The life of a manga master

Roy, a young man of Chinese and British descent, accidentally traveled to the world of Zongman and was bound to a strange system——

“Congratulations to the host for obtaining the template: Young Gilgamesh is permanently solidified and cannot grow.”

She is 140cm tall, looks as delicate as a doll, but has the soul of an adult.

He has incredible abilities, but has zero ability to take care of himself – especially when it comes to cooking, he can turn the kitchen into an alternate-dimensional battlefield.

Just as he was lying in the forest in a daze, a silver-haired, red-eyed vampire girl picked him up—

Sophie Twilight is afraid of sunlight, loves watching anime, hates garlic, and her house is filled with action figures and light novels.

“You can stay, but don’t disturb me while I’m watching anime,” she said coldly.

“Deal.” Roy smiled. “In exchange, I’ll write novels to support the family.”

Thus, this strange “home” began to become lively——

——Who says that traveling through anime must involve fighting and killing? Writing novels, raising vampires, and living with a bunch of weirdos, these kinds of daily lives don’t seem bad, right?

The life of a manga master
1. Soman World, Height 140cm
The life of the Shota copycat: 1. The world of Zongman, height 140cm, pictures and texts
Roy, a young man of mixed Chinese and British descent, has the elegance of a Western aristocrat, as well as the calmness and sharpness of an Eastern teenager. That day, he wore a well-cut black suit, stood under the magnificent crystal lamp, toasted and greeted, with a calm expression.
The aristocratic dinner was just a routine social ceremony for him. He had long been tired of the hypocritical smiles and boring conversations.
After the dinner, the night breeze was cool, and Roy was walking alone on the tree-lined path on his way home, his phone still on the comment section of an old anime. He was absorbed in watching it, when suddenly, the sky suddenly brightened, an untimely lightning bolt shattered the night sky, and then an inexplicable suction force suddenly pulled him out.
He didn’t even have time to scream before he fell heavily into another world like a stone thrown into the water.
When he opened his eyes again, he was surrounded by a forest shrouded in mist, strange and quiet, with swaying shadows of trees and the air filled with the smell of damp grass. He struggled to sit up, looking around in confusion, and then a crisp reminder sounded in his ears:
“Ding! Welcome to the world of Soman, system binding in progress… Newbie gift packs have been distributed, and the host’s mental fluctuations are detected to be too large, and it will be forced into hibernation soon.”
“Huh?” Roy only had time to utter one syllable before his vision went dark and he fainted among the fallen leaves.
When he woke up again, Roy felt his whole body aching as if it had been crushed, and he opened his eyelids heavily. What he saw was a room decorated in a classical but slightly warm style – carved wooden windows, heavy red velvet curtains, and a magic lamp burning in the corner, emitting a faint warm light.
There was still a clean herbal scent lingering in the air, which made him feel a little dazed for a moment.
He stood up, looked around, and uttered the first words with a dry throat:
“…Where am I?”
Memories before he fell into a coma surged in his mind like a tide – the strange suction, the forest, the gift bag, and the phrase “forced to enter a dormant state”. He frowned and whispered tentatively:
“system?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the air seemed to be ignited, and a blue and white light appeared in front of him, condensing into a translucent light screen, hovering in the air like a holographic projection, accompanied by a familiar electronic prompt tone.
[Host binding is successful, the current status is as follows——]Name: Roy (template inheritance)
Current form: Young Gilgamesh
Height: 140cm
Weight: 30kg
Intrinsic Skills:
Golden Rule: EX
Beautiful Boy: EX (I am not very good at writing love scenes, this setting is mainly to make the female character have a relatively high initial favorability towards the protagonist)
Item creation: EX
Roy: “…”
After three seconds of silence, he looked down at his hands, which had obviously become smaller, and then looked at the length of his legs – to be precise, his legs were “short”.
“…Are you serious?” he deadpanned.
Once upon a time, when he was watching anime in his previous life, he had imagined countless times of becoming a king like Gilgamesh, with blond hair and red eyes, looking down on all living beings, with thousands of shining treasures in his hands…but the system actually gave him a “childhood version”?
Although his skills are also full of explosive items, looking at the stats of 140cm and 30kg… I always feel like a “rare ornamental character” in the initial state of an RPG game.
“I’m afraid this isn’t the beginning of a growth game.” Roy sighed, “It’s still the kind of setting where you have to grow up before you can act cool.”
He was just shocked by his “shrinking” body setting when the door suddenly made a slight sound. A figure with white hair and red eyes pushed the door open and walked in, holding a stack of freshly changed sheets in his arms.
Her steps were so quiet that they were almost soundless, her features were indifferent, and her temperament was cold. She was exactly the vampire girl Sophie who he was so familiar with in his previous life.
Their eyes met briefly in the air, and Roy was the first to break the silence: “Uh… good morning?”
Sophie paused for a moment and took a few steps closer: “You’re awake.”
Her voice was cool and gentle, yet one could not ignore the alertness and sense of distance hidden in it.
“I found you in the forest yesterday. Your magic power was drained out and you were almost like a puppet. I thought you would sleep for three days and three nights.”
Roy coughed lightly and tried to remain calm: “Thank you for saving me.”
“Sophie Twilight,” Sophie drawled.
Roy smiled and sat up, “Roy. Not a big shot, not a famous one.”
Sophie put down the bed sheet in her hand, and looked at him quietly with her red eyes. Suddenly, she frowned: “You… the aura on your body is very strange. It doesn’t seem like the magical structure of this world. You are not a ‘naturally born’ life form, right?”
Roy’s heart was shocked – she was indeed a veteran vampire girl, her perception was terrifyingly sharp.
He thought about it and decided not to hide it completely: “I… come from another world. How should I put it… I traveled through time by accident.”
Sophie didn’t show any surprise, but just nodded slightly: “I see. So what are you going to do next?”
“I haven’t thought about it yet.” Roy scratched his head, “But I have a lot of knowledge in my head… that might come in handy. And I can cook, tell stories, take care of Miss Vampire, and so on.”
“…What did you just say?”
“Hmm? Cooking?”
“The latter part.”
Roy paused, realizing that he had said it too smoothly, and blushed slightly: “…taking care of Miss Vampire?”
Sophie turned her eyes away and said softly, “I don’t really need anyone to take care of me. But… this house has been a little quiet lately.”
She paused and said slowly:
“…You can stay and live in the empty room in the north for now.”
[Beautiful Boy (EX)] Passive effect is being triggered.
The target character [Sophie]’s initial favorability towards the host increases
Roy looked at the prompt on the light screen and almost laughed out loud.
“Tsk, it turns out this skill can’t be underestimated.”
But he knew very well that if he wanted to survive in this world, it was far from enough to rely on his looks. He put away the light screen and smiled at Sophie seriously: “Then I won’t live here for free. I’ll cook you a meal as a thank you gift – but where is the kitchen?”
Sophie smiled softly, her expression subtle: “Try to see if you can lift the pot first.”
Roy looked down at his own small arms and legs and was silent for three seconds.
“…System, is there a ‘growth gift package’?”
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ActivityRegister as a Filo member and get 200 points![Register Now]2. Miss Vampire doesn’t need to be fed (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 2. Miss Vampire doesn’t need to be fed
“System, is there a growth gift package?”
Roy asked this question with hope. The screen was silent for three seconds, and then a cold prompt popped up:
[No “Growth Pack” yet. ][Current template status: Fixed size, young Gilgamesh][Tip: This body size cannot be changed temporarily, and the host needs to trigger a task to grow into an adult][Reason: Due to the limitation of template settings, the host will always maintain the form of “Beautiful Boy”]Roy froze as he stared at the screen. He slowly lowered his head and re-examined his slender fingers and his 140cm field of vision.
“…Are you kidding me?”
The system fell silent without any emotion, as if to say: I’m not kidding you, this is the template you chose yourself.
Just then, Sophie turned her head and glanced at him: “Aren’t you going to cook? The kitchen is at the end of the corridor, turn right.”
Roy came back to his senses and forced a smile: “Ah…yes, I’ll go right away.”
Five minutes later, he stood at the kitchen door, lost in thought.
The stove is too high, the pot is too heavy, and the kitchen utensils are like giant weapons. This house is obviously designed for normal adults, and there is no consideration for how a 140cm boy can survive.
“… As expected, we still have to rely on the system.”
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and called up the skill interface.
[Use skill: Item Creation (EX)][Goal: A lightweight kitchen set that fits my height (including pots, spoons, cutting boards, and stovetop adjustment devices)]【confirm?】
“confirm.”
A magic circle appeared beside him, and with a flash of light, several exquisitely shaped small kitchen utensils appeared on the kitchen countertop. The surface had a light golden luster, and they even came with a simple stove platform that could be raised and lowered.
“Nice!”
He rolled up his sleeves with great interest and officially entered the **”Heroic Spirit Cooking Test Field”**.
Ten minutes later.
The kitchen was already filled with an… indescribable smell.
“Wait a minute! Why did the egg liquid turn into steam?!”
“Ketchup isn’t supposed to be black!!”
“Who put the salt-cellar and the sugar-cellar together?—Oh, I did.”
Roy screamed and ran between the pot and the stove in panic. He forgot that in his previous life, although he had a wealth of theoretical knowledge, he had almost no practical experience, and his cooking skills were only slightly better than those of a passerby – if that passerby had a broken hand.
The flames flickered, and some “unknown liquid” bubbling in the pot was moving towards carbonization.
“Calm down, calm down, system, do you have a fire extinguisher?!” he shouted while hitting the target with a pot lid.
Just when he thought the kitchen was going to go up to heaven, the door was pushed open.
Sophie stood at the door, a book in her hand, her nose wrinkled slightly, and she glanced at the strange thing in the pot with complicated eyes.
“…Are you sure you can cook?”
Roy turned his head, his face full of “social death”, and his voice was like a cat with its tail scalded:
“In theory, yes, but in practice… I suspect the pot is working against me.”
Sophie was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said calmly: “I don’t actually eat human food.”
“ha?”
“I’m a vampire. I only drink blood.”
“…” Roy was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, “So you won’t eat it after all my efforts?”
Sophie nodded as a matter of course. “But I’m curious about what you can do. Go on.”
After saying that, she found a chair by the door and sat down, as if she was ready to watch a comedy.
Roy looked at the dark food bubbling in the pot expressionlessly: “System, is there a ‘cooking cheat’?”
The system mercilessly popped up a sentence:
【You wish. 】
Just like that, under Sophie’s vague gaze, Roy gritted his teeth and completed his first meal of “willpower training”.
Although no one could eat it, he learned a lesson from it:
Want to show off your cooking skills? Practice the basics first.
The air in the kitchen finally calmed down, leaving only the rustling of leaves in the breeze outside the window.
Roy sat on a stool holding the glittering golden pot, staring at the “food” on the stove with a complicated expression, which he didn’t know whether to classify as liquid or solid. There was still some egg liquid on his hair, and the whole person looked like he had just experienced a small explosion.
