Crossover: After deciding to give up, i became popular

"Excuse me…"

As Kanade Natsukawa opened the door, his gaze fell upon Eriri sprawled on the floor, her hair disheveled and her expression a mix of panic and embarrassment. Scattered clothing surrounded her, and she clutched a red dress as though it were a lifeline.

Her adorable bear-themed pajamas might have been endearing if not for the glaringly loose buttons at the front, revealing far more than intended.

"Your buttons…" Kanade coughed awkwardly, averting his gaze and raising a hand to gesture. "You might want to fix them."

In that brief, fleeting moment, Kanade learned a truth that shook his world—Eriri's figure wasn't as flat as advertised. No, it wasn't a barren plain at all. It was a lush valley, abundant enough to outmatch Kaguya's fivefold! Future kids wouldn't starve, that was for sure.

"Huh?" Eriri blinked in confusion.

A second earlier, she had been fretting about how to explain her current state, only to be blindsided by Kanade's sudden shift in tone and evasive glance. Following his hand's direction, her eyes slowly drifted downward.

There it was. The two unbuttoned openings at her chest, practically inviting a wardrobe malfunction.

"!!!"

Eriri's face flushed crimson in an instant. Steam seemed to rise from her head, her pupils losing focus as her brain overloaded.

The Eriri 001 unit… has shut down.

Kanade rushed over, catching her before she could collapse completely.

"Eriri! Calm down!" he pleaded, waving his hands in front of her face. "I swear I didn't see anything! My attention was on your clothes—just the clothes! Absolutely nothing else!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Kanade realized he had only made things worse. It was like lighting a match in a room full of gasoline.

But to his surprise, Eriri snapped out of her stupor.

"You… didn't?" she stammered, a hint of skepticism in her tone. "Well… not that there's much to see anyway. I mean… it's not like I'm that impressive…"

Her words trailed off, and her tone grew increasingly self-deprecating.

Kanade stared, unsure how to respond. This… is how she processes embarrassment?

Whatever worked, he supposed. He nodded furiously. "Yep, exactly. Nothing to see at all!"

With Eriri finally regaining her composure, Kanade shifted his attention to the scattered papers around her desk. He reached for a sketch atop the pile, its contents catching his interest.

"This must be what you need me to help color, right?"

Before he could examine it further, something else caught his eye—a corner of a paper poking out from beneath a notebook.

Curiosity got the better of him. He slid it free, revealing an illustration.

"Wait, what's this…?"

"Don't—!" Eriri lunged forward, but it was too late.

Kanade was already flipping through a series of increasingly familiar drawings.

Page after page revealed the tale of a blonde, twin-tailed heroine (unmistakably modeled after Eriri herself) living an ordinary life with her childhood friend… until a tall, handsome man entered the picture.

The newcomer was the quintessential alpha male—strong, domineering, and utterly shameless. He blackmailed the heroine into a relationship using her childhood friend as leverage:

"You wouldn't want him to be cornered in alleys after school every day, would you?"

The heroine reluctantly agreed, all for her childhood friend's sake, only to be drawn deeper into the man's clutches…

Kanade froze mid-flip, his mind spiraling as he pieced together the rest of the story without needing to see it illustrated.

"...Really leaning into the classic tropes here, aren't we?" he muttered, his expression a mixture of awkwardness and disbelief.

The realization dawned on him: the domineering antagonist was unmistakably based on him.

Eriri fidgeted nervously, her cheeks flushed.

Last night's creative frenzy came flooding back to her. Ever since she'd accidentally glimpsed Kanade's "big surprise" during their video call, she hadn't been able to get the image out of her head.

The result? A sleepless night spent channeling those thoughts into her art.

What she hadn't anticipated was Kanade finding the sketches.

She had tried hiding them in plain sight, believing no one would think to look there. How was she supposed to know he'd go snooping under the notebook?

"Sorry for misunderstanding you, Eriri."

Kanade's voice broke through her thoughts. She blinked, startled.

"Huh? Misunderstand what?"

"I didn't realize how seriously you took your craft," he continued, his tone genuinely apologetic. "I mean, to use yourself as a reference… That's real dedication. You're amazing."

"..." Eriri stared blankly, her mind blank.

Was… Was this supposed to be a compliment? Why wasn't he yelling at her for dragging him into her embarrassing artwork?

Kanade's sincerity made her heart race. She quickly tried to steer the conversation back to neutral territory.

"Anyway, w-we should get started! Time is running out!" she stammered, hastily gathering the papers and shoving them aside.

Kanade nodded, deciding to let the matter drop.

Just as he was settling in to help, Kanade noticed a small box sitting on the desk. He reached for it out of reflex, turning it over in his hands.

"...What's this?"

The familiar logo of "Okamoto" greeted him.

Kanade froze. His grip nearly slipped as he registered what he was holding.

Eriri noticed his stiff movements and leaned in.

"What's wrong—"

"Nothing!" Kanade yelped, shoving the box behind his back. "I-I just needed to stretch!"

Eriri narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Her gut told her he was hiding something.

Quick as a flash, she snatched the box from his hands.

"Let's see—"

Her voice cut off abruptly. The color drained from her face as she read the label.

"!!!"

"That's—! It's not mine!" she shrieked, flailing in a panic. "It's definitely my mom's! She must have left it here by accident!"

Kanade held up his hands defensively.

"I believe you! I swear I do!"

"..."

Despite his reassurances, Eriri looked like she was on the verge of tears. Her lips trembled as she muttered under her breath:

"Just… destroy me already…"

Kanade sighed, resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands.

"Let's… just focus on your work," he said finally, forcing a weak smile. Today is going to be a long, long day.