The atmosphere in the Service Club that day was a little strange.
Yukino kept sizing up Eriri from head to toe, making Eriri so uncomfortable her hair stood on end.
"President Yukinoshita, why are you staring at me like that?"
"Eriri, the things you said that day at Shin-chan's house were quite intriguing. Can I take a look at your manga work?"
Yukino could basically confirm, something definitely happened between Eriri and Shin-chan. Most likely, just like her, Eriri had turned into an animal.
Except she had become a cat, and Eriri had become a dog, and even served as Shin-chan's pet.
Thinking of this, Yukino couldn't help but feel a little envious. She had only spent a short time with Shin-chan as a cat, yet it was unforgettable.
Eriri must have spent a lot of time with Shin-chan. She had completely accepted, deep in her heart, the identity of being Shin-chan's little dog.
"Eh? Eriri's actually a mangaka?" Utaha looked at Eriri in shock. She had no idea.
"Eriri, you didn't even tell me? That's so not what friends do! I even let you read my manuscripts, and you're hiding something this big?!"
Eriri never expected Yukino to suddenly go on the offensive and was completely flustered, unsure how to respond.
If any of them saw the manga she had drawn, it would basically be social death, wouldn't it?
"All right, don't make things hard for Eriri. She must have her own reasons, right?"
'Megumi! You are my savior!'
Eriri looked at Megumi as if she were a goddess. 'What a truly angelic girl!'
Yukino regained her composure and didn't press Eriri further, for now. She'd confront her properly when the time was right.
"Megumi, how did your conversation with President Shinomiya go?"
"President Shinomiya doesn't know how to use a smartphone at all. I only spoke briefly with that Hayasaka girl. I feel like President Shinomiya might actually be easier to get along with than she seems."
"Just like President Yukinoshita, cold on the outside, but actually quite easy to talk to. She's really nice too."
"Huh?"
Yukino didn't expect the topic to shift to her, and even more so, such a positive comment.
Having always been friendless, Yukino was instantly touched.
Megumi easily won over both Eriri and Yukino.
The only one left was Kasumigaoka Utaha, who didn't seem quite so easy to win over.
Of course, that might've been because Megumi didn't see Utaha as a threat, for now.
It was clear that Eriri and Yukino held different feelings toward Shin-chan, whereas Utaha, who appeared to be a formidable rival just based on her figure alone, seemed to have little to no romantic interest in him.
As for Megumi herself, she wasn't even sure of her own feelings.
Shin-chan always noticed her presence, even though she had such a weak sense of existence. And he had unintentionally helped her get rid of Aki Tomoya's constant pestering.
For someone like Megumi, who was used to being ignored, Shin-chan's ability to always spot her was overwhelmingly effective.
The problem was, from what she could observe, there were simply too many girls around this boy.
And calling her "little Megumi" right off the bat, wasn't that way too underhanded?
Frustrated, Megumi decided she should try getting along with the other girls around Shin-chan first.
Compared to Shinomiya Kaguya, the one who made Megumi the most nervous was the young lady named Ai Suotome.
Even though Ai Suotome had acted very gentle when they ate lunch together, Megumi still felt like the way she looked at her and Eriri had a smile that hid a knife behind it. One wrong step, and they'd probably be dealt with instantly. Terrifying.
"That guy named Aki Tomoya, why did he suddenly transfer schools?"
"Tokyo Bay? Does Japan even have a school named that?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka stared at the transfer application on her desk, looking completely puzzled. A school named "Tokyo Bay"? What an ominous name.
Speaking of which, she hadn't had a drink in days… should she hit up Haruno today? Or maybe Sonoko? She heard Sonoko got promoted. That must've been tough.
———
In the Kendo dojo, Shin-chan had brought his own Fubuki.
(T/N: Fubuki is his personal sword name)
To him, whether it was bamboo swords or wooden swords, they no longer provided any meaningful training.
Fubuki fit perfectly in his hand, it was a system reward after all, completely tailored to Shin-chan's sword habits. Even compared to the legendary blades in history, Fubuki was more suitable for him.
However, he hadn't had it for long yet. He needed more time to master it.
To this day, Shin-chan still didn't know the extent of his true strength, because he hadn't encountered a serious opponent who made him go all out.
Still, Shin-chan was quite excited about the swordsmanship community in this world.
Take Musashino Kenta for example. He had shown insane talent at just five years old, inventing many original techniques, and even knocked Shin-chan's bamboo sword out of his hands during their first spar.
In traditional terms, Musashino Kenta was definitely a genius. But back then, Shin-chan didn't even realize he was also a genius, one with an unprecedented gift for the sword.
Maybe the sword masters in this world could actually surprise him.
Aikou Rokushin was extremely impressed by Shin-chan's Fubuki. Just by looking at it, he could tell it was no ordinary sword. Why had he never heard of such a famous blade existing in Japan?
Busujima Saeko, on the other hand, was even more fired up.
If she had known earlier, she would've brought her family's heirloom sword too. Practicing with bamboo and wooden swords with Shin-chan was something she had already grown tired of. She wanted more.
Desire needed to be released. Before she started attending Shuchiin, Saeko had once encountered a pervert on her way home from school.
Because she carried a wooden sword with her out of habit, she didn't run. She let the gang of delinquents approach, then struck back with her sword.
She shattered their shoulder and leg bones on the spot, leaving them with lifelong disabilities.
That event made Busujima Saeko realize she had a suppressed desire for violence.
Raised under strict traditional Japanese values, she couldn't accept that part of herself.
But after meeting Shin-chan, everything changed. He completely overpowered her in swordsmanship. Even in sparring, she couldn't even sense where his limits were.
After releasing that bottled-up bloodlust, Busujima Saeko now longed to repay Shin-chan, to give him even more.
She once believed she wasn't qualified to love anyone. But now that she had met Shin-chan, Saeko truly believed, whether it was her inner violence or the burning passion in her heart, he could accept it all.
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