Sophie stood at the door, her arms folded, watching the scene quietly. She said nothing, but tilted her head slightly, as if she was looking at a wild animal that suddenly broke into the house.
Finally, she spoke, her tone as calm as ever: “You have now… turned the kitchen into a potions lab.”
Roy smiled bitterly, “Sorry, I thought I could make something. At least cooked it.”
“You did cook it,” Sophie said, taking two steps closer and glancing down at the pot. She added expressionlessly, “I just don’t know how cooked it is.”
Roy hung his head: “Then I’ll wash the pot and clean the stove…just pretend I was never here?”
Sophie didn’t respond. He thought she agreed, and was about to jump off the stool and leave, but he heard her suddenly say:
“You’re weird.”
Roy was stunned and turned to look at her: “…Is this the same outfit as the dark dish I just had?”
Sophie looked at him, her eyes moved slightly, but she didn’t smile: “More than that. When you woke up, facing strangers, strange places, and a strange world, you didn’t doubt, you didn’t panic, and you didn’t play dumb.”
“You’re trying to fit in. Even if it’s a bit of a clumsy way.”
Roy pursed his lips and whispered, “Are you doubting me?”
“It’s not suspicion,” Sophie turned around, walked to the window, and gently pulled aside the curtains. “It’s just observation. You don’t look like an ordinary human… but I don’t intend to find out where you came from.”
She paused, turned her back to him and said:
“——You are not an enemy, that’s enough.”
The light from the window poured in, making her silver-white hair almost transparent. Roy was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, “Then… can I stay?”
Sophie didn’t turn around, but nodded. “There’s an empty room in the north. The door is a little broken, don’t mind. You can stay there until you find your own place to stay.”
Roy was stunned for a moment, then smiled gratefully: “Thank you, Miss Sophie.”
“Also,” she turned around, her eyes fell on him again, and added with a hint of helplessness, “Don’t mess with the kitchen again.”
“Understood.” Roy raised his hand and swore.
“There is a second point.”
“Um?”
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Sophie’s usually cold face.
“We don’t accept small animals in the house, but… you can make an exception.”
Roy was startled, then turned his head with his ears slightly red: “…Who are you calling a little animal?”
The door of the north room was indeed as Sophie said, a little old and couldn’t be closed. Roy pushed it slightly and it popped open with a “click”, and the dust was blown up by the wind, making him sneeze.
The room was not big, but it was square in structure. There were some old books stacked on the bookshelf against the wall, a wooden bed and a small table in the corner, and a window facing the courtyard. The sunlight shone in from there, casting mottled light and shadows on the wooden floor.
“Not bad.” Roy blinked and muttered to himself.
He rolled up his sleeves, called out the system panel, summoned the “Item Creation” skill, and used magic to create a few clean rags, a small broom, and a bucket of water – these were all non-combat soul skills. EX level did not necessarily mean gorgeousness, but more of a reflection of “high efficiency”.
The cleaning work went more smoothly than expected. He hummed a little tune while cleaning, and his heart gradually calmed down.
This was the first time he truly felt a sense of “settlement” after traveling through time.
There is no main quest, no urgent countdown, no monsters or enemies lurking in the corner. Although the system exists, it never urges him to fight or evolve. Everything seems to be just a “record”.
——This is a peaceful world.
So far, at least, it’s been eerily quiet.
When the room was thoroughly cleaned, it was already getting dark. There were a few cicadas chirping and dogs barking in the distance outside the window, and the air smelled of grass and evening breeze.
Roy sat by the window, holding an old novel he had picked up from the bookshelf. He read a few pages and then became distracted.
He looked at the old cherry tree in the courtyard and suddenly thought: It would be nice to live an ordinary life like this, right?
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3. No Entry to the Kitchen, Unpopular Doujinshi? (Old Version)
The life of a manga artist under the name of a copycat: 3. No entry to the kitchen, unpopular doujinshi?
As night falls, the moonlight shines like water.
Sophie seemed to be used to going out at night. She changed into a black windbreaker, stood in front of the entrance and prepared to go out, looking back at Roy who was sitting on the sofa reading a book.
“I’m going out for a while and will be back in about two hours.”
Roy put down the book: “Do you want me to lock the door?”
“There’s no need,” she paused, her tone flat, “No one will come, and no one dares to come.”
“Oh.” He nodded, then looked up and asked, “You go out every day?”
“Occasionally,” Sophie replied quietly as she put on her hat. “I don’t go out unless I’m hungry.”
“Vampire ‘feeding’?”
She didn’t deny it, nor did she explain much, but just looked at his fearless face, as if she was a little surprised.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
Roy shrugged. “There’s no point being afraid. If you really wanted to bite me, you would have done it on the first day. Since you didn’t, I’ll just treat you as a picky roommate.”
Sophie glanced at him, a hint of smile seemed to flash across her eyes, then she turned around, closed the door and left.
The room became quiet again.
Roy stretched lazily, opened the system interface and began to sort out the information.
–
[Host: Roy][Current template: Young Gilgamesh (solidified)]【Height: 140cm】
【Status: Healthy】
[Passive Skills]-Golden Rule (EX): Passive, extremely high tendency to acquire wealth and resources.
– Red-faced Beautiful Boy (EX): Passive, extremely attractive and friendly, especially effective against female creatures.
[Active Skills]-Item Creation (EX): Can create useful items based on imagination and magic power, with a tendency towards non-combat functions.
[Tip: This system does not include a quest line or issue any instructions. The host can decide their actions freely.][World type: Daily, non-combat, low magic perception society][Note: The world you live in does not encourage the development of fighting, please enjoy your life. ]Roy looked at these lines in silence for a while, then closed the panel, leaned back on the sofa and took a deep breath.
“So…it really is a retirement world.”
He looked at the ceiling, feeling surprisingly relaxed. There was no passion for kingly ways, no saving the world, and no golden fingers sweeping the world. He just lived in a quiet house with a nocturnal vampire, doing housework every day, reading books, and occasionally being patted on the head as a “little pet”.
Maybe this is happiness in a sense.
The early morning sun shines through the half-open curtains onto the wooden floor, and the air carries a fresh scent mixed with grass and dew.
Roy sat up from the bed, his hair sticking up in clumps, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. He put on the slightly loose shirt and walked to the kitchen in his wooden slippers.
“Today’s goal is: not to blow up the kitchen.”
He confidently opened the system and called up [Props Creation].
[Item Creation: EX]→Production props: simple mini frying pan, high temperature resistant spatula, measuring cup, a set of tools for initial processing of ingredients
→Add attributes: [No burning] [Anti-slip] … Failed to attach (reason: insufficient magic control)
“…I really can’t be too greedy.”
Roy shrugged and began to prepare his “Human Breakfast Challenge 2” seriously. He took out eggs, toast and milk from the refrigerator, and also took a tomato.
Five minutes later, an indescribable “new smell” wafted from the kitchen.
The egg liquid formed a wrinkled “map” on the bottom of the pot, the toast was half black and half raw, the tomatoes were cut into pieces and stuck on the spatula, and the milk was hot, but there was a little more salt.
Roy stared at the pot blankly: “Did I actually get the ‘Cooking Disaster Physique’ template?”
At this time, there was a sound of light footsteps behind me.
“What are you doing?”
Sophie’s voice was as calm as ever, but it was not difficult to hear a familiar sense of helplessness.
She was standing at the kitchen door, wearing a large T-shirt with a “white flying dragon” pattern on it, her hair was slightly messy, and she was holding a Garfield-shaped pillow. She looked like a vampire from a deep-house style who had just surfaced from the ocean of the second dimension.
Roy looked back at her and pointed at the pot, “…breakfast, but it failed. Don’t be too disgusted if you don’t eat human food.”
Sophie looked at him for two seconds, then silently turned around, opened the cupboard beside the dining table, took out a mug with anime characters printed on it, and poured the bloody drink into it.
“At least you have perseverance.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
She slowly drank a sip of the liquid in the cup, glanced at the mini tools he made, and suddenly asked: “Did you make these little props yourself?”
Roy nodded. “Is it… a special ability? It’s not combat-oriented, but just makes it easier to do small things in life.”
“It’s quite practical.” Sophie put down the cup and said calmly, “But your poor cooking skills can’t be cured.”
“I can practice!”
“You can try,” she paused and turned her head to look at him, “but only if you don’t blow up the kitchen again.”
The two looked at each other for a second and chuckled at the same time.
The atmosphere relaxed for a moment.
Roy suddenly remembered something and walked to the bookshelf in the living room, where dozens of comics and novels were neatly stacked. He picked up one at random, and the cover style was familiar, but it was so strange that it made him stunned for a moment.
“What’s this?”
“The first volume of The Magician of Eternal Night.” Sophie replied as she drank blood. “It’s a very famous long-running magic adventure series that has been serialized for five years and was recently adapted into an animation.”
Roy flipped through a few pages, feeling the familiar narrative rhythm and painting style, only to discover that this was not any work he knew in his previous life.
“Are you familiar with the comics and novels here?”
“Yeah, I’m a senior otaku, I guess.” She answered nonchalantly, “I watch anime, light novels, models, BD boxes, limited edition figures… Don’t go into the study next to your room, it’s too full.”
Roy’s eyes widened. “Then… have you heard of “A Certain Magical Index”? “Fate”? “Re: Life in a Different World from Zero”? Or… “No Game No Life”? “
Sophie shook her head. “I haven’t heard of it. Is it a doujinshi from a niche circle?”
He sat down slowly, falling into a kind of contemplation in which his worldview collapsed.
This world is peaceful and civilized, with comics, novels, and ACG culture…
But it was not the Earth he was familiar with. Even though the culture was highly similar, those masterpieces, those remembered characters, those familiar classics – none of them existed.
Sophie glanced at him and asked softly, “What’s wrong with you?”
Roy raised his head, looked at her face, and was silent for a while.
“I just suddenly realized that… the ‘otaku culture’ in your world is also quite lonely.”
4. Vampire’s Night Rules, Idol Boys on the Streets of Tokyo? (Old Version)
The life of a manga writer: 4. The night rules of vampires, the idol boy on the streets of Tokyo?
“Don’t make too much noise in the morning. I’m going back to my room to sleep.”
Sophie lazily leaned on the sofa, her tone like a cat about to melt in a blanket, hugging a furry moon pillow, her eyes half open and half closed, as if she was trying her best to stay awake.
Roy was preparing today’s breakfast in the kitchen, but there was another sizzling sound in the pot, and it seemed that the oil temperature was a little out of control.
“Don’t blow up the kitchen again.” Sophie warned without turning her head. “If you smoke up the kitchen again, I won’t wash the cups before going to bed tonight.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one washing it?”
“You were the one who used it to hold the milk first.” She sighed, slowly stood up and stretched, her bare feet making no sound on the floor, “Also, draw the curtains tighter, the sun is rising again, and I don’t want to wake up with my head exposed to the sun.”
“You really can’t stand a bit of sunshine?”
“I’m not a cactus.” She glanced at him with dissatisfaction in her tone, “Exposing myself for too long will give you a headache, dry skin, and make you irritable. Do you want to see me angry?”
