All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 18: Eriri Slowly Understands Everything!

"Guru-guru..."

Eriri's delicate face turned crimson, and for a moment, she had no idea how to explain herself.

In the end, she slumped to the ground, clutching her stomach.

"Let's go, let's grab something to eat first."

Yukima Azuma didn't tease her; he simply waved his hand lightly.

If he poked fun at her now, this twin-tailed tsundere would definitely explode.

"I..."

Eriri hesitated slightly.

Conceding so easily didn't sit right with her.

After all, he had just called her "Sawamura-san" earlier.

But if she refused...

The memory of his back shielding her moments ago,

His actions and those incredibly cool words...

Eriri couldn't find a good reason to say no.

Besides, she was really hungry.

As Eriri continued to deliberate,

Yukima Azuma pulled out his phone.

"Oh, right." Yukima Azuma began dialing, casually muttering as if by accident: "I should let Sayuri-obasan know first."

Hearing this, Eriri's eyes widened immediately.

"Huh!?"

She felt utterly incredulous.

Then she could only watch helplessly as Yukima Azuma made the call.

What's more, the call quickly connected, and her mother's voice came through the line.

Eriri gritted her teeth softly.

This guy!

He had clearly blocked all her attempts to contact him,

And yet he still had her mother's number saved? How outrageous!

While Eriri simmered in frustration,

Yukima Azuma finished his conversation.

"Let's go. Sayuri-obasan's already back home, and it seems like she doesn't plan on cooking for you tonight."

Hearing this, Eriri felt even more dejected.

"What did you say to my mom, anyway?"

Eriri turned her face away, asking in a questioning tone.

Faced with her inquiry, Yukima Azuma's expression turned a little strange.

But Eriri didn't notice.

"I told her I found you. She said she knew and told me to make sure you got home safely."

Eriri let out a huff of frustration.

'Seriously, Mom, how could you just leave your daughter in the care of some random high school guy? Show a little more concern!'

Though she thought that,

The word "random" was really just her venting.

In reality, Sayuri and Yukima Azuma were quite close.

Sayuri entrusted Eriri to Yukima Azuma with complete confidence.

This was evident from Sayuri's actions in the past.

When Eriri and Yukima Azuma had broken up,

Sayuri had been upset for quite some time.

Now, with this reunion, Sayuri seemed all too eager to play the role of a "helpful accomplice."

For example...

"Sayuri-obasan also said that it's fine if you don't come home tonight, as long as you stay safe."

"And she even prepared some 'gear' for you. It's in the inner pocket of your sports jacket."

Yukima Azuma said, his expression turning increasingly odd.

Hearing this, a series of question marks filled Eriri's mind.

What do you mean it's fine if I don't come home!?

It's NOT fine!

"Honestly, what nonsense is my mom saying? Even if she's carefree, she should worry about her daughter a little!"

While complaining, Eriri's curiosity got the better of her, and she unzipped her sports jacket.

The 'gear' that Sayuri had mentioned piqued her interest.

'What could possibly be in here? And when did Mom even put it in?'

Eriri reached into the inner pocket, and sure enough, there was something inside.

She wore this sports jacket regularly.

Sayuri hadn't touched it recently.

Which meant that this 'gear' had been prepared quite some time ago.

What on earth could it be?

'A credit card? Or maybe a contact lens case?'

Eriri speculated while reaching into the pocket to retrieve the item.

But before her hand was even halfway out, Yukima Azuma swiftly stopped her.

"What are you doing?" Eriri glared at Yukima Azuma, her expression a mix of confusion and annoyance.

With a serious face, Yukima Azuma responded, "Young lady, ahead lies nothing but the abyss."

Given Sayuri's personality, Yukima Azuma had more or less guessed what the 'gear' could be.

So...

Eriri, stunned by his ominous warning, froze mid-action. Her hand remained stuck in the pocket.

Left with no other choice, she glanced down inside the jacket to take a look herself.

The moment her eyes landed on the so-called 'gear,'

A giant question mark popped up over Eriri's head.

And then, as if a geyser had erupted, imaginary steam whooshed out from her blonde hair.

In her hand was a small box containing... condoms.

The sheer embarrassment was overwhelming.

Eriri's otaku-brained mind immediately went into system crash mode.

Seeing her reaction, Yukima Azuma knew his prediction had been spot on.

Thankfully, he had stopped her in time, preventing her from fully taking it out.

Otherwise, with this level of mortification, Eriri might have crossed some emotional threshold and burst into tears right there on the spot.

Yukima Azuma gently removed her hand from the pocket and zipped up her jacket to cover it again.

Then, without a word, he began leading her toward a nearby family restaurant.

Eriri, still in crash mode, followed him like a lifeless doll being tugged along.

It wasn't until they reached the restaurant's entrance that she finally snapped out of it.

'Who am I? Where am I? How did I get here?'

As these disoriented thoughts filled her head, Eriri suddenly realized that Yukima Azuma had let go of her wrist.

The warm sensation on her skin vanished in an instant.

Eriri felt a little disappointed, even wanting to reach out and grab his hand again.

"Why are you zoning out? Come on in."

Yukima Azuma's call snapped Eriri back to reality.

She looked up and saw him holding the restaurant door open, signaling for her to enter.

Her heart, which had been frozen by the way he had called her "Sawamura-san," melted completely in that moment.

They chose a seat at a corner table, as Eriri usually felt a little shy when eating out.

Yukima Azuma casually pulled out her chair, waited for her to sit, then gently pushed it back, keeping just the right amount of distance.

He called the server, ordered a bowl of scrambled eggs on rice with a sweet flavor, and asked for extra tomato sauce.

As he did this, Eriri's eyes started to shine brighter and brighter.

'What's going on? Clearly, he still cares about me!'

If there was no one around right now, Eriri would probably be standing with her hands on her hips, head held high in smug satisfaction.

"Sawamura-san, aren't you going to eat?"

Yukima Azuma's voice brought her out of her daydreams.

Eriri shot him a furious glare.

This guy!

Every little thing he did showed how much he cared, yet he kept calling her "Sawamura" over and over again.

He was totally a tsundere!

Eriri: I'm starting to understand everything now!

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