Caught red-handed.
Erina, in a panic, shifted her gaze away, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Then she took a deep breath, suddenly stepped forward to Zane, and feigned calmness, saying, "Nonsense, I... I don't like these kinds of risqué comics!"
"Heh, heh!"
"I understand, I understand it all."
Zane, with a weird smile and an even craftier look in his eyes, made Erina feel both regret and embarrassment.
But actually, Zane was right; she indeed liked such comics. Most of the time, she would hide in her dorm room, reading them until her face turned red!
Finally, Erina, overwhelmed by complex emotions and unable to bear his gaze.
And to think that today, of all days, she had taken great care to disguise herself, only to run into Zane by chance, and worse, to be recognized by him!
With no other choice, Erina glared at him fiercely, then intended to leave the place with her secretary, Hisako.
…
However, just as she was about to pass by Zane.
By chance, she noticed the bag in Zane's hand, which seemed to contain a few comic books.
She stopped, took a closer look, and asked in surprise, "Is this… 'Yosuga no Sora'?"
"Yes!"
"The original author is a regular at the pub."
"Today, the pub is closed for renovations, so I had to shut it down temporarily!"
"I didn't have much else to do, so I decided to visit him here in Akihabara."
"I heard that the 'Yosuga no Sora' manga has been quite popular lately. I remember the first time he came to the pub, he was worried that the manga might be canceled due to low popularity!"
"Now it seems, he has made a name for himself in the industry."
After saying this, Zane lifted the bag slightly and casually continued, "Look! Before parting, he gave me some original artwork."
"And just as I was leaving his place, I happened to see you here."
"What? You… you know that dog author?"
Upon hearing this, Erina first froze, then her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Do you like this manga?" Seeing Erina's sudden change in expression, Zane was slightly taken aback.
"I… I don't like it at all!"
"It's just that I heard that the dog author likes to stop writing at the most crucial parts, making me so frustrated I want to send him a ton, no, now I think about sending five tons of razor blades!"
Right! Such a contradictory person.
Seeing Erina like this, Zane felt too exasperated to comment.
…
"Well… well, I just read it occasionally."
Realizing that she had let her true feelings about the work show in an unguarded moment, Erina's face turned red again.
After a moment, she leaned in and asked anxiously, "The original artwork he gave you, does it have… any of the latest plot?"
"What are you thinking? Original artwork is definitely from earlier issues. However, he did give me a copy of the latest volume that is about to be released to the public."
Zane, looking at the nearly hysterical Erina, replied irritably.
"The latest? Is it… the fourth volume?"
Standing by, Hisako chimed in.
Zane did not respond but simply nodded.
"Miss Erina, the last time I bought 'Yosuga no Sora' from the bookstore, it was the third volume."
"And according to the release schedule, the fourth volume should be available next week. So the manga volume in Zane's hands is definitely the latest!" Hisako, having confirmed with Zane, quickly whispered in Erina's ear.
"Really?"
Erina, filled with surprise.
…
"Zane, could you… could you lend me the latest manga?"
Following this, Erina's face flushed, her eyes flickering.
After all, this was the first time in her life she had been so bold as to ask a man to lend her something.
"Are you admitting it?"
Seeing this, Zane just smiled.
"Admit what? I… I won't admit that I like these comics!"
Erina retorted sweetly, unaware of how soft her voice had become at that moment.
"Come on! Don't I know you?" After saying that, Zane took the unreleased volume of 'Yosuga no Sora' from his bag and handed it to her.
"Really lending it to me?"
Erina looked at the manga in front of her, her lips twitching slightly, perhaps smiling?
"Yes!"
"Just remember to return
it to me."
"Thank you."
Erina immediately took the manga from Zane's hands, full of gratitude.
Then, she quickly flipped through it, and seeing content she had never seen before, her joy was evident!
…
As the birthplace of anime and manga, it's no surprise how much Japan values this culture.
Visiting Akihabara, one can fully immerse in the dense atmosphere of manga, which seems to enter your nostrils and seep into your skin.
Every building is plastered with various manga and game promotional posters, and each anime product saleswoman also has a strong sense of character.
That feeling of entering an anime world seems to be truly experienced only here.
At this moment, Erina, having just left the comic book store, was quickly attracted by a claw machine by the roadside!
Inside the claw machine, there were figurines of Haruka Kasugano from 'Yosuga no Sora', often holding a black rabbit doll.
And these dolls precisely captured Erina's heart, making her desperately want to own them.
"Hisako."
"How can I get the plushies out of there?"
Erina stopped, pointing at the claw machine and asked.
Claw machines are common knowledge for ordinary people.
But for Erina, who in the original story couldn't even use a washing machine, it seemed very foreign, and she had no idea how to play.
"Miss Erina, you first need to buy some game tokens with money and insert them into this slot."
"Then use the lever and these directional buttons to operate, and when the time is right, use the claw to grab it out!"
Hisako quickly explained.
"Is it that simple?" Erina, somewhat enlightened.
"Miss, this game seems simple, but it's actually very difficult to operate."
"Even if the claw grabs the plush, it will suddenly release at the topmost point of the lift, falling vertically, and everything returns to the starting point." Hisako replied.
"Really?"
Hearing this, Erina's eyes twinkled.
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