Ch.139Enemy of the Pure Love Enthusiast (2)

“Why are you writing such degenerate otaku novels while being a normie?!”

Mika shouted loudly.

“My novels are degenerate otaku stuff…?”

I muttered.

“Hey. Shota. Can I hit her? Shota… you work so hard every day, making time to write. How dare she belittle that…”

Umi got angry on my behalf. Somehow… I was grateful.

“Right. There are things you can say… and things you shouldn’t.”

Eri also rolled up her sleeves.

Click-!

Taiga said nothing but picked up the barbecue tongs. Um… Taiga. Could you put that down? Stop reaching for weapons first. Please.

But… I wasn’t even angry.

“Hahaha!! Thank you!!!! Mikaaaa!!!”

I immediately ran toward Mika.

“Kyaaaah! Stay away!!”

Mika quickly backed away.

No. Writing novels for otaku and having them called “degenerate otaku stuff” is a compliment!!!

“Mika… you read my novel?”

I said with a smile. This kid… I guess she wants to be friends with me after all. Well… since she dislikes me so much, a romantic relationship is out of the question, but this brat… I kind of like her!!

“O-Of course!! I genuinely wanted to get closer to you?!! So I did some research!!! But… to think you were such a playboy…”

Mika mumbled with a tearful expression.

“I don’t know… I’m just tired of writing novels now. I’ll think about it after taking a year-long hiatus. I feel like my motivation to write has been crushed even more.”

And suddenly Mika was saying something crazy.

No. Mika… what are you talking about?

“Hey!! Mika!! Hungry?! Let’s eat first and think later!”

I immediately handed her some barbecue.

“There’s no… white sticky fluid or anything on this barbecue, right?”

Mika said while turning the meat over.

Hey… don’t you have a seriously distorted view of what normies are like? Do you watch too much hentai?

“Let’s eat first… and talk about the hiatus later.”

That’s what I said.

For now… I was in a position where I needed to persuade Mika against her hiatus. Given how adamant she was, I had to put it on hold.

“Hmph. I’m not going to be lured by food.”

Mika shook her head haughtily.

“…I worked hard grilling it.”

This makes me sad.

“…….”

Seeing my dejected expression, Mika seemed to feel some inexplicable guilt.

“Aaaah!! Fine!! I’ll eat it, okay?!”

Mika immediately picked up the barbecue.

Munch munch-!

Mika quickly devoured the meat while making cute sounds. Hmm. She’s enjoying it.

“……..”

After eating something delicious, Mika’s expression immediately softened. She was surprisingly simple-minded.

Mr. Shota… I’ll work hard to persuade Mika to continue her series!

At that moment, Eri quietly approached me.

“Shota. When are we going to talk about Tina?”

Eri brought me back to reality.

“Ah… right.”

It would be better if Tina, the person in question, were here, but she was busy with security work for Madoka. She wouldn’t be able to make time to come here.

“Well. I’ll contact Tina.”

I picked up my phone.

“When did you exchange contact information with Tina?”

Eri asked.

“Hm? During the Toshinbae.”

I replied.

“You move fast… you’re a scary one.”

Eri said with a complicated expression.

“Hey!! Don’t leave me out!”

Just then, Mika shouted loudly.

This kid… she gets lonely easily. But… do we have anything in common to hang out over? I wondered.

“Ah!! Then let’s write together!!! We’re colleagues after all!”

I immediately called out to Mika.

I’ve always dreamed of fellow professional writers sitting with laptops side by side! It was also a clever move to prevent Mika’s hiatus!

“No way!!!”

Mika immediately shouted firmly. This kid… how much does she hate writing?

——–

Himeno Mika made a resolution in middle school.

“Her name has ‘Hime’ in it… but she’s not princess-like at all.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Himeno. You know, the girl with glasses.”

“Oh… was there someone like that in our class?”

She overheard the conversation between the boys nearby.

Himeno Mika wasn’t a pretty girl, and boys could be cruel to unattractive girls. Not that they were intentionally cruel. Girls they didn’t see as potential romantic interests just blended into the background.

‘I get it… I like handsome guys too.’

Himeno walked home with a bitter feeling.

While she was walking home, pretty girls would be enjoying their youth, experiencing sweet romance with boys.

That’s what… made Mika feel wronged. She was throwing her youth into the gutter, while others were enjoying their bright, shining youth.

‘When I enter high school… I’ll change!’

Mika made that resolution that day.

To fulfill her resolution, she needed money. Middle school students weren’t supposed to work part-time, but… she couldn’t have gotten a job anyway.

‘I have no social skills after all…’

Mika sighed and muttered.

In the end, Himeno Mika decided to try something she could do.

That was ‘writing for money.’ She was confident in her writing abilities, so Mika immediately created an account and began writing novels.

Mika poured her desires for an ideal romance into her novels and submitted them.

Pure, heartfelt love stories were what she aspired to write. Her days were spent repeatedly bringing her fantasies to life through her novels. It was fun, and it was also rewarding.

