Chapter 379 380: Eromanga Sensei

"Café LycoReco is now open for business. Come find me here if you have time — I'm working as the Store Manager here lately."

Eriri received this text message from Jhin. She'd actually been planning to talk to him about Eromanga Sensei anyway, so she put in her contact lenses, changed into her Mihama Academy uniform, and followed the map there.

After double-checking the address, she pushed open the café's door.

"Ding-ling~"

"Welcome to Hamster's Nest!"

Two starkly different voices rang out at once — one lively, one listless — and it startled Eriri. She'd assumed Jhin would be the only one in the café; she hadn't expected there to be staff as well.

Faced with a stranger, she instinctively slipped into her elegant-young-lady facade, offering a faint smile as she asked the waitress in the red kimono standing before her, "Excuse me, is Jhin here?"

"Huh? Someone's here for Jhin-nii...? Ah, please wait a moment, I'll go call him from the kitchen." Chisato went pattering off into the kitchen.

Eriri, meanwhile, was a bit bothered by the odd way the girl had addressed him. She frowned and murmured under her breath, "Jhin-nii?"

Hearing that a beautiful young lady with blonde twin-tails, pretty as a porcelain doll, had come looking for him, Jhin guessed it was probably Eriri. So, under Chisato's odd stare, he walked out of the kitchen carrying a glass of cola.

"Yo, Eriri. Didn't expect you to be the first one to show up. Here, cola."

To fit the part of Store Manager, he'd specially changed into a fitted suit with a tie and had done his hair up a bit, so he looked considerably more mature. Combined with the faint, knowing smile at the corner of his mouth, it left Eriri staring, eyes wide. Chisato's threat-detection radar went off instantly, the end of the hair bundled with her red ribbon standing straight up.

This girl has feelings for Jhin-nii!

"Ah... thanks." Eriri took the cola and drank a sip to cover her earlier lapse, then sat down at the counter and asked him, "Do you remember that blogger you liked on social media?"

"You mean Eromanga Sensei?"

"Yeah. Didn't you say that was just some internet friend you made up? Turns out there really is such a person, and their art skills are seriously impressive!" After reaching out first, Eriri had chatted a lot with that artist — practically bared her soul to them. It was the first time she'd met a female artist who shared so much common ground with her when it came to risqué art.

"Er... life's full of surprises, I guess. So you came all this way just to tell me that?"

"Pretty much. By the way, why'd you suddenly open a café? Aren't you loaded already?"

"All sorts of reasons, really. Kazuki had something to do with it too."

"I see. But why'd you give me cola?"

"Hm? Don't you like it?"

Jhin's expression was so matter-of-fact that Eriri couldn't help but scoff, "This is a café, you know? Shouldn't it be coffee or black tea?"

"That's just what's on the menu for regular customers. It's not like I don't know what you like to drink. Even if it's not on the menu, I can still bring it out for you."

Chisato couldn't stand how familiar the two of them were with each other any longer. Under Kurumi's amused gaze, she walked over and cut in, "Jhin-nii, you still haven't introduced your friend to us."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. This is Sawamura Spencer Eriri, my classmate. Eriri, this is Nishikigi Chisato, she's—"

Chisato cut in before he could finish: "Jhin-nii saved my life! I'm working hard to repay that debt right now!"

"Uh... pretty much, yeah."

"Saved your life? What did you do this time?"

"Jhin-nii gave me a new life!"

If an ordinary person had said that, Chisato's words would've sounded perfectly innocent. But Eriri wasn't ordinary — she was a doujin artist, and a big-name one specializing in degradation content at that. That line sent her mind straight into the gutter, and the cola in her mouth sprayed everywhere. "Pfft! Cough, cough— P-pregnancy counts as saving a life too?!"

Seeing the other three all staring at her with odd looks, Eriri realized her mind had gone somewhere dirty, and her face flushed red as she turned away.

Chisato pounded her right fist into her left palm. She'd finally figured it out.

This girl in front of her was one of those risqué young-lady types!

Jhin pulled out a rag and started wiping the counter, smoothing things over for her: "You're overthinking it. I just cured Chisato's heart condition."

"Y-you can even cure heart conditions? That's... that's pretty impressive."

"Speaking of that artist, would you be interested in collaborating with her?"

"Huh? Me and her?"

"That's right." Jhin snapped his fingers. He still wasn't sure whether this Eromanga Sensei was actually Izumi Sagiri or her mother, but their skill was beyond question. He hadn't forgotten his plan to help Eriri fully unlock her potential, and Chisato's situation had just given him a rather interesting story framework to work with.

Maybe he could get the two of them to co-author a serialized manga.

"It's not impossible, I guess, but I don't have much experience collaborating with anyone."

"That's exactly why I'm suggesting it — to build up your skills."

"Fine, I'll give it a try."

Chisato, who'd been standing there listening for a while, suddenly cut in: "Is Miss Eriri a mangaka?"

Oh no! She'd gotten so caught up chatting with Jhin after not seeing him for so long that she'd completely forgotten there was a stranger standing right there. Still, there was room to salvage things.

Eriri feigned composure. "Y-yeah, I am. Just a no-name mangaka, that's all. That's why I keep coming to Jhin for advice."

"Can you tell me what your works are called? I'd love to go buy them and check them out!"

"Ahaha, let's wait until I'm a bit more famous first. It's a little embarrassing right now."

"Okay, good luck!"

Kurumi, crouched behind the counter fiddling with her tablet, had already searched up the "Eromanga Sensei" social media account and was fighting hard not to burst out laughing.

Chisato, given your age, you probably can't even get your hands on this "mangaka's" works.

To avoid revealing anything more, Eriri paid for her cola and hurried off, using the excuse of contacting Eromanga Sensei.

Not long after she left, a silver-haired girl walked into the café. Her deep crimson eyes, sharp enough to see straight through people, locked onto Jhin at the counter. Chisato felt an inexplicable pressure and didn't hesitate to step between them: "Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?"

Kazami Kazuki watched Chisato's protective stance with amusement. Just from Nymph's reports alone, she'd never have guessed this girl seemed to have some unusual feelings for her little brother. It was a good thing she'd come by wanting to eat something her brother made himself — otherwise she'd have missed out on something this entertaining.

Her gaze swept over Chisato once, then crossed past her to land on Jhin in his mature getup. Kazami Kazuki sighed inwardly — no wonder he was her brother; no matter what he wore, it always looked custom-tailored for him.

She pointed a finger at him, narrowing her eyes with amusement. "I'm taking the Store Manager home with me."

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