Heartbeats and Illusions

"Excuse me…"

Natsukawa Kanade hesitantly opened the door, stepping into a chaotic scene that caught him completely off guard. Eriri was slumped on the floor, her usually immaculate twin tails in disarray. Around her, a haphazard mess of clothes lay strewn across the floor, and in her hand, she clutched a vibrant red dress as if her life depended on it.

She was dressed in an adorable pair of teddy bear pajamas, but Kanade's attention was immediately drawn elsewhere—the buttons on the front of her outfit were undone, leaving more exposed than he was prepared for. He quickly turned his head, his cheeks flushing as he raised a trembling finger.

"Uh… Eriri," he stammered, trying to keep his voice steady, "your buttons… They're… uh, undone."

At that moment, Kanade learned something that shook the foundation of his understanding of Eriri. She wasn't quite as flat-chested as her usual modest clothing suggested. No, beneath her pajama top lay a figure that could rival even the most exaggerated artistic depictions. It was as if she could single-handedly feed five Kaguyas!

"Ah?" Eriri blinked in confusion, not comprehending his words at first.

One moment, she was anxiously plotting how to explain her disheveled state to Kanade; the next, her thoughts screeched to a halt as she followed his gaze. Her wide blue eyes landed on the unbuttoned section of her pajamas, and it finally clicked.

"Ahhhhh!"

Her fair complexion turned an intense shade of red as steam metaphorically erupted from the top of her head. For a moment, her brain seemed to short-circuit entirely, and she froze in place, her expression a mix of horror and embarrassment.

"Eriri?!" Kanade panicked as she teetered on the edge of unconsciousness. He rushed to her side, grabbing her arms to steady her. "Calm down! I didn't see anything! Really, I swear! I was just—just looking at the clothes!"

The words spilled out of his mouth before he could think better of them. The instant they left his lips, Kanade winced internally. What are you even saying?! You're only making it worse, idiot!

Surprisingly, Eriri's response wasn't what he expected. Her wide, panicked eyes narrowed as she processed his awkward explanation.

"You didn't… see anything?" she muttered, her voice faint. Her gaze wavered, and for a moment, she looked lost in thought. Then, as if some sort of coping mechanism kicked in, she nodded to herself. "Right. Of course, you didn't. I mean, there's nothing to see anyway. Small and ugly, that's me…"

Her self-deprecating comment was clearly her way of rationalizing the situation. Though her words stung, Kanade decided not to argue—he wasn't about to throw more fuel onto the fire. Instead, he simply nodded along.

"Yes, yes! Absolutely nothing! Small and, uh… let's move on, okay?"

As her breathing slowed and the redness in her cheeks subsided, Kanade took a cautious step back. He decided to give her some space to collect herself and shifted his attention to the desk beside them.

A large sheet of drawing paper sat prominently on the surface, partially covered by a notebook. Curious, Kanade reached out toward the sketch. "So, this is what you're working on today?"

Before his hand could reach the main drawing, his attention snagged on a corner of paper peeking out from beneath the notebook. Its placement was unusual—so out of line with Eriri's typically meticulous organization—that it practically screamed for attention.

Driven by a mix of curiosity and compulsion, Kanade pulled it out.

"Wait—no! Don't look at that!" Eriri's voice rose in panic, but it was too late.

Kanade's eyes scanned the page, then another, and another as he unearthed a small stack of similarly themed sketches. His initial curiosity quickly morphed into wide-eyed disbelief.

"This is…" He trailed off, searching for words that wouldn't make things worse.

The sketches depicted a blonde heroine with twin ponytails, strikingly similar to Eriri herself. The story told through the illustrations was an oddly specific scenario. A cheerful girl lived a simple life with her childhood sweetheart until an arrogant, handsome man entered the picture. This man, who oozed the kind of domineering energy that would make romance novel protagonists blush, forcefully inserted himself into the girl's life. When his advances were rejected, he resorted to underhanded threats against her childhood sweetheart to coerce her into a relationship.

The heroine, unable to bear seeing her childhood friend in danger, reluctantly agreed to date the bully—and, in a twist of fate, found herself falling for him.

Kanade stared at the art in stunned silence. The talent displayed in the drawings was undeniable, but the content left him at a loss for words.

"…Well," he finally managed, his tone careful, "this is… quite the classic premise, huh?"

Eriri looked ready to sink into the floor. Her hands fidgeted as she avoided eye contact. "It's nothing! Just—just some random doodles! Nothing to take seriously!"

"Uh-huh," Kanade said, nodding slowly. He couldn't help but notice how closely the heroine resembled Eriri herself. Was this… her way of processing her own feelings? Or was it just an artist drawing what she knew?

