They didn't scold her too much.
Now that she was a little older
Izumi Sagiri started wondering whether what she saw that day was real.
She picked up the small sphere from the drawer.
Raised her hand high, about to throw it into the trash bin.
But after holding that position for a long time
She couldn't bring herself to do it.
In the end, she silently lowered her hand and placed it back into the drawer.
Sagiri buried her face in her desk, feeling somewhat unsettled.
Of course, she wanted a birthday cake.
But she felt unworthy of making her mother go through the trouble of preparing one.
As she lay on her desk, feeling down
Izumi Sagiri suddenly remembered her stepfather.
The stepfather who had passed away in an accidentIzumi Kotetsu.
During the time they lived together
Sagiri and her stepfather had a very good relationship.
Izumi Kotetsu had once left behind a small note.
On it was a contact number.
He had told her that if one day he was no longer around
If Sagiri had any wishes, she could contact this person for help.
Sagiri had once asked who this person was.
Izumi Kotetsu only said that it was a friend of his.
Remembering this long-forgotten memory
Izumi Sagiri pulled open the drawer once again.
At the deepest corner of the drawer, she found the now yellowed note.
Using the phone number on it
Sagiri added the contact to her personal Line account.
As she sent the message
She felt a bit nervous.
She wasn't sure if it was because she feared rejection or something else.
After all, suddenly messaging a stranger, saying she wanted a birthday cake or something
Even Sagiri herself found it strange.
Fortunately, the other party agreed.
A sense of anticipation began to build up.
Izumi Sagiri ran to her window, constantly looking outside.
"Dad's friend what kind of person will they be?"
Muttering to herself.
Her mind painted various images.
A middle-aged man in a neat suit.
A scruffy, unshaven old man.
An ordinary-looking man with nothing special about him.
Or maybe even an overweight otaku.
Why was she only thinking of old men?
Of course, because he was a friend of her fatherlogically, he had to be an uncle, right? Umu.
As she imagined all sorts of possibilities
A figure suddenly entered Izumi Sagiri's view.
A tall young man, his every step carrying a gentle breeze.
His outfit was far from formalno suit, no tie, just a simple hoodie and casual pants. But even in such simple clothes, he exuded a comfortable, approachable aura.
As an illustrator, Izumi Sagiri felt that the young man who had appeared in her sight
Looked just like the protagonist of a manga, standing out completely from everyone around him.
Her eyes were unconsciously drawn to him.
Just as Sagiri's heart skipped a beat from staring too intently
The young man suddenly looked up.
Their eyes met in midair.
Izumi Sagiri's eyes widened immediately.
Wasn't this Yukimi-sensei, the person who had suddenly called her on video earlier!?
Why was he at her house?
Could it be he was just passing by?
But the young man continued walking closer.
He had already stepped into the front yard.
Sagiri's heartbeat quickened.
A thought flashed through her mind.
All the images of middle-aged men instantly vanished.
Especially when her gaze fell on the large box in the young man's hands.
The image she had imagined gradually overlapped with the figure in front of her.
Even though she still found it a little unbelievable
Izumi Sagiri truly hoped that this young man was the one who had come to fulfill her wish.
If that were the caseit would be truly wonderful.
(Note: For this chapter I don't think I should add emojis.)
Chapter 228: Izumi Sagiri: Does He Like Me?
Chapter 228: Izumi Sagiri: Does He Like Me?
Standing in front of the Izumi household
Yukima Azuma's emotions were complicated.
After the swap event ended
He immediately checked his relationship with Izumi Sagiri.
And he discovered that the timeline had changed.
Yukima Azuma thought that this meant he had made a difference.
But now, Izumi Sagiri suddenly messaged him.
Perhaps, the essence of the event hadn't actually changed?
As if time itself had auto-corrected, bringing everything back to its original path.
Could it be that all his efforts were in vain?
He shook his head slightly, brushing away those useless thoughts.
Yukima Azuma pressed the doorbell.
No matter whathe should at least meet Izumi Sagiri first.
After ringing the bell
Yukima Azuma assumed the situation would be the same as last time.
No one would answer, and then Izumi Sagiri would message him, telling him where the spare key was hidden.
But reality was different.
Through the door
A woman's voice sounded from inside.
"Excuse me Huh? Sagiri? Why are you running downstairs?"
