Bab 125: Chapter 123: New Dream
Originally, Eriri had planned to meet Ryuji last night.
But unexpectedly, she'd fallen asleep, exhausted from using up her cursed energy. When she woke up in the morning, she barely had time to rush to school.
Finally, during lunch break, she had her chance.
Excitedly, she wanted to show off her newfound abilities to Ryuji and the others.
Yukino and the rest, who had been getting ready to practice, paused and looked over curiously.
"What kind of technique did you awaken?" Yukino asked.
"Hehe!"
Eriri grinned, but didn't answer directly. Instead, she took out her drawing board and shot a smug, provocative glance at Utaha.
See, I'm ahead this time!
"…"
Utaha didn't say anything, but she raised an eyebrow. This silly girl... does she really think she's won just because she awakened a technique?
Under everyone's curious and slightly puzzled gaze, Eriri started drawing on her board. Thanks to her artistic skills, it didn't take long for a creature to take shape on the paper.
"Come forth!" she commanded, waving her drawing board dramatically. The creature she'd drawn suddenly sprang to life, flying out from the page.
The unexpected scene left everyone stunned, including Ryuji, whose eyes widened in surprise.
"So, what do you think?" Eriri looked at Ryuji eagerly, clearly hoping for his praise.
"Very impressive!" Ryuji didn't hesitate to compliment her.
Just based on this performance, it was clear that Eriri's awakened ability had a lot of potential.
"With enough spiritual energy, you might even be able to draw some powerful creatures," Ryuji mused. Compared to Utaha's curse-based technique, Eriri's ability was actually quite versatile—and potentially even more powerful.
"Hehe!"
Eriri didn't care what anyone else thought. Hearing Ryuji's praise made her beam with happiness.
She couldn't resist throwing another smug look at Utaha. "Jealous?"
She was clearly thinking, Look at me, I've awakened a technique, and you haven't!
Her thoughts were practically written all over her face, which only made Utaha roll her eyes.
In the past, she might've felt a little envious. But now...
"It's undeniable, this is a pretty powerful ability," Utaha said, nodding. She wasn't going to deny Eriri's talent, especially after Ryuji had acknowledged it.
But then she added, "It's just a shame it's in your hands."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eriri snapped, clearly offended. "Are you saying I can't draw? If anything, this technique suits me perfectly!"
Utaha shrugged. "Oh, I'm not questioning your drawing skills."
She pointed at the creature Eriri had summoned. "But don't you see anything... off about what you just drew?"
"What's wrong with it?"
Eriri looked down at her creature, ready to argue, but then froze. In her excitement, she hadn't paid much attention to what she was drawing. Now, staring at it, she realized it was... a mass of tentacles.
Why did I draw so many tentacles?
Without looking up, she could already feel the others' amused and slightly puzzled gazes.
"So," Utaha said with a smirk, "I guess you just revealed your... tastes."
"Bang!"
The summoned creature vanished, as if bursting like a bubble. Partly because Eriri didn't have enough cursed energy to maintain it, but also because she was beyond embarrassed.
"What's the big deal? At least Ryuji said my technique is strong!" Eriri huffed, trying to brush it off, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
She looked like a petulant child, which only made teasing her more fun for Utaha.
Smiling with barely concealed amusement, Utaha pulled out a tablet and looked at Eriri. "Well then, would you like to see my technique?"
"???"
The other girls, except for Ryuji and the Kaba sisters, who already knew, looked over curiously.
They'd thought Eriri was the only one who'd awakened a technique. But now it seemed that Utaha had as well.
"You... you have a technique too?" Eriri's eyes widened in disbelief.
Is this woman my nemesis or something? Eriri thought. She'd only just awakened her own ability, and now Utaha had one as well.
If Utaha could read Eriri's thoughts, she would've laughed. I can't help when my technique awakens, can I?
"Hmph! Well, I doubt your technique is as useful as mine," Eriri said, still confident. "I just need to build up my cursed energy a bit more."
