"Sora, that girl looks very familiar."
Yamada Elf reached out her small hand, gently tugged at Sora's sleeve, and motioned across the street with her chin.
"Let me see... Is it that girl from the Literature Club?"
Hearing this, Sora looked over curiously.
A petite girl with short red hair, wearing the same school uniform, came into view.
"Her name is something like... Okay, I can't remember."
Sora quickly shook his head. He only remembered that she was exceptionally shy around strangers, clearly suffering from social anxiety, and kept her head down the whole time she spoke. He had completely forgotten her name.
"It's Komari Chika." Anna complained while eating her free ice cream.
"After filling out the club application, Sora hasn't been to the Literature Club once. Now you've even forgotten the club member's name. This is exactly where you fall short."
Sora raised an eyebrow and looked over: "Anna actually remembers it that clearly?"
"Mhm~"
Anna proudly lifted her chin, revealing her snow-white, slender neck:
"I'm not a ghost member, I went to the Literature Club last week."
Of course, the reason Anna went to play at the Literature Club wasn't out of interest in the club itself, but because Komari Chika's name had appeared in the Losing Heroine Diary.
Driven by curiosity, Anna had specifically gone to 'scout the enemy', only to find there was absolutely nothing to fear.
Komari, who doesn't even dare to speak to boys, couldn't possibly defeat me, right?
If the opponent is the legendary Angel-sama, I can barely fight her to a draw.
But if the opponent is Komari-san... Anna was full of confidence.
My chances of winning are a full ninety percent!
I can't even fathom how I could lose!
"Sorry for being a ghost member."
Sora felt completely no guilt. He complained about himself while withdrawing his gaze:
"Let's go, to the train station."
When he joined the club, he had already stated he was just a ghost member. It was perfectly normal not to remember the other members' names.
"Wait a minute, why is Komari-san acting so sneaky?"
Yamada Elf widened her eyes, her small face full of curiosity:
"Let's follow her and see, okay?"
The red-haired girl across the street was holding something tightly to her chest. She truly looked like she was being sneaky and suspicious.
"Stalking is an illegal act."
Sora looked at Elf expressionlessly.
"We're just caring for a club member, it's not stalking." Anna's eyes sparkled brightly; her gossip radar was clearly burning.
"What if Komari is being threatened by someone and forced to transport contraband with her body?"
"As a fellow club member, of course I have to step forward!"
What you're talking about is a movie plot. Ordinary people in reality couldn't find a way to transport contraband even if they wanted to!
Anna looked at Elf while eating her ice cream:
"Elf, let's take a vote. Should we follow and see what Komari is doing?"
Yamada Elf decisively raised her right hand, her voice crisp:
"I want to see!"
"Hehehe~"
Anna gave a smug light snort, turned to look at Sora, her eyes curving into crescents:
"Two to one, Sora, you lose."
Sora raised his hand: "Actually, I have veto power."
"Sora doesn't have such a thing." Anna stood on her tiptoes, her face full of anticipation. "Let's hurry and follow her, Komari is getting away."
Once a girl's gossip radar starts burning fiercely, it won't be extinguished unless their desire for gossip is satisfied.
Helpless, Sora could only follow Anna and Elf.
The three crossed the street and quietly stalked her.
Komari Chika clearly had no anti-reconnaissance experience. Although she occasionally cast guilty glances left and right, she completely failed to notice the three people behind her.
Komari crossed a street, then a small bridge, and finally stopped by a small river.
The river water sparkled, flowing with a splash splash.
Komari Chika looked around left and right, and finally carefully sat down in an inconspicuous spot by the water.
"Eh, she stopped?"
Yamada Elf was quite disappointed.
She thought Komari Chika was being sneaky because she was going to do something monumental. She didn't expect it was just to sit by the river and look at the scenery.
"It shouldn't be that simple..." Anna crossed her left arm over her chest, rubbing her chin with her right hand.
"There's definitely more to come."
"Reality doesn't have that many plot twists. Maybe Komari-san was just bored and wanted to relax by the river." Sora withdrew his gaze.
"Let's head back quickly."
"Eh, wait a minute." Anna's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly lowered her voice.
"Komari is smiling."
"Hmm?"
Sora looked over curiously.
He saw Komari Chika, who had kept her head down the whole time, actually raise her head now, a smile appearing on her small face.
