Little Lion."

"Call me whatever you want, I'm used to it anyway."

After signing her name, the girl put down her pen and leaned back on the sofa. Eriri closed her eyes as if she were tired.

"These past few days, I've been so busy with all the original drawings and projects that Tomoya requested that I haven't had a proper rest for days."

"Why don't you rest here for a while, and I'll wake you up when it gets dark?"

Looking at the girl who did seem somewhat tired, Chunri put away the autograph book and asked.

The girl shook her head, stretched, and revealed her sharp canine teeth, grinning at the spring sun in a sarcastic manner.

"Don't be so gentle with me. You're a married man. I don't want to be accused of seducing men. If that happens, I'll be laughed at for the rest of my life by that cow's leg."

"I'm going home first. Anyway, Tomoya didn't say he was waiting for me or anything. We can talk about it later."

Eriri yawned, picked up her schoolbag, downed all the coffee in her cup in a few gulps, and then left her seat with a flourish.

As she reached the door, the girl stopped, seemingly lost in thought. She turned around, gazing at the spring sun with a slight frown.

"By the way, my mom really likes you. If you have time in the future, you can come to my house as a guest. I don't mean for you to try to seduce my mom. After all, I've heard from gossip that your rich girlfriend is the youngest daughter of some landlord in Chiba. You know what I mean, that's how it is. Although I really don't want to get involved."

Chunri nodded, accepting the other party's kindness directly.

"Okay, I understand. I'll visit Auntie when I have time. I haven't returned those comic books yet."

"I'll pay you back when I have time later. Well... I'll really be going now?"

Having said everything she needed to say, Eriri winked at Haruhi and waved.

Goodbye, Eriri.

"Hahaha, that girl from Kasumigaoka actually dared to mock me today! When I get back, I'll make her draw a doujinshi of her getting 'beep-beep' so she'll never dare laugh at me again!! Humph!!"

The girl's two ponytails trembled slightly, and finally she disappeared on the other side of the coffee shop.

……

…………

I wonder whose memories these are.

I wonder whose memories these are.

In a warm room,

"That guy actually dared to stand me up! I've worked with him diligently for years, never complaining about the cheesy and tasteless humor of his novels, and even illustrated for him for several years. And now, this bastard has stood me up! These light novels he wrote have such terrible endings?! Terrible endings?! He calls it being forced by circumstances!! Forced my ass!!! If I ever find out where he lives, I'll kill him!!"

The blonde woman, clutching the phone and pouring out her anger to someone on the other end, was also trembling as she held the sketchbook, on which she had only just finished half of an illustration.

"Even if you're his editor, don't try to speak well of him. I will absolutely never work with that kind of person again, absolutely never!! This person is even worse than Kasumigaoka!!!"

"..."

"Mr. Kashiwagi, have you heard? The teacher you've been working with, a few nights ago, it seems—"

I don't know what they heard.

then,

All that could be heard was the sound of the woman's drawing board falling to the ground.

then,

This blonde woman, with a lingering sense of regret in her heart

I got lost in a dark alleyway.

When he came to his senses...

She heard the clear sound of a bicycle bell.

Chapter Five: The First Lie, The First Promise

Late at night,

In the living room of a luxury apartment,

The boy was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, looking at the books on the coffee table while frowning in thought.

Snowfield Passion Fruit

Zaimokuza Yoshiki

Ryoko Asakura

Aizawa Shoko

Eriri Sawamura Spencer

Chunri stared blankly at the names, each with its own unique handwriting, completely unaware that a girl in an apron was silently approaching from behind.

"Who else can we turn to next?"

How about finding a great teacher?

Let's leave it for now; we're saving the Hachiman siblings for last.

Someone patted his shoulder. When he looked up, he saw that Xiaoxue, who had been busy in the kitchen, had somehow appeared in front of him.

As the girl tidied up the clutter on the coffee table, she pulled Chunri up from the sofa.

She was wearing a clean white wool sweater, with the cuffs slightly rolled up, and her usual apron around her waist.