Bonding With Walking Illustration

Amiya, after entering his unfamiliar house, encounters his new mother or rather, the new mother of the body he switched with. After meeting his sister, he even had to fake an injury on his leg and made her carry him to the house, no matter how shameful it looked, as he had no idea of the house address. Given that Japan's map was unfamiliar to him, he didn’t know where he lived.

His mother had a troubled expression and even brought up the time when he said, "Who are you?" on the phone, as it wasn’t his mother’s voice. He was yet to realize that he was trapped in his favorite light novel at that time.

At home, he had to act normal even if he didn’t want to, putting up a strained smile. The awkwardness of playing family was too much for his first day. Having to go through an entrance ceremony and a few awkward moments, including the confession he made to Erina. His sister was pouting as she came to understand that he didn’t actually have a leg injury and had faked it. Despite being so worried, she was somehow happy that he wasn’t actually injured, but with her mixed feelings, she locked herself in her room after having the night meal together.

Amiya pretended to have a headache, unable to bear the pressure of faking family life, and locked himself in his room as well to calm down.

His first impression of the house was that it was lively, and his mother was someone cheerful, as if she didn’t know she had aged. She genuinely cared about her family, and even her food was delicious, though it felt more like her own experiments just like the onigiri he had for his bento earlier that day, which had an unusual size and shape. His family was well-off, but he didn’t see any sign of his father. Later, Amiya found out by overhearing that his father was working abroad for a company when his mother was on the phone.

That aside, the house looked complex from the outside, but inside, it was quite simple. The rooms were plainly decorated with a modern touch. The living room had the scent of orchids, as the room freshener was set on high. Amiya didn’t visit any other rooms except the bathroom, where he dipped into the bathtub after a hectic day, and the dining room, where he had meals with everyone, as well as his own room.

"Man, this room really makes me uncomfortable. It feels like I’m going to sleep in someone else’s room," Amiya thought. He opened the large glass window of the veranda, plopped onto his bed in exhaustion, and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t need to turn on the fan as the second floor provided a soothing breeze into his room. The room freshener in his room had a different scent compared to the living and dining rooms. The smell of lavender felt natural and helped remove his fatigue. Despite such leisure, he couldn’t shake the thought that he was in someone else’s body and living in their house. "I’m sorry," was the only thing he could say internally, as he was faking being part of a family who genuinely cared for him.

"Hmm, I tried checking out the room, but sadly there was no written diary or anything like that," Amiya thought. He was trying to find a diary to learn more about the day-to-day life of the person whose body he now inhabited, but it was mundane. He couldn’t find anything related to this body, but he was sure he was doing fine acting the part. He was even fine when tried to talk to the mother, who was simply his mother now even though it was uncomfortable at first.

He left his phone on charge and rolled on the bed, spreading his hands to relax. That being said, he had accepted Shinomori-san’s invitation to the clubroom, which would give him less time to interfere with the main characters. He was looking forward to it anyway, but what sent shivers down his spine was how he would be treated tomorrow after confessing to the most beautiful angel in their class—no, the school. Rumors spread faster than the speed of light, and it was a given that the whole school knew about it.

As Amiya kept recalling the day he had gone through, he sank into the softness of the bed. The exhaustion slowly faded as time passed, and the sounds of birds became audible. Sunlight filled the room, making it brighter. The humidity was normal, which made the room temperature slightly chilly, but the sun’s warmth eventually balanced it out. Amiya’s eyes opened, and he slowly walked towards the veranda through the already open window, stretching his arms.

"Wow, amazing. I really love this veranda, probably the best thing about this house," he thought, appreciating the build of the house compared to his previous one, which had small windows like any normal house. Despite being from a middle-class family, this building was clearly designed by skilled engineers.

It was seven in the morning, and as he walked towards the washroom, he found his sister brushing her teeth. Paying no attention to it, he went in the washroom and did his thing before coming out. It was peaceful in a way, but the fact that she didn’t say anything made him feel awkward, so he decided to bring it up.

