Female protagonists from various anime/manga crossovers? They'll all regret it for the rest of

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Xiaobaihe tentatively asked, "Xiaoyou, do you... have any special feelings for this Nishimiya classmate?"

Yuto Itsuka remained silent for a moment. Not wanting to deceive Aunt Sayuri, he had no choice but to continue using the same story from the previous dream.

“There is a special connection between us, and I would say I feel a sense of responsibility towards her.”

"A sense of responsibility..." Sayuri pondered, recalling Eriri's jealous expression, and sighed inwardly.

“Yu, you’re a good kid, and it’s good that you’re sentimental,” Yuri said earnestly. “But you also need to consider the feelings of those around you, especially Eriri.”

“I know.” Yuto Itsuka nodded. “I already talked to Eriri yesterday.”

"That girl is all talk and no action. She's liked you since she was little, but she's too shy to say it." Xiaobaihe shook her head, thinking her daughter was really useless. "Don't bully her."

"How could I dare to bully her? I'd be lucky if she didn't bully me," Itsuka Yuto laughed.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Xiaobaihe checked the time. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"

"Okay."

……

Volume 1: Chapter 89: The Continuation of the Promise, the Strongest Light Novelist and Illustrator

Sawamura family.

In the art studio on the first floor, Eriri was hunched over her easel, rushing to finish a draft, but she was clearly distracted.

I keep glancing at my phone, hoping for a message from someone.

"Why isn't Mom back yet? Does the tripartite meeting really need to take this long?" she muttered to herself.

Just then, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance hall.

"I'm back," said Sayuri's voice.

"Excuse me." That was followed by Yuto Itsuka's voice.

Eriri's eyes lit up, and she immediately threw down her paintbrush and rushed out of the room.

Eriri practically leaped out of the art studio. She was wearing loungewear stained with paint, her golden twin ponytails were disheveled from running, and her expression still carried the anxiety of rushing to meet a deadline. But when she saw Yuto Itsuka in the entryway, her azure eyes instantly lit up.

"Yuu, come in too." Sayuri Sawamura smiled as she changed her shoes, stepping aside to let Yuuto Itsuka in.

"Excuse me, Aunt Sayuri." Yuto Itsuka carried his schoolbag, changed into his house shoes, and went inside.

Eriri ran to the entrance, but then suddenly stopped, as if realizing that she looked a little disheveled after coming out of the art studio.

She subconsciously tidied her hair, her gaze drifting to the side, her tone returning to its usual reserved manner, "...So slow."

"Alright, alright." Sayuri nudged Eriri's back. "Eri, Yu came here especially to have dinner with you today, so don't make that face."

"Who, who asked him to accompany her!" Eriri's cheeks flushed slightly as she stubbornly retorted, "I was just a little annoyed because I couldn't finish my drawing, and, I didn't mean to target him..."

"Really?" Sayuri covered her mouth and chuckled. "Then, Yu, I'll have to ask you to 'comfort' our Kashiwagi Eri-sensei who's having trouble meeting her deadline today."

Yuto Itsuka sighed helplessly. He appreciated Aunt Sayuri's good intentions, but this direct approach would only make Eriri even more agitated.

Sure enough, Eriri's face instantly turned red: "Mom! What nonsense are you talking about! I don't need his comfort!"

After saying that, she glared at Itsuki Yuto, turned around and ran back to her studio, closing the door behind her.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoyou." Xiaobaihe shook her head with a wry smile, "This child is just so dishonest. She was clearly very happy that you came."

"I know she's probably under a lot of pressure lately to meet deadlines."

“Pressure is one thing, but…” Xiaobaihe hesitated, remembering the instructions she had given Xiaoyou on the way back. In the end, she just patted his shoulder and said, “Forget it, you young people should handle your own affairs. Auntie is going to prepare dinner. Go and check on her first.”

Yuto Itsuka nodded and walked towards the art studio.

He knocked on the door: "Eriri, it's me."

There was a rustling sound coming from inside. After a while, the door was opened a crack, and Eriri poked her head out, looking at him warily: "What? I'm busy right now."

“I know you’re busy, Ms. Kashiwagi Eri,” Yuto Itsuka said. “I just came to check on the progress of my personal illustrator. Editor Machida is really pushing me.”

Eriri's expression softened upon hearing the term "exclusive illustrator."

She opened the door a little wider: "...Come in."

In the studio, various drafts and tools were scattered on the table and the floor. The digital screen was lit up, displaying a work that was halfway through its completion.

