Ero Manga Sensei - Volume 11 - Chapter 3

EROMANGA SENSEI VOL. 11 CH. 3

It’s been a day since the Izumi Household’s Girl’s Koibana Night.

“I’ll be on my way.”

In my uniform, I called out to the second floor, as usual.
Then Sagiri came down the the stairs, with pillow at hand.

“Have a good day, Nii-san.”

At the entrance, we said our goodbyes for the day.

“Be careful….
Oh! Hmm, here, I made this Bento[1] for you.”
“Really? Wow!… Thank you!”
“Hey—you were surprised right? All the dishes that Nii-san taught me… I made them in my own way, so please look forward to them.”
“Ah… I’m so happy Sagiri… I’ll gratefully eat this!”

I proudly hold up my lunchbox as if I had won a championship trophy.

Just doing that made Sagiri embarrassed.

“Ah… Too much!”

——I saw Sagiri off.

This has more or less become the norm for the Izumi family.
It’s a scene where you can see the progress and growth of Sagiri.
If I saw this a year ago, I would be surprised and happy.
It would only look like a smile at face value.

But, in fact, there was a big problem between us siblings.

“Nii-san… After school, are you going to be working at the publishing company again today?”
“Yeah…. There’s a special script meeting, so you don’t have to wait for me.”

Sagiri shook her head slowly,

“No, it’s okay… I’ll be waiting. Let’s eat together.”

Sagiri said that, happily.
She’s too much and I start to feel light-headed.

Sagiri starts to peer into my face.

“…? Nii-san?”
“Ah! Wh-What is it, Sagiri…?”

Don’t get so close! It’s bad for my heart!

When I reacted, Sagiri turned her around.

“Something is strange this morning, huh?”
“Well, no—nothing in particular.”
“Well, something’s weird. I don’t know… You face is red—do you have a cold?”

Suddenly—

Sagiri stretched out her white hand to my forehead, trying to reach for me.

「 ！ 」

I react suddenly with a jerk to dodge Sagiri’s hand last second.

“What is it?”

Perhaps she didn’t think her lover would be able to avoid her – Sagiri seemed confused.

It’s a scene that you had to be there to understand.

“Well then… I’ll be back!”

I hurriedly left for school.

As soon as I jumped out the front door, I kept running for a hundred-some meters before I stopped

「 Hah…. Hah… Hah… 」

I leaned forward and rotated my shoulders. I only ran for a little bit, but my forehead was already oaked with sweat.

— Let me explain the situation.

Last night, I infiltrated the living room, which was transformed into a “Girl’s School Night Trip,” with the help of Amelia-chan. There, I saw Kyoka-san wearing a super-nice, adult paja—no

No. That’s not important.

That had so much impact that I mentioned it, my bad.

Let me start this again.

Last night—I infiltrated the girls’ room and there…

I heard Sagiri’s koibana[2]. I listened to Sagiri’s true feelings, things that hasn’t yet been told me in person and learned of Sagiri’s feelings for me.

—I love Masamune the most;
—So I won’t give him to anyone.
—I’ll be the one to make him happy.

I was heavily swayed by those deep thoughts.

「 …Oof… 」

The power of those words were so strong that it I lost consciousness during the mission… Which was not a good move because I could have easily been caught.

Fortunately, Amelia-chan did a wonderful job hiding me from the girls as I was passed out and guided me out of the living room and into my bedroom.

And so, only myself and Amelia-chan knew the fact that Izumi Masamune was listening to Sagiri’s Koibana.

Neither the other women nor Sagiri knew anything.

That’s why, even though it’s typical for Sagiri nowadays to be close contact with me—I could not do our usual skinship routine.

For me, the heavy hits from that night filled me with so much love that I was on the verge of going insane.

「 …Whew… Calm down… Breathe… 」

As I walked to school, I had to cover my face with my hand.

「 Man, I really can’t see Sagiri’s face… 」

The residual feelings from last night’s excursion was still raging in my heart.

Those heart-felt lines played in my head on repeat.

My brain felt like it was overheating from those words.

「 Ahhh…! These feelings from after that confession won’t stop…! 」

I could only think of Sagiri—about Sagiri, and my longing to see her was so heavy. But, when we meet each other in person, I become too happy, too embarrassed, and I can’t speak well.

I can’t help but have an unstable attitude.

It wasn’t even right after I started dating!

My emotions are completely out of control.

It’s said that love is a fatal disease… I’m starting to believe that’s true.

There is nothing I can do about it, it’s a continuous pain in my chest.

「 Okay… I should buy water from the shop… 」

I walk, a bit unsteadily, I try to cool myself down with the cold, autumnal air.

「 Damn it… 」

I really wish I could talk to someone about this.

I thought I had to talk to someone.

“ Nii-san…. Something’s wrong, isn’t there?”

I mutter this to myself in an empty corridor.

I, Isumi Sagiri, was worried.

Needless to say, Masamune and I are … lovers…

…But—

「 I feel like I’m being avoided by Masamune… 」

When I get closer, you pull away. When I try to reach for you, you run away. And when I try to say something, you change the topic.
Everything he did seemed incredibly off.

It’s obviously strange.

「 Hmm… 」

Masamune’s seems to be acting completely off this morning.

When I saw him last night, it was fine, so something must have happened after that—but what? Did I do something that Masamune disliked…?

「 I don’t know… 」

I hadn’t seen him until this morning in the first place…. No… is it possible that the ‘evil’ I’ve done in the past was discovered from that time?

The “bad thing” that I did to Masamune is—

「 Was it secretly eating Masamune’s Daifuku[10]? Was it when I ignored the novel and painted the heroine’s hair color pink? Or— 」

Somehow, I feel this time was for a different reason.

Because those were things that Masamune already knew.

And.. my boyfriend doesn’t get angry at those things.

When I have a complaint about my work, I will tell you clearly next time.

Like—if the true identify of EroManga-Sensei was Izumi Sagiri, when Masamune wasn’t aware of it… I once received this business e-mail from Izumi-Sensei through an editor.

“Be sure to draw the heroine’s breasts big.”
“Please draw a bigger picture! It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s totally different from what I imagined! I’ll attach the ideal breast image—so do it like that.”
“EroManga Sensei only draws small breasts if you don’t make it clear.”

Was he trying to fight me?
It was so frustrating at the time.

The Light Novelist , Izumi Masamune, is so outspoken.
So there’s no reason that Masamune would suddenly dislike me.
And again, if you need another reason—the boy name Izumi Masamune is—

“I love you… only you.”

My face is so hot. His words… I was embarrassed by it.
He said those words, at anyrate.
So there must be some other reason why Masamune is being strange!

While cleaning and washing my clothes, I worried about it.

—No matter how much I think about it, I can’t think of any reason for it.

「 As I thought… I need to talk to someone 」

I cleaned up and rushed back to my room.

Diving to my bed, I turned my laptop on, opened up a browser, and went to one of my favorite sites.

The site’s name is Kiririn‘s Love ♡ Life Counseling Room.

The suspicious site design is reminiscent of the early days of the internet, it had the feeling of a “Chuunibyo[3]” with its red letters and black background.

An illustration of a pigtailed, gothic Lolita girl was used as the banner.

There were two kinds of content on this site: the moderator’s blog and a love consultation forum which users can post request for love advice.
While lurking the forums, the moderator was a self-proclaimed, “High School Girl with Love Expertise,” said she is willing to provide love advice.