Roy raised his hands in surrender: “No.”
“Then be obedient.” She nodded with satisfaction, turned and walked towards the corridor, her steps so slow that they seemed to be floating.
“You…want to go back to your room?”
“Well, go back to sleep in my coffin.” She said calmly.
“Is it really a coffin?” Roy couldn’t help asking.
Sophie looked back at him and raised her eyebrows. “Do you think I’m lying in the closet with a blanket on my head? Vampires are creatures that value rituals. Otherwise, what’s the difference between us and ordinary office workers?”
“Your metaphor is too tragic…”
“There’s one more thing.” She stood at the door of the room, her eyes suddenly becoming serious, “Don’t touch the small transparent sealed jar on the top shelf of the refrigerator. It contains a special blood bag mixed with rose and silver leaves.”
“I can’t drink blood.”
“I don’t drink human blood either.” She snorted. “What era is it now? Do you think I’m an antique who crawled out of a coffin in the 19th century?”
Roy nodded, and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she suddenly added in a serious tone: “Also, you are absolutely not allowed to bring garlic into the house.”
“…You hate that smell?”
“No, it’s the body that really reacts. The skin breaks out in a rash, the throat tightens, and it’s hard to breathe.” Sophie’s tone was as calm as if she was giving medical advice. “Last time, my neighbor gave me a box of pasta, and I almost checked out of the hotel when I opened it.”
“Understood.” Roy raised his hand and swore, “Garlic is not allowed in this house. We will firmly implement the no-garlic policy.”
Sophie nodded and said softly, “Don’t knock on my door during the day. Once the curtains are closed, I’m sleeping. Unless your house is on fire, don’t come in.”
“…What if the house really catches fire?”
“Knock three times. Leave three seconds for you to escape. I will come out.” She yawned lazily. “After all, I am a vampire. If there is a fire, I can run faster than you.”
“I feel like you are more like the head of the family than I am.”
Sophie turned around as a matter of course: “This is originally my home, you are staying here.”
She finished speaking in a proud tone, and slowly moved into the room. Before closing the door, she seemed to remember something and whispered again:
“…Don’t cook for too long. The taste of the food you cook is almost lowering the purity of my blood.”
The door closed with a bang, and the sound insulation was pretty good.
Roy stood in the kitchen, holding a spatula in one hand and sighing silently in the other, muttering under his breath: “He obviously has a physique that won’t eat human food, yet he still has such a poisonous mouth.”
He turned to look out the window at the rising sun.
“Miss Vampire’s life rules are really complicated…”
The afternoon sun was bright but not glaring, the sky was blue, and white clouds occasionally floated by. Roy put on his hat, held a simple shopping list in his hand, and pushed open the door of Sophie’s house.
“Bread, milk, shampoo, and… blood bags.” He muttered in a low voice with a complicated expression. The last item was obviously not a part of human daily life.
The street was much wider than he had imagined. The stone-paved sidewalks were clean and tidy. On both sides were modern convenience stores, cafes and drugstores. In the distance, tall buildings stood in a forest, and billboards flashed colorful neon lights. He looked up at an electronic screen on the corner of the street.
An advertisement was scrolling on it: “Shibuya Autumn Anime Expo is in full swing – Welcome to Tokyo!”
“…Is this Tokyo?” Roy stopped and looked around in surprise.
In his imagination, the remote town where Sophie’s old house was located seemed like a corner of a secret world, but the fact was that the place where they lived was just an old town on the edge of Tokyo. Surrounded by towering high-rise buildings, convenient subways, and convenience stores everywhere in the streets and alleys,
This is not some idyllic fantasy world at all, but a thoroughly modern city.
“I really…traveled to a real world.” He muttered in a low voice.
While he was thinking, a pair of high school girls walked out of the convenience store, stopped their eyes on him, and started talking in low voices.
“Look, that boy over there is so handsome…”
“Really, like a prince from a comic book.”
Roy subconsciously turned his face away, not wanting to respond too conspicuously. But the passive skill of “Red-faced Beautiful Boy” was unreasonable. His almost unrealistically handsome face, fair skin, burgundy eyes, and naturally smooth blond hair could hardly hide his radiant appearance even with a hat on.
What was even more fatal was that face matched his naturally tall and straight posture—although his height was still the 140cm limit set by the Heroic Spirit template, he stood there with a quiet, elegant, and aloof temperament, like an illustration walking on the street.
The female clerk in the coffee shop across the street accidentally knocked over the plate in her hand and hurriedly bent down to pick it up; the courier boy passing by couldn’t help but look back and almost bumped into the street lamp; even a female office worker in a suit stopped and secretly took a photo with her mobile phone.
Roy sighed helplessly: “I just came out to buy some shampoo…”
He walked into the convenience store, with cheerful background music playing in the store. He quickly picked up a few daily necessities from the shelves, carefully avoiding the sight of the little girls who kept looking at him.
When checking out, the female clerk covered her mouth and chuckled unnaturally while scanning the code, and whispered: “Young Master…are you a model? Or are you filming a drama?”
Roy was stunned for a moment, then smiled and shook his head: “Neither, I’m just an ordinary person.”
“Impossible…” The female clerk blushed, glanced at him secretly, and then quickly lowered her head.
After paying the bill, Roy walked out of the convenience store quickly, as if fleeing the scene. Standing on the street, he looked at the bustling city scenery in the distance, and his thoughts became complicated.
“Although this is Tokyo, it’s slightly different from the Tokyo I’m familiar with.” He noticed that the comics, animations, and idol groups promoted on the billboards were not the ones he remembered from his past life – there was no “One Piece”, no “EVA”, no “Fate”, and even “Pokemon” had never appeared.
“This world…is not the original Earth.”
Roy clenched the plastic bag in his hand, and an idea gradually emerged in his mind.
“If the two-dimensional industry here is still in a blank stage, then…” He blinked, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, another little girl came over from the corner of the street, stared at him intently, then turned to her mother and said, “Mom, I want to marry a brother like that in the future!”
Roy paused, his ears turned red, and he walked back in silence.
5. Meeting Kasumi Shiko, the beginning of the light novel? (Old version)
The life of a manga writer: 5. Meeting Kasumi Shiko by chance, the beginning of a light novel?
Just before six in the evening, the light on the street began to soften, and the LED signs on the street lit up one after another.
Roy walked slowly along the main road carrying a shopping bag, his steps light and his breathing steady. Even though the bag was filled with a bunch of seasonings, kitchen utensils and laundry detergent, his posture was still unhurried, as if he was walking on a catwalk.
Suddenly, he stopped outside a bookstore.
There is a striking poster board at the door:
The new issue of “Love Metronome” will be signed on-site by the author Kasumi Shiko from 5 to 7 pm today!
“…Wait.” Roy narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the poster of the heroine on the billboard, and the script of his past life immediately came to his mind.
This is one of the opening plots of “How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend”.
In the original work, the signing event was deserted due to insufficient publicity, and almost no one attended. In order to save the situation, the protagonist Aki Tomoya went around to recruit people, and even asked Eriri and Shiwa to cooperate with the performance. And this time, Roy just happened to run into the “initial node” of this life stage with detergent and rice.
He glanced down at the shopping bag in his hand and shrugged.
“If I don’t go in and take a look at this time, I might regret it all day long.”
So he straightened his collar and walked into the bookstore.
There were not many people in the bookstore. The autograph area was temporarily separated, with only a few tables and chairs. Sitting at the autograph booth was a literary beauty with long black hair, with neatly laid out new books in front of her and a signing pen at hand, but there was no one around, and only a few strokes on the autograph book.
Shiyu’s eyes fell on the edge of the teacup on the table, and she was obviously absent-minded.
Standing aside and looking anxiously was the boy with a serious look on his face, Tomoya Aki. He paced back and forth, looking towards the door from time to time, as if waiting for someone to show up.
At this moment, the doorbell rang.
Roy walked in.
In an instant, the air seemed to freeze.
The blond boy had a slender figure and a delicate face that was almost gender-ambiguous. He was only wearing a simple white sweater and light grey trousers, but his temperament was so clean that he looked like he had walked out of a painting. He was holding two heavy shopping bags in his hands, but even so, he stood straight with his shoulders back naturally, and he looked like a cover character on an advertisement who had walked into the wrong set.
An Yilun was also stunned, and Shiyu also raised her head slightly, her eyes fell on his face, and she didn’t speak for a while.
The few spectators and several passing girls were already discussing quietly:
“…Who is that?”
“Did some idol boy group release it early?”
“Holy crap, that face really wasn’t photoshopped?”
Roy naturally felt the attention, but he just kept a polite smile on his face, walked to the autograph table, and looked at Shiyu calmly: “Excuse me, is this the autograph session for the author of “Love Metronome”?”
“Ah… yes.” Shiyu’s eyes flickered slightly, and her voice unconsciously softened.
Roy smiled slightly: “I want to buy a signed copy, is that ok?”
“Of course.” The moment she nodded, the surroundings were quiet for a moment, and then – someone in the crowd suddenly trotted towards the counter: “I want a signed copy too!”
“Sign my name for me too!”
“Hurry, hurry, can we still get in line?!”
The crowd began to flow.
Aki Tomoya was bewildered, looking at the signing scene which was as deserted as an empty classroom just now. Suddenly, there were several more girls, who kept looking back to peek at the “handsome boy with blond hair and a shopping bag” while signing.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he looked at Roy’s back, suddenly feeling as if he was being mocked by the “hand of fate”.
The original “Shiyu popularity crisis” has now been directly solved by this guy with natural “flow-draining physique”.
——Of course, he didn’t know that this person was not from their world at all.
Roy just stood aside politely, waiting for Shiyu to finish signing the book. He didn’t intend to change too much, he just wanted to confirm whether this world was really connected to the works of his previous life, and the changes in front of him, such as the flapping of butterfly wings, were enough to give him the answer.
When Shiyu signed the new book in Roy’s hand, her eyes unconsciously lingered on him for a few seconds longer.
“Excuse me…what’s your name?”
“Roy Twilight, lives nearby.” His voice was clear and mellow when he gave the name, and his tone was natural and calm, just like a surname casually mentioned during the nobles’ evening tea ceremony, which was understated, but could not be ignored.
Shiyu was slightly stunned.
Twilight? It sounds like the surname of a European noble—but he doesn’t have that kind of “superior” feeling. He is more like… a boy who calmly adapts to the attention of others and is indifferent to it.
“You are the first person to come to the book signing on your own initiative.” She lowered her head slightly and wrote Roy’s name on the page with a signature pen. “Thank you.”
Roy chuckled. “I should be the one thanking you. I didn’t expect to meet Kasumi Shiko herself in the bookstore. I’m so lucky.”
His voice was gentle and his manners were polite, but he had a calmness and elegance that did not belong to his age, and there was no trace of flattery in his voice.
“You… have read my work?”