The smile couldn't be described as cute. If he had to put it into words... it was more like the expectant expression of a model kit enthusiast right before unboxing.
Under the curious gazes of the three, Komari Chika chuckled as she opened her schoolbag. She took out a tightly wrapped package and carefully tore it open. Inside was, impressively, a book.
Clap clap!
Komari Chika brought her hands together, like a girl on a pilgrimage about to meet a god.
"Mmm... Thank you for the meal?"
Yamada Elf curiously provided voiceover from the side.
"Is there a possibility..." Anna guessed curiously, "That it's actually bread shaped like a book?"
You just ate so much stuff, why is your head still full of food!
Sora looked over speechlessly:
"Is there a possibility... that it's just a book?"
Anna put her hands on her hips, glaring affectionately: "Sora, stop copying what I say!"
"Komari-san opened the book." Yamada Elf stood on her tiptoes to look.
"The distance is so far, I can't see clearly... Can Sora see it?"
Sora shook his head: "It's too far, I can't see clearly."
To avoid being discovered, the three kept a considerable distance from Komari Chika, so naturally, they couldn't see clearly.
"How strange, why read a book so sneakily? Couldn't she just take it home and read it?"
Anna crossed her left arm over her chest, pressed her right index finger against her brow, striking the standard Detective Conan pose:
"Unless..."
"Unless that book is very special!"
"As everyone knows, people only act super guilty when they're doing something bad. Just like going out without panties, you'd feel like everyone on the street is staring at you..."
Hearing this, Sora silently looked over:
"When did that happen?"
"I-It wasn't me!" Anna's pretty face quickly flushed red, hurriedly covering her skirt with both hands, shyly denying it.
"I've never gone out without panties!"
If you haven't, why are you blushing!
"Anna makes sense." Yamada Elf nodded in agreement from the side.
"Could that book be an 18+ manga?"
"It's also possible that it's just an ordinary work." Sora shook his head.
"Making wild guesses is meaningless unless Komari-san is willing to say it out loud."
"No need to say it out loud, I'll know once I go over and take a look."
Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips, her eyes sparkling brightly:
"I'm going invisible!"
Sora raised an eyebrow and looked over:
"Didn't you promise not to use your ability recklessly?"
"If my curiosity isn't satisfied, I'll definitely toss and turn all night unable to sleep." Yamada Elf tilted up her small face.
"Anyway, Sora is by my side, so I don't have to worry about the side effects... I'll just take one look, and come back right after!"
As she spoke, Yamada Elf had already handed over her schoolbag:
"Sora, hold my bag."
Sora helplessly took the schoolbag:
"Come back soon."
"Got it."
"..."
Yamada Elf agreed, quietly activated her invisibility, and her figure instantly disappeared.
"Amazing." Anna's eyes were full of envy. She widened her eyes and looked around, but could no longer see Elf's figure.
"If only I could turn invisible."
Elf, Angel, and Kuroneko—everyone had special skills. Only she was perfectly ordinary. No wonder she became a losing heroine in the future.
But the diary seemed very special too... Maybe she wasn't that ordinary either?
Sora looked at Anna and asked casually:
"If you could turn invisible, what would Anna want to use it for?"
"First, exams." Anna had clearly thought about this before, crossing her arms over her chest.
"If I could turn invisible, I'd never have to worry about failing exams again."
Good heavens, having such a powerful ability and you just want to use it to cheat on exams. Try to have a bit more ambition!
"Also, also, I could listen to gossip without being discovered in the future..."
You actually want to turn invisible to eavesdrop on gossip. You really are the Holy Body of Gossip!
Meanwhile.
Holding the free ice cream from the shop, Yamada Elf openly walked to Komari's side. Her face showed absolutely no guilt of doing something bad; she merely bent down curiously to look at Komari Chika's lap.
"So Komari-san was reading a manga..."
Yamada Elf tilted her head curiously, murmuring to herself.
In her invisible state, her words wouldn't be heard by others.
After confirming that Komari Chika was reading a manga, Yamada Elf didn't leave immediately. Instead, she stood beside her, curiously watching along.
The reason was simple.
"If it was just an ordinary manga, Komari-san definitely wouldn't be acting so sneaky and suspicious, right?"
"So this manga definitely has something special about it!"
"Could it be 18+?"
Driven by curiosity, Yamada Elf read along for two pages, and a confused expression quickly appeared on her small face.