「 …No matter how many times you look at it, the site name and design are very awkward… 」

I’m not saying I could do a better job, but as far as being a professional illustrator goes, I feel like I want to redraw the “Kiririn‘s Love ♡ Life Counseling Room” banner.

However, despite its looks, “Kiririn‘s Love ♡ Life Counseling Room” garners decent traffic. About two to five consultations are posted every week.

「 Hmm… Okay then. 」

After hesitating a bit as I was going through the site, I finally wrote a consultation post. I think it may be a dubious site, but I really want to talk to someone about this and talking to someone that I know in real life is embarrassing…

…and, well—

The prospect to have a young girl give you advice on life seems exciting!

Could it just be an auntie pretending to be a high school girl? I don’t think anyone would really waste their time doing things like that, though.
As I further dove into the site, I read the different things the moderator wrote. It is very reminiscent of a young high school girl, perhaps even a pretty one at that!.

The moderator’s name is ‘Kiririn’ and I decided to believe in the dream.

Now that I’ve fully tricked my heart, I proceeded to post:

「 Nice to meet you. I am a 13-year old middle school student. I have a boyfriend who I swore a future with… Lately I feel like he’s been avoiding me. When I try to get close to him, he gets upset… When I try to touch him, he pulls away—and just this morning when I was checking his temperature by palming his forehead, he ran away.

I don’t know what to do… I really want to talk to someone.

I would be happy if you could give me your opinion. 」

After waiting for a little bit, the moderator responded to me.

「 Nice to meet you, I’m Kiririn.

I was using my smartphone when I read the name. I mean, you could be just one of various users, but maybe you actually are. I think you may actually be the EroManga. It’s true isn’t it? Wow… Young people are really talented these days! If you don’t mind, would you like to directly chat? I have a bit of time before my next class starts.

Does EroManga-chan have time now? If so, I’ll invite you to chat, hope you see you there! 」

「 Huh… 」

I thought about it for a few seconds. I decided to give my consent. After accepting, we started our brief conversation.

Kiririn: Nice to meet you again.
EroManga: Nice to meet you.

—and so it begins.

Kiririn-chan starts sending me a long chat. If I were using my smartphone, I would be as fast as Izumi Masamune used to be.

Kiririn: This is sudden, but your handle name… You’re the EroManga Sensei?
EroManga: Yep, contrary to believe, it’s based not on erotic manga
Kiririn: Really! Wow how surprising!
EroManga: I’m usually not very well known. Especially when it comes to young girls.
Kiririn: That’s entirely not true! Girls who don’t know EroManga Sensei aren’t allowed to exist!
EroManga: I guess so.

The reason I met with her was because of the circumstances, so this time—whether I was online or using my Pen-Name, I don’t ever write in a masculine way.

That being said, This girl seems both beautiful and is definitely nerdy.

The possibility of it just being a random Uncle crossed my mind, but I buried it from my mind and denied it.

「 No, no Kiririn-chan is a deep nerdy girl! 」

「 The details of her surroundings, such as “before class” and “I’m out, but I’m writing on my smartphone,” are more than enough evidence! 」

… It’s getting harder to deceive myself—I need to get this conversation going soon.

Kiririn: It’s true! Because EroManga Sensei is a Light Novel god! You’re a god-tier illustrator who did the art for, “The Cutest Sister in the World!”
EroManga: … You really like EroManga Sensei that much?
Kiririn: Fufu~ I watch your broadcasts all the time! I’ve sent you requests for illustrations in the comments. I can really say I love your work!

Ah… Kiririn-chan, you’re a good girl

—And if you’re an old man, you’re forgiven

Kiririn: Okay, I’ve talked too much. Let’s get down to business.
EroManga: Okay.
Kiririn: Let’s dive into EroManga-chan’s love affairs… Can you tell me more about it? Of course, I swear to my Imouto[4]-God that I won’t divulge any secrets.
EroManga: Imouto-God? Well… I was originally going to do that. The main reason why I joined the chatroom was because I was hoping you wouldn’t show this to others. I don’t think you’re the kind of person who will do anything strange.

I told her that I trusted her.

Kiririn: Well, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m a girl, but you should doubt a bit more… But thank you.
EroManga: Yeah… Here—

And so, I started to deep dive into my story in great detail. I told her about what happened today and the relationship between Masamune and I.
Of course, I changed his name and occupation to keep him safe, but I conveyed with some context. I felt that it was heavy, filled with strong emotions.

But—

Kiririn: Oh… that means you’re—
… thank you for telling me that. I think I’ve already figured it out.

I knew my gut-feeling was right.

When I saw the bulletin board, I thought, “No Way.”

EroManga-chan was a Younger Sister.
EroManga: Yeah…

I have a big brother… Well… I have a big brother who isn’t blood-related. I love Nii-san.

EroManga: That’s right.
Kiririn: So… we both have been pursuing our dreams together… We’ll get closer, little by little…

EroManga: At first, it didn’t work at all. I was told that he wanted to just be a family— that he wanted to just be brother and sister… I was very worried.

Kiririn: — and you knew it was a love affair… But we still confessed to each other, right?

…We’re the same.

EroManga: … Yeah.

Kiririn: That’s Great…

She wrote such a short text.

Just 2 words… Why?

I felt the weight of her emotions through it.

Kiririn: …Good. Congratulations
EroManga: Kiririn-chan?
Kiririn: Hm?
EroManga: Nothing…. Thanks.
Kiririn: You’re welcome♪ I’m on the side of all my beloved little sisters.
EroManga: You’re Strange.
Kiririn: Fufu~

There was a little pause until she continued.

Kiririn: Well, I think I got it. EroManga-chan’s worries are:
Even though we’re in such a state of love, my boyfriend avoids me. Why? What should I do?
Is that about right?
EroManga: Yeah. What do you think?… What do you think I should do?

Before I knew it, my tone had changed to that of a close friend. Her real name, appearance, maybe even age and gender—it was all unclear, but I have a strong connection and trust with her. So…

Kiririn: Then, here’s some advice from Senpai

No matter what kind of answer she gives me, I think I can accept it honestly.

Kiririn: You should hit him

EroManga: …What?
Kiririn: If a man gets on his high horse, just slap his face, he’ll fall in love again at once.

That was how I was able to get with the person I like[5].

EroManga: What…?

I take back what I said. What are you saying, girl? Are you alright?

EroManga: That’s not just the guy being masochist, right?
Kiririn: No! No, that’s not it. There’s no mistake it’s how we got along.

Hmm…I don’t know how I should say this.
What I mean is, if you don’t get him with all your heart, you won’t be able to convey your feelings.

If you want your partner to be honest, you have to be honest from here!

EroManga: Expressing your feelings honestly…

Kiririn: That’s right! You’re probably worried right now, aren’t you?
You love him so much, don’t you?

So you’re worried about being evaded, right? Then you have to confront him properly!

It’s as if I could hear her voice.

Kiririn: That’s the way I did it…

I’m a very troublesome little sister. I hit him, yelled at him, ran away from him…

But he knew how dearly he meant to me.

I think you have your own way of doing things.
I think anything is fine as long as you can convey the feelings properly in the way only you can.

If you like each other, you’ll be able to reach him.
Think hard and then act. When you do, you’ll understand.

