"Now, open your eyes."
The Service Club room, which had already been tense because of the discussion about evil spirits, ghosts, and cursed spirits, grew even tenser when Tetsuya suddenly produced a katana out of nowhere.
If Yukino hadn't experienced something supernatural the night before, she would have immediately taken out her phone and called the police, reporting that some lunatic was playing with a blade inside the clubroom. But suppressing her shock, she stayed silent and simply watched as Tetsuya swung the katana in front of the girl named Yotsuya Miko.
It was just a gentle swing, he didn't even touch her eyes.
Yukino's common sense urged her to question whether Tetsuya was simply insane and fooling around, but she chose to remain silent.
Meanwhile, Miko, who had squeezed her eyes shut in fear, heard Tetsuya's voice and slowly opened them.
"Um…"
She was extremely nervous, filled with hope, anticipation, fear, and lingering sadness. But when she opened her eyes, her frightened expression shifted into one of shock.
For more than a year, the world she saw had been bleak, crowded with horrifying evil spirits. She had forced herself to remain composed when facing them, but deep inside, she had always been terrified.
Ever since she gained this ability, like a curse, she had seen countless evil spirits every single day. On the streets, at school, in parks, in stores, in alleyways, in crowds, even in her own home.
Was she traumatized? One could only hope not… No, if she were, she would likely have fallen into depression under the immense psychological pressure placed on an ordinary high school girl like her.
Now, thanks to the hope given by a new classmate who said he could fix this problem, Miko could finally see the world as it normally was.
There were no evil spirits. No oppressive, terrifying presence.
Just an ordinary world.
But to Miko, it was far more than that.
"Hiratsuji… san. Thank you. Really, thank you so much!" Miko cried, her eyes reddening as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Her body went limp, and she fell into Tetsuya's arms. Having already put Mugen Saika away, Tetsuya allowed her to cry against him. Calmly and patiently, he gently patted her back, offering quiet comfort.
Yukino, watching this scene, felt happy for Miko, but her gaze toward Tetsuya grew even more curious.
…
After a while, Miko's crying stopped. Realizing she had been crying in Tetsuya's arms for quite some time, and had even dampened his uniform, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"S-Sorry, Hiratsuji-san! I…" she stammered, her voice hoarse from crying, unable to come up with an excuse.
Tetsuya smiled faintly and waved it off. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
Miko still felt guilty, but since he said so, she accepted it. Right now, she was thinking about how she could repay Tetsuya for "destroying" her Spirit Sight.
"Um… as thanks, how about… coming over to my house for a meal?" Miko asked shyly, her cheeks red.
"Sure," Tetsuya nodded lightly.
After chatting a bit more, Miko left since she had already kept her best friend, Hana, waiting.
"Hiratsuji…"
"Hm?"
Yukino could no longer suppress her curiosity. She looked at him and asked, "That katana… what is it? I felt something… very unpleasant from it, even just looking at it."
Simply seeing someone casually hold a katana could frighten anyone, especially a girl. But the katana Tetsuya held felt different. It didn't seem like an ordinary blade. It felt like something extraordinary lurked within it.
"Oh, that? It's called Mugen Saika. A… well, a weapon. With special abilities."
Yukino could tell he didn't want to elaborate, so she simply nodded.
…
With nothing left to do in the Service Club, Tetsuya left after exchanging contact information with Yukino. As for how that happened, Yukino herself had asked for it, and Tetsuya had no reason to refuse.
In the hallway, he was suddenly blocked by a girl with long blonde twin-tails, light blue eyes, fair skin, and a beautiful face.
"Tetsuya! Why haven't you contacted me at all?! You haven't even sent a single message! You must be spending more time with that fat woman, aren't you?!"
Eriri Spencer Sawamura pouted angrily, pointing at his nose in frustration.
She was cute and beautiful, many boys would be thrilled to receive even one message from her. Yet this man, Tetsuya, hadn't messaged her once.
Tetsuya looked at Eriri, who was shorter than him. Even while angry, she had to tilt her head up to glare at him, which only made her look adorable.
Like Kato Megumi and Kasumigaoka Utaha, Eriri was a heroine from Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, the childhood friend archetype. And like most childhood friends… she was destined to lose.
She was also a classic tsundere. In the original story, she didn't get along well with Utaha. In this life too, the "fat woman" she referred to was Utaha.
Tetsuya had met Eriri during the Sobu High entrance ceremony, when she had dropped her belongings and was struggling to pick them up. Since then, though they weren't in the same class, they had become friends.
They gradually grew closer. Eventually, Tetsuya discovered her secret identity as the famous doujinshi artist "Eri Kashiwagi," which shocked Eriri and made her feel like her youthful innocence had ended.
But instead of mocking her or making it awkward, Tetsuya simply praised her drawing skills. Everything she drew was incredibly detailed, even if those details were… somewhat sensitive.
Eriri realized Tetsuya didn't judge her "otaku" side, and Tetsuya also revealed he was a novelist. From then on, they became even closer.
Despite her tsundere embarrassment, Eriri often asked for Tetsuya's opinion on her work, especially new pieces. Whether the art was good, whether the theme was interesting, or whether the heroine's expression was convincing and alluring.
For the past two weeks, Eriri had been planning a new project and had already started drawing it. As usual, she sent panels to Tetsuya for feedback.
But he hadn't replied.
Worse yet, she kept seeing him with three other girls!
And with that fat woman!
Eriri was upset, but as a proud tsundere from the diplomat Spencer family, she refused to reach out first. She waited for him to come to her, ut he never did (she hadn't called or messaged him either, too embarrassed and too tsundere)!
Unable to endure it any longer, feeling increasingly ignored, Eriri finally confronted Tetsuya the moment she saw him.