In the anime series, Goto Ichiri is actually my childhood sweetheart?

Eriri said excitedly.

She didn't want Nao Kamisaki to give up because of such difficulties. There could obviously be a happy ending. If she chose to escape and not try it, she would definitely regret it for the rest of her life.

"I'm working hard, right? Working hard to make money counts. After all, if you have money, these things won't be a problem."

As long as you have money, a lot of pressure is not pressure at all. Instead, it is the driving force to experience the world. You can laugh and say that money is not omnipotent, but you'd better have money.

"but......"

Ying Lili didn't know what to say. She just felt pity, but she didn't feel any other emotions at all.

The dinner table gradually became quiet.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, huh? Why aren't you talking? Is the food not tasty?"

Ichiro Matsuo pulled open the curtain and found that no one was talking, and he suddenly felt a little nervous.

"I just talked too much and I'm a little tired, so I'm just taking a break at halftime." said Takahashi Feng.

"So that's how it is. I thought you two were having a conflict."

Ichiro Matsuo breathed a sigh of relief.

"I came to this restaurant many times when I was a kid, so I'm quite familiar with it. Let me tell you, the chefs who make this beef tongue are very particular. They only take one apprentice at a time to ensure that there is no favoritism and that their skills can be fully absorbed. Therefore, after so long, the taste here has not changed much."

"The cooking method is indeed exquisite, and I can feel that the sauce is seasoned with great skill." Gao Qiaofeng gave a positive evaluation.

"Right~ By the way, you are middle school students, right? I wonder if the book "Dragon Contract" is popular among you students."

As a pure otaku, Ichiro Matsuo couldn't help but think of the topic of light novels.

"This book is super awesome to me, and the author, Mr. Hashi, is exactly like what I imagined him to be, a very mature middle-aged man. I reply to every tweet he sends. In fact, I am also his crazy fan!"

It’s bad, now I’ve been caught offline.

Fortunately, my identity was not recognized at all. But think about it, except for the self-destructive behavior of shouting "I wrote [Dragon Contract]!" on the street, it is actually difficult for people to recognize me.

Takahashi Feng looked silently at Goto Ichiri and Eriri beside him. They seemed to be holding back their laughter.

You better hold it in, don’t let it get exposed!

"Ah, we don't usually read novels like this, right Eriri!"

Ichiro Matsuo looked at Eriri sadly. Is this the world of real people? It really has nothing to do with a otaku like me.

Takahashi Feng secretly winked at Eriri, trying to evade the embarrassing topic.

Eriri grinned evilly, and Takahashi Kaede's right eyelid twitched wildly, and he had a bad feeling.

"No, isn't this your favorite book? Really, there should be a limit to being shy. You always say that you want to find someone who shares the same interests as you, but now that your friend is right in front of you, you are unwilling to admit it. What's going on~, Feng~?"

"Ah...this." Takahashi Feng slowly shifted his gaze to Matsuo Ichiro.

"So you also watch Dragon's Contract! That's great! This is the first time I've met someone who shares the same interests with me in real life. Nao can't understand what I like at all, and she often says that only children are interested in such things. Takahashi-kun, you must understand this frustration, right?"

"Yeah, it must be hard to belittle something you like."

"Right~! By the way, you saw that Mr. Hashi is good in every way, except that he is slow and short in publishing. The amount of books he publishes is also small. It takes more than a year to publish only three volumes. Every time I have to queue up for several rounds to buy a hardcover copy!"

"Poof!" The lady in kimono suddenly shook and almost spit out the food she had just eaten with laughter.

"Eri, what are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, I just remembered something happy!"

Chapter 92: The Eve of the Test of Courage

"Ah, I didn't actually watch much of it. I was just mildly interested."

Gao Qiaofeng held up his non-existent eyes. Maybe it was because the weather was too hot, but tears as big as beans were streaming down his forehead.

"Oh, I understand how you feel. Actually, it's not necessary. At first, I was too embarrassed to talk to Nao about this, but now I can talk about it casually on my own! It's just a matter of getting used to it~"

Ichiro Matsuo suddenly became tolerant of Takahashi Kaede and comforted him like an older brother.

