Anime: My younger sister, Sora, starts as an illustrator!

Jiang Che traveled to the world of soman, and after traveling back in time as a baby, he was adopted by the Kasugano family not long after, becoming the half-brother of Sora Aoi.

That day, disaster finally struck, and he and Qiong became orphans.

Their deceased parents only left them a house and not much money.

In order to support his sister Qiong, Jiang Che embarked on the path of an illustrator!

Eriri: “Tetsu-kun, please teach me how to draw!”

Kasumigaoka Utaha: “Tetsu-kun, I approve of your illustrations!”

Kato Megumi: “Tetsu-kun, please draw me in the painting too.”

Qiong: “Because I have Tetsu, I don’t need anything else.”

Anime: My younger sister, Sora, starts as an illustrator!
Chapter 1: Living in Tokyo with Sister Qiong
Jiang Che is a time traveler. After traveling through time and becoming a baby, he was adopted by the Kasugano family and named Kasugano Toru.
Jiang Che, no, now he should be called Kasugano Che, he has been in this world for 16 years.
Although the parents who adopted Toru Kasugano have passed away and their life is now quite difficult and poor, Toru Kasugano is not alone because he has a godsister named Kasugano Sora who is two years younger than him.
Speak of the devil, here he comes. Just as he thought of his sister, Kasugano Toru heard a “ding” sound.
This was not the notification sound of the plug-in arriving, but a text message sent by his sister.
Toru Kasugano pulled out his worn-out cell phone, shielded his hands from the sunlight at noon in Tokyo over the weekend, squinted his eyes and leaned forward in front of the screen.
This is the phone my sister discarded two years ago. Because it is too old, there are some problems with the screen.
In an overly bright environment, it is difficult to see the content on the screen clearly.
But he didn’t care about it. After all, his daily routine was drawing besides attending classes. He also used his drawing skills to earn some living expenses for himself and his sister. Cell phones and the like didn’t matter to him.
It doesn’t matter normally, but when you need it, it’s very inconvenient.
For example, now.
“Brother, please don’t hang around outside. Don’t forget that you have a lovely sister at home who is crying for food. And don’t talk to strange girls. They will eat you till there is nothing left.”
“If you dare tease your brother again, be careful that I’ll spank you when I get home! I’m on my way to the supermarket and will be home after buying groceries. There’s a cake I just made in the refrigerator. If you’re hungry, you can eat some first.”
Knowing that his sister suffered from low blood pressure, how could Toru Kasugano be unprepared?
Cakes with a milky flavor are meant to deal with times like this.
After waiting for a while without receiving a reply from his sister, Toru Kasugano shook his head helplessly and put away his phone.
This is really like forgetting about your brother when you have dessert.
After arriving at the supermarket, Toru Kasugano went straight to the discount area.
This supermarket is a place he often visits. There are special sales every Wednesday and Saturday. Not-so-fresh meat and vegetables, snacks that are about to expire, and unsaleable milk and drinks are all things he often eats.
But he doesn’t only come here on Wednesdays and Saturdays, because he has a younger sister at home. Whenever there is no fresh vegetables and meat at home, he will come to the supermarket to buy them.
Qiong has been malnourished since she was a child, and as a brother, he has spent all his energy to supplement her nutrition. Although he has not completely cured her, under his careful care, Qiong is at least not as fragile as she was when she was a child.
Although she came here often, it was only during the winter and summer vacations. Because the private school where Qiong studied, Otome Saki Girls’ Academy, had dormitories, she would always live in the school dormitory during school days.
Of course, it is precisely because of this that the brother and sister cherish the days they can meet each other even more, and Kasugano Toru dotes on his sister more than ordinary brothers.
“Good afternoon, Kasugano-san.” Just as Kasugano Toru was concentrating on selecting discounted items, a plain female voice sounded in his ears.
The boy raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound. After a brief pause, he finally found the source of the sound.
“Good afternoon, Kato-san.”
The girl who made the sound was Kasugano Toru’s classmate and desk mate. It wasn’t quite right to call her desk mate because Toyosaki’s seat was independent, but Kato Megumi was on his right, so to some extent, it was okay to be considered a desk mate.
And Toru Kasugano actually likes dealing with this girl.
“Long time no see. Haven’t seen you since spring break?” Kato Megumi calmly flipped through the vegetables on the shelf, as if she was hesitating about which one to buy.
This is exactly why Toru Kasugano likes chatting with this girl.
Although Kato Megumi’s family was not very prominent, they were at least working class. Even if they were not extremely wealthy, they were not so poor that their children had to eat discounted and unfresh vegetables.
The reason why the girl made the choice was simply to take care of Kasugano Toru’s possibly excessive self-esteem.
After all, teenagers of this age care most about their face.
But it was obvious that Kato Megumi was worrying too much.
According to Kasugano Toru, every meal he eats is earned by his own ability, so it is not shameful.
Not to mention that he had made great efforts to help his sister grow up healthily. He was already better than most of his peers and there was nothing to be ashamed of.
“Yeah, everyone is very busy.” Kasugano Toru laughed and took a bundle of vegetables from the shelf.
Neon is an island country, and its tiny land has to support a population of more than 100 million. Therefore, there are very few places to grow crops and vegetables. Many crops have to be imported, so the prices are very expensive.
Fruits were more expensive than vegetables. As he was short of money, he could only pick a few apples. Then he picked up a handful of blackened bananas from the discounted shelf and threw them into his shopping cart.
“Didn’t Kasugano-san go out to play during the spring break?” Seeing that Toru Kasugano had finished selecting, Kato Megumi also put the vegetables in her hand back on the shelf.
She hadn’t planned to buy these things.
“No, I have to paint, take care of my sister, and worry about the living expenses for next semester. Life is so helpless.” The 16-year-old boy expressed feelings that were completely inconsistent with his age.
This made Kato Megumi cover her mouth and laugh secretly.
Although she laughed, the girl still admired the boy in front of her.
After all, to be fair, if it were her, she would have been crushed by the burden of life long ago, right?
After selecting ingredients for the next few days, Toru Kasugano checked out and left the supermarket.
When he thought that he wouldn’t have to come to this sad place again for the next three days, Kasugano Toru’s mood became a little better.
How can you not be sad if you always spend money?
“Goodbye, Kato-san.” After purchasing the ingredients he needed, Kasugano Toru said goodbye to Kato Megumi. His hungry sister at home was eagerly waiting for him to return.
“Goodbye, Kasugano-san.” Kato Megumi was very polite, and her soft voice made people feel like a spring breeze. She wanted to continue chatting with this classmate, but when she saw Kasugano Toru looking hurried, she didn’t force him.
Feilu novel, Fei will make you look good!
Automatically subscribe to the latest chapters
APP audiobook (free)
High-quality audio, popular voice actors, offline listening
ActivityRegister as a Filo member and get 200 points![Register Now]Chapter 2 Kasugano Sora (Old Version)
“I’m back.” After opening the door, Toru Kasugano shouted inside the house as usual.
To say it’s a habit isn’t quite accurate.
Every time Qiong went to school, I slowly forgot this habit. When my sister came home for the holidays, I started to cultivate the habit again.
Unfortunately, when the habit was about to be formed, Qiong went back to school.
“Brother.” Kasugano Sora lay weakly on the sofa, looking like she was about to die.
“Low blood pressure again?” Seeing his sister’s look, Kasugano Toru didn’t care about the things in his hands, hurriedly changed into slippers, and rushed to the sofa.
“No.” Qiong shook his head, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
“Then what’s wrong with you? Just tell your brother if you have any problem. Don’t worry about spending money on medical treatment.” From childhood to adulthood, Qiong’s health has indeed cost a lot of money.
This is why Toru Kasugano works hard to make money whenever he has free time.
As a time traveler, it would be easy to feel anxious if you have no savings.
“I’m fine, brother, I just ate a little too much cake just now…” Kasugano Sora’s little face turned red.
Because my brother’s cooking skills were so good and the cake he made was so delicious, I got carried away and ate too much. How could I tell my brother about this?
Kasugano Toru knocked his sister’s head in annoyance, then covered Qiong’s exposed belly with a blanket.
“It’s only April now, it’s not time to wear belly-baring clothes yet.”
“Tsk, every time I dress like this, my brother always stares at me intently, right?” Qiong pulled the blanket under her nose to cover her red face.
I don’t know if it was because I felt embarrassed for eating too much cake, or because I felt ashamed by the look in my brother’s eyes when I mentioned him.
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Qiong’s venomous tongue naturally earned him a beating from Kasugano Toru. After another head shatter, Kasugano Toru said righteously, “Don’t compare your brother with those perverts out there. How scumbag it is to be lustful towards your own sister.”
“Humph, brother, you are a scumbag. How can a brother who sees his sister is hungry and keeps beating her up here, if not a scumbag, what is he?”
“Are you still hungry? Spit out all my cakes. Do you think they are worthy of you?”
…
Lunch was simple. In addition to some lettuce with oyster sauce, Toru Kasugano also made grilled fish.
Because Japan is an island country, seafood is not only rich in variety but also very cheap. When you can’t afford meat, it is perfect for supplementing protein.
“Oh, in a while, we won’t even be able to eat seafood…” Kasugano Toru recalled a piece of news that was broadcast on TV a few days ago, and sighed while rubbing salt on the fish.
After washing the fish with clean water, he wrapped the fish in tin foil and put them in the oven together.
After setting the timer to 20 minutes, Toru Kasugano started processing the lettuce again.
After washing the lettuce, cut it in half, leaving the roots for yourself, and stir-fry the leaves directly in the pan, adding nothing but a small amount of oil. You only need to stir-fry for one to two minutes before serving.
Put all the leaves into a small bowl, and then Kasugano Toru turned the plate upside down on the bowl, and then turned the bowl over, so that the lettuce leaves were neatly arranged on the plate. He opened the almost empty oyster sauce bottle, tapped the bottle hard a few times, and finally poured enough oyster sauce on the lettuce.
The lettuce made in this way is crisp and refreshing. It not only retains the original taste of the vegetables, but also becomes more delicious because of the oyster sauce.
Then he threw the vegetable roots he had cut earlier into the pot, added minced garlic and light soy sauce, stir-fried them for a few times, and then put them on his plate.
“Qiong, it’s time for dinner.” After tapping the plate with a spoon, a few seconds later, Kasugano Qiong quickly appeared at the kitchen door like a puppy that smelled food.
“Are we having grilled fish today?” After sniffing her cute little nose, Qiong saw the grilled fish wrapped in tin foil on the dining table, cheered softly, and opened the tin foil.
It was burned twice in the middle and made a sound like a kitten. The way it sucked its fingers made Kasugano Toru want to laugh.
“Why are you in such a hurry? No one is trying to snatch it from you.” Kasugano Toru put down the plate in his hand and took over the task of releasing the grilled fish from his sister.
“Um, brother, why did you put all the vegetable leaves here again?” Seeing that her brother’s plate was filled with vegetable roots, Kasugano Yui pouted unhappily.
Of course she knew that her brother was concerned about her, but Qiong was unwilling to accept her brother’s care unilaterally.
It’s always like this, the fresh vegetables are hers, the fresh fruits are hers, and the fresh meat is still hers.
What about my brother? Vegetable roots, soft bones, and discolored fruits, as if those were his diet.
“No, you don’t know yet, brother? Compared to the soft leaves without any taste, the soul of vegetables lies in the roots!” Seeing his sister’s unhappy eyes, Kasugano Toru smiled and rubbed his sister’s little head, then picked up a large piece of lettuce root and stuffed it into his mouth.
He even made a deliberate crunching sound while chewing, and seemed to be enjoying the food very much.
Qiong would not be fooled by her brother’s poor acting skills. She picked up her plate and wanted to share the food with her brother, but she was a step too slow and Kasugano Toru dodged it directly.
“What are you doing? Don’t you want to eat again? Watch out or I’ll spank you.”
Kasugano Sora’s poor health is somewhat related to the fact that she didn’t like to eat when she was a child.
Where does nutrition come from if you don’t eat?
So when Kasugano Toru became the head of the family, he made great efforts to solve the problem of his sister not eating on time. Every time his sister showed the idea of ​​not wanting to eat on time, she would be punished by the family!
Of course, now that his sister is grown up, he can’t spank her directly like before, so Kasugano Toru specially prepared a ruler. Every time he saw his sister trying to act naughty, he would frown like an old man.
He really didn’t like his sister’s current expression.
Just like he had always told Qiong, he was just poor, not dying, so why should he put on a sad expression?
Life is already so difficult. A sad day is a day as well as a happy day. Kasugano Toru doesn’t want to waste his limited time on complaining about such boring things.
Three things to do when reading: read, collect, and reward!
Chapter 3: Communicating with Sister Qiong (Old Version)
After dinner, it was time for the Kasugano siblings to have their usual emotional exchange.
Don’t get me wrong, the emotional exchange here is just sitting on the sofa, watching TV and chatting.
“Brother, is your living expenses not enough again?” Thinking of what happened during lunch today, Kasugano Sora felt a little sad.
But there is also something to be happy about, that is, she will get her salary tomorrow.
Although the spring break is not as long as the winter and summer breaks, the first thing Qiong did after the break was to find a part-time job for herself.
Because of Qiong’s outstanding appearance, many stores are happy to let such a beautiful girl serve as a cashier.
During the winter vacation last year, Qiong earned 270,000 yen in a month by working only 6 hours a day.
This made Kasugano Toru’s jaw drop.
“Destroy this world where looks matter!” This was the only thought in Kasugano Toru’s mind at the time.
Just because your sister is pretty enough, you can get 1,500 yen an hour. What kind of world is this?
You should know that the average high school student working in a convenience store usually only gets about 1,000 to 1,200 yen per hour. The hourly wage in an izakaya may be a little higher, but generally not more than 1,500 yen. Moreover, a place like an izakaya where all kinds of people mix is ​​not suitable for girls to work part-time. God knows what kind of outrageous things those drunk customers will do.
Expecting a drunk to stay out of trouble after seeing a pretty girl is just as unreliable as hoping a bootlicker will stop being so servile as to like a goddess.
But no matter what, Qiong is much better than him as an older brother.
Of course, these bosses who are willing to pay high salaries are not fools.
With such a beautiful cashier, the store’s turnover would increase many times over.
Who doesn’t like a pretty girl greeting you with a smile?
Although the spring break is only about two weeks long and Qiong has only worked for 10 days, as long as she gets her salary tomorrow, she will still have an income of 90,000 yen.
Although the parents of the Kasugano siblings have passed away, they have left something for them.
For example, the small house they live in now is the important property accumulated by their parents during their lifetime.
There is also a passbook that cannot be used at will.
The reason why it cannot be used at will is actually because the amount in it is only enough to pay the tuition for the brother and sister.
The brother and sister had calculated before that if both of them could be admitted to a public university, the money in the passbook would be just enough to cover all their tuition fees until college, not a penny more.
Therefore, they have to figure out how to pay for their living expenses on their own.
Fortunately, Toru Kasugano still had the painting skills from his previous life, and he would go to the streets of Tokyo to paint portraits for others on weekends.
When times are good, you can earn 30,000 to 40,000 yuan a day.
In addition, Kasugano Toru would also look for a part-time job, during spring break and summer and winter vacations, from Monday to Friday (because he would go painting on weekends, which made more money than working). If school started, his sister would go to live on campus anyway, and there would be no one at home, so he would choose some izakayas that were open late.
1500 yen an hour, that’s really good.
However, starting from this semester, he no longer has to stay up until the early morning in the izakaya.
Because he found a more stable job.
“Brother, is what you said about illustrations reliable?” Kasugano Sora lay on the sofa in an indecent manner, with her little head resting on the armrest of the sofa.
But the sofa in Kasugano’s house was only so long, and even though Toru Kasugano, who was sitting at the other end, tried hard to stick close to the edge of the sofa, Qiong’s little feet still inevitably stuck to him.
Because the temperature had warmed up, the clothes Kasugano Toru wore were not thick but rather light and thin, so he could naturally feel the softness of his sister’s skin.
“Hey, Qiong, hurry up and sit down.”
“No, my brother is just a hypocrite.” Qiong curled her lips in disapproval. In her opinion, as a family, she and her brother, doing such a thing was nothing.
“My brother is just a blockhead anyway. He won’t be smart.” Qiong thought sinisterly.
But soon, she was happy with her thoughts.
Because my wooden brother will never look for other girls.
Kasugano Toru leaned closer to the sofa. Although he no longer had any space to escape, he felt better psychologically…
“Brother, you haven’t answered my question yet.” Putting her little feet into her brother’s arms, Qiong repeated the question contentedly.
“It should be reliable.” Kasugano Toru thought of the young woman he met on the street a few days ago and felt a little emotional.
Fate is often so unpredictable.
I have tried my best to hide my talent, but gold always shines.
“Damn it, my temperament has nowhere to go.”
According to data released by the Neon Illustrators Association, the remuneration for a black-and-white illustration is usually 3,000 to 5,000 yen, and if it is a color illustration, the price may be around 10,000 yen. However, due to copyright issues, the living environment of Neon illustrators is not good.
This is also the reason why Toru Kasugano had never considered becoming a full-time illustrator before.
He can choose not to paint this month, but he and his sister can’t go without eating this month, right?
However, last weekend, when I was drawing portraits for others on the street, a strange woman took a fancy to my paintings and asked if I was interested in drawing illustrations for light novels.
After learning about the salary and benefits and discussing it with his sister, Toru Kasugano decided to accept the other party’s invitation.
There is no way. For him, having a stable income is more important than anything else.
Although working in an izakaya is not unstable, it is really too hard.
For a high school student who is still growing, staying up until the early hours of the morning every day and doing physical work is not an easy task.
“What if my brother doesn’t get any manuscripts?” Qiong also knew that seniority was a serious issue in every industry in Japan.
Can an illustrator who has just started out and is still a high school student compete with those illustrators who have been famous or have a lot of experience?
Just think about it and you will know that those people must have chosen first, and then the works that no one cares about will be picked by your brother.
But how much can be paid for works that no one is interested in?
“No way, that woman said that there is a good light novel that urgently needs an illustrator. If I can pass the assessment of the novel author himself, we can have a stable cooperation.” Kasugano Toru thought back to the conversation that day, and he felt that his chances of winning were still pretty good.
“Okay, okay, I won’t talk to you anymore. I have to go out and paint to make money. I will be back at dinner time to make dinner for you.” After exchanging some feelings with Sister Qiong, Toru Kasugano picked up his painting tools and prepared to go out and paint to make money.
Turn on lazy reading mode
Chapter 4 Sawamura Spencer Eriri (Old Version)
On the busy weekend streets of Tokyo, the crowds of people are surging like a tide, and everyone is busy chasing their own pace of life. However, in this noisy city, there is a young painter who seems out of tune with the world around him.
Kasugano Toru seemed to be in a quiet corner, completely ignoring the hustle and bustle of the people around him, and only focusing on the brush and paper in his hands. His eyes were shining with love and persistence for art, as if the whole world was condensed in his pen tip.
Occasionally, some passers-by would stop and exclaim in admiration at his paintings, but most people would just take a quick glance and continue on their way. After all, in this steel forest, most people were struggling to survive.
However, for Sawamura Spencer Eriri, who comes from a prominent family, she has enough free time to appreciate the works of this young painter. As a top student in the art department of Toyosaki Private Academy, she has a deep interest and attainments in painting. When she saw the works of this young painter, she couldn’t help but be attracted by his superb skills and unique style.
The young painter was thin and handsome, but his eyes were full of determination and perseverance. His clothes were simple but clean, revealing a unique temperament. Eriri noticed that although the paint he used was not a high-end brand, his paintings were full of vitality and appeal.
At this moment, two girls dressed in fashionable clothes walked up to the young painter, and their eyes were attracted by a sign on the ground. Eriri then realized that the young painter was painting portraits on the street. She observed all this curiously, wondering how the young painter would complete this creation.
“How much for two people?” asked the older girl.
“Five thousand yen.” The young painter answered calmly, with a hint of vicissitudes in his voice.
“So expensive?” The girls were a little surprised, but after seeing the young painter’s serious eyes, the brush in his hand, and his handsome face, they hesitated for a moment and finally decided to give it a try.
The young painter prepared small stools for the two girls and asked them to pose in whatever positions they liked. He picked up a pencil and quickly sketched the outline on the paper, then began to mix and color. His movements were smooth and skillful, and each stroke was precise and powerful.
Soon, the first portrait was completed. When the girl saw her image so vividly presented on the paper, she couldn’t help but exclaimed in admiration. The second girl also sat on the small stool impatiently, hoping that her portrait would be so outstanding.
After a while of waiting, the second portrait was also completed. The two girls left the scene happily holding their own portraits. The young painter bowed slightly to bid them farewell and started his own creation again.
Seeing all this, Eriri couldn’t help but sigh: It’s not easy to find such a painter who is so focused on his dream in this busy and noisy city. She decided to stay and continue to observe the young painter’s creative process, hoping to get more enlightenment and inspiration from it.
In Eriri’s sight, the boy’s painting attracted her footsteps like a magnet. She couldn’t help but slowly move closer until the details of the picture gradually became clear.
It was a huge steel city outlined by countless brushstrokes. The streets were crowded with people, but their faces were expressionless, as if everyone was a programmed robot, mechanically repeating the daily routine.
Day after day, time flies by, and this group of people seem to be forever bound by such a life. What people feel is not vitality, but endless boredom and despair.
Although the setting sun is in the distance, this black and white picture carries an indescribable sadness.
Ying Lili was deeply moved by the crowd in the picture. Her heart seemed to be tightly gripped by something, but she couldn’t find the right words to express this feeling.
Just as she was immersed in the impact of the painting, the boy looked down at the cheap electronic watch in his hand, and then quickly packed his belongings.
He gently put the drawing board into his backpack, rinsed the paint tray, and carefully wrapped it in a transparent plastic bag.
Finally, he hung two folded small stools on both sides of the backpack with neat and quick movements.
“This is for you.” While Eriri was still hesitating whether to say something, the boy had already handed her the work he had spent the afternoon on.
“Oh, by the way, the name of this painting, I call it “To Live.” As soon as the boy finished speaking, Eriri took this unexpected gift, and an inexplicable emotion surged in her heart.
Such a desperate picture, but it is named “To Live”.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri was hit even harder.
Although this sentence is a bit bad, it is indeed just the literal meaning, used to describe people’s mood, and has no other connotations.
“Goodbye, Sawamura-san.” After packing up his things, Toru Kasugano ran quickly towards the nearby subway station.
There is a younger sister at home waiting for him to cook dinner.
Looking at the rapidly departing figure, Eriri was still immersed in the world created by the painting and did not notice at all that the young man just now mentioned her name.
Chapter 5 Eriri and Kato Megumi (Old Version)
Sawamura Spencer Eriri panicked.
After coming back from outside, she sat in front of her drawing board for four or five hours.
But until now, the drawing board has remained empty.
She suddenly realized that she could no longer draw.
In other words, after seeing the painting skills of the young boy this afternoon, Eriri felt that the pictures she drew would never be able to have that kind of heart-touching effect.
“What should I do? The deadline is almost here. Why did I have to meet that guy today?” Helpless, Eriri once again used her secret weapon, the blame-shifting method.
As long as there are no outsiders around, she is no longer the perfect young lady, but a beautiful girl who is a little willful and a little arrogant.
“Eri, it’s time for dinner.” A woman who looked 80% like the girl knocked on Eriri’s door. If you only looked at her appearance, 99% of people would think that this woman was actually Eriri’s sister.
Forget it, let’s just be sister.
After all, the size of the chest… emmmm, it’s really hard to describe.
Of course, people who have such thoughts must not know that this seemingly large-boobed woman also has flat breasts.
Sayuri Sawamura, who had taken advantage of the rare weekend to watch a whole series of BL anime, was in a very good mood. She was about to tease her daughter during dinner time to make a perfect ending to the day, when she realized that her daughter was sitting in front of the drawing board with a dull look in her eyes.
The drawing paper is empty.
There was a pencil drawing next to the drawing board, but because of the angle, Sayuri Sawamura couldn’t see it clearly. But this didn’t bother her. She just had to take two steps forward.
As she got closer, the pencil drawing came into view.
“Eri, this is…” Sayuri Sawamura felt that she had suddenly lost the ability to speak.
Because from that simple, even crude painting, all she saw was despair.
“Ah, Mom.” Ying Lili finally came back to her senses and looked at her mother. The expression on her face was hard to tell whether it was funny or sad.
It is really distressing to be able to see my mother’s wonderful expression even when I am sad and can’t draw.
This mother and daughter really love and hate each other.
“Eri, did you draw this picture?” Sayuri Sawamura was a little worried. Although she knew that her daughter would not be so depressed, she still decided to ask for the sake of precaution.
In case something happened to their daughter recently that they, as parents, don’t wait until it’s too late to regret not asking a few more questions.
“No, this was drawn by a boy I met today.” Eriri told her mother everything she saw and heard on the streets of Tokyo today. Sayuri Sawamura sometimes marveled at it and sometimes made fun of it.
“No wonder Eriri was in a daze just now, it turns out you are in love.” After listening to Eriri’s story, Sayuri Sawamura put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders and said teasingly.
“Mom. Stop it. Why do you think about these weird things all day long?” The blonde girl pushed her mother away with disgust. She was obviously an old lady in her thirties, so why was she still so love-brained?
Sayuri Sawamura shook her head mysteriously: “No, love is the most sacred and happiest thing in the world. Think about how your father and I were…”
“Stop, stop. I don’t want to hear you reminiscing about the past.” Seeing her mother’s nostalgic expression, Ying Lili knew that this guy was going to start showing off his love again.
Sayuri Sawamura was a little unhappy when she was interrupted by her daughter, but as a qualified mother, she would not argue with her daughter.
The most you can do is to get back your position from somewhere else.
“Well, Eriri is starting to dislike her mother now.” Seeing Eriri about to retort, Sayuri Sawamura quickly spoke before her daughter: “But when I said Eriri was in love just now, I wasn’t kidding.”
“It’s been several hours since you got home. Isn’t that person the only thing on your mind?”
Although she was reluctant to admit what Sayuri Sawamura said, Eriri had to admit it.
Since she returned home until now, she has indeed been thinking about the boy who was painting.
“But I’m not in love, I just admire his painting skills!”
Eriri convinced herself.
Yes, this is not love, this is just worship of the strong!
Seeing her daughter like this, Sayuri Sawamura had no choice but to know what Eriri was thinking.
Just thinking about what happened to her daughter in elementary school, she had to be extra alert.
She would not be so merciful to those who wanted to take advantage of her daughter.
Kato Megumi was busy in the kitchen.
She is a sensible girl. Her parents work hard for the family and provide her with a worry-free environment for growth.
In order to prevent them from working too hard, the young girls have taken the initiative to take on the housework.
Cleaning the room, cooking dinner, making lunch boxes, these trivial tasks all became well organized under the girl’s dexterous little hands.
The girl even had enough time to hum two of her favorite songs.
“Xiaohui, are you in a good mood today?” Seeing her daughter’s look, Kato Hui’s mother became a little curious.
How could my daughter, who has such a calm personality, actually encounter such a happy thing?
“Of course. When I went to the supermarket today, I ran into a classmate from my freshman year of high school.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” Seeing her daughter’s eyes narrowed with laughter, Kato’s mother also felt like making a joke.
“No, just an ordinary classmate.” Kato Megumi shook her head.
“But Xiaohui has never been so happy because of an ordinary classmate before.” Kato’s mother was still unwilling to let her daughter go.
It’s a rare opportunity to remember my daughter’s existence. How can I not enhance the mother-daughter relationship?
“That’s because the person this time is very interesting.” Kato Megumi pursed her lips, obviously thinking of Kasugano Toru’s funny expression when they met in the supermarket this afternoon.
When he was in school, this guy always liked to say some inexplicable things.
“Is that so? Next time if you have the chance, invite him to our house for dinner.” Seeing her daughter’s expression, Kato’s mother became more certain.
My daughter seems to be showing signs of falling in love.
Neon’s view on premature love… No, in the eyes of Neon parents, there is no such thing as premature love at all.
Not to mention high school students, even junior high school students and elementary school students… forget it, elementary school students are committing crimes, so let’s just stick with junior high school students.
Even if junior high school students are in love, their families generally won’t object.
Kato’s mother is also an ordinary Japanese parent. If her daughter really falls in love, she will not only not object, but will also give her blessings.
However, there is one thing that she, as a parent, cannot compromise on.
At least she has to keep a close eye on her daughter so that her lovely and well-behaved daughter won’t be taken away by just any Tom, Dick or Harry.
Chapter 6 Women only affect my painting speed, but Rich Loli does not (old version)
“Qiong, aren’t you leaving yet?” Early the next morning, Kasugano Toru stood at the entrance of his house and shouted loudly into the house.
“Wait for me, I’ll be there soon.” Qiong packed her things in a hurry. She almost lost her balance and fell down a few times, which made Kasugano Toru scared.
“I told you to get up early but you didn’t listen. Wouldn’t these problems be solved if you just got up early?” Kasugano Toru looked like an old mother, muttering to herself constantly.
“Brother, I’m so annoying. It was you who asked me to change my clothes, and now you’re saying that I’m slow. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” Qiong pouted angrily, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
However, Kasugano Toru was not moved at all: “It’s the clothes you chose that have problems. I told you yesterday that it’s only April now, and you can’t wear belly-baring clothes.”
“I just hope that when I walk outside with my brother, others will envy him.” Qiong lowered her head aggrievedly, and used this action to cover up the cunning in her eyes.
“The fact that I have a sister is already enough to make people envious. There’s no need for these little tricks.” Kasugano Toru said nonchalantly.
“Hehe.” After hearing what Kasugano Toru said, Qiong finally showed a satisfied smile.
My brother is still so stupid, that’s great!
“Brother, I’m leaving now.” At a fork in the road, Qiong waved to Kasugano Toru.
From this intersection, the places where the two people work are in two completely opposite directions, so every time they walk here together, they choose to separate.
By the way, the place where Toru Kasugano works part-time is in the same direction as where he goes to paint.
“See you tonight. Remember to send me the dinner you want later, otherwise you will have to eat whatever I eat.”
“I know. My brother is always nagging like an old woman. Be careful not to find a girlfriend in the future.”
“That’s good. Women will only slow down my painting speed.”
When he arrived at the place where he usually set up his stall, Kasugano Toru was somewhat surprised to find that a blonde girl was already waiting there.
And judging from the impatience on her face, it seemed that she had been waiting for quite some time.
“Should we change places?” Kasugano Toru was a little conflicted for a moment.
The place in front of him now is the result of his careful selection. Although it is not the place with the best business, it is definitely the most suitable place for filming.
Of course, what Toru Kasugano considers to be the most suitable may be different from that of others.
Which normal person would see the bustling Tokyo as a confined cage and the busy crowds as desperate puppets?
But he really didn’t want to have anything to do with a young lady like Sawamura Spencer Eriri. He couldn’t bear a sneeze from such a rich and powerful person.
Thinking of this, Kasugano Toru decided to leave quietly. If he lost his place, he could move on, but if he got involved in trouble, he couldn’t just say a few words and get away with it.
What’s more, he now has a sister and a house. Although he doesn’t have much savings, as long as he can get close to that famous light novel author, he won’t become a rich man, but at least his financial conditions will definitely be much better than before.
On a day like this, what is there to complain about?
Unfortunately, his little plan failed. Just when he was about to turn around, the sharp-eyed Eriri spotted him.
“You’re finally here.” He didn’t know if it was Toru Kasugano’s illusion, but he actually heard a hint of coquettishness and grievance in the girl’s tone.
No wonder the predecessors summed up the three major illusions in life. When facing such a beauty, people will always unconsciously have some unrealistic fantasies.
Even someone like Kasugano Toru is no exception.
“Good morning, Sawamura-san.” Kasugano Toru hesitated for a moment, but decided to play dumb.
Of course he knew why the girl in front of him was looking for him. What else could it be other than art?
Could it be that he wants to fall in love with me?
He knows, but he doesn’t say it. Hey, he’s just playing.
“Do you know me?” To Kasugano Toru’s surprise, Eriri asked a question that caught him off guard.
Is this girl okay? Didn’t I already say hello when I gave her the painting titled “To Live” yesterday?
If I had known that she didn’t hear it at all, why would I be so worried about it? Wouldn’t it be better to just turn around and leave?
But now that he had said this, Kasugano Toru couldn’t just leave. Although he didn’t care about other people’s opinions, he didn’t want to be isolated and bullied in school.
What he pursues is to live in harmony with the world and blend in with the crowd. However, if a beautiful girl holds a grudge against him, these two words may no longer apply to him.
“No way, no way, there can’t be any student in Toyonosaki who doesn’t know Sawamura-san?” He sounded like a hermaphrodite as soon as he opened his mouth.
Although he didn’t want to offend the other party, he still couldn’t help being angry!
When did I become so stupid?
This wave, this wave is called self-destruction.
However, compared with the profound culture next door, Neon can be said to have no cultural heritage at all.
Crude language is nothing like Chinese. The same word combined with different tones can express completely opposite meanings.
In the context of Japanese, a certain little idiot actually thought that Kasugano Toru was praising her.
“So you are also a student of Toyonosaki.” After knowing that the other party was from the same school as her, Eriri’s attitude became better.
But why have I never seen this person in school before? With such a level of painting skills, if he joins the art department, even if I still have the title of the ace of the art department, I will definitely not be the only one who stands out.
“Sawamura-kun, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.” Seeing Eriri immersed in her own world, Toru Kasugano felt that if he didn’t run away at this time, he would be letting down this opportunity given to him by God.
“Wait!” Just as Kasugano Toru was about to leave, Eriri grabbed his sleeve, then retracted her hand as if she had been electrocuted.
“Is there something wrong?” The young man was really confused. No one told him what happened, and he was not allowed to leave. Didn’t he know that if he continued like this, it would only delay his ability to make money?
“I…I…” As a typical tsundere, expecting Eriri to say something like wanting to ask for advice on painting techniques is harder than killing her.
But if you don’t have a good reason, it would be very rude to stop someone like this.
Just before the atmosphere was about to become awkward, the blonde girl suddenly thought of a suitable reason.
“Can you draw a portrait for me, like you did for those two girls yesterday?”
“Of course, I’ll pay. How about 5,000 yen a piece? No, how about 10,000 yen?”
Kasugano Toru, who originally wanted to leave, felt as if a thousand-pound boulder was being dragged on his feet after hearing the number reported by Eriri.
He really didn’t want to stay, but the other party offered too much!
Chapter 7 Drawing for Eriri (Old Version)
As a descendant of a large family and the only daughter of Mr. Spencer and Sayuri Sawamura, Spencer Eriri Sawamura probably receives tens of thousands of yuan in pocket money every month.
Even without pocket money from her family, her main business is enough to make her a true rich loli at this stage.
So it’s just 10,000 yen, just a drop in the bucket.
Once again despising the decadent capitalism and mocking his own lack of moral integrity, Toru Kasugano quickly changed his face.
“No problem, please take a seat, Sawamura-san.” With a speed comparable to the face-changing of Sichuan Opera, Toru Kasugano quickly took down the small stool hanging on the side of the backpack, placed it on the ground, and then made a gesture of invitation.
It really proves the saying, as long as I am not embarrassed, others will be embarrassed.
Kasugano Toru didn’t feel anything yet, but Eriri felt embarrassed.
Being treated like this by a classmate is not a good experience. You know, she is always approachable and can always get along well with her classmates, so she is popular in school.
But now when facing Kasugano Toru, she suddenly had the illusion that she was a black-hearted capitalist, as if she was exploiting the labor of others.
Of course, these things are indeed illusions. If Eriri’s behavior is considered exploitation, then the other guys who paint portraits for others will definitely be eager to ask for exploitation quickly.
With such beautiful girls as models, they don’t even have to charge any money!
And that bastard who is only good at sweet talk can not only win the favor of such beautiful girls (even though it’s just drawing), but also get a reward that makes them jealous.
“I…” Although she was shocked at the speed at which this unknown classmate’s expression changed, with yesterday’s experience as a foundation, Eriri seemed to have some understanding of this person’s character.
It doesn’t matter if you have a weird personality, as long as it can be solved with money, it’s not a problem.
And unfortunately, her confidence as the eldest daughter of Sawamura lies in the fact that she may not have other things, but when it comes to money, she will definitely have enough.
Miss Sawamura, who had figured everything out, sat down on the small stool provided by Kasugano Toru and watched the boy quietly as he made preparations.
Because Eriri was the first customer in the morning, Toru Kasugano hadn’t even taken out his drawing board yet.
However, since the store opened right after I arrived, there was a “huge sum” of 10,000 yen available for me to take. Only a fool would refuse.
After completing all the preparations with ease, Toru Kasugano told Eriri that she could strike a pose that she thought looked best.
However, the girl’s next action made him realize what it meant to be redundant.
As one of the two beauties in Toyonozaki, Sawamura Spencer Eriri exudes a heart-beating temperament in her every move. This temperament is different from that of another school beauty in Toyonozaki, and it is not created by her hot body and icy temperament.
