120. Helping Inriri Draw... a Doujinshi? (Part 2)

Hearing the sound of the door opening and footsteps, Eriri didn’t even raise her head as she said, “You’re here. Just have a seat for now.”

Jiang Yu was still in a daze, while Ayato, accustomed to this, sighed helplessly and said, “Eriri, could you at least show some hospitality befitting a diplomat’s household?”

“Ah, ah~ I have all sorts of things going on here too… Anyway, just sit down first. I’ll finish this page and then we can talk. Seriously, why did Mom have to go out right now?” Eriri said with a huff, grabbing her pencil and scribbling wildly on the sketch paper. In the end, she crumpled the draft she had just started and skillfully tossed it into the trash can beside her.

Jiang Yu glanced at the trash bin and saw it almost full, silently shaking his head. This was his first real glimpse of a professional illustrator in the throes of a deadline meltdown. Though, when he used to draw character designs for games, he seemed to have discarded far more drafts than this.

Lost in thought, Jiang Yu saw Eriri suddenly stand up, offering a brief smile to him and Ayato before anxiously saying, “Could you wait here for a moment? I’ll bring some black tea.”

“Eh—Eriri! I’ll go with you,” Ayato said, following her as she left the room.

Jiang Yu watched their departing backs, feeling a bit awkward as he stood there for a moment before sighing and sitting down in the armchair.

Only then did Jiang Yu take the time to observe his surroundings. First, his eyes landed on the neatly made large bed in the middle of the room… Rolling around on that must be quite comfortable, he thought.

Ahem… Next, behind him were floor-to-ceiling windows, through which the spring sunlight filtered, casting a gentle glow on the wooden floor. The walls were adorned with pale green wallpaper patterned with intricate, repeating designs. Directly ahead hung a pendulum clock above Eriri’s work desk, beside which stood a large bookshelf. Next to the bookshelf were storage cabinets topped with decorative vases, and a medieval European-style candle holder, reminiscent of those found in old castles.

On the desk lay a computer, a drawing tablet, and other tools. Peering briefly into the bookshelf, Jiang Yu spotted several familiar light novel titles such as “Phantom Blade Chronicles,” “Amagi Brilliant Park,” and “Love Metronome.”

Wait… “Love Metronome”? Jiang Yu smiled wryly.

Was this really Eriri’s bedroom or just her studio? He couldn’t detect a hint of girlishness here; instead, the room was filled with otaku vibes, tinged faintly with a decaying noble aura…

Ah, but as an otaku’s room, it was only just passing—nowhere near as impressive as that of her older brother Ayato.

Lost in these musings, Jiang Yu heard footsteps drawing nearer and straightened up.

“Well then, sorry to keep you waiting, Yu,” Ayato’s voice came through as the door opened.

…

Looking at the steaming cup of black tea before him, Jiang Yu carefully lifted it, blew on the surface, and took a cautious sip, his expression one of surprise.

Unexpectedly delicious? Well… as someone who knew little about this, that was about all he could say.

Ayato watched Eriri return to her seat and resume sketching the draft. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke up, “Eriri, when’s the deadline this time? Is it urgent?”

Without looking up from her drawing, Eriri replied nonchalantly, “Not really urgent, but you suddenly dragged me into some strange club and dumped a bunch of work on me. So I have to finish this quickly before designing the characters…”

“Eriri… you…” Ayato looked touched.

“Ah—just to be clear, it’s not because of you. I’m just a little interested in Yu’s project proposal,” Eriri said, her cheeks seeming to flush faintly. Jiang Yu noticed but didn’t press—it was already ingrained in his mind that Eriri was a classic tsundere.

“Well, I’m honored that you, Eriri, have such esteem for my humble work,” he said with a smile.

Eriri merely snorted coldly and ignored his remark. Ayato, observing Eriri struggling with the work, asked curiously, “So what’s the problem this time? I thought you drew super fast?”

Eriri set down her pen and turned around, clearly annoyed. “I’m not stuck! What nonsense is some amateur in doujinshi production spouting?”

Ayato sighed as if this was nothing new. “With that temper, you’re definitely stuck. Since we’re here, why not talk about the problem? Maybe one of us can help. Even if I can’t, there’s another creator here!”

He patted Jiang Yu on the shoulder, who was staring into his tea, lost in thought.

Feeling the tap, Jiang Yu snapped out of it. “Ah! Sure. Since I’m borrowing Eriri’s scanner, if there’s anything I can help with, just say so.”

He had been quietly comparing Eriri’s black tea to the one he’d tasted at the café where Nanakoto worked—supposedly certified by the Black Tea Association—but hadn’t come to a conclusion before being jolted awake by Ayato.

Eriri hesitated for a long moment before saying, “…It’s the story. I’ve always been terrible at structuring plots…”

Jiang Yu was stunned. He had assumed that a renowned illustrator like Eriri would have at least top-tier drawing skills and an above-average storytelling ability.

Ayato gave a “I thought so” look and said helplessly, “Well, from your usual works aimed at a general audience, it’s clear your plot development is stiff. But I didn’t expect there’s been no improvement all this time.”

Eriri flushed with embarrassment and anger. “Who said I haven’t improved! Have you even seen my recent works?”

“Well, why don’t you draw something suitable for someone underage like me to read?”

“That’s because in this industry, if it’s not ecchi, it won’t sell.”

“Don’t sell ecchi doujinshi—you’re underage!”

“It’s sold by my parents, and legally there’s no problem with who creates it!”

“…”