Two small hands gripped the edge of the partition as a head slowly rose above it, like a ghost crawling out of a well.
Except, instead of a terrifying face, what emerged was an exquisitely doll-like visage, her eyes glimmering with suppressed laughter beneath her glasses. Her golden twin tails twitched with excitement under her hat, revealing just how thrilled she was.
The girl was a first-year student at Toyogasaki Academy, a schoolwide recognized beauty, and a top contender for this year's "Miss Toyogasaki" competition.
On the surface, she exuded the grace and elegance of a refined young lady, treating others with kindness and warmth. She was well-liked by both her peers and upperclassmen.
However, beneath this façade, she harbored a hidden identity—under the pen name "Kashiwagi Eiri," she was a famous doujin (erotic) artist.
She was none other than Sawamura Spencer Eriri.
Eriri didn't go straight home after leaving school. Instead, she went to a café to rest and work on her manuscript. While there, she unexpectedly spotted her rival, Yazuki, entering the same café alongside a girl from their school.
The moment she saw them, she immediately shrank down, hiding beneath the table, wanting to secretly observe what Yazuki was up to.
She had never seen him invite a girl out before. Although they had gone to different schools after middle school, Eriri didn't believe that Yazuki's personality would lead him to invite a girl out. Her curiosity was piqued, just what was this guy planning?
She felt like a private detective investigating a cheating husband, eager to uncover Yazuki's weaknesses so she could use them against him later.
Recalling how, just hours ago, this guy had been tricked by Kasumigaoka's façade and ended up flustered, Eriri almost couldn't hold back her laughter. But she also felt a little frustrated that she hadn't been the one to tease him herself.
What an idiot—falling for that woman's fake demeanor so easily.
To be honest, at first, Eriri had thought Yazuki had noticed something off about Kasumigaoka and was trying to gather information from their schoolmate. However, what she heard next nearly made her burst out laughing, and she had to cover her mouth tightly. But in the end, she just couldn't hold it in.
"Baka Yayuki, don't you get it yet? She's afraid of catching your chuunibyou! What if people start misunderstanding her? And what's with all this nonsense about being sealed away, cursed, a demon god, or whatever? That's some next-level chuunibyou—pffft, I can't, this is too funny... Hahaha!"
Eriri laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes, pounding the partition beside her without a care for maintaining any ladylike image.
"So you still haven't graduated from your chuunibyou phase, huh? And now you're even trying to recruit girls from our school? Wow, that's bold~"
Having gone to school with him before, Eriri was well aware that Yazuki had once suffered from a severe case of chuunibyou.
With that thought in mind, a mischievous grin spread across her face. She slowly stood up on her chair, raising one hand while curling her ring and pinky fingers, pressing the rest against her right eye socket. Then, leaning slightly backward, she struck a pose straight out of a chuunibyou handbook.
"My true name is beyond human comprehension. Thus, I walk among mortals under the guise of Kiryu Yazuki! I am the embodiment of chaos and destruction across the three thousand worlds, the Demon King who resides in the eternal void inferno! When I awaken, it shall mark the world's end—Ragnarök itself!"
This was a direct attack on Yazuki's dignity, Eriri had just recited his old chuunibyou introduction word for word.
The moment she finished speaking, she realized that the entire café had gone silent, and all eyes were now on her. A wave of shame washed over her, and she hurriedly pulled her hat down to cover her face.
Even though those were Yazuki's lines, she had just dramatically recited them in public.
She had gotten too caught up in the moment, wanting to utterly humiliate Yazuki in front of the girl named Megumi Kato. But she had forgotten that this was a public place.
Thankfully, the way people were now looking at Yazuki with amused expressions reassured her a little. Since she had been speaking quite loudly, most of the onlookers probably understood that she was implying Yazuki was a chuunibyou sufferer.
"Umm... wasn't that a bit too harsh?"
A hesitant voice interrupted them, Megumi Kato, whose normally calm expression now carried a hint of discomfort.
The reason she had declined Yazuki's offer was exactly what the other girl had just pointed out.
Sure, what he said would indeed make her stand out, but in a much worse way than she wanted. It was better to maintain the status quo.
She hadn't pointed it out directly because she didn't want to hurt Yazuki's feelings. But she hadn't expected this girl to be so brutally direct about it in public.
Yazuki himself had already lowered his head, seemingly ignoring their conversation as he tapped away at his phone. He looked... like he had retreated into his own little world.
"Uh..."
Even Eriri hesitated. Had she gone too far?
But wasn't this guy always the type to not care about what others thought?
Back in the day, he'd publicly embraced his chuunibyou nonsense without a second thought. So why was he suddenly acting like he couldn't handle it anymore?
Well, that was the past. Now they were in high school, and he wasn't as childish anymore. He had developed some pride and rationality.
That was when Eriri noticed Yazuki's lips curve into a smirk, one that sent a chill down her spine.
She watched as Yazuki pressed one final button on his phone. An ominous feeling settled in her gut.
"Yohohohoho—"
A high-pitched, childish, queenly laugh burst from his phone's speakers.
Wait... why did that voice sound so familiar?
"Pitiful creatures of mere chaos and destruction! I, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, am the beginning and the end, the goddess of dawn and dusk! My true name—"
The voice playing from Yazuki's phone was full of chuunibyou energy. It was slightly younger-sounding, but unmistakably similar to Eriri's own voice.
It was, in fact, a recording of her past chuunibyou lines.
Yazuki had just accessed an old storage file on his phone and downloaded the audio.
This was his revenge.
Unlike before, Yazuki had become a professional artist, his shamelessness had reached new heights. Simply bringing up his past chuunibyou wouldn't faze him anymore.
But now, thanks to Megumi, he had realized she thought of him as nothing more than a delusional weirdo.
That was a bit of a downer.
To make sure everyone in the café heard, he cranked the volume to max.
Eriri froze, her expression stiffening before her face turned beet red. She panicked, her whole body trembling in embarrassment. Then, in a rage-filled shriek, she lunged over the partition, claws outstretched.
"Turn it off right now!!!"
Her small lips let out a sharp cry.
Then—
Thud! Crash!
She lost her balance mid-pounce, landing face-first onto the table. Her forehead smacked against the surface with a heavy thump.
The entire café winced, some even shutting their eyes, unable to watch the tragic sight of a beautiful girl getting hurt so badly.