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. The blonde twin-tailed heroine wasn't just based on Eriri—it was her. And the antagonist? He couldn't help but wonder if Eriri's subconscious had conjured him up as a twisted stand-in for himself.

Kanade's thoughts raced. If Eriri's art reflected her inner world, then what did this say about her feelings toward her childhood sweetheart—or him?

"Eriri," he said carefully, breaking the silence, "you're… really talented. A genius illustrator, even. But…"

"Don't say it!" Eriri interrupted, her voice high-pitched and defensive. "It's just a silly story! It doesn't mean anything!"

Kanade sighed, realizing he'd pushed enough for one day. "Alright, alright. But for what it's worth… I misunderstood you before. I'm sorry for that."

For someone who had dedicated so much to their craft, Natsukawa Kanade could only respect Eriri. It wasn't just about skill—it was about the sheer perseverance and effort required to achieve her level of mastery. As someone who understood the challenges of excelling in any field, Kanade knew that such brilliance demanded both innate talent and relentless hard work.

Eriri deserved recognition for her achievements, and he wasn't one to withhold admiration when it was due.

"Misunderstanding? Oh, uh… yeah," Eriri mumbled, nodding with a blank expression.

Her mind was a flurry of questions. What misunderstanding? What apology? Shouldn't he be glaring at her in anger, reprimanding her for her bold decision to base a character on him? Wasn't this the part where he called her out for her audaciously villainous plotlines?

The truth was, Eriri had barely slept a wink the previous night. After their video call, one singular image had seared itself into her brain: a peculiar moment when a certain large presence on Kanade's screen seemed to leap out and practically smack her in the face.

It was mortifying—but also, inspiring.

That burst of inspiration had left her no choice but to pull an all-nighter. In her teddy bear pajamas, with a pencil in hand, she created the narrative Kanade had stumbled upon just moments ago. And what better protagonist than herself? A golden-haired heroine, misunderstood and noble. And the villain? Kanade, naturally—a brash, towering figure who imposed his will with reckless abandon.

Her focus had been so intense that morning that she missed her alarm entirely. When her mother finally woke her, Kanade had already arrived. In a mad rush to clean her desk, Eriri had scrambled to hide her sketches. After debating where to stash them, she decided that "the most obvious place is the safest," slipping them beneath a notebook.

Clearly, her plan hadn't worked.

But judging by Kanade's lack of accusation and his somewhat detached demeanor, maybe—just maybe—he hadn't fully realized what he'd seen. Desperate to avoid any further scrutiny, she forced a change in topic.

"Ah! We're wasting time! Let's start painting already," she said, flustered.

"Right, right! Let's get to work," Kanade replied quickly, equally eager to move past the awkwardness.

Under Eriri's guidance, Kanade positioned himself at the workspace. Just as he was preparing to pick up his tools, something caught his eye—a small box on the corner of the desk.

"What's this?"

Curiosity was irresistible. Natsukawa Kanade's hand reached for the box, his mind convinced that investigating even minor details was a hallmark of growth. But when he saw the words Okamoto clearly printed on it, his brain short-circuited.

"...Oh."

Kanade froze. He almost dropped the box in shock.

Eriri noticed his odd behavior immediately and rushed to his side.

"What happened?" she asked, frowning.

Kanade panicked, hiding the box behind his back as quickly as he could. "N-nothing! I was just stretching! Yeah, stretching my arms! No big deal!"

Eriri wasn't buying it. His flustered reaction only made her more suspicious. Could it be...?

She leaned in, and while Kanade was too distracted trying to act normal, Eriri deftly snatched the box from him. She held it up and inspected it closely. Her tension eased slightly—until the realization of what she was holding struck her like lightning.

"Wait… WHA—?!" Her voice cracked.

She immediately turned scarlet, clutching the box as if it were a live grenade. "This isn't mine! I swear it's not mine! It's—it's my mom's! She must've left it here! Why would I even have something like this?!"

Her voice grew increasingly hysterical, and tears of embarrassment welled up in her eyes. First, the sketches. Now, this. It was as if the universe was conspiring against her.

Kanade, for his part, was equally flustered.

"No, no! I believe you! Of course, it's not yours! Why would I even think that?!" he stammered.

Eriri, still overwhelmed, muttered under her breath, "Destroy it. Destroy it all..."

Kanade nodded fervently, desperately trying to calm her down. "Yes! Absolutely! Let's forget this ever happened!"

Neither of them dared to delve further into the subject. Kanade, unwilling to risk provoking Eriri's already fragile state, wisely refrained from any more probing questions. He didn't need the full story to understand one thing for certain: no matter how bizarre the situation, it was best to just go along with it.

The two silently returned to their work, though both of them remained red-faced, silently swearing never to bring up this incident again.