"Are you still angry about yesterday?" he asked.

She washed her mouth and, instead of replying, simply nodded.

"I-I see... I’ll treat you to something nice today to make up for it," he said awkwardly, as he didn’t know how brothers and sisters typically made up. It was his first time experiencing this sibling dynamic.

She showed him a thumbs-up and walked away to the second floor. Her room was right next to his, and her door was pink, marking her own territory.

He slowly went towards the dining room and saw his mother cooking. "Good morning," she greeted, and he returned the greeting before sitting at the table, waiting for the food.

He didn’t shower in the morning, nor did he know if the person whose body he was using did the same. But judging by his mother’s reaction, it seemed normal everyday thing in this family too.

Taking my morning food, changing into my school uniform, and packing my bento in my bag, I left for school. Apparently, my sister didn’t talk to me, pouting, which actually felt cute, so I didn’t persist any further, knowing she would be back to her usual self after I gave her something as a treat for forgiveness. My mother and I had a little bit of conversation, which I was able to pull off normally, and she sent me off to school with a "bye" at last. I didn’t know that motherly affection would make me relax and feel more at home here, which was a good thing, as I could lax off.

On my way, I could see twin tails swaying as if, instead of legs, her hair was making her body move. It was one of the main characters, the second heroine. Somehow, walking behind her made me feel like I was a stalker or a criminal following her on the empty road. It was still 8 AM, so obviously, the roads were clearer except for us students and some office workers. With that, I placed my steps to overtake her and go past her. It was awkward to be behind her, and I didn’t want her to make rumors of, "This creep was walking behind me the whole time!"

Nice, I walked past her! Safe—

That was too early to think I was safe, as I heard a tap on my shoulder. I slowly spun my head to see the person behind me. It almost felt like I was in a horror movie.

"U-um?"

"Why are you running away from me?" she said as her twin tails swayed back and forth. Looks like she got the impression that I was running away from her. It was a backfire. I shouldn’t have tried overtaking her, should have just walked behind her like a creep instead.

"Oh, it’s just that I’m excited to go to school, ha ha ha."

"You got dumped yesterday and still have no embarrassment... weird."

"Hey, you don’t have to say that first thing in the morning, dammit!" is what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t say it aloud. She has the worst personality in this whole school. One wrong word, and I might piss her off. Knowing her power, it’s safe to assume I could easily get kicked out of school for no reason. In the light novel she actually managed to suspend a few students for talking back to her, and I don’t want to be one of them. My stomach churned in nervousness, making a loud noise.

"I see you’re hungry. Well, it can’t be helped. You were in a hurry," Ootori Shea said. She was indeed calm right now, but no one could talk back with her sharp tongue that would slice you into pieces. Everyone knew how she acted, as the scenario had already played out yesterday when she encountered the main character, Hitsugi leaving off scary impression.

Also, that churning noise was from nervousness, and I was getting a bad stomach from it, not because I was hungry! Please, leave me alone, I don’t want to shit after having a good meal in the morning that my mother made! It would go to waste!

"Nah, I’m alright. I had a full plate of food." I smacked my tummy twice as a gesture, and she was like, "I see," and started walking again paying no interest towards me.

The silence was so loud that it ripped my ears. Despite being on our way to school, we only had a little bit of conversation. Thanks to my communication skills, I blew it off. Not to mention, I didn’t want to talk to her anyway as she’s one of the main characters, and as of now, I don’t think I need to interfere with the settings of the light novel.

Suddenly, she spoke up, making me jump in surprise, but I acted as if nothing had happened, saving myself from tripping.

"What is your relationship with Hitsugi? I heard you both were picking on that girl."

Hitsugi? Are you that interested in him already? Oh, not to mention, he was with me when I confessed to Erina, but why is she implying that he was also one of us who confessed?