EroManga: …Is that right?
Kiririn: Yes! Guaranteed!
EroManga: Thank you… I’ll try.
Kiririn: Go all-in with all your heart! I’m here cheering for you.

Her words are reassuring. It was strange even though we just started talking today. So tonight, I’ll try to… talk about my worries.

Kiririn: I mean it, good luck.
EroManga: Do you have anything else…? “I Like you” That’s how I should do it?
Kiririn: Yeah, that’s right. You’re living together, yeah?
Then why don’t you do the housework well?
Why don’t you become the perfect sister and wife?
In my experience, I think it’s quite effective.

…What’s “perfect sister and wife?”

I understand what you’re trying to say, but…

EroManga: First of all, cooking, washing, cleaning… I’m trying my best…
My boyfriend has the highest level of ability as a husband.
Kiririn: Wow, you’re like a main character in a Rom-Com Light Novel.
Hm… I see. Well then, even if EroManga does housework, it’s not particularly effective to him, huh?
EroManga: Maybe. I’m in trouble…
Kiririn: Then, even if your boyfriend has household abilities, you can do it in a way that conveys your feelings.
Hand-made dishes—I think they should help a lot. Bento and bagged sweets.
EroManga: Did it work for you?
Kiririn: For the person I like, It was the first time I gave Valentine’s chocolate.
It was pretty rough, and it didn’t look good…
And I learned this later: it didn’t taste particularly good either.
But he ate them and said, “It’s super delicious.”
EroManga: What a great boyfriend…
Kiririn: He is, isn’t he?

The writing paused for a bit.

Kiririn: So—— it’s a bit early for Valentine’s—
I recommend Obento. Your thoughts can be properly conveyed through that.
EroManga: Actually, today… I thought about Masamune going to school.

So this was the first time I prepared a homemade Bento.

Kiririn: Oh, You did already… I hope he likes it.
image
We talked all the way until just before her class started…

Love talks with a strange female friend gave me courage.
After School

I, Masamune, started to unwrap my Bento from Sagiri in the waiting space of the publisher.

During school lunch, I didn’t have time to eat lunch because of I had to finish some urgent work.

Recently, there have been so many urgent cases that I had to respond to, and it made me wonder what other side-job writers are doing…?

I’m a full time student, part time writer, and I barely manage to get by, but it’d be hard if I had to be in an environment where I was forced to be at work.

And so, I missed lunch.

Directly after school, I took the express train to the publishing company.

Around 5PM, I arrived. Today’s work, “The Special Screenplay Conference,” starts at 6PM, so I arrived an hour a bit early.

Since I have time, I decided to eat my important Bento that my dear girlfriend made me in a place where I could relax as much as possible, all things considering.

If you eat in a classroom right after school, you’ll be made fun of and you won’t be able to fully enjoy the Bento.

But it’s quiet here, and there are other people also eating.

So, I will be able to fully enjoy the “Sagiri Bento” with all my heart.
This treasure was much more important than part-time work.
I had to eat with such care and gusto, more than a main character of a gourmet manga.

“Alright—Here we go!”

I took out my bento will full anticipation.

Gently, I put it on the table and being to peel off the package.

“Oh my…”

What a holy aura!

It may seemed like an ordinary Bento-box, but it flowed like the gods.
It was like the EroManga Flash was leaking through the very gap of the lid.

“…Wow.”

My hand trembled slightly. I slowly reached out to the lid and lifted it.
And what appeared inside—

“Kyaraben[6]!”

It was a combination of rice and side dishes, and the Heroine of “The Cutest Sister in the World” was depicted beautifully on the kyaraben.
It was truly amazing… the kyaraben made by her… and at this point, it’s already an incredible Bento.

But she left one more surprise.

“Oh my… It says, ‘I love you♡!’”

She is actively trying to kill me.

Thanks to her, I threw away all reservations I normally had and yelled for joy in public. Everyone around me, I’m so sorry… But I can’t help it—I mean look at it!

As soon as I opened the lid of my bento, love and joy immediately came bursting out.

“Hah… Hah…”

My heart is pounding violently. Sagiri… You… You!

You’ve been attacking me since this morning!

How can you do this to me?!

I crouch lower than the table, pressing my chest.

“Izumi…? You good?”

There was someone that spoke to me anxiously.

It was the flashy blonde youth, Kusanagi Ryouki. He’s my senior rom-com light novelist.

“Kusanagi-senpai… Sorry… I got a bit too excited…”
“No, I don’t mind… but are you sure you’re okay?”
“No, I’m not alright, but it’s alright. Sorry, but let me concentrate on my lunch for a bite. I have a noble mission to savor and eat the food she made me.”
“… I see. Well go for it.”
“Mhmm!”

Later—

During my time eating Sagiri’s lunch box without dying, I kept making strange noises and squirming around.

By the way, I took five or eight photos with my smartphone while I ate. I even asked Akasaka Toko, the producer, to take pictures with my bento.

The script conference was in only twenty minutes. Time really flew.

“That… was a feast.”
“Have you finally settled down?”

Coming to my senses, Kusanagi-senpai approached me once more.

“Yeah, it was a desperate struggle, but… I managed to survive.”
“It’s alright since there wasn’t many people today but… you might want to stop doing that, okay?”
“Yeah, I know.”

Having received a rare and high degree of seriousness from my charming senior, I honestly had to reflect on myself.

It’s true that I, as a member of society, have exposed myself to the kind of madness that would disqualify me as a functioning human being, let alone a member of society.

It was not exactly acceptable behavior, even if it was my beloved treasure.

“I’m a little bit in love so—“
“You became out of your gorge?”
“Well… Yeah. Recently, I learned that her love of me is strong and heavy. I’m so happy, but… I don’t know what to do. I’m a bit lost.”
“Hmm, I don’t know the full scope of things, but I won’t ask.”

Kusunagi-senpai squints, hinting he doesn’t want to dive and deeper.
It can’t be helped— It is what it is. So I ended the topic and asked,

“By the way, what bring you here, Kusanagi-senpai?”

“I promised that I’d go eat with Shido. I was waiting at work for his meeting to finish up. When I saw the producer for “SekaImo[7]” enter the conference room, so I figured you have a script conference afterwards.”

“I see. So then, Shido-san ought to be coming out soon.”

It wasn’t a far leap of logic since Shido and I have the same people in charge of editing.

Kagurazaki’s plan is to hold a meeting with Kunimitsu Shido. It seems that the script conference for “The Cutest Sister in the World,” is a hot topic. And so, the meeting with Shido-san should be over by now.”

“Well, I should get rid of this now, huh?”

Kusanagi-senpai puts his university notebook on the table from a black leather bag.

「 Oh? 」

I thought to myself,

“What kind of work did you do with your notebook?”

There’s no way I would handwrite an entire manuscript like Muramasa-senpai. Kusanagi-senpai takes out the notebook he completed and slid it to me.

“I was making a slapstick as a ‘new proposal.’ In my case, I first physically write it down in my notebook. After, I run it through a word processor.”

I see. For me, I write on my computer from the get-go.

“Well, I still don’t know how to write a proposal—may I take a look?”
“Yeah, it’s chill.”
“Thanks.”

I thanked him and he showed me his proposal without hesitation.

Matching its owner, the handwriting is beautiful and easy to read. The words have a strong brush pressure and a slight upward stroke pattern.

