["Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, have you seen Izumi-sensei's new work? I really like the white-haired female lead! You know it .jpg."]
["Have you decided on your new work, sensei? If not, you can start considering it now."]
["Please, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, draw me a pure love doujin for Emilia!"]
["Hiss, why is your first reaction to ask Kashiwagi Eri-sensei to draw a doujin? It's truly terrifying when you think about it… Oh, me too, then never mind."]
["I'll pre-order one now, looking forward to sensei's amazing performance! Whether it was the scene of Daki ravaging Nezuko in the previous "Daki X Nezuko," or Homura overwhelmingly crushing Madoka Kaname in "God X Demon X Love," both made me incredibly excited!"]
...
"What a noisy bunch, these scumbags who change wives every so often, hehe… And a pure love doujin! Do they really not know what kind of route I, Kashiwagi Eri, take?"
Eriri scoffed as she scrolled through the comments under her Twitter post.
Besides, if it weren't for the fact that they were her fans, she would definitely give these fickle people a good talking to!
However, since everyone had already brought it up, she couldn't pretend not to see it. Compared to coming up with original characters and plots herself, this ready-made option was indeed easier, and the popularity wasn't even on the same level.
"This is good then, I'll draw a little story of humiliation between Elsa and Emilia… As for the protagonist or whatever, he should just stay on the side and watch! Hehehe…"
Eriri unconsciously licked the corner of her mouth, as if she had thought of something delicious.
She had already done this with demon slayer, but there was no need to worry. Doujin works are inherently highly homogenized in terms of plot; what's important are other aspects.
"Eriri, you look strange."
Sawamura Sayuri walked by and reminded her.
"Uh… mhm."
Eriri snapped back to reality, gradually returning to her normal expression.
It's understandable for a doujin artist to act this way when they're having an episode, right?
After lunch, Eriri suddenly remembered that she seemed to have forgotten something very important.
"Oh, that's right! Nayuta-sensei's 'A Silent Voice' Volume 1 is released today, hmm… I wonder if it's sold out if I go now?"
Eriri thought of this and shook her head.
Takasago Bookstore usually had an estimate of how much they would sell, and they would typically buy about a week's worth of stock at once, so it wouldn't sell out immediately.
So, she changed into a casual outfit of a hooded sweatshirt and jeans and headed down Detective Slope.
"Eriri, where are you going?"
Unexpectedly, she bumped into her childhood friend who was just leaving.
"Nayuta's new work was released, wasn't it? I want to buy a copy."
Eriri answered directly, without any reservations.
"Is that so? I was just about to go buy a copy, so let's go together."
Izumi Chihiro nodded.
"Heh…!"
Eriri let out a light sound of surprise, then changed her tone, "It's rare to see you so eager. Didn't you never remember the release dates of other books before?"
"Because I really want to see how Nayuta will write this story."
Izumi Chihiro replied.
It was as if he had only thrown out a concept, and how grand that concept could become was entirely up to Nayuta's ability.
Given the amazement that 'Silver Season' brought him back then, he believed this 'a silent voice' would make even more people cry.
"…"
Eriri was slightly silent.
She didn't fully understand the inside story, but her mood was inexplicably heavy at this moment.
"Nayuta, she's doing now…"
She didn't finish her sentence, but she believed her childhood friend understood what she wanted to ask.
"Of course she's doing great. She eats well, sleeps well, plays whenever she wants, without the noise of others, and without the constraints those people put on her…"
Izumi Chihiro answered as a matter of course.
"There's just one bad thing: she fell in love with Kashiwagi Eri-sensei's work."
As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere changed instantly.
"What are you talking about! I'm telling you, this is discrimination against doujin artists! Be careful, I'll unite everyone to boycott you… Old Thief! Don't think that just because you have a bit of social status now, you can look down on…"
Eriri was not ambiguous and immediately showed her sharp tongue.
"I didn't mean that, you misunderstood, Eriri… Forget it, you'll understand later. Let's go, let's still go to the bookstore."
Izumi Chihiro knew it was useless to reason with Eriri, so he turned and left.
"I hate people who talk in half-sentences the most, you jerk! Finish what you're saying!"
Eriri quickly chased after him.
…
The two arrived at the bookstore.
"The crowd has finally thinned out…"
Takasago Tomoe had just sent off a few book-buying readers when she suddenly saw the two entering, and her spirits immediately lifted.
"Izumi-kun, are you also here to buy Nayuta-sensei's new work?"
She took small steps towards them, her chest still swaying.
"Tsk."
Eriri narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression disdainful.
"Yes."
Izumi Chihiro said.
"Here, Izumi-kun."
Takasago Tomoe held the light novel with both hands and placed it in his hands, completely ignoring the other girl.
"This person has been ignoring me since just now!"
The anger in Eriri's heart was almost burning to her eyebrows.
"Here, the price for two books! Alright, Chihiro, let's go!"
Eriri pulled out banknotes from her pocket, slapped them into Takasago Tomoe's hand, then took another copy of 'a silent voice' from the shelf, ready to leave.
She didn't want to stay there for another second.
Takasago Tomoe, of course, wouldn't allow it.
Besides being able to talk to Izumi-kun actively at school, the only other place she could chat with him was at the bookstore. How could she let him leave so quickly?
"By the way, I heard that Nayuta-sensei's new work seems to be adapted from her past experiences. Is that true?"
Takasago Tomoe's eyes narrowed as she asked.
"The two have common points, but it's not something Nayuta experienced. Rather, it evolved from some stories I once heard."
Izumi Chihiro shook his head.
"Anyone who watched Chihiro and Nayuta's live stream would know this, wouldn't they? You fake fan!"
Eriri immediately gave her a cold look.
"There was a live stream? Sorry, I really didn't know that… By the way, does liking someone's work really mean you have to know every aspect of them? Also, although I like Nayuta-sensei's and Izumi-kun's works, I wouldn't consider myself a fan. Actually, I prefer Muramasa-sensei and Elmi-sensei a bit more…"
Takasago Tomoe put her hands on her hips, turned slightly, and met the gaze of the blonde twin-tailed girl, like a bird spreading its wings, and began to lash out.
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter