Looking around, I see Olivia with her platinum blonde hair flowing and smiling, next to Rin with her expressionless face, and shy Makoto tagging along.
But one person is missing.
“Where did Eri go?”
Usually, Eri would be here, blabbering some nonsense starting with “Master.”
“Are you talking about Nishizawa?”
“Now that you mention it, there’s no washboard.”
At my words, Olivia tilts her head and Rin rubs her chin. It seems neither of them knows where Eri went.
‘She’s not off causing trouble somewhere, is she?’
It feels a bit empty without Eri, who clings to me every day.
[Oh, partner. Are you now directly taking care of the lady’s absence? Sweet. Ohhh.]
Just then, as I’m thinking about this, the Black Prince butts in again.
“Master! Eri said she has something to prepare today and told us to go ahead!”
Brightly, Makoto raises her hand and speaks in a shy voice.
Hearing her words, I wipe away my worries.
“Really?”
Makoto is Eri’s roommate. Plus, they seem pretty close, so I can trust her words.
“Yes. She said she has something she really wants to show you.”
Makoto gives a small smile.
Something she wants to show me? A sense of unease strikes me.
Just as my steps stop.
“Hmph! There’s no need to worry too much about a commoner! Let’s hurry! You!”
“This time, I want to agree with Bonaparte’s opinion. Deok-Sung, she’ll take care of the washboard herself. Don’t worry too much.”
On either side, Olivia and Rin urge me to school.
This is a kind-hearted light novel world, after all. Perhaps I was worrying too much.
With Olivia and Rin next to me, I walk to school.
Once we arrive at the classroom, I sit in my assigned seat next to Makoto.
“Nishi-shishi! Good morning, Deok-Sung oppa. Sisters. Good morning!”
As Haru, who had arrived earlier, greets us with a smile, Olivia’s brows furrow.
Just when she was about to say something.
“Good morning, everyone! The galaxy’s number one beautiful girl, Eri-ling, has arrived☆!”
Creak.
The sliding door opens, and a familiar voice rings out.
At Eri’s voice, everyone’s gaze focuses on her. I can see her in my line of sight.
Wearing the orange twin tails and a red collar that she would never take off no matter what, the beautiful girl appears.
But the problem is.
“Nishizawa, what’s with that outfit?”
“What the heck are you wearing…?”
Instead of a school uniform shirt, I’m faced with a t-shirt featuring my own face, a bag covered in keychains of my character, and let’s not forget the bracelet with my initials and a fan decorated with my face, plus a blanket of my character.
It’s like I’ve run into an otaku warrior wrapped in merchandise I only saw online.
And it’s all about me.
My head is spinning.
“Eri-ling unnie…?”
Haru’s eyes widen as she stops teasing Makoto.
Her red eyes tremble.
It’s the first time I’ve seen Haru flustered.
“What are you wearing…? That outfit…?”
“What the…?”
Rin and Olivia are equally baffled.
But the one who’s the most flabbergasted is me.
Why on earth is this happening?
My head is in a whirl.
“Heeheehee. Master! How do I look in Eri-ling’s outfit?”
Spinning around, Eri grins in front of me.
My face is burning.
This is so embarrassing.
She’s the one in the outfit, so why is all the shame falling on me?
I feel some colorful curses bubbling up in my throat.
“…Are you insane? Why on earth are you wearing that?”
“Why am I wearing it? Master, that’s because…”
Eri puts her hand on her collar while chuckling.
“I’m Master’s number one slave! I want everyone in the world to know that Eri-ling is Master’s slave by covering myself in your traces! Look at all this Master merchandise I’m wearing! Heehee.”
Her words make my head spin.
What?
Declaring to the world that I have a slave?
Isn’t this a bit extreme?
“…I even wore Master character underwear today.”
Sliding closer, Eri whispers in my ear.
What?
Underwear?
I didn’t want to know that, it feels like peering into an abyss.
I feel nauseous.
I don’t even have the energy to curse anymore.
“Slave declaration! Here it comes!”
“Oh my… To command someone to wear their merchandise… How far does the Black Beast’s evil power reach?”
“Leaving marks on the bodies of his owned women every day… Was that rumor about the Black Beast true?!”
Voices of extras chime in as if they’ve been waiting for this moment.
Eri pops open her bag.
It’s filled with my character merchandise.
“Look! Isn’t Master’s merchandise cute? Eri-ling bought out the whole stock!”
Eri pulls out a plush version of my character, squishing it as she speaks.
Bought out what?
More importantly, why is my Neko-berri in there?
“I also ordered a dakimakura to cuddle with while I sleep, Master!”
Eri giggles.
What?
You ordered what?
My brain is going numb in this endless sea of merchandise.
“Eri-chan… I’m so envious of your goods…”
“Ugh… A doll of Deok-Sung…”
“Eri-ling unnie… This is beyond my expectations.”
“W-w-whaaat an eyesore…”
Makoto, Rin, Haru, and Olivia respond with a mix of shock and envy at Eri’s words.
Why are they envious?
[Partner. Don’t be so embarrassed. To become a true hero, you must endure this kind of thing.]
“To become a hero, you have to endure a bit of hardship,” says the Black Prince in a serious tone.
The problem is that the content is hardly serious, as always.
Rustle.
Eri takes something out of her bag.
“Here, this is Eri-ring merchandise. I brought it as a gift for you, Master!”
