On the other end of the line, Megumi's tone was beginning to sound impatient.
"Ryunosuke-kun, is there something you're hiding from me? Believe it or not, I'll report this to Ai Nee-san."
The "Ai Nee-san" she referred to was Morishita Ai. Given that Ai was the leader of the group while Megumi was the third member, calling her "Big Sister" was only natural.
Ryunosuke broke into a cold sweat, his brain spinning rapidly to conjure an excuse.
He glanced at the pitiful-looking Eriri in front of him, let out a long sigh, and prepared to tell the truth. However, Megumi was a sharp girl; as if sensing something, she cut him off before the words could leave his mouth.
"Let's discuss this in person. Tell me where you are right now."
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱-◆
A short while later...
Ryunosuke and Eriri were sitting in a KFC outlet.
Eriri traced the rim of her glass with her finger, feigning indifference as she questioned Ryunosuke.
"It's... been a long time since we last saw each other."
Ryunosuke had ordered a serving of fried chicken and two burgers. He answered normally, without a shred of mental burden, "Yeah."
He felt he hadn't done anything wrong; the two of them were just old friends, and he didn't have a marriage promise with her like he did with Yuki.
Eriri sipped her drink, then continued her inquiry with a nonchalant tone, even though her heart was screaming: (Who exactly was that hussy on the phone?!)
Despite her internal shouting, what came out of her mouth was the exact opposite.
"That strange girl on the phone, is she a friend of yours? How nice. After leaving me, you've already made new friends."
Eriri spoke with a faint, tight smile. Faced with this somewhat cynical accusation, Ryunosuke was merely confused but offered no reply. After all, once Megumi arrived, everything would become clear.
Eriri's inner self was crumbling slightly. This was their first meeting in ten years; in her imagination, they should have been chatting intimately like old friends. But in reality, she couldn't help but be sarcastic. She hated herself for being this way.
Why is it always like this? Eriri clenched her fists, screaming internally.
(Eriri, oh Eriri, now is not the time to be a tsundere! If this keeps up... the two of you will never be able to make up like before!)
It was true! To this day, Eriri believed that her lack of courage to defend Ryunosuke ten years ago was what caused the current situation. If only she had been brave enough to step forward and admit the comic drafts were hers, would Ryunosuke... have stayed?
Eriri's gaze dimmed. Regret was useless now. If given another chance, even if the whole world found out she was an adult manga artist, she would choose to stay with Ryunosuke. Unfortunately, there was no "if"...
Not long after, Megumi arrived and took a seat beside Ryunosuke.
Miraculously, even though Megumi usually lacked any presence, Eriri managed to notice her immediately. She glared sharply at Megumi sitting next to Ryunosuke; the hostility in her eyes was completely undisguised.
She even let out a low growl, like a fanged animal. It was the "Golden Loser" entering combat mode. She categorized the Megumi in front of her as (Enemy = Love Rival!).
Megumi stared back deeply but said nothing. Rather than being angry, she was actually puzzled by how this girl could perceive her presence so clearly. This was the meeting between the Main Heroine and the Third Heroine of the Saekano world.
Then who was the Second Heroine? Utaha, of course—at least she won in the spin-off route. Meanwhile, Eriri didn't even have her own side route...
Perhaps due to the character connections from the same anime world, Megumi's thin presence could be detected by a hostility-filled Eriri. Her "vanishing" technique wasn't as effective as usual. Even at the High School for Advanced Nurturing, this was the first time someone other than Ryunosuke had stared at her for this long.
Megumi's expression remained flat, but her hand reached for the drink Ryunosuke had already sipped from. Heedless of the "indirect kiss," she drank directly from it.
Ryunosuke tried to stop her, wanting to order a fresh glass, but the calculating Megumi wouldn't allow it...
This was a blatant provocation from Megumi and a declaration of her status. She was signaling: Ryunosuke is my man, don't try anything with him, I'm watching you.
A vein throbbed on Eriri's forehead. She wouldn't accept this! She was clearly the one who met Ryunosuke first; where did this home-wrecker come from? Who did this girl think she was?!
Eriri growled without an alibi, exactly like a defeated blonde dog, showing hostility as if Megumi were a blood-feud enemy of her family. Over that dining table, it was as if bolts of lightning were clashing between their gazes.
Tragically, at the most inopportune moment, Tomoya happened to pass by and spotted his "Dream Heroine," Megumi. He practically pounced. Ignoring Eriri's face, which had reached maximum gloom, he reached for Megumi's hand, begging the girl to become the Heroine of the game he was developing.
However, his path was blocked by Ryunosuke, who delivered a stern warning.
"What do you think you're doing with my girlfriend?"
Hearing those words, Megumi smiled. Eriri's heart shattered... as did Tomoya's. His newly blossoming love had ended before it could even begin. Yet, he still wouldn't give up.
"I want to invite this lady to be the Heroine of my game!" After saying so, he bowed, asking Ryunosuke to hand Megumi over to him.
The flames of Ryunosuke's anger ignited instantly. His knuckles cracked. He grabbed a beer bottle from the neighboring table and smashed it over Tomoya's head.
CRASH!
Glass shards scattered across the floor. Tomoya shrieked in pain and collapsed. Ryunosuke ignored him, and he was in no mood to deal with Eriri either. He tossed the remaining bottleneck aside, gripped Megumi's hand tightly, and walked out. It was clear he was jealous.
(Damn it! Daring to ask someone's girlfriend to be a Heroine right in front of their face—what man could stand that?)
(Smashing a beer bottle over his head without taking his life was an act of mercy...)
Megumi looked down at her tightly held hand, her heart feeling incredibly sweet. She decided to forgive today's events. After all, she could see that her husband truly didn't seem to have a special relationship with that blonde girl...
Eriri knelt on the floor. She hadn't expected the situation to turn out like this. It was all the fault of Tomoya's sudden appearance, yet she was still kind enough to call an ambulance for him.
The ambulance arrived, and Eriri went along.
Shortly after, Sayuri received word that her daughter had gone to the hospital. Fearing her daughter was injured, she rushed over. Only after seeing that her daughter was fine could she breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Tomoya lay in the hospital bed. Eriri stayed with him—or more accurately, she was simply keeping watch since Tomoya's family hadn't arrived yet. Until they got there, she felt a sense of responsibility and couldn't just leave.
Sayuri asked her daughter what had happened, without casting so much as a glance at Tomoya lying in the bed. She knew about this boy. Precisely because she knew, she was unwilling to hand Eriri over to someone like him. If there were any other choice, she would never consider it.
She began to miss the wild boy from ten years ago. Even though he had only stayed in her home for two or three days, that child had left a truly profound impression.