Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

Yukino Yukinoshita suppressed the urge to laugh: "Eri Sawamura's situation sounds a bit like an evil spirit from a Western movie. So, for exorcism, wouldn't it be quite appropriate to ask Shizuka Hiratsuka, the saint, to do it?"

"We haven't even confirmed whether we'll take on the mission yet, but we've already taken a bunch of precautions for them. Doesn't that make it seem like we'd be at a disadvantage if we didn't take the mission?" Fujimaru Ritsuka muttered to herself.

The so-called missions actually refer to the obligations of each organization on the [Reform Society] platform—to complete a certain number of different types of special events within a year. These include extermination, protection, exorcism, and so on. Furthermore, members can earn points from the Special Affairs Bureau based on the performance of their missions.

Although the establishment of Chaldea is still underway, Fujimaru Ritsuka decides to take care of the matter first.

So now he has to face a violent teacher who is unhappy to see his students trying to avoid doing their homework.

"Wait a minute!" Fujimaru Ritsuka said, striking a pose that stopped the other person's outburst of love (physical).

I said Jing is adorable!

"Ok?"

"Hiratsuka-sensei! You must have realized back in the underground cave that it's becoming increasingly difficult for us to live as ordinary students. Time is of the essence; there's no need to dwell on our duty as good students!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka was not happy to have to play house in her school life while facing strange events.

Joker is doing things like taking classes to improve his attributes and maintaining his student status to avoid being stigmatized. I don't need to do that.

"Is this your last words?" Hiratsuka Shizuka cracked her knuckles, laughing angrily. "And then you just let yourself fall into depravity and go astray in society?"

Ah... Fujimaru Ritsuka understands why she's angry now.

Social stratification is severe in Japanese society. Unless one comes from a privileged background, most people who fail to get into a good university are forced to graduate and enter the workforce, becoming wage slaves and seeking other ways out. Only a very small number of students from ordinary backgrounds can gain admission to prestigious universities such as the University of Tokyo and Waseda University, achieving a leap in social class and becoming part of the "victorious group." Within two years of graduation, they can become the superiors of long-term employees who have stagnated for decades.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's past achievements suggest that he might have followed this path if he hadn't met Yukinoshita and the others, and hadn't become a successor.

However, when faced with two forks in the road of life, he resolutely chose the one that was rugged, difficult, and fraught with the risk of falling into an abyss.

Fujimaru Ritsuka paused, then extended her right hand and smiled at Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei, saying, "Shizuka-sensei, you still don't understand the status of so-called extraordinary people, so let's make a bet—I will solve the problem with Sawamura Eriri and show you the status we can achieve."

"Hmph, it's like how there are comedians everywhere, but only a handful in all of Japan can earn over 100 million yen a year, and even fewer can perform on the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Japan's New Year's Eve Gala)." Hiratsuka Shizuka scoffed. "What I want to see is that you can achieve a social status sufficient to support a normal life."

(Instead of being like those dynamic groups, constantly being chased and attacked, and despised by everyone?)

Fujimaru Ritsuka understood some of her concerns and found it somewhat amusing: "Then it's a deal. If I win, you have to cover for us and turn a blind eye. If I lose, I'll obediently study."

"It's a promise." Hiratsuka Shizuka gave him a high five as a pledge, and then suddenly and mysteriously took his hand.

Their fingers were intertwined.

The other three girls present sharpened their eyes!

Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked, then was abruptly dragged back to the table: "Wait, Shizuka, what are you doing?!"

"But since the bet isn't over yet, you need to be a good student first!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed, shaking her numb hands, and took her homework out of her bag: "Okay, okay, I'll do it. By the way, Shizuka, you've gotten a bit stronger."

Click.

An ominous sound came from the other side of the table.

"Won't going on blind dates lately scare people away again?"

A suspicious dent appeared on the table, and a murderous gaze swept over.

Fujimaru Ritsuka whistled: "But I've recently met some really strong, decent-looking, and top-notch fighters. Should I introduce them to someone? But I've been doing homework for a while now, so I don't think I'll have any free time."

"Ahem, I'm going out for a smoke. It's not convenient here." Hiratsuka Shizuka slowly got up and strolled outside.

"...Quickly, Yukinoshita, lend me your homework."

Yukino Yukinoshita happily handed over the homework: "I'll give it to you since you two put on such a good show."