The beauty that belongs to Eriri is a cute and lovely style, an approachable and friendly style (fog), soft golden long hair, porcelain-like white skin, and a delicate doll-like face. These are the unique charms of the beautiful girl named Sawamura Spencer Eriri.
To be honest, Kasugano Toru is not the kind of person who can’t walk after seeing a beautiful woman. After all, his sister is a rare beautiful girl.
But at this time, Toru Kasugano had to admit that Eriri was a beautiful girl who was no less beautiful than his sister.
However, these things did not affect his painting. As a painter, discovering beauty is always the most important part of life.
Like the two ordinary girls yesterday, he tried hard to find their beauty, let alone the real beauty today?
Of course, the two girls yesterday were nothing compared to Eriri. In Kasugano Toru’s mind, the only beauty of the two girls yesterday was the reward they paid.
But today, compared with Eriri, everything seems so insignificant.
The ability to make money is truly the most wonderful ability in the world.
Eriri’s attention was completely focused on the hand that was painting with Kasugano Toru. Although she couldn’t see the other side of the drawing board, she felt that the ordinary paintbrush seemed to have life in Kasugano Toru’s hand, like an elf flying on the paper, or like a naughty child with his own ideas.
Willful, casual, wandering freely but full of beauty.
As fast and efficient as ever, in less than an hour, Toru Kasugano finished the portrait that Eriri requested.
“Sawamura, it’s okay.” After hearing what Kasugano Toru said, Eriri breathed a sigh of relief and quickly collapsed.
Asking her to maintain the same posture for nearly an hour was simply asking too much.
Although she is a famous “outside” beautiful girl in Toyonosaki, Eriri is actually just an ordinary otaku girl.
But all the previous hard work was obviously worth it, because when she got the painting from Kasugano Toru, even Eriri, who was used to seeing beautiful things, was shocked.
“Is this… really me?” The girl opened her mouth slightly, looking incredulous.
It’s unbelievable not because Kasugano Toru’s drawings are so good, but because his drawings are… so weird.
If she only looked at the facial features and appearance, Eriri could confirm that the girl in the picture was definitely herself.
But she can also guarantee that when she was modeling just now, she must have had the most elegant, decent and calm smile on her lips.
That was the most suitable smile she had come up with after hundreds and thousands of experiments when facing other students in school.
But in Toru Kasugano’s writing, the originally decent smile on half of the faces disappeared, replaced by a faint loneliness and desolation. Although the corners of the mouth that were originally pulled upward are still there, if you look closely, there is a tendency for them to fall downward.
Although there was still a smile on the other half’s face, even a little fool like Eriri could see how hypocritical it was.
The combination of these two halves of the face does not give people a sense of disharmony at all.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Eriri would have found it hard to imagine that someone could use a brush to convey so many emotions in the same painting.
In fact, the moment the painting was completed, Toru Kasugano knew that something bad was going to happen.
He really didn’t mean to paint it like this, but when he immersed himself in painting, he would only combine what he saw with what he thought in his heart, and then present it to everyone through his brush.
In other words, the girl he just described was what he thought Eriri looked like.
Chapter 8: Embarrassed Eriri (Old Version)
What does a painter need?
Hands that are as steady as a rock?
Eyes as sharp as lightning?
Or even when you don’t have enough food to eat, you can still burn your life for painting?
A thousand people will have a thousand different answers to this question.
But Toru Kasugano believes that only by discovering the essence of this world can one draw the most realistic paintings.
As the saying goes, it’s not that the world lacks beauty, it’s that it lacks LSPs…it’s that it lacks eyes to discover beauty.
So in his writing, the bustling Tokyo turned into a forest of steel, and the passers-by turned into puppets on strings.
Oh, you mean the two girls from yesterday.
In Kasugano Toru’s eyes, they were just walking yen.
It’s okay to go against your principles once in a while for the sake of money.
In other words, when Toru Kasugano was drawing for those people, he was just drawing. It was not a hobby, not a belief, it was just a job.
Would you regard a job that barely ensures your food and clothing as a lifelong belief?
But when drawing Eriri’s portrait, Toru Kasugano couldn’t help but immerse himself in a wonderful state.
Well, we are all LSPs, why pretend to be innocent?
In fact, he just saw a rare beauty who was willing to be a model for him, and he just felt itchy for a moment.
Even though he says he has no plans to get married, this doesn’t stop Toru Kasugano from appreciating beautiful women.
It took a long time for Eriri to come back to her senses from her strange state.
“Classmate, you…” The blonde girl had no idea what to say.
You said Kasugano Toru’s drawing is not good?
But that was indeed her, a girl that no student of Toyonosaki had ever seen before.
But is Kasugano Toru’s painting good?
What a joke, if my true identity were known to others, I would be socially dead, right?
“Shocked! The school beauty of Fengzhiqi Private Academy actually secretly…”
“The beautiful blonde girl secretly… Is this a distortion of human nature or a loss of morality?”
“It doesn’t look like the drawing, does it?” Kasugano Toru smiled. It was indeed too much to do such a thing to a beautiful girl who was speaking formally for the first time.
“It’s okay, Sawamura-san, you can return this painting to me, and I will draw a new one for you as an apology. At the same time, because I have wasted Sawamura-san’s time, and because I have to trouble Sawamura-san to be a model again, I will not accept the agreed fee… um, I will only take half.” Kasugano Toru, who originally wanted to be generous, was succumbed to reality.
Forget it, five thousand is five thousand. Yesterday those two girls also collected a total of five thousand yen, so let’s just treat it as the same as yesterday.
Anyway, I earned 5,000 yen by drawing two pictures, which is enough to make those sour people around me jealous.
“No, you misunderstood me.” Seeing that Kasugano Toru was about to take back the painting, Eriri became anxious and quickly explained: “This… um, what is this classmate’s name?”
My goodness, Ying Lili felt that she had never been so embarrassed as she was now. If she was given enough time, it would probably be no problem for her to have an apartment with three bedrooms and a living room.
“Kasugano, my name is Kasugano Toru, Sawamura-san.” Kasugano Toru told the other party his name generously.
Anyway, according to his understanding, if the blonde girl is determined to find out a person’s identity, he will always be found out unless he leaves Neon.
What’s more, he had no intention of hiding his identity, and he was not a shady criminal.
Just because he doesn’t want to be associated with a big family doesn’t mean he can’t live an upright life.
Moreover, he also knew that the girl in front of him would not have many opportunities to interact with him.
In Japan, a country with serious class stratification, her friends were destined to be children from large families.
And what about your friends?
Oh, I don’t need friends, I just need a sister.
“Well, Kasugano-san, you misunderstood what I meant just now. What I wanted to ask was, could you sell this painting to me as well? I’ll give you 20,000 yen.” Eriri stretched out her white and tender fingers and made a 2 gesture.
Kasugano Toru frowned.
Seeing the boy’s expression, Eriri was afraid that the other party would take back the painting, so she continued to raise the price: “How about 30,000? How about 50,000? I’m in a hurry to go out today, and I only brought this much cash. If Kasugano-san still doesn’t want to, I can ask my family to send money over.” Eriri originally planned to use the 50,000 yen to buy comics and games.
But she couldn’t care less about that now. As for comics and games, she could just send the butler to buy them later. But if she missed this painting, she might regret it for the rest of her life.
“Sawamura-san…” Kasugano Toru swallowed hard and said even harder, “Actually, when you said 20,000, I wanted to agree. The reason I frowned was purely because I didn’t expect you to give so much…”
Toru Kasugano was really scared. From childhood to adulthood, in order to ensure that he and his sister could live safely, he wanted to spend every penny carefully.
No one really thinks that he doesn’t like eating fresh vegetables and fruits, right?
As long as you have some money in your pocket, who doesn’t like delicious food?
But he didn’t expect that the living expenses for him and his sister for ten days, which he had saved by living frugally, would come out so easily from the mouth of the girl in front of him.
And it was just the cash that the other party brought with him…
“Damn capitalists!” After spitting in his heart, Toru Kasugano put on a more mercenary expression.
“Since Sawamura-san likes this painting so much, I’ll sell it to you. To express my gratitude, I will try my best to draw a portrait for Sawamura-san, free of charge!”
The jealous people around him became even more jealous.
Ten thousand yen is enough to make them drool. Not many people can earn that much in a day.
It can be said that art students actually have a hard life. Although they can earn 1,000 to 1,500 yen for a painting, in addition to the time spent, the costs of drawing paper and drawing boards are also not small expenses.
What’s the point of learning art without money?
Therefore, it is really a big question whether these people can earn 10,000 yen in a day.
As a result, Toru Kasugano earned 50,000 easily and showed off in front of a beautiful woman.
Eriri didn’t care about the reactions of the people around her.
All she cared about was the painting that touched her heart. After getting Kasugano Toru’s promise, the girl finally felt relieved.
Fearing that the other party would go back on his word, the girl stuffed the banknotes in her hand directly into Kasugano Toru’s backpack, and then quickly put away the painting.
She didn’t even care about Kasugano Toru’s promise to paint another portrait for her, and just left.
“What on earth am I doing?” The girl complained to herself in shame and anger as she walked quickly, almost jogging.
“Didn’t we agree to come here to ask for advice on painting techniques today? How did it turn out like this?”
Chapter 9: Meet Kato Megumi Again (Old Version)
With an income of 50,000 yen early in the morning, Kasugano Toru felt for a moment that he was already a rich man.
Of course, wanting to become rich with 50,000 yen is just an illusion.
However, it’s such a good sign right after the opening, it seems that we may have a big harvest today.
Unfortunately, Toru Kasugano’s idea was also an illusion, just like his previous idea of ​​becoming a rich man.
Those who have been jealous for a long time have decided to unite and take away Toru Kasugano’s business.
The portraits that originally cost 1,500 yen are now only 1,000 yen, and there is a buy two get one free offer.
In addition, these people gathered around Kasugano Toru intentionally or unintentionally and snatched away all the business before him. He was in an idle state for the whole morning.
Involution is really everywhere.
Obviously, lowering the price is not a good thing for them, right?
I can only say that jealousy is deadly.
But he didn’t care. If there was no business, he would just work hard to hone his painting skills. Anyway, he only took one order from Eriri today, which was enough to equal his income during the best business days.
It’s so satisfying to kill a rich dog!
The guys who tried to steal the business ended up getting into trouble and left soon after.
Except for those who received business and were still working hard on painting, everyone else returned to where they originally stayed.
Involution certainly exists, but they also know that if they arbitrarily lower prices for some inexplicable reasons, it will only make future life more difficult.
Of course, Kasugano Toru had long since lost sight of these things.
It’s not that he’s blind, but he’s focused all his attention on painting.
The painting “To Live” that I drew yesterday was actually because Toru Kasugano thought of his deceased parents.
Sadness is a feeling that comes from deep within, but when Toru Kasugano paints, his hands always move following his heart.
Therefore, yesterday’s painting was full of sadness and despair.
But he is no longer the same person he was yesterday, and his mood now is far from the pessimistic mood he had yesterday.
If one were to rank all the things that make people happy, Toru Kasugano believes that making money would definitely be in the top three.
So even though the same scenery is seen, under Kasugano Toru’s pen, the steel forest becomes full of vitality and the people coming and going become full of hope.
Everyone was trying hard to raise their heads, which were gilded with a layer of gold under the sun.
Okay, I can’t blow it anymore.
It’s just an ordinary watercolor painting. The gold edges and such are just nonsense.
“Kasugano-san?” Kasugano Toru, who had just finished drawing and was about to take a break, heard a pleasant female voice.
“Kato-san?” Toru Kasugano was a little surprised. He didn’t expect that he had just seen Kato Megumi yesterday and met her again on the streets of Tokyo today.
Is it really a small world?
“What a coincidence! I didn’t expect to meet you again today.” Kato Megumi gently lifted the hair beside her ears. She was obviously a pure and beautiful girl, but Kasugano Toru swore that at this moment he only saw temptation.
Toru Kasugano nodded and noticed that the girl was still holding a shopping bag. Looking at the logo on the bag, it seemed to be from a famous shopping mall nearby. It seemed that the girl had just finished shopping.
“Indeed, if Kato hadn’t said that, I would have thought you were deliberately following me.” After making a light joke, Kasugano Toru put away the paintbrush in his hand and began to clean up the mess in front of him.
Although they are just classmates, the two of them often make harmless jokes, and Kato Megumi also likes this atmosphere.
A girl who is always ignored for some special reasons feels good to have a friend with whom she can joke.
“Maybe it’s true. After all, we can see a hidden side of Kasugano-san.” The girl smiled as she watched Kasugano Toru packing up the palettes. She really didn’t know that this boy who had been her deskmate for a year actually had such a skill.
But it doesn’t matter. Li Bai doesn’t hold poetry competitions every day, and Lu Bu doesn’t always kill people. He gets to ride Red Hare or Diao Chan occasionally.
It’s not surprising that Kasugano Toru doesn’t speak out about his own affairs.
“Is this Tokyo?” The girl naturally leaned forward as if she had just seen Toru Kasugano’s painting.
“Yeah, it’s right here.” Kasugano Toru didn’t care about the girl’s behavior.
Without women in your mind, you will be like a natural god.
As long as I don’t have any worldly desires, no one can seduce me.
Of course, Toru Kasugano didn’t think about it in that way at all. In the past year that he had been sitting at the same table with Kato Megumi, the girl had made such actions quite a few times.
“Aren’t you going to paint anymore?” Seeing that Kasugano Toru not only cleaned the palette but also took apart the drawing board and prepared to put it away, Kato Megumi asked curiously.
“Well, I have something else to do this afternoon, so let’s stop here in the morning.”
“What a pity! I also want to see what Kasugano-san looks like when she draws.” Kato Megumi was really a little regretful.
But Toru Kasugano didn’t hear it at all from her tone, which might be a skill unique to girls.
Being able to not show one’s emotions on one’s face is a skill that many people dream of.
I am such a loser that I collapsed when I heard about a mere 50,000 yen…
Not bowing down for a few grains of rice is indeed the state of a saint. In real life, let alone a few grains of rice, just being able to have enough food and clothing is the lifelong pursuit of many people.
“There’ll be a chance next time.” Toru Kasugano stuffed the drawing board into his backpack and said, “But there’s nothing good to see. Drawing is actually a very boring thing because it requires a long time of waiting. If you don’t have patience, it will be very boring.” This is not what Toru Kasugano said nonsense. Countless LSPs shouted “wife” at the exquisite illustrations and licked the screens until there were water marks everywhere. But in fact, only the illustrators themselves know the real creative process.
Sometimes, the lines that seem useless to others are actually the result of their repeated thinking and experiments. If drawing is an easy and interesting thing, how could there be only a few hundred people in Japan’s Illustrators Association?
However, Kato Megumi obviously doesn’t care about these problems. When it comes to patience, she must be better than anyone else, right?
“This one is for you. Consider it a gift for our chance encounter today.” Feeling really sorry for Kato Megumi, Kasugano Toru handed the morning’s results to Kato Megumi after a little thought.
“Is it really okay? Kasugano-san took a lot of effort to draw this, right?”
“No problem. Isn’t this painting just right as a gift for a friend?”
Chapter 10 Kato Megumi’s Beret (Old Version)
The painting I gave to Eriri yesterday is actually not appropriate if it is considered a gift between friends.
What’s the point of giving such negative things to each other?
But the artistic conception of today’s painting is completely different from yesterday’s. It is more positive and uplifting. It is the perfect gift for a girl like Kato Megumi.
“Then I’d be honored to refuse it, Kasugano-san.” Kato Megumi took the painting happily and put it away carefully.
“Are you going home?” Seeing the girl carrying lots of bags, Toru Kasugano couldn’t help but sigh. If such a beauty were in her previous life, there would surely be many men willing to serve her.
“Well, I’ve bought everything and I have to go back to prepare dinner and tomorrow’s lunch boxes. There are so many things to do.” Kato Megumi was a little distressed.
This is what housework is actually like. It sounds like a simple thing to say, but when you actually do it, a whole day will slip away without you even realizing it.
“Let me take you home.” Seeing what was in Kato Megumi’s hand, Kasugano Toru couldn’t bear to let the girl go home alone.
“No need. Although it looks like a lot, most of them are actually clothes and are very light.” In order to make her words more convincing, Kato Megumi tried to lift the bag in her hand with one hand.
As a result, I almost sprained my waist.
After all, she was just a fragile 16-year-old girl, not a Barbie doll. The weight that seemed insignificant to Toru Kasugano might be extremely heavy in the girl’s hands.
Of course, this is only when the girl is not angry, otherwise she will perform a bare-handed skull-opening performance on you in a minute.
Kato Megumi felt a little embarrassed after making a fool of herself. She secretly blamed herself for buying so many things, and lowered her head while adjusting her hat.
No matter how calm she is, Ms. Kato is a shy person.
“Pfft~~~” Toru Kasugano burst out laughing. Kato Megumi, who used to be very organized in everything she did, actually had a clumsy side.
“Okay, just give it to me. I don’t have anything to do anyway.” Kasugano Toru put the backpack on his back and took the things from the girl’s hand.
Of course, the girl was still cautious and only gave some coats and food to Kasugano Toru.
Of course, girls should hold their own underwear to feel at ease.
“Which direction?”
“Um, this way.”
Toru Kasugano is a contradictory person. He usually doesn’t talk much in front of strangers.
Trouble comes from the mouth. Maybe what you think is a joke, but when a stranger hears it, it will feel strange.
Who the hell are you? Do I know you well? Is your joke funny? Did you see me laugh?
But when he is with friends, he talks quite a lot and occasionally has moments of witty remarks.
“Kasugano-san isn’t going out during the spring break, is it because he has a younger sister at home who needs care?” Kato Megumi walked beside the boy, her eyes still looking straight ahead, but her peripheral vision would occasionally glance at the people beside her.
“I guess so, but I don’t like crowded places either. If it weren’t for the money, I would have avoided those places as much as possible.”
“I see, but it’s nice to go out for a walk once in a while.”
“I want to, but going out to play costs money. If you don’t have money, it’s better to watch TV at home.” Kasugano Toru curled his lips indifferently.
If you have money, who wouldn’t want to live a leisurely and peaceful life? Someone will take care of your meals, you can stay in the best hotels when you go out, and you don’t have to worry about three meals a day.
Unfortunately, those are just ifs.
For him, feeding himself and his sister is the most important thing.
Kato Megumi’s heart skipped a beat and she secretly blamed herself.
“You’ve really lost your mind today. How could you say such a thing when you know the situation at Kasugano-san’s home?”
Miss Kato is such a kind girl.
Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward, the originally gentle spring breeze suddenly became strong, and the beret on Kato Megumi’s head turned into a flying elf under the wind.
“Ah, my hat.” The girl wanted to hold down the hat on her head, but because she was holding something in her hands, she was a beat slower and could only watch the hat fly up.
However, Kasugano Toru was quick-witted and quick-handed. He quickly grabbed the beret that was about to go out of control with his right hand before the hat flew completely into the air.
It was just because she was holding something in her left hand and had a backpack on her back, and the movement was too big. When she turned around, the backpack rubbed against the girl directly, causing her to stagger.
“What the hell…” Toru Kasugano was confused. When he watched idol dramas in his previous life, wasn’t it always quite beautiful as long as the male protagonist could grab the hat in this situation?
Add to that the falling petals and the heroine falling in love at first sight, and this is the standard development of an idol drama.
Even if I don’t intend to find a girlfriend, I can’t play him like this, right?
It’s as if I’m a villain.
Seeing that Kato Megumi was slowly losing her balance and was about to fall, Kasugano Toru didn’t care about the difference between men and women. He quickly let go of the bag in his left hand and grabbed the girl’s hand.
Soft and smooth!
This was the only feeling Kasugano Toru had.
“Sorry, Kato-san.” There was no freeze frame, nor was there any deliberate taking advantage. After seeing Kato Megumi regain her balance, Kasugano Toru immediately let go of his hand.
In order to hide his embarrassment, he quickly tidied up the bag he had thrown on the ground.
Because the situation happened suddenly and some bags were not fastened, some things were scattered outside.
“Tsk tsk.” An unknown boy with glasses rode past the two of them on a bicycle.
While he was sighing that young people nowadays really know how to have fun, doing these exciting things in broad daylight in public, he was thinking about his paper wife in the window of his home.
“The second dimension is still better!” This was the only thought in the boy’s mind.
Neither Kato Megumi nor Kasugano Toru noticed the figure that just flashed by, and they were both in endless embarrassment at this moment.
It was Kasugano Toru who first adjusted himself. After packing up his things, he handed the beret back to the girl: “Kato-san, I had no choice but to do that just now. Please don’t mind.”
“No, it’s me who should thank Kasugano-san. If it weren’t for you, my hat might have been lost and I would have fallen down.” Looking at the long slope behind her, Kato Megumi felt a surge of fear in her heart.
If I fall from here, I might miss the opening ceremony tomorrow.
Chapter 11 Machida Enko and Kasumigaoka Shiu (old version)
After sending Kato Megumi home, Kasugano Toru left quickly.
Almost like a desperate deserter.
Thinking back to what had just happened, he wanted to slap himself twice. He had always been afraid of getting into trouble, so when he faced Kato Megumi, he couldn’t help but get close to this girl.
I don’t have many friends at school, but I can get along really well with this girl.
“Forget it, forget it. Don’t think about it.” Kasugano Toru touched his face lightly, as if he had just been slapped, and shook his head.
How could such a beautiful girl like me?
Bah, bah, bah, that’s not right. I’m such a handsome guy, why should I find a girlfriend?
Speaking of beautiful girls, the person I’m going to meet later can barely be considered a beauty, right?
Although no one wanted me, I went through countless failed blind dates (crossed out).
A woman named Machida Sonoko was in a state of extreme anxiety.
If a woman wants to make a name for herself in Japan’s workplace, she has to work several times harder than a man.
These don’t matter. As long as she can get rewards after working hard, Machida Sonoko feels that she can still endure it.
But this is where it gets depressing: it’s obvious that her qualifications, abilities, and performance are better than those of another idiot of her generation, but just because that guy is a man, he got the job she’d always dreamed of with ease.
And what about her? She was robbed of her promotion position at work, failed in her XXth blind date, and met an unreliable author at work.
It’s unreliable, but it’s not completely unreliable.
At least the first volume of that girl’s work was very well written. Not only did it stand out among a group of newcomers and win the title of Newcomer of Fuzugawa Bookstore, but the first volume also achieved huge success.
But for some reason, the writing of the second volume ran into great difficulties.
First, there was a temporary change of leadership at Fuzugawa, and the new editor-in-chief came out of nowhere with an attitude of total denial. He disliked everything that the previous editor-in-chief liked, and he liked everything that the previous editor-in-chief didn’t like.
When encountering such a person, Machida Yuanzi really wants to ask him: “The former editor-in-chief didn’t like eating shit, do you like it?”
So the novel that the former editor-in-chief had high hopes for was directly put into cold storage. If it weren’t for Machida Sonoko’s connections and her good personal relationship with the author of this book, it’s not impossible that it would have been directly cancelled.
Then, there was the issue of serious disagreement between the author and the illustrator.
Regarding this matter, Machida Sonoko couldn’t say who was right or wrong.
The author’s original intention was to attract more readers through his own words, so that true fans can immerse themselves in the world created by words.
But the illustrator also has his own ideas.
“What is this? Light novels? The ones where you buy illustrations and get free toilet paper? It doesn’t matter how you write it, as long as the illustrations are attractive enough. A little exposure here, a little exposure there, plus a sexy JK character, the otakus will lick you to death, okay?”
In a sense, what the illustrator said is absolutely right.
Except for some popular light novels, the rest of the light novels are really like buying illustrations and giving away toilet paper for free in their eyes.
It is no exaggeration to say that a good illustrator and a few exquisite illustrations can have a resurrecting effect, and can save a book from collapse and support a dying novel.
So, one was the original author of the novel, and the other was a well-known illustrator in the industry, and an irreconcilable conflict occurred between the two.
After mediation by Machida Sonoko, the conflict was not only not repaired, but became irreversible after a fierce argument.
After that quarrel, Machida Sonoko was like a wronged young wife. She didn’t dare to offend either side and could only bear it all silently.
But things have already happened, but the book still needs to be written. Not to mention that Machida Sonoko has paid a lot of favors in exchange for the continued sale of this book, for the author, this novel is like her own child.
No mother can bear to watch her own child being strangled by herself.
In order to ensure normal sales and to help that troublesome guy get back on his feet, Machida Sonoko has been busy looking for a replacement illustrator for her recently.
It’s just that everyone knows that the Japanese Illustrators Association actually has only a few hundred people. Although many illustrators working at Fuzugawa Bookstore have not joined this so-called Illustrators Association, they basically have their own fixed partners.
Moreover, every industry has its own circle. When this unsophisticated author offends a big shot in the illustrator industry, people in the circle will often unite intentionally or unintentionally to exclude this author.
Grouping can happen anywhere.
Fortunately, some time ago, when Machida Sonoko was on a business trip and passing through the streets of Tokyo, she met Kasugano Toru who was painting.
In the hands of that young boy, the paintbrush seemed to have life, flying up and down.
Having been in the industry for so long, Machida Sonoko has met many illustrators, and she has indeed seen many who draw better than this boy.
But she had never seen an illustrator as talented as Kasugano Toru.
What does this mean? It means this is a rough diamond!
Any potential stock is worth investing in, especially for a veteran like Machida Sonoko who has experienced the beatings of society and understands this better than anyone else.
Although illustration is not her area of ​​responsibility, as an editor in charge of light novels, is it possible for her to never deal with illustrators for her entire life?
As long as he can tie down this undiscovered young man, his authors won’t have to worry about the problem of illustrations for a long time in the future.
And today was the day she and Kasugano Toru had agreed to meet.
Although the boy was obviously attracted by the reward she offered when they first met, Machida Sonoko herself knew that whether the deal could be concluded today would depend on the boy’s thoughts and the author’s intentions.
If this young man also wants to take the simplest but most effective method, the ending of today will probably be unpleasant.
Just as she was daydreaming, the seat opposite her was pulled away.
“Editor Machida, hasn’t the person you were talking about arrived yet?” A hot girl sat down opposite Machida Sonoko in a carefree manner.
This was a girl who could make a social person like Machida Sonoko feel ashamed of herself, especially after she crossed her arms over her chest, her inner shame reached its peak.
“How does Xiaoshi grow up? She’s only 17, how can she be this big?” Machida Yuanzi clicked her tongue and shrank back with some inferiority.
Obviously her size is not small.
“Sorry, I’m late.” Toru Kasugano hurried to the agreed location.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw the strong girl with long black hair and Machida Sonoko who looked aggrieved.
He thought he was late.
Chapter 12: Kasumigaoka Utaha’s Test (Old Version)
The agreed time is three o’clock in the afternoon.
In fact, when Toru Kasugano walked into the restaurant, the cheap electronic watch on his wrist showed 2:58.
However, because it was a cheap electronic watch, Toru Kasugano had always been skeptical about its reliability. When he saw the strange atmosphere in the restaurant, he subconsciously thought that he was late.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Kasugano. It’s only 2:58 now. You’re not late.” The girl with long black hair who was sitting opposite Machida Sonoko said in a cold voice.
He also deliberately emphasized the time point 2:58.
Pretending not to understand what the other person meant, Kasugano Toru happily sat next to Machida Sonoko.
There is no difference between a digital watch bought for 2,000 yen and one that costs 20 million yen.
“Senior, good afternoon.” After sitting down leisurely, he greeted the other party politely.
When he first met Kasumigaoka Utaha, he was very surprised. He didn’t expect that he would meet the two most beautiful girls in Toyosaki in just one day. If other people in the school knew about this fate, they would definitely be envious to tears.
“Do you know me?” Kasumigaoka Utaha put away her crossed legs. It would be fine to reveal her true self in front of a stranger, but if the other person knew her and publicized it in school, even if the girl didn’t care, it would still be too troublesome.
In fact, when she first arrived here, she was really unhappy.
Because “Love Metronome” has recently been described as a troubled time, and it is not an exaggeration. Amateur leaders + bad teammates, is there anything more deadly than this?
Thinking of the illustrator before, she felt a pang of chest pain.
Being angry.
The heroine in the first volume of “Love Metronome”, the girl named Sayuka, was created based on herself. As a result, that guy who knows nothing actually wanted Sayuka to wear such sexy clothes and pose?
What a joke, even if she, Kasumigaoka Utaha, looks sexier, more mature, and has bigger breasts than others, she has never done anything indecent, okay?
Her first love, first kiss, first… are all still there!
She felt like vomiting when she thought of Sayuka, who was based on herself, wearing clothes that didn’t cover her breasts in front or her buttocks in the back, and being licked by all kinds of otakus.
It happened that those two days were her menstrual period, and the furious girl scolded the guy directly, and they parted on bad terms.
In fact, when she first heard Machida Sonoko talk about finding a new illustrator, she was quite happy. No one wanted the book “Love Metronome” to be written smoothly more than her.
But when she arrived at the restaurant and saw Machida Sonoko’s aggrieved expression, the unpleasant experience of that day once again came to her mind.
I swear to God, Machida Sonoko felt wronged simply because she was crushed in terms of body size…
I don’t know how Kasumigaoka Utaha made such an unwarranted association.
But since the other person knows me and seems to be a high school student about the same age as me, then my identity can be basically confirmed.
If it’s a classmate, no matter how angry you are, you shouldn’t take it out on the other person.
After all, it wasn’t the young man in front of me who provoked me, and maybe we would have to cooperate for a long time in the future.
If only he wasn’t the idiot he was before.
“Senior Kasumigaoka, I’m Toru Kasugano from Toyogasaki Private Academy. I’ll be a sophomore soon. Thank you for your guidance.” Toru Kasugano said as he took out the student ID of Toyogasaki Private Academy from his pocket.
Neon is a country without ID cards. Adults usually use driver’s licenses instead of ID cards, but as a minor, Kasugano Toru does not have that kind of thing.
However, since they are students, they have a better way to prove their identity, that is, student ID card.
This is why in various comics, anime, and manga, the fallen heroines often have their student IDs photographed.
In fact, he had prepared the student ID before leaving home today. If he could successfully become an illustrator, there would definitely be relevant contracts and the other party would definitely confirm his identity.
Since he turned 16, he has no guardian, so he has to prove it himself.
As for the identity of Machida Sonoko, he had already been to the headquarters of Fushigawa Bookstore and verified her identity.
I have to say that the Machida Sonoko in the photo is a little worse than the real person.
At least her breasts look a little small in the photo.
I don’t know where this photographer came from. It would be better for me to paint the portrait directly.
“It’s Kasugano-san. I’m sorry for being rude just now.” Kasumigaoka Utaha not only put away her crossed legs, but also her slightly arrogant attitude.
Toru Kasugano didn’t care. At least in his opinion, Kasumigaoka Utaha had the qualifications to be arrogant.
Feng Zhiqi has been the top student in her grade for two consecutive years. It is estimated that this record will be constantly broken after she enters the third year of high school. Now she has been found to be a light novel writer. Combined with the sales of the first volume of “Love Metronome” that Kasugano Toru learned before, and the bonus she received from the Fuzugawa Bookstore Newcomer Award, this girl has achieved financial independence when most of her peers are still relying on their parents.
To some extent, economic freedom has even been achieved.
This is a world of difference compared to Toru Kasugano who struggled to earn a living for himself and his sister.
After exchanging a few pleasantries and ordering some food at Machida Sonoko’s generous promise, they got down to business.
“Teacher Kasugano, do you know anything about the “Love Metronome” I mentioned to you before?”
“Of course. After talking with editor Machida, I bought the first volume of Love Metronome.” Toru Kasugano struggled to pull out the squeezed and deformed novel from his backpack and glanced at the two girls awkwardly.
I brought a lot of things today, and my backpack was squeezed when I was helping Kato Megumi before, so it’s understandable that it’s like this now.
At least in his opinion…
When he bought this novel, it cost him 700 yen. Although it was not expensive compared to other light novels, it still made him feel heartbroken for a long time.
After struggling for two days, he finally convinced himself that this was an initial investment in his job.
There was no other way. He didn’t want to continue to stay in the bookstore under the boss’ murderous gaze. If he could finish reading the novel in the bookstore, he would not buy it.
“It’s good to have some understanding. Mr. Kasugano, could you please show me what kind of person Sayuka is in your mind?”
Kasugano Toru’s expression turned serious.
He knew that this was the test before getting the job.
Chapter 13: Kasumigaoka Utaha’s Excitement (Old Version)
Before coming here, Toru Kasugano had actually read the first volume of “Love Metronome” carefully, and had thought about the image of Sayuka in his mind several times.
As for the male protagonist named Naoto?
Sorry, throw it away.
Who buys illustrations to see men, especially those weird male protagonists who are popular for unknown reasons?
He also knew that if he wanted to get this stable job, how to design Sayuka’s image was the most important thing.
I was not sure why the author of “Love Metronome” wanted to describe such a girl with long black hair and big breasts. Although she has an attractive figure, she is surprisingly innocent.
But when Toru Kasugano saw Kasumigaoka Utaha, he understood everything.
Good guy, he wrote himself as the heroine…
Let’s get back to the topic. Now that we understand the purpose of Kasumigaoka Utaha’s creation of Sayuka, the image that Toru Kasugano prepared before can come in handy.
He also roughly guessed the reason why Kasumigaoka Utaha had a falling out with the previous illustrator.
After silently mourning for the former illustrator whom he had never met and despising his lack of tact, Toru Kasugano quickly began to paint.
Because it was just a small test and not for a serious sale, he only used a pencil.
“Sayuka is just an ordinary high school student, so the design of her clothing cannot be too revealing, otherwise she won’t look like a student but rather a compensated dating service.” While drawing, Toru Kasugano told the other two his inner thoughts.
Anyway, they are asking themselves what kind of image of Sayuka they have in their hearts. So there is no problem in saying a few words about it now, right?
Besides, if I don’t say something to ease the atmosphere, the situation might become the same as when I first came in, which would be awkward.
“From my understanding of “Love Metronome”, Sayuka is a girl who is full of beautiful visions of love. Such girls are generally more innocent and kind by nature.”
“Although she and the male protagonist have gone through a lot of hardships, their relationship has generally been stable and progressing. Therefore, in the illustrations, we should reflect Sayuka’s growth, from a naive little girl at the beginning to a girl who bravely pursues love in the later period. These details cannot be missed.”
Wow, even though Toru Kasugano was talking about Sayuka the whole time, every word of flattery hit Kasumigaoka Utaha’s heart.
On-site teaching, interpretation of “Emotional Intelligence”.
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt as if her heart had skipped a beat.
She poured a lot of effort into this novel, even transforming herself into Sayuka and becoming the heroine of the book, which shows her dedication.
But people who write books often have a common problem. They want to hide their feelings as much as possible, but they also want others to understand what they describe in the book. If this contradictory psychology is applied to real life, we often call it tsundere.
But it’s different in literature.
We’ll just call it “reading comprehension.”
Now, Kasumigaoka Utaha feels like she has met a soulmate.
She is an innocent girl who has never been in love, has never had a boyfriend, and doesn’t even have anyone she likes.
But this does not prevent her from being an ordinary adolescent girl. Occasionally, when she reads girls’ comics, she will imagine what the scene will be like when she meets her prince charming one day.
The only thing that makes Kasumigaoka Utaha better than most people is that she has writing skills that are beyond the reach of ordinary people. Therefore, she wrote her understanding of love into this novel called “Love Metronome”.
She felt that it was a wise decision for her to suppress her inner irritability today and agree to come here with Machida Sonoko. If Kasugano Toru had not continued his painting work, she would have wanted to discuss the issue of remuneration directly with the other party.
Suppressing her inner excitement, Kasumigaoka Utaha forced herself to focus on the drawing paper in front of her.
As Kasugano Toru continued to sketch, the image of a girl came to life on the paper.
The girl was wearing a sailor suit commonly seen in Japan, with long flowing hair, her hands on her heart, and a gentle smile on her face.
That smile seemed to be able to soak into other people’s hearts, making people involuntarily feel a sense of pity.
But unlike her innocent expression, the girl has an unusually hot body and her heavy chest tells everyone that she understands people’s hearts very well.
I also know what I should pay for love.
“Senior, what do you think of this image? At least in my mind, Sayuka should look like this.” It didn’t take long to draw a pencil drawing, and soon he pushed the finished Sayuka in front of Kasumigaoka Utaha.
“Kasugano-san…this is completely beyond my expectations.” Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn’t help but sigh when she saw the finished Sayuka.
She still underestimated the boy in front of her.
Machida Yuanzi, who was particularly familiar with Kasumigaoka Utaha, had long known what she was thinking from the expression on the girl’s face.
It seems that the illustrator for the second volume of “Love Metronome” has been found.
“Senior, these ambiguous words are not what a girl who wants to pursue love should say.” Blinking at Kasumigaoka Utaha, Toru Kasugano put away the pencil in his hand.
“It seems like he really knows…” Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed in her heart.
