Ch 26 – 02 May, Time with Utaha 02

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Eriri asked, with her lunch box in her hand.

"Ah… Can we talk after eating lunch?" Kouta replied, and he shoved the bread he bought into his mouth. As a signal, he wouldn’t talk until his food was gone.

"Ha… Just do what do you want." Eriri responded with a sigh. Before she opened her lunch box and ate it, while she didn’t worry about the boy beside her.

The wind blowing on the rooftop in early May still felt a bit cold. There was nobody except the two of them. Because the rooftop was actually inaccessible at this school. Kouta just bit lucky in the first time, while right now he actually had the access by borrowing to teacher he knew.

After, they spent their time eating their meals and refreshing themselves. Once again, Eriri asked him. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well…" Kouta thought it might be better to have small talk, before he told her. What he wanted to say. "How is the state of our manga?"

"They're fine. Wait, you can see it on our website, right?"

"Well, I’ve been a bit busy. You know…"

"I’m busy too… But I got several messages from publishers who were interested in publishing our manga. They'd like us to sign a precontract until we have enough chapters for a book.

"Oh, that’s good news. How about F/SN?"

"That I’m only drawing a character sheet for Saber and Rin. And today, maybe working on Sakura character sheet."

When making dating sims, we need to draw multiple poses with multiple expressions, after all. Not just CG and other things.

"Well, you can ignore the background. I will make those."

"Really, that’s helping."

"Also, you can ask me if you need help with the manga too…"

In the end, Kouta just wanted to have a conversation with her. That’s why he had many topics of conversation. It was a pleasant conversation, until finally Kouta asked.

"So, how is your relationship with your childhood friend progressing?"

"Puh… what are you asking?" Eriri squinted, surprised at the sudden question from Kouta.

"From your reaction, I don't think there's any change at all." Kouta casually replied in response to her. He felt sure in the anime, Eriri never once tried to get close to Tomoya, and they were only talked about otaku stuff.

Kouta couldn't help but be impressed by Eriri's ability to retain her feelings for the protagonist. How much patience do the childhood friends have to keep their feelings for the protagonist hidden until she gets robbed by another girl. It was felt like rom-coms anime used them for sad moments.

At the same time, Kouta was very much sure that if Tomoya invited Eriri to date. She would accept it. However, it was zero percent for him to do that.

"You told me you liked him. But you didn't do anything to show me at all? I don’t understand. Are you perhaps waiting for him to come at you? You know that's less likely to happen, right?"

When Kouta asked her this, Eriri shuddered a little at his words. From her response, she seemed to happily agreed with Kouta word.

"Haa… You’re like reading romance manga and other stuff, right? You know how much tragedy childhood friends go through, right? "Would you like that to happen to you?" Kouta thoroughly lectured Eriri… No, he made her remember the dangers of childhood friend status in romance. He put his finger and pressed it against Eriri’s forehead.

As if Kouta told Eriri how empty her head was…

"Ugh… But… But…" She hummed, looking up into the air. "He may come at me someday, right?"

"No… That’s just in your dream. Well, it’s fine that you want to like tsundere, but at this age such things wouldn’t work at all! At least, you need to try. How about try invited lunch together… No… Hmmm. How about asking him out on a date? Like going to an anime store." Kouta happily told her about how messed up she was for acting like a tsundere and how to get his goodwill again.

"Who is acting tsundere!? That’s not true at all!" After screaming like that, Eriri flew at Kouta with a bright red face and attacked him with her hair by swinging at him.

"Ha… Again… And again… If you don’t do anything, shit about it. You may regret it in the future." Kouta told her the truth when she heard that. She stopped and stared at him.

"That’s true… But I don’t understand why you told me this way. "Don’t you like me?" She asked before turning away.

"Ah… That’s…" Kouta slammed the wall behind Eriri and slowly his face came at her. Whispering something in her ear.

"Well, because I knew you would be rejected, and I have a high chance to heal your broken heart."

"Hah!" Eriri was taken aback by what Kouta said to her, but she was even more taken aback by his face and expression. She knew how serious he was. "Really, you’re the worst."

