I Got Cheated On, so I Thought I’d Cheat Back and Went to a Group Date, I Ran Into a Classmate Who Used to Boss Me Around and Now We’re Living Together - Chapter 28

“―So you’re saying Machida-san is kind of dealing with a stalker?”

“It’s not exactly a stalker yet. More like some guy won’t stop hitting on her.”

That evening, after hearing about Nene-san’s troubles, I was at a café near campus with Umi. It wasn’t just a casual break. We were there because she handed me the draft of an erotic manga and asked, “Could you give me your thoughts?” I reluctantly agreed.

While we were there, the topic of Nene-san came up, so I told Umi about the office guy who had been waiting around for her after work.

“Come to think of it, you were the one who actually had a real stalker.”

Back in high school, Umi had won the beauty contest three years in a row. One guy she rejected held a grudge, and it turned into a serious stalking problem. Not funny at all. In the end, I gathered proof, cornered the guy, and made sure he was properly dealt with. After looking back, it feels like ages ago, but back then, it was rough.

“Are you doing okay now?”

“Yes, thanks to you. My apartment has an auto-lock, so I feel safe enough. Still… In Machida-san’s case, being waited for at work like that is frightening.”

“It is… but since he hasn’t actually done anything concrete yet, it’s tricky. Unlike with your case, she can’t exactly bring the police into it.”

“Why not at least check what he looks like?”

“You mean I should go see his face myself?”

“Yes. Isn’t Machida-san working today? If that man shows up, you could slip in as a customer. At least then you’d know who you’re dealing with.”

“…That makes sense.”

Maybe I should secretly take his photo too. Just in case we ever need evidence to call him out later.

“Alright… I’ll try that.”

“…The way you just casually decide things. Sousuke really does have a useless hero complex.”

“Useless? So you thought I was just annoying back in high school when I helped you out?”

“That’s not it at all. I was joking.”

“…I see.”

She denied it with a serious look, which caught me off guard.

I quickly tried to regain my composure by sipping from my iced coffee.

Then I looked down at the storyboard on the table.

“…By the way, about this erotic manga draft.”

“Oh, yes. What did you think?”

“No… It’s not bad. That surprised me but.”

“…But?”

“Why… is the main character a college guy who gets cheated on by his girlfriend?”

There’s no doubt about it. She used me as the model.

“Oh? Was that bad?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but it’s way too obvious… And the heroine’s role is ‘the protagonist’s old high school friend’… Come on.”

“W-what… Do you have a problem with that?”

“It’s not a problem, it’s just embarrassing… The whole story is about the heroine comforting the protagonist and then inviting him to sleep with her. And you really put that together with the exact setup without a shred of shame…”

“I-It just shows my determination to use whatever material is close at hand… There’s nothing wrong with that…”

…That wasn’t determination, more like shamelessness.

Well, since it’s not hurting me directly, I decided not to complain any further…

“Still… are you seriously planning to keep going in the erotic direction?”

Umi originally loved shonen manga and wanted to be a manga artist for that. Lately, her focus has shifted more toward erotic stories. Yeah, her art style appealed to guys, so it fit, but was that really what she wanted?

“Is this really what you want to do?”

“If you put it that way, maybe not.”

“So it’s not…”

“But it’s easier to build a track record with erotic works than to reach serialization with shonen manga. You know how some people break into the professional scene by starting with erotic stuff? I’m aiming for that too.”

I see… So it was like her trying to win awards for her novels to build credibility as a writer.

“…Well, if you’re satisfied with that, then I don’t see a problem.”

“I am satisfied. So you don’t need to worry about me. What you should be worrying about is Machida-san.”

“…That’s a fair point.”

And so, I decided I’d stop by Nene-san’s workplace later that day.