"Well, I just know a little about him, though we aren’t friends." I couldn’t deny the fact that I knew little about him as he was the main character of the light novel, and thanks to the writer’s skills, I got deep into his personality and personal life. That being said, I’m not his friend, nor do I intend to be.

As I looked at Ootori Shea’s eyes, she showed a bit of interest in me. That was a given that she brought up Hitsugi, and I clearly said that I knew little about him. She somehow glared at me with her sharp eyes as if she would start torturing me to know more about him. Luckily, she didn’t ask anything after that, and even our conversation went blank.

We entered the classroom together and separated to our own seats. Shinomori was already present, and she waved at me with a kind smile and said, "Good morning." She was cute. Too cute. Thanks, I’m trapped in this light novel! She was the only reason I couldn’t regret getting trapped here.

It didn’t take long for the Ice Queen, the main heroine Fukada Erina, to enter, and right after her, Eiji Hitsugi wobbled his lazy body toward his seat. I could see Ootori staring at him a bit too much. I’m sure she doesn’t want to lose to the humiliation she suffered yesterday.

But that’s beside the point. I keep getting weird stares now and then. It was because of yesterday’s confession, Erina despised me for it for sure. And now, with her rejection, she doesn’t seem to want to repay me for my help in making her decision. Luckily, the main character’s respect was stolen by me, but I had to lose some self-respect for that, which I don’t really care much about. Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the one who sat beside me with her gentle voice.

"Um, Kitsuragi-kun, you’re coming today to the club right?"

"Ah, yes, definitely!"

Did I just overreact?

Just as I said that, she fixed her hair with a gentle flush on her face. Wait, what’s with that reaction?! That’s bad for my heart.

"I’m glad I won’t be the only one in the club now, hehe." She said as she twriled her hair with her point finger. "Also, I wanted to talk about something, Kitsuragi-kun, but I don’t know if I should bring it up..."

She frowned, and the breeze kept making her hair flutter in a way. In an illustration, she would be still! But right before my eyes, the character was breathing and moving. But the way she put her words stung me badly.

Was it related to yesterday’s confession? I couldn’t help but think that way, but Shinomori just cut off her own words.

"No, never mind. It’s nothing. Do you want to tag along to pick up the books from the office?"

"Ah, yes, it would be pretty heavy to carry for you, so I can give you a hand." I showed a posture of trust, flexing my scrawny muscle. I felt a bit red, realizing I needed to work out to change my body a bit.

"It’s alright. I may not look like it, but I’m strong. Really strong." She gave me a smug look so I urged me to tease her a bit.

"Oho~ want to do arm wrestling with me right now?"

"That’s mean!" She pouted a little. It made me feel relaxed that she was being relaxed, and we were able to tease each other. She had loosened up more.

"Do you want to try? Let’s see who wins, hehe," she smiled gently, challenging me.

Wait a minute, should I accept?! A great moment to touch her hands! Hand-holding! Uwah, I want to arm wrestle with her so bad! There’s no way I can decline!

Just as I was in my own world, mumbling, "Yes, sur—" and even thinking about adding a joke, a shadow loomed over my table. Shinomori sweated as she looked up. The same went for me. It was Erina.

Why is she here? Don’t tell me she’s still here because of my confession yesterday. Please don’t bully me. Don’t bully me right in front of Shinomori. Also, let me have my moment with Shinomori!

Slam!

"Eeek!" I squealed as she slammed her hand on the table with a bang.

She lifted her hand, and there it was—the money I had paid yesterday for her Okonomiyaki pan. Looks like she repaid it a bit faster than I thought.

"Thank you for yesterday. See you later."

"Ooh..." I nodded slowly, taking my money back, and she went back to her seat, taking a book out of her bag and already immersing herself in it.

"Th-that scared me..." Shinomori’s eyes were still wide from Erina’s sudden interruption. "So those rumors were true..." she added.