Confidant, what a nice word.
It feels even better if someone can understand what you write.
“Teacher Kasugano, let’s talk about the issue of compensation.” Seeing the expressions of the two people, how could the shrewd Machida Sonoko not know that this matter has been settled.
Well, that’s a weird thing to say, as if these two had been on a blind date before.
However, the excited Machida Sonoko no longer cared about anything else. As long as she could continue writing “Love Metronome”, she would be satisfied.
“No problem, I want to hear the senior’s offer first.” Kasugano Toru was not polite at all.
Isn’t this the reason why he came to this place today?
After seeing a beautiful woman, he forgot his last name and his original purpose. Such a character setting is not in line with Toru Kasugano’s style.
“The current compensation paid to illustrators in the industry is basically 20,000 yen per color picture, and about 10,000 to 15,000 for a black and white one.” Machida Sonoko gave a price.
Kasugano Toru nodded. This was also the result of his investigation. It seemed that Machida Sonoko did not talk nonsense just because she was a high school student. This also strengthened his idea of ​​continuing the cooperation.
“Editor Machida, I plan to pay Kasugano-san 30,000 yen per copy.” Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was supposed to just watch from the sidelines, suddenly spoke.
This opening almost doubled the reward.
She doesn’t care about money, she wants friends more!
Chapter 14: Kasumigaoka Utaha’s Invitation (Old Version)
Logically speaking, there is no need for Kasumigaoka Utaha to be involved in bargaining.
All she had to do was sit quietly and Machida Sonoko would naturally help her maximize her benefits.
This is also the responsibility of the editor-in-charge.
But Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn’t like this. She can talk about interests with colleagues, but not with friends.
That’s right, the aloof and proud high-class girl from Fengzhiqi Private Academy made Kasugano Toru her friend in just one painting. If such a thing were told to others, it would surely make others envious.
But she doesn’t care, or rather, Kasumigaoka Utaha has never cared about other people’s opinions.
She slept in class, she violated school rules, but no one could do anything to her.
As long as she is still the number one in Fengzhizaki, as long as she is still the school belle that everyone admires, these rules cannot restrain her at all.
“Xiao Shi…” Machida Yuanzi was stunned. It was as if you were charging at the front, killing everyone, and when you were about to win the game, your teammate threw a bomb and sent you both to the sky.
Anyone who has experienced this feeling knows it.
“Senior, this price… is a bit high, right?” Kasugano Toru didn’t complain about the money, but what mattered to him more now was the possibility of cooperating with Fuzugawa Bookstore.
“Love Metronome” is a good novel. As a newcomer in the illustration industry, it is actually beneficial for him to be able to catch such a ride. As long as his illustrations can get good reviews, his popularity will surely soar like a rocket.
But how long does it take to create a volume of a light novel?
Conservative estimates are in months. Not every author can update 27,000 words a day. In the industry, failing to write is the norm.
How many illustrations does that volume of novel require?
Generally speaking, there are only a few, and no more than ten at most.
One illustration costs 30,000 yen, so 10 illustrations would be 300,000 yen, which sounds like a lot, but if you spread it out over three months, it’s actually less than what he could earn from working part-time.
And such a price would scare other light novel authors away.
After all, not everyone is like Kasumigaoka Utaha who doesn’t care about money. She has fallen to the point of having to write novels. Who would believe that she doesn’t care about money?
Therefore, the kindness of Kasumigaoka Utaha is actually just a temporary solution to Kasugano Toru’s thirst.
He can’t be tied to the book “Love Metronome”. Only a fool would give up a forest for a tree.
Toru Kasugano, who made the Poseidon Declaration in his heart, naturally rejected Kasumigaoka Utaha’s proposal.
“Senior, since we are all classmates and the industry has its own rules, I think it is better to follow them.”
“This…” Kasumigaoka Utaha hesitated. She had originally proposed such a reward out of kindness. But after seeing Kasugano Toru’s firm refusal, she also reacted.
Random quotations can easily lead to internal competition. If you do not have the ability to formulate industry rules, it is best not to challenge the industry rules.
Although she is just a high school girl, Kasumigaoka Utaha still understands this truth.
“Okay, then let’s follow the industry’s rules. Black and white illustrations are 15,000 yen each, and color illustrations are 20,000 yen each. Is that okay?”
“No problem.” Kasugano Toru agreed readily.
As long as this collaboration can be successfully completed, I believe that next time Machida Sonoko finds a suitable author, she will definitely consider me first, right?
There are more than one smart person present, Machida Sonoko. Kasugano Toru, who had experienced the art of reading people’s expressions in his previous life, had long seen the importance of Kasumigaoka Utaha to Machida Sonoko.
I solved the urgent problem of the other person’s biggest trump card, and now I have gained some favors.
“That’s great, Xiaoshi, now the biggest problem has been solved.” Machida Sonoko clapped her hands and was also happy for her friend.
Although nominally they are in a relationship of author and editor, in fact, during the course of their interactions, they have already become good friends.
“Well, thank you so much to Editor Machida this time.” The illustrator’s matter was finalized, and the girl’s greatest anxiety disappeared.
She was really almost suffocated by this matter during this period of time. She didn’t even enjoy this spring break. Seeing that school would start tomorrow, she might as well celebrate it today.
“In that case, I’ll treat you tonight. Editor Machida and Kasugano-san, please come and enjoy the meal.”
“Sorry, senior. My sister is waiting for me at home, so I’ll go back first.” Toru Kasugano rejected Kasumigaoka Utaha’s invitation to dinner without hesitation.
Compared with this business partner, my sister who is crying for food at home is more important.
And tomorrow is not only the first day of school for him, but also the day when his sister returns to Otome Saki Girls’ Academy.
After Qiong goes back, the next time we meet will be during summer vacation.
So no matter what, he must go back to have dinner with his sister tonight.
“It turns out that Kasugano-san is a sister-con!” Although she was rejected, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who didn’t know Kasugano Toru’s family situation, was still generous and considerate of the other party.
She is not someone who emphasizes workplace rules, and it is understandable that family is more important than a partner she meets for the first time.
The reason for saying this, in addition to livening up the atmosphere, is also to give myself a way out.
You know, if the great Kasumigaoka Utaha is willing to invite someone to dinner at Toyosaki Private Academy, there will be a constant stream of people willing to come.
But I didn’t expect to be ruthlessly rejected the first time I opened my mouth.
She also wants to save face, okay?
But she was stunned by Kasugano Toru’s answer.
The boy hesitated for a moment and said seriously: “Senior sister is right, I might really be a sister complex!”
Kasugano Toru is certainly not a sister-con.
Although he cares about his sister very much and pays attention to her growth and making friends, he is definitely not a sister complex.
The Kasugano family had done him a great favor, and he sincerely hoped that his sister could find her own happiness (in a non-orthopedic sense).
He said this just to prevent any trouble from happening.
Because when Kasumigaoka Utaha invited me just now, the look in her eyes was not normal.
Although there was a high probability that the other party had no such intention towards him, he really didn’t want to have anything to do with such a prominent figure.
Besides, if he really had that idea, wouldn’t Eriri be a better target?
Whether it’s personality or XP, it’s obvious that Eriri hits his spot more.
So when Kasumigaoka Utaha teased him, he said that half-truthfully.
If I were a pervert, no one would bother me, right?
And before he said that, he had considered it carefully.
If he were a big mouth, he would definitely not say that, as it would lead to his social death.
But it is obvious that Kasumigaoka Utaha is not a gossipy woman, or in other words, even if she wants to talk to others, no one will listen to her.
Putting these messy thoughts behind him, Kasugano Toru opened the door.
“Brother, you’re finally back!” Before he could change his shoes, Qiong ran out and threw herself into his arms.
“Hmm? There’s a smell of perfume!” Qiong widened her eyes.
Chapter 15 Qiong: That’s right, I just want a brother (old version)
During the day, Toru Kasugano had close contact with two girls.
One was when they were at Detective Slope, in order to hold on to Kato Megumi, the two of them inevitably had some physical contact.
The other time was in the family restaurant in the afternoon. Because I was sitting next to Machida Sonoko, I couldn’t help but get some of the smell.
But Kato Megumi is a plain girl, naturally beautiful without any makeup, and as an ordinary high school student, she has no need to use cosmetics to enhance her charm.
Besides, if Kato Megumi was a girl who was willing to improve her charm, Toyosaki would not be one of the top two school beauties, but one of the top three school beauties.
At least in Kasugano Toru’s opinion, Kato Megumi’s appearance is not inferior to those two, and her personality is even better!
So the smell on his body now should have been accidentally picked up when he was sitting next to Machida Sonoko.
After telling Qiong his speculation, the girl, who had been staring with wide eyes, gradually calmed down.
“I knew it, my brother is such a blockhead, why would he go to meet a strange woman?” After figuring this out, Qiong giggled foolishly.
“Brother, look!” After no longer worrying about the smell of perfume, Qiong pretended to be mysterious and took out an envelope from his pocket.
“Did you get your salary?” Kasugano Toru touched his sister’s little head with a face full of doting and smile.
It seems that I am not the only one struggling for this family. Qiong has also grown up.
“Brother, you are so boring. Can’t you let me be mysterious for once?” The girl puffed up her cheeks and started to act coquettishly.
“Then can Qiong tell your brother how much money you took in total?” Seeing that his sister was in the mood to play, Kasugano Toru was happy to cooperate.
And judging from the girl’s current expression, the salary she received should be far more than the 1,500 yen hourly wage.
“One hundred thousand!” The girl, who originally wanted to keep the truth a secret, could no longer contain her excitement and announced the number herself.
During the entire spring break, Qiong worked part-time for 10 days. If calculated based on 6 hours a day and an hourly wage of 1,500 yen, the final salary should be 90,000 yen. But now there is an extra 10,000 yen. It seems that my sister has been performing well recently, and the turnover of the place where she works should be very good.
“That’s great, Qiong.” He gently pinched his sister’s cheeks to show encouragement, and Kasugano Toru continued, “Keep the money for yourself. Don’t treat yourself badly at school. If the food in the cafeteria is not tasty, it’s okay to eat meat occasionally.”
But this time Qiong did not agree with her brother’s proposal, but shook her head and said, “No! Brother knows that the food at Otome Saki Girls’ Academy is famous for being good. Brother can only make his own lunch box. If he eats those expired foods, how can I feel at ease at school?”
Because the private Otome Saki Girls’ Academy adopts a boarding system, the tuition is much higher than that of ordinary public schools. But to match the price, there are good dormitory environments and rich meals.
At the beginning, Toru Kasugano was willing to send his sister to that school because he valued the cafeteria there. If his sister, who was suffering from chronic malnutrition, was sent to a school with poor food, who knows what kind of trouble would arise.
“That’s the money you earned through your own hard work. Even if you are a useless brother, you shouldn’t spend your sister’s money, right?” Kasugano Toru comforted his sister and joked.
“No, brother is the best!” Kasugano Sora allowed her brother to make all kinds of jokes, even dirty ones, but there was one thing she would never give in to.
That’s what my brother said about being incompetent.
If my brother hadn’t worked so hard, I might have been adopted by a relative and watched the little inheritance left by my parents being divided up?
Don’t doubt people’s bottom line, human nature will always be the most vulnerable thing.
Even though the land prices in Neon have fallen rapidly after the real estate bubble in the last century, in a place like Tokyo where every inch of land is valuable, having a house of your own is still a considerable fortune.
Who can resist taking such a big piece of fat?
Do you really want to put your life and property into the hands of others?
At that desperate moment, it was this brother who was only two years older than him who took the initiative to step forward and save the family.
Although she didn’t know what price her brother paid at that time, even Qiong, who was still young at the time, knew how much effort her 12-year-old brother had to put in to allow them to live the life they have now.
So in the girl’s heart, her brother is the best brother in the world, no doubt about it.
Not to mention other boys being able to catch up with her brother, even if they were compared with her brother, Qiong would feel that it was an insult to her brother.
“Okay, okay, why are you so excited?” Seeing his sister’s face flushed, Kasugano Toru quickly comforted his sister.
“So, brother, do you want this money or not?” Qiong looked at his brother aggrievedly.
She worked so hard in the store just to let her brother see the pleased expression on his face after she was able to share the pressure for the family.
But now I can see the relieved expression, but my brother is unwilling to take the money. What should I do?
“No need, brother has also gained a lot today.” Kasugano Toru patted the sofa, motioned his sister to sit next to him, and then told Qiong everything that happened in the afternoon.
“Really? That sounds pretty reliable.” Compared to being exposed to the wind and sun on the streets of Tokyo, being able to paint at home would undoubtedly make Qiong feel more at ease.
“If a brother like this can’t find a girlfriend, then I, as his sister, will definitely help him! That’s right, I just want to have a brother.” Qiong’s thoughts began to become active.
“Okay, I’ll go cook. Go to bed early today. I’ll take you to the station tomorrow.” Seeing that his sister no longer insisted, Toru Kasugano stood up and prepared to take care of himself and his sister’s stomach.
To be honest, I’ve been through a lot today and walked a lot. If I don’t eat something good, I’d be letting down the 50,000 yen that Sawamura-san gave me.
“Well, I’ll go pack up. See you later, brother.” Qiong also got up and returned to the room.
This time we will be apart for another three months.
Chapter 16 Classmate Kato Megumi (Old Version)
“Then I’m leaving. Brother, you must take good care of yourself.”
“Well, don’t worry.”
“Stop eating those discounted vegetables and pay attention to the nutritional balance.”
“Okay, got it.”
“Don’t talk to those messy girls. I don’t want my brother to be deceived by them.”
“???”
Kasugano Toru was confused. What kind of logic was this? Did he look like a fool?
The kind of fool who can’t walk when he sees a woman.
“Promise me now!” Unable to get a reply from her brother, Qiong became anxious and hugged Kasugano Toru’s arm.
“Okay, I promise you, okay?”
“Hehe, then brother, see you during the summer vacation.” After receiving a positive answer, Qiong finally felt relieved. She waved to her brother and then walked into the tram car.
Toru Kasugano watched the train leave before turning and walking towards Toyonosaki Private Academy.
It was just because the distance was too far and they were separated by the tram door that he didn’t see the loneliness and sadness in his sister’s eyes.
“Stupid brother, you must take good care of yourself.”
“Also, my brother must be Qiong’s. Don’t wait for me to come back next time and find me a weird sister-in-law.”
“Good morning, Kasugano-san.”
When Toru Kasugano just stepped into the school gate, he heard a pleasant female voice.
He knew without looking that this must be Kato Megumi’s voice.
“Good morning, Kato-san.” The boy smiled and waved, then joked, “Kato-san is still so elusive. If you were an assassin, I would be killed without any preparation, right?”
“Maybe, but is Kasugano-san worth being killed?” Kato Megumi complained bluntly and launched a counterattack.
“Well, indeed not.” Although the answer was a bit hurtful, Kasugano Toru still had a clear idea.
I am a poor man with only my sister left. What is there for others to care about me?
Seeing the boy’s deflated look, Kato Megumi covered her mouth and laughed secretly.
“It would be great if we could be assigned to the same class this year.” After laughing, Kato Megumi’s eyes revealed a hint of anticipation. It was rare to have a friend she could talk to. If she was assigned to a different class, she might have to spend the entire second year of high school in boredom.
“Yeah, I do hope to continue to be in the same class with Kato, but the probability is only one in seven, so it’s better not to hold out too much hope.”
“That’s hard to say. I’ve always had good luck in this kind of thing.” Kato Megumi blinked, looking mysterious.
“You actually got it right…” Kasugano Toru thought that Kato Megumi should just set up a stall in front of the hospital.
Just put up two flags next to the stall, one with “Audio-Definition” and the other with “Reversal of Yin and Yang”, and business will surely be good.
The school’s bulletin board had a class list posted on it, and in the 2nd year B class were the names of Kasugano Toru and Kato Megumi.
“I told you, I’ve always had good luck in this kind of thing!” Kato Megumi’s expression was still calm, but the slightly upturned corners of her mouth clearly told the boy that the girl was in a good mood.
And for some reason, Kato Megumi seemed to put more emphasis on this kind of thing.
Of course, it could also be his illusion. After all, Kato Megumi’s tone… well, how should I put it, it’s hard for people to hear clearly what the point is.
Neon’s spring break lasts only about two weeks, but to the empty campus, these two weeks seem like two centuries.
The uncleaned classrooms were covered in dust, and apart from the clubs that needed training during the holidays, almost no one came to this part of the school.
Therefore, on the first day of school, after finding their classes, all the students began their busiest work.
Spring cleaning!
The two people who came to the 2nd Grade B classroom naturally could not escape such group activities. They were assigned the tasks of carrying materials and cleaning windows respectively.
I don’t know what the teachers in Japan are thinking. The girls’ school uniforms are all sailor suits and short skirts, but they prefer to assign the job of cleaning windows to girls.
So when girls stand on the table to clean the windows, embarrassing scenes become common.
There are boys who blush and look away with their hearts beating fast, and there are also little kids who stare at the girls they like for fear that others will take advantage of them.
Of course, there are more girls who are secretive and complete the tasks assigned by the teacher reluctantly.
Fortunately, Kato Megumi was responsible for the glass in the corridor on the second floor, which could be reached without standing on a stool.
What a magical country.
Kasugano Toru sighed like this and walked towards his destination.
Just like the school in China in his previous life, in addition to general cleaning, collecting textbooks is also a very important part of the first day of school. This time, the task assigned to Kasugano Toru was to go to the information room to collect textbooks for the entire 2nd grade Class B.
Of course, one person certainly cannot move so many things, so the teacher specially prepared a small cart for him.
The cart made some clanging noises due to the uneven ground, but Toru Kasugano was not worried about disturbing others.
Because now the school is full of these carts.
There are seven classes in one grade, a total of three grades, and they all received their textbooks today, so there was no question of who disturbed whom.
However, on his way to the data room, he encountered a small incident.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri was in a corner, talking to a boy with glasses.
If we only look at the expressions, it would be time for the shock department to go to work again tomorrow.
Shocked! The beautiful girl was…
As he passed by them, Kasugano Toru could still vaguely hear the voices of the two people talking.
It’s not that he deliberately did something as tasteless as eavesdropping, but this road is the only way to go from the teaching building to the information room. I really don’t know how these two people chose this place.
But then again, it’s really surprising that a beautiful girl who is famous in the school is friends with such a “celebrity”.
“Ren Ye, just give up. There is no way I can help you.”
“But if it wasn’t Eriri, who could have drawn such a beautiful original painting?”
“You can find someone else, but no matter what, I won’t help you.”
“Please, Eriri, I’ll do you any favor for me!” While saying this, the boy with glasses knelt on the ground and took out his trump card.
“Hurry up and get up. I don’t know what others will say if they see us.” Seeing her childhood friend doing this, Eriri was almost going crazy.
There are people coming and going here. What if word gets out that I’m relying on my family background to bully my classmates? Then wouldn’t the image I’ve worked so hard to build up in school be completely destroyed?
Thinking of this, the anxious Ying Lili quickly looked around, fearing that someone might pass by.
But it was because of this action that she saw a familiar figure.
At that time, she stared at his back for a whole afternoon.
There is no way I’ll admit my mistake!
Chapter 17 Eriri: Kasugano-san, please teach me how to draw! (Old version)
Even though schools in Japan all have small classes, the number of textbooks for a class of 20 to 30 students added together is not a small number.
After all, there is so much homework, and each subject has its own textbook. If there is no stroller, it will probably take all the boys in the class to carry it all, right?
But even with the help of the cart, carrying the textbooks from the resource room to the cart is not an easy task.
In other words, Toru Kasugano has been able to build a good body with the help of his work. If it were those otakus or greenhouse flowers, they would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
Even so, Toru Kasugano felt a little tired.
“Huh, I should have dragged others along.” Looking at the mountain of textbooks, the boy shook his head helplessly.
But on second thought, he didn’t have any friends anyway, and probably couldn’t call anyone over, so it would be better not to embarrass himself.
“Kasugano-san!” Just as Kasugano Toru was about to push the cart back to the classroom, a panting female voice sounded behind him.
“Sawamura-kun?” Toru Kasugano was a little confused. Is this guy a Cao Cao?
Can it appear in any corner at will?
I just saw her talking to that school-famous otaku, how come she appeared in the information room now?
Ying Lili felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. Although in the eyes of others, she was a perfect young lady, but only a few people knew her true nature behind the scenes.
Homegirl!
It’s still of great quality!
Although the distance from the place just now to the data room was not far, running all the way still made her heart pound.
And there seems to be more reasons for the accelerated heartbeat.
“I finally found you, Kasugano-san.” After trying hard to calm her breathing, Eriri said these words with difficulty.
“Are you looking for me?” Kasugano Toru was even more surprised. They had just met yesterday.
Although there might be some bad memories left, such as he accidentally drew a portrait that didn’t look like Eriri at all, but overall, Toru Kasugano felt that he should not have offended the other party.
If the girl was really angry, why would she pay a whopping 50,000 yen to buy the portrait?
Eriri is indeed looking for Kasugano Toru.
Ever since she found out yesterday that the other person was also a student of Toyosaki Private Academy, the girl has been looking for him since she arrived at school today.
Unfortunately, Eriri is a girl who cares a lot about her image. Although she is nearsighted, she is unwilling to wear framed glasses for the sake of her image. In addition, the girl who is popular among classmates has always been the focus of the crowd, so she can’t spare much time to find the person she cares about, so she ends up with a disappointing result.
But just now, after being called to a remote corner by Tomoya Aki, he unexpectedly discovered the figure of Toru Kasugano.
She didn’t care that Aki Tomoya was still kneeling on the ground behind her, and hurriedly followed him.
It was only because of her weak constitution and the persistence of Tomoya Aki that she was unable to catch up with Toru Kasugano until now.
“Kasugano-san, I…” Although she found the person she was looking for, seeing the puzzled expression on Kasugano Toru’s face, Eriri opened and closed her mouth, not knowing how to start her mouth.
“Sawamura-kun, if you have nothing to do, could you please make way for me? The teacher is waiting for me to go back.” Although he didn’t know what Eriri wanted to talk to him about, Toru Kasugano’s instinct told him that if he didn’t leave quickly, there would be trouble in the future.
Moreover, given Sawamura Spencer Eriri’s family background, how could a commoner like him solve something that even she found difficult?
It is better not to ask for trouble. If he gets involved with these big families, he will only be crushed into miserable cannon fodder. Perhaps Tokyo Bay will be his final destination.
But Toru Kasugano obviously didn’t want that ending.
Seeing that the boy wanted to leave, Eriri became even more anxious.
Fortunately, this time, after a long period of preparation, she finally opened her mouth.
“Kasugano-san, please teach me how to draw!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ying Lili wailed in her heart.
“What the hell am I talking about!!!”
“I’m sorry, Sawamura-san, you’re already the ace of the art club. I don’t think there’s anything I can teach you about painting. I still have a lot to learn from you. If you’re trying to make fun of me, then you’ve achieved your goal. Can you please move aside?”
Toru Kasugano had seen Eriri’s work at the school festival in Toyonosaki last year.
To be fair, the girl is definitely better than him in painting skills.
But there was nothing he could do. In his previous life, he was just a self-taught person, a latecomer. Although he was extremely talented, it would be difficult for him to become successful without the guidance of a famous teacher. In addition, he traveled through time at an early age and had no chance to learn and accumulate experience. Compared with the girl in front of him, his skills were indeed not good enough.
But he also has his own advantages. According to Machida Sonoko, he is full of spiritual energy.
There are many different meanings to this aura. For example, what Kasugano Toru understood is that his paintings can always capture the essence of things.
But talent is something that cannot be taught.
Just like Eriri can’t teach others how to become a rich second-generation, Kasugano Toru’s so-called aura is just a rather mysterious statement, which depends more on one’s own understanding.
He believed that Eriri must also know about this, and the girl had been looking at the painting he had been drawing for two days yesterday and the day before yesterday, so it was impossible for her not to realize this problem.
So when the girl said that she hoped Kasugano Toru would teach her how to draw, the boy subconsciously thought that this was another game played by rich kids who enjoyed toying with people’s hearts.
“No, I’m not making fun of you. I really hope to learn from you.” After hearing the boy’s words, Ying Lili felt so aggrieved that she almost cried.
It is true that she is a rich person, but this is not something she can choose.
And she had no intention of making fun of Kasugano Toru, she really wanted to learn from the boy.
If she had to ask the reason, it was because the boy’s ability to see through everything made her heart beat.
As long as I can learn this kind of skill, my work will surely be more popular, right?
If this is really possible, then having a comic book of your own isn’t such a distant dream, right?
Eriri felt excited when she thought about her fans reading her comics, being able to resonate with her and integrate into the world she created.
However, if the current problem is not solved, it seems that everything is just wishful thinking.
“If Kasugano-san doesn’t believe me, I can pay you. You only need to teach me four hours a week. How about 20,000 yen an hour?”
Damn, it’s the same familiar recipe and taste.
This familiar line flashed through Kasugano Toru’s mind.
How could there be such a person? How could there be such a person?
Knowing that others can resist all temptations.
Except money!
Chapter 18: Eriri: I was here first! (Old version)
Kasugano Toru was really dumbfounded.
You can get 80,000 yen by working only four hours a week. Is this the confidence of the top wealthy families?
If I really take this job, I will have a guaranteed monthly income of 320,000 yen, so why would I need a bicycle?
“If you’re not satisfied with the compensation, we can discuss it again, as long as Kasugano-san is willing!” Seeing the boy’s excited look, Eriri raised the stakes again.
It’s just money, is there anyone who lacks this?
Even if mom is unwilling to pay the money, our Ying Lili is a wealthy woman herself. Only 320,000 a month is no big deal.
Just buy one less piece of clothing or one less pair of shoes.
Just when Toru Kasugano was about to succumb to the power of money, a cold voice suddenly sounded.
“I’m sorry, Sawamura-san, but Kasugano-san may not have the time to teach you how to draw.”
“Kasumigaoka Utaha!” Eriri was very familiar with this girl with long black hair who suddenly appeared.
He is the type that can be listened to by mature people.
There was no way. My childhood friend was a fan of Xia Shizi’s books and had mentioned this woman’s books in front of me more than once.
Although she was disgusted by such recommendations, Eriri had to admit that she was also a fan of the book “Love Metronome”.
The reason why she knew Kasumi Shiko’s true identity was because Eriri herself had participated in the signing event for “Love Metronome”.
But she would never admit this.
Especially at this moment, when she was about to succeed, Cheng Yaojin suddenly appeared and completely disrupted her plans.
“Well, Senior, I have time.”
“No, Kasugano-san, you didn’t.”
“But Senior, I really have time!”
“I told you, you didn’t!”
“Senior, I need to make money, sob.” Kasugano Toru was about to cry. Cutting off someone’s financial resources is like killing their parents. Doesn’t Kasumigaoka Utaha understand this truth?
“I know, so I also have something to ask of Kasugano-san.” Kasumigaoka Utaha proudly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then straightened her chest and said, “I would like to invite Kasugano-san to participate in the creation of “Love Metronome”. For example, you can help me analyze the characters, provide inspiration, and polish the work in the later stage. You can be responsible for all these tasks.”
“Oh, this.” After hearing the girl’s words, Kasugano Toru wanted to refuse immediately.
You can tell from the sounds of it that these are not easy tasks to accomplish. Compared to teaching Eriri how to paint, this kind of work is quite arduous.
“Don’t be so quick to refuse. Don’t you want to hear the reward I offer, Kasugano-san?” A sly smile appeared on Kasumigaoka Utaha’s face.
Because Kasugano Toru’s mouth, which was about to refuse, immediately closed.
“With Kasugano-san joining us, I believe that we can complete a volume of Love Metronome in two months, so I will give you 20% of all the royalties I get as compensation for this job.”
Kasugano Toru’s mouth got bigger.
He was not surprised by the share ratio, because he knew that the higher the remuneration, the more he had to pay.
Not everyone is a rich girl like Eriri who can spend money without a care.
Even though Kasumigaoka Utaha is a best-selling novelist and her income is not low, she is not that wealthy.
There was only one real reason that made him confused.
“Why me?”
“Because you are the one who truly understands this book. Through yesterday’s conversation, I already know that Kasugano-san is the one who truly integrates into the world constructed by the novel. Having such insights will surely be of great help to my future creation process. If Kasugano-san is willing to help, I am confident that I can shorten the original three months of creation time to two months.”
“Also, don’t rush to refuse. The sales of the first volume of Love Metronome reached 100,000 copies, and Fuzugawa gave me a 10% share. Are you sure you don’t want to do the math first?”
Whenever it comes to money, Toru Kasugano’s mind always works quickly.
It is known that the sales of “Love Metronome” volume is 700 yen, and Kasumi Shiko’s share is 10%, which means she can get 70 yen. The first volume sold a total of 100,000 copies, with a total royalty of 7 million yen. If each subsequent volume has this level, Kasugano Toru can get 20% of each volume.
Ask, how much money can he get in total!
Kasugano Toru is not bragging, he knew how to answer this kind of questions when he was in elementary school in his previous life.
1.4 million yen for two months, this was a number he had never dared to think about before.
People say shit tastes bad and money is hard to earn. So when did making money become such an easy thing?
“Kasumigaoka Utaha, do you know how to queue? It’s a simple principle of first come, first served, don’t you understand?” Seeing that Kasugano Toru was about to be snatched away, Eriri could no longer sit still.
I was obviously here first!
“What Sawamura-kun said is right. Even elementary school students know that they have to line up. Why doesn’t Sawamura-kun know it?”
“What are you talking about? It’s obviously you…”
“It’s not me, Sawamura-kun is the one who came later, because yesterday, I had already reached some kind of monetary transaction relationship with Kasugano-kun, do you understand?” Kasumigaoka Utaha tapped her lips with her finger. She was obviously just a high school student, but the charm she exuded was enough to make adults ashamed.
Toyosaki’s school uniform paired with black stockings, coupled with her sexy body, is enough to make one’s heart skip a beat.
What’s even more terrible is that this fairy actually winked at Kasugano Toru. Her mature and charming temperament coupled with her pure and playful expression made her look like the perfect combination of an angel and a devil.
The boy felt that at this moment, he seemed to have grown up suddenly…
“Money…money transaction…” Eriri’s face turned red, and someone who was the illustrator of the book immediately thought of some bad scenarios.
In a closed space, with pink lights, a man and a woman were alone in the same room. After the storm, the woman laughed arrogantly, threw down a few Fukuzawa Yukichi cards and said, “Young man, I am very satisfied. Next week, the same time and place, is that ok?”
“That’s right, it’s a monetary transaction. So, just like Sawamura-san said, first come, first served. Why don’t you go and line up first, and when the transaction between Kasugano-san and I is over, maybe I can give some to Sawamura-san.” The blushing words came out of Kasumigaoka Utaha’s rosy little mouth, and she licked the corners of her mouth. If seen by others, there might be a stampede in Toyogasaki today.
“Shameless!” The thin-skinned Ying Lili could no longer bear such provocative words. Her porcelain-white skin was covered with blushes, and she fled from here, covering her face.
She lost again in this confrontation.
“Senior, is it really necessary for you to describe an ordinary employment relationship in such a way that it is so…easy to be misunderstood?” Kasugano Toru shook his head helplessly.
If he had known that Kasumigaoka Utaha was such a person, he would have carefully considered whether to become the illustrator of this girl.
But now it seems that I have already boarded the pirate ship. Is it too late to turn back?
Chapter 19: Kasumigaoka Utaha’s Decision (Old Version)
The final transaction price was that Toru Kasugano took one day every week to discuss the plot with Kasumigaoka Utaha to deepen the characterization of the characters.
What the girl paid was not a 20% share, but a fixed reward of 50,000 yen.
Although Kasugano Toru was at a disadvantage compared to tutoring Eriri, long-term poverty made him understand a truth.
That is, don’t take money that you shouldn’t take!
Putting aside the fact that a gentleman loves money but gets it in a proper way, Kasugano Toru knows his own weight better than anyone else.
Are your skills really worthy of a 20% share or 20,000 yen an hour?
The answer is no.
If you lose your mind because of the temptation of money at this moment, the price you have to pay in the future will definitely far exceed the money you earn now.
There is no doubt that in the eyes of rich people, it is very easy to bully someone.
Including the senior schoolmate who now looks very seductive and easy to talk to.
Maybe one day in the future I will be the one who pushes him into the abyss.
You know, Toru Kasugano wants to continue working in the illustration circle, and if Utaha Kasumigaoka is a famous light novel writer and has any negative comments about him, who in the circle would dare to work with him in the future?
Kasugano Toru would not and could not do such a thing as drinking poison to quench thirst.
But overall, today’s gains are quite significant.
If he wasn’t in a hurry to get the textbooks back to the classroom, Kasugano Toru would have wanted to share the good news with his sister.
Do you think you’re great just because you’re beautiful and can earn $120,000?
My brother, I was kept by someone… After being hired, I only had to work four days a month and earned 200,000!
In a good mood, Toru Kasugano returned to the teaching building humming a little tune, and with the help of his classmates, he moved the textbooks to the classroom.
It is said that money is a good thing. With the blessing of this BUFF, Kasugano Toru could climb to the third floor in one breath without panting, his back no longer felt sore, and he even had enough time to hum a song.
This good mood lasted until the class meeting started.
“Kasugano-san seems to be in a good mood.” Because among all the classmates, Kasugano Toru only has one acquaintance, Kato Megumi, and Kato Megumi only has one acquaintance, Kasugano Toru, so the two naturally became deskmates again.
Ever since she came back from collecting her textbooks, Kato Megumi noticed that Kasugano Toru always had a smile on his face, so she said something out of curiosity.
“Indeed, this is the first time I know how great it feels to be with a rich woman.” Since they are friends, Kasugano Toru would not be as serious as he was when facing Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha, but instead started a joke.
“Ah, Kasugano-san, you can’t bully disabled people. It’s a crime to cheat people out of their money just because they are blind.” Kato Megumi complained in a tone that was neither light nor heavy.
But the smile on his lips had disappeared.
Originally, when she saw that Kasugano Toru was in such a good mood, she was clearly smiling the whole time.
“No, no, how could the other party be blind to find my real gold on the beach?” Kasugano Toru did not pay attention to his deskmate’s behavior, but instead started to brag about himself.
“So that’s how it is.” Hearing the boy’s words, the smile on Kato Megumi’s lips reappeared.
She thought about seeing Kasugano Toru drawing on the street yesterday.
“If that’s the case, then there’s nothing to worry about, right? But he’s still like this, always saying irrelevant things. Does he like to be misunderstood so much?”
The rooftop of Toyosaki Private Academy is a restricted area.
Don’t get the wrong idea. This is not a restricted area because someone has fought here before. The school simply believes that if students are allowed to enter and exit at will, there may be serious safety hazards.
Although the rooftop is surrounded by high barbed wire.
However, there are always some people in this world who are born to break the rules, such as Kasumigaoka Utaha who is talking on the phone on the rooftop at this moment.
Being a top student allows her to ignore the management of teachers and schools to a certain extent, as long as she doesn’t do anything out of line.
Being a beautiful girl also gives her privileges among students.
During the general cleaning today, when she picked up the broom, a boy appeared and swept the classroom floor clean.
When she picked up the rag, a few other boys would come and make the glass spotless in an instant.
Being fast is like having super powers.
The happy and leisurely girl avoided her followers and went to the rooftop alone to make a phone call.
“Xiao Shi, have you really thought it through?” The voice on the other end was pleasant but also full of worry.
She understood better than anyone what the novel “Love Metronome” meant to the girl named Kasumigaoka Utaha.
That’s why she was surprised by the girl’s decision.
“Of course I’ve thought about it. In the eyes of Editor Machida, am I the kind of person who makes random decisions and causes trouble for others?”
“That’s not what I meant. I just didn’t expect you to rashly let Kasugano-sensei participate in the creation of the novel.”
If she was just working as an illustrator, Machida Sonoko would definitely not have any objection.
But now, Kasumigaoka Utaha wants to directly let Kasugano Toru participate in the creation of the novel. She trusts someone she has only met once so much that Machida Sonoko doesn’t know what to say.
“Editor Machida, you still don’t understand.” The girl tidied her hair that was messed up by the wind and said leisurely, “I just hope someone can understand the story I wrote. You don’t understand the feeling of meeting a soulmate.”
“In China, the story of Boya and Ziqi has been passed down for thousands of years. Although I don’t expect to meet such a person, Kasugano-san is indeed the reader who truly understands “Love Metronome”.”
How can I put it? A literary girl is a literary girl, and she talks about allusions all the time.
This made Machida Sonoko feel like a dimensionality reduction attack.
But if Toru Kasugano knew that his preparations just to get this job were interpreted like this in the eyes of Utaha Kasumigaoka, perhaps he would have been more cautious at the time.
It really is about more reading comprehension than the author himself thought.
“Okay, since Xiaoshi has made up her mind, I won’t say much.” Machida Yuanzi gave in helplessly.
But it was not her turn to comment, after all, it was Kasumigaoka Utaha’s own book.
