My daily life in various anime crossovers can't possibly be this sci-fi.

"Huh? Can't we practice?" Honoka sighed and shook her head.

She propped her cheek with her clenched left fist, her elbow resting on the table, her eyes and brows lowered.

"I feel like I'm going to cause everyone trouble. I'm supposed to be the lead vocalist, but I can't practice." Honoka's face seemed to be filled with worry: this was something very rare for her. "Even if my condition doesn't worsen, what if I still make a mistake?"

Umi smiled and reached out to gently stroke Honoka's head.

"Since thinking about it won't help, let's not think about it. If we worry too much, it'll make us feel bad. And if Honoka gets upset, we'll be really worried..."

As she was talking, Sonoda Umi suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at all of a sudden?"

"It's nothing. I just find it a bit absurd. I never thought I'd actually say something like that to you..." Umi shook her head repeatedly, finally stopping her laughter, "'Don't worry too much' and stuff like that..."

"Honoka, I really don't know what to say. When you're being silly, no amount of reminders will work, but when you get serious, not even a few Triceratops can pull you back."

"Well, even someone like me has things that bother me sometimes," Honoka said with a smile.

Just then, Minami Kotori's voice came from outside the classroom: "Kai! Koko! Everyone's gathered in the open space, let's go practice together?"

"Okay, coming right now!" Umi agreed, then turned to Honoka, "What about you?"

"I'll listen to Umi-chan and not go to practice. But it's okay if I go watch, right?"

"It's fine to just look. Let's come together!"

Honoka followed Umi and Kotori toward the open space below the teaching building.

She kept her head down the whole way, and it was impossible to know what she was thinking.

……

"I actually caught a cold... That's strange. Aren't idiots supposed to never catch a cold?"

Jiang Jinghua stared at the text message from Honoka and fell into deep thought.

He is currently in a first-year classroom at SCIC. The training camp has been temporarily suspended due to Dr. Briette's unforeseen circumstances.

"Hey... I'm telling you, you jerk," Aki Tomoya said, glancing at the phone in Jiang Jinghua's hand, "you've been chatting with girls non-stop lately, you pervert... You've even started using instant messaging apps, something only real people use, all the time!"

"If you're envious, then go and talk to the girls properly." Jiang Jinghua casually pointed to Sawamura Eriri, who was lounging listlessly in a corner seat. "There are plenty of girls here, aren't there? Look, isn't there one over there?"

Aki Tomoya glanced at Eriri, then at Jiang Jinghua, before lowering his voice and saying, "What are you talking about? We're... just otaku friends! Besides, real-life women are completely unnecessary to me! I think I've said that so many times already, haven't I?"

"In that case, whether I talk to girls or not has absolutely nothing to do with you, right?" Jiang Jinghua said to An Yilingye while typing a reply text message. "Why don't you just use anime characters to satisfy your needs?"

"..." Aki Tomo didn't know what to say, so he simply remained silent.

He also took out his phone, opened a mass-produced Japanese card game whose title alone revealed its special attributes designed for pay-to-win, moe-loving players, and began tapping the screen with a sullen expression. Judging from his expression, he seemed to have been quite agitated for some reason lately.

Jiang Jinghua, who was exchanging messages with Honoka Kousaka from afar, did not notice a meaningful gaze coming from behind him.

The gaze lingered on Aki Tomoya for a while, then shifted to Jiang Jinghua, and then moved upwards at a 45-degree angle, aimlessly circling the ceiling.

Finally, the owner of that gaze, Eriri Sawamura, who had been sitting quietly in the back row, suddenly stood up and rushed out of the classroom.

……

That guy hasn't contacted me at all since the training camp started, but he's been in contact with Tomoya quite frequently. Eriri Sawamura strolled aimlessly down the corridor, silently organizing her thoughts.

After the training camp was suspended and we returned to class, that guy didn't seem to have any intention of meeting me or exchanging a single word. In fact, we didn't even exchange a greeting the entire morning.

What on earth is that guy thinking...?

After careful consideration, Eriri finally made up her mind.

That guy whose deep-rooted herbivore nature can be judged just by looking at his face, he really does like me, right?

It must be because of his herbivore-like nature ingrained in his DNA, coupled with his affection for me, that he keeps avoiding contact with me.

Eriri Sawamura smiled and nodded, inwardly approving of her perfect analysis.

Ah, this is really troublesome... I don't have any feelings for him at all; it's just him who's infatuated. Leaving him like this must be really painful, right?

Although it doesn't seem to concern me much what happens to that guy... it's not really a good idea to just leave him alone.

How can I get that guy to face the truth...?

Eriri Sawamura pondered.

what

Chapter 93: The Unique and Bizarre Brain Circuits of a Loser

At this moment, Eriri Sawamura's improved complexion was very evident in her expression. Unlike the worried and slightly furrowed brows she had displayed a few days ago, Eriri Sawamura was now quite relaxed and cheerful.

The doujinshi prepared for this season's CM went smoothly and was presented at the event. Sales aside, the fact that she didn't miss it is enough. Aki Tomoya, that idiot, has paused game development for some strange reason, resulting in a temporary halt to her key illustration work as well. In short, Sawamura Eriri is currently so bored she's practically having a screw loose…

...That's why I've been thinking about that guy non-stop lately, that's definitely it.

