Busted.
Erina flinched.
She quickly averted her eyes, pretending nothing had happened—like she hadn't just been caught reaching for a risqué magical girl manga. With a deep breath, she composed herself, stepped forward, and forced a calm (or at least trying to be calm) voice.
"Nonsense. I… I don't like those kinds of comics."
Zane gave her a long, knowing look.
"Heh. Sure. I get it. Say no more."
The crooked smile on his face and the mischievous glint in his eyes made Erina wish the floor would swallow her whole. He knew. And worse—he was enjoying this.
Because the truth was… he wasn't wrong.
She did like those kinds of comics. She'd secretly binge-read them in her dorm room, blushing furiously, clutching her pillow during every scandalous scene.
And of all days, today had to be the day she ran into him—after going through the effort to dress in full disguise. Mask. Sunglasses. Hat.
Only to get caught red-handed.
Unable to withstand his teasing gaze, Erina puffed up her cheeks in frustration, glared at him, and turned to leave with Hisako.
But just as she brushed past him, something caught her eye.
"Wait…"
She stopped and pointed to the bag in Zane's hand. "Is that… Yosuga no Sora?"
Zane lifted the bag slightly and grinned. "Yep."
"That's the one."
"The author's actually a regular at the pub."
"Really?" Erina blinked, stunned.
"Yeah. The pub's temporarily closed for renovations, so I had the day off. I figured I'd swing by his place in Akiba."
"I remember when he first showed up, he was stressed out of his mind, thinking the manga was going to get axed due to low ratings."
Zane chuckled. "Now? He's practically a rising star."
He reached into the bag and pulled out a few items.
"He even gave me some original artwork. Oh, and this—" he held up a neatly wrapped manga volume, "—is an advanced copy of the next release."
"Wait, wait." Erina's voice cracked a little. "You… know that dog of an author?!"
Zane tilted his head. "Dog?"
Erina's eyes sparkled with a complicated mix of admiration and irritation.
"I mean—I don't even like this manga!"
"It's just… that guy always ends chapters right when it gets good! I've had to physically restrain myself from mailing him a crate of razor blades!"
Zane stared blankly.
Hisako stepped back, wisely choosing not to intervene.
"Right," Zane said slowly. "Totally normal reaction."
"Besides!" Erina flailed a bit. "I only read it occasionally."
"Mhm."
"…Maybe once a day."
Zane raised an eyebrow.
Erina's face turned bright red. Then, almost whispering, she leaned in.
"So that new volume you got… does it have anything from the latest arc?"
He laughed. "You think he'd give me spoilers? Please. The original sketches are from early chapters."
"But—" he added, "—he did slip me a copy of volume four. Official release is next week."
"Volume four?!" Hisako echoed in surprise.
"I just bought volume three last week!" she said, turning to Erina. "That's definitely the newest one, Miss."
Erina blinked.
Then, she turned to Zane with uncharacteristic nervousness.
"…Could you… maybe let me borrow it?"
Her voice was quiet. Hesitant. Almost… sweet?
Zane blinked.
"Are you admitting you like the manga now?"
"I—I won't admit it!" she retorted, her voice a little too high. "I just… I'm curious! Out of academic interest!"
"…Of course you are."
He handed her the book without hesitation.
"For you. Just don't crease the pages."
"You're really lending it to me?" Her fingers brushed the edge of the volume, trembling just slightly.
"Yeah. Just give it back when you're done."
"…Thank you," she murmured, eyes lighting up as she took it.
She flipped through the pages quickly. Every panel was brand-new. Unreleased.
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Later, on the street outside the store…
Akihabara was buzzing as usual. Posters of anime girls lined the buildings. Soundtracks from the latest visual novels blared from stores. Cosplayers handed out flyers.
The air itself practically smelled like manga ink and PVC figurines.
And Erina?
She was beaming.
Then, her steps slowed.
Her eyes locked onto a claw machine tucked outside a game center.
Inside?
A Haruka Kasugano plushie. The one with the little black rabbit. Erina's favorite.
She marched over and pointed.
"Hisako. How do I get that?"
Hisako glanced at the machine. "Miss Erina… that's a claw game."
"I know that. I'm not a child," Erina sniffed. "I've just never… used one before."
Hisako held back a sigh.
"You need tokens. Insert them here. Then use this lever and these buttons to position the claw. Once it's aligned, press this to drop the claw and try to grab the prize."
"Hmm. Sounds simple enough."
"It's not," Hisako said flatly. "The claw's strength is weak on purpose. Even if you grab the plushie, it usually drops at the top."
"Really?"
Erina's eyes glinted with challenge.