thefictionvixens Page 98
Page 98
She was wearing a clean light blue dress and carrying a convenience store bag.
"Good morning, Itsuka-kun, Eriri." She stepped into the entrance hall with a concerned expression. "I passed by a convenience store and bought some rice balls and tea, thinking you might need them."
She didn't show much surprise when she saw the corner of the living room that had been converted into a temporary studio, and Eriri lying in front of the easel like a little lion with its fur standing on end.
She simply placed the bag on the table naturally, then went to the kitchen and began skillfully washing the frying pan that Yuto had used.
"Kato-kun, there's no need to trouble yourself."
"It's alright, I'm fine anyway," Kato Megumi's voice came from the kitchen. "Besides, the atmosphere here feels a little tense."
Kato Megumi's words dispelled the tense atmosphere in the room, and Eriri's tightly furrowed brows seemed to relax a little.
The apartment was unusually quiet all morning.
Eriri was putting in her final struggle with the artwork, while Yuto sat not far away, typing away on his keyboard, working on his own draft.
As for Kato Megumi, she didn't ask any questions or offer any special comfort. She simply sat quietly on the sofa as usual, took out her summer homework, and occasionally added hot water to Eriri's cup or peeled an apple and handed it to her.
This silent companionship, on the contrary, gave Eriri tremendous support.
She began to focus more on her writing.
……
As time passed and the evening glow bathed the entire room in gold, Eriri put down her stylus.
“…It’s done.” she said with a sigh of relief.
Yuto Itsuka and Megumi Kato both stopped what they were doing and went over to them.
On the digital screen, a complete character design is displayed.
Leafa, the female protagonist of "Farming King".
The front, side, and back views feature clean, crisp lines and a precise, error-free structure, fully meeting the standards of commercial animation.
Next to it are the four basic expressions: joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
Those emerald green eyes no longer held the overly delicate and sentimental emotional brilliance of the past, yet they remained lively and full of vitality.
She succeeded.
"Amazing." Kato Megumi looked at the screen and exclaimed sincerely, "It feels like Leafa could step out of the screen at any moment, so...cool."
Yuto didn't speak, but just looked at the blonde girl beside him.
She was so exhausted she was almost collapsing, her face still streaked with tears and ink, but her blue eyes shone as brightly as the morning star atop Mount Fuji.
He reached out and gently ruffled her messy blonde hair.
"Well done, partner."
Eriri's body stiffened, and her cheeks instantly turned bright red. She wanted to turn her head away and say a few tsundere words, but found that she didn't even have the strength to lift her arm.
Yuto smiled, sat back down at his computer, opened his email, and sent out the character design that embodied the girl's countless efforts and sweat.
Recipient: Akane Akasaka
Click to send.
Next, we await the final boss's judgment.
……
For an hour after sending the email, Eriri refreshed her email every few minutes, but still received no reply.
This unknown waiting is more agonizing than a direct trial.
"She...she probably thinks my drawing is too bad and is too lazy to reply to me, right?" Eriri asked, hugging her knees and shrinking into the corner of the sofa, lacking confidence.
“No.” Itsuka Yuto handed her a cup of hot cocoa and said calmly.
"If someone like her is really dissatisfied, she will criticize you harshly right away."
"Ding-dong-"
Just as Yuto was comforting Eriri, the doorbell rang abruptly.
The whole room suddenly became quiet.
All eyes were focused on that door.
Yuto walked over and opened the door.
Outside the door stood a woman dressed in a black business suit, exuding a sharp and assertive aura.
It was Akane Akasaka.
She ignored Yuto at the door, changed her shoes, and went straight inside.
Her gaze swept over the two girls in the room, and finally landed on the blonde painter with a tense body and a stubborn expression.
"It seems like it won't take a month."
Akane Akasaka's voice was calm, yet it made everyone present hold their breath.
She walked to the digital screen, but instead of sitting down, she looked down at the character design of Leafa.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Finally, Akane Akasaka slowly spoke: "Itsuka-sensei, you told me in the meeting room before that my paintings only have technique, not soul."
"Perhaps you are right."
She turned her head and looked directly at Eriri for the first time. Her deep eyes held a complex and unreadable emotion. "Now, your partner is showing me through her work that technique and soul can coexist."
She paused, then said clearly, word by word, "I lost this bet."
boom--
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Eriri's mind.
Won?
She...won?
Did he defeat that aloof, god-like genius, Akane Akasaka?
An unbelievable surge of ecstasy instantly overwhelmed her, leaving her dizzy and almost unable to stand.
Akane Akasaka's actions were more convincing than her words.
She took out her phone expressionlessly and dialed a number in front of everyone.
“It’s me, Akane Akasaka.” Her tone left no room for argument. “Get rid of all the posts online about ‘Farming King’ and Eri Kashiwagi immediately.”
"A joint statement was issued in the name of A-1 Pictures and Aniplex, publicly apologizing to Itsuka-sensei and Kashiwagi-sensei, stating that the previously leaked information was a misunderstanding and malicious slander by internal personnel."
After giving her instructions, she hung up the phone and immediately dialed another one.
