Chapter 44: Meeting
Kaede, along with Takasu Ryuji and Kitamura Yusaku, went to the library. On the other side, Eriri also went out today.
Arriving at the agreed-upon cafe, Eriri saw Utaha, who had already arrived.
After sitting down opposite her, Eriri waved to a waiter and ordered a coffee, then yawned and said, "Let's make it quick. Any other requests? Finish them up so I can go back and catch up on sleep."
Utaha looked at Eriri with some surprise and asked, "Did you stay up all night?"
"I had a little insomnia yesterday, no big deal."
"Hmm~~ Is it because of yesterday's date?"
"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough!!!"
Eriri choked on her coffee, coughing uncontrollably, her face red as she pointed at Utaha: "You, you, you..."
"Don't overthink it. I just happened to see you and Asakura-kun walking together and chatting happily yesterday when I was out shopping with my mother."
As she spoke, Utaha also pulled out a tissue and handed it to Eriri.
Silently taking the tissue and wiping her mouth, Eriri looked at the other person and asked, "Before you make new requests, I've already finished the initial character designs. Take a look."
She was practically afraid of Utaha, who would suddenly blurt out something that startled her, so she needed to finish quickly and leave.
Then she took out the preliminary character design sketches she had completed over the past two days from her bag.
Taking the stack of papers, Utaha said with surprise, "I thought you hadn't even started working yet."
"Hmph, I take my work very seriously, don't underestimate me!"
Eriri glared at Utaha and said, "The first page is for the female protagonist, Sayuka. According to your request, she has long black hair and a tall figure. But you're really shameless, aren't you, to say that I should draw her based on you."
Utaha happily looked at the character design sheet in her hand and said with a smile, "This is my confidence in my appearance and figure, and it also gives you a good standard for creation, doesn't it?"
"Tsk."
Eriri pouted slightly. She had originally wanted to draw Sayuka as flat-chested, but in the end, she stuck to her professional ethics and didn't change the setting.
As she thought about it, she couldn't help but glance at Utaha sitting opposite her.
It had to be said, her chest was really big. Was this person really only 17 years old?
Utaha's gaze had been fixed on the character design, but she still noticed keenly. Without lifting her head, she said, "Sawamura-san, although I know you're envious, could you be a little more subtle with your gaze? The way you're looking at me, it feels like I'm sitting across from a female pervert."
"..."
Having been caught, Eriri could only blush and pick up her coffee, no longer letting her mind wander.
Just then, her phone, which was placed to the side, vibrated. Eriri picked it up as if she had seen a savior.
It was a message from Kaede, along with a photo.
Kaede: [I originally wanted to play games at home today, but I got dragged to the library...]
Looking at the photo, Kaede's helpless expression, and the two other boys who were studying, Eriri couldn't help but smile and began to reply.
Utaha had also finished looking at the character designs by now and was very satisfied overall. Although it was just a draft, it still very much matched her intentions. Kashiwagi Eri was truly skilled.
And upon seeing Eriri's current actions and expression, Utaha guessed with almost certainty that she was chatting with Kaede.
Utaha had almost no peers she could talk to, let alone discuss romance topics with other girls. She herself had no romantic experience whatsoever; her novel writing was basically based on her accumulation from past films, TV shows, and literary works, as well as her own imagination.
But now, a living example had appeared beside her, which could be said to be an indispensable observation material for Utaha!
Therefore, Utaha suppressed the urge to tease Eriri and chose to observe carefully in the coming days.
The female protagonist Sayuka in her novel had her own image as a prototype reference, and similarly, Sayuka also had no romantic experience. She thought she could get many supplementary details for character descriptions from Eriri.
"Hmm, this target is indeed quite good now. She already has a good impression of the boy, but it doesn't seem to have developed into a romantic relationship yet. In her free time, she happily chats with him, then ignores the friend who came out with her."
It's just this friend... there still seems to be room for discussion.
While observing, Utaha couldn't help but pick up the paper and pen she carried with her and began to quickly jot down notes.
She had originally only wanted to tell Eriri about the new characters she planned to add and ask for her opinion, but she hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.
Moreover, there was progress on the novel's character design illustrations. Utaha could be said to be very satisfied with her outing today.
Soon, after noting down everything she needed to, Utaha smiled and looked at Eriri, saying, "Eriri, would you like to order more desserts? My treat."
Eriri, who had just finished sending a message, was startled by Utaha's sudden show of goodwill and looked at her warily: "What trick are you up to now?"
"Nothing at all~" Utaha showed no anger, chuckling as she said, "I'm just thanking you for making the character designs so quickly. I just wanted to express my gratitude, and the upcoming illustrations will also require a lot of your effort. I believe we can definitely cooperate very well."
Utaha's tone was very sincere, making Eriri unable to find any fault with it.
Eriri herself had been to this shop before, and it was impossible for the other party to have an opportunity to cause trouble. Eriri thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, the matcha cake here is very delicious, and I didn't eat much lunch."
"No problem."
Utaha readily agreed and called a waiter. And the communication between the two, under Utaha's renewed show of goodwill today, gradually improved.
Kaede in the library also learned from Eriri's reply that she had gone out to meet Utaha, and the two were discussing novel character designs and illustrations.
After chatting for a few sentences, Kaede stopped bothering Eriri and prepared to find a book to read to pass the time.
Just as he was about to get up, he saw the two people who had been studying opposite him now staring intently at him.
"...Is something wrong?"
Rubbing his chin, Kitamura Yusaku spoke like a detective: "Asakura, I deduce that you were just chatting with a girl, weren't you?"
Takasu Ryuji also nodded: "Exactly, exactly. Your smile was too obvious."
"..."
Kaede couldn't help but touch his cheek.
Was it that obvious?