But after much thought, she still wanted to fulfill her responsibilities as an editor.
“But I have to remind Xiaoshi that there is not much time left before the deadline. The battle of wits and courage with the editor-in-chief has already wasted a lot of time. If the progress is slowed down further, the popularity accumulated by the first volume of “Love Metronome” will disappear completely.”
Chapter 20 Kato Megumi’s Comfort (Old Version)
To a certain extent, light novels and fan circles have certain similarities.
For example, it is updated and replaced very quickly. It can become popular overnight, but also fall into obscurity overnight.
Some authors become famous because of one book, but if they don’t produce a follow-up work within three months, the popularity they have accumulated will disappear without a trace.
The first volume of “Love Metronome” did achieve remarkable results. With the unsparing publicity of the former editor-in-chief of Fuzugawa Shoten, Kasumigaoka Utaha quickly gained a large number of fans, and the novel also achieved huge success.
But after changing the editor-in-chief, it would be wishful thinking to want to obtain the previous resources again.
In addition, a lot of time was spent on competing with the current editor-in-chief, making the already limited time even more stretched.
“I understand. Editor Machida, don’t worry. I’m not fighting alone now.” Kasumigaoka Utaha hung up the phone confidently.
Only Machida Sonoko was left staring blankly at the other end of the phone.
What are you talking about? You haven’t been fighting alone before.
I’m such a big living person, can’t you see me?
“Brother, are you telling the truth?” After arriving at school, Kasugano Yui originally planned to report her safety to her brother, but as soon as the call was connected, she heard Kasugano Toru excitedly talking about this matter.
“Well, senior is quite trustworthy. She won’t lie to me about something like this.” Kasugano Toru laughed when he heard that his sister was more excited than him.
Little money, so sweet!
“That’s great. Now brother doesn’t have to eat those things anymore.” After getting the affirmation, Qiong jumped up happily.
But her reaction made the boy feel sad.
It’s really not easy.
No one could imagine how a 12-year-old boy, with a sister two years younger than him, could survive to this day.
In order to keep the house left by his parents, he fought wits and courage with greedy relatives. In order to take care of his malnourished sister, he went to the streets alone to paint for others. In order to get more pay, he lied about his age and went to work in a place like a pub where good and bad people mixed together.
It was just a casual remark, but only the brother and sister themselves understood the bitterness behind it.
“Qiong, remember to take good care of yourself over there. If you’re short of money, tell your brother. We won’t have to live in such a tight spot anymore.” Kasugano Toru hurriedly gave his sister a few instructions and quickly hung up the phone.
He couldn’t hold back his emotions.
“Here, Kasugano-san.” Just when Toru Kasugano wanted to hold his head and cry, a tissue was suddenly handed to him.
“Ah this…” The boy was shocked.
I had deliberately found a place where no one was around, right? How come I was still discovered?
And listening to the sound, there is no need to guess at all.
Apart from Kato Megumi, who else could approach me silently and without being noticed?
“I didn’t expect Kasugano-san would have such a fragile side, crying like a child.” Kato Megumi stuffed the tissue into the boy’s arms, then stood up straight and deliberately looked away.
“But, next time, I hope Kasugano-san can choose a better place. Making a phone call in front of the ladies’ room can easily make people think of something bad.”
“Fuck!” Upon hearing what Kato Megumi said, Kasugano Toru jumped up from the ground.
It really jumps!
As we all know, it is difficult for a person to pay attention to the surrounding environment when he is on the phone.
The media has previously made a spoof that when passers-by are making phone calls, no matter what is handed to them, they will take it without knowing anything.
It’s like an instinct etched into our DNA.
Therefore, after hearing what Kato Megumi said, he thought he had subconsciously walked to the door of the women’s restroom.
My life has just started to get better, and if I were to become socially dead now, I would be doomed!
But when he stood up, he realized that he had been fooled.
What women’s restroom? I was clearly standing in front of the stairs leading to the rooftop.
“Kato-san, do you feel so accomplished when you tease a sad person?” Seeing the girl smirking, Toru Kasugano said indignantly.
“No, only Kasugano-san can get such special treatment.” Kato Megumi looked particularly cute when she pursed her lips. Kasugano Toru, who originally wanted to complain, suddenly became speechless.
In fact, she also wants to comfort herself, right?
What a kind girl.
“Kato, why are you here?” The boy, who didn’t want to argue anymore, chose to change the subject. He was indeed quite curious. The place where he was standing was in the completely opposite direction of the classroom and had nothing to do with the toilet. How could Kato Megumi sneak here?
“I’m here to see you.” The girl’s voice was soft, but every word was clear, gently striking Kasugano Toru’s heart.
But the next sentence made the boy’s original strange thoughts disappear completely: “The teacher said that there will be a class meeting later, and asked the students who are still outside to return to the classroom quickly. I was going to call Kasugano-san, but it kept saying that the line was busy. I wondered if Kasugano-san would call from somewhere, so I found this place.”
Kasugano Toru nodded: “Is that so? Then let’s go back quickly.”
“Yeah.” Kato Megumi nodded, put her hands behind her back, and followed Kasugano Toru back to the classroom.
But the boy, who was always smart, overlooked a problem this time.
The place where I made the call was a place that was rarely visited by people.
After all, Fengzhizaki strictly prohibits students from going up to the rooftop, and normally no one passes by the stairs leading to the rooftop.
This is also the reason why Toru Kasugano often hides here to make phone calls. After all, it is quiet here.
But why did Kato Megumi know that he liked to hide here and make phone calls?
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” Sitting in her seat, Ying Lili was sulking.
It’s almost there, it’s almost there!
When she offered the reward, she could already see the wavering in Kasugano Toru’s eyes. As long as she persuaded him a little more, or increased the reward a little, she would be able to successfully achieve her goal.
But at this critical moment, that annoying fat woman in black stockings appeared.
“Why does she always like to snatch things from me?” The blonde girl sighed in her heart and thought of bad things again.
“Besides, she is obviously a high school student, but she is so shameless to say such things. She is so shameless.” The girl thought of what Kasumigaoka Utaha said about “money transaction” at that time, and her face turned red again.
“But what should I do now?” Thinking of the approaching deadline, Eriri felt a little desperate.
“If…if I hadn’t seen him drawing at that time, it would have been better…”
Chapter 21: Dome’s Surprise (Old Version)
It is most appropriate to describe these people nowadays as each having his own ulterior motives.
Eriri is depressed, while Kasumigaoka Utaha is full of longing for the future.
As for Toru Kasugano, he was ecstatic about the upcoming wealth.
If it weren’t for the memories and experiences of his past life, the young man who was used to being poor might have engaged in revengeful consumption behavior.
On the first day of school, there was nothing else to do except cleaning and collecting textbooks.
After the head teacher gave a few instructions, the students rushed out of the classroom.
After the holidays, it is the hardest to get back to work.
Kasugano Toru did not compete with others. After all, he would be the only one at home when he returned, so there was no need to rush.
As calm as him was the girl named Kato Megumi. Given her personality, she wouldn’t do anything hasty.
That indifference once made Kasugano Toru think that even if the world was to end in the next second, it would be difficult for Kato Megumi to show any anxious expression.
“Is Kasugano-san ready to go home?” Most of the students in the classroom had already left. Apart from the two people who were still leisurely packing their things, no one else was visible.
“No, I have to go buy some things later.”
“Are you going to the supermarket to buy groceries?”
“No, Qiong went back to school and I’m the only one at home. I just need to deal with the leftovers from the past two days.” Kasugano Toru’s tone was relaxed.
This is also his true inner thought.
For people who have actually cooked, the headache is not how to cook.
But how to determine what to eat every day.
Especially when Qiong was at home, in order to let his sister eat the best meals, Kasugano Toru always racked his brains to prepare meals for his sister in different ways.
But now that my sister has gone to the private Otome Saki Girls’ Academy, where the food is better, and I’m the only one left at home, I can just get by.
Kato Megumi hesitated for a moment, but she still suppressed the idea of ​​inviting the boy to her home for dinner, and suppressed her inner curiosity, and said softly to Kasugano Toru: “Kasugano-san, see you tomorrow.”
“Well, see you tomorrow.”
After watching Kato Megumi leave the classroom, Kasugano Toru also picked up his backpack.
It’s not that he disliked Kato Megumi and was unwilling to leave the classroom with the girl.
Rather, such behavior is contrary to his creed.
Although I don’t know why, Kato Megumi’s presence is very weak, and generally no one will notice her. But in fact, as long as you pay attention, you can still find this girl.
You have to know that in high school, there is no big news in school, unless someone openly promotes otaku culture at the campus festival, or dates two beautiful school girls, Toyosaki, at the same time. Otherwise, things like XX and XX dating are enough for students to gossip.
But this doesn’t suit Kasugano Toru’s character. If it becomes known to everyone, it might hinder him from making money!
For example, at last year’s school festival, he witnessed with his own eyes that Eriri was busy like a dog.
Even a beautiful girl like this has to be treated like a man and used as a tool. If those guys knew that I could draw, he would definitely be the next Toyosaki’s mule.
Not only can you not get a penny, but you also have to waste time working to earn money. If you can’t draw well or your ideas conflict with others, you may be isolated. In comparison, only a fool would go to such a place to help.
Oh, you are talking about Ying Lili, emmmm, I said this girl is not stupid, do you believe it?
Deliberately staggering his pace with Kato Megumi, Kasugano Toru soon left the campus as well.
Today he also has an important task, which is to purchase tools related to painting.
Although he was not used to using a digital tablet, he still had to prepare one for the convenience of modification and in order to pass the assessment of Kasumigaoka Utaha.
After all, if you use drawing paper, it will be difficult to modify your drawings once you’ve put pen to paper.
But if you use a digital tablet, you can change it for you no matter how many times you use it.
The boy doesn’t know Kasumigaoka Utaha’s personality. What if she is the rumored XX Party A?
So after much thought, he decided to get a drawing tablet. Although it is not as convenient to use as drawing paper, it will not have much impact.
Moreover, Machida Sonoko promised to reimburse me. If I don’t take advantage of such an opportunity, is I still a human being?
The area near Kasugano Toru’s house is not a commercial area, and there are no places to shop except for some convenience stores.
These convenience stores can meet his daily needs, but if he wants to buy things like drawing tablets, he can’t do that.
So his destination today was the commercial district seven stops away from his home.
There are many villa areas where rich people live, and their purchasing power is far beyond what we can compare to back home.
Sitting on the tram, bored Kasugano Toru could only stare out the window.
His phone couldn’t even run a serious game, the screen was extremely dim, and he couldn’t fiddle with it like others could.
Even if the Japanese trams had been connected to signals a few years ago, it would have made no difference to him.
Just as he was lost in thought, the tattered cell phone began to vibrate.
Trying hard to block out the surrounding light with his hands, Kasugano Toru put his eyes close to the screen.
“Brother, the things I bought for you should be arriving soon. When are you coming home? I’ll talk to the courier company and have them deliver the goods to your door.”
“What did you buy me again?” For a moment, Kasugano Toru wanted to ask his sister what she had wasted the money on, but he suppressed the impulse in his heart.
There is no way, I am really afraid of being poor.
“Oh, this is a surprise. Don’t ask so many questions, brother. Just tell me what time the goods can be delivered to my door.” Qiong attached a playful emoticon to the end of the text message, which brightened Kasugano Toru’s originally depressed mood.
“About seven o’clock. I’m going to buy a digital tablet today to facilitate future work. But don’t worry, Qiong, the editor Machida will reimburse the money for the digital tablet.”
“I’m not worried. Brother is not the kind of person who spends money recklessly. Then I’ll ask the courier company to go there at 7:30. Is that okay, brother?”
“Okay, then I’ll look forward to it and see what surprises Qiong can give me.”
“I will definitely not let you down, just wait for me, brother!”
After closing his phone, Toru Kasugano smiled again.
This girl has learned to play mysterious.
Chapter 22: Eriri doesn’t want to endure it anymore (old version)
The price distribution of digital tablets is quite irregular, ranging from a few thousand yen to hundreds of thousands of yen.
But the ones that cost a few thousand yen were too low quality, and he couldn’t afford the ones that cost hundreds of thousands, so Toru Kasugano acted within his means and chose a digital tablet worth 40,000 yen.
Intuos Pro claims to have 8196 levels of pressure sensitivity, and a bunch of parameters that are so confusing that Toru Kasugano can’t understand them at all.
With his current financial strength, he has no chance of getting to know anything about electronic products.
The reason why I chose this digital tablet, in addition to its moderate price, is another most important reason.
That is, among the tablets of the same price, this one feels closer to the real effect. Kasugano Toru has also tested it himself. Although there is still a slight difference compared to drawing on paper, he believes that once he is familiar with it, he can ignore this small flaw.
If one were to ask what the difference is between men and women shopping, Kasugano Toru thinks it must be the difference in time.
As a typical man, Kasugano Toru would always determine what he wanted to buy in advance when shopping, and then go straight to the target. As long as the price was right, he would pay and leave, and the whole process would not take more than five minutes.
But when I go shopping with my sister, it’s a completely different story.
God knows how Qiong, who has always been malnourished, managed to kill her brother, who was used to doing physical work.
Fortunately, he was the only one out today. Without that little girl, everything became smooth.
Pay and go!
Kasugano Toru experienced the pleasure of spending money lavishly for the first time in a long time.
No wonder everyone wants to be rich, it feels so good to spend money.
Especially since you are spending other people’s money today, it’s double the happiness.
“Kasugano-san?”
Just as Toru Kasugano was carefully examining the digital tablet he had purchased at a “huge expense”, a voice pulled him out of the pleasure of shopping.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri was standing in front of him.
This is the third day in a row that we’ve run into each other outside of school, right?
No, you shouldn’t say that.
Because yesterday’s encounter should have been initiated by Eriri and was the result of a long-planned plan.
“Good afternoon, Sawamura-san.” Looking at the sunset outside the store, Toru Kasugano felt a little emotional.
The less you want to get close to something, the easier it is to get close to it.
Is this Murphy’s Law?
“Are you buying a graphics tablet?” Eriri noticed the box in Toru Kasugano’s hand with her sharp eyes.
“Well, I took an illustration job before, so I made some preparations.” Kasugano Toru did not hide anything, and this was not something that could not be brought to the surface.
“Is it the GALAXY PROK1? The feel of this one is very average, and the high level of pressure sensitivity is actually an amplification of physical data. Don’t be fooled by the eloquent words of those salesmen.” Eriri “kindly” introduced the digital tablet to Toru Kasugano.
It has to be said that the girl from a well-off family knows much more about these things than Kasugano Toru. Things like electronic products, as long as she is interested in them, will definitely appear in her bedroom the next day.
So the expert Eriri just grabbed Kasugano Toru’s sleeve and took him to another counter.
“I recommend this one. It has 4K resolution, can perfectly restore realistic colors, and has anti-glare etched glass to avoid the impact of reflections on paintings.” The girl excitedly introduced the product in front of her. Those who didn’t know the situation might have thought she was a newly hired salesperson in the store.
“Also, the best thing about this digital tablet is the pen that comes with it. It uses electromagnetic induction technology and has a true 8192-level pressure sensitivity. When you draw, it feels like you are on real drawing paper. You can hardly notice the difference. This is the one I am using now!”
Looking at the girl’s excited expression, Kasugano Toru believed that she must be seriously recommending it to him.
But after seeing the brand and price of this digital tablet, he was completely distracted.
Wacom and Crown Emperor Pro, priced at 548,000 yen…
Toru Kasugano swallowed hard, he originally thought that spending 40,000 yen at once was already an extremely extravagant and wasteful behavior, but it was not until he met Eriri that he realized what it meant that poverty limited his imagination.
What is beyond my reach is actually just a prop that others use casually. Such a gap…
Well, actually Toru Kasugano really isn’t envious at all.
Because he has always understood one thing.
Do you think rich people are really happy?
No, you can’t even imagine the happiness of rich people!
Since it is unimaginable, Kasugano Toru will naturally not be affected.
“Well, Sawamura-san, I think this Intuos model is pretty good…” Kasugano Toru squeezed out these words with difficulty and wanted to say goodbye.
The reason why it was squeezed out from between the teeth was, of course, because if the boy opened his mouth now, he would definitely shed tears of envy.
Too sour!
“Why? This one is obviously better. It will definitely bring out Kasugano-san’s painting skills.” Seeing that her kindness was rejected once again, Eriri became anxious again.
Why do I feel like I’m having a bad luck lately?
“The answer is very simple, because Kasugano-kun can’t afford it.” A cold voice suddenly sounded.
Kasugano Toru covered his face helplessly. What on earth was going on today?
This happened twice in just half a day. Didn’t I check the almanac before going out today?
And why would Kasumigaoka Utaha appear in such a place?
“Senior, you haven’t been following me, have you?”
“Of course not. Although Kasugano-kun is very important to me, it is not worth it for me to do something that goes against my dignity.” Kasumigaoka Utaha was not unhappy about Kasugano Toru’s “joke”. Instead, she smiled at the boy.
This made the young man feel cold from the bottom of his feet to the bottom of his heart.
MD, I will definitely be implicated again later.
I just hope that this time, Kasumigaoka Utaha won’t say anything like money transactions again.
This is a busy shopping mall, not the entrance of a deserted data room. If someone hears something wrong here, I’m doomed!
Fortunately, Kasumigaoka Utaha was also able to distinguish the situation clearly. She shook the box in her hand and said to Kasugano Toru, “The notebook I used to write before broke, so I came to buy a new one today.”
The girl was holding a brand new laptop in her hand. Even though Toru Kasugano was not very familiar with electronic products, he knew that this was a new model released by Sony last month.
There is no way, the tram is full of advertisements for this thing, and the teenagers who can’t play with their mobile phones can only stare at these things in a daze.
I was so bored that I could even remember exactly how many words were on the ad.
“Kasumigaoka Utaha, what on earth do you mean?” After being interrupted again and again, Eriri’s patience finally reached its limit.
This isn’t a school anyway, so as long as no one knows me, there’s no one around me.
She didn’t want to endure it anymore.
“I don’t mean anything. But Sawamura-san should carefully consider the situation before speaking next time.”
“Does Kasugano-kun look like someone who can afford a digital tablet worth over half a million dollars?”
Chapter 23: Kasumigaoka Utaha’s fighting power, Eriri’s apology (old version)
Is Ying Lili deliberately disgusting people?
Of course not.
She really tried her best to introduce Kasugano Toru’s favorite things, and the Wacom tablet mentioned earlier was also one of her favorite brands.
But she really has no idea about money.
Just like a joke that was once popular on the Internet, a third-generation rich man offended his father, and his father was furious and kicked his son out of the house. He threatened that except for the broken Audi A8L, no other cars in the garage were allowed to move, and except for the 100,000 yuan pocket money every month, the son was not allowed to get a penny from home.
After being so cruel, the old man said to those around him with a sad heart: “With just this little money, this kid will definitely not be able to survive, right? But it’s okay. Only by experiencing the hard life can you understand how hard his grandfather struggled.”
In the eyes of rich people, being poor is just like this, right?
It is said that Lord Saber does not understand human nature, but after looking at Eriri’s chest, Toru Kasugano seemed to understand everything.
Eriri couldn’t remember how many times she blushed today. It seemed that she blushed particularly easily when it came to anything related to Toru Kasugano.
Isn’t it just the third day since I met this guy?
Although she is tsundere and willful, Eriri is definitely a kind girl at heart.
Realizing that she might have inadvertently hurt Kasugano Toru’s dignity, the girl lowered her head obediently.
“sorry……”
However, Toru Kasugano didn’t care. After all, he and the girl were from different worlds, so naturally they looked at things from different perspectives.
What he could not get even if he tried his best was something that some people could get easily.
Besides, Eriri had good intentions. After all, the Wacom digital tablet would definitely be several times better than the Intuos in his hand.
Of course, the price is more than ten times more beautiful.
So in response to the girl’s apology, he said calmly: “Sawamura-san, you don’t have to be like this. I understand your thoughts.”
“Sawamura-san, you are really…” Kasumigaoka Utaha wanted to add another blow, but was stopped by Kasugano Toru’s eyes.
It’s really magical to say. I have known two girls around me, one for three days and the other for only two days, but so many things happened to me because of me.
Especially looking at Kasumigaoka Utaha’s expression, it is obvious that she is standing up for herself.
Of course, Kasumigaoka Utaha was standing up for Kasugano Toru. When she saw Eriri and Kasugano Toru talking to each other, she was just watching the show.
Even though he considered the boy his friend, he was just a friend.
He’s not your boyfriend, so why should you stop him from talking to other girls?
But gradually, the mentality of watching plays changed.
She knew about Kasugano Toru’s family situation: he had a younger sister, the boy said so himself, and he painted portraits for others on the streets of Tokyo, Machida Sonoko told her.
She has a very high IQ, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to win the title of top scholar in her grade for two consecutive years. So just through these incomplete information, she can roughly infer Kasugano Toru’s family situation.
If you have to go back to take care of your sister, it means your parents are not at home, or even not alive. If you have to set up a stall on the street, it means your family situation is not very good. When you are still a high school student, you have to reduce the burden on your family through your own labor.
How could such a person possibly afford a digital tablet that costs over 500,000 yen?
Utaha Kasumigaoka even suspected that if it weren’t for Machida Sonoko’s promise to reimburse, Toru Kasugano would not even buy the Intuos that he has now.
Seeing her friend about to fall into an embarrassing situation, Kasumigaoka Utaha naturally would not stand idly by.
The chivalrous girl immediately stood up and attacked Eriri mercilessly.
“Senior, I just happened to meet you here. I want to confirm with you some things in the novel.” In order to stop the two girls from arguing any further, Kasugano Toru had to postpone his return home.
Of course, even if he said they would continue arguing, he estimated that it would only be Eriri who would be abused unilaterally.
This afternoon at school, he had already witnessed the fighting power of Kasumigaoka Utaha. Eriri was no match for her at all.
“Kasugano-san, I’m really sorry.” Eriri’s head was already lowered as low as it could go.
If she could also be as big as Kasumigaoka Utaha, maybe it would be better, after all, she could hide.
But unfortunately, the girl’s chest was flat.
As expected of a rich girl, she has her own airport at such a young age.
“Sawamura-kun, I told you, it’s okay. If you really want to apologize, why don’t you teach me how to use this thing? I’m not very good with these electronic products.”
Kasumigaoka Utaha curled her lips in disapproval. This boy whom she had only known for two days was really an idiot.
But it doesn’t matter. He is not her boyfriend anyway, and she won’t examine this boy with the same eyes as she would examine her boyfriend.
Besides, wouldn’t it be better to be gentle? This way, if there are disagreements during the creative process, we don’t have to worry about the two of us fighting each other.
“Is it really okay?” After hearing what Kasugano Toru said, Eriri finally raised her head.
It was not until this time that the boy noticed that there were tears in Eriri’s eyes.
“Of course you can, if Sawamura-san is willing.” Kasugano Toru’s smile made Eriri feel a lot more at ease, and a smile appeared on her originally pitiful face.
“Then can I add you on Line? Then we can have a video call and communicate better.” The girl excitedly took out her mobile phone. The pink phone case was particularly girly.
“Well…” Kasugano Toru hesitated for a moment, then said, “Sure, please tell me your line number, Sawamura-san, and I’ll add it when I get home.”
“Oh, this!” Eriri was originally wondering why they didn’t use their mobile phones to add it on the spot, but when she saw Kasumigaoka Utaha’s unfriendly look, she suddenly understood something.
The girl was glad that she didn’t talk too much this time and quickly reported a string of numbers. Kasugano Toru carefully wrote them down in his notebook, put the notebook in his chest pocket, and patted it gently, signaling the girl not to worry.
Ying Lili did feel a lot more relieved. For some reason, putting it on her chest made it seem more solemn than just putting it casually in other pockets.
“Then I won’t disturb you from talking about business, Kasugano-san. See you tonight.”
“Well, see you tonight, Sawamura-san.”
The girl waved at the boy, then looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha with complicated eyes.
“Goodbye, Kasumigaoka.”
No matter how much she disliked the other person before, this woman did teach her something very important today.
Eriri had a feeling that learning this would have a huge impact on the trajectory of her life.
So that she won’t miss certain things or certain people.
Chapter 24: Qiong and Toru (Old Version)
Eriri left the mall and even forgot why she came there.
Although the newly released PS5 is very tempting, the girl, who has learned some important things, even forgot to buy the latest game console.
Looking at the girl’s back as she left, Kasumigaoka Shiwa smacked her lips and asked jokingly, “Do you really want to discuss novels with me, Kasugano-kun? You agreed reluctantly in the afternoon, but I didn’t expect you to get into work so soon. If Kasugano-kun works in the future, he will definitely be a qualified office worker.
How to say it, perhaps working hard and striving without any bottom line is also one of the important reasons for the internal competition.
That’s why Kasumigaoka Utaha teases the boy around her, saying that he will definitely become a qualified office worker in the future.
After all, office workers are the victims of internal circulation.
“Senior has found out. Actually, if time permits, I would like to discuss the relevant plot of the novel with you. This will also be of great help in rounding out the character image. But something did happen today. My sister bought me something and it will be delivered to my home at 7:30, so I can only say sorry to you.” Even though his lie was exposed, Toru Kasugano did not feel embarrassed.
Anyway, his original intention was just to avoid a quarrel between Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri. Now that his goal has been achieved, he might as well stop pretending and just come clean.
“Then let’s go back. There’s no rush about the novel anyway. We can have a good chat about it on Saturday.” Although Kasumigaoka Utaha also had a lot to communicate with Kasugano Toru, she was not a fool like Eriri who couldn’t understand the atmosphere.
Poor Eriri is the one caught in the crossfire again.
“Goodbye, senior. Please be safe when you go home.”
“Goodbye, Kasugano-kun.”
When I got home, the clock showed exactly seven twenty-five. After a short wait, the doorbell rang.
“Hello, are you Mr. Kasugano?” A middle-aged man dressed in courier company uniform asked respectfully.
“It’s me.”
“Hello, here is your express delivery. Please confirm it and sign for it.” The middle-aged man took out a package from the box and handed it to Toru Kasugano. Then he quietly stepped back and waited for the customer to inspect it.
Toru Kasugano didn’t say anything. After opening the package, he found that there was a new mobile phone in the box.
A brand new Sony smartphone.
“Qiong this girl…” The moment he saw the phone, Kasugano Toru was overwhelmed with emotion and his thoughts went back to a day two years ago.
That was when Qiong had just entered junior high school. Because she had to live in the school dormitory, the little girl, who had to be separated from her brother for the first time in her life, had been depressed for several days.
“Qiong, come and eat.” Seeing his sister sulking on the sofa with a pillow, Kasugano Toru shook his head helplessly and brought the freshly prepared meal to the table.
“Hmph!” The boy’s call only earned him a roll of the eyes and a cold snort from his sister. The angry little girl turned her head in the other direction.
“Come and eat quickly, or you’ll be spanked.” Kasugano Toru had no choice but to use his magic weapon. After all, this was an agreement between him and his sister. As long as Qiong didn’t eat on time, he, as the brother, could enforce the family rules at any time.
“Well, my brother is a big pervert!” Qiong covered her butt with her hands with a red face, bit her lip and looked at Kasugano Toru.
Although he was reluctant, he still walked to the dining table obediently under the threat of family rules.
“Let’s eat first. I’ll have a surprise for you after dinner.” Pushing the bowl of rice in front of his sister, Kasugano Toru also sat down and looked at Qiong mysteriously.
“What surprise? Brother, you’re not going to tell me that I don’t have to go to Otome Saki Girls’ Academy anymore, right?”
“What are you thinking about? There’s no room for negotiation on this point. Let’s eat quickly.” After tapping his sister’s head, Toru Kasugano started today’s dinner with both anger and laughter.
“Here, open it and take a look.” After finishing his meal, Toru Kasugano stuffed a small package into his sister’s arms.
“What’s this?”
“Why don’t you just open it and take a look?”
“It’s so mysterious. I want to see what it is.” Qiong opened the package angrily, as if he was skinning and grinding his bones for his brother.
“New cell phone?” Under the fluorescent light, the plastic packaging reflected a dazzling light.
Kasugano Toru smiled and rubbed his sister’s head. “Didn’t you tell me a while ago that your old phone had problems everywhere? I thought since you were going to live on campus, I would change your phone so that you could video chat with me occasionally.”
“So brother has been leaving early and coming back late recently, is it just for this?” Instead of the surprise she had imagined, tears immediately welled up in Qiong’s eyes.
Just because of a complaint I made half a month ago, my brother has been working hard for so long from dawn to dusk.
I get up at 4am, and then go out to deliver newspapers and milk. At 8am, I have to rush back to prepare breakfast and lunch for myself, and then work as a cashier and restocker at a convenience store. At 6pm, after preparing dinner for myself, I go to work at a pub, and I don’t get home until 11pm, dragging my tired body.
After only resting for more than four hours, he had to repeat the heavy work of the previous day. This brother worked so hard just to pay for what he said half a month ago.
“I don’t want it.” Qiong’s voice was already tearful. Now she wanted to go back half a month ago, find herself then, and slap herself hard!
“I’ve already bought it. If you don’t want it, then all my hard work during this period will be in vain.” Seeing his sister crying, Kasugano Toru panicked.
Qiong has never cried since her parents passed away.
It is said that children from poor families grow up early, and this is absolutely true.
If Kasugano Toru relied on his efforts alone, no matter how hard he worked, he would not be able to support himself and his sister.
Only with the joint efforts of the brother and sister can this family survive and not collapse.
“I’m sorry, brother.” Qiong grabbed her brother’s sleeve, leaned her little head on Kasugano Toru’s arm, and cried silently.
“Qiong, don’t say that.” Using his free hand to touch his sister’s soft long hair, Kasugano Toru said gently: “We are just poor, not dying. As long as Qiong is happy, it doesn’t matter if your brother is a little tired.”
“Besides, it is my duty as a brother to give gifts to Qiong. How can there be a sister who has never received a gift from her brother?”
“With this new phone, when I miss you in the future, you can use it to video chat with me, okay?”
Hearing her brother’s words, Qiong nodded continuously: “Well, brother, I promise you, even if you want me to wear underwear and video chat with you, it’s all possible!”
Chapter 25 Yes, Qiong is a brother complex, and the brother will definitely be mine! (Old version)
Waking up from his nostalgia, Toru Kasugano opened the phone box in his hand, and after checking the appearance, the boy pressed the power button.
With the activation complete, the inspection of the goods is all over.
“Hello, where can I sign for it?”
While Toru Kasugano was reminiscing about the past, the middle-aged man from the courier company didn’t say a word the whole time, he just waited quietly by the side.
At this point, we have to say that Neon has really taken service to the extreme.
Of course, Toru Kasugano would not think there was anything wrong with it, because the ultimate service means the ultimate charge.
To give a simple example, taxi fares in Neon are notoriously high.
Japanese people once conducted a survey, comparing the taxi prices in several well-known major cities or countries in the world, and how many kilometers one can travel with 1,000 yen.
The results of this survey are shocking. The same 1,000 yen can run 87 kilometers in India, 55 kilometers in Thailand, 24 kilometers in Beijing, and 8 kilometers in New York, but the number becomes 2.9 kilometers in Tokyo.
The reason for this is that Japanese people have taken service to the extreme. Drivers must wear suits and white gloves, and they must check before driving. The air-conditioned cars are spotless, and the doors open automatically when you get off the car. They can be drivers, free tour guides, and can carry your bags for you. When they check the condition of the car, they have a special checklist, and the driver must check it according to the contents of the checklist, without missing a single item.
This is the ultimate service, but the ultimate service comes with the ultimate charge.
If possible, Kasugano Toru would rather pick up the phone himself and save the delivery fee.
Don’t believe those stores’ lies about door-to-door delivery. They are simply including the transportation costs in the merchandise and doing you a favor.
But this is the norm in Japan, and Kasugano Toru, an ordinary boy, can’t change anything. At this time, he can only follow the courier’s instructions and leave his name where he should sign.
“Dingdang, this is a surprise from Qiong for your brother.” Just as I closed the door, my sister sent me a text message.
The emoticon at the end of the message made Kasugano Toru smile warmly.
“Don’t spend money recklessly next time.” After thinking for a long time, Kasugano Toru edited a message and sent it.
“Humph, brother, you can’t blame me. It was you who said that Qiong should spend the money he earned before on things that he thought were important. In Qiong’s heart, making brother happy is the most important thing.”
In the dormitory of the private Otome Saki Girls’ Academy, Kasugano Sora was lying on her bed in her pajamas, her smooth legs exposed to the air, swaying back and forth, her arms supported in front of her, looking like she was in a very good mood.
“Qiong, are you chatting with your brother again?” When the roommate saw the girl’s look, he knew what she was doing without asking.
This brother complex, who keeps calling him “brother” all the time, and “brother” all the time, has made everyone in the dormitory almost get calluses from hearing him.
“Yes, I gave my brother a gift today and was asking him if he liked it.”
“You, you talk about your brother every other sentence. Could it be that Qiong is a brother-con?” another girl asked jokingly.
“That’s right, Qiong is a brother-con, and brother will definitely be mine!” Without any shyness or hesitation, the girl made such a rebellious declaration.
Kasugano Toru had no idea what was happening hundreds of kilometers away. He was fiddling with his new cell phone.
He first replaced the SIM card on the new phone, then downloaded some commonly used apps. After getting familiar with the operation of the phone, he remembered that he had promised Ying Lili today to add her as a LINE friend.
Thinking of this, the boy quickly downloaded the LINE client and entered the string of numbers he got from Eriri today.
“Ding.” After only a few seconds, there was a notification sound indicating that a friend had passed. After a few more seconds, a cute emoticon was sent.
“Good evening, Kasugano-san.”
“Good evening, Sawamura-san.” Kasugano Toru was not worried about making a mistake, because the avatar of this account was Eriri herself.
With golden twin ponytails hanging on both sides, matched with a pink hairband and fair skin, Kasugano Toru had to admit that this girl was definitely the most beautiful one among the girls he knew.
But when he thought about it carefully, it seemed that he didn’t know many girls, so he kept this compliment to himself.
After a simple greeting, the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence.
It was two minutes later that Ying Lili sent a very meaningless message.
“Did Kasugano-san just finish his meal?”
“Not yet. I just got home and my sister gave me a present, so I’ve been studying it.”
Not only did Qiong admit that he was a brother-con, but Kasugano Toru never hid the fact that he had a good relationship with his sister.
It would be better to say that having such a lovable sister is already the object of envy of countless people.
If possible, he would like everyone in the world to know that Kasugano Sora is his sister.
She is the most important and cherished sister to Toru Kasugano.
“Huh? So Kasugano-san has a younger sister?” This was the first time Eriri knew this, but it was normal since she had only known Kasugano Toru for a few days.
“Well, she’s in the third year of junior high school now, and I heard that she’s aiming for the private Toyonotsaki Academy.” Thinking of how his sister had vowed to get into Toyonotsaki, Toru Kasugano laughed again.
“She will definitely succeed!” Eriri gave her blessings.
“Thank you for the encouragement, Sawamura-san.”
“Hehe.” The girl made another cute expression. Kasugano Toru felt that this girl who was grinning foolishly seemed to be the same as Eriri when she was grinning foolishly.
“By the way, have you used the digital tablet? Did you encounter any problems?”
“Not yet. If I have any questions, I will definitely ask Sawamura-san for help. I hope Sawamura-san won’t think I’m troublesome then.”
“How could that be? I’m not that kind of person!” Ying Lili made an angry expression.
What? Am I the kind of person who has no patience?
Even the girl herself didn’t realize that the state she displayed during the conversation with Kasugano Toru was completely different from that in school.
Perhaps it was because when Toru Kasugano painted her portrait, he saw through her heart at first sight.
Eriri always felt that this boy was particularly trustworthy.
“Sawamura-san, I think you must have something to ask me?” After hesitating for a moment, Toru Kasugano still sent this message.
He didn’t think that the other party would come to him for no reason.
I wouldn’t be so enthusiastic for no reason.
It is said that those who show kindness to others without any reason are either treacherous or thieves. Although Kasugano Toru believed that the girl’s family background would not let her do those bad things, he did not believe that Eriri had no other request from him.
Sure enough, after a long silence, the other side finally sent a message.
“Kasugano-san, may I ask how you could see through me?”
Chapter 26 Embarrassed Eriri (Old Version)
Toru Kasugano felt that if this was the world of a certain book, and he was a pervert who had mastered the skill of perspective, which was the favorite skill of otakus, then there was nothing wrong with Eriri’s question.
But the problem is, this is a normal world. There is no evil or depravity in the plot, nor any development that is not suitable for children.
On the other side, Ying Lili was holding her mobile phone, her face was so red that it could boil eggs.
Ever since she met Kasugano Toru, she has been doing stupid things and saying stupid things.
This was also the case this afternoon. Her original intention was actually to learn from Kasugano Toru how to make her paintings more popular, but what she said turned into asking the boy to teach her how to paint directly.
If I were just an ordinary person who knew nothing about painting, it would be fine to say this.