Strolling leisurely across SCIC's luxurious sports field, Eriri Sawamura hummed a little tune.

My mind was filled with thoughts about Jiang Jinghua: I couldn't help it, because I was so relaxed that I had nothing else to think about, and besides, that guy was someone I was somewhat interested in, so it didn't matter if I thought about things related to him.

Jiang Jinghua seems to be a more worthy friend than Aki Tomoya, according to Sawamura Eriri's current assessment.

First, considering his personal hobbies, he's somewhat of an otaku like myself. While his otaku skills are nowhere near as fervent as Aki Tomoya's, and when we talk about ACG-related topics, it's mostly Sawamura Eriri doing the talking, his otaku skills at least meet Sawamura Eriri's minimum requirements, and that's enough. Besides, subcultures are something that anyone willing to put in the effort to understand can figure out, so this isn't a huge problem.

However, compared to Aki Tomoya, Jiang Jinghua has a decisive advantage: his attitude towards others.

Compared to Aki Tomoya, who was always self-centered and had nothing to do with anything but his own personal hobbies, Jiang Jinghua seemed to have gone to the other extreme: she had almost never seen Jiang Jinghua initiate any topics. He basically just followed what others wanted to talk about, just like a chatbot that came with an instant messaging app.

His meticulous and cautious attitude towards others also improved Eriri Sawamura's impression of him considerably. For one thing, she had never seen Aki Tomo use instant messaging software to talk to girls like Jiang Jinghua did…

Eriri's brows suddenly furrowed involuntarily, as if she had suddenly thought of something unpleasant.

My mood suddenly and inexplicably turned sour... Never mind, let's change the subject.

Speaking of Jiang Jinghua... there's one more thing we can't forget about his strange mother.

Ever since he came to my house last time...

Eriri Sawamura's eyebrows were furrowed tighter and tighter, as if water could be squeezed out of them.

...From that time on, my mother, who always seemed to enjoy stirring up trouble, always regarded him as my sweetheart.

So this kind of thing simply doesn't exist! Isn't the active and passive relationship completely reversed?

Although the facts are undeniable, every time I try to refute them with righteous indignation, my mom always adopts a self-righteous and rather irritating expression that says, "Oh, please don't say anything, I know, I know everything..."

If we had to pinpoint Eriri Sawamura's "biggest worry" right now, this would probably be in the top three.

So how do we change this unpleasant situation?

Eriri Sawamura lowered her head and began to think seriously, but it was basically meaningless.

If an ordinary passerby were to observe Eriri Sawamura closely, they would see this scene: the blonde girl with twin tails walking in circles on the playground within a radius of about five meters, her facial expression changing by more than 30 percent every half minute, much like a Sichuan opera face-changing act.

After observing this phenomenon for more than two minutes, most passersby would probably say: This girl is probably possessed.

……

...It's decided.

Eriri Sawamura nodded vigorously.

I have to get Jiang Jinghua to explain to his mother that we are 100% innocent... Why does that sound so uncomfortable? Seriously.

Putting aside the issue of wording, if I were to explain it to my mother myself, she definitely wouldn't take it seriously. Only Jiang Jinghua's own testimony would have legal effect on her... That's what Eriri Sawamura thought.

So she took out her phone and sent a text message to Jiang Jinghua:

"Please be sure to come to my house with me on Saturday."

The gist of it is this:

However, reality was far beyond Eriri Sawamura's expectations.

Jiang Jinghua's reply read: "(Approximately 15 words of polite remarks omitted)...But I am very sorry, due to various inconveniences, please forgive me (approximately 30 words of polite remarks omitted)...I would like to express my deepest apologies here, Jiang Jinghua."

……

Let's put aside this infuriatingly troublesome writing style for now...

...He actually refused?

What on earth happened?! I was so rude when I invited him last time, but he still came, didn't he?

It seems... something really must have happened.

Eriri Sawamura sighed and continued typing on the keyboard.

"That's such a pity. By the way, I'd like to add that they said they couldn't come because of something. What exactly is it?"

Jiang Jinghua's reply came very quickly:

"Here's the thing: I have a friend who's about to participate in a very important competition, so I plan to..."

Important friends...

That guy actually has other "important friends"? I've never heard Tomoya mention that before...

Just then, Eriri Sawamura suddenly remembered something.

Some time ago, she went to a maid café with Jiang Jinghua and Kato Megumi, where she met a maid named Minami Kotori from Akihabara. After that, Jiang Jinghua apparently went on an interdimensional exploration activity with nine girls from the same school idol group as her.

The important competition... could it be the "Love Live!" National School Idol Tournament, which was held around the same time as CM and attracted a large number of idol fans?

……

Yup!

Eriri Sawamura suddenly had a brilliant idea.

So that's how it is... The way to solve both his unrequited love and my mom's misunderstanding at the same time, killing two birds with one stone, was right in front of me!

what

Chapter 94, Section 94: Being a loser is Eriri's greatest honor