“Of course.” Roy nodded. “Although the setting of the Metronome series is daily life, the psychological portrayal of the characters is very delicate, especially the control of emotional rhythm is great. For example, the protagonist’s monologue in the second half of the third volume actually uses ‘indirect description’ to make the inner transition, which is amazing.”
Shiyu paused for a moment with the pen in her hand, raised her eyes and looked at him.
Those eyes were clear and quiet, without a trace of ostentation.
She raised her eyebrows unconsciously: “…Are you serious?”
Roy nodded calmly.
Of course he was serious. In his previous life, he was already very addicted to otaku culture. If the system hadn’t disabled the growth gift package so that he could always maintain this “beautiful and childlike” physique, he would definitely be able to make a living by writing literary reviews.
“There’s another thing I like,” Roy said softly, “You don’t cater to the ‘otaku template’. Your characters are always a little imperfect, but that makes them seem very real.”
These words were like a key that accurately inserted into Kasumigaoka Utaha’s heart.
She raised the corners of her mouth slightly, no longer maintaining her usual calm demeanor as a writer, and even reached out to brush the hair by her ear, a little arrogantly: “You are quite observant. Most people only pay attention to the illustrations and the changes in the heroine’s hairstyle.”
Roy smiled, his eyes shining like the lights outside the window.
Aki Tomoya, who was standing nearby, finally couldn’t help but speak: “My classmate, do you really know so much about the love metronome? I thought——”
“Hmm?” Roy turned to look at him and gave him a harmless smile. “You are…a bookstore staff?”
“…No, I am—”
“Ah, then please keep up the good work.” Roy encouraged sincerely, then turned back and looked at Shiyu as if nothing had happened, “Teacher, can we take a photo together? I will keep this autograph carefully in the future.”
Shiyu smiled and nodded: “Okay.”
At the moment the shutter sounded, Aki Tomoya was standing aside, like air.
A few minutes later, Roy said goodbye and left, his shopping bags still heavy, but his steps were brisk. The neon lights on the street cast a soft glow on the edges of his silver hair, and coupled with his almost otherworldly appearance, he still looked like a source of light in the crowd.
Shiyu sat there, staring at the signed book for a while, and then she softly read out the name:
“…Roy? Twilight.”
At that moment, she actually felt that it was not just an ordinary fan passing by, but some kind of “fragment of fate” was quietly happening.
6. In the name of Twilight, shine from today (old version)
The life of a manga master: 6. The name Twilight will shine from today
[Night·Cafe Window Seat]Kasumigaoka Utaha held a cup of coffee, but her eyes were fixed on the back of the boy who was gradually walking away outside the window.
The boy named “Roy”.
That almost unreal beauty still lingers in her mind – soft golden hair, burgundy eyes, pale and delicate face, and slender and upright figure. There is a sense of radiance in him that cannot be ignored, as if he walked out of a picture book.
But he appeared on the streets of the real world, carrying a bag of daily necessities that could not be more ordinary.
Not an idol, not an entertainer, and certainly not a student.
“…No, it’s just that I’m ‘unwilling’ to be a student.” Shiyu murmured softly, twirling the coffee spoon with her fingertips.
During the book signing just now, she noticed his eyes that seemed to see through everything, and his skillful expression on creative topics – he was not the kind of person who expressed his opinions for the first time. That aura and the keenness in controlling words seemed like he had written many works, and he was even more like a real “author” than Tomoya Aki.
But he has no fame, no background, and no origin.
It was like—suddenly appearing in front of her.
“Roy? Twilight…” she repeated in a low voice, with an imperceptible curve at the corner of her lips.
“Will I see you again?”
[Same time·Sophie’s house·Room on the second floor]Roy closed the door, put the last paper bag in his hand into the kitchen, and let out a long breath.
This world is surprisingly peaceful, with no system upgrades and no battle copies, as if it were a complete “living area server”.
But he does not reject such a rhythm.
After taking a shower, he sat back in his room and opened the system interface that had been bound to the depths of his soul since he crossed over.
Unlike the task-based system, this system has only one permission——
[Previous life 2D entertainment database (full browsing rights)]The screen unfolded, and the familiar cover, character names, settings, sketches, and dialogue texts emerged one by one. His fingertips slowly slid across those icons, as if he was reliving the memories of another world.
Animation, light novels, comics, game scripts…
They are all here, quietly waiting to be “awakened”.
“That is to say…” Roy groaned, looking down at his hands that still looked like a teenager, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, “Although this body is fixed at 140 centimeters, I am an adult, graduated, and have social experience. My soul is still that of an adult.”
He had already experienced student life once and no longer wanted to go back.
Schoolwork, socializing, and the repetition of the day-to-day do not mean much to him now. Rather than adapting to a new set of rules, it is better to quietly start his own creative journey in this home.
This is a world without the two-dimensional works of the previous life – but it does not mean that it does not need those works.
He leaned back in his chair and smiled easily:
“If this is the first time the world is welcoming their story, then I have an obligation to tell it well.”
His eyes fell on the row of work materials, and a novel with a brother and sister protagonists leading a battle of wits in a different world and constructing an ultimate setting appeared before him.
《NoGameNoLife》——Game of Life.
Sora and Shiro will become the world’s first “plagiarism bomb”.
Roy immediately opened the writing module and exported the story outline.
He is familiar with the rhythm of the plot, the logic of the setting, and the way of dialogue, and every sentence seems to be engraved in his memory. With just a little adjustment, he can present it in a language that is more in line with the habits of readers in this world.
The tip of the pen slides across the paper and inspiration flows out like a spring.
On this quiet night, a new author’s name was quietly born in my heart.
——The name “Twilight” will soon be engraved on the dawn of this world’s literary world.
【6pm·Twilight’s home】
Dusk fell quietly, and the whole room was still quiet, with only the electronic clock on the wall ticking. The street lights outside the house had just turned on, and the pale yellow light passed through the gaps in the curtains, casting mottled spots on the floor.
“……Um……”
A faint sound came from the coffin. The coffin lid was slowly pushed open, and a figure sat up, with long silver-white hair and bare feet on the floor.
Sophie rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at the light outside the window somewhat dully.
“…It’s already six o’clock.”
She yawned softly, wrapped in a loose home shawl and dragged out of her room. She was not used to the rhythm of life at home. For a long time, she lived alone and was a free vampire obsessed with the second dimension, coffins and late-night online shopping.
And now, there is a “person who looks like a young master” in the family.
She walked slowly, with her usual laziness. As soon as she entered the living room, she heard the sound of keyboard tapping coming from the study.
“…He’s still here?” Sophie blinked and muttered a little uncomfortably.
Normally at this time, the whole house should be as quiet as a cemetery, with only her awake. But now, there was a warm “breath of life” in the air – this was undoubtedly a strange disharmony for a vampire who was used to the loneliness of the night.
She quietly walked around the study door and stuck her head out. She saw the blond boy sitting quietly in front of the computer, his wine-red pupils glowing slightly, his expression focused, his hands tapping on the keyboard, his whole body immersed in the world of words and thoughts.
Sophie coughed lightly.
“Good evening,” she said in a light tone, her voice hoarse from just waking up.
Roy stopped typing, turned around and smiled at her gently: “Good evening, Miss Sophie. You’re awake.”
“Um…yeah.” She leaned against the door and looked at him lazily, “I’m a little unaccustomed to…there being people moving around at home at this time.”
Roy gave an apologetic smile: “I tried to control the volume.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Sophie shook her head, her shawl slipping slightly, revealing the lines of her collarbone. She walked into the room, walked around to his desk, and glanced at the screen.
Lines of text were clearly arranged, and the title read: “No Game No Life”.
“Are you writing a novel?”
“Yes.” Roy nodded, stopped what he was doing, and handed the computer to Sophie.
Sophie smiled lazily, as if she had finally accepted the reality of “an extra person in my daily life.” She sat down on the sofa, dragged her legs and curled up, continuing to stare at Roy. “You don’t look like a creator at all, but more like a primary school student who was told by his mother to do his winter vacation homework.”
“…After all, I look like a 14-year-old kid.” Roy spread his hands, “Although I’ve actually been an adult for a long time.”
“Huh?” Sophie raised her eyebrows slightly, a little surprised, but then she withdrew her interest in asking, “No. I won’t ask about things you don’t want to talk about.”
“Thank you.” Roy said sincerely.
“But can I read what you wrote?”
“Of course.” He made room.
Sophie leaned over with a pillow in her arms, and blinked as she watched the dialogue on the screen. “Brother and sister geniuses, extreme world-weariness, and game supremacists? You really wrote it with personality.”
“How do you like it?”
“…It’s OK, a bit like a light novel.” She nodded lazily, a hint of interest in her eyes, “So, do you plan to submit it after you finish writing it?”
“For now, I plan to submit the manuscript directly to the publishing house.” Roy paused and said calmly, “I will take it step by step.”
“I plan to use the pen name ‘Twilight’ to officially start my creative life.”
7. Fuzugawa Library: The shock from “No Game No Life” (old version)
The life of anime by Mr. Shota: 7. Fuzugawa Library: Shocking pictures and texts from “No Game No Life”
Sophie leaned on the sofa with a pillow in her arms, scanning the text on the computer screen while playing with her soft silver hair with her fingertips. Suddenly, she seemed to notice something and suddenly asked:
“You just said… what pen name are you going to use to write your novel?”
“Twilight.” Roy put down the cup in his hand and answered softly.
The air suddenly became heavy.
Sophie turned her head slowly, staring at him with her red eyes with a hint of a smile, and a playful arc at the corner of her mouth.
“Twilight? Are you sure you’re not using my last name on purpose?”
“Yeah.” Roy nodded, turning to look at her seriously. “It’s more than just a pseudonym. I think from now on… I’ll use Twilight as my last name.”
Sophie paused and a slight “gulp” sound came from the straw.
“…Huh? You’re going to use my last name?” She raised her eyebrows, as if she had heard a new joke. “Are you serious? Twilight isn’t a last name you can just pick up any cat and use it as your last name, okay?”
“I’m not a cat,” Roy smiled and raised his hand to make a pledge, “I’m an official vampire neighbor. I’m a member of the family now, isn’t that okay?”
Sophie didn’t reply for a moment, she just held the blood bag in her mouth, a faint blush almost imperceptibly appearing on the tips of her ears.
“Hmph… Use it if you want. I’m not some noble anyway.” She still turned her head away proudly, but her tone was a beat slower. “But if I find out that the novel you wrote with this surname is so bad that it makes me blush, I will kick you out of the house. Do you understand?”
“I heard you clearly.” Roy sat up straight like a primary school student and answered with seriousness in his eyes, “I will make the name Twilight the brightest line on the cover of my work.”
Sophie uttered a soft “tsk” but couldn’t help but curl up the corners of her mouth slightly.
Sophie leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. “I’ll wait and see, Mr. Twilight.”
For a moment, the study became quiet again. The sound of keyboards rang out again, echoing rhythmically in the night.
Sophie, on the other hand, curled up slightly on the sofa, with an imperceptible look of relief on her face.
She might not be used to the warmth of “someone being at home”, but… she didn’t seem to hate it either.