I have awful handwriting, so I really respect people who can write this well.

The reference to the story itself is minimal.

「 Target Audience is: LLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLL」
「 Punch-lines / Elements: LLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLL」
「 Similar Existing Works: LLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLL」
「 Next Year Trend Forecasts & Evidence : LLLLLLLL」
「 Main Heoine’s Charm: LLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLL 」
「 Arrangement of Side-Characters: LLLLLLLLLLLLLL 」

There was a lot of space being wasted. I’ll leave out my impressions.

In addition to the text of the projects, Many arrows and Annotations were all written in pencil.

“Ahh… That’s why it’s in pen and paper.”

“If you write more and more without using erasers, it’s easy to remember ideas that come to mind at the time. I don’t think there’s any need to copy it because it depends on the way it’s done.”

“Ah, this is helpful.”

It’s hard to get a chance to know how to understand other people’s work.
Everyone in the same trade as me are unique people.

Senju Muramasa, Yamada Elf, and so on.

… When I asked Yamada Elf-san how to make a proposal, the way she does it was too unfit for me to use as a reference.

“Kusanagi-senpai’s proposal… is very barebones.”

“It’s still in draft. Looke closely, there are three types of planning ideas.”

“Oh, I see. You’re very dedicated.”

“I was thinking about what kind of project to make next, and it started to get fun.
6 months later, I made three different routes that would be funny.”

“Is making a proposal that fun?”

“It is, it’s kind of like TCG’s[8]. The Light Novel market has its own environment, its fashion, trends, and its readership scope. We look at the current environment , consider the trends, and we start making the game with the most optimal plan.

If it turns out well, it will get a lot of readers, and it will generate money.

If it’s not particularly popular, analyze the reasons, reorganize the plan, and relaunch.

It’s so interesting, it really doesn’t feel like work.”

That was a very otaku-like analogy.
I remember when Elf used to say that work was a game.
But he looks at it more like a TCG.

—This job is a competitive online game!
—Rom-Com is a puzzle game!
“It’s a surprising.”

“What is?”

“When it comes to talking about work, this is the first time I’ve heard Kusanagi-senpai say, ‘it’s fun.’”

“Is that so? Well, Maybe.”

Usually, I only talk about money with him (despite the fact only a little bit became money for me), so I always thought that Kusanagi-senpai was dry about his work as a Light Novelist.
That might be rude to say this about my senpai, but I changed my opinion a bit.

“That’s because I don’t particularly like actually writing the Light Novel.”

Hey!

I just changed my opinion of you! What’s wrong with being a light novelist?

“More importantly, I don’t want to create another interesting piece of work.

But then again, if it hits the reader special, I want to write another one…

It’s important to know yourself, objectively. You did a self-analysis seminar, didn’t you?”

“I’m still a sophomore, and I don’t want to get a job.”

“Oh, it must be good to be young. Go do a self-analysis and find what job would match you the best. I thought it was ridiculous at the time, but it was important. If you don’t understand and accept what kind of person you are and what job works for you, you will not last long.”

When do you have fun?
When do you feel happy?
When do you have a hard time?
What do you when you’re angry?
What do you do when you’re happy?
What is it you like, hate, and want?

As senpai says, it’s important to understand those properly.

“'I just want to create work that is interesting.’
‘I want to be told that I am amazing, not just my work.’
‘I want to be evaluated by my peers.’
‘I want to make money easily’
‘I want to look down on someone I hate.’
‘I want to be recognized as an otaku.’
‘I want to be excited by an SNS9’

—Even if you do the same job, each person will want to do something else. So each dream has its own path towards achieving it. No matter how cool it is, if you don’t know your dreams and goals, then you can’t move forward. But if you admit your greed and proceed with it, there’s no one will be able to beat you. That’s all there is to it.”

“Do you know yourself?”
“Of course.”

Kusanagi-senpai laughs disheveledly.

“I don’t like writing Light Novels. It’s not that I want to create an interesting Light Novel. I like to call it more like, “I like to make plans and make money’ kind of Light Novelist.“

… Ah. That makes sense.

“I mean… if many readers say that their senpais[12]’ works are interesting and they make a lot of money—they don’t necessarily have to be interesting. If readers find it interesting, than the work itself doesn’t necessarily have to be interesting?”

“Precisely.”
“What?”

“I’d be happy to reach for a handshake if they praised me saying ‘I’m Funny’ when I wrote it half-assedly. It means I can make twice the amount of money with half the amount of effort.”

“Does it hurt your pride as a Light Novelist or your conscience?”
“You have a different mindset, don’t you? It’s because I’m working towards my own goal that I believe in. It’s something I’m proud of.”
“I-I can’t relate at all!”
“I’m a different person. It’d be strange if we had the same way of thinking.”
“Is that really a problem?”

I looked at him with a tinge of skepticism. Kusanagi-senpai just shrugged his shoulders.

“To tell you the trust, I’ve never cut corners in my work so far. I’ve done my best to write for the masses and for the sales. Otherwise, my readers wouldn’t find it ‘funny’ at all.”

Well, he writes with half his strength and is still praised as “funny”.
Can’t beat around the bush about that.

Kusanagi-senpai continued,

“So while I don’t like writing Light Novels that much, if I can pull it off.. that I’m gonna make that money and let them say, ‘It’s funny’.”

That sounds like a true tsundere[9]—But you may actually mean it.

Kusanagi’s way of thinking is… is own way. As he said… maybe he wasn’t a ‘real write’ in the traditional sense. Maybe he’s simply a fake one with the title of being a Light Novelist.

I just can’t relate at all.

I will continue to read the Romantic-Comedies that Kusanagi Ryouki-senpai used to desperately write. It’s those works that this person took so seriously in order to fulfill his desires that will always continue to be interesting.

He scratched his neck and rewound to the topic a few minutes ago.

“Well, if you know yourself, you don’t have to worry about wate, you don’t have to go the wrong path, you have more choices that you know will work. In my case… If I can achieve my goal, I don’t have to do just Light Novels.”

I just need an environment where I can make money by being told that my work is interesting.

That’s what’s important to me.

Indeed, it may be an idea that is hard to come up with unless I understand myself.

“I—what do you think? You know what I am… you know what I’m talking about, right?”

I’ve never consciously done a self-reflection.

“Izumi, you’ve known me for a while, right?”

“I guess so?”

“Let me ask my Kouhai[11], what are you trying to achieve?”

“I want to make people I like happy. That’s why I want to make ‘Our Dream’ come true.”

“Here’s an immediate retort: Even though you’re a kid, don’t hesitate to run the shortest distance. You may end up burnt out like me otherwise.”

「………………」

“But I don’t know anything but myself. I just see things at face-value.”
“Hm?”
“You want someone important to say,

—‘It’s interesting.’
—You want to entertain them
—You want to make them laugh
—You want to make them happy.

I guess that’s why you always work. Every day, every day. And you seem to have lots of fun doing it. So, I guess it’s the same for your partner as well?”

「………………」

I was taken aback for a moment. And I couldn’t completely get my words together.

“Sagiri, too… Wants to make me happy…?”

“I don’t know because I don’t know the entire story, so why do you say that?”

—I’ll be the one that makes him happy.

I was right.

She’s amazing… Should I say that because I’m an experienced Light Novelist?