"Red bean paste, thank you so much!"

"Sarcastic..." Yukino Yukinoshita and Yuihama, along with Kasumigaoka, were whispering to each other. Fujimaru Ritsuka, looking indignant, was copying her homework—"Even the dango is done? So this is a trap set for me!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha gently soothed the agitated Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Fujimaru-sama, it's necessary to lure out Hiratsuka-sensei. Without her speaking up for you, your daily activities will be hindered. Besides, we can consider kidnapping her."

"...Could you please change the way you address me, Fujimaru-sama? It's so embarrassing."

"Then I'll call you Little Fragrant?"

"Ya-me-lo!"

IV. Could this strange name be Nanxi?

"Fujimaru Ritsuka, was the topic you just discussed with Shizuka just a pretext or something you really thought about?" Yukino Yukinoshita was very concerned about his thoughts.

While diligently copying her homework, Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a puzzled look, "Although I was trying to fool Shizuka in a lot of the parts just now, I think there are some basic things that are fine."

"Humanity has moved from the steam age to the internal combustion engine age, using petroleum as a completely new energy source, triggering tremendous changes. Whether we are inheritors or those who use materials to gain extraordinary powers, we will inevitably become an indispensable and important part of this new era. At this time, what's wrong with trying to adapt to the times?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned as well: "But you seem to be giving up on your studies... Is that a good idea?"

“No, you misunderstood me. I just don’t intend to focus too much on advancing in the education system; I’ll put it second.” Fujimaru Ritsuka put down her pen and shared her insights with them.

"First, we can reach a consensus—reading can enlighten us and comprehensively improve our personal qualities, right?"

Even Yui Yuigahama, the academic underachiever, nodded in agreement.

"However, it seems that supernatural powers will become a strange component of the future reality. New materials and new forms of power will change everything from physics to society—if these are not just fleeting phenomena."

"As successors, proportionally speaking, we are equivalent to one of the top hundreds of professional athletes out of billions of people worldwide. It's just another option for them not to enter the league and go straight to the NBA."

Fujimaru Ritsuka talked to them in detail, not only to tell them about her plans for the future this year, but also to remind them that times have changed.

Therefore, for him, the most important thing next is to establish the Chaldea brand as soon as possible and spread it.

It's not just about using the name of Chaldea to attract or gather those who have an impression, memory, or goodwill towards the Chaldea Observatory; more importantly, it's about obtaining an admission ticket.

After all, as newcomers, they don't have enough power and interests to overthrow others, so they still have to integrate into the rules of the game based on the Reform Society.

Therefore, from a purely pragmatic perspective, although the Sawamura, Spencer, and Eriri family seem to be unaware of the supernatural, as diplomats stationed in Japan, they undoubtedly still hold a certain political standing.

Personally, he couldn't bear to see a beautiful young girl being troubled by such strange events.

From a public standpoint, he was able to secure the Sawamura family's secular support for the soon-to-be-established Chaldea, and also make them aware of the current situation, which can be considered a win-win situation.

Fujimaru Ritsuka had no intention of dragging things out, so much so that she would try to win the other party's favor at the most critical moment...

However, since things haven't reached a dangerous point yet, let's give Teacher Jing some face.

He let the girls ponder his words. Fujimaru Ritsuka picked up her pen and continued working on her homework.

As dusk fell and the crowds began to increase, the family restaurant also began its evening business hours.

Fujimaru Ritsuka had finally finished most of his homework. He stretched and casually ordered a few dishes suitable for dinner.

While he was doing his homework, the other three weren't idle either. They were talking quietly, seemingly summarizing what was going on with Eriri Sawamura and trying to figure out what was wrong.

"So? Any obvious clues?" he asked with interest, hoping to get the answer without having to think for himself.

“We’ve reviewed Eriri’s actions over this period and found some suspicious things.”

“Starting in late April, she felt that she was having problems. She sought help from the police and her parents, and even hired secular professionals, but they found nothing.”

"But with Aki Tomoya's intervention, the situation improved for a few days."

"After that, she even used it as inspiration to create a... uh, work."

Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated a little awkwardly on the last word.

Kasumigaoka Utaha continued, "Then the situation worsened further. Then, during Golden Week, around May 5th, her latest doujinshi was released, and then Aki Tomoya disappeared."

"So Aki Tomoya also played a role?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed thoughtful, sensing that something was amiss.

