[Anime Crossover] Becoming Mangaka in Anime World

May 2nd.

Simply put, it's the fourth day of Golden Week.

Golden Week in Japan spans ten days from the end of April to early May—a glorious stretch of holidays strung together. Naturally, most people take this chance to go on trips. But Eriri isn't one of them.

To the rest of the school, Sawamura Spencer Eriri might seem like the quintessential popular girl at the top of the social food chain. But in reality? She's a seasoned otaku with over ten years of experience.

Travel?

Why would anyone choose that over staying at home with the AC on full blast, sipping on Coke, snacking, reading manga, and gaming?

For the past three days, that's exactly how Eriri had been spending her time. But today was different.

At the crack of dawn (or, well, 10 a.m.), Eriri put on a sun hat and a green tracksuit and headed out.

By 11:45 a.m.—

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong...

The frantic doorbell ringing made it crystal clear how annoyed she was. Standing in front of the familiar door, Eriri's face twisted in frustration.

"Don't tell me... he's still in bed at this hour!"

Sure, living alone during the holidays means enjoying some freedom, but still being asleep at this time? That's just lazy!

"If I'd known this would happen, I should've grabbed a spare key from mom."

Living alone comes with the occasional dumb mistake of forgetting your key. So keeping a spare at a friend's place is perfectly reasonable. Given the long-standing friendship between their families, mom holding onto it made total sense.

"No, no! That's a terrible idea!"

"If mom finds out, she'll definitely make some weird jokes about it!"

Eriri's pale cheeks flushed pink. Absolutely not happening!

As she shook off those thoughts, her finger jabbed the doorbell with renewed determination.

Then—

"Eriri?"

That familiar voice, tinged with surprise.

"Wha—you're not home?!"

A boy's amused voice replied: "Not everyone sleeps until ten on holidays, you know."

"Sh-shut up!"

Flustered, Eriri's face turned red as she shot a glare at him. "Who even sleeps until ten just because it's a holiday?"

"Sure, sure."

Akifumi Mugiho laughed, his eyes catching the beads of sweat on her forehead.

"How long was she standing out here?" he wondered. The weather in May wasn't that hot yet.

Shifting the grocery bag in his hand, he pulled out a key.

"Well, you wanna come in and sit for a bit?"

Eriri hesitated but eventually relented. "Since you're insisting, I guess I'll come in for a while."

Inside, Akifumi handed her a pair of indoor slippers.

"The other guys haven't been around for ages, so these are my old ones. Hope they'll do."

Eriri took them without a word and followed him inside, her eyes wandering around the room.

"Nothing's changed at all..."

When was the last time she'd come here? Two years ago? Three? It had been so long she couldn't quite remember.

"Suddenly leaving and suddenly coming back—he's always like this!"

Her chest tightened with an inexplicable ache, a hint of bitterness creeping in. A thin layer of moisture gathered in her blue eyes.

"And then last month..."

The memory of that scene in the multipurpose room surfaced. Her heartbeat stuttered before speeding up uncontrollably.

Her face flushed crimson, like the sunset painting the sky, making her look stunningly radiant.

"Why did he do that?!"

"There's only one explanation!"

"L-lik—"

Even in her own mind, she couldn't finish the word.

"But hey, I am a super cute girl, so it's totally natural he'd fall for me, right?"

"But if he confesses, what should I do?"

"Should I accept it... or accept it?"

"Guh-hee-hee."

Eriri's imagination spiraled, painting vivid scenes in her mind. Her expression shifted into a goofy grin.

Moments ago, she'd been sulking in frustration. Now she was mentally daydreaming about... self-crafted romantic scenarios. Classic Eriri.

Akifumi glanced at her, bewildered by her sudden goofy expression. He had no idea that in just a few seconds, her thoughts had gone from elementary school to planning the names of their future children.

He pulled a Coke from the fridge and handed it to her.

"Here."

Eriri snapped out of her thoughts and frowned at the label.

"No Pepsi?"

Pepsi? Ew. Even dogs wouldn't drink that.

Still, for the sake of keeping the mood light, Akifumi held back from saying that aloud.

"Only Coke. Or I can get you some water?"

"Tch."

She rolled her eyes, twisted off the cap, and took a big gulp.

"Ahhh~"

She let out a satisfied sigh.

Akifumi smiled and grabbed a bottle for himself.

As they sipped their drinks, he asked, "So, did you come here for something specific?"

There wasn't really anything important. She just wanted to confront him about what had happened that day.

Because of him, she hadn't been able to sleep properly, and the dark circles under her eyes were proof.

But now that they were face to face, she lost the nerve to bring it up.

"Speaking of which... it's almost August, right?"

That abrupt topic shift would confuse most people—but not Akifumi.

He sighed. "Come on, three months should be enough, right?"

Her lips curved into a small smile, her voice tinged with delight. "Creating something isn't that easy, you know!"

"You have to pour your heart and soul into telling a perfect story in just twenty pages, and still leave readers wanting more."

...Wait, perfect story?

This girl really had no shame.

Even though she was too young to read Kashiwagi Eri's more mature works, online reviews often criticized her storytelling.

Watching Eriri puff out her chest in pride, Akifumi hesitated but decided not to crush her enthusiasm. He just gave her a polite nod. "I see."

"So, Miss Kashiwagi Eri, what stage are you at now?"

Eriri avoided his gaze. "Uh... worldbuilding."