As a light novel author under the pen name Kasumi Utako, Kasumigaoka Utaha was currently stuck in a state of creative drought, just like her frenemy Eriri. The difference was that Eriri, with Jhin's help, had already made headway on her new work, while Utaha was still painfully searching everywhere for material.
Although she called it "gathering material," in reality, Kasumigaoka Utaha was simply centering her attention on Jhin. She wanted to accumulate raw material for her new novel by observing every move between him and his girlfriend, Sakaki Yumiko.
Ever since Sakaki Yumiko had pointed out that her concepts of romance were nothing more than armchair theories, Kasumigaoka Utaha had adopted this behavior of covert observation. However, the more she observed Jhin and the girls around him, the more she felt that the relationships between them were off.
Let's start with Suou Amane. After obtaining the [Jhin Meal Ticket] from the Girls' Party, she dragged Jhin to Kazami Kazuki's villa and stayed there for a full day and night. When she walked back the next day with unsteady steps, her explanation to everyone was that she had eaten too much and had a bit of indigestion.
Since that day, she had been like a large husky wishing she could stick to Jhin's side twenty-four hours a day. Anyone could see the desire in her eyes to be patted on the head and played with by him.
At first, Kasumigaoka Utaha thought Jhin's food was just too delicious, causing Suou Amane to pester him to make more delicacies. But her subsequent intimate actions really didn't look like someone asking for a favor; they looked more like she simply wanted to be close to Jhin.
What did Suou Amane do? When eating with Jhin during the lunch break, she used her tongue to lick a grain of rice off the corner of his mouth. Although Jhin was startled, he didn't show a surprised expression, merely smiling helplessly.
Kasumigaoka Utaha really wanted to ask Suou Amane: Is the way you're using that [Jhin Meal Ticket] actually decent?
Why does it feel like you're using the meal ticket to poach Miss Sakaki's boyfriend?
Kasumigaoka Utaha would bet her entire career that there was definitely something wrong with the relationship between Jhin and Suou Amane.
Next was Michiru Matsushima, the blonde tsundere twin-tail whose bust size completely obliterated the "Tsundere" Eriri.
Every time Jhin took the initiative to chat with her, she would use a standard tsundere tone to say: "It—It's not like I want to talk to you about these things. I just saw that you didn't have anyone else to talk to, so I'm saying a few words to you, that's all."
Kasumigaoka Utaha, being familiar with Eriri, naturally knew that Michiru Matsushima's attitude was just stubbornness on her lips. Just from her frequent blinking and the uncontrollable upward inflection at the end of her sentences, one could understand how happy she was that Jhin initiated a conversation with her. Her heart was probably blooming with joy.
Michiru Matsushima didn't just passively wait for Jhin to seek her out. Occasionally, she would put on emerald green contact lenses, acting like a completely different person, and actively join the topics among the girls around Jhin. Then, she would think of ways to chat with Jhin, even using lines like "Why don't you try a face mask?" to exchange a couple of sentences with him about cosmetic issues that usually didn't concern boys much.
Miss Matsushima and Eriri, these two were truly textbook-level tsunderes.
Is it a rule that anyone with blonde twin-tails must have a tsundere personality?
Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly felt that if she added a similar tsundere character as a supporting female role in her new novel, her destiny wouldn't need much explanation—she would definitely be the "losing heroine" who loved the male lead.
Michiru Matsushima's attitude toward Jhin wasn't as obvious as Suou Amane's. The reason Kasumigaoka Utaha could detect it was that after being arch-enemies with Eriri for so long, she could easily see through the meaning behind the actions of tsundere characters.
However, the attempts by Suou Amane and Michiru Matsushima to "poach" him didn't strike Kasumigaoka Utaha as inconceivable. After all, she was a romance novelist; she was accustomed to the idea that an outstanding boy would be coveted by other girls. In fact, she considered this a normal phenomenon. Even in novels, if you want to write a male lead as popular, you have to have other girls secretly crushing on him to highlight it.
Otherwise, if you write the male lead's virtues as extravagantly as falling flowers but only the female lead is interested in him, are the other girls blind, or does no other opposite sex exist besides the heroine?
What Kasumigaoka Utaha found most unbelievable was that the subject of her observation, her classmate and Jhin's girlfriend, Sakaki Yumiko, showed not a single reaction to the actions of Michiru Matsushima and Suou Amane. Nor did they try to hide their thoughts in the slightest in front of this official girlfriend. This was the most incredible part.
Sakaki Yumiko was just like the cuckold in those adult movies who kept their eyes tightly shut; even if the wife and the NTR perpetrator were battling it out earth-shatteringly right beside the bed, it wouldn't affect their exquisite sleep in the slightest. The main selling point was that they wouldn't wake up even if the bed collapsed from the shaking.
Miss Sakaki, open your eyes and look! Miss Suou's hoe has almost dug through your wall, why are you still sleeping?!
Kasumigaoka Utaha watched with anxiety in her heart, as if at this moment, she were the protagonist watching her lover being stolen away by someone else.
Are you not just an ice beauty, but also a blockhead who can't even spot a love rival?!
Fortunately, today Miss Sakaki seemed to hear the call of Kasumigaoka Utaha's heart. She finally closed the mystery novel in her hand and walked over to Suou Amane, who was eating lunch with Jhin.
Yes, that's it! Go chase away your love rival!
Sakaki Yumiko tucked her beautiful black hair behind her ear and asked, "Amane, how did you make this dish?"
"Do you want to learn, Yumiko?"
"No, it's just that the aroma smells a bit like takeout I ordered once."
"Hehe, then I'll take that as a compliment."
"Of course it's a compliment. It really smells good."
"I actually asked Jhin about this dish before and made a few small improvements. It seems I did it correctly."
Jhin picked up some food with his chopsticks: "Yumiko, do you want some?"
Sakaki Yumiko hesitated for a moment, then quickly glanced around the classroom. After confirming no one was looking their way, she nodded slightly and opened her small mouth: "Mn."
"Here. How's the taste?"
"Even better than the takeout. Amane's skills are getting better and better."
"Thanks for the praise. I prepared a lot today, do you want to eat together?" Suou Amane dragged over a nearby chair, inviting Sakaki Yumiko to join them.
"But I already bought instant noodles..."
"Oh my, stop eating that unhealthy instant food every day. Is it because my cooking isn't good?"
"Alright, thanks for the meal then."
Miss Sakaki, did you grab the wrong script? Why are you happily eating with your love rival?
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt as if she had bought a ticket for a romance movie and walked into the theater, only to find the content had nothing to do with romance. Picking up the ticket to check again, she saw it read Romeo and Juliet vs. Zombies.
There was a sensation of phantom limb pain after being scammed.
Kasumigaoka Utaha decided to wait and see when Sakaki Yumiko would finally discover that she was being "poached" by her friend.
It won't be on the day Jhin gets stolen away, right...?
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