Chapter 103: Time to Work Hard!
After talking for almost an hour, Kaede had mostly finished explaining the general plot structure, character settings, and relationships to Eriri.
After finishing the explanation, Kaede saved and closed the documents. Looking at Eriri, who had moved to sit beside him to hear the details, he asked, "How is it? Does this script suit your taste?"
"It's wonderful! It not only discusses the relationship between humans and yōkai, but it also has combat elements, and the main storyline is very clear. More importantly, there really haven't been many yōkai-focused manga in the last two years!"
Eriri was naturally very satisfied, especially since Kaede had prepared it just for her. How could she not be satisfied?
"But Kaede-kun, what if I really said I wasn't satisfied?"
"Are you really going to say that?" Seeing the smile on Eriri's face, Kaede thought for a moment and said, "Then I'd first pin you down on my lap and spank you, and then prepare a new script for you."
Hearing this, Eriri quickly put her hands on her bottom, looking nervously at Kaede.
"Hahaha, relax. I couldn't bear to hit Eriri."
"Hmph, hmph, who knows."
After muttering softly, Eriri felt a bit peckish. She grabbed the snacks she hadn't finished in the morning, tore open a bag of gummies, and started eating them.
After popping one into Kaede's mouth, Eriri asked, "Kaede-kun, when should we start drawing this manga?"
"Eriri, you can decide that."
Stretching, Kaede compressed all the current materials for Nurarihyon no Mago and sent them to Eriri's email, saying, "But I think you should prepare first, Eriri. Redefine the character designs and draw them according to your own style to set the tone. Otherwise, if you follow mine exactly, you'll definitely find it difficult to draw later."
"That's true."
Eriri nodded, but thought to herself that no matter what, she couldn't completely change everything to her own style. The current character settings were great; she just needed to make slight modifications and incorporate some of her own flair. She hadn't drawn yōkai manga or doujinshi before, and if she followed her own style entirely, it might not quite fit.
But there was no need to discuss these things now. She could discuss them with Kaede after she went back and finished drawing them.
Looking at Eriri, who was happily munching on gummies, Kaede asked a question that had been bothering him for a long time: "Speaking of which, what was that manga you submitted before, Eriri? Can I take a look?"
Eriri's expression froze, and she immediately shook her head: "No! That thing is pure dark history; I can't let anyone see it! I originally thought it was passable, but compared to Kaede-kun's, it's really no good. I can't let anyone see it!"
"...Is it that serious?"
"Of course it is!"
Fine, then he wouldn't look.
Kaede didn't press the matter. After all, although much of the script he had produced was based on his memories, a significant portion was also compiled from his accumulated knowledge over the years, combined with some of his own ideas. Its similarity to the Nurarihyon no Mago he remembered was probably only about sixty percent at most.
After all, he wasn't a superman; recreating it based on residual memories, sixty percent was already the limit.
"I'm finally going to start drawing manga again." Eriri suddenly sighed and said, "I originally thought I would need a long time to take that step, but I didn't expect Kaede-kun to give me a push from behind. Am I rather useless?"
"No, you're not." Stroking her head and letting Eriri lean on his shoulder, Kaede said, "Everyone has their strengths. Eriri, your drawing skills are excellent, but you lack a little in story and character development. As for me, my ability to weave stories is decent, but my drawing skills can't compare to yours. If you really want to talk about it, this is called complementarity for us—it's fate!"
"What fate? I think you just set your sights on me a long time ago and decided to make your move."
"Hahaha, if you want to put it that way, sure."
Eriri smiled too, hugging Kaede's arm and saying, "Kaede-kun, I will definitely work hard this time. This manga must be successfully serialized!"
"Mhm, it will definitely succeed. After all, we are one plus one, and the result will definitely be more than two."
"Exactly, exactly!"
Eriri nodded repeatedly, looking at the computer screen and saying, "Ugh... my hands are itching. Should I start drawing now?"
"No need right now. It won't hurt to wait a day. You didn't come here today for work."
As he spoke, Kaede scooped Eriri up, placed her on his lap, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist: "Eriri, you only offered me verbal thanks just now. I feel like that's not quite enough!"
"Not... not enough?"
"Of course!" Kaede nodded solemnly.
"Ugh... H, H is not allowed!"
Kaede laughed dumbfounded. "I never said it had to be that way."
"Oth... other substitutes aren't allowed either!"
"Eriri, you really need to rein in that doujin artist mindset of yours. I'm not the type who constantly lusts after your body."
Although he truly did lust after her, that is.
After speaking, he pointed to his lips: "My request isn't that complicated!"
Eriri looked at him, her face flushed red, and she continuously slapped Kaede's chest: "You guy, wasn't it your actions that made me think otherwise? Urusei!"
Kaede didn't resist, smiling as he allowed Eriri to gently hit him over and over. To him, Eriri didn't seem angry at all; she was just being spoiled.
After hitting him for a while, she got a little tired. Eriri gave up on this tactic, which had no effect on Kaede, and pouted as she glanced at the door: "Auntie and them won't come in, right?"
"Relax. My mom and dad won't casually interrupt our world for two. Even if they come, they'll knock."
Listening to Kaede's explanation, Eriri could only lean in under his expectant gaze.
Although Kaede's request was a bit cheeky, Eriri didn't dislike his actions at all; on the contrary, she was rather delighted.
Although Kaede had countless thoughts running through his mind, he didn't act on them casually, and his hands honestly just held Eriri.
Although Eriri noticed a slight change in Kaede during this time, she understood his intentions. She didn't call him out but didn't avoid him either, and the two of them continued to be affectionate in the room.
In the evening, Eriri, who had planned to go home, was insisted upon by Asakura Reiko to stay for dinner. After dinner, Asakura Reiko personally drove Eriri home, accompanying Kaede to drop her off.
Upon arriving at the Sawamura Family villa, Sawamura Sayuri also came out to greet them.
The two mothers exchanged pleasantries, and Sawamura Sayuri formally met Kaede after her daughter began dating him.