Chapter 78: Eriri Sets Off
Originally, Kaede thought that with Oosaka Taiga's small stature, her badminton skills should be average. He could go easy, play a back-and-forth game, and then miss a few shots at the end, giving Takasu Ryuji a chance to treat them.
Moreover, Kushieda Minori on the other side was always smiling, clearly focused on having fun, and unlikely to play with full effort like she did during Softball Club training.
However, once the game started, Kaede truly didn't expect how utterly unreliable his teammate was.
Oosaka Taiga was alright; if he hit the shuttlecock a little high, the Taiga would have to work hard to return it.
But what about Takasu Ryuji?
Every time the shuttlecock went to Kushieda Minori's side, Takasu Ryuji would stare blankly at Kushieda Minori's active figure, and by the time he reacted, it was too late to return the shot.
In the end, although Kaede wanted to fight back vigorously, he was unable to carry the team alone due to his teammate's drag, and the score ended at 18:10.
After putting down her racket, Oosaka Taiga stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Kaede triumphantly and saying, "Hmph hmph hmph, you're really too weak. You think you can contend with me? Go buy drinks quickly, I want cola!"
Losing wasn't the issue, but losing so badly was. Kaede helplessly glanced at Takasu Ryuji, then pulled him along to buy drinks.
Behind them, Kitamura Yusaku quickly called out, "Asakura, bring me a bottle of cola too!!!"
"Get lost!"
Despite saying that, Kaede still brought Kitamura Yusaku a bottle of cola when he returned. He paid for his own and Kitamura's two bottles, while Takasu Ryuji paid for the two girls' drinks.
Accepting the drink, Kushieda Minori smiled and said, "Thank you, Takasu-san. Ah~ drinking a sports drink after exercising feels so good!"
Oosaka Taiga also opened her cola and took a happy sip, then looked at the fierce-eyed Takasu Ryuji and said, "You look pretty strong, but I didn't expect you to be so bad at playing. But since there's such a good opportunity, remember to keep finding us in the future. Free drinks are free drinks, no reason not to take them."
"..." Takasu Ryuji's mouth twitched, and he barely maintained his expression as he said, "Don't worry, I won't let you win next time."
Although he lost money on two drinks, he also managed to use this opportunity to have a smooth conversation with Kushieda Minori. As for Oosaka Taiga's provocation, Takasu Ryuji simply cast it aside, not caring about it at all.
Only Kaede was left feeling sorry, still brooding over the badminton score.
And after a good start, Takasu Ryuji was finally able to have a few smooth conversations with Kushieda Minori whenever he met her at school.
The only thing that made him a little depressed was the constant presence of Oosaka Taiga by Kushieda Minori's side.
Two days passed peacefully like this, and it was now Friday.
Just after finishing dinner and getting ready to rest, Eriri's message came through.
Eriri: [I'm going to Jump after school. Mom will pick me up and we'll go together.]
Kaede thought for a moment, remembering that this was indeed what they had talked about these past few days.
He immediately sat in his chair and replied to the message.
Kaede: [How are your preparations?]
Eriri: [The closer it gets, the less confident I feel. Mom has actually seen my manga, and she said the main problem is the story framework, which isn't something that can be fixed in a short time. Going to submit it today, her advice for me is more about understanding my shortcomings from professional editors, just like I thought before.]
It was clear that Eriri's mindset was still well-maintained, which greatly reassured Kaede.
Kaede: [If that's the case, then go for it. When I first started writing light novels, I wrote many drafts back and forth before I finally finished the first volume, and then I still made many revisions based on Editor Nakajima's advice. Experienced editors can indeed give you a lot of useful suggestions.]
On the other end, Eriri, who was carefully texting Kaede in the classroom, smiled after seeing his reply, clenched her small fist, and silently cheered herself on... The afternoon classes quickly finished, and to be honest, Kaede wasn't in the mood to attend the club activities that followed.
After calling the club president to ask for leave, Kaede packed his things, preparing to go to the Bunko. Although he was still on vacation, he occasionally needed to make an appearance and inquire about the animation progress of his light novel from his editor.
He had previously attended an animation meeting, and the meeting with StudioDEEN was very pleasant. They seriously listened to his opinions and planned to create a "completely unrestrained, joyful adventure animation in another world."
In short, as long as the story wasn't drastically altered, the characters could be as wild as they wanted. If it were any other light novel, Kaede would care, but for konosuba, what's the point of intricate lines? Just make Aqua as idiotic as possible, and make Darkness as much of an M as possible. Isn't that what character design is for?
Although the people at StudioDEEN were quite surprised when he first presented his ideas, they quickly got excited along with Kaede.
After tidying his bag and leaving the classroom, Kaede unexpectedly saw Utaha walking towards him. Judging by her intention, she was probably looking for him.
"Senpai?"
"Good afternoon, Asakura-kun." Utaha came up to Kaede and said with a smile, "You probably won't be going to club activities this afternoon, right?"
"Emmm~~~ Eriri told you too?"
Utaha nodded and said, "So I thought you might be worried, and I came to ask if you want to wait for the results near Shueisha together."
Kaede looked at Utaha in surprise: "I didn't expect Senpai to care so much about Eriri."
"After all, we're friends and partners, aren't we?"
Recalling their current relationship, Utaha's actions were reasonable, but Kaede still shook his head: "There's no need to go there. You have to have some faith in Eriri. She's not so fragile that a small setback would make her despondent. I'm planning to go to the Bunko next. How about you, Senpai?"
"If that's the case, then let's go together. I also want to find out about the latest situation."
Soon, the two walked downstairs together.
After they left, some students who were still in the classroom peeked out and started whispering.
It probably wouldn't be long before other gossip spread throughout the school.