“You’ve done something wrong, haven’t you? ‘Make the other person happy’ is a fun thing to do, isn’t it? Why should you be the only one trying? You’ve been doing so much for two years, and when the other person tries to do the same thing, it’s heavy and confusing…

There’s no way it’s going to be alright.”

"It’s a sly thing to say for this “Light Novelist.”

「………………」

The scales seemed to have fallen in my favor.

“Kusanagi-senpai”
“What?”

After an unintentionally long conversation…

“By any chance…. Did you just give me a love consultation?”

“Huh? … You’ve got time, haven’t you? Should I take my leave?”

Just like a Tsundere heroine from his books, Kusanagi-senpai clicked his tongue.

At 6PM, the special script conference started. This was created because Makina-san finally finished her manuscript last week.

“I wasn’t lazy and didn’t drop it, I was working at a high level of motivation—so much so that I have to rewrite and rewrite it again until I was satisfied.”

That’s how Makina-san made excuses on days she couldn’t complete her manuscript. She has then completed the manuscript and submitted it and today was the meeting about that script.

“Masamune-san. Is it good? You didn’t make a lame excuse because the producer forced you?”

Makina-san sat back on her chair. She was wearing a baggy sweat suit and round glasses.

She looks younger, but with that get-up she seems to be more of an adult. She was originally a well-rounded person, but perhaps because she’s been so absorbed in her work these days, it worn her down.

Have to give her credit where credit is due.

“Oh yes, I think it’s very fascinating.”

“Well, in the fifth episode, the second volume begins, but when I think about the future, I had to compress it. But there are important lines of dialogue! So many lines of dialogue and I couldn’t shove them all in, so I was super worried!”

She explains this with great passion, looking extremely happy.

Now that I have this “new problem,” I haven’t been able to concentrate on this meeting.

“I don’t get the impression you’re running from this challenege, there’s clear intent on keeping all the important things from the source material… I think it’s all organized.”

“Hah hah! Praise me more!”

“As the author, I’m satisfied.”

“Mmhmm! Don’t worry!”

—I felt as if I shared her motivation.

“Thank you very much.”

It had multiple meaning behind it.

“I don’t have any real, big revision opinions either.”

Producer Toko Akasaka. A woman in a suit with a sharp and cold air about her.

“Then … let’s read through from the first page.”

When I reflect on it… I don’t think I’ve ever talked much during a script meeting.

This is a good chance to explain.

This is a script conference for “The Cutest Sister in the World,” so I never take it for granted.

Basically, it starts at 5PM, but sometimes it varies depending on the schedule of the participants.

One the day of the cold-read, if the final draft of the script has not arrived, there are cases where everyone except the scriptwriter waits for the script to arrive to the conference room.

On some cases, it just never arrived.

Other days, sometimes only the scriptwriter came, but with no script in hand.

「 There’s no way that ever happens. 」
「 That’s not a real thing. 」
「 That’s a gross exaggeration. 」
「The script will always reach you the day before.」

I’m afraid I’ll get a lot of complaints from various places, so I’ll leave it at that. But in my experience, this kind of occurrence is pretty common.

You can think of this like a true story.

The collapse, despair, and insanity of the entire production processes are not an exaggerated, isolated incidences in the animation industry. Rather, I feel like I’m being rather mild towards the entire process of it.

In fact, the role of being the production director must be rough, especially when the things scheduled to be delivered never arrive.

It seems like a huge burden.

It’s heartbreaking to understand that there was a lack of mental stability whenever an issue like that arrises.

What should I do if I die during the anime production period? Even those kinds of thoughts have crossed my mind. There are some dark troubles that I can’t write here.

After a serious problem was dealt with strict secrecy, a light report (probably full of redactions) is made to the author of the original source in a form of second-hand consent.

This isn’t my story, but a story I’ve heard from an acquaintance of an acquaintance—

One day, when the original author attended an anime script meeting, he didn’t have a director working cooperatively with him for several months, and the producer gently told them to change the director—

Just thinking about that scenario sends chills down my spine. Remember, this is not about me, I don’t even know who this author is.

Anyway.

In the past few months, I pledge I would never be an anime playwright. The notion of it seems scary. The meeting will be held in the publishing company’s conference room. Other companies may use studio conference rooms—generally speaking there’s no set rule where it will be held.

The “Publisher’s Meeting Room,” where I was sitting, is a large room lined with long, white desks. The participants were the directors, screenwriters, authors, editors, producers, and several other miscellaneous anime staff – more than 10 in total.

However, only a limited number of people, such as directors, scriptwriters, producers, and editors, and authors speak.

All these participants involved have to read a script. Before the meeting, I had read the script in advance and gathered my thoughts together. We all turned to the first page, threw our hat into the ring, and discussed it.

This would repeat, page by page, until the last page to determine what corrections need to be made.

Based on the conclusion reached during the meeting, the playwright revised the script and submitted the second draft. In the next script conference, we will read the second draft. If all the amendments were resolved, it will become the final draft and move on with the next story.
And this process repeats until completion.

After that, the “decided draft” would come into the hands of the staff as the blueprint for the anime were drafted and a storyboard established – this is what entire process looks like.

Work on each episode will begin only after the final draft, which may take 3 or 4 meetings. While it may seem like she will be writing multiple episodes at the same time, Makina-san will only write one episode at a time.

And thus, due to all these circumstances, script conferences for “The Cutest Sister in the World,” were considerably more frequent than other anime.

According to Producer Akasake,

“What I knew of Makina Aoi and Izumi, I made sure to schedule a room with plenty of room. I want to keep the author feel at ease.”

Although I don’t necessarily think it was good intentioned, it was a still reassuring.

While giving an explanation for all this, it cold-read of the script seemed to have finished.

“Alright! Episode 5 is finished!”

Makina-san raised her hands wide and posed.

“Good work, Aoi-san. Please do it like this next time. Please finish the first draft of the sixt episode by the day before the next script meeting.”

“I’ll do that! Definitely this time!”

There’s is like a solid 40% chance that will happen. Kagurazaka-san, the editor in charge, grinned at her watch.

“Oh hoh! It’s over so early! It’s only 7PM.”

“Well then! I’ll excuse myself!”

I stand up right away.

—No, it’s okay… I’ll be waiting. Let’s eat together.

Well, I don’t think I have to make Sagiri wait today! Kusanagi-san advised me to be bit more at ease, but I still have a problem that has not been solved yet.

Still, I was eager to go home early and see Sagiri’s face.

When I was about to leave the room—

“Wait a minute.”

Makina-san stopped me and grabbed my wrist.

“Maramune-san, let’s eat together.”

Then, she smiles cutely—like a cute woman who looks younger even though she’s older.

—If I were a normal high school boy, you would have definitely been excited.

“Sorry, I already promised Sagiri that I’ll eat with her, so I need to hurry back.”

“Hmm, love is love, that’s fine. If that’s the case, a cup of tea should be alright. I only need 30 minutes.”

“…Fine.”

“…. You look blatantly disinterested. Isn’t it a bit rude of to react that way from an invitation from such a beautiful Onee-san?”

“It’s just because I want to go home soon.”

“If that’s true, then it’s not time for our meeting to end, so treat this as work-time.”

“If that’s the case, let’s have it right here then.”

“No, not here, there’s a guy I want you to meet.”

Makina-san smirks in a suspect way.

「……………?」

—What are you planning?

