"Haa~"
Eriri yawned, putting a hand to her mouth, then squinted at the person beside her.
"Don't you have anything to say, Chihiro?"
"What do you want me to say? I'm telling you, don't play those old tricks again."
Izumi Chihiro sat up straight, on alert.
He hadn't expected to be caught red-handed on the train this time, and facing the unpredictable thoughts of a young girl, he needed to be cautious.
"Why that expression? I'm not a devil or anything…"
Eriri looked annoyed.
This was in public, and there might even be students from their school. If her unruly behavior was discovered and spread to the school, wouldn't she be the one to suffer?
So, the girl wouldn't act rashly.
Izumi Chihiro quickly understood and said, "Have you read the latest volume?"
"Of course, I have."
Eriri wouldn't forcefully deny it, otherwise, there would be no topic to discuss later.
Besides, she had acted so impatient before, it was too late to pretend now.
"So, how was it? I wrote it pretty well, right? I feel quite good about this volume."
Izumi Chihiro's face showed a hint of a smile.
"Tsk, how can you even ask that! Do you know? This volume almost suffocated me, the atmosphere is just so unpleasant… In the end, Sayaka, as expected, fell victim to your evil hands, and then there's that magical girl turning into a witch, I got goosebumps when I saw it, when will Kyubey finally die!"
Eriri passionately expressed her feelings.
She had held it in for a long time, and upon seeing the main culprit, she couldn't help but let it all out.
Her ferocious expression and incessant chatter were like a resentful woman confined to her chambers.
Izumi Chihiro smiled without speaking.
"By the way, is Madoka really the protagonist of this novel? Why do I feel like she's always just a side character, even though the main perspective is hers, and it describes her growth…"
Eriri continued.
"Of course, she is. Madoka is indeed the protagonist, and as for being a side character… that's pretty much accurate."
Izumi Chihiro nodded in agreement.
"So, what is it then?"
"What, Eriri wants spoilers? I can tell you if you want."
"No, no, no, no need!"
Eriri tried to ask, but quickly abandoned the idea.
If she got spoilers in advance, the excitement of reading it later would definitely decrease, and she didn't want to do something so short-sighted.
Anyway, it's only about two months, not too long…
Wait, two months?
That's too long!
If only it were one month, or half a month!
Because her expectations were so high, Eriri's patience had worn thin to a certain extent, and she couldn't wait to see the finished next volume.
"Hey, Chihiro, remember to hurry up! Don't play around, take your work seriously! Otherwise, you'll never become a light novel master in your life!"
It seemed like advice, for his sake, but in reality, it was just to satisfy her own selfish desires!
"I'm always diligent about this kind of thing, okay? On the other hand, Eriri, don't think about slacking off on your white album work. If you miss the Winter Comiket, which is the best time, your traffic will decrease significantly."
Izumi Chihiro, in turn, urged her to speed up her progress.
"Urusai! Of course, I'm working hard, and I have a team behind me. It won't be long before the finished work is produced. Just open your eyes and wait to see."
Eriri said with great confidence.
Because her childhood friend had already solved two relatively troublesome problems, their progress was much faster than expected.
"Don't talk big. If the reputation isn't good then, it'll be over."
Izumi Chihiro looked up.
"Heh, doesn't that just mean Izumi Masamune's ability isn't enough? What does that have to do with our club?"
Eriri said mockingly.
"Have you already thought of an excuse so early? I'm so disappointed, Eriri."
He sighed.
"So, then I'll look forward to the script you wrote not messing up! Meh~"
Pulling down her eyelid with a finger, the girl stuck out her tongue, making a triumphant goofy face.
Which earned her a look of disdain from Izumi Chihiro.
…
Today was a good day.
By the window, the cold and beautiful girl was looking up at the blue sky and white clouds.
Her long, flowing red hair and intelligent beauty, especially her upturned eyes, made the girl a sight to behold.
"Clatter."
A sound came from the adjacent seat, indicating that her deskmate had arrived.
"Good morning, Izumi."
"Good morning, Nishikino."
She rested her chin on her hand, greeted him, and then quickly averted her gaze.
While seemingly aloof, she had given him more than enough face.
Before, she would have ignored him completely.
But now, they were quite familiar, so there was no need to put on such airs.
"Nishikino, are you waiting for me?"
Suddenly, the boy's voice came from the next seat.
"Huh? Nani sore, imi wa wakaranai!"
Nishikino Maki's face instantly flushed. She turned her head, about to argue with him, but then heard him continue.
"Don't you know, Nishikino? We're both on duty today… So, you understand what I mean, right?"
Izumi Chihiro showed a polite yet slightly awkward smile.
"On duty!"
Nishikino Maki suddenly realized, looked at the blackboard, and noticed the two names in the corner.
On Duty
Nishikino Maki
Izumi Chihiro
Immediately, she understood that her thoughts had gone seriously astray, and the blush on her face deepened.
The thought of her misunderstanding made her even more embarrassed.
"Um, I didn't notice. I wasn't specifically waiting for you, Izumi."
Nishikino Maki was a little awkward.
If that were true, wouldn't it make her seem petty?
If she had known about it earlier, with her personality, she would have finished everything herself.
Because of this, she had to explain.
Perhaps she didn't want to lose face, or perhaps she didn't want to leave such a bad impression on her deskmate.
"It's fine. The duty work should be done by two people; that's only fair."
Izumi Chihiro didn't mind in the slightest.
"…"
Nishikino Maki suddenly looked at him seriously and said, "Then, Izumi-kun, let's get to work."
The duty work wasn't difficult. Besides watering the potted plants, it was just erasing all the marks left by the teachers on the blackboard after class.
As for cleaning the classroom, that task was naturally reserved for after school in the afternoon.