Under the cover of night, Roy sat quietly in Sophie’s living room, with a cup of cold black tea beside him. The last period fell on the screen –
The first draft of the first volume of “NoGameNoLife” is completed.
He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. This was his first work after traveling across time, and it was also the starting point for him to bring the name “Twilight” to the literary world of this world.
“——Okay, it’s time to go on stage.”
He did not choose the common online platform in the light novel circle, but directly invested in one of the world’s top library publishers:
Fushikawa Bunko
On the submission page, Roy uploaded the complete text of the first volume and attached a brief but confident letter of recommendation:
“This is a story about ‘wisdom’. In this world, all disputes are decided by games, and the winner will rewrite the rules of the world.”
——Author’s pen name: Twilight
After confirmation, click Submit.
**
Fuzuigawa Bunko Editorial Department, Shibuya, Tokyo.
Senior editor Machida Yuanzi, who was on duty, was holding a cup of coffee and routinely checking the manuscripts submitted by new authors. She was about to quickly scan a few letters, but unexpectedly, an unfamiliar name caught her attention.
“Twilight…?”
When I opened the document, the title “NoGameNoLife” appeared before my eyes.
She had only intended to browse one or two pages, but she was unknowingly sucked into the brother-sister world of the “God Challenger”. Especially when she saw that setting, she almost spilled the coffee in her hand.
【Ten Covenants】
1. All violent acts such as killing, war, and plunder are prohibited.
——Completely deny war and killing, and eliminate the possibility of resolving disputes by force.
2. All disputes must be resolved in the form of games.
——All disputes, including those between countries, races, and individuals, must be decided through “games”.
3. The content of the game is determined by the party that issues the challenge.
——The first person to propose the idea has the right to decide the type and method of the game.
4. Participants must clarify the betting matters before the game.
——The game must clearly state what is at stake as a consideration for the outcome of victory or defeat.
5. Any bet is valid as long as it does not violate the covenant.
——Money, property, rights, and even race are at stake. As long as both parties agree and it does not violate other covenants, it will be recognized.
6. If the bet is something that cannot be exercised in the covenant, it will be considered invalid.
——For example, if the covenant itself is violated or violence is involved, the bet will be invalid.
7. Cheating is prohibited during the game. Once discovered, you will fail.
——You are allowed to use “wisdom” and “strategy”, but if your cheating behavior is discovered by your opponent, you will be declared the loser.
8. If you win because the other party cheats, you can get the corresponding bet of the other party.
——If you discover the opponent’s cheating and win, you can obtain all of his chips according to the law.
9. The above terms must be observed by all races.
——It applies to everyone, regardless of strength, race, god or mortal.
10. The above nine items cannot be changed.
——Established in the name of God, it must never be violated or modified.
Her eyes gradually brightened.
“This setting…” Yuan Zi murmured softly, “It’s simply genius.”
She immediately contacted the editor-in-chief on duty, took the initiative to apply to take over the case, and sent a reply email to the email address at three o’clock in the morning.
Title: [Highest priority] Regarding the publication invitation of “NoGameNoLife”
Mr. Twilight:
I am Sonoko Machida, the editor of Fuzuigawa Bunko. I am honored to see your work today.
The worldview you have constructed is extremely logical, and the setting of the Ten Covenants is a rare example of “rules are drama”. The characters are vividly portrayed, and the language rhythm is mature. It is hard to believe that this was written by a newcomer.
We are willing to provide a formal publishing contract immediately and arrange for a follow-up editing team and illustration resources. If it is convenient for you, could you visit our company in the near future?
In any case, please give priority to Fuzugawa Bunko. We believe that “No Game No Life” will become one of the most dazzling works of this era.
Sincerely,
salute
——Machida Enko
At five o’clock in the morning, Roy looked at the sincere but restrained reply in the mailbox, and a smile slowly rose at the corner of his mouth.
“…It’s only just started, and it’s going so smoothly.”
He glanced at the starlight outside the window which had not yet faded, and he had made up his mind.
——Starting from this book, Twilight’s name will leave his mark in this world.
8. The Beautiful Young Writer, the Lost Girl, Amano Touma (Old Version)
The life of a manga writer: 8. The beautiful young writer, the lost girl, Tomori Amano
The headquarters building of the Fushigawa Bunko Library is located in Minato-ku, Tokyo.
3:30 pm, at the door of the editorial department reception room.
The door opened slightly and a young man walked in.
He was wearing a clean and tidy off-white woolen coat, and his blond hair shone with a light golden luster in the winter sun, as soft as an aristocratic boy who walked out of a painting. His face was too delicate, with small features but not feminine, and his wine-red pupils were like rubies in the abyss, calm but unfathomable.
The receptionist stood up instinctively, her tone filled with unconscious tenderness and surprise: “Excuse me… who are you looking for?”
The boy spoke in a clear and calm voice, “I’m Twilight, and I have an appointment with Ms. Machida Sonoko.”
“…Mr. Twilight?” The receptionist was stunned for two seconds before realizing that he was the new writer.
Her professionalism quickly returned, but her eyes couldn’t help but follow the light yet steady steps.
——He looks like a transfer student from an aristocratic private school in a high-quality Japanese drama.
Machida Sonoko is an experienced editor. She thought she was used to seeing all kinds of young writers, even those with strange clothes, social phobia and expressionless faces, or those with internet celebrity faces. She could handle them with ease.
But when Roy stood in front of her, her mind went blank for two seconds.
“…You are Mr. Twilight?”
Roy nodded, his expression calm: “It’s me, nice to meet you. Are you Editor Machida?”
Yuan Zi blinked and quickly returned to her professional state, but she couldn’t help but sigh in her heart:
——This child looked no more than twelve or thirteen years old, but his behavior and speech made her unconsciously want to call him “Sir”.
Roy handed over the printed manuscript of “NoGameNoLife” along with the setting information, and said in a clear and calm tone:
“This is the currently completed version, which includes the main text of the first volume, a brief description of the world view, a character relationship diagram, and an outline of the future content direction.”
Yuanzi flipped through a few pages and was soon immersed in that “game world where the honor of the race was at stake.”
The setting of the Ten Covenants is logically rigorous and full of tension, and the dialogue between Sora and Shiro is exaggerated yet logical and intellectually explicit. What’s even more terrifying is that this is not a crude and unrestrained “middle school showmanship”, but a planned, controlled, and structured world building.
She raised her head and looked at the boy who was still sitting upright.
“…Are you really an adult?”
Roy nodded, frankly and calmly: “I have graduated from college. It’s just that… my body shape was fixed a little early.”
“…I see.” Yuan Zi sighed in a low voice.
Yuan Zi spread the contract on the table: “I have read the full text. It is very good. It is the most mature newcomer’s work we have received in recent years, bar none.”
“If that’s okay with you, we’d be happy to sign you immediately as our key new player for next season.”
Roy glanced at the contract, confirmed that there were no excessively repressive clauses, and signed the name without hesitation.
Twilight.
“Mr. Twilight,” Yuan Zi hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn’t help but ask, “Does this pen name have any special meaning?”
Roy pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes and smiled: “Twilight, that’s the name of our home.”
Yuanzi chatted quietly with her colleagues on the way back to the office.
“That kid…looks like an angel, but writes like a devil.”
“You met him in person? Didn’t you say he was a teenager?”
“Well, he does look like a teenager, but when you talk to him, you’ll completely forget how old he looks.” She thought, “He’s the type that can’t be judged by ‘age’.”
Another editor lamented: “With this kind of appearance and writing skills, she is simply born to be a topic and sales.”
When Roy left the editorial office, the sun was setting.
He stood at the street corner, holding the bag of newly signed contracts, looking as calm as ever.
He knew that this was just the first step in his official conquest of this world.
It was six o’clock in the evening and dusk was falling.
When Roy opened the door, the entrance was still as quiet as usual. There was no light in the house, only the afterglow coming through the gaps in the curtains, outlining the faint edge of the coffin in the living room.
He changed his shoes, carefully put away the contract handed back by the editorial department, walked into the kitchen and placed the snacks he bought on the way today on the table – even though he knew that the vampire lady in the room would never touch them.
Sure enough, after a while, a light “click” sound came from the second floor. After the sound of the wooden door opening and closing, there was a familiar and lazy voice:
“…You’re back early today, Master Twilight.”
Sophie was yawning, wearing a slightly loose silk cloak, her feet bare on the floor, her long burgundy hair slightly messy, but the light in her pupils had completely awakened from her “sleep”.
Roy turned and smiled at her, with a kind of silent joy on his face: “It’s signed. The editor gave it the highest evaluation. The contract with Fuzugawa Library has been obtained.”
“Oh?” Sophie walked to the sofa and sat down. She lowered her head and sniffed the packaging bag on the table. She pouted, “You know I don’t eat these things… But congratulations, Mr. Twilight Writer.”
“Thank you.” Roy took out the regularly delivered blood bag from the refrigerator and handed it to her skillfully with a straw.
Sophie sucked on the cold blood bag and looked at him with half-closed eyes: “You look like a talented writer who would be interviewed on TV. By the way, do you plan to keep writing novels like this? Even going out…”
“Writing gives me more freedom. Besides, Twilight’s house is lively enough with you around.” Roy said lightly.
“…Tsk, you really know how to talk.”
Sophie raised the corners of her mouth, as if she was a little embarrassed by the compliment, and then she grabbed a coat, put it on, and went out for a walk.
The night was as dark as ink, and the forest was so quiet that only the sounds of wind and insects could be heard.
Sophie folded her arms and walked along the moonlit forest path. Her silver hair was gently lifted by the evening breeze, and her cloak fluttered lightly at her feet. For her, night was the awake and real time, and day was just a static chapter of sleep.
“Huh… I still have to come out and breathe once in a while.”
She was not used to having someone at home, let alone a little one moving around. But the young master named Roy knew the limits, knowing that the daytime belonged to him and the night belonged to her, and he never disturbed her. This unexpectedly made her a little uncomfortable with this “quiet but a little bit hot” life.
Just then, there was a rustling sound behind the bushes.
“Eh? Where is this place… I just saw the direction of the light…”
It was a girl’s voice.
Sophie stopped and frowned slightly, then slowly walked out from the shadows: “What are you doing?”
Not far ahead, a girl with short light brown hair and a backpack was standing under a tree, looking around in confusion. When she heard the voice, she turned back sharply, her expression tensed, and then her eyes widened.
“Ah… I’m sorry, I, I didn’t mean to barge in! I just… got lost…”
9. Doll House, now with Mansion recipes (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 9. The Doll House, now with recipes and pictures of the mansion
‘I’m just lost’
Sophie looked at her for a few seconds, her silver hair fluttering gently in the moonlight: “…You are not a local?”
“My name is Amano Touma. This is my first time here. I was originally looking for the ‘Doll House’, but I turned in the wrong direction, and then…”
“Doll’s house?” Sophie glanced at the photo on her phone. “So you’re looking for my house.”
“Huh?”