I’m sure if I thinking of a bad scenario, but I can’t say without any details.

“Is this really work related?”

“Yeah, don’t fret! It’s only for 30 minutes before you’ll be able to go to your beloved girlfriend! No more delays. Just follow me— The success of “The Cutest Sister in the World” anime will go up even more with this!”

「…………….」

I want to turn it down, But I can’t help it if I’m told that much.
Makina-san is a careless person and tells a lot of lies.

—What is absolutely necessary to write a serious script!

But, when she says this, it’s not a lie.

If Makina Aoi says “…the success of “The Cutest Sister in the World” anime will go up even more with this!” then it’s true.

That’s why—

“Alright, you got 30 minutes.”

I have no choice but to say so.

Fifteen minutes later, I met a woman that was with Makina-san at an open café near Iidabashi Station.
image
“Nice to meet you, ‘Izumi Masamune,’ correct?”
“Y-Yea, that’s me.”

I couldn’t answer that well because of the circumstances.

Makina-san brought a small, young-looking woman. Her lively personality made her seem like a junior high school student. I argued in silence that her grown-up clothes based in black are not as old as they look.

Maybe’s it’s another legal loli, just like Makina-san.
Maybe Makina-san told me in advance that she knew my name.

“Well…”

Makina-san, please introduce us properly. I glanced at the round glasses sitting next to me. But, she just keeps grinning at me. She doesn’t seem to be willing to budge at all.

I have no choice but to cut the ice myself.

“I’m Masamune Izumi. I didn’t hear anything about you from Makina-san. That—er. And you are..?”
“Ah… I thought that would be the case.”

The woman looked disappointed and turned her white eyes towards Makina-san.

She presented her business card to me and it read.

「Manga Artist: Gamba Tsukimisato 」

It was a familiar alias—perhaps it was a manga artist that I should know, but I don’t immediately recall this pen name.

Usually, I remember the title of the work itself, not necessarily the author nor illustrator.

「Wait… that’s it. 」

In the far reaches of my mind, there was a name of an illustrator who was Tsukimisato-san.

She was a gorgeous lady in a black cloak. Dressed similarly to a vampire.
Manga Artists and Illustrators sometimes have pictures of characters on their business cards.

After seeing it, the author’s name and title of the work finally came to mind.

「 I definitely remember this. 」

“Tsukimisato-san: the illustrator of ‘The Vampire of the Sun’?”
“Bingo♪! See, I don’t need to tell you.”

I figured this. Since Makina-san said, “There’s someone you had to meet,” I imagined it was a person in the animation industry, but I didn’t think you were an manga artist.

I’m pretty impressed, I have to admit. You might think that I didn’t remember of the illustrator’s name, but I’m actually quite the fan.

Holding her business card, I tremble a bit.

“So, I’ll call you Tsukimisato-san.”
“Nice to meet you, Masamune-san.”

She smiled.

She’s friendly and a close-kint person. If I didn’t get so used to Megumi, this may have felt awkward.

“Mmm, so what is my rival doing now? Since our anime’s will be competing with one another, I figure we should learn more about each other.”

That makes sense. Izumi Masamune and Ganba Tsukimisato are rivals in anime.

“Vampire of the Sun” is a battle manga that is rapidly growing in popularity and was greenlit to have an anime. The anime adaptation will begin broadcast in April of next year.

Around the same time as “The Cutest Sister in the World.”

—I heard about this somewhere before.

“Are you that s-same Tsukimisato-san from that time?”

—Actually, next spring, the manga I’m publishing will be made into an anime.
—Tsukimisato-san is currently in charge of the script that will broadcast at the same time as the Light Novel.

“You were Makina-san’s rival who sent me that provocative video that time!”
“Guilty ♪! Was my video helpful?”
“It was extremely helpful! I wouldn’t have been able to make Makina-san angry enough to start writing the script!”
“Hey, don’t be mean Masamune-san! You don’t have to thank the enemy!”

Makina-san interrupts grumpily.

“Well, it was certainly a source of motivation for me to make this manga artist cry. It’s also the reason why I accepted the job in the first place…”

“What I want to do the most is to live with you and spend time with you… and create the best animation with the help of you and your sibling gave me then!”

“Makina-san…”

“That’s why it’s so nice to put this all together! You see, it’s like that famous robot anime, isn’t it? The idiot who sends salt to the enemy ultimately gets their come-up-ins.”

“Hoooh? That’s only if you can actually completely finish it this time~♪”

Tsukimisato-san sticks her tongue out playfully.

“Oh hoh?”

Makina pierces her with her eyes. It was like witnessing two junior high school girls fight.

“Pff… Makina-san, you’ve been rotten for quite a long time, but I’m glad you’re able to get along with others. We have finally have a proper competition.”

“Yeah, I’ve been looking forward to this. I’ll make you regret starting this.”

They were have an extremely absurd, immature exchange. It’s no different than when Elf and I fight.

“Heh… It’s good to have you back, Makina-san.”

Makina-san used to describe Tsukimisato-san as her life-long nemesis.
But… They’re just good friends.

“A playwright who can’t finish a script of anime, or perhaps you just like to leech off other’s work?”

“Your insults are way too direct. I’ll show you that those days are over!”

“Oh hoh! I’m going to have to actually get serious this time? Hah, maybe.”

“Both of you, please quiet down, we’re in public!”

Good friends?… I’m not sure anymore. I managed to stop the children’s quarrel for a brief moment. I turned away and asked them again, becoming the bad guy in the room again.

“So. Why did I have to be here again?”

If you really don’t have anything for me, I’m going to stand up and leave.

Tsukimisato-san silently looked at Makina’san, seemingly to send a message directly.

Then Tsukimisato-san started,

“We’ve been doing this and that, making promises for quite some time up until this point.”

They’re good friends, aren’t they?

“Then I just got a call from Makina-san saying she’s was going to bring Izumi Masamune with her.”

In other words, me being here hold no actual weight.

Both me and Tsukimisato-san glare at Makina-san.

“Makina-san, I’d like to know what is going on here.”
“Haha, heard that before.”

Makina-san shifted her glasses up with her finger.

“I… have something to report to Tsukimisato-senseo.”
“..What?”

Perhaps she sensed the uneasiness, but Tsukimisato-san leans back against her chair from the pressure.

Meanwhile, Makina-san puts her arms around my shoulder in a familiar way.

Then, she grinned devilishly to her rival.

“Actually, there’s gonna be an engagement!”

“WHAT.”

Tsukimisato-san screams with her eyes wide open.
It’s too surprising isn’t it? I’m going to be kicked out this time.

“Between Masamune-san and EroManga-Sensei~”

“OH M—wait what?”

With a snap, Tsukimisato-san closes her eyes and pinches the rim of her nose.

Trembling, she points at us.

“So… he’s getting married to someone else?”

“Yep! Masamune-san says he has a cute and adorable fiancée.”

“T-That was the most confusing way to say that. Threw me for a loop. I thought you finally got hitched when I couldn’t.”

“Haha! I wondered what you would think. You had such a funny, shocked face! You know how my personality is! Seriously, don’t be so hostile to engaged people, It’s the work of the devil~”

“Ergh…”

Tsukimisato-san was working to get her composure back.

Wait, is she not popular? … She is beautiful after all.

“Makina-san, if that prank was the only reason why I was called, I’m going to be pissed.”

