"Azuma-san, that's dangerous! And you've spilled water all over your clothes."
"Ah, sorry, I got too into character."
Yukima Azuma put the kitchen knife he was holding back in its place.
The move just now seemed to have been risky for cutting his fingers.
Of course, with Yukima Azuma's cooking skill at level 7, even with handling a kitchen knife, he wouldn't hurt himself.
But at this moment, it was best to just quietly obey.
A serious Megumi has the power to make people listen.
.....
After lunch.
"Today it's my turn to wash the dishes, right?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha stood up, cleared the dishes from the table, and went into the kitchen.
"Ah, just the right time. I have something I want to discuss with everyone."
Yukima Azuma snapped his fingers, as if remembering something, and also went into the kitchen.
Kato Megumi and Eriri curiously followed.
Yukima Azuma took the greasy dishes from Kasumigaoka Utaha's hands.
He started by scraping off the food scraps and throwing them into the trash.
Then he placed the dishes into a white machine that looked like a microwave.
He arranged them neatly and then closed the machine.
"Done. From now on, if it's your turn to wash the dishes, just do it like this."
"This is a dishwasher. It has a drying function, so once it's washed, just leave it in there, no need to worry about it."
A few minutes later.
With a 'ting' sound,
Yukima Azuma opened the dishwasher and took out the sparkling dishes, as good as new.
"How convenient."
"It feels like something invented by someone who doesn't want to wash dishes."
Yukima Azuma, who had just been mocked by Kasumigaoka, could only helplessly shrug.
"Meh, laziness does drive progress. Isn't the purpose of technology to make life more convenient?"
"This is a product developed by company, and it's still not released yet. What I brought back is a prototype."
.....
In the afternoon.
Eriri obediently returned to her room to immerse herself in drawing the artbook.
This time, she didn't complain about being tired.
She didn't delay either.
She was solely focused on quickly completing the task at hand.
Even though she had been hit hard at lunch, Eriri had almost recovered by now.
After all...
"Hmpf, that Eromanga has been famous for a long time, and all their illustrations are in a ero style."
"Someone like that is definitely the type of creepy older guy from the legendary of otaku world. Umu, it must be."
"The pink profile picture is probably just to attract fans."
"Someone who can draw such seductive illustrations cannot possibly be a cute girl. There's nothing to worry about."
Eriri reassured herself with this logical analysis.
After all, it was just some creepy older guy.
It wasn't a big deal.
...
On the other side.
Yukima Azuma had accepted Eromanga's friend request.
Immediately after, he initiated a video call.
After about four or five minutes, the call was finally accepted.
On the other end of the video call was a room so dark that the surroundings couldn't be clearly seen.
Only the vague shape of a bed could be made out in the background.
In front of the screen, in the white light emitted by the screen, there was a person wearing a giant pink anime character mask, sitting very close.
"Hello, may I ask, are you Eromanga-sensei?"
"Yes, I am Eromanga. And you must be Yukima Azuma-sensei, right? Why the sudden video call?"
The voice in the call was clearly altered by a voice changer, sounding like a machine, impossible to tell if it was male or female.
Even though the person on the other side was wearing a giant mask and using a voice changer, Yukima Azuma immediately recognized that it was a girl.
Yes, it was the cute girl who drew seductive illustrations that he remembered from his memory.
Compared to appearance or voice, the structure of the body was the best way to recognize gender and age.
With his sharp eyes, which seemed to see through the world along with his cooking vision, Yukima Azuma only needed to glance to see the true nature of the girl on the other side of the screen.
"I'm truly sorry," Yukima Azuma said sincerely.
"But since this is related to the person who will be illustrating my light novel, I wanted to confirm it myself."
"Because... this is a work I've put my heart and soul into, and I absolutely have to choose an illustrator who is up to the task."
The person on the other side of the screen slightly frowned behind the mask, her eyes clearly showing some discomfort.
Sudden video calls in Japan were often seen as socially unacceptable behavior.
But because of this, Yukima Azuma's explanation moved the other person deeply.
