Erika and Leo

When the next week began, Ren already felt lazy about going to classes. He had been very productive over the weekend, focusing on what he considered to be truly important. But now, back at school, perhaps thoughts of his story would take a backseat, and thoughts of romance would become dominant.

Upon arriving in his classroom, once again, he didn't see Aria. She seemed to almost be late several times, and he anxiously waited for her arrival. Before his anxiety had a chance to take over, Leo appeared and grabbed him at the classroom door.

"Hey, man, did you have a productive weekend?" Leo asked with a mischievous smile on his face.

"It was good..." Ren replied, noticing something strange in Leo's behavior. "What happened?"

"Well, as your good friend, I've already helped you enter the competition. Now, I want to help your little heart conquer the love of your life."

Instinctively, Ren pulled away from his friend's arms and felt the heat rushing to his face. He was already mentally preparing himself to talk to Aria, and he knew that Leo's attempt to help would only make him feel more embarrassed.

"None of that! You have to leave me alone. And even you, being super popular, never had a girlfriend either!"

"Exactly, that's why I brought Erika to help me!" Leo proudly replied.

The news couldn't have been worse for Ren. The more people who knew, the worse it would be, especially if it was Erika trying to help.

"No, no, no and no!"

He felt a delicate hand on his shoulder and jumped as if it were an apparition.

"Hi Ren, it's been a while since you've talked to me."

The girl was the same age as them, with long, wavy brown hair, and considered the most beautiful girl in the school.

"No, Erika! Thanks for everything, but I don't need your help. I need peace and quiet. I'll do things at my own pace."

"But sweetheart, if we wait for your pace, you'll only take the first step when you're fifty. Don't worry, with me, there won't be any mistakes."

Ren was on the verge of losing control, but he couldn't let these two interfere in his love life; he was certain of that.

"You don't know her, Erika. She's not like your friends! You wouldn't even know how to talk to her properly."

Erika's confident expression seemed to prove Ren wrong, even without her uttering a single word. Then new footsteps approached.

"Oh, hi Erika," Aria's cheerful voice said as she arrived just before the teacher. "Hi to both of you too."

She seemed in a hurry and left the trio at the entrance while she arranged her things in her desk. Ren was dumbfounded, looking at Erika.

"She moved here recently... how do you know her?"

Erika's snobbish smile grew with each word from her classmate. She was in complete control of the situation.

"On Friday, Leo told me about your little crush, and I took action. I already have her number and address, and we went out over the weekend. Aria is really nice, by the way. You have my approval, Ren."

Defeated, now it was too late for Ren to protest. Erika's plan was already unfolding, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I just didn't want to be pressured..."

Erika approached and kissed Ren on the forehead, bidding farewell to Leo.

"I have to go to class. Don't schedule anything for this weekend; we have a lot of things to do to bring you and Aria closer."

And with that, Erika disappeared into the school corridors, while Leo dragged his friend inside, trying to reassure him.

"Relax, buddy. Trust Erika. And, more importantly, trust me."

Ren stumbled toward his desk, with the teacher almost ready to begin the class. However, before that, Aria turned to him, and all of the boy's enthusiasm was restored.

"Hey, can you give me your number?" she asked a little embarrassed.

"What?" he continued, still not fully processing what was happening.

"Oh, I got Erika's number over the weekend and realized I don't have yours. So, you can send me pictures of your drawings or just... chat, maybe."

It was impossible for him to believe this, but not only was she asking for his number, but she also seemed to have reddened cheeks.

Caught off guard, he took a moment to comply with the request, and by the time he passed his number, it was already time for class, and Aria had to turn back to face the front.

Obviously, for the next few minutes, Ren delighted in the fact that Aria had asked for his number. He didn't even have to do anything, and the girl had already taken the first step. But could she really be interested in him? These questions swirled in Ren's mind, and he could hardly think of anything else.

Once he calmed down (after the first class), he returned to planning his story. Seeing the pattern so far, he thought of creating a character based on Erika, meddlesome and clueless. However, perhaps thanks to her, Aria had asked for his number.

He introduced another knight. This one wasn't as strong as Lionheart, but made up for it with creativity, being an inventor who used crossbows and other equipment to overcome enemies. Ren felt satisfied with the main characters of his story.

And in the blink of an eye, another week had passed. Ren made great strides in his manga while enjoying his free time at school with Aria, Leo, and occasionally Erika when she had some available time amidst all her vast groups of friends.

But now, a new obstacle stood in front of Ren, which at the same time was a great opportunity. A group outing with Aria (and a bunch of other people) on the weekend, where everything could change.