Thud.
What Eri places on my desk is a Nishizawa Eri acrylic keychain.
It’s exactly the same as the one I pulled when I went to the gacha hall.
“Master, looking at the Eri-ring keychain makes me think of Eri-ring…”
“I already have that.”
Thud.
She pulls out another Eri keychain from her bag and places it down.
Eri’s eyes widen.
“R-really…?”
Her eyes flutter.
Eri’s face turns bright red.
“Master!”
Eri suddenly hugs me tightly.
“Master, Eri-ring is so touched. You seem rough on the outside, but inside you’re a deep tsundere! Thinking about Eri-ring makes you the best, Master!”
“Ugh, let go.”
I push her away.
“Hehe. I also like the firm Master. Master of Eri-ring.”
Eri blushes and babbles nonsense.
At this rate, will she say she likes it if I end up cursing at her later?
I’m genuinely worried.
At that moment.
“Eri-chan… I’m envious… I want one too…”
Makoto says timidly from the side.
“Makoto. Yours is here too.”
Thud.
I place Makoto’s keychain on the desk.
Makoto’s eyes widen.
“M-my lord… You were thinking about me…”
Her shoulders tremble.
Makoto bows her head.
Her earlobes turn red.
A smile creeps on Makoto’s face.
“Hehe…”
Just then,
“Deok-Sung, what about me…? Do I have one too…?”
“Of course, I have your keychain too! Hmph! It’s not like I’m expecting anything or anything… But if I don’t have it, I won’t let it slide…!!”
Rin and Olivia approach my desk, shouting.
What are they, kids?
Sighing, I pull out two keychains from my bag.
“Here, you two have one too.”
Olivia and Rin’s keychains.
“Guh…”
Rin bites her lip and turns red upon seeing her own keychain.
“Hmph… It’s not like I’m particularly happy or anything?! Ugh…”
Olivia also turns red and looks away.
Just as I was about to gather the keychains scattered on the desk…
“Oppa, isn’t there a Haru keychain?”
Haru peeks her face from behind.
“None.”
I don’t have one for her since I got these before meeting her.
At the realization that there’s no Haru keychain, Rin, Makoto, Eri, and Olivia brighten up.
Why are they acting like that?
“… Tch. Haru, one day I’ll carry around the super cute Haru keychain.”
Just as Haru pouts and returns to her seat…
Brrring.
My phone rings.
I take out my smartphone to check it.
[Today is the day of the Cultural Festival Executive Committee meeting.]
[Committee members are requested to gather in the Student Council Meeting Room in the Annex after school.]
A message written in a stiff tone.
The text was a message from Student Council President Aris to convene the Executive Committee.
“Hello everyone! This is Mayuzumi-sensei! Let’s start HR today!”
As the sliding door at the front of the classroom opened, Mayuzumi-sensei entered.
It was the moment when today’s schedule was about to begin.
*
After class.
I headed to the Annex for the Cultural Festival Executive Committee meeting.
Shuo Hero Academy Annex.
Student Council Meeting Room.
In this place, which symbolizes the Student Council’s immense power with a table as large as a conglomerate’s conference room and extravagant equipment, the Executive Committee members and Student Council officials from each class had gathered.
“The President is entering.”
With the words of the Student Council Secretary, Nagamine Reiji, the conference room door opened.
Tap, tap.
With a cold expression and a red arm band, the silver-haired beautiful girl, Saionji Aris, entered the conference room.
Thud.
The door closed.
She sat in a luxurious chair that seemed exclusive to the Student Council President.
Aris’s silver eyes swept across the meeting room.
Our eyes met.
Flinch.
Aris’s body trembled slightly when our gazes locked.
“It seems everyone is present.”
Aris said in a cold voice.
“Then, let’s start the meeting. This year’s Cultural Festival will be just like last year’s…”
With Aris’s words, the Executive Committee meeting began.
Just like in the original work, trivial discussions followed.
What will the slogan be for the festival? How to get cooperation from local shops? Each class’s representatives reporting their class event plans, and so on.
Previously mentioned details from the original work.
There wasn’t much for me to intervene with.
“This concludes the Cultural Festival plan drafted by the Student Council. The security during the festival will be handled by the Discipline Committee.”
Aris’s following words.
This is the key point.
The Discipline Committee, led by Maeda Shinji, had suffered a breach in security during the festival because he allied with the League.
Hearing Aris’s words, Maeda Shinji smiled.
He lowered his head towards the Executive Committee members.
“Thank you all for your support.”
With a face that looked obnoxiously handsome like a host, his glasses gleamed.
“Kyaa! It’s the Discipline Committee Chairman!”
“Chairman is so handsome!”
Cheers erupted from the female students throughout the meeting room.
Maeda Shinji was set up as the most popular guy at Shuo Academy.
It was only natural for such reactions since he even had a fan club at school.
This scene was also depicted in the original work.
As I was staring blankly at Maeda Shinji, a jolt.
Just for a moment.
In that fleeting moment, his blue eyes met mine, his brow slightly furrowing before returning to his usual insincere smile.
This guy.
I can’t stand him.
I can’t wait to see him on festival day.
Time passed as I witnessed everything.
The rest of the Executive Committee meeting was uneventful.
Shinji hadn’t glared at me once since that day.
“Today’s meeting will conclude here. Please make sure to grasp the messages conveyed and work hard for the Cultural Festival preparations.”