"Understood! I completely understand Yukima-sensei's thoughts! Please, go ahead."
"Whatever the test is, I will pass it. The illustration for Saekano can only be entrusted to me!"
A voice, full of determination, rang out from the other side.
Yukima Azuma nodded, as if he had already anticipated this development.
He knew that Eromanga-sensei placed great importance on the emotions conveyed through a work. As long as they shared the same viewpoint in this regard, the relationship between them would naturally improve.
For now, they would cooperate a few times.
Then, he would bring her to Laplace Corporation.
A genius artist who had likely reached level 7 in drawing skills.
Moreover, she seemed the type to be easily influenced.
If he didn't "catch" her carefully, it would truly be a waste.
"Eromanga-sensei, please draw a picture of Kujou Megumi first. I want to see how you portray this character."
Yukima Azuma made the request.
On the other side of the screen, Eromanga nodded in agreement.
The camera switched to presentation mode.
On the drawing software, the strokes quickly began to sketch the outline of the character.
After defining the basic bone structure, each detail was added from top to bottom.
In less than ten minutes, a full-body black-and-white illustration appeared on the screen.
Even though it wasn't colored yet, the character already exuded such life that it amazed anyone who looked at it.
The character in the drawing seemed as if it could step out of the picture at any moment.
The appearance of the character resembled Kato Megumi by about fifty percent.
To be able to imagine a character so well based only on textual descriptions was, without a doubt, the work of a genius.
As Eromanga was about to begin coloring the character, Yukima Azuma suddenly spoke up to stop her.
"Eromanga-sensei, please wait a moment."
The strokes halted.
The camera switched back to face mode.
Perhaps thinking that a direct conversation would show more respect to Yukima Azuma, but she still wore the mask.
The eyes behind the mask showed signs of worry, as if she feared Yukima might say something displeasing.
After reading Saekano on the "Let's Become a Novelist!" page today, she immediately became fond of the work.
No matter what, she wanted to be the illustrator for this project.
"Eromanga-sensei, I understand how you perceive the character. I can feel your intentions through the illustration."
"I'll send you two photos. Please use the character in the pictures as a reference for Kujou Megumi."
"And one more thing... I know your style leans toward the seductive, but for this work, please hold back a little."
After saying this, Yukima Azuma sent two photos of Kato Megumi to Eromanga via Line.
One was of Kato Megumi looking spaced out, and the other was of her in a focused state.
After sending the photos, Yukima Azuma added:
"These photos must not be shared outside. Please delete them once the illustration work is completed."
On the other side of the screen, Eromanga nodded seriously in agreement.
Then, she leaned forward to examine the two photos carefully.
At first, she didn't think much of them.
But after observing them more closely for a moment, her eyes widened in shock behind the mask.
Chapter 110: The Conversation Between the Kato Sisters
"So that's it..."
"I understand now, so this is the feeling..."
"How wonderful, is this Kujou Megumi? Truly amazing."
In the whispers, Eromanga-sensei continued to draw.
This time, she didn't need to sketch the basic skeleton of the character.
Each brushstroke was drawn directly from top to bottom, gradually completing the image.
The character Kujou Megumi was born through that pen.
Although the facial features were less similar to Kato Megumi than before,
The expression in her eyes and the subtle, airy aura were,
Exactly what captured the essence of Kato Megumi.
A fragrance as gentle as tuberose flowers seemed to spill from the painting.
At first glance, the female character in the painting did not surprise anyone.
But on the second or third glance,
That subtle feeling seemed to capture the heart of the viewer.
Once your eyes truly locked on the character, you couldn't look away.
"Eromanga-sensei."
"Mm."
"Kujou Megumi asks for your help."
"Leave it to me with peace of mind!"
Neither of them mentioned any payment for the illustration.
The call ended quickly.
...
In a house somewhere in Tokyo, in front of a screen emitting white light,
The girl stood up, removing the giant anime mask from her face.
Her soft silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
Her small, cute face radiated with a bright smile.
In the dim room,
The girl took off the snug sportswear she was wearing, leaving only a light spaghetti-strap dress.