But it was very embarrassing that he was known as the ace of the art club in Fengnosaki.
Have you ever seen a situation where after an exam, a top student compares answers with you, and after the comparison, he finds that every question is different, so he cries and says that he can only get zero points this time?
Stop kidding. If there really is such a thing, then this nerd is either being Versailles or mocking you.
This is also where Eriri feels embarrassed. As the ace of the art club, she is asking someone she has only met twice to teach her how to draw. If other people hear this, they will probably think she is being sarcastic, right?
It’s the same now. What does it mean that the other party can see through me?
It’s like saying that someone else is a pervert.
And after saying this, Yingli felt that her thin pajamas could no longer cover up her beautiful body.
She seemed to have returned to the day when she asked Kasugano Toru to paint her portrait. Under the boy’s perspective (fog), she stood naked in front of him.
“Well, Sawamura-san, from what you said just now, I understand that you want to know from me how I knew you were pretending?” Kasugano Toru felt that he needed to take the initiative to smooth things over.
After all, the other party is just a young girl. She must be extremely embarrassed now after saying such ambiguous words, right?
“Yes, yes, that’s what I mean.” After getting the steps, Ying Lili hurried down the slope. She was so embarrassed.
It was so embarrassing that others thought the Sawamura family’s villa was dug out bit by bit by her toes.
To be honest, when a beautiful girl says such ambiguous words to you, any normal man would not be able to remain calm.
However, he was relieved after hearing Eriri’s reply.
If it’s just an exchange of painting skills, then there’s no problem.
After confirming this, Kasugano Toru, who was originally a little worried, finally felt relieved and no longer avoided it blindly like he did during the day.
“It’s actually very simple. If you have the chance, Sawamura can go to the streets and do nothing. Just spend the whole day observing the passers-by.”
“Is it that simple?” Ying Lili asked doubtfully.
“It’s that simple. But it’s easier said than done. If Sawamura can analyze the mental state of passers-by while observing them, I believe you will understand what I mean.” Kasugano Toru did not hide anything and told the girl all his tricks.
“Okay, I got it. I’ll try it this weekend. If I succeed, I’ll pay you.” Ying Lili still can’t change her habit of talking about rewards without asking.
As the daughter of a capitalist, paying money to get what she needs has become something ingrained in her bones and cannot be changed easily.
But Toru Kasugano doesn’t think so. If they were friends, it would only be a few simple words, which would not be enough to charge.
That’s right, friends.
Although he didn’t want to get too involved with these wealthy families, it didn’t stop Kasugano Toru from treating Eriri as his friend. Although he had only met her a few times, he already knew that Eriri was a kind girl.
Completely different from those playboys.
That’s enough.
It’s not like he’s planning on marrying into the woman’s family. As long as this friend is willing to date, he won’t deliberately avoid him.
So in order to show his goodwill and make the girl believe in his method, Kasugano Toru replied seriously: “No need, Sawamura-san, if we are friends, these are free things.”
This time the boy didn’t wait for a reply from the other party, because Eriri was already staring at the screen of her mobile phone in a daze.
friend!
How long has it been since I heard such words?
It wasn’t that long ago, because when she was in school, there were always people around her who took the initiative to become her friends.
But Eriri is not a fool, she knows that all this is because of her appearance and identity. Mixed-blood, rich girl, school beauty, these words mixed together, plus the personality that Eriri deliberately pretended in school, that’s why those people flocked to her.
But what if I were just an ordinary girl? If I only had an ordinary family background, ordinary looks, and ordinary personality, would there still be so many people around me?
Without even having to think about it, Eriri had already come up with the answer.
Definitely not!
Don’t blame reality. Even in the neon campus, in this relatively pure place, there is no shortage of small societies.
Those students who gather in groups of three or five, each group is a small group, and each group is a small society.
Some people say that in a university dormitory, four girls can create five groups. In fact, in Japan’s high schools, this situation is exactly the same.
So for Eriri, there are very few people who don’t care about appearance and are willing to treat her as a friend!
Or rather, none at all.
When she thought of this, a figure suddenly flashed through her mind.
That was a childhood playmate she had known since she was little, and it was also the first time she truly wanted to consider someone as a friend.
But after going through certain things, perhaps I am now just a tool that can be used by him.
If it weren’t for this superb painting skill, perhaps he wouldn’t even say a few words to me.
In some things, Eriri sees things more clearly than anyone else.
She is not the little fool that others say she is.
Chapter 27 Eriri’s Request (Old Version)
After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply from Eriri, Toru Kasugano thought that she had gone offline.
Just as I was about to get myself something to eat to fill my stomach that was about to rebel, my cell phone vibrated again.
“Kasugano-san, could you please go with me on the weekend?” Eriri timidly made her request.
As a stay-at-home girl who usually stays at home whenever possible, she really had no idea what the method Kasugano Toru said was.
But she also wanted to give it a try. If it really worked, the help to her would be self-evident.
But the girl also had her own concerns. She always felt uneasy walking alone on the busiest streets of Tokyo.
But if I can go with Kasugano Toru, not only will I not feel scared, but I can also ask him for help when I don’t understand something. Maybe I can really master the trick?
Thinking of this, the girl tentatively made her request.
Of course, at the end, I didn’t forget to add that this is paid.
Toru Kasugano was really convinced. What kind of capitalist raised this girl? She talks about money every other sentence.
After thinking for a while, he replied, “If I have time on the weekend, it’s fine. But Sawamura-kun, please don’t always mention money in the future. It will make me feel like you are up to something bad.”
“Ah? I didn’t mean that. I just felt that I couldn’t let Kasugano-san make this trip for nothing. Besides, Kasugano-san has worked hard, taught me how to grow, and let me know a lot of things. Isn’t it right to pay him back?”
“???” Kasugano Toru felt even worse.
It’s worse than when Kasumigaoka Utaha said she had a financial transaction with me this afternoon.
Taught the girl to grow up, learned a lot of things, and also got paid…
Is this also what the gigolos in Ginza do?
At this moment, he missed the time he spent chatting with Kato Megumi.
Only when I’m chatting with that girl do I not have to worry about her thoughts suddenly going off on other tracks.
But thinking about another beautiful girl while chatting with a beautiful girl, to some extent, Kasugano Toru is really no different from a gigolo in Ginza.
Bah, scumbag!
Ms. Kato, who was being missed by someone, was sitting at her desk writing something.
The girl poked her chin with the pen from time to time, tilted her head to think carefully about something, and then quickly wrote and drew on the notebook.
If you get closer, you can see that the girl is actually writing in a diary.
“Hehe, I’m still in the same class with him this year. That’s great. This year I don’t have to pretend to pass by his classroom and secretly take a look at him. I’m so happy.”
“He still likes to hide in a deserted place to make phone calls. Is he talking to his sister? Or another girl? If it’s another girl, what should I do?”
“No, Kato Megumi. You can’t be discouraged. Even if someone wants to snatch him from you, you must not give in. No, not even half a step!”
“But his phone is so old. I remember he used this one when he was in the first year of high school. He never changed it. How about I buy him one?”
“Forget it. That guy is very conservative sometimes. He will definitely not accept such a valuable item.”
“It’s so annoying. Why are he and I just ordinary friends? If we can get closer, can I give him a gift with a clear conscience?”
Having written this, the girl put down the pen in distress, then looked up at the painting hanging on the wall.
That was the painting that Toru Kasugano gave her yesterday. Although it was just a simple pencil drawing, the girl still saw hope in the picture.
Just like the future she envisions, it must be full of hope.
“Why doesn’t he remember that incident?” The girl pouted, feeling very aggrieved.
“Can you just forget about something as big as that? Or is it that my annoying presence is taking effect again where it shouldn’t be?”
Although she spoke in a complaining tone, a smile appeared on Kato Megumi’s face when she thought of what happened that year.
Nostalgia, longing, and the sweetness of love…
“Damn it, damn it, damn it, why can’t I write down what’s in my heart?” A young man with glasses was sitting at his desk, with crumpled white papers all over the floor.
If you open it, you can see the three words “Planning Book” on each piece of white paper, and a line of smaller words below.
But there is only one line, not a single word more.
The bespectacled boy named Tomoya Aki is really troubled.
A few days ago, when he passed by Detective Hill, he met a young man and woman. Although he showed disdain for their behavior at the time, from that day on, a strange idea suddenly emerged in his mind.
“I’ve played so many galgames, why can’t I make one myself?”
Isn’t it double the happiness to put your longing for the three-dimensional world into your favorite two-dimensional world?
Tomoya Aki did what he said. Although he had no experience in making games, he was familiar with the process of making games due to his years of experience in this field.
In fact, there are only a few people needed, such as copywriting, original painting, BGM, and programming.
In terms of copywriting, he originally wanted to do it himself. Having played hundreds of galgame games, Tomoya Aki’s initial idea was like the Chinese saying: If you read 300 Tang poems, you will be able to recite them even if you can’t write poems.
As long as you piece things together here and there, and write copy, all you need is hands, right?
Then later he discovered that he might be a disabled person.
But he did not give up. Since he couldn’t write the copy, he would find someone else to do it and he could take charge of other modules.
So he thought of the original painting.
After wasting a few more sheets of white paper, Akito Tomoya threw the graffiti in his hand into the trash can in frustration.
It’s obvious that Eriri finds it easy to draw, so why can’t I do it?
Forget it, forget it. Eriri can do it anyway. When the time comes, I just need to mention it casually. With the bonus of being her childhood friend, Eriri will definitely come to help me.
As for the BGM, Aki Tomoya still had some idea in his mind. Although he knew nothing about music, he did not humiliate himself.
Finally, there is only programming left, and this time he is full of confidence.
The source of confidence is naturally because the current galgame games are already quite mature and there are many ready-made tools available.
As long as you import the text, original paintings and BGM, these tools will automatically help you generate a beautiful galgame game.
It’s so simple that even an idiot like Tomoya Aki can master it by self-study.
But after reading three pages of tutorials, Aki Tomoya gave up.
He was already confused by the long string of English characters. After all, it was a design code, so why did it have to be expressed in English?
It’s not that Amanori Ren can’t endure hardship, it’s just that he is just not cut out for it.
Many things require talent!
Thinking of his talent, Akitomo, who was originally in a dejected state, suddenly reacted.
Yes, talent!
Isn’t his talent to be an excellent planner? As a leader, you must know how to appoint the right people to the right positions. It doesn’t matter if you are not capable, as long as you find someone who is capable!
With this idea in mind, Tomoya Aki regrouped and started planning work!
Chapter 28: Kasumigaoka Utaha’s Invitation (Old Version)
Toru Kasugano always believed that high school life was ordinary and normal.
It is enough for him to just do his own thing.
For him, the most important thing now is to draw the illustrations for “Love Metronome”. Although there is no sign of the second volume of the novel yet and he has not even seen the outline, this does not prevent him from starting his work.
As a best-selling light novel, it is obviously not enough to rely on Sayuka alone to carry the story. Not only does it require a large number of scenes to pave the way for the description, but the character setting is also not something that can be done casually.
But unfortunately, when Kasumigaoka Utaha wrote the first volume, he didn’t know this proud girl. When collecting folk songs, the girl naturally didn’t bring Kasugano Toru with her.
So after school these few days, Toru Kasugano has been investigating each location one by one according to the list given by Utaha Kasumigaoka, and he has recorded all the scenes with his paintbrush and the new mobile phone his sister just bought for him, and will study them slowly after returning home.
Well, measuring a city with your legs is not an easy task.
Although there is help from trams, the stations are not everywhere, and the last kilometer still needs to be completed by legs.
Originally he thought this job would be much easier than working in a pub, but now it seems that Kasugano Toru feels that he was still naive.
As long as you are serious about completing a job, it will never be easy. Maybe you will become more comfortable with it later because of the improvement of proficiency, but in the early stage, you must pay more hard work and effort than ordinary people.
Fortunately, compared with those who have worked hard but gained nothing, Kasugano Toru’s gains are still considerable.
Thanks to his efforts, Sayuka’s illustration has been completed.
This time was different from the previous time in the family restaurant. In addition to Sayuka, he chose a forest path covered with cherry blossoms as the background. At the end of the slope was the girl’s shy expression and her longing for the person she liked.
But to Toru Kasugano, this painting seemed familiar no matter how he looked at it.
I always feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.
Putting all the complicated thoughts out of his mind, Toru Kasugano began to color the illustrations with the help of a digital tablet.
Technology changes life. Although he is used to using pen and paper and is familiar with every step of color mixing, he has to admit that with the help of technology, the arduous work has become very simple. He does not have to worry about which pigment is too much or too little. He does not have to repeatedly experiment to see if the color is appropriate. He can select the corresponding color by just tapping the stylus in his hand.
It doesn’t matter if the color is wrong, you can just readjust it. It’s not like before, where you have to start the whole painting over again if you make a wrong step.
With the help of technology, Toru Kasugano’s work efficiency has been greatly improved, and he completed the painting in just four days.
After importing the drawn illustration into the computer and then sending it to the mobile phone, Kasugano Toru sent it to Kasumigaoka Utaha via Line.
“Senior, since I can’t start working on the second volume for the time being, I tried to review the scenes from the first volume. There should be some differences compared to the previous illustrators. If you think this style matches your novel, I will work in this direction in the future.” After attaching this message, Toru Kasugano turned off the screen of his mobile phone with satisfaction.
Although this painting is not his best work, it is indeed one of the few works in recent years that makes him feel satisfied.
It is said that if there is no woman in your heart, you will be able to draw your sword naturally. But for Toru Kasugano, without the pressure of life’s burdens, he can devote himself wholeheartedly to what he likes.
Things drawn with a clear mind are definitely more pleasing to the eye than those drawn with a heavy heart.
Because the pictures he draws are often the most direct reflection of his mood at that time.
If you have no money, you feel miserable; if you have money, you feel happy. This should be the common thought of everyone, right?
Not long after, he received a reply from Kasumigaoka Utaha.
“No problem, Kasugano-kun. This is the best Sayuka I’ve ever met. You understand my novels better than your predecessor.”
The girl’s reply was brief and to the point, but in just one sentence she criticized her ex-boyfriend, who had disappeared without a trace.
Don’t think that this sentence is not very lethal.
Think about that sentence of not understanding human nature, which has been bothering King Daimao for many years.
But no matter what, Kasumigaoka Utaha is satisfied with this illustration, and she is looking forward to future cooperation.
“Thank you for the compliment, Senior. It’s mainly because your novel is well described.”
“Okay, let’s stop this meaningless flattery.” Kasumigaoka Utaha is obviously not a person who likes to talk nonsense: “Do you have time tomorrow, Kasugano-kun? If you can, we can start working on the light novel. For some reasons, I don’t have much time to waste, so I can only trouble Kasugano-kun to work harder.”
Kasugano Toru scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and replied, “Well…senpai, can we change it to Sunday? I do have something to do tomorrow.”
The boy was also a little helpless. When they made the agreement in the information room, because of Eriri, the two of them did not agree on a specific time, but just said it would be on the weekend.
But the problem is, work only takes one day, but the weekend has two days.
As early as two days ago, Eriri couldn’t wait to make an appointment with him. This Saturday, the boy would take her to the streets of Tokyo.
So at this moment, facing the invitation from Kasumigaoka Utaha, he could only say sorry.
It must be that this week was too busy, otherwise Kasugano Toru would have to ask himself why he was involved with two girls who could be considered influential figures in just one day when he was clearly planning to live a peaceful life?
This is so difficult…
However, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn’t care about it. It was because the two of them didn’t agree on a time, and she was not the kind of person who would make trouble unreasonably.
Although it is easy to be harsh on others when you are in a bad mood, after seeing Sayuka drawn by Toru Kasugano, it is obvious that the girl’s current mood has nothing to do with bad mood.
“Okay, let’s do it on Sunday. I’ll send you my home address tomorrow night. I hope Kasugano-kun can get here soon.”
“Go to senior sister’s house?” Kasugano Toru was a little surprised. Isn’t this progress too fast? Even if they become partners, normal people would not go to work at other people’s homes.
If it really doesn’t work, can’t we find a family restaurant like we did that day?
“Well, don’t worry, Kasugano-kun. I have already moved out of my home and I am the only one living in the rented apartment.”
“???” Kasugano Toru thought, this is more worth worrying about, okay?
Who knows what this female hooligan will do!
Chapter 29 Excited Eriri (Old Version)
It started drizzling outside early Saturday morning.
I thought the rain would stop in the morning, but it unexpectedly got even heavier.
Although it’s not to the point where I can’t go out, but going out in this kind of weather…
In fact, Kasugano Toru was quite happy.
I don’t know why, but he has liked rainy days since his previous life.
It’s definitely not because of some little story after the rain or something like that.
He simply felt that rainy days could make him feel relaxed and peaceful, and occasionally getting caught in the rain would also give him a comfortable and relaxing feeling.
After all, life is already so hard. Would it be okay if you don’t find some fun for yourself?
“Sawamura-san, it’s raining outside today.” After thinking about it, Toru Kasugano decided that he should talk to Eriri, even if it was at another time.
But he didn’t expect that a minute later, the girl’s text message made him burst into tears.
“Thank you Kasugano-san for reminding me. I brought an umbrella!”
Is this what I mean…
“By the way, Kasugano-san, don’t forget to bring your umbrella. Can we meet in front of Ginza?”
“……”How excited is this girl?
When we arrived at the agreed location, it was just half past eight.
Within a few minutes, a luxurious Bentley stopped in front of him.
“Good morning, Kasugano-san.” Sawamura Spencer Eriri opened the car door and jumped out of the car briskly.
Kasugano Toru was stunned.
Beauty, today I asked you to come here to understand the people’s sentiments, okay? What does it mean that you drive a Bentley right away?
Didn’t you see the expressions of the people around you?
Looking back at the building behind him, Toru Kasugano felt a little regretful. Why did he choose Ginza as the location?
Ginza, the daughter of a wealthy family, and barely a gigolo, taking all these factors into consideration, I wonder if those brothers in there will have any common topics with me?
“What’s wrong? Am I acting weird today?” Seeing Kasugano Toru’s dumbfounded look, Eriri looked at her clothes in surprise, and turned around lightly, with her skirt fluttering up and down.
Although it was a Force skirt, this action really stunned everyone around.
Including Kasugano Toru.
The boy could clearly see that Eriri had dressed up carefully before going out. Not only did she wear delicate light makeup, but her clothes must have been carefully selected.
There’s no other reason, it’s simply because the Eriri I met today is very different from the Eriri I first saw on the street last Saturday.
The girl that day was dressed like a dog-head detective, with a hat on, her golden hair all hidden in the hat, her collar high, only half of her fair face and big blue eyes exposed.
But the girl today is completely different from that day.
A blue slim-fitting long skirt wrapped around the girl’s exquisite body, a pair of dark red mid-length socks wrapped around her delicate feet and calves, and she wore a pair of black leather shoes on her feet.
The hem of the skirt fell above the knees, and a belt was tied at the waist, which allowed the girl to show off her long legs even though she was not very tall. Her smooth and white thighs were exposed to the air, and Kasugano Toru suddenly felt that it was fortunate that there was no sun today.
Otherwise, the white reflection would probably blind my eyes.
“Don’t you look good, Kasugano-san?” After turning around and not finding anything unusual about herself, Eriri simply asked directly.
“Well, no, Sawamura-san is indeed very beautiful, but the way she’s dressed today…” Toru Kasugano didn’t know what to say.
For him, hiding in the crowd and observing the expressions and movements of people passing by without being noticed is the best way to help him grasp the inner world of others.
This is also where his keen observation comes from.
But today, no matter where Ying Lili goes, as long as she stands anywhere, she will definitely be the focus of the crowd.
As long as there is no dead person in the house, his expression will definitely change drastically after seeing this girl. What’s the point of observing this?
Have you ever noticed how many LSPs there are on the streets of Tokyo?
“Kasugano-san, if you have anything to say, just say it directly. Aren’t we friends?” When the word “friend” was mentioned, the girl’s eyes curved into crescents, and it was obvious that she liked this title very much.
Kasugano Toru thought about it and decided to tell the truth. His time was precious. If he couldn’t achieve his goal today, he would have to waste time accompanying the girl next week, which would not be worth it. “Sawamura-san, if you want to achieve the purpose of observation, it is better to change into ordinary clothes. Our goal is to blend into the environment, not to be the most conspicuous presence in a place. Only in this way can we discover the truest thoughts of others when others are unaware.”
“Is that so?” Eriri nodded as if she understood. Although she didn’t know what Kasugano Toru meant, it didn’t stop her from understanding what he said.
That is, her clothes are not suitable for today, and it would be better for her to change into ordinary clothes.
Although it was a bit regrettable, after all, anyone would be disappointed if the carefully selected clothes were not put to use. But Eriri still said cheerfully: “No problem, Kasugano-san, wait for me, there are spare clothes in the car, I will be back soon.”
Before she finished her words, the girl got back into the Bentley. The raised glass completely blocked her from the outside world. The car was driven by a female driver, and with the fender lowered, nothing could be seen.
A few minutes later, Eriri got out of the car again, and the outfit that Kasugano Toru had seen last Saturday reappeared in front of him.
“This set should be fine, right?”
“No problem. Actually, there’s no need to feel disappointed, Sawamura-san. For a pretty girl like you, even if you’re just wearing ordinary clothes, it won’t affect your beauty.”
Ying Lili’s little face turned red instantly.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been complimented on my appearance, but why do I feel so happy only this time?
And he saw it again. Was it because I didn’t disguise it well just now, or was the disappointment on my face too obvious?
This wave is called gradual Diplomacy.
She thought Kasugano Toru had discovered something from the expression on her face, but Kasugano Toru was just making the most ordinary inference.
How many people would not be disappointed if the things they carefully prepared were not used?
Saying a few polite words at this time is the emotional intelligence that a member of society should have, right?
However, the young man obviously did not notice these things. If he could even notice these things, then he should not be a painter and should just be a fortune teller.
Seeing through people’s hearts is definitely the ability that all fortune tellers want to possess the most!
Chapter 30 Kato Megumi’s Misunderstanding (Old Version)
On the streets of Tokyo, two furtive figures were leaning against each other. The tall one seemed to be talking about something, while the petite one was recording.
Because it was still raining, the two of them simply held up an umbrella so that the short person could free up both hands to take notes.
“So that’s how it is. Now that you mention it, it seems to be true, Kasugano-san. They really do look like a couple who just started dating.” Eriri waved her fist excitedly, her voice a little loud.
The young couple that Kasugano Toru had just pointed at blushed even more.
The girl also realized that her behavior was inappropriate, so she quickly lowered her hat and covered her mouth with her free hand.
Seeing Eriri’s cute look, Toru Kasugano was also amused and deliberately lowered his umbrella to block the embarrassing sight of the girl next to him.
“Sawamura, can you tell me what you saw from those people over there?” Seeing the couple just walking away, the boy pointed at a few office workers in another direction and asked.
This was his assessment of his observation of the girl this morning, and also the end point of their actions today.
If Eriri could explain something, it would mean that his hard work and dedication today were rewarded.
The girl also knew that this was the stage test she was about to take, so she perked up and squinted her eyes to look in the direction that Kasugano Toru pointed.
The girl who originally looked delicate and cute, looked particularly fierce when she squinted her eyes. The corners of her eyes were raised, and her eyes became very sharp because they were narrowed into a slit.
For some reason, Toru Kasugano suddenly thought of the hunting eagle. Could it be that this ferocious bird of prey also observes its prey in this way when hunting?
But only Eriri herself knows how painful her heart is.
In order to present the most perfect image, she did not choose the black-framed glasses she usually wore when painting, but her mild myopia was not enough for her to see targets so far away.
What’s more, it was raining today. Although the spring rain was not heavy, it was very dense. Through the dense rain curtain, the visibility became worse.
“Really? If I had known this would happen, I would have worn contact lenses.” The girl blamed herself in her heart. She knew she came out today to observe the various aspects of life, but she did not prepare in advance.
Ying Lili, you are such a little fool.
Toru Kasugano thought the girl was lost in thought, so he didn’t say much for a while and just waited quietly for Eriri’s answer.
More than a minute passed and the office workers disappeared around the corner of the street, but the girl still maintained this posture of looking into the distance.
“Hey, Sawamura-san, can you tell me your answer?” The boy, unable to bear it any longer, finally repeated his question again.
A few seconds later, the girl gave her own answer: “Although the distance is too far to see their expressions clearly, I can still tell something from their dress. If I am not mistaken, they should be wearing the IBC brand under ONWARD CROSSET. This brand is mainly a high-end clothing brand with office ladies as the main consumer group. Therefore, these people should be working women working in the Ginza business district, and the industries they are engaged in should be relatively high-end. I guess they may be in the financial industry. These industries have relatively high salary levels, enough to support them to buy more luxurious clothes. And at this point in time, it is also logical for financial personnel to appear in non-office areas because of business needs, isn’t it?”
After telling the boy beside her her speculation in one breath, Eriri raised her little head like an elementary school student waiting for praise from the teacher.
“This… is very true…” Kasugano Toru was truly speechless.
It turns out that this girl squinted her eyes and looked for a long time, but actually she looked at the wrong target, right?
The office workers he just referred to were three men. Judging from their attire, if I was not mistaken, they should be sales staff such as clerks.
But Eriri squinted her eyes and looked for a long time, and somehow her eyes ended up on a group of office ladies who were quite far away.
You have to know that while the girl was analyzing, he was also constantly observing those salesmen, otherwise he would have made a fool of himself in front of Ying Lili later.
But this move came out of nowhere…it was totally out of the ordinary and it stunned him.
Kasugano Toru had no choice but to bite the bullet and express his affirmation to Eriri, while at the same time despising his own naive ideas.
It has been ten days since I met Eriri. When has this girl ever behaved like a normal person?
Let’s not talk about the distant past, just talk about the fact that I took a Bentley to Ginza this morning. Is this an act of meeting an ordinary friend?
I’ve never seen this girl be so high-profile at school.
Not to mention luxury cars like Bentley, he had never seen Eriri ride in even an ordinary car. The few times they met at the school gate, the girl always walked to school.
Why is today’s behavior so abnormal?
“Hehe, Kasugano-san’s method is really effective. I suddenly feel that if I go to collect folk songs again in the future, I will definitely discover more details.” After receiving the affirmation, Eriri jumped up happily.
Then the hair got stuck on the ribs of the umbrella.
This silly girl forgot again that it is still raining.
If Kasugano Toru hadn’t been holding an umbrella, both of them would have been soaked.
Although Toru Kasugano was much taller than the girl, out of some unknown gentlemanly spirit, he still tilted the umbrella slightly towards Eriri.
As a result, the girl jumped like that and ended up in tragedy.
Her smooth golden hair got tangled up in the ribs of the umbrella, and as her body fell, it pulled her so hard that she almost cried.
“Ouch, it hurts.” If her hair wasn’t still caught on the ribs of the umbrella, Ying Lili really wanted to hold her head and squat down to defend herself.
Because apart from the pain, only by pretending to be an ostrich could she relieve her inner embarrassment.
Just like what Kasugano Toru thought, the girl’s thoughts now were: why did she always do such inexplicable things every time she faced Kasugano-san?
His words were incoherent and his speech was unclear, and now he has done something stupid.
“It’s over, Kasugano-san will definitely think I’m a big fool now!”
Kasugano Toru suppressed his laughter and slowly freed the girl’s hair from the umbrella ribs.
I have to say that the girl’s carefully maintained hair is as smooth and soft as silk, and touching it in the hand makes people can’t help but feel like letting it go.
But Toru Kasugano is not a pervert. If it hadn’t happened suddenly, he wouldn’t have behaved so intimately.
In the eyes of others, the current situation of the two people was very similar to the young couple that Eriri had disturbed before.
The two of them shared an umbrella, and the boy gently stroked the girl’s hair. Due to some force majeure and the limited space at the bottom of the umbrella, their bodies were very close.
Anyone who sees this kind of scene would think that the two are dating.
Including Kato Megumi, who happened to pass by and saw this scene.
Chapter 31 Eriri’s Thank You Gift (Old Version)
Kato Megumi didn’t want to go out today.
Because she didn’t know why, she always had a palpitation.
Although the girl’s sense of existence is very weak, it seems that God has made a choice for her. In exchange for her weak sense of existence, her intuition is much sharper than that of ordinary people.
This intuition had indeed saved her life once, allowing her to avoid death.
After that incident, she trusted her intuition very much, including when she applied to Fengzhizaki Private Academy as her high school, she followed the guidance of her intuition.
So there she met the person she most wanted to see.
But today, since she got up, she felt very depressed, and her heart occasionally felt like it missed a beat.
The girl, who originally thought that it was the gloomy weather that made her in a bad mood, discovered how wrong she was after going out.
Kato Megumi’s parents are a common working class family in Japan. Although today is Saturday, there is no such thing as rest for office workers.
If you are lucky and meet a good boss, he may give you some overtime pay. But if you meet a normal boss, overtime pay may only exist in fantasy.
However, Kato Megumi’s father is indeed lucky. Although he does not receive overtime pay, the sales industry he works in is a model of more work, more pay.
Although it is a pity that they have to go to the company to process documents on Saturdays and cannot spend time with their family, both Kato Megumi and her parents have actually become accustomed to such things.
Is there anything more important than raising a family?
And the girl felt that there was nothing to complain about, as her parents did their best to provide her with the best environment to grow up in. It was embarrassing that they would forget about her occasionally, but most of the time, they were still excellent parents.
So in the morning, Kato Megumi watched her father leave the house as she did every day.
But it was not until two hours later that she discovered that the lunch box her mother prepared for her father was left at home.
In order to prevent her father from continuing to work on an empty stomach, she had to act as an errand boy and came to the commercial district of Ginza alone in the rain.
Kato Megumi’s father’s company is located in this place.
Things went smoothly. Kato Megumi was not a two or three-year-old child. As a qualified high school student, a 16-year-old girl would have been old enough to get married decades ago.
But things would not be so smooth. It was not until she came out of her father’s company that the girl knew the source of her heart palpitations that had plagued her for the whole morning.
“That’s…Kasugano…” Kato Megumi couldn’t believe her eyes.
Sharing an umbrella is not something that ordinary friends can do, even in a country like Japan, where the atmosphere is open. And seeing that their arms are touching, it is obvious that they are not ordinary friends.
Kato Megumi wondered if her heart had stopped beating.
Hey, why did the streets of Tokyo suddenly become so quiet?
Is it still raining? Why is there no wind at all?
Now, Kato Megumi just wants to rush to the boy and ask him what the relationship between him and the blonde girl next to him is.
Just as she was about to act, Kasugano Toru’s action stopped her again.
He was touching her hair.
Is there any need to ask this?
Kato Megumi found it a little funny.
What saved me in the past was my unparalleled intuition, and what brought me bad luck was my sense of existence that made people unable to complain.
But today, the situation is completely reversed.
What allowed him to see this scene was his unparalleled intuition, and what saved him was his sense of existence that left no room for complaint.
Fortunately, Kasugano-san didn’t find out.
Because it was raining, and Kato Megumi’s weak presence and the umbrella’s cover, Kasugano Toru had no idea that Kato Megumi was watching him not far away.
But this is normal, right? Who would have thought that I could run into a schoolmate on the streets of Tokyo?
You should know that Tokyo is the largest city in the world, with a population of over 20 million.
And what about a class in Fengzhizaki?
There are less than 30 people.
This probability is no smaller than winning the lottery.
After finally freeing Eriri’s hair from the umbrella ribs, Kasugano Toru immediately took half a step back.
The action just now was a last resort. If I didn’t want to see a large chunk of the girl’s beautiful blonde hair being torn off, I had to do this.
But now the crisis has been resolved. If I shamelessly approach the girl again, I will definitely be regarded as a hooligan, right?
As I said, he would not do anything that would offend the big family.
That would be too dangerous. I have such a lovely sister to take care of, I don’t want to be sunk into such a dark place as Tokyo Bay.
As Kasugano Toru took a half step back, there was some space under the umbrella, and gusts of air flowed through the arms of the two people, which were originally pressed together.
The girl shuddered. She felt a little overwhelmed by the sudden separation from the source of warmth.
Spring is a season of fluctuating temperatures. Today it is still raining and windy, the temperature is even lower, and people are shivering.
Moreover, Eriri and Kasugano Toru had been standing on the street for a whole morning. Given the girl’s weak physique, it was a miracle that she could hold on until now. When the work was finished, the girl, who had relaxed, finally felt the cold.
“Let’s find a place to rest. Sawamura-kun must have worked hard this morning.”
“No, it’s Kasugano-san who has worked hard and taught me so many things.”
Here it comes again, the same frustrating answer.
Can’t you change the word?
Although she said it very modestly, Eriri still agreed to Kasugano Toru’s suggestion. If she didn’t find a place to sit down and warm up, she might get sick when she returned home today.
She knew her own physical condition very well, and she was not so arrogant as to do so.
Especially today when you have learned so much and are preparing to show your talents, you must take care of your health.
“Kasugano-san, how about we go to the cafe over there and take a break? As a thank you for today, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”
Kasugano Toru nodded. There was really no need to mention compensation between friends.
But if it’s just a cup of coffee, then it’s definitely fine.
Just when the two were about to leave, something strange happened again.
A young man wearing glasses rushed towards the two of them and stood directly in front of Kasugano Toru.
“Eriri, who is this person?” Although he was staring at Kasugano Toru, Aki Tomoya directly questioned Eriri.
Chapter 32: Attack of Kato Megumi (Old Version)
Tomoya Aki planned to buy some home items today. Although there were stores near his home where he could buy a lot of light novels, games and the like, he still came to the commercial district of Ginza.
If you go, you have to go to the best places. The shops in Ginza have figures and collectible editions of games and novels that are not available in small shops. Even if you know you can’t afford these things, when you see your wife smiling at you in the window, Tomoya Aki feels particularly satisfied.
Everything was planned well. In order to save on the train fare, he rode his bike to Ginza from his home, which was seven stops away.
But when he parked the car and prepared to start the day’s joy, he also spotted Toru Kasugano and Eriri.
Does Tomoya Aki like Eriri?
But he couldn’t let Eriri have a boyfriend.
Because in his game production plan, Eriri is an important and indispensable talent.
If Eriri doesn’t have a boyfriend, he can use her status as a childhood playmate to invite the girl to join his team and be responsible for the original painting work.
And as long as the plan goes well, he can even use this relationship to get the girl’s superb painting skills for free without paying a penny.
Because they were childhood playmates, Tomoya Aki knew better than anyone else in Toyonosaki that Eriri was a person who valued feelings very much.
The feelings mentioned here are not necessarily love, but can also be friendship and family affection. As long as a person can be regarded as a friend by a girl, even if he violates the interests of the girl at some point, she will not say anything, but will just endure it silently.
Therefore, as long as Eriri doesn’t have a boyfriend, Akitomo believes that his invitation will most likely be successful.
Even if I fail, don’t I still have a killer move?
Anyone can do it as long as they put on a dojo, right? Even if it doesn’t work in private, it can still be done in school, in front of so many people. As long as you are shameless enough, Eriri will definitely not be able to resist!
But if the girl has a boyfriend, everything is different. She can use her boyfriend as a shield, and when she invites someone, she can easily find an excuse to refuse. For example, after joining Aki Tomoya’s team, she has no time to maintain her relationship with her boyfriend.
In this way, whether in terms of reason or morality, Akitomo has no advantage at all.
Even if you do something like that at school, others will just think that you are a bad boy who continues to harass a girl even though he knows that the girl has a boyfriend.
His reputation in Fengzhizaki was not very good to begin with. If he could not gain the moral upper hand, he would definitely fail even if he used his ultimate move.
I can only say that when it comes to this kind of thing, Tomoya Aki is smarter than anyone else.
He had already thought of how to use the same plan on another person.
Different plans are made for different goals. At this moment, Aki Tomoya feels that he was born to be a planner.
Knowing people and assigning them to the right positions, and making different plans for different people, isn’t this the quality that a planner should possess?
Ying Lili’s face turned ugly.
She did not deny that Aki Tomoya was once a very important friend of hers for a period of time.
When she was very young, influenced by her mother, Eriri was very interested in otaku culture.
But in a country like Japan, otaku are at the bottom of the food chain, and it is not an exaggeration to even say that it is an insult.
The young girl at the time had no chance of finding anyone to communicate with. The people who had gathered around her because of her looks left her side one after another after they discovered that she was an otaku, and they laughed at her before leaving.
For those people, when they find out that someone who is so much better than themselves is actually a otaku, how could they not take advantage of him?
This is the ugly side of human nature. When you see that others are better than you, you always try your best to belittle them until they are worse than you, and then you will be satisfied.
At this moment, Aki Tomoya appeared.
This is a child who has been independent since childhood. He never cares about the opinions of people around him and only lives in his own world.
He unscrupulously recommends his favorite works to others, forcing them to join the otaku group. When he encounters those who don’t agree or are difficult to deal with, he uses his ultimate move to solve all problems by stepping down from the throne.