"There’s an explanation for that, Shinomori-san. I can explain." I looked down, mumbling, feeling hazy, not wanting Shinomori to get weird ideas about me. There was no proper explanation for why I had confessed to Erina. At the same time, I really wanted to tell her that it was necessary at that moment.

"D-don’t fret, Kitsuragi-kun! I’m sure you’ll tell me when the time comes. A-anyway, let’s go get our books before homeroom starts." Shinomori smoothly changed the topic as things were getting a little out of hand so we decided to get our books before we waste any more time.

Sorry, but that day where I explain might never come. It’s was a necessity to save you and change the plot for everyone’s happiness.

Amiya stood up, and Shinomori followed him toward the office where the books were distributed. They took their bags with them and collected their books along with copies. Amiya lent a hand to carry Shinomori’s bag, which was quite heavy, along with his own bag that he was already carrying.

As they were walking back to class, he noticed the Ice Queen on her way. That was the path to the book distribution office itself, where the main character, Hitsugi, would lend her a hand. Considering the situation, she would likely struggle to carry the books, as unlike us, who took our bags with us, she had gone empty-handed, not expecting the books to be heavy. Not only her, but most students who had no experience made this rookie mistake. But luckily, Hitsugi would take half of her books as helping hand. He is already on his way to class from the washroom, which was located in a block a little far from the office. Just like accordingly to the light novel, he will encounter Erina that moment.

"Kitsuragi-kun, you are amazing! I wonder what would have happened if we didn't take our bags."

That’s because I already had experience with this—it’s my second time redoing my first year in this light novel. Still, carrying these bags is way too heavy. Please at least praise me for my doins, 'Kitsuragi-kun, you are strong, but I can carry my own bag. But if you insist, I can carry half the weight~' Why are you walking normally with me without any concern?! I really feel like a masochist right now.

"Mhm, I can at least do that as a friend." I smiled back at her. So she relies on me anyway keeping my inner vile feelings aside. Ah, please, look at my cool side, Shinomori! Stare at me more! Mhm—wait a second. I was really going off with my masochistic mentality. This is a good romantic comedy light novel—I can’t ruin it with my weird thoughts.

But still, I have to hurry back to the classroom, drop off our bags, and return to the office to check on Erina before Hitsugi encounter her. I wanted to spend more time with Shinomori, but it looks like I just can’t relax.

Amiya and Shinomori headed back to class, and after putting down their heavy bags, Amiya turned to her. "Sorry, Shinomori, I’ll be back from the washroom." With that, he left straight for the office room, where book distribution was still ongoing.

The Ice Queen was stoically crouched down, struggling with the books. It was to be expected as the books were quite heavy unlike in middle school. Yet, despite that, no one was helping her. Just because of her aura, it was kind of heartless scenario.

Come to think of it, why hasn’t Hitsugi arrived yet? I don’t want to approach her right after yesterday when I deliberately got rejected—but now, how am I supposed to ignore her when she looks so troubled?! Dammit, what the hell is Hitsugi doing?!

The passage was long, and there Erina stood alone, trying to carry the books. The others just stared at her, hesitant to approach. Amiya anxiously waited for Hitsugi. His plan was simple—Eiji Hitsugi would be walking around with his newly made friend, Housaka Joji, who sat behind him and had become his buddy despite the main character’s gloominess. Right after Hitsugi approached Erina to help, Amiya would grab his hand and drag him away, leaving Joji and Erina alone. Joji wouldn’t be able to ignore her after Hitsugi had offered help, so he would have no choice but to assist her instead.

The main character, Hitsugi, wouldn’t feel creeped out or angry about Amiya dragging him away. Amiya knew this because Hitsugi was just as gloomy and disinterested as he had read in the light novel.

Crap, crap, crap! If I stay near her too long, people might mark me as a stalker. This time, I might actually get sued.

Just as Amiya panicked, someone walked past him.

It was Ootori Shea. And alongside her—Eiji Hitsugi.

Why? I was sure Housaka Joji, the main character’s buddy, should be walking with him. But why was it Ootori Shea? And why did they just walk past Erina without even noticing her?

