This is not the date I wanted.

(Could it be that—No, no! I must be overthinking.)

"Ah, we're at the station. Thank you so much, it's a great help."

"Well... you're welcome."

Sitting on the bus that had just arrived at the station, Wu Lian looked at the boy who was gradually leaving, with a slight smile on her lips.

"Well, see you next time, Gokawa Shido."

15 Honjo Nia, a terrible adult

==============================

July 12th, 30pm.

Liang Yi Meng Yue was walking alone on the quiet path.

There's nothing special about going out at this time. I just felt a little stiff after staying at home and working hard for two or three days. After dinner, I returned to the room and suddenly wanted to go out for a walk to stretch my muscles.

She had originally planned to invite someone to come out with her, but most people in the apartment were already fast asleep due to fatigue from the busy days, and it seemed that Shidou and Kotori had some other things to deal with, so she went out alone.

"Huh... this is nice sometimes."

She took a deep breath slowly, and the cool night air circulated through her body along with her breath, making Mengyue feel a little more awake.

There were unexpectedly few pedestrians on the streets, perhaps because it was near the end of the year. Most people were at home preparing for the New Year. Apart from the patrolling police and some beggars begging on the roadside, Mengyue hardly saw anyone else.

"Really... Why is it that it's almost New Year's Day, but there's still no peace here?"

Meng Yue couldn't help muttering something involuntarily, then sighed and turned into white mist and drifted away.

Walking along the sidewalk, an enticing fragrance lingered past her nose. Mengyue turned her head and saw a stall not far away with warm orange lights on.

"That's great, let's go have a drink before we go back."

Meng Yue couldn't help but feel a little greedy. Although she wasn't very hungry, she didn't drink much in the past because everyone was underage. It was rare for her to come out alone, so she decided to have a drink.

"Boss, please give me a bowl of oden and a glass of draft beer."

"Okay, please sit down and wait for a moment."

Originally Mengyue thought that she would have to spend some time explaining her appearance and age to the boss, but unexpectedly, the boss did not raise any questions, but readily accepted Mengyue's order.

However, when Meng Yue saw the guest who arrived before her, all her doubts disappeared immediately.

"Hmm? Oh - isn't this Bilijiang? It's such a coincidence that we meet here."

Seeing Mengyue, Erya let out an exaggerated exclamation.

"Stop it." Meng Yue rolled her eyes in annoyance and said, "You must have used an angel to find out where I was and ambushed me here on purpose."

Meng Yue would never believe that it was a coincidence that she met Erya, the home security guard, at a roadside stall at this time.

"Well, sit down first. It's my treat."

Without denying or confirming Mengyue's question, Erya patted the empty seat next to him and extended an invitation enthusiastically.

Mengyue sighed helplessly, but did not refuse and sat next to Erya.

"And why did you come to see me the night before the final? What's the matter?"

"Ah~ Don't be so eager to get straight to the point. It's a rare treat for me, so let's eat and drink to our heart's content first! Come on, Bilijiang, cheers!"

As he spoke, Erya chuckled and waved his hand, raising the wine glass towards Mengyue.

(This guy... is he the type who can't bring up a topic without first doing some warm-up preparation?)

Meng Yue couldn't help but guess in her heart. The last time she met Shidao, she also gave many hints in a roundabout way before confessing to Shidao that she was an elf.

"……cheers."

Although it was unknown whether she was trying to use the alcohol to give herself courage or was just being mysterious to build momentum, Meng Yue had no reason to back down and raised her beer to clink glasses with the other party.

“Gurgle gurgle——ah——”

Erya drank the beer in one gulp and couldn't help but let out a comfortable sigh.

"Yeah - a cup after work is still so refreshing that I can't stop. Although there is a doujinshi sale tomorrow. Hey, Bili-chan, how are you guys doing? How is the comic you prepared for me?"

"Don't worry. After two sleepless nights, we finally got it done. We'll definitely teach that stubborn old man a lesson tomorrow."

Meng Yue rolled her eyes and replied unhappily.

It would have been fine if it hadn't been mentioned. As soon as it was mentioned, Meng Yue looked at the smiling culprit in front of her and suddenly felt furious.

“Oh, isn’t this quite hard work? (Laughs) Although it’s a little unrealistic to expect to beat me, I’d like to give you a thumbs up for your perseverance.”

While speaking provocatively, Erya smiled and nodded to express his admiration. To be honest, in Mengyue's eyes, Erya now deserved a beating as much as he could.

"Ala? Bili-chan, are you angry now?"

As if emboldened by the alcohol, Erya looked at Mengyue with a strange expression and asked in a long, suicidal voice.

"If I say yes, would you be willing to let me give your stomach a nasty kick? The kind that makes you vomit out everything you've eaten today?"

Gently stroking the other's flat belly, Meng Yue asked back with a smile on her face.

Erya shuddered suddenly, and in an instant he felt as if he had sobered up a little.

"I'm sorry! I got carried away!"

"Really... Never mind..."

Since Erya had apologized, Mengyue did not pursue the matter further. After taking a sip of beer, she said,

"If you want to say angry, then of course I am angry. You are also a person who has entered society. Although Shidou and the others were also wrong in the whole process, don't you think it's ugly to deliberately compete with a group of high school and junior high school students?"

Unlike Tohka and the other elves who don't know the world, and Miku, Kotori, and Origami who have other jobs but are still students, Honjo Nia has been an adult living in society for many years.

Although many cartoonists have unique personalities, this cannot be an excuse for being immature.