Eriri was very happy when she found a person who shared the same interests as her in otaku culture. Her family’s wealth allowed her to buy many rare games and peripherals that Tomoya Aki could never get their hands on. For a period of time, the two of them were best friends.
But Eriri couldn’t tell because of her age, but how could someone as smart as Sayuri Sawamura not be able to tell?
It is said that a person’s character can be seen at the age of three. In fact, a person’s qualities as a child will not change much when he grows up.
Otherwise, why is there an old saying in China: “It is easy to change the country, but difficult to change one’s nature.”
With Sayuri Sawamura’s subtle hints, Eriri slowly discovered that Tomoya Aki approached her for other purposes.
In addition to being able to get many games for free that he can’t access, he can also use Eriri’s noble status to promote otaku culture.
“Even upper-class people like otakus, so are otakus something bad?” Aki Tomoya unscrupulously used Eriri’s name and promoted her even more crazily.
During that time, Eriri’s reputation in school was terrible. If Sayuri Sawamura hadn’t made a prompt decision and decided to transfer schools, the girl would definitely not have such a personality now.
To a certain extent, this kind of tsundere personality, where one clearly wants something serious but refuses to admit it, may be a protective color that Eriri has painted on herself after experiencing that incident.
This is the story between Eriri and Tomoya Aki, two childhood friends.
But the title of childhood friend is actually just a unilateral imagination of Tomoya Aki. In Eriri’s eyes, he has long been a selfish person who only cares about his own bad image.
It’s a long story, but from the time Toru Kasugano undid Eriri’s hair to the time Tomoya Aki suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it actually only took more than a minute.
Kato Megumi had been on the other side of the street corner, watching everything that was happening here.
The girl who originally wanted to retreat planned to leave here.
At the same time, I will cherish my upcoming high school life even more.
Because after graduating from high school, wanting to see that boy again might just be a pipe dream, right?
But when she saw the aggressive Aki Tomoya, the girl’s mind buzzed and went blank.
She thought that this otaku who appeared out of nowhere was going to do something bad to Kasugano Toru.
Thinking of this, the girl didn’t care about anything else.
The original gentle and indifferent image is gone, and the steady and generous image is also gone.
She rushed directly in front of Tomoya Aki, threw away the umbrella in her hand, and put her five fingers together.
She stepped forward, lowered her waist, clenched her white and tender hands into fists, and hit Aki Tomoya’s nose bridge hard.
“Puff!”
Blood splattered.
Chapter 33 The miserable Aki Tomoya (old version)
Kasugano Toru opened his mouth wide.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri also opened her mouth wide.
Tomoya Aki was even more… Oh, he couldn’t open his mouth because the pain in his nose made him cry.
In fact, when people are in extreme pain, they cannot make any sound.
If you don’t believe me, let someone kick you between your legs and try it. Apart from a faint wailing in your throat, you won’t be able to utter a word.
The nose is definitely one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body, except for some parts that will be censored as soon as they are written down.
I believe that everyone has had this experience to a certain extent. When the nose is injured, even though the force used is not very strong, the tears just can’t be stopped and keep flowing.
This hits the tear duct.
Even a small amount of force can cause such great damage, not to mention that Kato Megumi attacked with anger and showed no mercy at all.
There’s no way. In the girl’s mind, Tomoya Aki’s aggressive look makes it seem like he’s going to do something bad to Toru Kasugano.
The reason why otaku in Japan are discriminated against is because their reputation is so bad.
There are those who commit rape, those who commit murder, and those who are obscene exhibitionists.
It was previously reported in the news that at a handshake event for a certain idol, an otaku smeared a white unknown liquid on his hands in advance in an attempt to defile the idol.
If the security guard on the scene hadn’t discovered it in time, this guy would have almost succeeded.
Therefore, in Japan, otaku are often seen as criminals in reserve.
So, by chance, an equation emerged in Kato Megumi’s mind.
Tomoya Aki = otaku, Toru Kasugano = good kid.
Otaku = criminal in reserve = ready to commit crime at any time.
Good kid = good baby = never causes trouble.
In this way, the logic behind Tomoya Aki’s attempt to harm Toru Kasugano was born.
If Aki Tomoya knew the magical thoughts in the girl’s mind, he would definitely feel very aggrieved.
How can there be such a person? He doesn’t ask any questions and just rushes up to punch you. Who is the criminal?
Kasugano Toru was shocked.
In the more than a year that he had known Kato Megumi, he had never seen a girl be so violent.
No matter what time, this girl always has a faint smile on her face. She sometimes shows her sharp side when chatting with me, but overall she is definitely a gentle and kind girl.
At least he had never seen Kato Megumi fall out with him.
Even if she is ignored by others at school, she always has that indifferent smile on her face, which makes people feel happy when they see her. Kasugano Toru is willing to date such a girl from the bottom of his heart.
There was even a time when I thought that if I had to get married in the future, a girl like this would be the most suitable candidate to be my wife, right?
But he soon gave up the peach in his mouth.
What the hell are you dreaming about? It’s even a question whether the other person will like you, and now you’re thinking about getting married?
If the other person treated you a little better, wouldn’t you have thought about where to be buried together?
But what happened today completely overturned Kasugano Toru’s cognition.
He had to admit it.
“Kato-kun… so handsome…”
Sawamura Spencer Eriri’s mouth was open so wide that she could almost fit her own little fist in it.
To prevent people from arguing, let me say that the rhetoric used here is exaggerated…
She really hated Tomoya Aki, but her long-term family education taught her that there were ways to deal with this person.
Except violence.
Those who play tactics have a dirty heart. Although Sayuri Sawamura is usually just a smiling otaku who likes to watch BL anime, if she gets ruthless, she won’t mind leaving an unknown male corpse in Tokyo Bay.
There is no doubt that their method is so simple and crude.
As long as it works, it doesn’t really matter what the method is.
The reason why they do not choose violence is simply because in their eyes, violence is the most unacceptable thing.
We are all civilized people. Even if we occasionally sink two people and kill two more, we are still civilized people after all. Why do we have to fight?
Eriri has never paid any attention to Aki Tomoya’s affairs, and even did not tell her family when she was harassed on the first day of school. This was because although she was kind-hearted and hated Aki Tomoya, at least she felt that this man did not deserve the death penalty.
But despite this, she still couldn’t stand the harassment of this otaku.
So after seeing Kato Megumi’s actions, Eriri almost jumped up and cheered again.
It really proves the truth that violence cannot solve problems.
But it can solve the problem for the person who asked it.
After Eriri called her driver, she no longer looked at Tomoya Aki who was lying in the rain like a dead dog.
This may be the worst time that Green has been criticized.
Now the three of them are in a cafe not far away, sitting by the window, watching the driver of the Sawamura family doing the aftermath work.
Needless to say, even if Aki Tomoya can escape this time, he will probably be unable to escape with a layer of skin peeling off.
And afterwards, you will definitely receive warnings from the Sawamura family, including some meaningless words like “If you dare to bother Eriri again, I’ll sink you into Tokyo Bay.”
Seeing the miserable state of Tomoya Aki, Toru Kasugano once again felt fortunate for his own wisdom.
Isn’t this the reason why you don’t want to have anything to do with people from big families?
If I had offended Eriri, perhaps I would be the one lying there now?
Hmm? It doesn’t seem right. Although the Sawamura family was responsible for the aftermath, it seems that it was Kato Megumi who beat the man.
Thinking of Kato Megumi, Kasugano Toru looked at the girl sitting next to Eriri.
She returned to her previous indifferent look.
If it weren’t for the blush on her face that betrayed her mood, it would have seemed like nothing had happened.
Kato Megumi was almost embarrassed to death. After a brief explanation, she realized what stupid thing she had done.
First of all, Toru Kasugano and Eriri are not a couple, on the contrary, they have only known each other for ten days.
Secondly, the two of them were not out for a date today, but to teach Eriri how to draw. And that seemingly ambiguous action was actually just to help Eriri untangle her hair from the umbrella ribs.
Of course, Toru Kasugano changed his explanation to make Eriri less embarrassed. His explanation was that because of a gust of wind, he did not hold the umbrella firmly, so Eriri suffered.
Finally, Aki Tomoya is not a criminal in preparation, and he is not planning to harm Kasugano Toru. Although his attitude is a bit fierce, he would not dare to commit crimes even if he had a hundred times more courage.
If Toru Kasugano had shown a little more strength at that time, this guy might have immediately become timid.
“Why am I so stupid?” Kato Megumi blamed herself.
But soon, she felt happy again.
Although the process was embarrassing, the result was good.
It’s great that Kasugano-san doesn’t have a girlfriend yet!
Kato Megumi, you still have a chance.
Chapter 34 Since Eriri can learn, why can’t I, Kato Megumi, learn? (Old version)
“Mr. Kato, have you ever learned boxing?” After a brief acquaintance, Eriri excitedly grabbed Kato Megumi’s hand, looking like she had great potential.
I have to say, Kato Megumi, who KOed Aki Tomoya with one punch, is really cool!
Perhaps this is also a kind of contrast. We are used to seeing the indifferent Kato Megumi, and occasionally seeing such Kato Megumi is also quite heart-warming.
That’s right, at the moment when Kato Megumi KOed Aki Tomoya with one punch, Kasugano Toru felt a little moved.
“Am I a masochist?” After despising himself in his heart, Toru Kasugano quickly collected his thoughts and didn’t dare to continue thinking about it.
God knows what weird things I will come up with if I continue to daydream.
You can’t really think about whether the two of you should be buried together in the future, right?
Kato Megumi’s mood, which had originally calmed down a little, was disturbed again by Eriri.
“No, I haven’t learned anything like that.”
For a moment, Toru Kasugano wondered if the two girls in front of him had exchanged souls.
The one with sharp words that are hard to resist is Kato Megumi, and the one with a shy face and a tsundere attitude is actually Eriri.
What a cute contrast.
“But Kato was so handsome just now. I thought you had learned boxing.” Eriri was still immersed in the scene just now. The style of that punch would definitely be deeply imprinted in this girl’s mind and would linger for a long time.
Eriri, who was just in an excited state, once again ignored the fact that others were embarrassed.
Seeing that Kato Megumi didn’t want to continue the previous topic, Kasugano Toru acted as a mediator.
“Kato-san, why are you here?”
“Dad had to come to the company to work overtime today, and he forgot to bring his lunch box when he left, so I brought it to him.” After changing the subject, Kato Megumi’s mood indeed improved a lot.
If this incident hadn’t been so outrageous, with the girl’s psychological quality, she would have adjusted herself long ago.
“I see. I was wondering why Kato-san would come to a place like this alone when the weather is so bad.”
“Has Kasugano-san been teaching Sawamura-san how to draw this morning?” Although she didn’t understand what techniques the two were exchanging, it didn’t stop Kato Megumi from asking such a question.
Since Eriri can learn it, why can’t I, Kato Megumi?
Kasugano Toru and I have known each other for a long time. As long as I ask him, he will definitely agree!
But soon, Kato Megumi became depressed again.
It is true that she and Toru Kasugano are friends, but isn’t the reason they can be friends because they maintain a very good sense of distance?
If I rashly make requests that go beyond the line, perhaps this relationship will no longer be able to be maintained?
The three of them chatted casually, and soon it was four o’clock in the afternoon.
“Kato-san, Sawamura-san, why don’t we stop here today? The weather might get worse tonight, and it might be troublesome if we don’t go home early.” After looking at the weather forecast on his mobile phone, Toru Kasugano decided to take the initiative to end today’s topic.
Otherwise, seeing how Eriri is holding Kato Megumi’s arm and asking all kinds of questions, there’s no telling when this cup of coffee will be finished.
“Oh, yes. It’s getting late, and I have to go back too, Sawamura-san.” Kato Megumi had long been unable to stand Eriri’s enthusiasm.
She definitely wouldn’t hate this girl. Ever since she found out that Eriri was not Toru Kasugano’s girlfriend, she had no hostility towards this girl.
There is even a tendency for the two of them to become friends.
The reason why I felt relieved was because Kato Megumi really couldn’t resist Eriri’s enthusiasm.
Ying Lili looked at the weather outside the window with lingering interest, and found that there was indeed a dark cloud floating in the sky, so she could only end her topic helplessly.
However, before leaving, he did not forget to add Kato Megumi’s line, and it seemed that their chat had just begun.
Kato Megumi looked at Kasugano Toru helplessly, while the boy turned his face away secretly and laughed.
Why didn’t I realize before that Sawamura-san is actually a chatterbox?
After they parted, Eriri returned to the Sawamura family’s mansion alone in the family car.
“The young lady seems to be in a good mood.” The female driver in the front seat observed Eriri’s reaction through the rearview mirror more than once. Even though they had driven so far, the girl still had a smile on her lips.
“Of course, Saki, you don’t understand, I have two friends today!” Eriri’s short legs swayed on the seat, and she looked in a very good mood.
For a lonely girl, having two friends is enough to make her happy for a long time.
“Really? Congratulations then, young lady.” Saki pursed his lips, trying hard to hide his smile.
You keep saying you don’t understand, you silly young lady.
“I have been watching you all day. Do you think your wife is so confident that you can be alone with a boy for so long? And the place you chose is Ginza, which is easy to be misunderstood.”
You should know that in addition to many commercial areas, Ginza also has a lot of hotels.
It’s normal for Sayuri Sawamura to be worried.
Thinking of Sayuri Sawamura’s crazy look last night, Saki could hardly hold back his laughter.
But the boy today seemed really good.
Although my young lady is so simple, she can’t feel it, but Saki can see it clearly from the side.
They kept their distance like gentlemen, and even though they had to share an umbrella because Eriri had to take notes, they tried hard to keep a distance of about half a fist.
The price I paid for this was that my left shoulder was completely soaked.
Whenever Eriri asked a question, he would listen carefully and give a detailed answer.
Well, this is purely imaginary.
If you listen carefully, you can also observe it through actions. But who knows whether the answer is detailed or not.
Saki didn’t plant a bug on Eriri.
As the saying goes, love the house and love the dog in it. Because of Kasugano Toru’s good performance, Saki subconsciously gave a good evaluation of the boy.
“It seems that he is not one of those light novel male protagonists who is useless except for the Azashi.” Saki felt that after reporting to his wife tonight, she should feel more at ease. …
Kato Megumi and Kasugano Toru were going home in the same direction, and both had to take the train for 7 stops.
After getting on the tram, because of the weather today, not many people were out, so although it was not the starting station, there were still some empty seats on the train unexpectedly.
“Huh, I feel like today is particularly tiring.” After sitting down, Kasugano Toru stretched out his body, looking exhausted.
“Kasugano-san looks like a 70-year-old old man now.” Kato Megumi made her complaint just right.
But this time, Kasugano Toru, who has the trump card in his hand, will not sit still and wait for death.
“Yeah, compared to Kato’s performance today, I am just an old man with no strength at all, right?”
Chapter 35: Qiong’s video call invitation (old version)
“Senior, did you know there is a heavy rain alert for tomorrow?” After returning home and receiving the warning text message from the Meteorological Bureau, Toru Kasugano immediately sent a text message to Utaha Kasumigaoka.
I originally thought that although the spring rain lasted for a long time, it would definitely not be heavy. Even if it was not very convenient to go out, it would not have a big impact.
But I didn’t expect that not long after I returned home today, I received a heavy rain alert.
This means that the exhausted boy cannot rest yet. If he does not buy some food while the rain is still light, he will have to choose between eating instant noodles or going hungry in the next two days.
Of course, the boy did not forget to send a text message to Kasumigaoka Utaha. After all, they had an appointment to discuss the story of the second volume of “Love Metronome” together tomorrow.
“I know, so tomorrow Kasugano-san can just take a taxi here, and I will reimburse the fare.” The extremely expensive taxi fare in Japan is worthless in front of the best-selling author.
After once again lamenting the corruption of the rich, Toru Kasugano obediently walked towards a nearby supermarket.
There is a special offer today.
There were no chance encounters during this purchase.
Toru Kasugano returned home safely, carrying enough food for him to eat for three days.
But today was destined to be a busy day. Before he could put the ingredients in the refrigerator, a video call invitation came from his mobile phone.
“Brother!” After the video call was connected, Qiong squinted his eyes and called out to his brother.
Because of his homework and also because he was afraid of disturbing his sister’s rest, Toru Kasugano made an agreement with his sister two years ago that the two could only video call on weekends unless there were special circumstances.
If they video chat every day, then the two of them won’t have to do anything else and can chat for two or three hours a night.
Even Qiong’s roommate was sighing, wondering how much you two siblings have to talk about.
“Good evening, Qiong, how are you doing recently?” Kasugano Toru deliberately pretended to be very serious.
“You’re so annoying, brother. You always open the show like an old man and never change. Don’t you find it annoying?” Even though she was complaining about her brother, Toru Kasugano could see the smile in Qiong’s eyes even through the screen.
“I understand. It turns out that Qiong is annoying her brother. Woohoo, my sister has grown up. She is no longer the lovely sister she used to be.” Kasugano Toru deliberately rubbed his eyes and pretended to wipe away his tears.
Qiong chuckled, and after she had laughed enough, she said, “Brother, my roommates are all in the dormitory today, and I didn’t bring my headphones. Do you think they heard your performance just now?”
Before the little girl finished her words, the sound of several girls trying to suppress their laughter came from the receiver.
Kasugano Toru’s face was filled with black lines.
This little girl is so bold that she even dares to tease her own brother. When she comes back from summer vacation, I will make sure to let her experience the punishment of my family.
It’s just my own image. The image of the perfect brother that I have worked so hard to build up is probably going to be ruined.
“Hehe, don’t be angry, brother. In fact, my roommates still admire you very much. It won’t affect your image.”
But Kasugano Toru would not be fooled again. He snorted coldly and turned his head away deliberately.
At this moment, it seemed as if the identities of brother and sister had been swapped.
Kasugano Toru is the younger sister who is always acting spoiled and sulking, while Kyon has become the older brother who tries to cheer up her angry sister.
“Okay, brother, don’t be angry. At worst, I can show you what underwear I’m wearing today. How about it?”
“Puff!” Kasugano Toru sprayed out directly.
Then I began to reflect on myself and wonder what went wrong in the process of educating my sister?
What on earth made the younger sister feel that as long as she showed her underwear, her brother would no longer be angry?
More than a hundred kilometers away, in the dormitory of the private Otome Saki Girls’ Academy, several girls had already started a fight.
“Qiong, I never thought you would be so obsessed with your brother that you would even try to seduce your brother with your underwear.”
Hey, hey, don’t talk nonsense. Qiong and I have a purely brother-sister relationship. Pure, do you understand?
“Hehe, Kasugano-nii, do you want me to tell you the color of Qiong’s underwear today?”
Tsk, do you need to tell me this? I bought all her underwear. Do you think I need you to tell me?
“Brother Kasugano, actually, when Qiong goes to sleep at night, every day… mmmmmm!”
Kasugano Toru was speechless. Could it be that the girls’ dormitory was so noisy?
Although I often video chat with my sister, every time we do that, my sister will find a place where there is no one, put on headphones and communicate with me.
This seems to be the first time you’re openly video chatting with a boy in the dormitory like this?
I don’t know what medicine I took wrongly.
But now that my sister’s situation has become like this, it seems that today’s video has to end early.
Looking at the dark screen of his phone, Qiong puffed up his lips.
“You guys are going too far. I finally got to video chat with my brother today, but you guys kept messing around. Are you still friends?”
“Hey, Qiong, you can’t be the first to complain. You used to find a place to secretly video chat with your brother, but today you had to show off in front of us. How can you keep showing off like this and not let others resist?” A tall girl protested indignantly.
The other girls also echoed: “That’s right, I thought it was excessive enough before, but now it’s even more excessive. Even at night, you call me brother. How can we tolerate this?”
Seeing that he had incurred public anger, Qiong didn’t dare to speak.
“Has it really been so obvious lately? Even the fact that I dreamed about my brother at night showed up?” The girl covered her face in grievance.
It’s all my brother’s fault for forcing me to come to this school. If we could see each other every day, I wouldn’t miss him so much, right?
But it’s okay, just wait another year and Qiong will be able to be admitted to Fengzhizaki.
Brother, please wait for me!
Early the next morning, while the rain was not heavy, Toru Kasugano arrived at Kasumigaoka Utaha’s apartment early.
Although the girl promised to reimburse the taxi fare, he felt that his relationship with Kasumigaoka Utaha was not yet that good, right?
After all, it’s just an ordinary monetary transaction relationship.
But when he saw the outline of the second volume of “Love Metronome” handed over by the girl, Kasugano Toru felt something was wrong.
Was it someone who ghostwrote the first volume or this book?
Senior, if you really continue like this, even my illustrations can’t save this damn novel.
Chapter 36 Kasumigaoka Utaha and Light Novel (Old Version)
There was a reason why Kasugano Toru was surprised.
I originally thought that “Love Metronome” was just a single-female protagonist novel describing the youthful love of high school students, focusing on the immaturity and beauty of first love, but by the second volume, the style had completely changed.
Just by looking at the outline, Toru Kasugano felt his stomach start to hurt.
Isn’t this a proper White Album?
This is a melodramatic story between a man and two women. Does it need another complaint like “Why are you so skilled?”
After reading the outline carefully, Kasugano Toru organized his words for a long time before carefully asking, “Senior, can you tell me why a character named Mami is added to the second volume?”
“What’s wrong with that? If there’s only Naoto and Sayuka, the plot will be very thin. If you add one more character, wouldn’t it be easier for readers to be attracted by the entanglement between the three people?”
After hearing Kasumigaoka Utaha’s answer, Kasugano Toru really wanted to tear the outline in his hand into pieces and throw it on the ground.
You are making trouble!
Whether you have a harem or a single female protagonist, all of this is fine.
No matter how you write it, there will always be some readers who like it and others who don’t.
But if you trade stocks, these two groups of readers will unite to spit at you, and then walk away without looking back.
“Senior, excuse me for being blunt, but you have never been in love, right?”
Hearing Kasugano Toru’s question, Kasumigaoka Utaha’s eyes turned unfriendly.
“Can’t I write a romance novel if I’ve never been in a relationship?” The girl felt a little depressed, but the comments and tone of the junior student in front of her were tactful enough.
Compared to the ridicule of those old authors, this is nothing.
Thinking of what those people said, Kasumigaoka Utaha’s chest began to ache with anger.
“The little girl is just thinking about love. Is there anyone willing to watch such a boring and bloody plot?”
“Some people are still too young. They always like to idealize things. They clearly haven’t experienced it, but they always like to live in fantasy.”
“This kind of book is probably just to fool children. Anyone who has experienced it would have such childish thoughts.”
However, it was precisely the ridicule of those people that forced out a more powerful Kasumigaoka Utaha.
In addition to the former editor-in-chief’s keen eye for talent, Kasumigaoka Utaha herself also has real talent. If you just pile up useless mud, no matter how much resources you throw at it, it will only be drowned by the tide of the times.
Of course, Toru Kasugano had no intention of mocking the other party. The senior schoolmate in front of him was his financial sponsor. He should know that he came here today and got paid.
It’s a full 50,000 yuan. If it were in the past, I wouldn’t be able to go out in this kind of weather, let alone make money.
But now, I can make money while lying down… no, I can make money while standing up. It feels so good.
However, even though Kasumigaoka Utaha is his financial backer, this does not mean that Kasugano Toru will give in without any bottom line.
The reason is simple. If the second volume of “Love Metronome” is gone, won’t he be unemployed again?
If he is given the reputation of being a bane of light novel authors, he will never be able to work in the illustrator circle in his lifetime.
The human brain circuit is so magical that when encountering something that cannot be explained, they always find some inexplicable reasons to make others take the blame.
Wasn’t it for this reason that many of those who were burned to death hundreds of years ago did so?
Want people to admit that you are bad? Impossible.
But what if we ask them to admit that it was someone else who was unlucky?
Wouldn’t that be much easier?
So even if he has some ideological differences with Kasumigaoka Utaha, he cannot give in.
The worst that can happen is that I get fired. It doesn’t matter if I go back to my previous life. It’s just a little harder, but I won’t starve to death.
The boy said to Kasumigaoka Utaha seriously: “Senior, don’t get me wrong, I just want to tell you, if in the future when you are in a relationship, your boyfriend is wavering between you and another girl, and may choose her or you in the end, what kind of experience is that?”
The black-haired girl instantly got goosebumps.
When designing the outline for the second volume of the novel, she only thought about adding characters and increasing conflicts, but she forgot that in real life, when people encounter such people, they will only say: Bah, scumbag!
Besides, Kasumigaoka Utaha is also a girl. If her boyfriend dares to do such a thing in the future, just prepare a pair of scissors.
“So, senior, don’t just add characters simply to expand the plot. Although I have to admit that from this outline, Zhenwei’s character design is indeed brilliant, but if you don’t plan to write a harem novel, it would be better to rewrite this outline and delete Zhenwei’s role.”
“A character that has been portrayed with so much ink and ink, but in the end is simply reduced to a supporting role, there will definitely be fans who will criticize it.”
“Senior sister, you have to know that if you don’t marry her, why flirt with her!”
Indeed, as Toru Kasugano said, regardless of whether the character of Shinwei can win or not, according to the outline currently set by the girl, the reputation of this book will definitely collapse in the second volume.
Because compared to the heroine Sayuka in the first volume, Shinwei received just as much ink and screen time as Sayuka!
As long as Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn’t intend to write about a harem, she will definitely be criticized to pieces. How is this different from stock trading?
Moreover, Toru Kasugano knew that “Love Metronome” must have been a novel with only a female protagonist at the beginning.
If we really write according to the outline in the boy’s hand, it will go against Kasumigaoka Utaha’s idea.
Originally, the original setting was for a single female protagonist, but everyone who wanted to see a harem ran away.
But halfway through, I realized it was a harem, so those who wanted to see a single female lead also ran away.
In the end, they found out it was stock speculation, so they all came back.
For spitting.
After Toru Kasugano’s explanation, Utaha Kasumigaoka also discovered the problem.
In fact, even she herself couldn’t explain why she wanted to include a character like Zhenwei.
Maybe it’s really because the plot is not full enough and needs more conflict.
Or maybe it was because, when she was writing the second volume, she suddenly felt that Naoto, the male protagonist, was not actually a suitable boyfriend?
Apart from the overused Asashi in light novels, there is nothing good about it.
Can such a person really be a good match for Sayuka?
You know, Sayuka is her own incarnation…
Chapter 37: Kasumigaoka Utaha wakes up from a dream (old version)
There is actually something in common between creating light novels and writing online novels, and that is serialization.
It’s just that the intervals between serializations of light novels are longer, while those of online novels are much shorter.
But no matter which form it is, there is a big problem, that is, it is difficult to modify the chapters that have been sent out.
Even a great writer like Jin Yong would have to think twice and be extremely cautious before making any changes, let alone ordinary people like them.
Therefore, for Utaha Kasumigaoka, the biggest problem now is how to ensure the continuity of the plot without being abrupt and make the plot fuller when the first volume has already been released.
Of course, the purpose of the plot is to highlight the characters.
Kasumigaoka Utaha’s ultimate goal is to make the character of Sayuka deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Lacking friends, she always wondered, if Sayuka could be recognized by others, could she also be recognized by others?
“Kasugano-kun, these are the problems. I can’t change the male lead now. What do you think I should do…” Kasumigaoka Utaha sat dejectedly on the chair, hugging her knees.
This action immediately made Kasugano Toru look away.
Senior sister, you are gone…
Because she was at home, Kasumigaoka Utaha did not wear the common black tights, but chose ordinary home clothes. Today’s shorts were not very long, so her two plump thighs were exposed to the air.
This action at this moment makes the girl, who was originally full of temptation, look more pitiful and touching, which makes people feel distressed.
“Senior, don’t be anxious. There are actually many ways.” Seeing the look on Kasumigaoka Utaha’s face, Toru Kasugano felt a little bit reluctant.
Anyway, this is related to my meal ticket. For the sake of money, I just don’t pretend.
“In fact, the first volume of Senpai’s writing is really good, and the character of Sayuka is also described brilliantly. I have expressed my admiration for her before.”
“And if you want to enrich the characters and the storyline, why not start with the male lead?”
If there were a picture, the area around Kasumigaoka Utaha’s head should be pitch black, and then a flash of lightning would pass by, bringing up a bright light.
“Yes, there is also the character of Naoto!” The girl woke up as if from a dream.
Such an action left Kasugano Toru speechless.
Please, senior, even if Sayuka is your incarnation, you can’t let the male protagonist’s presence be so low, right?
And it is precisely because of Kasumigaoka Utaha’s actions that this book has a very inconsistent aspect.
“Senior, don’t you think that based on the situation in the first volume, Naoto is actually not worthy of Sayuka?”
Kasugano Toru said it all.
There are so many touching love stories in history, but almost all of them have one thing in common, that is, the hero and heroine must have worked together.
If one side gives in, it will definitely turn into a tragedy.
But it is precisely because two people work hard together and become better together that the hard-earned love is especially cherished, and it also makes countless readers sigh.
But what about in the novel “Love Metronome”?
It is precisely because of Kasumigaoka Utaha’s excellent writing style that Sayuka was portrayed as a nearly perfect girl.
The reason why I say almost is that she also has many common problems of girls, such as sensitivity and willfulness.
But in the writing of Utaha Kasumigaoka, these little flaws not only did not damage Sayuka’s image, but made readers feel that such a girl is more real and more lovely.
Do you really think there are perfect girls in life?
The reason why conflicts arise among people is actually because 100% of people are different, but 99% of people cannot accept these differences.
But in the novel, the girl’s little illness brought her back to earth from the sky, allowing readers to feel that Sayuka is the girl living around us.
This sense of intimacy is the reason why the first volume of “Love Metronome” was a huge success.
But in comparison, what kind of image does Naoto have?
A typical light novel male protagonist, apart from being Asashi, he can’t even find a single good point.
Even if he is a little straight, a little dull, or has a low EQ, as long as readers can see that the straight man is working hard for their relationship and trying hard to improve himself, they can accept that this character takes away his “wife”.
But what does “Love Metronome” look like now?
Toru Kasugano always felt that Kasumigaoka Utaha was telling others that, in fact, you don’t need to work hard or be excellent. As long as you are a gentle, cautious, and good-for-nothing boy, there will be a perfect girl like Sayuka who will actively pursue you.
You’re dreaming!
How could such a good thing happen in real life?
What’s more, if the second volume is really written according to the outline set by Kasumigaoka Utaha, perhaps the male protagonist will have to have another label.
PUA.
Wandering between two girls, taking advantage of the girls’ feelings for him, and unscrupulously playing with two outstanding girls, if this isn’t PUA, what is it?
Thinking of this, Toru Kasugano wanted to rush into the book “Love Metronome” and beat up this good-for-nothing guy.
“So, senior, hurry up and flesh out the image of the male protagonist.”
“Love is always a two-way journey. If only one person is desperately trying to get closer to the other person, this relationship will never last.”
At this moment, Kasugano Toru looked like a chicken soup master.
But no matter what, this is what love looks like in his heart.
Don’t always say that men are too tired or women are too tired.
The truth is, everyone is tired!
Even if you are a full-time wife, do you think housework is something easy to do? It is just three simple words, but they often need to spend a whole day to make the environment clean and tidy when you get home from get off work.
The same goes for men. Do you really think that the salary you bring home every month is something you can earn easily? Kasugano Toru has already come to a profound realization.
So if you want a love to last, it is always a matter for two people. If you just one-sidedly emphasize that men or women are more tired, what’s the point of talking about love?
Wouldn’t it be nice to participate in a debate competition?
After listening to Toru Kasugano’s chicken soup, Kasumigaoka Utaha’s expression became very strange.
“Kasugano-kun, you are actually a sea king, right?”
To be fair, how could you have such feelings if you haven’t been in eight or ten relationships?
Kasugano Toru, his reputation was damaged.
Chapter 38 Kasumigaoka Utaha: Can’t I satisfy your fantasy anymore? (Old version)
Kasugano Toru felt so miserable.
What’s wrong with being single? Should being single be ridiculed?
He has no pride, so why should you provoke him with such insulting remarks?
Mocking a person who has been single since birth as a sea king is as painful as asking a beggar how he could be so rich.
“Senior, how can you slander someone’s innocence out of thin air!” Then Kasugano Toru said something incomprehensible like “I’m single and I’m proud”, and the air was suddenly filled with a lively atmosphere.
After receiving guidance from Toru Kasugano, Utaha Kasumigaoka regrouped and devoted herself to a new round of creation.
But that doesn’t mean all her previous work was in vain.
The character of Zhenwei can definitely exist, but her role can be reduced so as not to overshadow the main character.
And Toru Kasugano really thinks that the design of the character of Shinwei is actually very outstanding.
If he were given a choice, he would definitely choose a girl like Mayu as his wife rather than Sayuka.
And I always feel that the new character designed by the senior is a bit similar to someone’s image.
A figure slowly emerged in his mind, and Kasugano Toru was a little surprised.
Why would I think of her in this situation?
“Kasugano-kun, being with a beautiful girl like me can no longer satisfy your fantasy?” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s venomous tongue came late but came true.
Although she was very grateful for the boy’s suggestions for her novel, she couldn’t think that she would easily forget the ridicule that Kasugano Toru had just made against her.
What do you mean you’ve never been in love? Have you ever been in love?
No one has the right to criticize anyone else.
Along with the vicious words, Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her two long white legs and posed an extremely seductive cross-legged posture.
He leaned his upper body forward slightly, resting his elbows on his thighs, holding his chin with one hand, and stared at Kasugano Toru with interest.
“Gu…” The young man swallowed hard. He had to admit that as a little virgin, his level was still too low in front of a female gangster like Kasumigaoka Utaha.
As we all know, there are actually only two best ways to deal with female hooligans.
The first is to ignore it. No matter how you tease me, as a straight man, I lose if you move.
The second way is to become even more rogue than her. No matter what kind of dirty talk she faces, just fight back with double the dirty talk.
But obviously, no matter which situation it is, Toru Kasugano doesn’t quite fit the bill.
The rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier, and the strong wind brought heavy rain to hit the glass, making crackling sounds.
But these things did not affect Kasumigaoka Utaha at all. She was in a creative state and her concentration was amazing.
But Toru Kasugano couldn’t bear it anymore. In order to arrive before the heavy rain, he got up at six o’clock and finished his breakfast at half past six.
Seeing that the clock hand was already pointing to one o’clock, he would definitely faint if he didn’t eat something.
“Hey, Senior, do you have any ingredients here?”
No one responded…
“Senior, can I go check the refrigerator?”
It was a little louder this time, but still no answer.
“Senior!!!!” Kasugano Toru yelled, waking up the girl who was in a creative state.
“Kasugano-kun! Don’t you know it’s very rude to talk to a lady like that?” The girl’s face turned very dark. She hated the feeling of having her train of thought interrupted.
Toru Kasugano felt really aggrieved. He didn’t know that Kasumigaoka Utaha worked so hard.
You have to know that it was only nine o’clock after they finished discussing the outline, but almost four hours had passed, and this girl just sat there typing on the keyboard for four hours without moving.
It was because Qiong bought him a new cell phone, otherwise he wouldn’t have known how he would have gotten through these few hours.
I really regret not bringing a digital tablet.
“But senior, I called you several times, but you ignored me.” Kasugano Toru said.
After hearing what the boy said, Kasumigaoka Utaha stopped caring about it.
She also knew how focused she was when typing, so it was normal that she couldn’t hear other people’s voices.
“What’s up?”
“I want to ask, does senior have any ingredients at home? It’s time for lunch.” Kasugano Toru pointed to the wall clock.
“There are cup noodles in the refrigerator, please help yourself, Kasugano-kun.” After saying this, the girl turned her attention back to the computer and continued her typing journey.
Kasugano Toru shook his head helplessly, said “excuse me” softly, went to the living room and opened the refrigerator.
Today was really embarrassing. As a first-time visitor, I didn’t even have a glass of water. I even had to make instant noodles for lunch…
The boy took out two buckets of instant noodles from the refrigerator, boiled hot water in a teapot, and started making instant noodles.
Before long, the two buckets of instant noodles were ready, but a new problem faced the boy.
How should I invite Kasumigaoka Utaha to come for dinner?
If I pull her up from the keyboard again, she will definitely be angry with me, right?
But after hesitating for a moment, Kasugano Toru decided to take the risk.
Man is iron and food is steel. If you don’t eat, how can you maintain a good creative state?
“Senior, it’s time to eat.”
As expected, it ended in failure.
So he simply closed Kasumigaoka Utaha’s latest laptop.
“Snap!” The sound of the notebook closing was a bit dull. If you didn’t listen carefully, it would almost be covered by the sound of rain outside the window.
“Kasugano-kun!” Kasumigaoka Utaha was furious. How long had it been since someone dared to disturb her like this while she was working?
But the girl’s ferocious appearance had no killing power on Kasugano Toru. Instead, it made him feel that the girl was like a cat pretending to be fierce.
Seeing Kasugano Toru’s indifferent expression, Kasumigaoka Utaha wanted to open the laptop again.
But the boy slapped his hand on his notebook and repeated, “Senior, it’s time to eat!”