Watching that unfold made me feel light and uneasy at the same time. I knew everything would turn out fine if Ootori managed to go out with Hitsugi. She wouldn’t go on her rampage if she won his love.

The light novel only had three volumes—I never knew how it actually ended since it is still ongoing series. But in Volume 3, Ootori Shea broke when she saw Fukada Erina confess to Eiji Hitsugi. She lost her mind, and something terrible happened in class. Despite everything, the main characters managed to mend things by the end except ignoring that one background character who got involved in their drama unwanted, Shishie Shinomori who was neither one of main or side character.

But then why wasn’t Housaka Joji here? And why was Ootori Shea with Hitsugi instead? This scenario had changed too much—it didn’t match the original plot. Even if Ootori managed to talk to Hitsugi, wasn’t it a bit too early for that? I don’t think they should be walking side by side yet, especially after what happened yesterday.

A chill ran down my spine. I couldn’t shake the unease.

Could my interference yesterday have caused this huge deviation?! Ripple effect?

But right now, I had a more immediate problem. One I couldn’t ignore.

Erina.

"Ah, well… how should I put it... Please don’t think I’m a stalker or something. It’s not like I want to help you or anything."

Amiya picked up the books with a grunt, carrying them in his hands.

"I’ll leave these on your desk. I’m sorry, but I’m a creepy dude to everyone's eyes, so this might give people a bad impression. If you explain that you weren’t bothered by me carrying your books, it should clear things up. I won’t ever approach you again, so please don’t sue me!"

Fukada Erina’s sharp eyes seemed to stretch in amusement.

She remained silent.

She didn’t even try to stop Amiya Kitsuragi.

Taking that as confirmation, Amiya went ahead and dropped her books off at her desk. Amiya couldn't leave seeing her in pinch, it would be same as those heartless bystanders who just watched her without helping her so he hated to categorised with them and before he even knew he went ahead to help her.

Immediately, weird gazes pierced through him. Erina was still standing beside him as he placed the books down on her desk.

"Hey, I think that dude got rejected and now became her lackey."

"That’s hilarious. He looks so desperate."

"The Ice Queen’s kind of weird too, huh?"

"Why doesn’t the guy just stop creeping her out?"

There were mixed comments. Some worse than others.

I even heard one terrible remark about Erina. That was my fault. Her reputation had taken a hit because of me.

In the light novel, the main character’s approach hadn’t been as harsh. He hadn’t confessed on the first day and gotten labeled a creep like me. Instead, he and Erina naturally became friends, so when he helped her, people respected him even though they were jealous.

Well, I did tell Erina to clear her own image. If she manages that, there won’t be any problems.

I don’t care much about my own image. But still, hearing people badmouth me right to my face, instinctively, as a human, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat affected by it.

I left Erina’s desk as her mouth twitched—like she wanted to say something. But I couldn’t hear her. The class was already buzzing.

"Yo, Shinomori-san!" I sat down beside her as she flipped through her new textbooks. Ofcourse it was my own seat.

"I tried to ignore it before, but Kitsuragi-kun, isn’t your image a bit too bad everywhere? Even though you helped her, they’re just being rude." Shinomori pouted.

Cute. She is even worried about me.

But honestly, I was more concerned that Shinomori-san's reputation might suffer just by talking to me. I had tried shaking her off before, telling her bluntly to be careful, but she had said she trusted me as a friend and she would stick up with it, a complete stubborn. Though I keep my distance a little bit from her just in case.

She also said that, one day, I’d be able to explain everything to her, I hope that day actually comes.

"Haha… Shinomori-san, I’m sorry you’re friends with someone like me." I scratched my head as I say.

Mmm~ I bet it would become a weird memory of youth to me as I grow up, I can boast about having a weird friend like you hehe." She giggles jokingly even though it was something that mattered a lot, she was probably trying to make me feel relaxed so I felt happy about it.