He seemed to have misunderstood something.

"Yeah, yeah, that's right. I should get used to it."

Ichiro Matsuo nodded with satisfaction, his expression becoming obviously enthusiastic.

"Do you only read novels? Or are you one of those people who likes to read all kinds of 2D novels? I follow novels, anime, and comics, and I often watch some anime idol projects on TV, but I am not interested in anything related to real people. How about you!"

"As for me, I'm pretty much the same as you. I usually don't go out. I stay at home and find things to do that interest me."

Takahashi Feng thought carefully about what he usually did, and it seemed to be pretty much the same. Basically, after finishing work-related things, he would read novels and anime.

"It's still better to stay at home~, but Nao is not interested in these. Oh, maybe my ability to attract people is too poor."

As Matsuo Ichiro said this, he pushed Uesaki Nao, as if wanting her to express her opinion.

"Don't push me. Do you think I will read such an immoral book with you just because you find someone who shares the same interests as me? If I don't like it, then I don't like it. Even if you read it to me every day, it will only make my impression of it worse."

Nao Kamizaki didn't buy it and made her attitude very clear.

I don’t know why, but she just said this and four people on the field lowered their heads unconsciously. It seemed that they were hit by AOE.

"Don't recommend it to people outside the industry like this. It's better to show her a clip than to exaggerate it. Always asking others to do things they don't want to do will arouse their rebellious psychology."

Takahashi Kaede has a deep understanding of this kind of thing.

"That's right, you keep saying how beautiful it is. How should I know if it's really beautiful or if you're the only one who thinks so?"

Uezaki Nao nodded deeply in agreement.

"Okay! I'll show you this book when I get back this time. I dare say that even people who have never read light novels and have a low acceptance of otaku culture will be fascinated by this book!"

"How can it be so exaggerated..."

Gao Qiaofeng thought secretly in his heart, but found that the two girls beside him were nodding repeatedly.

"How popular is [Dragon Contract] now?" asked Takahashi Feng.

"I don't usually pay attention to these things, just asking." He added.

This is actually a precious opportunity to intuitively feel the views and opinions of loyal readers.

"Hmm... Let me make an analogy with anime. Just like the popular anime of the season, those who simply watch the anime will most likely know about it, and those who are deep fans and scan the charts every day will almost certainly know about it."

That means things are getting better and better, right?

"That's it..."

Gao Qiaofeng concealed his inner joy and picked up the teacup silently, but the corners of his mouth, which were hidden by the wall of the cup, couldn't help but rise.

Although he had an idea long ago, he didn't hold a handshake and purification meeting like other authors, so when a real fan sat in front of him and praised him excitedly, he still felt happy.

"Did you buy the surrounding stand last time?"

Takahashi Kaede decided to give this fan a little benefit.

"That one is so valuable. The quantity is so small that you can't even grab one by force."

Takahashi Kaede was talking about the standee of the heroine that was put on the shelves together with the third volume. The original picture was drawn by Eri Kashiwagi, and it followed the long-standing tradition of testing the first round and then increasing production in the second round.

"I just happened to buy an extra one, I'll give it to you."

Gao Qiaofeng naturally put the backpack behind him on his legs and then reached into it.

He usually carries a few of these novel peripherals with him, and he also prepares various daily necessities in case of emergency.

“Ohhhhhhh, can this kind of thing be taken out in an occasion like this?!”

Ichiro Matsuo hurriedly stood up and stopped Takahashi Kaede from reaching forward.

"This is a sacred object from Kashiwagi Eri! Let's talk about it outside, let's talk about it outside~"

Politely, Takahashi Feng was asked to leave, leaving the three girls behind.

Eriri had a strange expression on her face, she knew very well why Matsuo Ichiro was so shy.

When Gaoqiao Feng contacted her, his request was just four words: the more revealing the better. So she drew a picture that was a little more exposed and became an 18X masterpiece.

