All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends-Chapter 228: Izumi Sagiri: Does He Like Me?

Standing in front of the Izumi household—

Yukima Azuma's emotions were complicated.

After the swap event ended—

He immediately checked his relationship with Izumi Sagiri.

And he discovered that the timeline had changed.

Yukima Azuma thought that this meant he had made a difference.

But now, Izumi Sagiri suddenly messaged him.

Perhaps, the essence of the event hadn't actually changed?

As if time itself had auto-corrected, bringing everything back to its original path.

Could it be that all his efforts were in vain?

He shook his head slightly, brushing away those useless thoughts.

Yukima Azuma pressed the doorbell.

No matter what—he should at least meet Izumi Sagiri first.

After ringing the bell—

Yukima Azuma assumed the situation would be the same as last time.

No one would answer, and then Izumi Sagiri would message him, telling him where the spare key was hidden.

But reality was different.

Through the door—

A woman's voice sounded from inside.

"Excuse me… Huh? Sagiri? Why are you running downstairs?"

Right after that—

A series of hurried footsteps echoed.

Click.

The door opened.

Izumi Sagiri timidly peeked her head out.

l l l˶o˶˶o˶) !

Her pale blue eyes fixed on Yukima Azuma.

"Y-You… why are you at my house?"

(¬////¬)

Seeing the girl before him—

Yukima Azuma was momentarily stunned.

∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?

By Jesus above! Izumi Sagiri actually stepped out of her room!

(´⊙ω⊙`)ᵒᵐᵍᵎᵎᵎ

At this moment, he didn't need to question anything anymore.

Because just seeing this adorable silver-haired girl was the clearest proof.

After a brief daze, Yukima Azuma adjusted his emotions, then smiled with slight surprise.

"Eromanga-sensei? I never expected to run into you here!"

Hearing that, the girl instantly fluffed up like an angry kitten.

"I-I don't know anyone with such a weird name!"

(˶˃⤙˂˶)

She even made a fierce expression as she spoke.

⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞

Of course, that was just what she thought.

In reality, it was completely non-threatening—if anything, it only made her even more adorable.

Since she had signed a contract with Laplace Corporation—

The information of "Eromanga-sensei," aka Izumi Sagiri, had already been sent to the company.

Izumi Sagiri understood this well.

Even though she tried to put on a strong front, she only voiced one rebuttal before letting it go.

She didn't bother coming up with pointless excuses to hide it anymore.

Instead, she just asked:

"W-Why are you here?"

(,,¬﹏¬,,)

Yukima Azuma raised the cake box in his hands.

"Today, someone is celebrating their birthday, and they wished for a cake."

"I wonder if there's anyone else in this house celebrating a birthday?"

(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

After confirming that Yukima Azuma was truly the one who came to fulfill her wish—

Izumi Sagiri unconsciously placed a hand over her chest.

Her heartbeat quickened.

At first, Sagiri only had a vague fondness for Yukima Azuma because they shared the same interests.

But right now, that feeling was as if it had been covered by a special filter—

Making her heart race as she looked at the young man before her.

"J-Just… calling me Sagiri is fine…"

(¬////¬)

"You're my dad's friend, right? I was the one who messaged you."

Sagiri muttered softly, her gaze unconsciously dropping to her toes, feeling embarrassed.

At that moment, Izumi Sagiri's mother also stepped out, standing behind her daughter.

" Arara~ You must be Yukimi-sensei, right? Please come in."

( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩)

"Sagiri, why are you making a guest talk outside the door?"

Looking at the woman who was like an older version of Sagiri, Yukima Azuma smiled.

It seemed that not only had his efforts not been in vain, but the results were even more apparent than expected.

...

After stepping inside—

While her mother went to fetch slippers for Yukima Azuma—

Izumi Sagiri tugged at Yukima Azuma's sleeve.

She winked at him.

( ˶o˶˶<˶)

Although her expression was rather clumsy…

It almost looked like she was winking to act cute.

But Yukima Azuma still understood Sagiri's intention.

She probably didn't want her mother to know that she had invited him over under the pretense of being her "father's friend."

Perhaps she didn't want to stir up her mother's sadness.

Of course, Yukima Azuma wouldn't go poking at someone's emotional wounds.

He simply said:

"You must be Mrs. Izumi, right? My name is Yukima Azuma. Yukimi is just my pen name."

"You can just call me Yukima. Today is Sagiri's birthday, so I brought a cake."

As he spoke, he handed the cake box to Mrs. Izumi.

Hearing that, she lightly covered her mouth, clearly surprised.

She hadn't expected her daughter to mention her birthday to this young man.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Thinking back to the earlier scene—her daughter rushing downstairs to personally answer the door—

Mrs. Izumi's mind immediately filled with all sorts of youthful love stories.

(๑ > ᴗ < ๑)

Her daughter had always been extremely shy and socially awkward, so making a friend was already a rare event.

Because of that, her gaze toward Yukima Azuma softened considerably, carrying the warm understanding of a mother.

(❀❛ ֊ ❛„)♡

"So that's how it is. It seems like Yukima-kun cares a lot about my daughter."