"At least, I’ll be honest with you."

"Ugh… But if you said that. Do you think I will confess to him?"

"Why thought?"

"Eh… That’s because…" Eriri stopped, as she couldn’t say that she would believe Kouta’s word, since he had been correct all of this time.

"Well, it’s not like you will be confessing or anything… But at least, you try to do something."

"Yeah, that’s true." Her voice was so quiet, it was easily drowned out by the surrounding commotion.

Kouta patted her while he said, "Well, how about I help you?"

"Ha… Do you think I will accept that?"

"Eh… Why not? I may give you assistance."

Even so, Eriri rejected him and headed to the door while saying, "Do you think I will listen to someone who wanted me to be rejected." She has gone from the rooftop as fast as she can, leaving Kouta alone.

"Hm… I wonder if I can call this a failure." Kouta wondered for a moment. "Well, only time can tell."

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the end, there was nothing notable about GCC. Just as usual, Takao taught Kouta. At the same time, Inada had been working so hard that Takao felt she looked like haunted by something. While Kouta could feel it, she stared at him for a time—a time with such sparkling eyes.

Not only that, She grins as she looks at the astonished Kouta, who may already know what she wants.

‘I look like it’s only a matter of time before she asked for cross-dressing. Maybe she'll ask after we're done with making this.’ Kouta had his arms crossed and was in deep thought as he went to the audiovisual room, which is usually used to meet Utaha.

Thinking what his feel about that… and well… as long as he could get something for it. Why not…

"Well, is she asking something like that… I want an equivalent exchange."

"Hey, what are you thinking of?"

"Well, after thinking about the circumstances, I was thinking that maybe I should cooperate with her if I get something too."

"Hah… What are you talking about?"

When he noticed Utaha's suspicious eyes on him, Kouta's expression changed and he lit up.

"Ah, Utaha-senpai. Well, actually I'm thinking if I would cross-dressing if I get an appropriate payment." Kouta answered her with a smile.

"Oh… That’s it… Wait… can you say it again?" Utaha asked again.

"Just like I said, I’m wondering if I will cross-dressing if I got an appropriate pay…"

"How much!" Utaha cut his word.

"...Utaha-senpai!?"

"How much!?" Utaha’s gaze was telling Kouta not to lie. Her piercing gaze shot right through Kouta. It looked like her inner otaku-self was opened. Kouta felt like he had gazed into the depths of hell when he gazed at her back.

"Well… Even you said that… I don’t want any cash or anything…"

"Ck…" Utaha clicked her tongue as she didn’t like my answer. She may be getting angry that she failed to get Kouta’s cross-dressing.

"But, I may have done it. If, in exchange, you were also wearing a sexy swimsuit with a bunny ear." Kouta answered her, but not with what Utaha may have expected.

"What!? That’s… Are you a pervert!?" Utaha responded in a hysterical voice while she put her arm in her bouncy looking breast.

"What are you saying, Utaha-senpai? You also want to see me doing cross-dressing, and you were saying that it wasn't for perverted purposes!?"

"... Wait… No… This is for my novel's reference purposes!"

"To think you have such a convenient excuse… Anyway, no is no. I wouldn’t do it without I get something from my embarrassing myself." Kouta said it firmly, and he may have really been confident she wouldn’t do it… right?

"Ugh… Ugu… But where can I find this kind of opportunity. To see a pretty boy cross-dressing…I might be able to get some photos out of it.

"However, a sexy swimsuit and bunny ears..."

"Uguuuu…."

Well, her inner intent was all over Kouta’s face. She really wanted to see him cross-dressing. She took her time, before she gazed at Kouta with eyes that looked like someone had been possessed.

"Fine… I agree with that." Utaha finally came to terms on her own and grabbed Kouta’s hand. Before, she was holding his hand as if our agreement had been achieved.

"Wait… what… are we really doing it…"

"Yes, of course. I can see you cross-dressing at the same time… I will… I will be wearing those sexy swimsuits and bunny ears."

Kouta wondered if his plan had been backfired?