Izumi Sagiri.
A teenage genius artist.
The name Eromanga-sensei was inherited from her mother.
Despite her young age, due to her extraordinary artistic talent,
When she took on this title, none of her online fans noticed the change.
The previous Eromanga-sensei,
Was no longer around.
At the age of twelve,
Izumi Sagiri's mother brought her to live at the Izumi household.
Even though her mother remarried, those days were incredibly happy for Sagiri.
However, a tragedy struck unexpectedly.
Sagiri's mother and stepfather were involved in a honeymoon accident and both died.
Only Izumi Sagiri was left alone.
She was adopted by her aunt, who was also her stepfather's younger sister.
But the immense shock from the death of her parents caused Sagiri to fall into a period of autism.
Her aunt, who had just entered society and had no experience in raising children,
Tried rather forceful measures to help Sagiri overcome it.
One of them was to attempt to drag her out of her room forcibly.
But this method only deepened Sagiri's emotional wounds.
From then on, up until today,
Izumi Sagiri has never been able to leave her room.
Reading light novels online became her greatest hobby in life.
In fact, Izumi Sagiri didn't like light novels from the youth, romcom genre.
This reason was somewhat similar to Bocchi.
The lively words felt like daggers stabbing her heart.
Because she couldn't and didn't want to leave this room.
But today.
Today, on the internet, Izumi Sagiri accidentally saw a post introducing a light novel from the youth genre.
The book was recommended by a blogger she quite liked.
The blogger praised the book to the heavens.
Moreover, it seemed the work contained fantasy elements,
Which sparked Sagiri's curiosity.
With the mindset of "let's see what's so hyped about this book,"
She opened the first page of "Saekano."
That morning,
Izumi Sagiri was completely stunned.
The gentle, delicate words pulled her back to the summer in the schoolyard, a place she hadn't been able to touch for so long.
Beside her, a girl named Megumi, with her gentleness, gradually healed the wounds in her heart.
After reading the chapters on the website,
Izumi Sagiri buried herself under the blanket and cried uncontrollably.
After crying,
She wanted to know more about the upcoming developments of "Saekano."
She clicked on the introduction to check if the book had been published in print yet.
What surprised and delighted Sagiri the most was,
The novel was recruiting illustrators!
For a work that had touched the deepest part of her heart,
Izumi Sagiri was determined to contribute her illustrations at all costs.
According to the contact information left on the website,
She used her artist account to friend the author, Yukimi Azuma.
The sudden video call in the afternoon startled Izumi Sagiri.
She hurriedly wrapped herself up, put on her mask, and activated the voice changer,
Only then did she dare to accept the call.
In her heart, Sagiri felt a bit resentful about the abruptness,
But that resentment immediately faded after hearing the explanation from the other side.
"Put your heart and soul into your work,"
Was something Izumi's mother, Mrs. Izumi, always used to say.
It was also a principle that Izumi Sagiri always followed.
The other person's serious attitude, touched her heart.
Wearing her light spaghetti-strap dress, Izumi Sagiri joyfully danced an otaku dance in her room.
Without caring about the payment, just being involved in the illustration work for "Saekano" made her incredibly happy.
The ding dong from the phone sounded several times.
Izumi Sagiri picked it up to check.
It was the contract and the entire first book of the light novel "Saekano" sent by the other side.
She completely ignored the contract.
Focusing all her attention on exploring the world of "Saekano."
Unlike her first read,
Izumi Sagiri realized that upon rereading,
The female protagonist in the novel had completely come to life.
The girl on the pages of the book started to live in this world.
However, the male protagonist of the novel,
Izumi Sagiri could no longer immerse herself in his character as before.
The boy in the video call earlier seemed to have stepped out of that world.
In fact, the descriptions of the male protagonist in the novel,
Izumi Sagiri had secretly mocked before.
She thought the author was overly imaginative.
How could anyone like that really existcharming and powerful enough to be the center of attention at school?
But when she linked the image of the boy she had just talked to in the video call,
Izumi Sagiri suddenly felt... everything seemed to make sense?
After finishing the read,