I was told that this was an important matter relating to my work, so I had Sagiri wait a bit longer for me.

“Don’t worry Masamune-san. I said that part in jest. The other half is a present for you who that’s worried about love.”

Makina-san said that in a playful tone, wiping her laughter tears as she said so.

“Let’s have an adult koibana”
“Right now?”

It’s a phrase that I’ve been hearing more and more often lately.

“You’re worried about love, aren’t you?”

“… Why do you ask?”

“Do you understand? We lived together for a while
—so I had a taste of the main dish I’m working on right now.”

Once Aoi Makina learned that the heroine of “The Cutest Sister in the World,” was modeled between us siblings, she was instantly hooked. She forced us to live together and observe our relationship up close.

That’s what she meant when it comes to the “Main Dish.”

Makina-san continued,

“ Masamune-san. Did you have a fight with Sagiri-sama?”
“Uh—well that is…”
“You know I’ve been with you both long enough to know when something unusual happened.”
“Because I’ve had these worries since this morning— I mean like feelings that I still haven’t sorted out yet.”

To be honest, I thought I wouldn’t get any good advice if I consulted Makina-san.

But when I tried to talk to Kusanagi-Senpai…

Well, it seems I trusted that senpai more than I was aware of.

“Look, be honest with me. I’m sure I can enjoy it and help you.”
“Well… but…
I—I don’t know if I can trust you”

I don’t think I can trust you, but… You’re reluctant to talk to people who are interested. Makina-san seems to have decided to change her offensive moves to see how far she could reach.

She pointed to Tsukimisato-san sitting next to her.

“I’ll tell you, she’s is the most trustworth person when it comes to love. She’s got a bunch of experience in it.”
“Oh? Makina, you’re not going to give me any compliments are you? But I don’t think you’ve ever experienced an adult form of love ♡”

Tsukimisato-sam looked a little happy to have been called experienced.
Women who react like this don’t have much experience.
The sauce for that is Megumi.

“… If that’s the case… I’ll talk to you about it.”

I felt like I was on the tipping point.

After receiving indirect advice from Kusanagi-senpai, I realized that I was responsible for accepting Sagiri’s wishes. I’m going to face Sagiri as soon as I get home and talk to her.

But is that really the only thing I should pay attention to?

This time, I was so out of my mind that I avoided Sagiri. Is it really because I knew what her true feelings are?

Of course, that’s part of the main cause. I have a lot of feelings that’s unsorted. And there’s plenty left to rake up.

Why couldn’t—why couldn’t I rejoice at the kindness of someone I loved?

Was it not joyful?

Was I scared?

And—

Why do I have a feeling that facing Sagiri alone wouldn’t solve the problem?

I didn’t have an answer to any of my questions.

So… I decided to have this love consultation.

“… and that’s all.”
“This is so fascinating, as expected from Masamune-san.”

Makina-san was a very easy person to talk to except that she enjoys stories of love drama.

They all know the secret of us siblings, so I don’t have to wory about it nor do I have to explain it. Even without the information, Tsukimisato-san will get as many contextual information as needed.

Compressing a lengthy source material to a specific format is a specialty of a playwright.

Thanks to Makina-san, the love information exchange was carried out quickly. In front of me, why was Tsukimisato-san’s face trembling, eyes closed and everything.

Makina-san asked with a familiar face,

“What do you think of Masamune’s story, Tsukimisato-sensei?”

Then, in a fit of rage, Tsukimisato-san bursted into a frenzy,

“Bittersweet! I fell in love with a high school boy too!”

There was an explosion erupting in Tsukimisato’s screaming brain.

“You’re too much. Who asked you?!”

Makina-san started playing the role of the straw-man

“Well, I’m personally very jealous.”
“What do you think, seriously?”
“It’s dangerous.”

Tsukimisato-san replied simply in a completely different and serious tone.

“Now I know why Makina brought Masamune-san here.”
“Right? Well let’s have this koibana then.”

The two of us started to really have a serious conversation.

“Well, as long as you’re okay with it.”

“I am. But before that, Masamune-san… Will you listen to my first meeting with love?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”

After nodding her head, Tsumisato-san began to speak shyly.

“Before I debuted as a manga artist, I was in a hobby group. The so-called otaku community. We all hung out, travelled, went swimming by the pool, watched anime and… my first boyfriend was also my senior who was a member of that club. I thought my hobbies and appearance suited me—that I was super cute… I’m going to keep doing well and marry this person in the future.”

She giggled softly with a shy smile.
She started talking and soon I noticed.

This wasn’t a heartfelt, love story.

This was a story of a broken heart.

“After that, there were many things I had to do and the group kept reducing… but I was still with my boyfriend. I had fewer chances to meet my friends, fewer conversations with my boyfriend, but we usually went on dates, and we never had any big fights… I embellished in the idea that we’d always be together.”

So why aren’t you dating that person now?
I can’t ask that. I waited with baited breath for her to continue.

“I think the first trigger was my commercial debut. After the first series of mangas started, I started hiring people to work for me for the first time… My manga are were no longer unique to me. It stopped being fun anymore. Manga had become my job. At that time, I was selflessly trying my best. I thought that my livelihood was at stake.”

I strongly sympathized with her story. It was because there were many things that overlapped with my own debut.

Is this the difference the weight of responsibility?

One of the biggest differences between Light Novelists and Manga Artists is profits, particularly when it comes to expenses.

In order to publish a manga series, you have to hire an assistant, pay a salaries, pay for tools, and rent for a studio to work in. Even the people whom you hire, you’re responsible for them as well.

Compared to that…

I have a laptop.

I mean, ultimately, I think it’s really easy for us to work with just a pen and notebook if push came to shove.

It’s often said that being a professional writer is a gamble, but manga artist are especially high-risk jobs, as they could spend a lot of money at the start and continue to keep paying until the end of the series with little/no profits to be had.

The pressure that Tsukimisato told me about for the first time in a series must be beyond my simple imagination.

“So, when the serialization started, I had less and less chances to meet my boyfriend. We were busy creating new friendships and relationships in our new environments. Even so… he still took care of me. He would call me and often went on dates. He was there for me, for birthdays, anniversaries, and so on… he did it properly,

But I wasn’t there for him.”

An anime based on the manga series. When she said that, Tsukimisato-san’s face had a lonely smile. The anime seemed to have diverted heavily from the original manga. Tsukimisato-san looked bitter for a moment before continuing with the story.

“My work got back on track, and I was doing a lot of things well, and I started to have fun. It’s not just challenging, but it’s getting better—it wasn’t time to fall in love. But I liked him, and it was my dream to be a bride someday… that’s why I started thinking like this at the time.

‘If the anime goes well and everything’s over—I’ll face him and get married.’“

「………………………………」

I felt that we were connected.

“It’s like I heard that somewhere, right, Masamune-san?”

Makina-san just stared at me saying that.

「………………………………」

Tsukimisato-san looked at me with an indescribable expression.

My stomach churned.

I felt a very similar feeling to this morning—when I avoided Sagiri this morning.

Tsukimisato-san slightly diverts the topic from love by wiping her lips with a napkin.

“Our job was gambling, but I was the one who played the game, and I was the one who took the biggest risk, and I was the one who decided the bet. But anime was different. We were the ones who played the game, producers were the ones with the greatest responsibility, and the directors were the ones who worked on the front lines.