Right after that
A series of hurried footsteps echoed.
Click.
The door opened.
Izumi Sagiri timidly peeked her head out.
l l loo) !
Her pale blue eyes fixed on Yukima Azuma.
"Y-You why are you at my house?"
(////)
Seeing the girl before him
Yukima Azuma was momentarily stunned.
( ®® ) ?
By Jesus above! Izumi Sagiri actually stepped out of her room!
(`)
At this moment, he didn't need to question anything anymore.
Because just seeing this adorable silver-haired girl was the clearest proof.
After a brief daze, Yukima Azuma adjusted his emotions, then smiled with slight surprise.
"Eromanga-sensei? I never expected to run into you here!"
Hearing that, the girl instantly fluffed up like an angry kitten.
"I-I don't know anyone with such a weird name!"
()
She even made a fierce expression as she spoke.
( ` )
Of course, that was just what she thought.
In reality, it was completely non-threateningif anything, it only made her even more adorable.
Since she had signed a contract with Laplace Corporation
The information of "Eromanga-sensei," aka Izumi Sagiri, had already been sent to the company.
Izumi Sagiri understood this well.
Even though she tried to put on a strong front, she only voiced one rebuttal before letting it go.
She didn't bother coming up with pointless excuses to hide it anymore.
Instead, she just asked:
"W-Why are you here?"
(,,,,)
Yukima Azuma raised the cake box in his hands.
"Today, someone is celebrating their birthday, and they wished for a cake."
"I wonder if there's anyone else in this house celebrating a birthday?"
( — )
After confirming that Yukima Azuma was truly the one who came to fulfill her wish
Izumi Sagiri unconsciously placed a hand over her chest.
Her heartbeat quickened.
At first, Sagiri only had a vague fondness for Yukima Azuma because they shared the same interests.
But right now, that feeling was as if it had been covered by a special filter
Making her heart race as she looked at the young man before her.
"J-Just calling me Sagiri is fine"
(////)
"You're my dad's friend, right? I was the one who messaged you."
Sagiri muttered softly, her gaze unconsciously dropping to her toes, feeling embarrassed.
At that moment, Izumi Sagiri's mother also stepped out, standing behind her daughter.
" Arara~ You must be Yukimi-sensei, right? Please come in."
( `)
"Sagiri, why are you making a guest talk outside the door?"
Looking at the woman who was like an older version of Sagiri, Yukima Azuma smiled.
It seemed that not only had his efforts not been in vain, but the results were even more apparent than expected.
...
After stepping inside
While her mother went to fetch slippers for Yukima Azuma
Izumi Sagiri tugged at Yukima Azuma's sleeve.
She winked at him.
( o<)
Although her expression was rather clumsy
It almost looked like she was winking to act cute.
But Yukima Azuma still understood Sagiri's intention.
She probably didn't want her mother to know that she had invited him over under the pretense of being her "father's friend."
Perhaps she didn't want to stir up her mother's sadness.
Of course, Yukima Azuma wouldn't go poking at someone's emotional wounds.
He simply said:
"You must be Mrs. Izumi, right? My name is Yukima Azuma. Yukimi is just my pen name."
"You can just call me Yukima. Today is Sagiri's birthday, so I brought a cake."
As he spoke, he handed the cake box to Mrs. Izumi.
Hearing that, she lightly covered her mouth, clearly surprised.
She hadn't expected her daughter to mention her birthday to this young man.
Thinking back to the earlier sceneher daughter rushing downstairs to personally answer the door
Mrs. Izumi's mind immediately filled with all sorts of youthful love stories.
( > < )
Her daughter had always been extremely shy and socially awkward, so making a friend was already a rare event.
Because of that, her gaze toward Yukima Azuma softened considerably, carrying the warm understanding of a mother.
( )
"So that's how it is. It seems like Yukima-kun cares a lot about my daughter."
"Since you're here, why don't you stay for lunch? I was just about to start cooking."
"You two can chat on the sofa for a bit while I make some tea."
Mrs. Izumi took the cake box and gestured toward the sofa in the living room.
A silent invitation for the two of them to talk freely.
Then, she carried the cake and walked toward the kitchen.
Yukima Azuma nodded slightly.
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the kitchen.
The arrangement of the kitchen was almost exactly the same as the last time he visited.