“I’ll eat later.” Kasumigaoka Utaha replied unhappily and wanted to open the notebook again.
“Senior, it’s time to eat!” Toru Kasugano’s tone did not fluctuate at all, and he was not scared by Kasumigaoka Utaha’s vicious look.
“Kasugano-kun, you…”
“Senior, I said, it’s time to eat.” Kasugano Toru finally narrowed his eyes.
For the first time, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt that she might have made a mistake.
How can this boy be the protagonist of some Asian light novel?
Chapter 39: The Conflicted Kato Megumi (Old Version)
Utaha Kasumigaoka sat at the dining table, chewing the noodles in her mouth fiercely.
It was like she was biting into Kasugano Toru’s flesh, her expression was fierce, her figure… and her breasts were even fiercer.
“Senior, please keep quiet when eating. This is the most basic courtesy.” As if he didn’t see the murderous gaze of Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kasugano Toru still had the leisure to make a few jokes.
“Then isn’t it also basic courtesy not to disturb others when they are working?” Kasumigaoka Utaha became even angrier. Does this guy have any awareness that he has done something wrong?
“But it is also the most basic courtesy to remind others to eat when it is time to eat.”
“Are you putting nesting dolls here?” Kasumigaoka Utaha felt so angry that her chest hurt!
The girl was breathing heavily and looked really angry.
But I have to say that it really warms the heart of Utaha Kasumigaoka to have someone serve her steaming hot food at mealtime.
Although I moved out of my home in order to have a quiet environment to create better, to be honest, after leaving my parents, being able to eat prepared meals at mealtime has become a luxury.
Over time, she got used to this kind of life. Once she entered the working state, she would work like crazy, regardless of anything else, and would forget about eating and sleeping.
“What’s the longest record that I can remember?” The girl was lost in memories while slurping noodles.
Three days and three nights? It seems that this is close to the limit of the human body, right?
So even though Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn’t look like a high school student at all, her physique is not much better than Eriri’s.
The reason why her skin is fair, besides being naturally beautiful, may also be related to staying at home for a long time.
Gradually, the girl’s movements changed from gritting her teeth to quietly eating noodles in small bites.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. We’re in a financial transaction relationship, so it’s only natural for me to take care of you, senior.” Kasugano Toru accepted the girl’s thanks without hesitation and boasted about himself at the same time.
It looks like when it comes to shamelessness, Toru Kasugano will soon have the upper hand.
There was no scene of staying overnight, and there was no power outage, thunder, or a scene where men and women were forced to live in the same room. Toru Kasugano went straight back to his own home.
Starting from the afternoon, the rain gradually weakened. By dark, although it was still not light, I could barely go home.
After politely declining Kasumigaoka Utaha’s invitation to stay overnight, Toru Kasugano still insisted on returning to his own home.
There is no other way. Firstly, my textbooks and other things are all at home. If I don’t go back today, and it rains heavily tomorrow, I won’t even be able to go to school.
Secondly, he and Kasumigaoka Utaha are alone and not in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, so it is naturally inconvenient for them to stay in someone else’s house.
The last and most important reason is that I have a video call with my sister tonight.
If my sister saw me living in another girl’s house, God knows what tricky and weird questions she would ask me.
He never doubted Qiong’s curiosity.
In order to avoid being repeatedly questioned by his sister and to be able to go to school normally tomorrow, Kasugano Toru reluctantly returned to his home.
This is indeed a painful thing. No matter how much he doesn’t plan to have a girlfriend, he is not a monk and this is not a Buddhist temple.
No way, no way, there is no way that someone can calmly reject a beautiful girl’s invitation to stay overnight, right?
The weather did not improve on the second day.
Spring rain is like this, continuous, that’s why we call it the plum rain season.
But this drizzle really made Kasugano Toru enjoy it.
Although he felt a little uncomfortable because his whole body was wet, it did not affect his good mood at all.
It has been mentioned before that Toru Kasugano actually likes rainy days very much. Whenever rainy days come, he feels particularly peaceful.
It may also be because if it rains, he can’t go out to set up a stall to paint, so he can be lazy. No matter how heavy the pressure on his shoulders is, the boy is not an iron man, and he will also have the idea of ​​taking a break and being lazy.
“Kasugano-san, if you don’t hold an umbrella like this, you might catch a cold.” Just as the boy was walking in the rain without an umbrella like a child, a soft voice rang out.
“Good morning, Kato-san.” Putting aside his childish look, Toru Kasugano tried hard to act like a steady and reliable boy.
This sudden change of expression made Kato Megumi laugh secretly. She never thought that he had such a childish side.
But the giggle didn’t last long, because Kasugano Toru suddenly realized that he didn’t bring an umbrella…
Not bringing an umbrella on a rainy day, haha, why are you pretending? Do you have to make up the story of carrying a knife but not an umbrella on a rainy night?
But he didn’t mean to leave the umbrella behind, because he forgot to bring the umbrella with him when he left Kasumigaoka Utaha’s apartment yesterday.
When he found out downstairs, he thought again that if he pulled Kasumigaoka Utaha out of her work state three times in a row, no matter how good-tempered the girl was, she would definitely get angry.
In addition, the rain had already subsided a lot at that time, so Kasugano Toru simply went back home in the rain.
When he went out this morning, it was drizzle, which was the boy’s favorite drizzle. He was so focused on getting into the rain that he didn’t even think about bringing an umbrella.
Kato Megumi pursed her lips. Seeing the boy’s embarrassment, she knew what had happened: “If you don’t have an umbrella, why don’t you share one with me?”
The girl took the initiative to hand her umbrella to Kasugano Toru, then bent down lightly and got under the umbrella.
Because it was just a single umbrella, in order to prevent getting wet, Kato Megumi and Kasugano Toru held their arms tightly together.
“Hurry up, be careful not to be late.” Even without looking at Kasugano Toru’s face, the girl knew that the boy next to her must be in a daze.
Anyway, it was like this in the past. As long as a girl was a little more proactive, she would definitely get a reaction like this.
This made Kato Megumi unsure whether she should take the initiative or not.
Don’t take the initiative. What if you miss it?
Take the initiative. What if you scare him away?
So tangled…
Toru Kasugano felt that the world had suddenly become quiet, and the umbrella above his head created a small space for him.
A world that belongs only to him and Kato Megumi.
In fact, similar intimate actions have happened before, but I don’t know why, since I entered the second year of high school, I always feel that there have been some subtle changes in the relationship between myself and Kato Megumi.
And now there was only one thought in his mind.
“Kato-san smells so good…”
Chapter 40: Eriri in a Good Mood (Old Version)
The scent that emanates from Kato Megumi is not the scent of perfume, but the natural body odor of a girl.
Although there was a breeze, because he was holding an umbrella, Kasugano Toru felt that the fragrance was lingering in the space created by the umbrella. Some of it even mischievously got into his nose and made him itchy.
My nose is itchy and my heart is itchy too.
In order to ease his embarrassment, the boy took the initiative to find a meaningless topic and tried to divert attention.
“How was your weekend, Kato-san?”
“Not really. My hand still hurts from hitting someone. If you don’t believe me, just look.”
With just one sentence, Kasugano Toru raised the white flag.
Because he thought of the heroic girl that day who knocked out Tomoya Aki with one punch.
It’s so handsome!
But the boy also saw bruises on the girl’s wrists. Since Kato Megumi was not a professional fighting athlete, she naturally had not learned any fighting techniques.
The surface of the human body is irregular, especially the face, which is very uneven because of the facial features.
But when a normal person punches, because of the posture, the fist is actually upright, or at a 45-degree angle, that is, the base of the thumb is facing upward, or diagonally upward.
However, this posture is actually wrong. If you punch someone with your fist like this, it is easy for it to slip across the other person’s body and cause damage to the joints at the moment of contact with the other person’s body because the wrist joint cannot be fixed.
The correct posture should be with the palm of the fist facing downward, that is, the base of the thumb should be in a horizontal position. This way, the fist can better protect the wrist joint from injury.
But Kato Megumi knew nothing about this, and she attacked in a hurry that day. As a result of not holding back, not only did Aki Tomoya pay the price of his nose, but Kato Megumi also suffered some injuries to her wrist.
“Does it hurt?” Kasugano Toru looked at the girl’s wrist with some distress. Against the backdrop of her fair skin, the bruise was extremely conspicuous.
After all, this was caused by standing up for yourself. It is neither moral nor reasonable to ignore it, right?
“A little bit, but after two days of rest, it’s no big problem anymore.” Feeling cared for by the young man, Kato Megumi suddenly felt that her wrist didn’t hurt anymore.
“Thank you, An Yi, and thank you for An Yi’s nose. Don’t forget to give me such an opportunity next time!” The girl thought sinisterly.
Kasugano Toru carefully checked and found that the girl was almost unaffected when she moved, except for some bruises, which did not affect her movements. After confirming that there was no problem with the bones, he said, “Although it may be a bit of an afterthought, if Kato-san has nothing to do after school today, why don’t you go to my house first?”
“Shall we go to Kasugano-san’s house first?” The girl frowned and tilted her head to glance at the boy.
Did he suddenly come to his senses? He actually took the initiative to invite girls to his home.
When she thought of this, Kato Megumi became even more grateful to Aki Tomoya!
I must learn the boxing skills well and strive to hit more accurately and harder next time!
As for the trivial issue of the nose, I’m sure Amai-san won’t mind.
But the girl obviously misunderstood what Kasugano Toru meant.
The reason why he invited the girl to his house was because he had medicinal wine at home that was specifically used to treat bruises and injuries.
In his previous life, he was also a naughty boy who always liked to stir up trouble.
Every time after a fight, his body would be covered in bruises, so his father in his previous life would take out the medicinal wine from home and wipe it carefully for him.
After everything is done, I will use the family rules to beat him up.
You can have marks of my beatings on your body, but forget about being beaten by others…
This is probably the most common way of thinking among the older generation.
When he grew up, Toru Kasugano naturally memorized the recipe of the medicinal wine. This is another version of a person who becomes a doctor due to a long illness.
Although Kato Megumi’s wrist did not seem to be seriously injured, Kasugano Toru was still worried. He believed that the girl would recover faster if she could take the medicinal wine from his home.
But when the boy saw the girl’s puzzled look, he thought she didn’t want to go to a boy’s house alone, so he quickly said:
“It’s okay if Kato doesn’t want to go. I can deliver the medicinal wine to your house tonight.” When he sent Kato Megumi home before, he knew the exact location of the girl’s house.
At worst, you just have to walk a little more. These things are trivial.
As long as Kato Megumi can get better as soon as possible.
“Medicinal wine? I have that stuff at home, but it doesn’t have much effect. Although my mother also helped me use some, it didn’t reduce the pain at all.” Thinking of how she endured the pain at that time, Kato Megumi pouted her lips in grievance.
“That’s different. The medicinal wine in my house uses a secret recipe. Don’t worry, Kato. Just use it twice and there will be no problem!” Toru Kasugano is 100% confident in his own medicinal wine.
Because even after traveling through time, he would occasionally use that thing, and the effect was incredible.
“Then leave it to Kasugano-san. I trust you.” The girl’s words were calm.
But the words “I believe you” made Kasugano Toru’s heart feel like it was flying.
“Is there something wrong with me lately?” The boy felt that his current state was very strange.
Tomoya Aki took a leave of absence. Although the teacher did not tell the reason, Toru Kasugano still found out the details from Eriri.
This guy had plastic surgery.
Kato Megumi’s full-strength attack actually broke his nose bridge, and the bone fragments were embedded in the flesh. Simple surgery could not restore his previous appearance, so he had no choice but to choose plastic surgery.
But the good thing is that the cost of this operation was borne by the Sawamura family.
After all, it was Kato Megumi who took action first. Even if the Sawamura family can suppress this matter with its own power, they still have to pay the compensation.
In a good mood, Ying Lili took the initiative to bear the cost and did not use the wealth earned from certain businesses at all.
The monthly pocket money alone, plus the red envelopes she receives during the Chinese New Year, is enough to make the girl richer than most people in Japan.
Of course, she did not tell Kasugano Toru, let alone Kato Megumi, about the expenses.
The Eriri of today is no longer the Eriri of a few days ago. She has deeply understood a truth.
My friend, there is no need to talk about money all the time.
Kato Megumi and Kasugano Toru are both good friends recognized by Eriri!
Chapter 41 Kato-san, it’s normal to feel pain the first time! (Old version)
To be honest, if the teacher hadn’t told him that Tomoya Aki had taken a leave of absence, Toru Kasugano wouldn’t have even noticed that this guy was in the same class as him.
Moreover, Tomoya Aki didn’t know that the culprit who caused him to be beaten was actually in the same class as him.
Anyway, Kasugano Toru is usually unknown in the class and no one pays attention to him.
Of course, it was even less likely that Amano Tomoya would have thought that the girl who took direct action against him was in the same class as him.
What kind of evil fate is this…
Japanese schools have always promoted happy education. The so-called happy education, to some extent, still means all-round development.
For example, setting up various clubs, reducing the amount of homework, and allowing students to have more extracurricular activities.
But the problem is that Japan’s happy education is quite similar to that of a certain big country, which is that it is a bit unrealistic.
If you really want to achieve all-round development, you should lower the difficulty of the Tokyo University exams.
For those who really want to go to college, not only can they not enjoy the benefits of a happy education, but they have to pay out of their own pocket to attend a large number of private schools for extra lessons starting from the first year of high school.
Four rises and five falls, this is no joke.
But Toru Kasugano does not belong to this group of people.
He didn’t have any clear plans for the future. In his eyes, as long as he had a skill, even if he couldn’t live a good life, at least he wouldn’t starve to death, right?
Therefore, the boy never cared about his test scores at school. After the test-oriented education in his previous life, Kasugano Toru had never been afraid of exams.
But he spends all his time working and taking care of the family. No matter how good he is at exam-oriented education, he still needs time to memorize textbooks, right?
Not surprisingly, the boy’s grades were always in the middle of the grade. There were even several tests where he was right in the median.
He had no particular interest in any community. It would be better not to stay in a place that was a waste of time and brought no compensation.
In the same situation as him is the girl named Kato Megumi.
She just wanted to make a presence felt. She would be ignored if she joined the club anyway, so why bother herself?
At this time, the boy and the girl were walking home together.
Still holding the same umbrella.
Today’s experience made Kato Megumi very happy. She was envious of Eriri’s treatment on Saturday, but she didn’t expect that just two days later, she would enjoy everything that Eriri had enjoyed.
You can also get the medicinal wine specially made by Kasugano Toru.
“Well, how can I get Kasugano-san to help me apply the medicine later?” Kato Megumi felt a little distressed.
Why do so many people want to be idols and want to film TV dramas?
It’s obvious that acting is difficult.
There is a saying that goes, women are born actors.
Kato Megumi, who was still struggling on the road, naturally became the most professional actor the moment she got the medicinal wine.
“Hmm, my wrist is a little weak, and it’s so troublesome to apply medicine on one hand.” Pretending to be very interested in the medicinal wine, Kato Megumi couldn’t wait to open the bottle that Kasugano Toru handed to her, then poured some medicinal wine on her wrist and pretended to rub it clumsily.
The result, of course, ended in failure.
Although Kato Megumi was a little shy by pretending to be clumsy, Kasugano Toru soon did something that made her even more shy.
The boy wrapped Kato Megumi’s white little hands with his two big hands, and then used his fingertips to continuously stroke Kato Megumi’s wrists.
Soon, Kato Megumi felt a burning sensation. However, this might not be the effect of the medicinal wine, but the result of someone’s friction. After all, friction generates heat, and those who understand will understand.
After rubbing for several minutes, Kasugano Toru finally shook his sore arm and said to the girl, “Kato-san, try moving your wrist now to see if it feels better?”
Following Kasugano Toru’s instructions, the girl slowly turned her wrist and found that her wrist, which had been a little sore, was almost painless now. Even her expression became more relaxed.
“I still feel some pain. Is it because I didn’t rub it long enough?” The girl lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression.
If Toru Kasugano could squat down and look up from below, he would see that Kato Megumi had actually closed her eyes nervously, her long eyelashes trembling, her little face flushed, and she looked pitiful.
But unfortunately, no one is destined to be able to appreciate this beautiful scenery.
Kato Megumi did feel very shy. She now felt like a shameless bad woman who was using despicable means to get close to the person she liked.
But soon, Kato Megumi made up her mind.
She is not the kind of bad woman who uses despicable means to play with other people’s feelings. She treats this relationship and this person more seriously than anyone else!
After hearing what Kato Megumi said, Kasugano Toru was a little confused. He knew his own medicinal wine better than anyone else, so normally there should be no problem now.
“Is it because Kato’s injury is more serious?” Thinking of this, Kasugano Toru poured some medicinal wine from the jar, spread it evenly on his hands, and continued to rub the girl’s wrist.
After all, this was caused by standing up for yourself, so you should always take responsibility.
The girl, who had been waiting for a long time without any response, was just about to muster up the courage to see the boy’s reaction, but unexpectedly, when she looked up, Kasugano Toru grabbed her wrist.
His eyes also looked in the direction of the girl.
The two of them just stared at each other.
For the first time, Toru Kasugano wondered, are girls’ eyelashes so long?
And what’s more, it turns out that girls’ eyes can really speak. Now he can clearly see the meaning in Kato Megumi’s eyes.
“Be gentle. If you hurt me, the same fate will happen to you, Akitomo.” That’s what the girl said.
So Kasugano Toru immediately responded with a look.
“Got it. I won’t let Kato-san feel any pain!” With such confidence, Toru Kasugano felt that he couldn’t have performed any better.
This scene turned into a different picture in Kato Megumi’s eyes.
“Has he seen through my pretense?”
“It’s okay, Kato-san, it’s normal to feel pain the first time!”
Misunderstanding, it’s really wonderful.
But no matter what, Toru Kasugano continued to rub the girl’s wrist carefully.
He didn’t stop until the wrist, which was originally as white as jade, turned red.
“It will be fine this time, Kato-san!”
Kasugano Toru swore that if Kato Megumi said her wrist hurt again, he would pour out the jar of medicinal wine.
Chapter 42 Shy Kato Megumi (Old Version)
Kato Megumi did not cry out in pain anymore. It must be said that the special medicinal wine made by the Kasugano family was really effective.
The wrist, which was originally a little sore, became cool after the burning sensation, and the pain disappeared.
However, Kato Megumi couldn’t tell whether the coolness on her wrist was brought by the medicinal wine, or the burning sensation brought by Kasugano Toru’s slightly rough big hand.
Her little head was almost buried in her chest. She had shown such boldness and superb acting skills before, but now she became very shy.
Kasugano Toru suddenly wondered if his brain was broken as he was so bold as to invite a girl to his home.
Moreover, Kato seems to be even bolder. She actually dares to follow a boy to his home when no one is home. No matter how you look at it, this is too unbecoming of a beautiful girl, isn’t it?
Besides, rubbing the wrists of beautiful girls is not a benefit for him. Although he once thought that it would be better to find a wife like Kato Megumi, the greatest advantage of Kasugano Toru is that he knows himself.
Why would a beautiful girl of her level be interested in a poor boy like you who has no money or power? Don’t blame others for being realistic. The reality is that if you have no money, you can’t even afford the bride price.
Although money is not everything in life, if you have no money, your life will definitely be filled with money.
Because I wish I could spend every penny carefully, and all I think about all day long is money. Isn’t it all about money?
So although Kasugano Toru is not opposed to dating girls, he has to find someone who is of equal status. Secondly, without sufficient financial foundation, he will not do anything to delay a girl.
Just looking at Kato Megumi’s shy expression, Kasugano Toru felt that his principles seemed to be gone…
Isn’t the so-called bottom line something that you keep retreating from when others touch it? At this point, Kasugano Toru felt that he might not be able to keep his bottom line.
Before the situation became irreversible, Kasugano Toru quickly diverted his attention.
“Kato-san, how about staying here for dinner tonight?”
As soon as he finished saying this, the boy wanted to slap himself. If Kato Megumi continued to stay, the atmosphere would definitely become more awkward, right?
Moreover, he made the invitation so rashly, which made me feel like he didn’t care about others. Even if he and Kato Megumi have been friends for a year, it shouldn’t be the case that he can invite someone to his home for dinner, right?
What’s going on? Why do I feel as unstable as those little virgins who have never been in a relationship?
Oh, you are a virgin, then it’s okay.
But contrary to his expectations, after a little thought, Kato Megumi accepted Kasugano Toru’s invitation.
“No problem. I’ve been wanting to try Kasugano-san’s cooking for a long time. Sorry to bother you this time.” After saying that, the girl lowered her head, not daring to look at Kasugano Toru’s eyes. She walked straight past the boy and sat on the sofa in the living room.
Kasugano Toru remained stunned the entire time.
It seems like things are getting out of control.
Kasugano Toru’s cooking skills are of course very good, and he can fill his sister’s stomach with food, which is impossible without some skills. Although Kato Megumi is very talented in housework and her cooking skills are basically at the top level, it must be said that Japan’s cuisine is not even a little bit inferior to that of a certain country.
It’s similar when compared with a certain cuisine.
Because there were guests, Kasugano Toru took out the ribs he had just bought yesterday from the refrigerator with a heavy heart.
Originally, he planned to treat himself to this on the weekends, because he had expected that he would have to eat instant noodles at Kasumigaoka Utaha’s apartment on the weekends. So if he could save money on a meal, he could still indulge himself once in a while.
But he couldn’t care less about so many things now. Not to mention that the person he was entertaining this time was his friend, and a rare beauty at that. The fact that it was the first time that a guest came to his house was enough for the young man to show the highest standard of hospitality.
It’s really funny to say that this is the first time that guests have come to the house since the death of Mr. and Mrs. Kasugano.
Those relatives who wanted to grab the inheritance were not guests, or rather, they were not even human beings.
Kasugano Toru himself has very few friends. After more than a year in high school, he only has one friend, Kato Megumi. When he is in school, he pretends to be as transparent as possible. Many people who have been in the same class for a year don’t know that there is a person like Kasugano Toru in the class.
Most of Qiong’s friends are at school. The private Otome Saki Girls’ Academy is more than a hundred kilometers away from the Kasugano family. Qiong’s friends are not idle enough to run so far just for a meal.
So no matter how you count it, Kato Megumi is the first customer of the Kasugano family.
Seeing Kasugano Toru taking out ribs and vegetables from the refrigerator, Kato Megumi subconsciously wanted to help. There was no other way. The girl who had always been responsible for housework at home had long been accustomed to being busy in the kitchen. Suddenly she was a little uncomfortable with being idle.
But she was soon kicked out of the kitchen by Kasugano Toru. The reason, of course, was that she still had an injury on her wrist.
After pouring half a pot of oil, Toru Kasugano threw the blanched ribs into the pan. This was his favorite way of eating them in his previous life. The ribs were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a full taste.
But when Kato Megumi saw the boy’s actions, she couldn’t help but frown.
Girls are always afraid of greasy food, and gaining weight is their biggest enemy.
But for Kato Megumi, this was her first time to taste Kasugano Toru’s cooking. Although they had worked together in cooking classes before, that was not the result of the boy alone.
Perhaps Miss Kato would be happier if other classmates hadn’t caused trouble.
Although she was distracted for a moment, the girl quickly regained her composure.
What should I do later? I want to taste Kasugano-san’s cooking, but I don’t want to gain weight…
Kato Megumi was in distress.
Kasugano Toru knew nothing about this. Although he had poured half a pot of oil, it was only for frying the ribs. When the meat on both sides of the ribs shrank slightly and the bones were exposed, he used a colander to scoop out all the ribs.
After pouring the oil in the pot into the large bowl, the boy poured the ribs back into the pot and then poured in the sauce he had prepared.
The aroma of vinegar rose up, drifted across the kitchen, and into Kato Megumi’s nose. The stimulated girl couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.
This taste…how many bowls of rice should I eat later?
If I eat too much, will Kasugano-san think I’m a glutton?
Women are really fickle.
Ms. Kato’s concerns suddenly changed.
Chapter 43: Kato Megumi is depressed (old version)
Kasugano Toru’s craftsmanship has finally been officially certified.
Seeing that Kato Megumi drank three bowls of rice and still looked unsatisfied, the boy finally felt relieved.
It seems that my hospitality today should not be too shabby.
Kato Megumi felt that she was shy more often in one day than in her entire life. She had clearly promised before the meal that she would stop after eating only one bowl of rice. But when she actually sat at the table and smelled the tempting aroma of the ribs, she forgot everything.
The ribs are not just crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The ribs are cooked to perfection by just grabbing the exposed bones and pulling them gently. When you eat them, the aroma of frying and the taste of the sauce blend perfectly, instantly igniting the girl’s taste buds.
“Kasugano-san’s cooking skills are amazing. When I saw all that oil just now, I was wondering if the ribs would be greasy. I didn’t expect them to be so delicious.” Kato Megumi gave her highest praise generously, and Kasugano Toru felt a little embarrassed by her praise.
But soon, the girl’s next sentence made him feel something was wrong.
“It would be nice if I could eat it more often. I always feel like after eating the food Kasugano-san makes, I can’t eat anything else.”
Seeing the girl’s slightly shy but slightly expectant expression, Kasugano Toru really wanted to say something back.
“You’re dreaming. Are you looking for a long-term meal ticket here? Spare ribs are free!”
By the time Kato Megumi finished her meal, it was already dark. It was only April, so the sun didn’t set too late. In a responsible spirit, Kasugano Toru insisted on sending the girl home.
You have to know that neon nights are not safe. The cover of night often becomes a cover for crime. In a country where even gangs are legalized, it is wishful thinking to expect the country to be safe.
Although Kato Megumi repeatedly said that she had no problem going back alone and that the two houses were not far away, Kasugano Toru still insisted on sending her home.
After just a brief refusal, Kato Megumi followed the boy obediently. In fact, she had been looking forward to such a day for a long time.
Although they were not returning to their common home, the girl was very happy as long as they could walk together.
“I always feel that Kasugano-san has become more cheerful since the beginning of this semester.” Kato Megumi walked beside the boy, then in the dim light of the street lamp, she leaned forward slightly and turned her head to look at the boy’s profile.
Kasugano Toru was indeed smiling at this time. Being able to take a walk with Kato Megumi made him feel like he was not a single dog.
Moreover, girls like Kato Megumi are gentle and lovely. They are not competitive in character, but very easy to get along with, and have a feeling of nourishing everything.
When chatting with a girl, you don’t have to worry about the atmosphere becoming awkward, nor do you have to worry about whether the topic you choose is good enough. The two of you can talk about anything, just like old friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time but are still familiar with each other.
So Toru Kasugano didn’t think anything of the girl’s problem.
“Of course. I used to worry about living expenses every day, and I also had a younger sister to take care of. It was not easy to feed two people.” Although he was talking about a very difficult thing, the expression on Kasugano Toru’s face did not show any hardship.
Although it was tiring, he didn’t have to look at the faces of those stupid relatives and could live happily with his sister in this small home. This was what Kasugano Toru had always dreamed of.
“What about now?” Kato Megumi felt a little sad before the boy reacted much.
In the first year of high school, they were deskmates, so they were actually very close. The girl often saw Kasugano Toru napping during class, and sometimes he would have bruises on his body.
At first she thought Kasugano Toru was some kind of bad boy, but based on the impression left by a previous incident and her trust in the boy, Kato Megumi bravely contacted the person she had been thinking about for a long time.
As she got to know him better, the girl realized how hard it was for this boy, who was the same age as her.
She doesn’t get enough sleep because she always has to work part-time at the pub, and she has bruises on her body because she encountered troublesome customers. To be fair, if Kato Megumi were to experience such a life, she would probably collapse.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but feel full of respect for her parents. If it weren’t for their hard work, she wouldn’t have such a comfortable living environment.
“Now, now I’ve finally hooked up with a rich man!” Kasugano Toru proudly declared that he was being kept.
From a certain perspective, he is now tied to the novel “Love Metronome”. Not only is he responsible for the illustrations, but he also has to give advice to Kasumigaoka Utaha on the outline and character design.
Of course, the hard work was matched by generous rewards. Now Kasugano Toru only needed to work two days a week, and take care of some things in the evening after school, and he could easily earn the same amount of money as he had worked hard at a part-time job before.
Hearing the boy’s declaration, the girl shook her head helplessly.
Why does this guy always like to say weird things? Is it an honorable thing to be kept?
You have to know that in Japan, the social status of women is very low. It is not a glorious thing for a man to be kept by a rich woman.
But this is just what Kato Megumi thinks. If it were other men, they would wish to be supported by a rich woman.
Who wants to work hard…
“Congratulations to Kasugano-san. It’s so rare that you meet a blind person.” The depressed girl could only poke Kasugano Toru slightly.
But as gentle as Kato Megumi is, even if she is unhappy, she will never say anything hurtful to the person she likes.
But Kato Megumi felt so depressed. She was thanking her parents for providing her with a good growing environment just a minute ago, but now the girl only had one thought.
Why am I not a rich person?
If Kasugano-san really wants to succumb to money, then just succumb to me!
Just as the girl was dreaming of becoming a rich person in the future and supporting Kasugano Toru, the boy suddenly stopped.
“Oh no, I forgot to bring the medicinal wine I prepared for Kato…”
Toru Kasugano felt that he was such a loser. Although he saw a different side of Kato Megumi today, it was too embarrassing for him to look absent-minded.
Kato Megumi’s face turned red again.
Because when she went out, she had already seen the medicinal wine on the shoe cabinet, but she just didn’t remind him.
If I pretend that I forgot to take it today, can I still come to Kasugano Toru’s house tomorrow?
“Kasugano-san, you didn’t forget to bring it on purpose, did you? So that I can do it again tomorrow?”
Kato Megumi, who was afraid that her inner thoughts would be exposed, decided to take the initiative.
Chapter 44 It’s really you, Eriri! (Old version)
How could Toru Kasugano dare to say anything? He was the one who lost his temper first, always making a fool of himself, and had a lot of inner drama. Now facing Kato Megumi’s accusations, he didn’t know how to refute.
Fortunately, Kato Megumi was just trying to take the initiative and avoid putting herself in an embarrassing situation, so no one would pursue the matter too much.
So the two of them agreed to go to Kasugano’s house together to get the medicinal wine after school tomorrow and then separated.
Because the Kato family has arrived.
If you ask why she has to pick it up after school tomorrow instead of bringing it on the way to school, Ms. Kato has already thought of an excuse.
“It would be troublesome if we brought alcohol to school. We are all underage.”
This light sentence left Kasugano Toru speechless. Although medicinal wine is not alcohol, it would be troublesome if you meet someone who doesn’t understand it.
After watching Kasugano Toru leave, Kato Megumi turned around and returned to her home.
“Mom, I’m back.”
When Kato’s mother, who was still watching TV in the living room, heard her daughter’s voice, she immediately stood up.
This is the first time my daughter has eaten out alone since she was born, and at a boy’s house. As a parent, how can I not be nervous?
Kato’s mother had said before that although she did not object to her daughter dating, she should at least let her know who the relationship was and what kind of person that person was.
If any Tom, Dick or Harry could trick her daughter away, then her role as a mother would be in vain.
“Xiaohui, are you going to your boyfriend’s house for dinner today?” Kato’s mother is not like another mother who has to ask indirectly if she wants to know something.
Anyway, the Kato family always speaks their mind directly. I don’t know how such a family can raise a daughter like Kato Megumi who has a quick mind and can dig holes and bury people without making any noise.
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Although Kato Megumi really wanted to admit it, the girl’s shyness and the facts did not allow her to lie.
What if my mother asks me to take Kasugano Toru home for dinner with just one word? What should I do then?
“But I’ve never seen Xiaohui eat at another boy’s house, let alone other boys, even classmates, right?” Seeing her daughter’s shy look, as someone who has experienced this, how could Kato’s mother not know that her daughter really has someone she likes.
“This time it was an accident. Kasugano-san was delayed for some time because he was helping me apply medicine, so we decided to have dinner at his house on the spur of the moment.” Kato Megumi said while stroking her wrist with a heart-warming smile on her face.
“If you have a chance, can you bring her to meet mom?” Looking at her daughter’s expression, Kato’s mother instantly returned to her youth.
Who hasn’t been young yet?
Is there anything happier than meeting your favorite person in the most beautiful time?
Of course there is, that is, two people can really go on forever.
Moreover, Kato’s mother knows her daughter very well. Although Kato Megumi doesn’t talk much and her presence is very weak, even she, as a mother, has to admit that her daughter is very good at judging people.
As long as her daughter is determined and she can treat her daughter wholeheartedly, she, as a mother, will not object.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri is working diligently in her bedroom and studio.
To say that she was working hard was not quite accurate, because if the girl had not slacked off for too long before, and then had not been able to draw something that satisfied her for several days because of Toru Kasugano, it would not have dragged on until now.
As the deadline was approaching, Ying Lili, a severe procrastination patient, had to cheer up and work hard.
What surprised Sayuri Sawamura was that in the past, when the deadline came, his daughter would always beg him with a sad face, asking if he could return her phone or make an exception and let her read a few comics, her mind full of thoughts of slacking off.
But this time, although she encountered some setbacks when the deadline was approaching, Eriri quickly adjusted herself, and the more she painted, the more confident she became, and the happier she felt.
While her daughter was resting, Sayuri Sawamura asked the doubts in her heart.
“Mom, won’t you feel happy when you make progress?” Eriri’s words made Sayuri Sawamura suddenly realize.
Just like work, some people feel like going to a grave every day at work. They are disliked by their colleagues, scolded by their leaders, and many unexpected things happen at work. In the end, they only get a meager salary. How can such a job make people motivated?
But what if the situation is different? If colleagues are friendly, leaders are willing to teach, and work has made visible progress with everyone’s help, and the balance in the bank card is increasing day by day, wouldn’t such a job make people more and more motivated?
This is what Eriri is like now. Every time she draws a picture, she feels more and more that Kasugano Toru’s teachings are correct.
After testing it on several servants at home, Eriri found that the pictures she drew were indeed more appealing to people.
Saki even said that just looking at the images gave him a sense of being there.
Of course, what Eriri used for testing were just ordinary landscape paintings. Otherwise, it would have been too bad if Saki had put himself into some heavy-mouthed book.
So now Eriri’s admiration for Kasugano Toru can be said to be unparalleled. She is even confident that she will shine at the upcoming release event!
The only thing she felt sorry about was that she couldn’t appear in front of her fans because of her identity and the content she created. Otherwise, seeing the fans’ admiring eyes on her, she would feel excited just thinking about Eriri.
“How can I repay Kasugano-san?” This question has been bothering Eriri for several days.
Because of my creative work before, I have not been able to spare the time and energy to consider such issues.
But as progress has been made in the past few days, she has more time to think about this problem.
Toru Kasugano once said that there is no need to use money to measure the contributions between friends, so Eriri gave up the idea of ​​giving money directly, although this approach is simple and crude and effective.
If Toru Kasugano knew that what he said to show off was taken as Eriri’s motto, he would probably faint in the toilet crying.
At first, Eriri was a little worried about how to repay Kasugano Toru. But soon, when she saw a message pop up on Line, the girl knew what she should do.
“This reward must be a timely help to Kasugano-san!”
Eriri couldn’t help but giggle.
You’re really worthy of me, Eriri!
Chapter 45 Sayuri Sawamura’s Shock (Old Version)
After a long time, Eriri can finally show off something in front of Sayuri Sawamura.
“Mom, what do you think of my drawing?” The girl was holding the painting she had just finished and showing it to Sayuri Sawamura on the digital tablet.
“Is this me?” Sayuri Sawamura was a little surprised. She didn’t expect that she held such an important position in her daughter’s heart that she actually secretly drew a portrait of herself.
But soon, she discovered something was wrong.
There is no doubt that the person in the portrait is me, but what is going on with this expression?
At first glance, Sayuri Sawamura in the picture looks like a lady from a noble family, gentle and virtuous, with the temperament of a Yamato Nadeshiko.
This is no wonder. Although the Sawamura family raised their only daughter in a wrong way for unknown reasons, they did raise their daughter in the image of Yamato Nadeshiko at the beginning.
The inheritance of Japan still prefers male heirs, and only when there is no other way will they invite someone to marry into the family.
Who could have thought that after so long, the Sawamura family wouldn’t even have a male heir?
Fortunately, Sayuri Sawamura grew up in a crooked way…
Ugh, is this something to be thankful for?
Back to the portrait, although Sayuri Sawamura saw the Yamato Nadeshiko side of herself in the picture, she soon discovered something wrong.
The corners of her mouth curled up into a faint smile, and even her eyes were filled with a mischievous look. She felt that if she had devil ears on her ears and a small tail behind her butt, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she was a devil, right?
“Is this how I am in Eriri’s eyes?” Sayuri Sawamura was shocked. Since when did her daughter’s eyes become so vicious.
How did she know that she was going to cause trouble?
She clearly hadn’t said a word to her today. Sayuri Sawamura really couldn’t understand how Eriri could see that.
