"It's been almost two years since I met Elmi…"
Izumi Chihiro's gaze flickered with a hint of recollection.
At that time, the first-generation Eromanga-sensei, who was Sagiri's biological mother, after learning that he wanted to write a novel, had her favorite disciple, Elmi, contact him.
He just hadn't expected that he already had a decision in his heart, and in the end, his daughter, who wasn't very keen on drawing, became his illustrator.
That's right, Elmi was essentially Sagiri's senior sister.
He still remembered that night, someone suddenly added his account, and after a brief chat, he finally understood Elmi's intention.
He hesitated for a moment but ultimately rejected her.
In his impression, Elmi was a peculiar girl, who liked to refer to herself as "I" and preferred to speak in a ruffian-like manner, like a boy.
"Hey, Izumi, let me be your illustrator! My skill is very high, although I've never worked as an illustrator before, please entrust this responsibility to me!"
"Sorry, Elmi, I already have someone in mind."
"Who dares to steal my job!?"
"Sagiri, my younger sister."
"Oh."
Before, Elmi had only done commissioned work online, following a similar path to the first-generation Eromanga-sensei, so her skill was superb, but her fame was not prominent.
If he had accepted, perhaps his early stages would have gone more smoothly.
But some things cannot be measured solely by profit.
"Eh, so Elmi-sensei is really a beautiful girl?"
Takasago Tomoe expressed her shock.
"What, so you were just talking nonsense too!"
Eriri gave her a disdainful look.
"This isn't me talking nonsense. It's said to be a rumor from Yamada Elf-sensei, it just hasn't been confirmed yet."
Takasago Tomoe replied.
"I don't know about her being a beautiful girl, after all, I haven't met her face-to-face or spoken many words with her. I only knew she was a girl when I confirmed it with Kasan… Also, after I rejected her back then, she never contacted me for a chat again, and I don't know why she became the illustrator for "explosive flame dark elf."
Izumi Chihiro continued.
"No matter what, Elmi-sensei has her pride, too. To volunteer and then be outright rejected by Izumi-sensei, and have her job stolen by the sensei's daughter… Izumi-kun, you're so mean!"
Takasago Tomoe pouted.
"There's really nothing I could do about it; I can only feel sorry for Elmi."
He spread his hands.
"Now that you mention it, this Elmi is actually Auntie's disciple. It's understandable that she has such skill then."
Eriri completely ignored what Takasago Tomoe said and nodded thoughtfully.
She was quite familiar with the skill of the first-generation Eromanga-sensei; she herself would still need a considerable amount of time to catch up.
"Oh right, Izumi-kun, could you please invite Elmi-sensei out? I'd like to meet her!"
Takasago Tomoe turned back, suddenly realizing this was an opportunity.
Izumi Chihiro could understand her reaction, after all, as she had said, she was a super fan of Elmi, and fans naturally want to get close to their idols.
"Of course, but I'm not sure if I can get her to come out, after all, we've only chatted once."
Izumi Chihiro agreed.
"Tsk, just like a brain-dead fan, blindly rushing in."
Eriri let out a disdainful snort.
"Sawamura Student, don't pretend to be so high and mighty. You're definitely jealous that others have loyal fans, aren't you! Thinking about it, it's true, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei's fans are probably only those pathetic…"
Takasago Tomoe then continued to needle her.
"Wait, if you say any more, it'll be taboo!"
Izumi Chihiro timely stopped the girl's dangerous upcoming statement.
Eriri was also speechless.
The matter of Kashiwagi Eri-sensei's fans could only be seen online; if it were in reality, if normal people knew, it would be social death!
"I've already sent her a message. Now we just wait for her reply. At this time of day, it should be very quick."
Izumi Chihiro closed his phone again.
…
At this moment, Elmi was diligently drawing in her room, and another person was lying on the large bed playing a handheld game.
Suddenly, the phone by the bed rang with a message notification.
["Wifey, help me get my phone."]
["Eh, I'm busy right now, get it yourself."]
["I'm busy too! Don't forget, I'm helping you with your work! It's your interests that are being harmed."]
["Alright, I got it, wifey."]
The one on the bed was Yamada Elf, who had come to Elmi's house to play after finishing her work. Although their way of calling each other 'wifey' was a bit peculiar, it was proof of their good relationship.
They could also be considered childhood friends.
A few years ago, Elmi had been Yamada Elf's drawing teacher. After some experiences, their relationship gradually grew to this extent.
Yamada Elf placed the phone by the desk, then turned to go back to her game, only to hear a surprised sound from behind her.
"Oh…?"
Elmi never expected Izumi Chihiro to send her a message, and seeing that the content was an invitation, her heart started beating much faster in that instant.
'Inviting me to meet? Is this real? Why so sudden…?'
She felt a little uneasy in her heart.
However, it was actually an overwhelming joy.
To be honest, being rejected at first did make her a little sad, so she naturally paid attention to his and her master's daughter's collaborative work.
It wasn't a big deal not to look, but once she looked, she got hooked.
Originally, she was paying attention to whether Sagiri could really take on this responsibility, to see if she would regret this decision, but before she knew it, she became engrossed in the light novel.
"I'm going."
After much thought, Elmi still made her decision.
Because this was clearly an opportunity to speak with him again. As for others joining?
Just deal with them casually, and it's done, isn't it?
"W-what's wrong, Elmi?"
In her haste, Yamada Elf directly called her by her pen name.
"Um, I'm going to meet Izumi-sensei…"
Elmi's gaze seemed to be avoiding her.
"Izumi-sensei… Are you talking about that Izumi Masamune!? Did you have contact with him before? I thought you just simply liked his novels…"
Yamada Elf exclaimed in surprise.
Elmi explained how they met.
"Ah! There was such a thing! So I almost lost Elmi…?"
Yamada Elf felt a sense of dread.
"Elmi, I want to go too!"
She realized the risk of a potential 'old flame rekindling,' so she patted her chest and said.
"Did he reply?"
Takasago Tomoe asked from the side.
"Yes, it's settled. Elmi does live in Tokyo. We agreed to meet at Komeda Coffee Shop in an hour."
Izumi Chihiro put his phone away.
"Since that's the case, there's still time. Put the things back."
Eriri patted the light novels in her hand, somehow a few more had appeared.
"Sawamura Student, what are you getting involved in? Izumi-kun is the link for contact, and I'm the fan who made the request… Why does it sound like you're going too?"
Takasago Tomoe looked at her with suspicion.
"Huh? This… Why is it irrelevant? Elmi is my aunt's apprentice, and she might even have a showdown with Sagiri in the future because of her master. Given my relationship with Sagiri, of course, I have to consider it for her!"
Eriri didn't know what to say and just found a random excuse.
"You're just being shameless."
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter