Crossover: I Took In a Runaway High School Girl

"Don't stare at me like that!" she snapped at Renji. "Can't a beautiful girl have a weird pen name?" To hide her nervousness, Eriri put her hands on her hips and glared at Renji. Her small fangs were visible, making her look even cuter.

Renji smiled. "I didn't say that." He extended his hand. "Let's get acquainted, Sawamura-san. I'm Renji Kamisaka, a first-year student at Sobu High School, and a fan of Eri Kashiwagi's works."

Eriri felt a little shy seeing no contempt in Renji's eyes, only gentleness. She took a deep breath, extended her small hand, and shook Renji's hand.

"I'm Eriri Spencer Sawamura, a first-year student at Toyogasaki High School, and a comic creator with the pen name Eri Kashiwagi."

"Eri Kashiwagi," Renji muttered, nodding.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my pen name?" Eriri got angry again. She straightened her back and stared at Renji sharply, ready to pounce and bite him if he said the wrong thing.

Renji smiled. "Just a little surprised. Sawamura-san, I also bought your book. I always thought Eri Kashiwagi was a fat otaku."

"Misaki-senpai said you were a beautiful girl, but I didn't believe it. Now that I see it, I'm very surprised."

"What's so surprising?! I'm not that easy to approach, and... you said you bought my book?! You should have said you bought the book I illustrated!" Eriri jumped up in anger. She wanted to forget her good impression of Renji.

"Alright, let's go back to the room and discuss it," Misaki said, leading the two of them to her room.

Eriri sat on the tatami, puffing out her cheeks, and glanced at Renji occasionally. She was uncomfortable being seen as a fat otaku, especially by a handsome man like Renji.

Renji smiled at her, then said to Misaki. "Can we start now, Misaki-senpai?"

"Of course! Let's see the anime we've already made!" Misaki turned on the TV. The Magical Girl Misaki anime began to play.

The beautiful magic, the passionate storyline, and the beautiful magical girl costumes made Renji's and Eriri's eyes light up. Eriri stared blankly, her hands clenched. The only magical girl she had ever seen was Magical Girl Meruru, who was childish. But this... this was amazing.

"It's great, isn't it? This is just a short anime from the game," Eriri said excitedly. "Misaki-senpai, you're really amazing!"

"Haha, it's nothing. So, Renji, what do you think?"

"Overall, it's good. The fights, passion, and the beauty of the magical girls are all displayed. But some details need to be adjusted. For example, at the 25th second, the sound is a bit noisy, and this sentence seems redundant..."

Renji gave his opinion, and Misaki nodded. "I'll fix it later."

"But today we're not talking about this. We're going to start a club!" Misaki looked at both of them proudly.

"I plan to start our own game animation club, raise funds, and start a company!"

"Eri, do you want to join?"

"Of course! I do!" Eriri nodded quickly. This was a great opportunity to transform from a pornographic comic illustrator!

"Good! From today on, the Meow Star Club is officially established! I hope we can work together well!"

"Eh, why is it called Meow Star?" Eriri asked.

"Because there are a lot of cats at Sakurasou Dormitory. And Meow Star can reflect the superiority of our club. We want to be a Meow Star, use culture to expand, and dominate the animation and game world! Isn't that cool?"

"Sure, Meow Star sounds cool!" Renji said seriously.

Eriri was confused. What was cool about it? And Renji, are you serious about that name?

In the end, Eriri had no choice but to agree.

After the club was decided, Misaki became busy again. Renji handed the additional story script he had just written to Eriri. Eriri was even more shocked when she read it.

"Are you really a high school student? How can you write such a heartbreaking script? And the senior will be beheaded? This magical girl is too miserable!" Eriri looked at him as if she were looking at a devil.

Renji shrugged. "Happiness is always short-lived. Only sadness can be remembered by people. Only by making the world feel pain can our work go viral."

Eriri rolled her eyes. "I think we're going to get a lot of scolding."

The senior who appeared like a hero who gave a sense of security, who led Misaki out of her confusion and gave her courage. Now, Renji wrote a script where that senior was beheaded in front of Misaki.

"Getting scolded is normal. Sometimes, black and red are the same," Renji replied. "Besides, our magical girl movie is aimed at high school students and adults, not children. If you read the whole script, you'll find an element of reincarnation. We can make many different endings. Players can revive the senior and change the tragic plot. That's what makes a game successful."

Eriri finally gave him a thumbs-up. "You're amazing!" She herself would never have been able to think of such a script. Her mind seemed to only be filled with dirty things. When drawing comics, she even once thought of making a fat otaku uncle beat up the heroine.

No, why am I thinking that?

Eriri lowered her head, shame surging. The more she thought about the script she had just read, the deeper the sense of inferiority stabbed. Compared to Renji, who could write such an emotional and tragic story, who could evoke deep feelings in every character, she felt so small.

He... he's really a high school student, right? How can he write such a heartbreaking script?

She, who had always been famous under the pen name Eri Kashiwagi, could only draw characters that were sweet, cute, and... often, erotic. She drew scenes that were meant to satisfy fantasies, not to touch hearts. Every time she saw Renji's work, she felt like a miserable pornographic comic illustrator.

She felt depressed, as if all her talent suddenly looked shallow. She had always been proud of her work, but now, in front of Renji, that pride felt empty. Renji had a far-sighted vision, a deep understanding of human emotions, and an ambition that went beyond mere entertainment.

I... I want to be like you, Renji. I want to be able to create something truly valuable, something people can remember, something that can make them feel pain and happiness.

Eriri clutched the script in her hand, her cheeks still red with embarrassment. She promised herself, in her deepest heart, that she would use her talent to draw Renji's script with all her heart. Not just because she wanted to be a part of this project, but because she wanted to prove to herself—and to Renji—that she was more than just Eri Kashiwagi who drew erotic comics. She wanted to be a true artist.