“Could it be last Saturday?” Sayuri Sawamura suddenly thought of her daughter’s excited going out last Saturday.
She knows her own daughter well. Although she is very good at socializing and has a lot of social skills at school, Sayuri Sawamura knows that no one can ask her out.
Although she pretends to be a perfect young lady in school, Eriri is actually a serious homebody. Therefore, when she is invited by classmates, she often refuses them with reasons such as having a dance at home or going to England with her father.
But in fact, he just stayed at home in the villa and did nothing.
So when Eriri told Sayuri Sawamura on Friday night that she was going out to collect folk songs with her friends the next day, Sayuri Sawamura’s jaw almost dropped.
If she hadn’t been concerned about her daughter’s face, she really wanted to touch Ying Lili’s forehead to see if the girl had a fever.
Or was she possessed by some unclean thing? Normally, except for going out to buy games and comics, she had never seen her daughter go out on her own initiative.
Sayuri Sawamura, who was more cautious, pretended to ask casually, “Is it a boy or a girl?”
As a result, Eriri’s answer made her a little nervous.
Boys, go to Ginza!
When it comes to Ginza, what is it most famous for?
A commercial district? A super-large shopping mall?
Neither. In Sayuri Sawamura’s mind, when Ginza is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is the gigolo!
In the BL books she had read, many plots took place in such places. But her daughter actually wanted to go to such a place with a man. How could Sayuri Sawamura, as a mother, feel at ease?
She immediately arranged for Sakigi to follow her throughout the trip. If it weren’t for Sakigi’s repeated assurances, the worried Sayuri Sawamura would have even wanted to install a bug on her daughter.
Don’t blame Sayuri Sawamura for worrying about nothing. It’s really their fault that they protect Eriri too well.
Can you imagine that the daughter of a capitalist has never understood her family’s business at the age of 16?
This is also the reason why Eriri had no concept of money before.
Is there really anyone who lacks money? Isn’t it true that if you find something you like, you can just pay for it and leave?
No way, no way, there really can’t be someone who can’t afford something…
Although I really hope my daughter can find friends and I don’t object to her dating at this age, I still have to keep an eye on it, right?
Fortunately, Saki brought back good news in the end. The boy named Kasugano Toru seemed to be a good boy.
The most important thing is that Eriri’s attitude towards him is obviously different from that of others.
As long as the person Eriri dates in the future is not a scumbag who plays with people’s feelings or an unforgivable bastard, Sayuri Sawamura feels that it is better to respect her daughter’s ideas.
But today, Sayuri Sawamura realized that she might have underestimated the boy named Toru Kasugano?
It is not something that most people can do to make such great progress in their daughter’s painting skills in just one day.
My daughter’s painting skills are definitely among the best in the industry. At this point, every bit of progress is precious.
After seeing the portrait her daughter drew of her today, Sayuri Sawamura was really surprised. Compared with her previous paintings, the level is completely different.
This is a more touching picture and a more immersive scene.
When she saw her mother’s growing mouth, Eriri knew that she had succeeded.
“Kasugano-san is so awesome. I didn’t expect even her mother was scared.” The girl’s eyes narrowed into slits, revealing her two little canine teeth.
“Eri, is this the technique that Kasugano-san taught you that day?”
“That’s right. Since I came back that day, I have been observing my mother and discovered many things.”
“Can Yinglili talk to her mother?”
“Of course it’s okay. Before mom plays a prank on someone, her eyes will turn clockwise, just a perfect circle. But if she plays a prank on me, her eyes won’t turn. They will just tilt to the upper left, and a smile will appear on the corner of her mouth. If she’s angry with dad, she will pretend to be happier than anyone else, but there won’t be any smile in her eyes.”
All hits!
Sayuri Sawamura was wondering if it was a wrong decision for her to agree to let her daughter and Toru Kasugano go out that day?
It’s over now. In just one day, my daughter’s rank has risen a lot. Doesn’t this mean that I will have less fun in the future?
No, Sayuri Sawamura, you can’t just give up like this.
It is not easy to give birth to a girl after ten months of pregnancy. It is too much if we can’t use the food for eating.
If I can’t use it to play with it anymore, then all my ten months of hard work will be in vain, right?
Chapter 46: Kasumigaoka Utaha’s Thanks (Old Version)
In Sayuri Sawamura’s early warning system, a boy named Kasugano Toru has been upgraded to the highest alert level. If she were to rank the most dangerous people in her world, this boy named Kasugano Toru would definitely be in the top three.
To some extent, she even felt that this young man was more dangerous than Mr. Spencer’s childhood sweetheart who lived far away in the Great Ying Empire.
One tried to steal her husband away, and the other tried to steal her daughter away.
If Toru Kasugano knew what Sayuri Sawamura was thinking, he would definitely cry out in injustice.
Toru Kasugano did feel wronged, but it was not because of Sayuri Sawamura’s misunderstanding.
“Senior, you’re making it too difficult for me…” The boy’s voice was weak, as if he was unable to defend himself.
Today, right after lunch break, he was called to the rooftop by Kasumigaoka Utaha. To be honest, he was quite interested in the place where Makoto had fought.
Although it’s not in this school, it should be roughly the same, right?
But after being called to the rooftop, as soon as Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her mouth, Kasugano Toru knew that he might have to face a battle today.
“Kasugano-kun, this is the revised outline of the second volume. Please take a look at it first.” Kasumigaoka Utaha rubbed her temples, looking tired.
It looks like you’ve been staying up late a lot recently.
That means Kasugano Toru and she are not in the same class, otherwise one would definitely see that this girl would lie down on the desk and sleep like a dead person after arriving at school every day.
I won’t wake up until lunch time, and after eating a simple meal, I’ll fall asleep again.
Even so, he was able to take first place in Fengnosaki for two consecutive years. Kasugano Toru had to admit…
Is learning Neon such a simple thing?
Well, it’s really incredible that a student with only average grades would dare to say such outrageous words.
Taking over the outline of the second volume of “Love Metronome”, Toru Kasugano flipped through the outline while chewing on bread.
The young man sometimes nodded and sometimes frowned, which made Kasumigaoka Utaha’s heart go up and down.
Honestly, she herself didn’t know why she cared so much about Kasugano Toru’s opinion.
If it is for the sake of gaining recognition from others, then there is no need to do so.
Because the sales of the first volume have proved everything, more than 100,000 fans are willing to empty their wallets for her writing, which is already a high level of recognition.
But Kasumigaoka Utaha just felt that she should ask the young man in front of her what he thought about the novel she wrote.
And if it weren’t for this person’s help, I might have made a huge mistake when writing the second volume.
About twenty minutes later, Kasugano Toru closed the outline in his hand, folded the empty bread bag and stuffed it into his pocket, then said, “Senior, to be honest, if I only read the outline, this is not a novel I can evaluate.”
It has been said before that Kasugano Toru’s greatest strength is his self-awareness.
Even as an ordinary reader, Kasugano Toru had a lot to complain about when Kasumigaoka Utaha brought out the first draft of the outline. Not to mention that the boy was Kasumigaoka Utaha’s most important partner at the time, and illustrations and light novels are always mutually beneficial.
But after reading the outline in his hand, Toru Kasugano had a strong premonition that the second volume of “Love Metronome” would definitely unfold a very exciting story.
If it was painting, Kasugano Toru would definitely be able to give a good idea. But light novel writing is a completely different field, and as the saying goes, different trades are like different mountains. Kasugano Toru is not so arrogant as to think that he can guide experts.
At least in his opinion as a reader, this outline is qualified.
What remains is to use Kasumigaoka Utaha’s writing skills, which far exceed the level of her peers, to turn simple lines into gorgeous paintings.
Of course, in this process, Toru Kasugano also needs to play his own value.
“Kasugano-kun, it’s really not easy to get a word of praise from you.” Kasumigaoka Utaha breathed a sigh of relief imperceptibly. God knows how nervous she was when Kasugano Toru frowned just now.
How happy I was when I saw him nod.
The girl’s mood is just like Sayuka, the character she created, changeable, sensitive and delicate.
“But I’m here for this book too. Senior, you don’t know me yet.” Seeing that all the questions mentioned before were avoided, Toru Kasugano breathed a sigh of relief.
This is the time to joke and brag about yourself.
To the boy’s surprise, he originally thought that his joke would definitely lead to a counterattack from Kasumigaoka Utaha, but he didn’t expect that the girl just nodded and nothing more happened.
Of course, Kasugano Toru had no idea what the girl was thinking.
“I’m doing this for your own good!” How many people have used this sentence as an excuse to kidnap one person after another.
Let’s not talk about the distant past, let’s just talk about the illustrator who recently had a falling out with Kasumigaoka Utaha, wasn’t the banner he used also for the book “Love Metronome”?
But how many people really know what Kasumigaoka Utaha is thinking and what she needs?
They just decided on their own and gave the book the ending they thought was most appropriate, in the way they thought was most appropriate.
Such behavior is very similar to the self-righteous practices of countless parents.
But Toru Kasugano was obviously not like that. From the first time they met, he touched the most sensitive and softest part of the girl’s heart. He saw all the girl’s hopes for the role of Sayuka.
When we were discussing the outline not long ago, we pointed out the mistakes that this book might make and the difficulties that might be faced if the mistakes were made.
From the beginning to the end, Kasugano Toru has been constantly implementing this sentence with his actions: “I am really doing this for the good of the book “Love Metronome”!”
He could have used a simpler and more brutal method, just like his predecessor. Anyway, the helpless Kasumigaoka Utaha didn’t have much choice.
If Toru Kasugano had not appeared, she could reject one artist, or two artists, but she could not reject all illustrators.
In the end, she still had to compromise.
Unless she wants to see the novel “Love Metronome” cut short.
“Kasugano-kun, thank you.” The girl’s voice was ethereal and distant, and it flew away with the spring breeze.
If Toru Kasugano hadn’t been looking at Utaha Kasumigaoka the whole time, he might not have known that the girl would thank him.
“Senior, this really stumps me. I really don’t understand what I have done to deserve your thanks.” No reward without merit. Everything Kasugano Toru did was based on the premise that he was receiving a hefty reward.
Being loyal to the emperor and eating his salary is the bottom line for Kasugano Toru.
Even if you are poor, you should not lose your ambition!
Utaha Kasumigaoka tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ears, using this action to cover up the fact that she was wiping the corners of her eyes.
Why say thank you?
Only she herself understands this.
Chapter 47: The Fortune-Turning Kasumigaoka Utaha (Old Version)
Utaha Kasumigaoka felt that perhaps the day she first met Toru Kasugano in the coffee shop was the beginning of her luck.
Although the work on the second volume has only just begun, the girl is more confident than when she created the first volume. The latest “Love Metronome” will definitely be more popular and more popular than the first volume!
“Okay, Kasugano-kun, you know better than anyone why I should be grateful, don’t you? I’m grateful that you don’t want to repay a favor, but it would make me angry if you just refused the beautiful girl’s gratitude and didn’t appreciate it at all.” Kasumigaoka Utaha showed a limited edition coquettish expression that no one in Toyosaki had ever seen before, and the coldness in her eyes faded a lot.
Kasugano Toru touched the back of his head. Why didn’t this guy play by the rules?
What is called society, isn’t it, just hypocritical flattery and excuses from both sides?
How can you still be hostile to me after doing this?
Kasugano Toru didn’t feel embarrassed when he was exposed, because the reason was very simple.
“Senior, I’m paid, so I should do these things. Have you ever seen a black-hearted boss say thank you to his employees?”
“So, in Kasugano-kun’s eyes, I’m actually a black-hearted capitalist?” Kasumigaoka Utaha felt much better and was in the mood to make a joke.
Kasugano Toru swallowed hard because, at the same time as Kasumigaoka Utaha’s joking words, the girl also crossed her arms and thrust out her chest.
“This… should be quite white…”
Of course, Kasugano Toru didn’t dare say such words out loud, otherwise he would become the number one public enemy of all the boys in Toyosaki before lunch break was over!
So he could only look away awkwardly, laughing and saying, “Senior sister, you’re overthinking it. You offered me such a high salary, how can you be considered a black-hearted capitalist?”
“It’s good that Kasugano-kun knows.” The girl raised her chin proudly and continued, “If we talk about capitalists, this title should be more suitable for Sawamura-san.”
Toru Kasugano was stunned. He really wanted to ask: Senior, you actually have a very good relationship with Sawamura, right?
After all, the girl who keeps talking about rewards does look like a capitalist.
“Speaking of Sawamura-san, Kasugano-kun and she seem to be getting along pretty well lately.”
Kasugano Toru swore that for a moment he thought that his belated golden finger had finally arrived after being late for so many years.
He wouldn’t believe you if you said that this kind of jealous development was not something that the protagonist could enjoy.
But it only took half a second for Kasugano Toru to regain his composure.
This is one of the most common questions among friends, and there is no other meaning. If you need to flip through a book like “Girls’ 100,000 Thoughts” when chatting with girls, Kasugano Toru feels that he will be exhausted sooner or later.
Because apart from anything else, Kato Megumi’s ambiguous words alone were enough to make him collapse.
“Oh? Kasugano-kun seems to have thought of other girls. Is it Sawamura-san?” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s eyes were full of gossip. After all, she was a normal adolescent girl and she was writing romance novels, so it was understandable that she was interested in this kind of thing.
“No way, senior, please don’t say that. The family background of the Sawamura family is not something that an ordinary person like me can dream of. Besides, senior and Sawamura are both school beauties in Toyonosaki. They must know how miserable my death would be if this statement got to other people’s ears.” Kasugano Toru made a frightened expression, looking as pitiful as a weak person being bullied.
It is said that appearance reflects the heart, and the boy’s fear was not a pretense.
He was really afraid that if people misunderstood that he had a crush on Sawamura, it would be really troublesome. Thinking of Eriri’s fans and the terrifying background of the Sawamura family, Kasugano Toru felt that the hairs on his back were about to stand up.
And he always felt that if such a rumor really spread, he would be the one who would be most unwilling to do so.
Because that would cause some girl to misunderstand.
Although Toru Kasugano repeatedly denied that he had no such thoughts in his heart, the image of a girl slowly emerged.
She smiles sweetly and is gentle and lovely.
“Something’s really not right with me lately.” The young man shook his head and threw the unreliable thoughts out of his mind.
Utaha Kasumigaoka left the outline of the second volume to Toru Kasugano. The original copy is still on her computer. As long as Toru Kasugano can keep the outline safe and prevent it from being obtained by others, there will be no problem.
Of course Toru Kasugano will keep this outline well, as it is his job. If he wants to get paid for illustrating the second volume of “Love Metronome”, the prerequisite is of course that the novel can be sold successfully.
He will get angry with anyone who dares to take away his job!
Of course, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn’t just throw the outline to Kasugano Toru casually. Due to time constraints, she and the boy had to start working at the same time.
If I wait until the novel is finished before I start the illustration work, I will definitely miss the scheduled release date. As mentioned before, because I spent a lot of energy fighting with the current editor-in-chief, and also wasted a lot of time arguing with the previous illustrator, there was not much time left for the girl.
Later, due to a stupid move made by Kasumigaoka Utaha, we were forced to adjust and revise the outline, which took more than a week.
Now it can be said that the biggest problem facing the novel “Love Metronome” is lack of time.
So Kasugano Toru had to create illustrations based on the outline without the novel. Fortunately, he was well prepared. Not only did he get all the illustration requirements from Kasumigaoka Utaha, he even got the scenery and locations that would appear in the novel.
In this way, as long as he does a good job of collecting folk songs and combines it with his understanding of the novel through the first volume, he can prepare the work almost perfectly.
Although his illustrations will certainly need to be adjusted after the novel is completed, it is much easier to make fine-tuning after the finished product is available than to start from scratch with nothing.
I have to say, technology is really great. With devices like drawing tablets, making changes becomes a piece of cake.
This is how work works. When you have a goal and enough stimulation, you will become full of motivation.
For example, now, after reading the outline of Kasumigaoka Utaha, Toru Kasugano suddenly felt full of motivation.
Because everyone has a sense of substitution, when the boy finished reading the first volume, he had no good impression of Naoto, the male protagonist.
Why would a person who has nothing good except for being Asashi be favored by Sayuka?
Love is always a two-way journey. If only one person makes an effort, such a relationship will never last long.
But in the second volume, with his reminder, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally realized that there was actually a male protagonist in “Love Metronome”.
Toru Kasugano has put himself in the position of the male protagonist. He is never afraid of making efforts, he is only afraid that he is not good enough.
Of course, even if he tries hard enough, the heroine is not Sayuka to him.
But it’s Zhenwei who looks more like a certain girl.
Chapter 48 Kato Megumi’s Thousand-Layered Routine (Old Version)
Although he was full of motivation, Toru Kasugano still had to go back to the classroom and pretend to be a good student.
It didn’t matter that his grades were poor. He believed that as long as he worked hard in his senior year, he wouldn’t be able to change his fate by getting into a school like the University of Tokyo, but he should have no problem getting into college.
But no matter how bad your grades are, it won’t affect your high school graduation. If you always skip classes, it would be bad if the teacher leaves something that affects your evaluation for the rest of your life.
It is so embarrassing to hear that a world-renowned painter was actually a delinquent in high school.
Well, although he is still an illustrator without any works, this does not prevent Kasugano Toru from becoming a world-renowned painter in his dreams.
Now Toru Kasugano still has to play the role of a student honestly.
So he obediently returned to the classroom because he still had a class to attend in the afternoon.
When he returned to his seat, Kato Megumi, who had noticed that he had disappeared for a long time, finally couldn’t suppress her curiosity and asked softly, “Kasugano-san looks very happy. Did something good happen during lunch break?”
“Is it so obvious what I’m doing, or does Kato-san actually have the ability to read minds?” Kasugano Toru had always thought that he was a person who never showed his emotions, but he didn’t expect that he would be exposed so quickly in front of Kato Megumi.
Doesn’t this mean that whatever I was thinking before could not escape this girl’s keen eyes?
When he thought about the strange changes in himself recently, he felt himself blushing.
“If I had the ability to read minds, I would definitely be the first to see what Kasugano-san is thinking.” Kato Megumi complained expressionlessly, her inner curiosity almost overflowing.
What kind of person is this? Instead of answering other people’s questions properly, he just tries to change the subject.
But no matter what, I won’t let you get away this time. If it’s because of another girl that you’re so happy, I’ll…
Well, it seems that there is nothing that can be done about Ms. Kato.
When the girl thought of this, she felt a little discouraged. When would this life of fear end?
“If you say something like that, it makes me feel like Kato-san is up to something bad. It’s easy for people to think you’re a pervert.”
“But someone who can call his harmless classmate a pervert is more like a pervert.” Kato Megumi smacked her lips disapprovingly, successfully making a nesting doll.
“But I think people like Kato who can call others perverts without any expression are perverts.” It’s just nesting dolls, who doesn’t know a few words about it?
But this time, Kasugano Toru’s joke did not make the girl cover her mouth and laugh like in the past. The boy even saw Kato Megumi frowning her beautiful eyebrows.
“Kasugano-san, does laughing at me make you so happy?” The girl’s words struck Kasugano Toru like a bolt of lightning.
Coupled with that expressionless face, Kasugano Toru admitted that he was panicked at that moment.
He has always been accustomed to speaking to Kato Megumi in this joking tone, and the jokes between the two were the kind that had no clear winner. Sometimes he was choked and speechless, and sometimes it was completely the other way around.
But why was it that this time, the result was completely different, just like usual?
“Kato, I’m sorry. I was too self-righteous.” Although he didn’t know what happened, it didn’t stop Kasugano Toru from apologizing. From a friend’s perspective, there was nothing shameful about apologizing.
If he lost a friend like Kato Megumi because of his careless joke, he would definitely regret it for the rest of his life.
And deep in his heart, he also felt that if he made Kato Megumi unhappy, it might be far more than just losing a friend.
Until the class bell rang, Kato Megumi didn’t say another word, as if she didn’t hear Kasugano Toru’s apology.
Just as the boy sighed and was about to apologize again after school, the girl’s soft voice rang out.
“If Kasugano-san really wants to apologize, then please continue to help me apply the medicine tonight, okay?”
“Of course no problem!” Kasugano Toru agreed immediately. If such a simple action could calm the girl down, he just wanted to say, “Give me ten more!”
Besides, isn’t helping girls apply medicine a benefit for him?
Ahem, exposed…
Kasugano Toru breathed a sigh of relief, but where he couldn’t see, the girl tilted her head and gave a sly smile.
“You’re still so easily fooled. What a fool you are.”
Women are born actors, and Kato Megumi is no exception.
Of course she wasn’t angry. Just as Kasugano Toru thought, they had been joking like this for the past year. How could she be angry over such a trivial matter?
What’s more, in the girl’s heart, how could she bear to be angry with the person she likes? Even if she occasionally feels a little depressed when she sees Toru Kasugano talking to other girls, isn’t this normal?
After all, the reason why she was being a little cunning today was to experience the treatment she received yesterday again.
Although she felt shy having her hands wrapped by Toru Kasugano, she really enjoyed the feeling.
Since we can’t hold hands openly now, we can only use some tricks.
“But when will this guy come to his senses? Wasn’t my performance obvious enough?” Thinking of this, Kato Megumi became depressed again.
She’s clearly trying so hard, why does Kasugano Toru act like he doesn’t see it?
Or should I be more proactive?
But if a girl is too proactive, will the boys look down on her?
At this moment, a thousand thoughts surged in the girl’s heart.
A girl’s feelings are always so elusive.
Chapter 49: The Sister of the Sky Falling into an Ice Cave (Old Version)
Although Kato Megumi’s injury was only on her wrist and not her back or some more sensitive parts, Kasugano Toru felt a little regretful… and a little relieved. But just holding the girl’s wrist was enough to make a little virgin like him feel excited.
“Kasugano-san, aren’t you going to start yet?”
Kato Megumi is really admirable when she is acting, but the shy girl always feels that she has lost all her previous courage.
Although her wrist was held by Kasugano Toru, which was not as sensitive as holding her own small hand, she still lowered her head shyly.
Everything is exactly the same as yesterday. The next step is to apply the medicine.
But this time, Toru Kasugano was not threatened by any gazes, because the shy girl had learned her lesson long ago, and the embarrassing scene of eye contact like yesterday would naturally not happen.
Without the threat, the boy became bolder than yesterday, and even dared to grab the girl’s wrist for a long time without moving.
Don’t ask me why I’m so bold; the reason I was just too timid yesterday.
Having learned from the previous experience with Tomoya Aki, he now dared not to anger the seemingly weak girl in front of him.
Unless you have already prepared the money for plastic surgery.
Now hearing Kato Megumi’s question, Kasugano Toru quickly gathered his thoughts and said repeatedly: “Sorry, sorry, let’s start now.”
The process of applying the medicine was similar to yesterday. The only thing worth mentioning was that Kasugano Toru was more certain of his strange thoughts.
If the boy’s inner world at this moment could be restored, there would definitely be two villains fighting.
“Why don’t you give it a try?” Once this thought came to mind, it grew wildly like an uncontrollable weed, quickly filling every corner of the boy’s heart.
But soon, these weeds encountered powerful herbicides.
“Forget it. When you don’t have the ability to earn enough money, don’t delay other girls from coming.”
“You’re so hypocritical. If you don’t want to bother other girls, don’t get so close.”
“You can’t say that. Even if we don’t plan to develop into lovers, can’t we just be friends with Kato-san?”
“Stop it. Have you ever seen pure friendship between men and women? Why flirt with her if you don’t want to marry her? What’s the difference between your behavior and that good-for-nothing male protagonist that Senior Kasumigaoka wrote about before!”
The two villains fought more and more fiercely, almost beating the dog’s brains out.
Of course, no matter which villain’s brain it is, it is actually Kasugano Toru’s own brain…
The troubled boy shook his head and decided to be the master of his own thoughts.
So he slapped the two noisy guys to death with his backhand, and then slapped himself hard.
“Kasugano-san, what are you doing…”
“Oh, nothing, just a mosquito.”
“But it’s only April…”
“That’s how I felt wrong!”
Kato Megumi once again enjoyed a contented dinner at Kasugano’s house. Although a villain told the boy to keep his distance, people can find any excuse if they want to.
“I just made Kato angry today. Only by apologizing with delicious food can I show my sincerity!” the boy said to himself.
This time, Toru Kasugano did not forget to ask the girl to take the medicinal wine with her, and he also found an excuse for himself to make sure that Kato took the medicinal wine home, and sent the girl home.
After returning home, Toru Kasugano sat at his desk, supporting his head with his hands, and became dazed.
He felt that there was something really wrong with him recently. In the past ten years or so, although he could not be said to be a saint who was completely indifferent to worldly desires, at certain moments, the boy was more resourceful than anyone else.
What’s the point of dating without money!
Do you really think that pure love can make a living?
If you can choose, who wouldn’t want to be a rich second generation, not having to worry about money all day long, and being able to boldly pursue any girl you like?
But the problem is, he has no choice.
It was already difficult to feed himself and his sister, so what else could he do? However, since the beginning of this semester, when the biggest headache of financial pressure was solved, Kasugano Toru found that there were many more thoughts in his mind that he had never had before.
When one is well fed and warmed, one will think about sex. The ancients were right.
All the problems in this world are caused by food.
Either they are hungry and have nothing to eat, and they cannot survive without making trouble; the other type is full and have nothing to do after eating, so how can they justify the three big bowls of rice they ate at noon if they don’t do something to vent their anger?
In the past, when he had to worry about what to eat the next day, Kasugano Toru naturally had no time to think about these issues. But now…
Kato-san smells so good…
After slapping himself again, Toru Kasugano quickly said sorry to the girl in his heart.
Sometimes people are like this. The more holy something is, the more they value it in their hearts, the more they respect it and the less they want to pollute it.
“How about asking Qiong?” From childhood to adulthood, Kasugano Toru had no friends with whom he could talk, neither in school nor at his part-time job.
Therefore, the boy developed the habit of discussing problems with his sister. This is why Qiong, who is still a junior high school student, looks more mature than his peers.
Thinking of this, Toru Kasugano called his sister. Since they were a family, there was nothing they couldn’t talk about.
Kasugano Toru felt that if he wanted to date a girl, he had to let his sister know.
“Hello, brother?!” As soon as the phone was connected, Kasugano Toru heard his sister’s voice from the other end, which sounded a little confused and a little excited.
Kasugano Yui really didn’t expect that her brother would call her on a school day. You know, in order to let his sister concentrate on her studies, Kasugano Toru made three rules with Yui, that is, the two can only video call on weekends unless there are special circumstances.
So after receiving the call from Kasugano Toru, Qiong was so happy. It was so hard to count the days on my fingers. I could only see my brother and hear his voice on weekends.
And this miserable life will continue for another year!
Unfortunately, before Qiong could be happy for long, Kasugano Toru’s next words made the girl feel like she was falling into an ice cave.
“Qiong, what does it feel like to like someone?”
Chapter 50: Qiong’s Dream (Old Version)
Kasugano Sora is a sister who wants to marry her brother. In her eyes, no one can compare to her brother.
She had seen her brother working hard for the family, she had also seen her brother feeling helpless because he didn’t know where tomorrow’s living expenses would come from, and she had also seen her brother’s incoherent excitement after making money.
So in Qiong’s heart, she is the one who understands her brother best, and only she can be her brother’s future life partner.
Although Kasugano Toru always joked that he would be relieved when Qiong got married in the future, in Qiong’s heart, these words were just jokes!
Of course it was a joke, because Qiong’s dream has always been to become her brother’s bride.
And don’t think that she doesn’t know that her brother is not his parents’ biological son.
This is also the most important reason why she admires her brother. In order to take good care of her sister who is not related to her by blood, Kasugano Toru has made many times more efforts than his peers. When they are still enjoying the time with their family and living a life of food and clothes, Kasugano Toru has to go out early and come back late to make plans for his and his sister’s life.
It was obvious that the brother could just dump his irrelevant sister on those useless relatives. With his ability, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to survive alone in Tokyo.
I have said so much just to prove that Qiong is a loyal girl.
Anyway, they are not biological siblings, so what’s the problem with them getting married? Japan is a country where even cousins ​​can legally get married.
But today the girl suddenly realized that in her brother’s eyes, she was really just a younger sister.
She can only be a younger sister.
How could this happen? When I left home not long ago, my brother was still as wooden as ever. How could he become like this in less than half a month?
Since Kasugano Toru can ask such a question, it proves that his brother must already have a girl who makes his heart beat. Does that mean that I am no longer the first in his heart?
Thinking of this, Qiong was completely panicked. A huge sadness enveloped the girl. She wondered if someone was strangling her throat, otherwise why would she find it so difficult to breathe?
“Hey, Qiong, are you listening to me?” Kasugano Toru talked for a long time, but he never heard any response from his sister. He thought something had happened to his sister.
“Brother, I’m listening, please continue.” Qiong tried hard to open her little mouth and used all her strength to utter words that did not sound like her own voice at all.
But the upset Kasugano Toru did not notice anything unusual about his sister, and just told her about his experiences and thoughts during this period.
After hanging up the phone, Qiong curled up on the small bed in the dormitory, staring blankly out the window.
So that’s it.
So that’s how it is.
That’s right, isn’t it normal that someone would like my brother who works so hard and is so dazzling?
I’m so envious of that girl, what’s her name?
I can’t remember clearly. Who made me look so half dead at that time?
Qiong, it’s all your fault that your brother is like this.
If you had let your brother see you in your underwear earlier, would things not have turned out like this?
It’s just that my brother, Qiong…
After hanging up the phone, Toru Kasugano didn’t get any effective help from his sister.
This girl is usually quite reliable, but how come she is useless in such an important matter?
Recalling the time when he and Kato Megumi were together in his first year of high school, Toru Kasugano wondered if he was thinking too much.
Among the three major illusions in life, “he/she likes me” is definitely one of them.
Thinking back to how Kato Megumi treated me before, it seemed to be no different from that of other people.
Don’t worry about it for a long time, only to find out that you were just being sentimental. That would be really embarrassing and extremely embarrassing.
Remember the three major misconceptions in life and you will never be embarrassed!
Putting all the inappropriate thoughts behind him, Kasugano Toru began tonight’s work. Although the task assigned to him by Kasumigaoka Utaha was just a few words, it would be impossible to complete it without spending a lot of time and energy if he really wanted to do it.
In order to satisfy the sponsor… the client, the boy had to prepare with great energy. Fortunately, after the revision by Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kasugano Toru’s workload has been reduced a lot. Otherwise, he would have to find the shining points in the useless male protagonist and express them through illustrations, which would be too difficult.
In addition, with the digital tablet, he no longer has to worry about the consumption of drawing paper and paint. He can give full play to his strengths. On days when he doesn’t have to worry about his character design, he paints desperately and makes rapid progress.
And the fuller the male protagonist’s image is, the more convenient it is for him to carry out his work. Although light novels are indeed a thing where you get toilet paper for free when you buy illustrations, and readers prefer illustrations of female protagonists, this does not mean that the male protagonist can dress up as the man in black in Conan.
So he worked hard on painting, and gradually made the male protagonist, who was originally useless in the first volume, more vivid.
Chapter 51: The Temptation of Eriri (Old Version)
Toru Kasugano enjoys his current life. He goes to school during the day and paints at night. Without the sword of Damocles of financial pressure, his life can even be considered comfortable.
But such peaceful days will not last long after all, because the Golden Week is coming.
Neon’s Golden Week starts on April 29 and ends on May 5 every year. Many companies in Neon will choose to suspend business during this week to let their employees have a good rest. In order to stimulate consumption and promote the development of tourism, the government will also launch preferential policies in many tourist cities during this period.
Gradually, Japanese people have developed the habit of traveling during the Golden Week. As long as the family has some financial means, they will choose to have family fun during this time.
But these things obviously have nothing to do with Toru Kasugano because he has no money.
It is so simple, crude and justified.
So when her sister had not yet gone to study at the Private Otome Saki Girls’ Academy, Qiong would cook some food at home, and Kasugano Toru would take advantage of the peak tourist season to draw a few more paintings for others.
The reason why it was Qiong who was going to eat it was because the kashiwa mochi made by Qiong was unique, and even Toru Kasugano’s cooking skills could not compare to his sister’s.
But this is not surprising, Kashiwa cake is a traditional snack in Japan. How could Toru Kasugano, a former Chinese, make such a thing?
The last day of the Golden Week, May 5th, is not only Japan’s Boys’ Day, but also Japan’s Dragon Boat Festival. On this day, people will eat rice dumplings and cypress cakes, which are said to bring good luck of “prosperity in the family.”
But after his sister entered junior high school, he never ate these things again.
Making money is the most important thing. He doesn’t have the time to prepare these things by himself.
Kasugano Toru originally planned to prepare some rice dumplings for his sister while he had some free time this year, but he soon found out that his plan had failed.
“Sawamura-san, are you saying you want to go out for sketching?”
“I’m not the only one going out to sketch, we’re going together!” Eriri emphasized the tone of her voice on the other end of the microphone, stressing that she wasn’t going alone this time, but that she kindly brought Kasugano Toru with her.
“But I haven’t said I’m going.” Kasugano Toru was speechless. Is he so uncool now?
Can anyone make decisions for themselves?
“We are going to Izu, Kasugano-san is you really not going?” After her rank was raised, Eriri actually knew how to use skills like her mother.
Skill: Bewitching is activated.
Skill: Bewitching failed.
Kasugano Toru curled his lips in disapproval. Not to mention Izu, he didn’t even want to go abroad.
Don’t ask, asking is just laziness.
What’s more, if I go out this time, I will owe Eriri a big favor.
If it is an exchange of interests, he can accept it occasionally.
But owing such a big favor to someone for no reason is not something that can be repaid easily.
“No, no, there will be crowds of people everywhere during the Golden Week. I don’t want to go out and see the back of other people’s heads.”
Seeing that her skills had no effect, Eriri was not panicked at all because she still had a second trick.
Skill: Temptation activated.
“I was thinking that if Kasugano-san was willing to go to Izu with me, I could tell you about the JIA Illustration Award.”
“JIAIllustrationAward Illustration Competition?” Kasugano Toru repeated and swallowed.
Since he has decided to develop in the field of illustration in the future, Toru Kasugano has specifically looked into related competitions.
What better way to become famous than by winning a heavyweight match?
The JIAIllustration Award (hereinafter referred to as the Grand Prix) is an illustration competition for non-commercial use or publication. It is famous for its unlimited subject matter, unlimited number of submissions, and diverse styles.
Such competition rules are highly inclusive to participating illustrators and are very popular among them.
More importantly, this is a competition that has no nationality or age restrictions. No matter whether you are Japanese or an adult, you can participate in this competition.
“That’s right, it’s the Grand Prix. I guess Kasugano-san must be very interested in it, right?” Eriri on the other end of the phone was smiling like a little fox. She was completely different from who she was a month ago.
“But I remember that this competition shouldn’t require any introduction, and anyone can sign up to participate, right?” Kasugano Toru really didn’t understand what Erili was up to. Did she think that just by telling him there was such a competition, she could lure him out?
“Kasugano-san is right. I can indeed sign up for this competition myself.” Eriri is not worried that Kasugano Toru is not interested. She hasn’t even used her biggest trump card yet.
“I’m sure Kasugano-san knows that this competition is scored by a five-member judging panel. The work with the highest score will win the Grand Prix, and the rest will be awarded the Gold Medal, the Holbein Prize, and other prizes.”
“If Kasugano-san is willing to go to Izu with me to sketch, I can ask my mother to help you collect the award-winning works from previous years, and even introduce you to one of the judges. If you can know in advance what style of work is more popular, I believe that with Kasugano-san’s level, it will not be difficult for him to win the award!”
With the ability of the Sawamura family, it is not difficult to collect the award-winning works of the past years. In fact, Kasugano Toru can do it himself. After all, the Internet is so developed now, everything can be found on the Internet, it just takes some time.
But what really mattered to him was the recommending judge.
You have to know that those who can become judges are all well-known bigwigs in the circle.
What is the most valuable thing in today’s society?
That must be connections. Only this thing can make money. Everything else is fake.
So Eriri’s move hit Kasugano Toru’s vital point hard.
Skill Temptation was judged successful.
Kasugano Toru can’t make it again!
Time goes back to one hour ago.
“Eri, can you tell mom why you must invite Kasugano-kun to go to Izu with you?” Seeing her daughter’s excitement, Sayuri Sawamura felt like a bottle of seasoning had been overturned in her heart, with mixed feelings.
It’s obvious that Eriri would never go out with boys in the past.
Not to mention going out with a boy, even if she was asked to go out by herself to buy a comic book, she would find all kinds of excuses, and would only go out reluctantly when she could no longer delay.
And it was as if someone was pursuing her outside. Not only did she wrap herself up tightly, but she also went there and came back quickly. She was completely unlike the usual Eriri with severe procrastination.
“Because I want to continue asking Kasugano-san for advice. He knows so much, and there are many things that students probably don’t know. I always feel that Kasugano-san is like an adult and can teach me many things that only adults know.” Eriri said these fierce words without any care.
Sayuri Sawamura’s face became even darker…