Yuto Itsuka glanced around the room; it was even messier than he had imagined.

He walked to the digital screen, looked at the picture carefully, and found that it was a scene from the second volume of "Farming King" where the protagonist met the heroine at the royal festival.

The composition of the scene is gorgeous, and the fireworks and crowds in the background create a great atmosphere, but the expressions of the male and female leads are somewhat stiff.

"Stuck here?" Yuto Itsuka asked.

Eriri stood to the side with her arms crossed, scratching her hair in frustration: "Hmm... I feel like the characters' emotions are off. The scene is supposed to be very romantic, but when I draw it... it just doesn't feel right."

What were you thinking about when you were drawing?

“I’m thinking…” Eriri opened her mouth, her eyes suddenly becoming somewhat evasive, “I’m thinking about the deadline, about the composition, about… about a lot of random things.”

Yuto Itsuka understood that the "random thoughts" she was having were mostly related to Nishimiya Shoko, whom she had met at the amusement park on Saturday.

Looking at Eriri's face, which was slightly pale from staying up all night but still delicate, Yuto Itsuka had to admit that his previous approach had indeed been somewhat rough.

He was so preoccupied with the debt he owed to Shoko in the simulated world that he neglected the feelings of his childhood friend who had always been by his side in reality.

He pulled up a chair, sat down, picked up the discarded manuscript on the table, and looked at it: "The focus of the celebration is not how dazzling the fireworks are, but the state of mind of the people in it."

Eriri pouted: "Of course I know that, but..."

“But you’re feeling very confused right now, so you can’t get into character, right?” Yuto Itsuka said bluntly.

Eriri stiffened for a moment, biting her lip without refuting.

"Eriri." Yuto Itsuka put down the draft and turned to look at her. "What happened before was something I didn't consider carefully."

Eriri suddenly looked up, seemingly surprised that he would apologize.

“I admit, I do have some special feelings for Nishimiya,” Yuto Itsuka said frankly. “But it’s different from you. You are my most important partner and my only childhood friend. That will never change.”

"...Do you think I'll be happy if you say things like that?" Eriri's voice trembled slightly as she turned her head away. "You...you're so nice to everyone."

Yuto Itsuka stood up and walked up to her. "I just don't want to see you let this kind of thing affect you. We promised to become the strongest light novelist and illustrator duo, have you forgotten?"

Eriri sniffed, her eyes welling up with tears. She couldn't stand it when Yuto Itsuka brought up this promise.

“I haven’t forgotten…” she muttered softly, “but lately you always…”

"It always makes you feel uneasy, doesn't it?" Yuto Itsuka sighed, reaching out to stroke Eriri's long, smooth, golden hair.

Eriri's body trembled slightly, but she did not dodge.

"I'm sorry," Itsuka Yuto said sincerely. "I'll be more careful in the future."

The atmosphere in the art studio eased up. Although Eriri's expression was still a little awkward, the anxiety in her eyes had dissipated considerably.

“…That’s more like it.” She gave a soft hum, then pointed to the digital screen. “So tell me, how exactly do I draw this?”

Yuto Itsuka sat back down in his chair. "Here, the male lead's eyes... also need to..."

Yuto Itsuka, speaking as the original author, explained the character's emotions in detail to Eriri.

Eriri stood quietly behind him, listening to his explanation and looking at his profile. The inexplicable grievance and unease in her heart finally subsided.

……

Volume 1: Chapter 90: That girl named Kotori Itsuka dares to steal my Yuu? (Bonus Chapter 9/5)

After some time, Sayuri Sawamura's voice came from outside the door: "Eri, Yu, stop what you're doing and come out for dinner."

Eriri then seemed to snap out of her daze, put down her paintbrush, stretched her stiff shoulders, glanced at the progress on the screen, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay, Mom."

She responded, then turned to look at Itsuka Yuto. Although her eyes were filled with gratitude, she still said, "...At least you're still somewhat useful."

Yuto Itsuka smiled and stood up: "Let's go, Kashiwagi-sensei, let's go eat first."

In the dining room on the first floor of the Sawamura house, Sayuri prepared a rather sumptuous dinner.

"Yu, how was today's meeting? I tried really hard to play the role of a 'strict mother,' and even Hasumi-sensei was intimidated by me."

Yuto Itsuka smiled and thanked him, "That's right, you acted so realistically, I almost thought my grades had dropped."

Eriri picked up a piece of beef and mumbled, "Mom, you're just being dramatic. Yuto is clearly first in the grade."