"Since you're here, why don't you stay for lunch? I was just about to start cooking."

"You two can chat on the sofa for a bit while I make some tea."

Mrs. Izumi took the cake box and gestured toward the sofa in the living room.

A silent invitation for the two of them to talk freely.

Then, she carried the cake and walked toward the kitchen.

Yukima Azuma nodded slightly.

His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the kitchen.

The arrangement of the kitchen was almost exactly the same as the last time he visited.

It seemed that the Izumi kitchen had always been designed in Mrs. Izumi's style.

But there was one difference—

Last time, when Yukima Azuma was here, the kitchen had felt cold, devoid of life.

But now, it was clearly a kitchen that was regularly used.

A place where a mother was taking care of her family.

...

After sitting down on the sofa—

Izumi Sagiri quietly stared at the boy sitting beside her.

Her heart was in turmoil.

He's so young, yet he's my dad's friend…?

Am I sitting too far away? What if he thinks I don't like him…?

Should I move a little closer…? Wait, why am I staring at him so much!?!

Realizing that staring at someone for so long might be rude, Izumi Sagiri quickly averted her gaze.

At the same time, she subtly shifted her body—moving just a little closer to Yukima Azuma.

( //>///<//)

Right at that moment, Mrs. Izumi walked in with tea—

And caught the scene in full view.

"Ara ara~"

( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩)

She let out a knowing chuckle.

After placing the tea on the table, Mrs. Izumi quickly returned to the kitchen.

The living room—of course, should be left for the two kids to have their space.

Unlike her daughter, who was extremely socially awkward—

Mrs. Izumi was very aware of not being an unnecessary "third wheel."

After a short silence, Izumi Sagiri hesitantly spoke up:

"Your name is Yukima…"

Before she could finish, Yukima Azuma interjected:

"Just call me Azuma."

Izumi Sagiri nodded slightly.

Why does he let my mom call him by his surname?

But when it's me, I get to call him by his first name?

Could it be that he… likes me…?!

(∩˃o˂∩)♡

That thought had only just flashed through her mind—

But before one of the three great illusions of life could even take root— (Note: what the other two are?)

Izumi Sagiri heard Yukima Azuma say:

"Anyway, Sagiri is just like a daughter to me."

( ꈍ◡ꈍ)

As he spoke, he gently patted her soft, silvery hair.

Caught off guard by the sudden "headpat kill," Izumi Sagiri immediately pouted and swatted his hand away.

"Who's your daughter?!" she huffed, glaring at Yukima Azuma.

(˶˃⤙˂˶)

But after that little tease—

The distance between them instantly shrank.

Yukima Azuma took the initiative to bring up anime and light novels.

As a reclusive illustrator—

Izumi Sagiri took the bait immediately.

The awkwardness of their first offline meeting melted away in no time.

They chatted animatedly.

Having spent years cooped up indoors with almost no real-life friends—

Suddenly having someone with the same interests appear beside her…

Not to mention someone who had already been "filtered to boost favorability" in her mind—

The usual walls Izumi Sagiri kept up had completely crumbled.

There was almost nothing she couldn't talk about with Yukima Azuma.

—

In the previous timeline—

Yukima Azuma and Izumi Sagiri broke the ice due to a heatstroke incident.

But this time—

Without such an event,

Their relationship actually progressed even faster.

Of course, part of that was thanks to the "favorability filter."

But the more important reason—

Was Izumi Sagiri herself.

Right now, Izumi Sagiri was still an otaku—

She had things she felt guilty about.

But she wasn't suffering from any deep emotional wounds.

At her core—

She was still a healthy, normally developing girl.

Unlike the Izumi Sagiri from the previous timeline—

Who shut herself in her room all day.

Unable to take even a single step outside, as if she had locked her own soul away.

Back then, Izumi Sagiri had been like a puzzle missing a piece.

If someone could fill that void—

Of course, she would be moved.

But no matter how refined a technique—

A gold-inlaid gem could never compare to a flawless jewel.

And the Izumi Sagiri now—

In Yukima Azuma's eyes, she was as adorable as a perfect gem.

—

"Alright, come eat, kids. You can continue talking after the meal."

(*´▽`*)

At that moment, Mrs. Izumi called out.

Izumi Sagiri had been passionately discussing her favorite anime.

Hearing her mother's voice, she suddenly realized—

She had been chatting with Yukima Azuma, someone she had just met, for an unexpectedly long time.

Recalling how forward she had been earlier—

Her small face flushed red.

( //>///<//)

—

The two of them headed to the dining table.

Where Mrs. Izumi had prepared a table full of delicious dishes.

Even without tasting, the vibrant colors and enticing aroma were proof of her impressive cooking skills.

At that moment, Mrs. Izumi also brought out the cake that Yukima Azuma had brought.

"Sagiri, this is the cake Yukima-kun brought for you. Go ahead and open it yourself."

Hearing that, Izumi Sagiri gave a small nod.

She reached for the ribbon tied around the box.

With a slight pull—

She undid the bow.

--------------------------------------------

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