Ichiro Matsuo knew what Takahashi Kaede was going to take out, and she knew it too, even more clearly, but she couldn't say that this was drawn by me. There was no need to avoid suspicion because her identity as teacher Eri Kashiwagi was kept in the dark.

Ichiro Matsuo didn't know this, and Kaede Takahashi didn't know it even more.

For some reason, she suddenly felt strangely excited, and suddenly realized that this information asymmetry could be used to great effect.

"Eri, your smile is so scary. I think you will be better than others if you play the ghost in the courage contest later."

Goto Ichiri said weakly beside her that she suddenly felt that Eriri was a little strange.

"Ahem, nothing." Ying Lili managed her expression excellently and retracted the smile on her face.

Nao Kamizaki was confused. She didn't understand why Ichiro Matsuo suddenly pulled Kaede Takahashi out. She might be the only one in the audience who was kept in the dark.

......

In the deserted alley outside the store, a sacred scene unfolded.

It was as if the king was conveying God's will and piercing the recipient's forehead with the holy sword, making him extremely noble from then on.

Ichiro Matsuo half-knelt and took the stand wrapped in a transparent box from Kaede Takahashi's hand.

"I always buy an extra copy when I buy peripherals, and now I can use it. It's also quite a coincidence that I meet someone who shares the same interests as me."

Takahashi Feng thought of the man named Aki Tomoya. Although he was a little crazy, he could still approve of his intention to buy more to preach.

"It is fate that allowed me to meet you and obtain this treasure!"

"That doesn't have to be the case."

Matsuo Ichiro's behavior made Takahashi Kaede a little scared.

"We have delivered all the things. Let's go back quickly. The Test of Courage will start soon."

"and many more!"

Ichiro Matsuo suddenly called out to Kaede Takahashi.

He suddenly frowned, as if he was thinking about something. He wanted to speak several times, but drew back his words.

"Do you have anything to say?" Gao Qiaofeng asked when he saw his hesitation.

As if he had made up his mind, Matsuo Ichiro took a deep breath and stuttered out what he wanted to say.

"Actually...I want to confess my feelings to Nao-chan later!"

He used up all his strength to say this sentence. His face turned red from holding it in. The angle of his bow was so great that it seemed as if his head was about to hit the ground. His semi-long hair hung down, covering his not very tidy face.

No one knew how determined he was.

Takahashi Feng was a little surprised. To him, adults talking about marriage was like doing business, mostly pure transactions of interests. It was very rare for someone like Matsuo Ichiro to react like a high school student who was just beginning to fall in love.

And the time for the confession was actually a test of courage. But think about it, when people are in a fearful environment, their hearts are always hanging. At this time, if someone cares about her, it will be easier to win her heart.

"I don't have the courage to do this kind of thing by myself, but if there's someone by my side pushing me, I can definitely do it!"

"Please help me! Please!"

But your ending will most likely be rejection, and Nao Kamisaki doesn't seem like the type of girl who would impulsively agree because of a momentary emotion.

Takahashi Feng still remembered what she had said at the dinner table just now. The two of them had always had a vague ambiguous relationship, and it was Uezaki Nao who unilaterally kept her distance.

If Matsuo Ichiro made their relationship clear, the two of them might not even be able to be friends anymore.

"Okay, I promise you, we will go to the Test of Courage together later."

Adhering to the principle of respecting other people's wishes, Takahashi Kaede expressed respect for Matsuo Ichiro's choice.

To put it bluntly, even if he intervened, the relationship between the two would not go any further, so it would be better to let them take their own course.

Don’t think that what Nao Kamisaki said is so ruthless. When the time comes to confess, it’s still hard to say how she will respond.

"Brothers!"

Ichiro Matsuo patted Kaede Takahashi's shoulder, with thousands of emotions flowing in his heart, which finally converged into one word "good brother".

This is the greatest compliment a boy can give to his friend, and he has completely recognized this junior high school student in front of him who may look immature but is extremely reliable.

At the beginning, I thought he was a fake, but now I feel ashamed when I think about it.

"It's just a small matter. Go back."

The two of them returned to the dining table arm in arm.