“That’s what parents expect, really expect!” Xiaobaihe tapped her bowl. “For a genius like Xiaoyou, our standards are naturally higher. Our goal is Tokyo University.”

"Speaking of which, how are the preparations for your club's training camp in Izu going?" Sayuri asked.

"The itinerary is almost finalized, we're just waiting to set off," Yuto Itsuka replied.

“That’s wonderful, Izu…” Sayuri looked longingly at him. “It’s so great to be young, to be able to travel with friends.”

Eriri suddenly sighed and said, "What's so great about it? We don't even know if we can make it."

Sayuri and Yuto Itsuka both looked at her at the same time.

"What's wrong? Weren't you the one who was most looking forward to this training camp?" Itsuka Yuto asked, somewhat puzzled.

Eriri poked at the tofu in her bowl with her chopsticks and said sullenly, "The illustrations for the second volume of 'Farming King' aren't finished yet. Editor Machida said it has to be released before the end of July, and at my current pace... I simply can't finish them!"

She looked up, her face full of frustration: "If I can't finish the painting, even if I go to Izu, I'll just be stuck in a hotel trying to finish it. What's the point then?"

That's true. The paperback publisher is taking the release of the second volume of "Farming King" very seriously, and has even been building up hype in advance. If the illustrations are lacking, there is even a risk that the illustrator will be replaced at the last minute.

Yuto Itsuka thought for a moment and asked, "How much more is needed?"

"There are still a few color illustrations and black-and-white illustrations," Eriri said, her voice trailing off. "And there are a few that I drew before that need to be revised..."

This workload is indeed extremely demanding given the deadline of less than five days.

"Eri, have you been working too hard lately? Should I hire an assistant for you?" Sayuri suggested, concerned for her daughter.

"No!" Eriri immediately refused. "I don't want anyone else interfering with my work. Besides, the assistants I found temporarily don't have a consistent style, and I'll have to spend time teaching them, which will make things even slower."

Yuto Itsuka was silent for a moment, then asked, "Eriri, how's your line art coming along?"

"The line art is basically done, but the coloring and post-processing take too much time."

Yuto Itsuka nodded: "If it's just mechanical work like laying down the base color, I should be able to help."

Eriri looked at him in surprise: "You? You can do that?"

"Don't forget, I specifically studied how to communicate with illustrators beforehand." Yuto Itsuka is quite confident about this. "Although I can't draw a complete illustration, I'm more than capable of being an assistant."

Eriri wavered a little. She knew Yuto's learning ability; he was the top student in his grade and would definitely learn things very quickly.

Moreover, as the original author, his understanding of the work is unparalleled. If he comes to help, it would indeed be much better than finding an outsider.

“But even if you help, time is still tight. We have classes during the day, and you can only come over for a few hours at night…” Eriri was still a little hesitant.

“Then let’s make the most of our time,” Yuto Itsuka said decisively. “Auntie Sayuri, can I stay at your house this week?”

"Huh?" Eriri and Sayaka were stunned at the same time.

“Anyway, I live alone, so it doesn’t matter where I live,” Yuto Itsuka explained.

“I’m staying here this week. We can work on the manuscript until the early hours of the morning, attend classes during the day, and continue after school. This is the most efficient way, and we should be able to finish it before Friday.”

"Of course I welcome her!" Lily was the first to react, her eyes shining like stars. "You're staying here? That's wonderful! Guest rooms are always ready!"

"Wait, wait a minute!" Eriri's face flushed red instantly. "You're moving in? This, this, this isn't really appropriate..."

“What’s wrong with that? Didn’t I often stay at your house when I was a kid? And didn’t you often come to stay at my house?” Yuto Itsuka retorted.

He was simply thinking about work and didn't consider anything else.

"Th-that's different! The past is the past, we've all grown up now..." Eriri stammered.

"This is an emergency, so we must act according to the circumstances, Mr. Kashiwagi."

"Do you want to submit your work on time and then enjoy your trip to Izu, or do you want to take your sketchbook on a trip?"

Eriri was speechless; she certainly didn't want to rush to finish her manuscript while traveling.

"It's settled then!" Xiaobaihe declared, standing up excitedly. "Xiaoyou, hurry up and eat. After you finish, Auntie will take you back to get your change of clothes and school supplies!"

"Ah, speaking of which, we still have a lot of Yu's clothes from when she was little in the closet of our guest room! Little Yu was so cute when she was little~" Yuri seemed to be lost in some kind of fantasy.