“That place is indeed inhabited by doll-like people now.” She looked up at the full moon.
Deng’s eyes widened: “You are… the owner of the Doll House?”
“To be precise, it’s one of my current masters.” Sophie said calmly, and then she sighed softly, “Humans are really easy to get lost.”
She slowly moved forward and stood next to the lamp, looking down at the obviously nervous girl, “Hey, are you afraid of heights?”
“Eh? Wha…what?”
“Close your eyes and hold me tight.”
“ah–?”
The next moment, before Deng could react, his body was embraced by a gentle but irresistible force, and he was gently lifted into the air, breaking through the wind.
“Fly, fly up?!”
“I’m a vampire.” Sophie whispered in the night breeze, her tone lazy and natural. “For me, flying is just an ordinary thing in life.”
“Vampire…?” Deng was stunned. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.” Sophie nodded, holding her and flying higher and higher, passing through the woods, and the lights in the distance gradually emerged.
“Thank you, thank you…” The voice of the lamp trembled in the wind.
“Don’t thank me too soon.” Sophie narrowed her eyes. “I’m not a good person. I just happen to be too lazy to avoid you.”
Deng didn’t say anything, but just carefully hugged Sophie’s cloak with a complicated look in his eyes.
——Under the moonlight, the two of them traveled through the night sky like a dream, and everything seemed like a fairy tale.
Sophie landed lightly on the path in front of the house, holding Amano Deng in her arms as she landed. She staggered as soon as her feet touched the ground.
“…We’re here.” Sophie released her hand and pointed at the European-style mansion in front of her that looked a little quiet under the moonlight.
“This is… ‘The Doll’s House’?”
The lamp stared at the house. The spires, arched windows and charming vine decorations that seemed to have an exotic atmosphere really looked like the place where a doll lived.
“Someone else gave it the name,” Sophie added lazily, “I wouldn’t choose such a childish name.”
She pushed open the door, and soft light leaked out from the house. The air was mixed with a faint smell of paper and ink and a little bit of… the lingering fragrance of failed cooking.
Deng followed carefully into the house, and when he looked up while taking off his shoes, he saw a picturesque young man sitting at the coffee table in front of the sofa, looking down at the laptop screen, typing on the keyboard with his hands.
His short curly blond hair shone softly under the light, and his burgundy eyes sparkled like gemstones under the reflection of the fluorescent screen. He was wearing a loose white shirt with his sleeves rolled up, and beside him were several sheets of manuscript paper filled with setting drafts.
“I’m back.” Sophie said calmly.
Roy raised his head and glanced at Sophie. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed that there was a strange girl standing next to her.
“…New friend?” He blinked, tilted his head in confusion, and said slowly, “Good evening, who is this?”
Deng was stunned by Roy’s appearance for a moment, and answered subconsciously: “Ah, hello… I’m Deng Amano. I met Sophie-chan when I was lost today, and she brought me back…”
“I see.” Roy stood up and said in a gentle and polite voice, “My name is Roy Twilight, and I’m a temporary resident of this house. Welcome.”
“Twilight…is your last name Twilight too?”
“Yeah.” Roy smiled and said, “I chose this last name myself.”
“I’m too lazy to correct him,” Sophie added as she put on her slippers and leaned against the door.
Deng looked at the combination of this man and vampire, and his eyes flashed subtly.
“Then, can I really stay for one night?” she asked softly, with a hint of uneasiness in her eyes.
“It’s not the first time I’ve brought something back.” Sophie lazily walked into the living room and waved her hand, “Pick a bed for yourself.”
“Thank you so much…” Deng looked at her gratefully, then stole a glance at Roy.
The boy seemed to notice her gaze and smiled softly: “If you are hungry, the kitchen is on the right, but… I’m afraid the quality of dinner cannot be guaranteed.”
“Did you do something stupid again?” Sophie turned her head.
Roy said innocently, “The pot just started to smoke this time.”
Deng laughed softly.
“…I’ll cook it properly tomorrow.” Roy said seriously, “Cooking with the magic of ‘Item Creation’ should theoretically have miraculous effects.”
“Don’t use the kitchen as an alchemy room.” Sophie held her forehead with a headache.
As Amano watched them interact like a family, she couldn’t help but be fascinated. This place called “Doll House” seemed to be really unusual.
As soon as she entered the entrance hall, she smelled an indescribable smell, like a disaster scene of charcoal-grilled caramel mixed with soy sauce. She wrinkled her nose subconsciously, gently put on her indoor slippers, and walked towards the source of the smell step by step.
“…Is this the kitchen?” She was stunned standing at the door.
The space in front of me didn’t look like a normal family kitchen at all. Pots and pans were scattered everywhere, sauce had solidified into brown crystals along the edge of the cabinet, and faint black smoke was still coming out of the pot. It was obvious that it had just experienced some kind of tragic “cooking accident”.
Roy squatted in the corner, holding a spatula in his hand, looking at the suspicious carbonized object with a complicated expression: “…It was originally curry rice.”
Deng was stunned for a second, then he burst out laughing: “This is the first time I see someone who can turn the kitchen into purgatory.”
Roy looked up and scratched his blond hair sheepishly, “This is my third attempt. The result was a little more… out of control than the first two times.”
Deng shook his head helplessly, walked in, and said as he rolled up his sleeves, “Leave the kitchen to me. As a return gift for my first visit to someone else’s house, let me show off my skills.”
Roy’s eyes lit up, as if he saw a savior: “You can cook?”
“I’m good at it.” Deng said confidently, “You can’t tell, but I’ve been taking care of my family for years.”
In less than half an hour, she quickly cleaned up the kitchen that looked like a disaster movie. The hot curry rice came out of the pot quickly, with a fragrant smell and attractive color. She placed a portion of curry rice on the table and waved to Roy.
“It’s time to start.”
Roy picked up the spoon and took a sip. His eyes widened instantly: “Wow…! This is real curry rice…! It has the sweetness of carrots, the density of potatoes, and the aroma of meat…!”
He buried his head in the food, almost moved to tears. He didn’t look like a beautiful young man with a heroic spirit. Instead, he looked like a victim who had suffered from the ravages of the kitchen for many years.
10. Book signing event? No, it’s the light avoidance plan (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 10. Book signing event? No, it’s the light avoidance plan
In the quiet living room, Sophie lazily leaned on the sofa, leisurely watching her favorite animation. Roy and Deng were also eating dinner at the table, occasionally looking at each other, tacitly keeping quiet. Time seemed to flow particularly slowly in Sophie’s world, and almost everything became easy and simple in her eyes.
Soon after, Sophie threw the remote control in her hand away, stretched, and stood up slowly. She walked to the table and caught a glimpse of a flyer on the table. After taking a few glances, her eyes lit up slightly.
“Hmm?” Sophie muttered, picking up the list and quickly scanning the words on it. “Oh, this is him – the author of “Lost Star”. Tsukishima Rin’s book signing event will be held at Tokyo Central Bookstore… Tomorrow?”
There was a glimmer of excitement in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly: “It’s quite interesting. I also like Tsukishima Rin’s works, especially his “Misty City”. However, the book signing event will be held during the day, and it’s a bit inconvenient for me.”
Deng walked past the kitchen and happened to see the flyer in Sophie’s hand. She walked over quietly and said with a curious look: “Do you like Tsukishima Rin’s works? I haven’t read it yet, but I heard that his novels are very profound.”
“Yes, indeed.” Sophie nodded, a glimmer of confidence in her eyes. “His worldview is very layered, and his characters are very profound. However, the book signing event is during the day, and I dare not go.” She said with a bit of helplessness, “The sun is not friendly to me.”
The lamp blinked and came closer curiously, seeming to be quite interested in what Sophie said: “Oh? You don’t like the sun? But you don’t seem to be someone who is afraid of the sun.”
Sophie shrugged lazily and responded lightly: “Yes, I don’t like the sun. My body is a little… uncomfortable with the daytime.” She smiled lightly and turned her eyes to the window with a little coldness. “So, I try to avoid activities during the day.”
Deng was a little confused, but he didn’t ask any more questions, just nodded slightly. “I see, so you plan to miss this book signing?”
Sophie hesitated for a moment, then suddenly thought of a compromise: “Maybe we should go in the afternoon. The sun won’t be that strong then, and I should be able to avoid the sun with my parasol.”
Her tone became more relaxed, and she seemed to have made a decision.
Deng smiled slightly, revealing a somewhat innocent expression: “Then can I go with you? I would really like to see what kind of book signing event it is.”
“You?” Sophie raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at the lamp. “Are you interested in this kind of thing?”
Deng scratched his head and smiled shyly: “Well, although I don’t usually watch these things, but since you like it so much, it would be nice to go and watch it together.”
“That’s settled then.” Sophie lazily lay back on the sofa, not seeming to think it was a big deal. “We’ll go this afternoon.”
Deng smiled slightly and looked at Roy next to him: “Roy, do you want to go with us?”
Roy was eating. When he heard Deng’s words, he looked up, thought for a moment, and then said, “Actually, I can go too.”
“Hmm?” Sophie was stunned for a moment, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked at Roy: “You? Do you want to go too?”
Roy nodded slightly. “Well, I think this is a good opportunity. After all, I will also hold a book signing event in the future, and it should be helpful to experience this kind of occasion.” He said calmly, with a hint of deep thought in his eyes, “Understanding the atmosphere of this kind of event will also help me prepare for the future.”
A hint of curiosity flashed in Deng’s eyes: “Oh? Are you going to hold a book signing event too? What do you do? Are you like those writers?”
Roy smiled slightly and responded calmly: “You can understand it as being similar to a writer. It’s just that it’s still in the initial stages.” He did not reveal the specific content of what he was creating, but just said this lightly.
Deng seemed a little curious about Roy’s attitude, but she didn’t ask any more questions. She just smiled and nodded: “Then let’s go together tomorrow! I want to see how you prepare.”
Sophie also expressed her support for Roy’s decision. Although she was not interested in outside activities, she was curious about Roy’s creative process: “Well, that’s good. Since you have decided to go, you can learn about this industry by the way.”
She stretched casually, stood up, and looked at the night sky outside the window: “We can go earlier. After all, for things like book signings, you always have to line up early.”
Roy nodded and smiled: “Yes, going early can help you understand the flow of people and event arrangements in advance, and also prepare for future book signings.”
Deng also nodded excitedly: “We must set off early tomorrow! I can’t wait!”
As the lights lit up, the atmosphere among the three people became relaxed and happy. Although their interests in the book signing event varied, their common anticipation made this night particularly warm.
11. My first experience at a book signing for Vampire, The Secret of the Doll House (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 11. My first experience with a book signing for Vampire, Secrets of the Doll House, illustrated text
In the afternoon at Tokyo Central Bookstore, the sun shines on the street and a long queue forms in front of the bookstore.
A banner was hung on the sign: “Popular light novel author Tsukishima Rin’s book signing event.”
“Human passion is really… unreasonable.”
Sophie lowered her head and huddled under the black umbrella, her voice a little muffled.