"Even though I said I wouldn't spoil the plot with a spoiler, you knew about the date that Shidou and Kotori were planning. And after breaking all the flags, you even confessed to Shidou that you only like the anime. If it weren't for this, do you think they would come up with those crooked ideas and end up making you angry?"

"Well……"

Erya was speechless for a moment.

"And what makes me most angry is that you were the one who approached Shidao, but you took the initiative to disappoint Shidao because of your relationship."

Yes, that was what made Meng Yue most angry. The cause of this incident was not Shidao, but Niya who took the initiative to come to him.

If it was Shidou who invited him out on a date, then even if he encountered setbacks during the conquest, like stepping on Niya's minefield like now, Mengyue would only say that Shidou deserved it.

However, Honjo Nia wanted to get rid of DEM's entanglement and live a peaceful life, so she took the initiative to seek help from Shidao.

"Let me give you an example that you can understand immediately. In my eyes, your actions are just like borrowing your friend's money to spend on a game, but then you don't get the rare SRR card you want, and then you blame the friend who borrowed the money for you."

“Ah ...

If we put the example Meng Yue gave into our own perspective, Erya couldn't help but cover his face and wail because it was so vivid.

"Hmm... Bilijiang's venomous tongue is still sharp and sharp. Although this is indeed my fault, can't you point it out more tactfully?"

"If you don't speak harshly about this kind of thing, people won't learn their lesson."

Meng Yue shrugged.

Just when Mengyue was about to eat something and take a break, the boss brought the side dishes at the right time. Moreover, the dishes were one more plate of skewers than Mengyue and Erya ordered.

—Don't quarrel. The boss smiled and waved his finger, hinting calmly.

Look! This is a truly mature person in society!

Meng Yue's expression eased a little.

"Well. I still have a lot to say, but I'll stop here."

"Any more?"

Looking at Mengyue with a distressed look, Erya seemed to have thought of something and asked in confusion,

"However, Meng Yue, since you think I am being unreasonable, why didn't you stop the boy from having a comic duel with me?"

"Then let me ask you, why didn't you tell me after hearing what I said, 'I was wrong, I'll go apologize to the boy, this comic contest doesn't count, I'll date him and fall in love with him'?"

"..."

"That's it. Even after I said that, you didn't change your mind, did you?"

Meng Yue sighed helplessly.

That's right, even if Meng Yue said these words, Niya would never fall in love with Shidao. It doesn't mean that Shidao didn't make mistakes, and it doesn't mean that Niya gave up her dignity and lost before the battle.

You are right, I am right too. You are right, I am right too.

In this world, for many things, if you don't figure them out yourself, no matter what others say, it will be useless and may even add fuel to the fire.

Mengyue was very clear about this, because she was not much better than Erya before.

"If problems could be solved simply by reasoning, the world would have been peaceful long ago."

"That's absolutely true..."

Erya sighed with the same feeling. After letting out a sigh, he picked up a skewer and chewed it silently.

Mengyue didn't say anything more. She picked up her barbecued pork and tasted it quietly.

"Hey...Bili sauce..."

After a long time, after eating most of the side dishes on the table, Erya slowly spoke.

"what?"

"You have met Gao Cheng, right?"

"……Um."

Without denying, Meng Yue nodded slightly.

Takashiro Hiroki, the author of the "Other Fake" shonen manga, is a woman who uses a male pen name like Nia and calls herself "Xiaosheng". She was also the manga artist who was closest to Honjo Nia a few years ago.

Just before drawing the manga, Kotori took Shido and her to meet the manga artist, and learned about Honjo Nia's past from her.

According to her, Erya has a friendly personality and can have a friendly conversation with anyone. However, she doesn't like to talk about her past as a cartoonist, especially when asked about her previous relationships, she will just brush it off in an ambiguous way.

Moreover, when she becomes close to someone to a certain extent, she will deliberately distance herself from them. Gao Cheng is one of them.

Gao Cheng himself thought that he was hated because he had done something wrong. But when Meng Yue and the others heard this, it was a different story.

Whispering Chapter - An omniscient angel who knows everything in the world. Erya, who had it, probably couldn't control his hands at the time and checked the backgrounds of everyone around him. Then, he was seriously disappointed.

Is it anger at the betrayal brought about by the false appearance, or disgust at the ugliness of human beings? Or is it both?

Or is it that you simply feel scared?

"Teacher Gao Cheng has always wanted to make peace with you."

"Ah...please don't tell me even if it's a lie. I'll have strange expectations." Erya took a gulp of beer, leaned on the table with a listless look, and said self-deprecatingly, "How can I be friends with a scumbag who carries a high-definition surveillance camera with him to monitor everything about his opponent! As expected, the second dimension is my only destination!!"

"Don't treat the second dimension as a refuge, really."

"What a joke! Bili-chan, if you were me, what would you do?"

"I?"

Hearing Erya's question, Mengyue thought for a moment and answered calmly.

"Sigh... Honestly, I'm not sure where you stood at the time, so it's hard for me to comment. But I've seen a lot of the so-called dark side and ugliness of human beings. If you ask me... you're too extreme."

"extreme?"

Erya was stunned.

"Everyone has a superficial side and a dark side. It's natural for humans to have an ugly side. Superficiality does not mean hypocrisy. If it were me, I probably wouldn't worry so much about it."

After a long silence, Erya sighed in a very complicated tone.

"…If someone else had said this, I would have definitely thought it was just a joke, but coming from you, it's very convincing."

"It seems to me that you rely too much on the obituary. When you take what it shows as the truth, you begin to doubt what you can see with your own eyes."

"Can't argue with that."

Erya answered convinced.

"However, since Bili-chan dares to say that, then in your eyes, you must have seen the beautiful side of people, right?"