"Wait... the main characters of this manga seem to be two boys?"
"Up until now, not a single girl has appeared..."
"If it were an 18+ manga, the male and female leads would definitely have the most screentime, right?"
Yamada Elf already faintly sensed something was wrong, but driven by curiosity, she continued reading.
"Ehehe~"
Komari Chika was completely oblivious to the fact that someone was beside her. As she read the manga, her face flushed, occasionally letting out silly giggles.
"Arikawa and Misaki are such a good match..."
Flipping through a few more pages, Komari Chika's breathing abruptly quickened.
"The, the famous scene is finally about to appear!"
Komari Chika sat up straight like a pilgrim, took a deep breath forcefully, and then turned the page with sparkling eyes.
Rustle.
The manga turned to a new page.
"They, they kissed, ehehe."
Komari Chika's pupils dilated, and her breathing abruptly quickened.
"What? Those two boys actually kissed each other?!"
Yamada Elf stared blankly, her eyes wide, only feeling that her worldview had received a massive shock.
Although she knew the manga industry had a genre called BL, this was Yamada Elf's first time seeing it with her own eyes. She felt completely awful.
In her shock, her right hand holding the ice cream violently trembled. As a result, a small chunk of half-melted ice cream flew out and happened to land right down the back of Komari Chika's neck.
"Ahhhhh!"
Komari Chika had been fully absorbed in reading the manga. Caught completely off guard by the ice cream falling down her neck, she was so terrified she instantly jumped up.
This wasn't a figure of speech; when people are subjected to a massive fright, they really do jump.
It wouldn't have been a big deal anywhere else, the problem was that Komari Chika happened to be sitting by the small river, right in front of the sparkling water.
Jumping up abruptly, Komari Chika lost her balance. Her body uncontrollably fell toward the river. At the very end, she didn't forget to toss the manga in her hands onto the bank.
"Careful!"
Realizing she had scared someone into falling into the river, Yamada Elf hurriedly reached out her right hand, intending to grab Komari Chika.
Unfortunately, Elf was small and weak. Not only did she fail to grab Komari Chika, but she was also dragged down into the river along with her.
Splash!
Water splashed everywhere.
"Eh, eh, eh? Why did Elf and Komari fall into the river?"
Anna, who was in the middle of a prank, was startled.
Sora's expression turned serious instantly. Throwing the schoolbags aside, he had already charged out with lightning speed.
Running to the riverbank like a flash of lightning, Sora rapidly stripped off his clothes and shoes. With a plop, he jumped into the river, quickly reached the two girls, and scooped them up, one on the left and one on the right.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Yamada Elf's small face was pale, and with teary eyes, she hugged Sora's arm.
Anyone who has fallen into water knows that a person will panic when suddenly falling in. When panicking, they will definitely choke on water, and once they choke on water, they will panic even more.
Komari Chika was the same. Driven by survival instinct, she also tightly hugged Sora's body.
"It's okay now, don't panic." Sora's voice was steady.
"The water isn't deep. Try to stand up."
Meanwhile.
Anna had already grabbed the schoolbags and was sprinting over:
"Is everyone okay?"
"Cough, cough... Y-Yanami-san?"
Komari Chika finally snapped back to reality. She stared blankly at Anna on the bank, then turned her head to look at the boy beside her:
"Izumi-kun... and Yamada-san?"
Hearing this sentence, Sora was slightly taken aback, faintly sensing something wasn't right.
"Sora, you guys hurry up and come out!"
Anna urged from the bank.
"Coming."
Sora hadn't figured out the problem yet. Holding Elf with his left arm and Komari with his right, he strode toward the bank.
"Ehhhhh?!"
As Sora emerged from the water, Anna suddenly let out a soft cry. Her pretty face flushed crimson at a speed visible to the naked eye. She hurriedly raised her hands to cover her cheeks, but her fingers were still secretly parted.
"T-Terrifying..."
"The caterpillar from Sora's childhood has super-evolved into a terrifying anaconda!"
Sora was completely bewildered:
"Why did Anna suddenly cover her face?"
Anna quickly snapped back to reality, hurriedly calling out in embarrassment:
"Sora, your underwear is gone!"
Elf and Komari hadn't noticed anything unusual at first, but upon Anna's reminder, they subconsciously looked at Sora. An unspeakable, terrifying existence met their eyes.
"Lewd!"
"Pervert!"
"Hentai!!!"