"H-huh? Senju Muramasa Sensei is indeed amazing, a person on par with Nayuta, so I won't say anything about that. But who is this Elmi? I've never heard of her."
Eriri didn't argue back, because her words were purely emotional and couldn't stand up to scrutiny, so she decided to look for a different angle.
This time, she had truly trespassed into Takasago Tomoe's forbidden zone.
"How ignorant, Sawamura Student, to not even know Elmi Sensei? How laughable! Elmi is an illustrator, and a painter whose skill is above yours!"
Takasago Tomoe's tone was exceptionally forceful and even more merciless.
"What!? An unknown illustrator dares to claim she's better than me, Kashiwagi Eri? Isn't that a bit too dismissive of people?"
Eriri was fuming.
Does she really think Kashiwagi Eri is someone anyone can step on?
"Then please, Takasago-san, tell me, does this Elmi Sensei you speak of have any famous works? Or, what work is she illustrating for?"
Eriri was certain it couldn't be anything remarkable.
Otherwise, how could she have never heard of it?
"Elmi Sensei is currently the illustrator for 'explosive flame dark elf.'"
Takasago Tomoe answered truthfully.
"Hahahahaha…"
Eriri immediately burst into laughter, her tone mocking, "I thought she had some amazing achievements, but it turns out she's just someone who draws for that kind of toilet paper work, a person without an artist's soul…"
Illustrations and light novels can indeed influence each other. When content is labeled as 'toilet paper,' the illustrator's reputation in the industry can indeed be damaged.
"As if a doujin artist's reputation is so great."
Takasago Tomoe's words were scornful.
"You…!"
…
"How long are they going to keep arguing?"
Izumi Chihiro had already bought a bag of potato chips from a nearby shop, but found the two still arguing passionately. However, he didn't intend to interrupt them.
His first favorite thing was watching women fight, and his second favorite was watching women argue…
Of course, whether he would intervene to stop it would depend on the situation, as he had flexible moral standards.
Round two begins!
"Admittedly, the work 'explosive flame dark elf' itself doesn't have a high rating, but setting aside Yamada Elf Sensei's writing, purely from the perspective of drawing, Elmi Sensei's ability is very strong! She even has the title of 'All-Purpose Artist'! Furthermore, she, like Sawamura Student, is also a beautiful girl, so she doesn't lose to you in that regard either."
Takasago Tomoe continued to speak with conviction.
"A beautiful girl illustrator, huh? That title is meaningless. For an artist, drawing skill is the most important. You say she also has the title of 'All-Purpose Artist.' Does that mean she can easily imitate others' art styles? That's interesting."
Eriri's tone also became serious.
"Are you scared, Sawamura Student?"
Takasago Tomoe noticed the change in her attitude.
"Scared? How could I be scared of someone I've never even met? Besides, when it comes to drawing, simply being able to imitate doesn't make you the best in the world! And she won't surpass me! She just hasn't met someone she can't imitate yet!"
Eriri scoffed.
"Sawamura Student is truly confident! But I think imitating Sawamura Student's art style should still be no problem for her."
Takasago Tomoe said with a smile.
'Takasago-san, I think you've misunderstood. Eriri is probably not talking about herself, but about…'
Izumi Chihiro, listening in, understood the true meaning behind Eriri's words, but he saw no need to explain at this moment.
"Since you speak so highly of her, why not compare? I don't have 'explosive flame dark elf' at my house, as it's a toilet paper work, but you, as a bookstore owner, should have it, right? After all, its sales don't seem to be low."
Eriri was very aggressive at this point, her words dripping with disdain.
"We do, but it wouldn't be appropriate for us two to judge. In that case…"
Takasago Tomoe began.
The two instantly reached a consensus, their gazes falling on a third person.
'How did the fire spread to me?'
Izumi Chihiro raised an eyebrow.
"Chihiro, you're doing great, turning into a spectator!"
Eriri said grumpily.
Izumi Chihiro remained silent, picking up another potato chip and tossing it into his mouth.
"Alright, you, stop eating! Do something useful! Crunch crunch…"
Eriri ran over, reached into the chip bag, grabbed several remaining chips, and stuffed them all into her mouth.
Izumi Chihiro: ???
Stealing my chips? You know that's a crime, right! You'll get spanked!
"Sawamura Student, here's what you wanted."
Takasago Tomoe brought over 'explosive flame dark elf' and turned to the most exquisite illustration page.
Eriri's gaze sharpened, and she looked at it, examining it meticulously.
"How about it! Sawamura Student, admit it, Elmi Sensei is a more skilled illustrator than you!"
Takasago Tomoe saw her not speaking for a moment and thought she was admitting defeat.
"Just looking at this one illustration, the skill level is indeed high, but it's not extraordinarily amazing. I can draw it too."
Eriri said, withdrawing her gaze.
"In that case, let's leave it to Izumi-kun to judge!"
Takasago Tomoe looked at him again.
"Alright then, I'll take a look…"
Unable to refuse the warm invitation, Izumi Chihiro stepped forward.
"I feel like her skill is on par with Eriri's; it's not about surpassing, one has diversity, the other has a singular but prominent style. It's a difference, not a gap."
After observing carefully, he gave his assessment.
At his words, both of them looked a bit disappointed.
"Is that your true feeling, Chihiro?"
Eriri glanced sideways, as if hinting at something.
"Izumi-kun, if you're trying to save Sawamura Student's face, I can understand that."
Takasago Tomoe also felt a bit unwilling.
"I'm really telling the truth. My understanding of Eriri goes without saying, and I'm also very familiar with Elmi."
Izumi Chihiro could only give his reason.
"Hmm?"
Both of them simultaneously let out a questioning sound.
What's going on with you!
How do you know everyone?
"Tell me the truth right now!"
Eriri bared her small fangs, her gaze fierce.
"Izumi-kun claims to be very familiar with Elmi-sensei; I'm quite interested in that as well."
Takasago Tomoe said with a half-smile.
The sudden shift in topic made the atmosphere even stranger.
"Alright then, I'll tell you, actually Elmi is…"
Izumi Chihiro's expression was helpless; he could only explain.
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter