Ch.8Date?

On the first day of school, we didn’t really do anything special, as expected.

We went to the auditorium for the entrance ceremony, listened to a brief orientation about classes, and then the day was over.

After classes ended, the classroom was bustling with activity. Everyone finally felt the reality of being high school students. Being in high school was different from middle school. There was a sense of being halfway to adulthood.

As I was packing my bag, someone approached me.

“Shota! Let’s go together!”

It was Umi. She really seemed intent on hanging out with me.

The gazes of the surrounding students immediately fixed on me.

“Umi… she’s so aloof with other guys… but she smiles at him.”

“Who is that guy anyway?”

“Childhood friends? Something like that, right?”

The students started whispering among themselves.

I found this atmosphere incredibly uncomfortable, but Umi didn’t seem bothered at all. She just smiled calmly. There was even a hint of pride in her smile. She had reached the level of enjoying the attention. This is what a true goddess is like. I was secretly impressed.

“Hey, Umi-ching. Were you planning to hang out with Shota-ppi?”

At that moment, the gyaru—no, Nishikawa Eri—approached and spoke.

By the way, what’s with that “Shota-ppi” nickname? It’s not even an abbreviation. It actually added a syllable.

“Yeah,” Umi replied.

“Then let me join—”

Eri immediately tried to join us.

“No,” Umi said in a serious tone.

“Ehhh? Why not… I want to get closer to Shota too.”

Eri spoke with a dissatisfied tone.

“Shota, I need to use the restroom for a moment.”

Umi promptly led Eri away somewhere.

It would be awkward if I just left now… so I decided to wait.

Meanwhile, our protagonist, Aiueo Sashisuseso—Sashisu for short—was calmly listening to music as he headed home. He acted like he couldn’t care less about what was happening around him. He was truly a cool guy. The type of protagonist that otakus go crazy for.

——–

At that time, from Umi’s perspective.

Umi took Eri to the bathroom.

“Umi, do you like him? So that’s your type.”

Eri said with a grin.

“N-not particularly!”

Umi exclaimed, her face turning red.

“Hmm? Really? Then I can hang out with you guys too, right? Besides… I kind of like Shota. Maybe I’ll go after him?”

Eri said with a smile.

“……..”

Since she didn’t particularly like him, it shouldn’t matter. However, Umi felt a strange pain in her chest.

“He’s my prey. Don’t touch him.”

That’s what Umi said.

“Wow, Umi, so assertive!!”

Eri immediately expressed her admiration. She seemed to find the whole situation amusing.

“A carnivorous girl? You’re totally a carnivorous girl!”

Eri burst into laughter.

“Anyway, don’t touch him. I’m going to make him my slave.”

Umi tried to speak in a haughty tone.

“Oh really? Then I’ll make Shota my prey too.”

Eri smiled even more mischievously.

“W-what are you saying!!! That’s not fair!!”

Umi shouted in confusion.

“Let’s have a fair competition, Umi-ching. I’ll back off today.”

Eri laughed and patted Umi’s shoulder.

“Hey!! Stop!!”

Umi tried to stop Eri, but she quickly ran away.

“Seriously…”

Umi sighed deeply and fixed her makeup again. It didn’t mean anything special. She just wanted to be in perfect condition before starting her conquest.

“By the way…”

Umi looked toward the classroom beyond the bathroom.

“He’s surprisingly popular.”

Umi muttered. She had thought there wouldn’t be any competition since he seemed like a common quiet guy.

Umi felt even more determined now.

——–

Back to Shota’s perspective.

I was just casually checking my phone.

‘Ah, they have it here too.’

A web novel site.

It was a bit different from the Korean market. Being an otaku myself, I knew roughly how it worked. Successful works would be adapted into manga or anime, and that’s how the industry operated. Light novels were now being published online as well.

The site had a free serialization section, and after reaching a certain number of chapters, you could apply for a paid subscription system. It was a system where you got paid based on views.

There were other platforms too, but they used a coin system. I decided to pass on those for now. It seemed difficult for a newbie to survive there.

I was reading works at the top of the rankings. It was a kind of professional habit to analyze what made successful works tick. Well, being an otaku myself, I enjoyed reading them too.

“I’ve got the gist of it.”

I had a sense of which tags and combinations were popular.

‘This game… requires a lot of money.’

That’s right. In this psychological game, leveling up required a lot of money. Equipment costs were quite high, and enjoying other forms of entertainment cost even more.

Usually, players would work part-time jobs, but honestly, the rewards from those were too small. The recommended grinding method for money was dungeon grinding.

‘But with my current level and specs, I can’t even do dungeon grinding.’

I was just a weakling at level 4, and it was impossible for me to run through dungeons repeatedly. Later, if I became friends with Sashisu, I could use the friend shield to make money… but it’s impossible now.

Given my profession, I only knew one way to make money.

‘I’ll just make money with web novels.’

It was something I had been doing since I was 24 in my original world. It was the only method I knew. I didn’t need to hit it big. I just needed to make enough money for equipment. Actually, it was easy to make a living without aiming for a big hit. I just needed to follow the trends. I had enough talent to ride the wave of trends.

‘Alright… let’s allocate my free time for writing.’

I immediately made plans to earn money.

Just then, someone tapped my shoulder.

It was Umi. Her face was flushed again. I roughly knew what it meant when Umi’s face turned red. She was angry.

“Ah… sorry. I was concentrating.”

I said to Umi.

“N-no! It’s okay!! Let’s go.”

Surprisingly, Umi wasn’t angry.

Anyway, Umi and I immediately headed out through the school gate.

———

Umi’s perspective.

Umi found herself absentmindedly staring at Shota as he fiddled with his phone.

‘When he’s concentrating… he looks kind of cool.’

Umi felt as if she was entranced, staring at Shota.

‘His eyelashes… are pretty long. And his eyes are so bright.’

Umi was thinking such thoughts when she had a crazy idea.

She wanted to lick his eyeballs. Umi couldn’t help but think that.

‘N-no!!! What am I thinking!!!’

Umi shook her head. She felt a bit of self-loathing for having such creepy thoughts.

Anyway, Umi deliberately fixed her expression and tapped Shota’s shoulder.

——–

Back to Shota’s perspective.

“What were you doing on your phone?”

Umi asked.

“Ah… just reading web novels.”

I said. There was no need to lie.

“Hmm… so you’re into that?”

Umi smiled as she spoke. That’s it. The look of a popular person looking at an otaku with curiosity. Stop it!! Don’t look at me like I’m some kind of animal!!!

“Why do you read those?”

The innocent question of a popular person!!!! Yeah!! You wouldn’t understand!!

“Ah… because I dream of becoming a writer.”

I casually replied.

“Hmm… a writer?”

Umi’s eyes lit up a bit.

“You even have a proper career goal… that’s impressive.”

Umi said, her eyes slightly sparkling.

“Well, enough about that. Where should we go?”

I asked.

“Hey, Shota. That’s something the guy should decide.”

Umi spoke with a slightly annoyed tone.

“But… you’re the one who invited me.”

What kind of thief’s mentality is this? Well… that’s typical of Umi.

“No arguments! Shota decides!”

Umi shouted.

“Really? Then let’s part ways here since we’ve already walked through the school gate together.”

You want me to decide? Then I’ll deliberately cause chaos.

“No!! Who parts ways right after meeting!!!”

Umi immediately shouted, seemingly upset.

In the end, Umi decided our destination.

——–

High school girls are creatures who feel anxious if they don’t have something to drink in their hands.

Umi and I got bubble tea to go from a nearby café.

By the way, the part-timer was impressive. They maintained a smile and polite service all day long. It wasn’t like this in Korea. All Japanese stores were like this. As a native Korean, it was almost uncomfortable.

Slurp-!

Umi walked while enthusiastically drinking her bubble tea through the straw.

“……..”

Somehow, just drinking bubble tea seemed strangely sensual. I glanced at her briefly.

By the way, the bubble tea was delicious.

“Let’s go shopping for clothes!!”

Umi exclaimed.

“Clothes?”

I see. I’m the baggage carrier and reaction provider. I sighed.

“Don’t you want to?”

Umi asked.

“No, I don’t mind. I actually like it. I enjoy shopping. I’m known as the Shopping Man.”

I said. This was my karma. If I had just hung out with Umi during the break, I wouldn’t have been dragged out like this.

But I did like shopping. I even preferred going to physical stores to buy figurines and games. Among loners, I was the most outdoorsy one.

“Hehehehehe. Shopping Man… such a lame joke… hehehe.”

Umi immediately chuckled. She really laughs easily.

“If this is the last shopping trip of my life, it’s not so bad.”

I muttered bitterly. If I die tomorrow, this would really be my last day.

“Why so terminal all of a sudden!! Hahaha!! Shota, you really talk nonsense whenever you get the chance.”

Umi burst into laughter again.

Anyway, Umi and I headed straight to the clothing store.

Near the shopping district of Emoshita City, there were rows of clothing and accessory stores for young people. It was a hot spot within this small city. But among people, it was called “Unlucky Harajuku.” Well… it’s inevitable to compare it with downtown Tokyo.

“Since it’s spring, I need to buy summer clothes in advance!!”

Umi enthusiastically entered the store. I just followed behind like a pet.

“I’ll try on some clothes! Wait for me in front of the fitting room!”

Umi hurriedly grabbed some clothes and went into the fitting room.

I waited in front of the fitting room.

Rustle-! Rustle-!

The sound of clothes being removed was audible in stereo, which was embarrassing, but I desperately recited multiplication tables to calm my mind.