It seemed that the Izumi kitchen had always been designed in Mrs. Izumi's style.
But there was one difference
Last time, when Yukima Azuma was here, the kitchen had felt cold, devoid of life.
But now, it was clearly a kitchen that was regularly used.
A place where a mother was taking care of her family.
...
After sitting down on the sofa
Izumi Sagiri quietly stared at the boy sitting beside her.
Her heart was in turmoil.
He's so young, yet he's my dad's friend?
Am I sitting too far away? What if he thinks I don't like him?
Should I move a little closer? Wait, why am I staring at him so much!?!
Realizing that staring at someone for so long might be rude, Izumi Sagiri quickly averted her gaze.
At the same time, she subtly shifted her bodymoving just a little closer to Yukima Azuma.
( //>///
Right at that moment, Mrs. Izumi walked in with tea
And caught the scene in full view.
"Ara ara~"
( `)
She let out a knowing chuckle.
After placing the tea on the table, Mrs. Izumi quickly returned to the kitchen.
The living roomof course, should be left for the two kids to have their space.
Unlike her daughter, who was extremely socially awkward
Mrs. Izumi was very aware of not being an unnecessary "third wheel."
After a short silence, Izumi Sagiri hesitantly spoke up:
"Your name is Yukima"
Before she could finish, Yukima Azuma interjected:
"Just call me Azuma."
Izumi Sagiri nodded slightly.
Why does he let my mom call him by his surname?
But when it's me, I get to call him by his first name?
Could it be that he likes me?!
(o)
That thought had only just flashed through her mind
But before one of the three great illusions of life could even take root (Note: what the other two are?)
Izumi Sagiri heard Yukima Azuma say:
"Anyway, Sagiri is just like a daughter to me."
( )
As he spoke, he gently patted her soft, silvery hair.
Caught off guard by the sudden "headpat kill," Izumi Sagiri immediately pouted and swatted his hand away.
"Who's your daughter?!" she huffed, glaring at Yukima Azuma.
()
But after that little tease
The distance between them instantly shrank.
Yukima Azuma took the initiative to bring up anime and light novels.
As a reclusive illustrator
Izumi Sagiri took the bait immediately.
The awkwardness of their first offline meeting melted away in no time.
They chatted animatedly.
Having spent years cooped up indoors with almost no real-life friends
Suddenly having someone with the same interests appear beside her
Not to mention someone who had already been "filtered to boost favorability" in her mind
The usual walls Izumi Sagiri kept up had completely crumbled.
There was almost nothing she couldn't talk about with Yukima Azuma.
In the previous timeline
Yukima Azuma and Izumi Sagiri broke the ice due to a heatstroke incident.
But this time
Without such an event,
Their relationship actually progressed even faster.
Of course, part of that was thanks to the "favorability filter."
But the more important reason
Was Izumi Sagiri herself.
Right now, Izumi Sagiri was still an otaku
She had things she felt guilty about.
But she wasn't suffering from any deep emotional wounds.
At her core
She was still a healthy, normally developing girl.
Unlike the Izumi Sagiri from the previous timeline
Who shut herself in her room all day.
Unable to take even a single step outside, as if she had locked her own soul away.
Back then, Izumi Sagiri had been like a puzzle missing a piece.
If someone could fill that void
Of course, she would be moved.
But no matter how refined a technique
A gold-inlaid gem could never compare to a flawless jewel.
And the Izumi Sagiri now
In Yukima Azuma's eyes, she was as adorable as a perfect gem.
"Alright, come eat, kids. You can continue talking after the meal."
(*`*)
At that moment, Mrs. Izumi called out.
Izumi Sagiri had been passionately discussing her favorite anime.
Hearing her mother's voice, she suddenly realized
She had been chatting with Yukima Azuma, someone she had just met, for an unexpectedly long time.
Recalling how forward she had been earlier
Her small face flushed red.
( //>///
The two of them headed to the dining table.
Where Mrs. Izumi had prepared a table full of delicious dishes.
Even without tasting, the vibrant colors and enticing aroma were proof of her impressive cooking skills.
At that moment, Mrs. Izumi also brought out the cake that Yukima Azuma had brought.
"Sagiri, this is the cake Yukima-kun brought for you. Go ahead and open it yourself."
