119. Helping Eriri Illustrate... a Doujinshi? (Part One)

At eight o’clock on a radiant Sunday morning, inside Jiang Yu’s home.

The familiar alarm rang once more. Jiang Yu groggily opened his eyes, his face still clouded with drowsiness as he savored the strange, fulfilling sensation of his soul slowly returning to his body.

Rubbing his slightly swollen red eyes, he rose from bed, switched off the alarm, yawned, dressed himself, and pushed open the door to wash up.

On the desk behind him were unfinished scene models on the computer and a materials book left open beside it.

...

After preparing a simple breakfast of bread, milk, and fried eggs, Jiang Yu naturally went to wake up Tsuchimikura Mai, who habitually slept late.

Because he had been up late himself the night before, he had seemingly forgotten to call the young girl to bed on time.

Watching Tsuchimikura Mai eat her breakfast listlessly, taking bites with little energy, Jiang Yu shook his head helplessly and said, “Finish up quickly, okay? I have something to take care of later.”

Tsuchimikura Mai yawned lazily and rubbed her eyes. Stirring the milk in her cup absentmindedly, she asked with some curiosity, “You’ve been strangely busy lately, haven’t you? What’s the matter this time?”

Jiang Yu swallowed a mouthful of fried egg and replied, “What do you mean ‘strangely busy’… I’m just going out with Renya to borrow a scanner.” For some reason, he instinctively refrained from saying they were going to Eriri’s house. A gut feeling warned him that mentioning it might lead to some troublesome outcome.

For example… that girl might insist on tagging along.

Tsuchimikura Mai nodded in understanding and finished her breakfast in two or three bites. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered and said, “Ah, by the way, will you be back by noon?”

Jiang Yu was momentarily caught off guard. He had been so engrossed in working on the game yesterday that he forgot to discuss what time he would leave with Renya. Embarrassed, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and replied apologetically, “Sorry… I’m not sure. How about this: if I’m not back, I’ll let you know in advance. But in that case, you’ll have to handle lunch on your own, okay?”

Tsuchimikura Mai turned back with a sweet smile and replied cheerfully, “No problem, big brother~”

... Somehow, he doubted that things would really go so smoothly.

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Jiang Yu tidied up the dishes, changed into his outdoor clothes, and prepared to meet Renya at Detective Slope.

It was absurd that simply because a sign reading “Sakashita Detective Agency” hung midway up the slope, they had unilaterally christened the place “Detective Slope” — and yet the local residents had come to accept the name.

After double-checking that he had everything he needed, Jiang Yu closed his door, hurried downstairs, and headed straight toward Detective Slope.

...

Upon arriving, he immediately spotted Aki Renya waiting by the roadside. Approaching, he patted his friend, who was gazing up the slope lost in thought.

“What’s up, Renya? What are you thinking about? I hope I’m not late,” Jiang Yu asked with a smile.

“Ah! It’s you, A Yu. Not much, really. I was just reflecting on that sudden idea we had here that day. Somehow, it gradually took shape and became something real. It feels a bit unreal, you know?”

“Well… setting aside your talk of ‘fateful encounters,’ trying to find a bestselling author, a renowned doujin artist, and a half-decent programmer all in a short time is indeed a long shot,” Jiang Yu agreed thoughtfully.

He continued half-joking, half-musing, “Especially since the bestselling author is a senior from our school, the famous doujin artist is my childhood friend, and the mediocre programmer is my fellow otaku roommate… I guess fate really is quite mysterious.”

“You don’t have to use clichés from typical hero stories to describe our group’s composition,” Renya shrugged with a resigned smile.

Jiang Yu didn’t linger on the topic and instead asked, “So, where’s Sawamura’s place?”

Renya pointed toward the top of the slope and smiled. “Just up there. I hope you’re not easily scared.”

“Scared?” Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow, shrugging ambiguously. He wondered if perhaps she really was some princess living in a castle.

Renya smiled mysteriously but didn’t elaborate. Instead, he led the way up the slope. Jiang Yu quickened his pace to follow.

Near the top, they came upon a European-style villa nestled behind a lush canopy of trees — or more accurately, a castle.

Jiang Yu was surprised as he followed Renya, silently grumbling: Didn’t we agree there wouldn’t be any clichés in real life? I’m the protagonist here — do I really have to get slapped down so soon after just two sentences?

At the villa’s entrance, Renya stopped. Jiang Yu halted behind him, and Renya chuckled, “So, scared? By the way, I think I mentioned before that Eriri’s house is pretty big, right?”

Jiang Yu shook his head blankly, indicating he had no idea. (The author admits to forgetting whether he ever said that or not…)

Truthfully, Jiang Yu was genuinely stunned by the grandeur of the mansion. Although Eriri’s previous home didn’t seem lacking in wealth either, he had never encountered such a luxurious residence in his memory. The only comparable place might be his family’s estate back in China, which was even larger.

With some hesitation, Jiang Yu followed Renya into the villa, his curious eyes taking in the surroundings.

There were golden and brown decorations throughout, the wooden staircase banister gleaming softly under warm lighting, and the large grandfather clock that seemed an indispensable feature of every mansion.

These details reminded Jiang Yu of the “Witch’s House” scenes he had just modeled yesterday — a sense of déjà vu washing over him.

But seeing Renya guide the way with practiced ease, Jiang Yu suppressed his urge to comment and kept pace.

Upstairs, Renya turned left and right, stopping before a slightly ajar door. After knocking and receiving an invitation inside, Jiang Yu followed him into the room.

There, before him, was a blonde girl dressed in green sweatpants and a matching jacket over a white shirt, her hair loose and casual, bending over a desk and moving her arms constantly.

Could this be Sawamura? Jiang Yu thought in disbelief.