"Producer Ando? I'm Akane Kousaka. Regarding the character designs for 'Farming King,' we'll use Kashiwagi-sensei's original designs as the final standard."
"In addition, I will allocate my top-notch team of concept artists to you and have them fully cooperate. I will send you their contact information so that we can communicate directly from now on."
After doing all this, she put away her phone and took one last look at Eriri.
"Alright, I've kept my promise." Her tone softened slightly, and for the first time, she used a respectful title. "Ms. Kashiwagi Eri, you are very talented, don't waste it."
After saying that, she turned around and left.
"Kusaka-sensei!" Itsuka Yuto called out to her.
Akane Akasaka stopped and turned to look at him.
“Although your method was rough,” Yuto looked at her sincerely, “thank you for your ‘guidance’.”
Akane Akasaka paused for a moment, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "Don't misunderstand, Itsuka-sensei."
"I just want to see if the idealistic path that I couldn't take back then can actually create a miracle in you naive kids."
"Now it seems that... it really is possible."
She left behind these meaningful words, turned and left, leaving only a graceful silhouette.
The door closed, and the tightly strung string inside the room finally snapped.
"Woo..."
Eriri let out a sob, unable to hold on any longer, her body went limp and she fell forward.
Yuto immediately stepped forward and caught her steadily.
The next second, the girl buried her face in his chest, and all the grievances, pressure, fear, and resentment that had accumulated over the past few days, as well as the unparalleled joy and excitement of this moment, burst forth.
"Waaaaaaahh ...
She burst into tears, without holding back, her tears soaking Yuto's T-shirt, the warm liquid seemingly conveying the turmoil of her emotions.
She did it.
She really did it!
Kato Megumi leaned against the wall, watching the two embracing, and gave a faint smile. She went over and patted Eriri's trembling back.
Amidst this scene interwoven with tears and joy, the apartment doorbell rang once again.
The three were stunned.
"It might be Kasumigaoka-senpai." Yuto Itsuka patted Eriri, who was still sobbing in his arms, and walked over to open the door with a puzzled look.
Outside the door stood a middle-aged woman, dressed in summer clothes, her long hair styled in a gentle, wifely updo, and her pink eyes filled with worry.
It was Kotori Itsuka, Yuto Itsuka's adoptive mother.
"Yuto!" Kotori looked him up and down anxiously as soon as she saw him. "I heard about what happened online. Are you alright? Has anyone bullied you? Your father Shido and I were so worried!"
"Kotori's mother? What brings you here?" Yuto was quite surprised.
"If I hadn't come, my precious son would have been bullied to the core!" Kotori said, squeezing into the house.
Then, she saw the scene inside the room—Eri, who was crying with tears streaming down her face, Kato Megumi supporting her, and the room full of drawings and empty beverage cans.
Kotori instantly conjured up a tragic drama in her mind: "Unscrupulous capitalists exploit underage creators, and her own son stands up to protect his companions."
"Children, you have suffered!" Her maternal love overflowed instantly, her eyes reddened, and she walked over and hugged Eriri, who was closest to her, gently patting her back.
"Good children, don't be afraid, Auntie is here, no one will dare to bully you anymore!"
Eriri was still crying when she was suddenly hugged by a strange aunt, leaving her completely stunned.
She raised her teary eyes and looked blankly at Yuto, as if asking: Who is this?
Yuto rubbed his forehead, feeling that the sheer volume of information he had received throughout the day was almost enough to shut down his brain.
"Um... Kotori's mother, you misunderstood. The matter has been resolved," Yuto explained, both amused and exasperated.
"solved?"
Kotori was skeptical, but seeing the children smiling despite their exhaustion, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Her gaze fell on the exquisite character design, her eyes filled with amazement and admiration.
"You guys drew all of these? That's amazing!" she exclaimed sincerely.
With Yuto and Kato Megumi's explanation, Kotori finally understood the whole story.
Looking at these children fighting side by side for their dreams, she felt both heartache and pride.
"No, you're all exhausted. Auntie will cook dinner! I'll make you the most sumptuous celebration feast!" Kotori immediately rolled up her sleeves, showing amazing efficiency, and took over Yuto's kitchen.
Thus, this afternoon, which should have ended in tension and competition, ended in an unexpectedly heartwarming way.
In the evening, the rich aroma of food wafted from Yuto's apartment.
The table was laden with Kotori's signature dishes—tempura, stewed potatoes and meat, hamburger patties, miso soup…
Everyone sat around the table, and Kotori poured drinks for everyone before raising her glass first.
"Come on! The first drink is to celebrate the great victory of our Yuto and Eriri! You two were awesome!"
"The second toast is to celebrate our future big shot, Ms. Kashiwagi Eri, who has finally stepped from a doujinshi artist who could only draw in bed to a wider stage. Congratulations, congratulations!"
On the dining table was Yuto Itsuka's phone, connected to a video call with Utaha Kasumigaoka. In the video, Utaha raised her glass, a smile playing on her lips, and joined in the blessing.
"Can't you speak properly?!" Eriri glared at her phone screen angrily, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
"To ensure the smooth adaptation of 'Farming King' into an anime!" Kato Megumi added with a smile.