She was wearing long sleeves and long pants, with a black hat brim pulled down, and a circle of blackout cloth attached to the edge of her umbrella, making her look like a secret vampire agent.
“You insisted on coming here.” Roy said, adjusting her hat. “But won’t you get heatstroke?”
“I’ve already drunk two bags of blood…it’s not a big deal.”
Standing on the other side of them, Amano Touma looked particularly energetic, carrying a cute canvas bag, looking around the team, and whispered to herself: “It would be great if I could get an autograph today… I heard that Tsukishima-sensei is actually very shy.”
Roy was carrying a shopping bag, and his eyes were casually scanning the team in front of him. At this moment, a slender figure passed by the edge of their vision and suddenly stopped.
“…Who are you?”
The familiar voice made Roy startled slightly.
Turning around, it was the black-haired girl whom I had briefly met at the book signing event that day – Kasumigaoka Utaha. She was wearing a navy blue short windbreaker with a half turtleneck sweater, looking elegant and dignified, with her usual confident look.
“Eh? Senior Shiyu?” Deng blurted out in surprise.
“…Do you know each other?” Roy raised his eyebrows.
“Ah, we are from the same school. I am a junior in the literature department.” Deng explained with a smile, “Senior Shiyu is very famous and is also very good at writing novels.”
“Are you the junior who is good at cooking?” Shiyu turned her eyes slightly towards the lamp and said calmly, “I heard that you moved into an old house in the suburbs?”
“Sophie-chan took me in.” Deng pointed at someone hiding behind an umbrella, “We are living together temporarily now.”
Shiyu then noticed the almost fully armed black-clad girl standing next to Roy. She was slightly startled, but her tone remained unchanged: “…Who is this?”
“Sophie Twilight.” Sophie whispered her name and gave her a slightly wary look.
“Twilight…?” Shiyu’s eyes moved and she looked at Roy again.
“Roy Twilight.” The boy smiled and nodded, his voice as clear as a bell.
Shi Yu looked at his delicate face that seemed to have walked out of a picture album. She was distracted for a moment, but soon regained her composure and spoke in a softer tone: “So you are a family?”
“That’s about right.” Roy said vaguely.
Deng smiled happily and said, “It’s great that we all know each other! Do you want to queue together? We’re at the front!”
Shiyu nodded, and glanced at Roy again, saying with a hint of amusement: “I didn’t expect… to meet you guys at this book signing event.”
The team continued to move forward. The sun shone obliquely on the glass windows outside the bookstore, and a few strands of golden light flickered, as if this spring afternoon was quietly narrowing the distance between the few people.
The interior of the bookstore is decorated in a warm and simple style. The various versions of “Lost Star” are displayed on the display stand against the wall – from first print limited editions to character illustrations. The color scheme is gentle and dreamy, exactly the same as the author’s own style.
The team slowly moved forward, the atmosphere was surprisingly quiet, and most fans were in a state of nervous anticipation.
When it was Roy’s turn, Tsukishima Rin looked up and was obviously stunned for a moment——
The young man in front of me with blond hair, red eyes, and a cool but polite temperament seemed like a character from a fantasy light novel.
“…Who are you?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Twilight, Roy? Twilight.” He politely held out the book. “I’m also a writer, so I came here today to learn how a book signing works.”
Tsukishima Rin’s eyes flashed with surprise, but she quickly regained her composure. She signed her name and asked softly, “Twilight… I remember there was a new person mentioned in the library recently, and it seems to be this pen name.”
“Maybe.” Roy smiled and didn’t deny it.
After the book signing session, the four of them walked out of the bookstore together.
“I really don’t like places that are too bright…” Sophie frowned while holding the umbrella, muttering like a dissatisfied cat.
“Thank you for your hard work.” Roy raised his hand to adjust the sunshade for her as he walked. “But you see, it’s not bad to experience human enthusiasm, right?”
“…That’s easy for you to say.”
Night fell quietly, and the moonlight sprinkled on the eaves of Sophie’s house like water.
After returning home, Deng rushed into the kitchen immediately, putting on an apron and humming a little tune. Roy was assigned by her to help pick vegetables, and he still kept the task warning of “don’t blow up the kitchen”; and Sophie, as usual, went back to the corner of the sofa, turned on the TV and started to catch up with her latest animation series.
“…Your home is even warmer than I imagined.” Shiyu looked around the house, holding the novel she had just signed in her hand.
“Welcome to the Doll House.” Sophie didn’t look at her, but her tone was surprisingly gentle. “Although it’s not really a place to entertain visitors… But you’re pretty, so I won’t chase you away.”
“…Is that a compliment?” Shiyu chuckled. “But I’m quite interested in this kind of Japanese Gothic-style architecture. Do you mind if I sit here for a while?”
“Whatever.” Sophie pulled her shawl lazily. “I’m too lazy to fly back now.”
Roy raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this: “Aren’t you at home?”
“…Ah, the bedroom.” Sophie pointed to the coffin upstairs.
Shiyu was slightly stunned. Fly?
She sat across from the sofa, her eyes swept calmly over Roy’s figure who was working hard to wash vegetables, and asked casually, “Is he really not an elementary school student?”
“I’m an adult.” Sophie glanced up at her. “I just can’t grow up.”
“Sure enough, he is that kind of… beautiful doll type.” Shiyu propped up her chin with her fingertips, thinking, “No wonder Deng is so interested in him.”
“Yeah.” Sophie nodded, as if responding to a matter-of-fact fact. “She is a culinary angel, but in essence she is… a pet dog that can move.”
“She will be unhappy if you say that.”
“It’s okay. She can’t hear me.” Sophie lowered her voice deliberately. “Look, she’s concentrating on studying the proportions of the sauce now.”
Sure enough, Deng was carefully comparing the concentration labels on the three soy sauce bottles, muttering to himself, “I need to make it softer.”
Shiyu laughed and turned to look at Roy: “Your family… is quite interesting.”
12. Twilight’s unusual life (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 12. Twilight’s unusual daily life
After the meal, the three of them sat in the living room, with the afterglow of dessert still left on the table.
Shiyu held a cup of hot tea, leaned on the soft sofa, and looked around the house. Deng also sat back after cleaning up the dishes, hugging the pillow with a satisfied look on his face.
“So, this is really where you two live?” Shiyu looked at Roy and Sophie with a hesitant tone.
“Strictly speaking, I picked him up.” Sophie sat on the lounge chair in front of the balcony door, wrapped in a dark red blanket, with a lazy look in her eyes.
“She was nearby when I woke up in the forest,” Roy explained, “and was taken in. It went surprisingly smoothly.”
Shiyu nodded thoughtfully, her eyes lingering on the exquisite and almost unreal decoration in the house.
“Speaking of which, the style of this house, uh…” She looked at Sophie, “a bit… coffin-like?”
“Because my bedroom is a coffin.” Sophie said calmly, “I’m a vampire.”
“…”
The tea in Shiyu’s hand shook slightly.
“……ha?”
Deng added as if nothing had happened: “He’s really a vampire who can’t see sunlight, only drinks blood, and moves at night.”
Shiyu blinked and looked at the face that was always lazy and a little arrogant.
“You mean, the kind of vampire who won’t eat, won’t look in the mirror, and is afraid of the cross?”
“Actually, she’s just afraid of the light. She won’t touch anything when eating. She hates garlic. She can’t see herself in the mirror. She also hates the cross.” Roy explained as a substitute.
“It’s mainly because it’s troublesome to bask in the sun.” Sophie shrugged and picked up the remote control to change the channel. “Besides, people nowadays don’t really believe in these things.”
Shiyu was silent for a few seconds, looking between the three people, trying to determine whether they were joking.
But Deng was nodding as if it was a matter of course; Roy was flipping through a book carefully preparing his nighttime creative plan; and Sophie… was sucking on a blood bag while commenting on the character design and color matching of the new anime.
“…You seem to think this is normal?”
“Well, after all, she won’t bite anyone, nor will she suddenly turn into a bat.” Roy said naturally, “It’s just that her schedule is a little different from others.”
“Vampires are not monsters.” Deng said with a smile while hugging the pillow, “Sophie-chan is very cute.”
Shiyu fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
——This is too common.
But looking at Sophie’s natural attitude of “I am just like this”, Shiyu felt that –
“You are truly an unusual group of humans.”
“Thanks for the compliment.” Roy smiled back and raised his glass of blood orange juice to clink.
Shiyu finally laughed and raised her glass: “Well, I wish this… Non-Human Friendly Home will continue to be peaceful and tranquil in the future.”
“Cheers~” Deng echoed.
Sophie ignored him and lazily switched the channel to watch the next late-night show.
The night breeze was blowing outside the window, and the lights in the house were warm. Shiyu leaned against the sofa and suddenly felt that although all this was a little unbelievable, it was also… not bad.
The cool night breeze blew, and the dim street lights stretched into the distance.
After seeing Shiyu off, Roy stood on the porch, waved, and smiled: “Thank you for your hard work today, Miss Shiyu.”
“…Really? We’ve been chatting for so long without realizing it.”
Shiyu held her bag, looked back at the dreamlike western-style building, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly.
She had come to the house with the mentality of accepting a casual invitation, but unexpectedly, it was like she had accidentally entered a fairy tale – no, the otaku setting of the two-dimensional world.
“By the way.” Roy patted his folder lightly, “My novel should be on the shelves this week for pre-launch.”
“Oh?” Shiyu paused, “What’s the name of the book you mentioned?”
“No Game No Life,” Roy answered quietly, but with a certain quiet confidence. “It’s the first work I wrote under the name Twilight.”
Shiyu repeated the name softly, as if to engrave it in her mind.
“You really are… not as old as you look.”
Roy just smiled and didn’t explain.
“Then I have to buy it and take a look, since I have eaten so much food at your house.”
“You ate the food made by the lamp.”
“——Then I’ll just consider it as a way of repaying you for the dinner at your house.”
After saying that, she waved her hand, turned around and walked away along the path in the night.
It was late at night, and Shiyu was walking back to the school dormitory at a leisurely pace.
The lights in the house behind me were still on, and it seemed surprisingly warm in this nearly dark neighborhood.
——Vampire, shota writer, cooking girl.
What kind of light novel group is this?
She laughed softly.
If she hadn’t experienced it herself, she might have written a comment on the writer’s manuscript saying “the setting is too abrupt.”
But the reality is so bizarre and real.
13. Nanami Aoyama, the migrant worker moves in (old version)
The life of a manga master: 13. Nanami Aoyama, a migrant worker moves in
A few days later, in the early morning, the sun shone softly on the street. Roy put on a clean white shirt and a light gray windbreaker, looking like a model ready to go out for a magazine photo shoot.
He stood in front of the mirror and straightened his collar. His golden hair shone faintly in the morning light, and his burgundy pupils reflected a hint of anticipation.
“I have to go out for a while,” he said to Sophie, who had just gotten up and was still lying on the sofa, “Today is the day when No Game No Life is released.”
“Well… buy some blood.” Sophie buried her head in the pillow and waved her hand weakly.