"Oh, really?" Utaha smirked. "Let's put that to the test."
Without another word, she began typing on her tablet.
"What are you doing?" Eriri asked, confused.
"Just wait thirty seconds," Utaha replied casually. "In a moment, a breeze will blow your drawing board right out the window."
"???"
Eriri looked skeptical. "Utaha, are you crazy? I'm holding the board. How could it just blow away on its own?"
But before she could finish, a sudden gust of wind swept through the classroom, catching her off guard.
"Hey! My drawing board!" Eriri yelped, trying to grab it, but it slipped out of her grasp and went sailing out the open window.
"Cough…"
Utaha started coughing, her hand trembling slightly as she put down her tablet.
Seeing this, Ryuji sighed. He reached over, placing a hand on her shoulder, and activated his RCT, quickly healing her.
Utaha's discomfort faded, and she looked up at Ryuji with a grateful, but mischievous, smile.
"My drawing board!" Eriri cried, running over to the window.
"Don't worry," Utaha said with a smirk. "I'll buy you a new one."
"I don't want you to pay for it!" Eriri huffed. Although losing the drawing board was annoying, she could always buy a replacement. She shot a look of indignation at Ryuji, as if hoping he'd scold Utaha on her behalf.
"..."
Seeing her pitiful expression, Ryuji couldn't help but smile. If you keep looking like that, people will want to bully you even more.
But for Sayuri's sake, he decided to show her a little sympathy. He gestured for her to come closer.
"Come here."
Eriri's eyes lit up with joy, and she instantly forgot about her lost drawing board, rushing over to him.
"Hehe!"
Leaning close to Ryuji, Eriri looked happier than ever. She even threw a triumphant look in Utaha's direction, as if to say, See? Even if you threw my board away, I still have him.
"Tsk."
This girl has really grown up, Utaha thought, amused. But she wasn't jealous. Just a little annoyed by Eriri's smugness.
After all, who do you think was with Ryuji last night?
"Both Eriri and Utaha have some impressive techniques," Yukino noted, breaking the silence. "They're unique and hard to counter."
Yumiko, who had recently awakened her own fire technique, nodded in agreement. While her and Yukino's techniques were straightforward attacks, Eriri and Utaha's abilities were much more versatile. If you weren't careful, it'd be easy to fall into their traps.
"Everyone has their own strengths," Ryuji said, nodding thoughtfully. "Eriri's technique uses a lot of cursed energy, while Utaha's comes with a bit of backlash. It's hard to say which is better. They each have their pros and cons."
"And both have side effects," he added.
"Side effects?" Eriri looked up in surprise. She hadn't thought about any drawbacks to her technique.
"See?" Utaha snorted. "This is why you'll always be a step behind. Do you even think about important things?"
Eriri glared at her. "What side effects? Ryuji didn't say anything about that!"
Utaha just smirked. "That's because he told me yesterday evening."
The implication in her words was clear, and Eriri's face flushed with irritation.
"Yesterday… evening?"
Eriri was no stranger to certain implications, thanks to her knowledge from the manga and light novel world.
"Damn it, you…!"
"Hmmph!" Utaha crossed her arms, clearly enjoying Eriri's frustration.
"Anyway, shouldn't we be discussing the side effects instead of squabbling?" Miko interjected, bringing them back to the topic.
Utaha nodded, her face turning serious. "Because my technique involves writing, I can't write light novels anymore."
"Wait, what?" Eriri looked shocked. She knew that Utaha's dream had always been to become a famous light novelist. Was she really giving that up?
Though they bickered constantly, Eriri did care about Utaha. Both of them had few friends, and over time, they'd grown closer in their own way.
Noticing Eriri's concern, Utaha gave her a soft smile. "Don't worry. I've already found a new dream that's even more important."
"A new dream?"
Eriri noticed the way Utaha was looking at Ryuji as she said it, not even blinking.
***
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