Let's turn the perspective again. Tonight, Eriri was thinking back on Hashima Iori's words.
"Could it be that Hashima Izumi's artistic level is really catching up to mine? She's two years younger than me!"
Damn it... Eriri sat in front of her computer, and out of habit, she sent her latest doujinshi to her childhood friend for his evaluation.
Aki Tomoya: "As expected of Eriri. It's such a simple and solid piece of work."
Eriri: "And then.... is that your only comment? Guess how long I spent drawing this!"
In front of his computer, Aki Tomoya was a bit confused. "Kashiwagi-sensei's level has always been consistent. Is this a masterpiece that you've been working on for a long time?"
Eriri directly closed the chat window.
Since when did her hard work, in Aki Tomoya's eyes, become just Kashiwagi Eri's normal level of performance?
Is it because I haven't improved for a long time...
Eriri started looking back at her works from previous years. Why was her visible progress, in that guy Aki's eyes, just Kashiwagi Eri's consistent level?
Did he overestimate Kashiwagi Eri, or did her artwork... simply fail to meet his high standards....
Her mind was a mess! Eriri turned off her computer and lay back on her bed. "Tomorrow... I'll call everyone out and ask properly."
.....
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "So this is the reason you called us out so early in the morning? Just to give you the courage to find your childhood friend!"
Inside the cafe, Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at Katou Megumi beside her, then looked at Eriri across from them.
"I'm not even in this game production club of yours. Why did you call me here?"
Eriri glared. "Because you're someone who knows my situation, and aren't you always boasting about how strong your theories are? You can analyze the situation for me later."
Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her legs. "Whatever. First, get me a cappuccino. It's your treat."
Eriri gritted her teeth, but still took the initiative to call the waiter over and order three coffees.
"But he's so slow... By the way, Kasumigaoka, did you call that exchange student?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her head. "I told him half an hour ago. He hasn't replied yet."
Eriri: "Half an hour ago... then that's understandable. I sent a message to Aki Tomoya first thing in the morning, telling him to meet at the cafe at ten. Why isn't he here yet either?!"
Five minutes later, Uchiha Ryo walked into the cafe. Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately scooted over in her seat, motioning for him to sit next to her.
Uchiha Ryo naturally wouldn't refuse. So the scene became Katou Megumi, Kasumigaoka, and Uchiha Ryo sitting together, while Eriri occupied the sofa seat opposite them all by herself...
Kasumigaoka: "You're pretty fast, aren't you? You came in just half an hour. I thought Eriri's childhood friend would be the first to arrive."
Uchiha Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Don't just say things like that. I'm not fast at all. If I wanted to, I could drag it out for a whole day without any problem."
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "???"
Katou Megumi: (Silently sips her coffee. She was just here to fill a spot anyway. Game production had nothing to do with her.)
Eriri gritted her teeth. "Damn it, why isn't that guy here yet!"
She took out her phone and glanced at it. Her expression then visibly turned a little ferocious.
"What did you see?"
Kasumigaoka quickly snatched Eriri's phone and saw the chat log with Aki Tomoya.
Eriri: 7:00 AM [You still remember that cafe near my house, right? Meet at ten AM. Let's have a good discussion about the game.]
Aki Tomoya: 9:55 AM: [Sorry, I just saw this. I went to my part-time job first thing this morning. I'll be done soon. Give me an hour.]
Current time: 10:30 AM
Uchiha Ryo and Katou Megumi simultaneously leaned over to look.
Eriri immediately snatched her phone back. "Forget it, let's not wait for him!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha put down her coffee. "But didn't you gather us here to ask that Aki what's-his-name about his plans for the game production? To be honest, you can find a dead-beat otaku like that anywhere. Why do you have to help him make a game?"
"...."
Eriri: "Forget it. It looks like we can't have the meeting today. I'm sorry for asking you all to come. This lunch is on me."
Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded. "I know a good yakiniku place."
"Yakiniku again! You'll get fat!!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha held her head high and crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, but all the nutrients I take in are perfectly absorbed into the places they're supposed to go. Oh my~ Eriri-san, you should probably eat a little more. Otherwise, you'll never grow."
Eriri shot up from her seat. "Kasumigaoka!! Do you believe that the heroine of my next doujinshi will be from Love Metronome? And with both heroines together!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha was unfazed. "Whatever. It might even increase the popularity of my work to have a derivative work from the great Kashiwagi Eri-sensei."
Uchiha Ryo put down his phone. "Since no one has anything else to say, let's just go eat."
Kasumigaoka Utaha turned her head. "Hey, are you free this afternoon, Ryo-kun? Want to go gather some more material?"
"Gather material... This afternoon, I'm meeting up with my clubmates from Shuchiin. If you want to come, it's not impossible."
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Uchiha Ryo with narrowed eyes.
"Clubmates... are they male or female?"
Uchiha Ryo thought for a moment and said, "They should all be coming. There are boys and girls."
So it's a group activity. Kasumigaoka Utaha had thought Uchiha Ryo was going on a date with other girls. Since that was the case, she was relieved. She'd better go back and continue working on her manuscript.
The four of them stood up and left the cafe. Following the route Kasumigaoka had described, they headed towards a famous yakiniku restaurant.
....
"This place... looks a little familiar."
Katou Megumi, who had been following behind the group, suddenly stopped and looked at the long slope at the intersection to their left.
Uchiha Ryo nodded. "The wind isn't strong today. And Katou-san isn't wearing a hat either."
Eriri turned her head. "Ah, that guy Aki lives just up there. If he's really done with work, he should be coming up this slope."
Speak of the devil. As soon as Eriri finished speaking, the group saw a guy with glasses pushing a bicycle appear at the bottom of the slope.
Eriri clenched her fists. This guy who stood her up and was still so relaxed, she had to ask him clearly today. Were they still making the game or not!
But just as Eriri was about to call Aki Tomoya over, he was stopped by two other people.
Uchiha Ryo narrowed his eyes. "Isn't that the brother and sister from that night? Should we go take a look?"
Eriri: "The Hashima siblings... Hmph. Let's approach quietly. Don't make a sound!"