Then again, I hope that day will come when you can recall a weird friend like me, if that day comes, then my purpose of getting trapped into this light novel will be on light. I smiled biting my lips in sadness. I won't let Shinomori-san to end up the way in the novel.

Classes ended before I even realized it. They were boring, feeling more like revision since I had knowledge up to third-year studies. In a way, it was like a cheat skill something that made me feel like the main character, despite being just an extra in this light novel settings. The lessons were ridiculously easy. The go home clubs were going home except for the ones who were in clubs, even I who used to be in go home club, decided to join!

"Now then, let's go, Shinomori-san."

"Y-yes, wait for me." She startled, walking beside me with a hint of nervousness picking up her bag.

The hallway we took was empty. It was far from any clubrooms, and those who had club activities were in another section of the school. Since the literature club lacked an official room, they had to use the library as an alternative. That meant today, I—a mere background character—would be spending time with the illustrious Shishie Shinomori, who was also a background character! but an angel.

Even though she was just a background character like me, her illustration alone had already earned her popularity. Not to mention, she ranked fourth in beauty among the girls in our class, according to the guys. How did I know this despite having no friends? Simple. I overheard conversations thanks to my good hearing. With no one to talk to except Shinomori, I had a lot of free time so most of the time I passed hearing the conversations. She usually spent most of her day with her two female friends, so our conversations were brief during class.

But today, today is different. Today, I am going to have a blast in the library.

Shinomori pushed open the large library doors, and the sunset cast a warm reddish glow inside, just like yesterday. Despite it being summer, the cool air brushed against us, making it feel as if the season had forgotten its warmth entirely. The scene before me felt like something straight out of a fantasy.

She smiled the whole time as she gently picked up a book with her fingertips, handling it with great care. The way she treated books showed how much she loved them. This side of her—no, none of these details were written in the novel. Because in the original story, she wasn’t even a main or side character. This is the side only I would know among thousands of readers.

This moment, seeing her like this, is my reward, I feel special.

A walking illustration, she is.

She sat at a large table and gestured for me to take a seat.

"Wait, I'll pick a book too."

Accepting her offer, I randomly grabbed a light novel from the ranobe section. The title? No Sister, No Life. Yeah, it sounded weird—that's exactly why I picked it. For some reason, it felt oddly familiar. From what I could tell, it was about two siblings who got transported to another world and had to play games to survive. Seemed interesting.

As I sat down across her seat, ready to dive into the story, but I noticed Shinomori-san giving me a strange look.

"Huh?"

She kept glancing between my face and my book, then quickly turned her attention back to her own. She could be weird sometimes.

I had imagined us chatting in the library, sharing lighthearted moments just the two of us. But instead, we both ended up getting absorbed in our books. Not that I was complaining. It was different from what I expected, but this was nice in its own way.

Shinomori-san really was cute no one could deny, the thought just kept looping in my head.

The more I observed her, the more charming she seemed. That’s when I felt a sudden urge—to come clean about my confession to Erina. It had been fake, of course. I couldn’t tell Shinomori that this world was actually inside a light novel. She’d never believe me. But still, as her friend, I felt like it was wrong to keep quiet.

I wanted to be closer to her. A real friend.

I wanted to cherish these moments in this world.

I didn’t know if I would ever return to my real world, but at this moment, that didn’t matter.

The words built up in my throat, desperate to be spoken. Just as I was about to break the silence—

"Um, Shinomori-san, about the confession—... Eh?"

"Um, Kitsuragi-kun, about earlier, thank yo—... Eh?"

We cut each other off.

But it wasn’t Shinomori who had spoken first.

She was still immersed in her book, only now noticing the interruption.

Someone else was here.

Damn it! Just let me have my moment with Shinomori-san!

I hadn’t realized it until now, too caught up in my own world. Slowly, I looked up—and was stunned.

Shinomori, too, looked equally shocked.

"..."

Why is Fukada Erina here?