She eventually became a popular author and secured the funds needed to improve herself.

There was no need for plastic surgery. Her original features weren’t that bad to begin with.

Mika spent a tremendous amount of money on hairstyling and skincare. She also subscribed to fashion magazines and bought lots of clothes.

She underwent hard training every day to create a sexy figure that men would like.

And… when Mika became a high school freshman, she deliberately went to a distant school. It was to wash away her past.

As a result, Mika became a beauty who attracted everyone’s attention.

She was stunned by how differently men looked at her now. She was so bewildered that she wondered if she had been transported to another world.

Men started confessing to her, and she began hanging out with the popular crowd.

The youth she had so desperately wanted in middle school had finally materialized.

——–

However… her happiness was short-lived.

Mika had overlooked one thing.

The fact that she was a pure-love unicorn. She still yearned for “true love.”

‘These guys… they wouldn’t have even spoken to me when I was unattractive, right? They just like my looks.’

Such thoughts prevented her from dating.

‘Sigh… if he’s such a handsome guy, hasn’t he been with many women already? It’s too unfair if I’m the only one laughing and crying over my first experience.’

Even when handsome guys confessed, such thoughts made Mika feel reluctant.

‘Besides… they’re just staring at my chest and butt.’

Mika also didn’t appreciate the men’s lewd gazes. The realization that they were ultimately after her looks and body was enough to cool her interest.

Real-life romance is materialistic. The disappointment that followed after getting what she had so desperately wanted was enough to kill her motivation to write.

As a result, Mika continued her unannounced hiatus.

‘If I find a colleague… could pure love be possible?’

Soon, Mika came up with such an idea.

Besides… web novel authors were usually otaku. Wouldn’t a nerdy guy be better for pure love than an overtly flirtatious normie guy? With that thought, Mika frequently attended offline gatherings with other male authors on the platform. If there was a decent guy, she was determined to catch him.

However… her colleagues were the same. They only saw Mika’s exterior. There were truckloads of guys who openly flirted with her.

Mika eventually grew tired of that too.

———–

‘So this time… I set conditions to select a good guy!!!’

Mika sighed while chewing on her barbecue.

He had a good personality, and although he was an otaku, he took care of himself and had a sturdy body built through exercise. His appearance was ordinary but decent.

‘Plus… writing more than three chapters a day means he’s sincere about his work, so he must be diligent and reliable.’

That was Mika’s expectation. She was convinced he was the ideal nerdy guy she was looking for.

With a bit of anticipation, Mika headed straight to the private beach.

There… Mika encountered a shocking scene.

She witnessed a promiscuous group of normies having an orgy party right on the beach. Yes, it was Shota’s harem.

It wasn’t forced or criminal. Everyone seemed to be genuinely enjoying and indulging in carnal desires together.

Since it was the first time she had directly witnessed such a sexual scene, Mika fainted with her eyes rolled back.

Seeing this, Shota rushed to provide first aid to Mika, and that was the behind-the-scenes reason for Mika’s late arrival.

———

Back to Shota’s perspective.

As mosquitoes started to swarm, we quickly headed inside the villa.

Mika was just sitting in a corner, curled up.

“Hey. How long are you going to stay like that? We’re all hanging out together now, right? Don’t make such a gloomy face. Let’s have fun together, okay?”

Umi immediately crawled toward Mika and said.

“Hyaaah!!! The typical friendliness of a real gyaru…!!!! It’s blinding…!!!!”

Mika immediately pretended to cover her eyes with her hands.

“Hehehe. A real gyaru… you say such funny things.”

Umi chuckled.

“Right… I’m sorry for trying to deceive people by changing my image when I became a high schooler… but my inner self is still a loner… I can never match the friendliness of a real gyaru…”

Mika spoke at an incredibly fast pace, as if reciting a sutra. Hehehe. This kid is really funny. I liked her more and more.

“At times like this…”

Just then, Eri brought something.

“…….”

Beer cans?! Yes, they were beer cans.

“Hey!! Underage drinking is prohibited!!!”

I immediately shouted loudly. Maintain ethical standards!!!

“It’s non-alcoholic. Just to set the mood.”

Eri said.

“Since we’re here, let’s have a heart-to-heart talk until night.”

Eri sat next to Mika and said.

Although she didn’t like Mika… it seemed she wanted to lighten the mood since we were all hanging out together now.

“Uwaaaaah!!!!!! A kind gyaru to a loner…!!!!!”

Mika started having another fit.

“Hehehehe!! She’s kind of like Shota, isn’t she? Making a fuss about everything.”

Taiga said with a chuckle.

“Right? Wouldn’t it be fun to hang out with her?”

I said to Taiga.

“Yeah… but.”

Suddenly, Taiga’s expression hardened.

“If you say you’re going to make her your girlfriend, I’ll kill you.”

Taiga said with an expression that looked like she could really kill someone.

“……Yes ma’am.”

I immediately became submissive.

Anyway, the girls’ night talk (with one guy mixed in) began.