And the bet was someone else.

But the value was accumulating more and more. Because it was a cool anime… Well, I felt like I was doing a $2.5 Million substitute.”

“….Are you trying you kill me?”

This person… gave me the toughest metaphor I’ve heard from many different professionals.

“I didn’t mean to do that, Masamune-san, but remember this. Media mixes must never fail. Everything must succeed, everyone was betting on something important, with fans’ expectations on them, and with more money than we could ever imagine – it’s a game we can’t stop playing. But if you fail, you’ll ruin everything.”

“I’m scared.”

“Yes, I was also scared. I bet on all those scary things. A writer’s life, her childhood dream of being a bride, her first precious love, all of it was on the line.”

She giggled innocently. Her eyes looked cloudy. Was she doing the biggest job of her life like this at the time?

“I believed that if we won, it would double and come back. I think I was a terrible person back then. I was so desperate that all I could think of was the success of the anime, and every day I was always frustrated with all the hardships and things I had to do. I gave my boyfriends no time at all,

I wasn’t a very good girl at all.”

Tsukimisato-san scratched her cheeks embarrassedly.

“So—well, I was dumped… heh.”

That… was it?

She said that, throwing her body on the table with an over the top gesture.

“And before I knew it, I chose a job, not a romance.”

Makina-san looks sideways at her rival.

“Oh… Even though I won the biggest battle in my life, my dream of getting married didn’t come true. He even contributed to the decision of the second season of the anime by letting me sacrifice our relationship. Now take a look at the original author!”

Are you a demon? Don’t make light of this. You’re telling me a story about a harsh past.

“Did…Did the anime become successful?”
“Yea, I did everything I could for it. I was able to do it until the second generation, and there were a lot of new fans, and I think everyone was happy. That’s all I was able to save. Hehe… my life plan is all messed up…”
“By the way, Meruru, which was concurrently airing, was more successful.”
“Oh get off it! I’ll win next time!”

I don’t think so. Though, looking at their conversation, I gradually feel like I’m on the villain’s side.

“So, Tsukimisato-sensei, what was the conclusion of this long love story?”
“Older boyfriends are trash! Next time, they’ll definitely be younger! I’ll be the older girlfriend. I’ll fall in love with a high school boy!”

Tsukimisato cleared her through and stuck her arm out towards me.

“Masamune-san! You’re trying to get both work and love and it’s a dangerous proposition. If you don’t want to make the same mistake as your Onee-chan, you have to think carefully and choose for yourself.”

“Do you mean I have to choose between work and love? And somehow not regret it?”
“Whichever I chose, I regretted it! The reason for all this was me! If I had looked at my boyfriend more—cared for him, I’d be married by now.”

She spoke in a light tone, but with heavy words.

“On the other hand, if I got married at that time, the anime might have failed. So I might have regretted saying, “I wish I could have worked harder.’ That’s why there’s no such thing as a correct answer.”

“Then….”

“The most regrettable thing in my life is that I only realized later that I had abandoned my love life. If I had felt that I had chosen it myself…. I think I would have felt better.”

“I’ll keep that mind. But there is no separating—I cannot choose.”
“Is it because work and love are completely intertwined?”

“Yes,”

I can’t talk about the love affair between me and Sagiri without also talking about work.

Our dreams connected us.

Making Sagiri happy and fulfilling that dream are equal to me. Giving up on either of them is not an option.

“I always choose Sagiri. But I won’t give up on my dreams or love unless there’s something very wrong.”

“Isn’t it okay if you decide so? There’s no advice I can give to people who don’t want to say anything.”

It was more like she was throwing me a bone more than anything. Somehow… this was the reassurance I needed.

“While you were going on, Tsukimisato-san, I was listening and… well I found myself impressed.”

“…What?”

I found what I was afraid of.

“….I’m afraid of the anime.”

“We’ve got a very talented playwright on our side, a veteran director, a big hit producer, and a top-notch studio to make it… Isn’t this the best of all possible scenarios?”

“Anime is still a big gamble for me.”

“It’s not gambling…
…It’s a dark game.”

Tsumimisato added,

“I won’t get back my bet even if I win.”

Her lips scrunched up.

“You can’t bet on dreams or love.”

“It’s too late. I bet that long ago.”

“Yes, I’m aware. I already know.
I knew from the beginning that anime was scary. My seniors advised me a lot and told me of their experiences… I was prepared to fall in love with my dreams… I meant that. But Sagiri—she was betting as many things as I was.”

With what happened last night—I was scared to hear that, what she said.

“But if you fail, you’ll ruin everything”

Our dreams will breakdown, our happiness may go away, and our relationship may become irreparable.

Elf encouraged me by saying so, but… I’m afraid of scary things.
I became more scared when I realized the true nature of my fear.

I’m scared… I’m afraid—
I’m afraid to hear that the production is going well.

I gazed at my trembling hand, I—

“Masamune-san.”

Makina-san shoved my chest with her elbow.

“As I said, the success rate had gone up a lot, hasn’t it?”
“Well then what is it? I feel scared again for so—”

“I want to work with you! It’s like going winning with the accelerator pushed all the way down! If that’s what you’re going to do, I’ll go out with you until the end!”

Surprisingly, Makina-san shows off her thumbs-up.

“Hey, are you trying to make yourself look cool to a high school boy? Next person is Makina’s koibana, right? It’s a very cute love story, you should listen to it even if you, for example: I’m in love with my Onee-chan’s boyfriend and I’m a hikikomori.”
“Stop talking about that!”

Once again, the legal Loli’s began to fight.
I gave up on stopping them and left my seat.

“I’ll excuse myself. Thank you for everything today.”

“Yep!”

The two replied, bravely.

While having Makina-san in a headlock, Tsukimisato goes,

“I really thought, ‘I hate anime, I’ll never be a bad guy again’ That’s why I’ll win this time.”

She then raised two fingers against my face.

“Of course, I can’t beat you ♡"

They were rivals, but not particularly hostile.
We were not at war, nor are we going face-to-face like in sports.

But more like hero in legends: those who risked it all for their dreams, for love, hope, and everything.

—She’s already overcome the fear I have.
—She was adorable, friendly, and courteous

—She’s a truly a great senior author

And the final boss in the way of our dreams.

Translator’s Notes
1) Bento : Japanese Lunch Box – Traditionally Homemade
2) Koibana : “Girl Talk” – Term for Love Talks, typically (but not exclusive to) females
3) Chyuunibyo : “Middle School Syndrome” – A time period (typically early teens) where the act of being a weeb is thought of being acceptable.
4) Imouto : Little Sister
5) Implications in past tense—though left unclear by author of currency by verb tense usage.
6) Kyaraben : Food shaped into characters
7) SekaImo : “World Cute Sister” – Reference to “The Cutest Sister in the World” abbreviated, the anime Masamune is killing himself over. No relation to 세계 제일의 여동생님 (Also Shortened to SekaImo)
8) TCG : Trading Card Game (Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic the Gathering, etc)
9) Tsundere : “Disgust Affection” – Reference to characters that are apprehensive at first but actually care for the person in question.
10) Daifuku : A gluttonous rice cake typically filled with sweet red bean paste
11) Kouhai : Junior (Personnel / Classmate / Etc)
12) Senpai : Senior (Personnel / Classmate / Etc)