If Aki Tomo is also in the supernatural industry, then naturally he should have reported what happened to Sawamura Eriri to the Special Affairs Bureau.

"Wow~ I didn't expect Eriri to create so quickly. I've seen manga artists who draw a dozen pages a week and are already on the verge of collapse, haven't they?"

Yui Yuigahama exclaimed that she felt Eriri Sawamura was truly a tentacle-type painter.

!! ?

Fujimaru Ritsuka has caught something off guard.

At that moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha's phone lit up. She picked it up, swiped to unlock it, and her expression changed as she read the message aloud, word by word: "Kashiwagi Eri's account tweeted that her latest work is finished. It's a doujinshi that uses slime as a base to transform into other people, claiming to be very erotic, but also terrifying upon closer inspection."

Fujimaru Ritsuka took the phone and looked at the promotional image—the girls in it had alluring curves that filled one with fantasies. One after another, charming and beautiful girls, some mature and some innocent, surrounded a blond boy—but they were all split off from a ball of silver slime.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked Kasumigaoka Utaha, "Kasumigaoka-san, as a light novel author, you should know something about the industry. Is it really possible for an illustrator to release three high-quality doujinshi in a single month?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly realized and stood up: "Impossible! Many guys can't possibly miss two doujinshi conventions a year without missing a single one, so how could Sawamura-kun have completed three books all by himself in just one month?"

"But... what does this mean? Does it mean that some readers' resentment has turned into ghosts and is pestering Sawamura-kun to update his doujinshi more often?" Yui Yuigahama was both amused and exasperated.

At that moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha's phone lit up again: the circle Rouge en Rouge announced that they would be releasing a GalGame with horror and suspense elements, with a release date at the end of May.

A flash of inspiration struck Fujimaru Ritsuka, and he quickly typed the information into the search engine.

The blog, signed taki-kun, was just updated yesterday, May 6th.

5. After seeing this, I won't be able to think about anything except writing (Happy New Year!).

Taki-kun is the ID Aki Tomoya uses to update his ACG blog. As a well-known blogger, he posts reviews of anime within 24 hours of an anime ending, within 3 days of a light novel release, and within 1 week of a game release, distinguishing between spoilers and non-spoilers. Therefore, his blog has garnered a large following among otaku.

However, according to the intelligence they gathered, Aki Tomoya should have already disappeared on May 5th. This latest article, however, was published on May 6th, after his disappearance.

Even ignoring the publication time, this latest blog post is quite subtle.

The blog post is a reading analysis and recommendation of Kasumigaoka Utaha's novel "Love Metronome". Aki Tomoya praised the first and second volumes of Kasumigaoka Utaha's novel in his post, saying, "Kasumigaoka Utaha's romance novel depicts the bittersweet feelings of the characters with exquisite detail, leaving me in awe. If this were a GalGame, I would give it a perfect score; even if it isn't, I strongly recommend everyone read it."

But strangely, he added a sentence at the end of the main text: "Kasumi Shiko's writing is so good that I can't help but want to read her write horror and suspense novels. Haha, I've been obsessed with this genre lately..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka handed her phone to Kasumigaoka Utaha, and the three girls huddled together to read the blog post, occasionally exclaiming in surprise.

He ignored the three people, interlaced his fingers in front of his eyes, and tried to sort out his thoughts.

Previously, he had watched the anime "Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend" because of his senior's alluring black stockings.

I also vaguely remember the timeline—during elementary school, Eriri Sawamura acted as a guide, leading Tomoya Aki into becoming an otaku. Then, out of consideration for her reputation, she publicly parted ways with Tomoya Aki, this well-known otaku, and they fell into a cold war.

During this time, Eriri took over Kashiwagi Eri's account from her mother and became a top-tier doujinshi creator. Meanwhile, Aki Tomoya focused on being an otaku and became an ACG blogger. In his first year of high school, he met Kasumigaoka Utaha at a signing event and became her fan, creating a website for her and boosting her novel's sales by 30%, preventing it from being canceled.

After a series of entanglements, Aki Tomoya enters his second year of high school, meets Kato Megumi, temporarily reconciles with Eriri, seeks help from his upperclassman, and encounters Akane Kousaka's rouge en rouge club, thus beginning a series of events...

According to his ambiguous and vague memory, that's how it should have been.