“I’ll check out the bookstore on my way,” he said with a smile, then picked up his bag and walked out the door.
—
The streets were not crowded, but the large chain bookstore on the shopping street was particularly lively.
Roy walked to the door and saw a banner on it:
[Buzugawa Library strongly recommends? This season’s key recommendations]No Game No Life by Twilight
“This novel takes games and ingenuity to a new dimension – this isn’t a game, this is a battle.”
He stood in front of the store in silence for a moment, with the corner of his mouth slightly raised.
After entering the bookstore, he saw an even more surprising scene—
In the most conspicuous position of the new book recommendation area, a whole row of physical copies of “No Game No Life” are exquisitely arranged. The cover design is colorful, and the illustrations of the protagonist brother and sister are particularly eye-catching under the light.
There were a few students next to the bookshelf, discussing quietly:
“Look at this introduction. It’s a light novel about a battle of wits. It seems pretty exciting.”
“Twilight? A new author? The style of the paintings is amazing…”
Roy walked over quietly, pretending to flip through the book next to him, and listened quietly to their comments.
On the other side, the bookstore clerk was also talking to the manager: “This book has been restocked three times this morning, and the online pre-sale is also increasing. This wave of promotion by Fuzukawa is accurate.”
Roy did not disturb anyone. He just stood quietly by, watching his work being turned, taken away, and discussed page by page – a sense of accomplishment that he had never felt in his previous life quietly emerged.
He did not show any excitement, but just turned and walked out of the bookstore, breathing softly in the sunshine.
“Not a bad start.”
It was dusk in the suburbs of Tokyo, and the sky had just faded from the golden afterglow of the warm sun to a cool blue-purple. Roy, who was in a good mood, had just finished strolling and was about to walk home.
When he reached the entrance of a secluded alley, he suddenly stopped.
In the corner in front of me, a girl wearing a brown apron and slightly curly hair was curled up against the wall, seemingly having fainted. Her uniform was printed with the logo of a chain family restaurant, there were beads of sweat on her forehead, her face was pale, and she was trembling slightly, looking like she had severe hypoglycemia.
“……?”
Roy looked at the person in silence, his eyes moving slightly. He squatted down and gently pushed the girl’s shoulder: “Hey…are you okay?”
The girl didn’t respond, but she frowned and moaned a few times as if she was in a nightmare.
Roy looked up at the sky. It was almost six in the evening and the number of people on the street was thinning. He thought for a moment, then took off his windbreaker and gently wrapped it around the girl, then skillfully carried her on his back.
“…Really? How could this happen in the everyday world?”
When Roy brought the girl home, Sophie was already sleeping in her coffin room.
The lights in the living room were soft and quiet. Roy gently put the girl on the sofa, covered her with a blanket, and then went to the kitchen to pour her a glass of warm water. Although he knew that Sophie hated the smell of food in the kitchen, he couldn’t care less now.
After about ten minutes, the girl on the sofa woke up slowly.
The moment she opened her eyes, she met Roy’s eyes that were as clear as red wine. His golden bangs seemed to have a holy halo under the soft light.
“…Huh?”
Nanami sat up subconsciously, covered her chest, and looked at the unrealistically beautiful boy in front of her with astonishment.
“You…you are…”
“You’re awake,” Roy handed over the warm water, “Drink some water first. You fainted in the alley, and I brought you back.”
Nanami took the cup in shock, lowered her head and took a sip, and then she calmed down a little. But the next moment, her stomach growled at an inopportune moment.
Nanami blushed: “Ah… I’m sorry, I… I haven’t eaten much all day. I was too busy with work…”
Roy nodded: “I don’t have any ready-made meals at home, but…”
He glanced at the kitchen, then at the Sophie note hanging in the living room that said “No use of kitchen utensils allowed”, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
“I can try to make something for you to eat, though I may fail.”
“…Eh?” Nanami blinked, “You want to…cook for me?”
Her heartbeat paused slightly.
“Ah, no, no, how can I let you…”
Roy spread his hands: “If you don’t eat something, don’t even think about walking home by yourself.”
A hint of hesitation appeared on the girl’s face, but she finally nodded.
“Thank you… Um, what’s your name?”
“Roy,” he smiled. “Roy? Twilight.”
“Twilight…” Nanami repeated softly. “My name is Nanami Aoyama… Thank you so much.”
“It’s okay.” Roy’s voice was gentle, “Anyway, I just want to practice my cooking skills and replenish your calories.”
He turned and walked towards the kitchen. For some reason, this moment gave him an indescribable sense of familiarity. It was as if the road leading to “Sakurasou” was quietly opening.
But before long, a slight “clang” sound was heard from the kitchen, followed by a pungent but inharmonious smell – like burnt milk mixed with black pepper and strange fermented substances, mixed with a suspicious sizzling sound from the bottom of the pot sticking.
Nanami was sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding a cup of water obediently, listening to the symphony of pots and pans over there, and the expression on her face gradually became complicated.
She originally thought that Roy, with his celestial looks, might be a life expert who could take care of himself at home, but it turned out that was not the case.
There was a soft cough from the kitchen door.
“Ahem… uh… Miss Nanami,” Roy carefully poked his head out. His hair was a little disheveled and his face was stained with some white powder that looked like flour or sugar. “I tried to make an omelette rice… but maybe it just looks like it on the outside.”
“…It just looks like that?” Nanami repeated doubtfully.
The next second she walked into the kitchen, she was stunned.
There was indeed an “omelette rice” on the table… if the egg skin of an indistinguishable color could be counted as such. The rice seemed a little burnt, and there were even some lumps on the edges. The sauce was a subtle purple-brown color, and it didn’t look like food at all.
“I referred to the ‘Basic Western Cooking Tutorial’ in the system…” Roy’s voice was filled with annoyance, “I followed the steps, but… I failed.”
Nanami was stunned at first, then she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Mr. Roy, is this… your first time cooking?”
14. Now You Are Our Maid (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 14. Now you are our maid
“I’m back–“
Along with brisk footsteps and a familiar voice, the light came softly calling from the entrance. Roy was carefully bringing out a bowl of scrambled eggs from the kitchen, which had a 100% failure rate, and he glanced at the door after hearing the noise.
“Ms. Deng, welcome back.”
“Huh? Eh?” Deng put down his shoes and just walked into the living room, he saw Nanami sitting on the sofa.
Nanami held her belly with one hand and held the hot water handed over by Roy with the other hand. She looked a little weak. When she heard the voice, she looked up and was also stunned.
“…Are you Tomori Amano?!”
“Hey hey hey——You are Aoyama Nanami?!” Deng’s eyes widened, and his pupils were shining. “You are actually here?!”
Nanami was confused when Twilight rushed forward and shook her hand enthusiastically. She said hesitantly, “I… fainted on the road, and was brought back by this… Twilight-kun.”
“Twilight…ah, you mean Roy?” Twilight exclaimed, turning back to look at Roy, “How did you pick up the part-time emperor?”
“She looked very bad at the time.” Roy brought the scrambled eggs to the table and looked at the strange things on the plate with a little helplessness. “Although I tried to make something to eat, I failed.”
Deng leaned over to take a look, silently picked up the plate – and then walked towards the kitchen without any courtesy.
“As expected, I still have to come to the rescue.”
“You can cook?” Nanami’s eyes lit up.
“Of course! I’m also in charge of cooking at home, and I’m your classmate in the same grade, although we’re in different classes.” Deng smiled and put on an apron, looking very familiar with the place. “Nanami, please take a seat. I’ll take care of this ‘resurrection dinner’ tonight!”
“…Thank you.” Nanami smiled for the first time in a long time, and her voice softened a little.
Roy stood aside, watching the scene quietly. Deng was like a household angel who suddenly became very reliable, and Nanami gradually recovered her complexion in the relaxed atmosphere.
“…If this house does become lively, it might be a bit of a challenge for Sophie,” Roy muttered, but a slight smile appeared on his lips.
The warm dinner time quietly unfolded while the vampire was still sleeping in the coffin.
The table was filled with a fragrant aroma.
Deng was indeed a skilled housewife. In less than half an hour, the table was filled with delicious home-cooked dishes – tomato stewed chicken, tamagoyaki, miso soup, and a large bowl of rice. Roy stared at the plate, as if this was what “rice” should look like.
“This is human food…” He sighed softly, picking up a piece of tomato chicken nuggets without hesitation. It melted in his mouth and the aroma exploded in his mouth.
“It’s so delicious…” Nanami had already eaten three bowls of rice in a row, with an expression of happiness that was almost touching, “Amano-san, you are simply a god.”
“Hehe~ I practiced that.” Deng wiped his hands, sat down and picked up his bowl, “But what happened to you, Nanami? You look a lot thinner.”
Roy ate while looking at Nanami, with some concern: “You fainted on the street today, was it because you were too tired?”
“Hmm…” Nanami took a bite of tamagoyaki and put down her chopsticks a little embarrassedly, “Actually… I worked four jobs on weekends. I worked the early morning shift at a convenience store during the day, then the afternoon shift at a cafe, and at night I worked as a waiter at an izakaya. Occasionally, I also helped the comic assistant draw drafts.”
“…Four servings?” Deng almost spit out the miso soup. “Are you Superman?”
“No, it’s just that the rent and tuition are too expensive…” Nanami lowered her eyes, “and my family can’t support me, so I have to rely on myself.”
Roy was silent for a moment and put down his chopsticks: “…Actually, our family is indeed short of manpower right now, especially in terms of cooking.”
“Huh?” Nanami and Deng looked at him at the same time.
Roy pointed to the kitchen and then the room with a serious expression: “The kitchen needs to be cleaned. The room is big, and Sophie’s schedule and diet are also very special. It just so happens that you are also good at cooking, and it is quite quiet here, so it won’t affect your study or painting.”
Nanami opened her eyes wide, as if she understood something.
“You mean…I can come to your house and work?”
Roy nodded: “Part-time maid. Two meals, accommodation, and salary are provided… You can work three fewer jobs and just stay as a comic assistant. It should be much easier.”
Deng smiled and added: “Although it’s not a formal ‘Doll House’, don’t you think this mansion itself is like a maid’s house in a fairy tale?”
“Maid? Live here?” Nanami’s eyes widened, her cheeks slightly flushed, and she glanced at Roy’s delicate doll-like profile, and said in a low voice: “…Then, do I have to wear a maid outfit too?”
“That’s a question of the aesthetics of the lamp.” Roy smiled and didn’t deny it. “But if you like, we can make it custom.”
Nanami opened her mouth and finally nodded slightly, with real relief appearing in her eyes for the first time.
“If I can, I’d like to give it a try.”
The laughter and conversation of the three people slowly spread in the night. The warm light illuminated a corner of this vampire mansion, as if it had found a place for every tired and lonely soul to settle down.
After dinner, Deng was busy washing dishes in the kitchen, while Roy and Nanami sat at the low table in the living room, on which the aroma of after-dinner fruits and snacks still lingered.
“You said before that you worked so much to pay for rent and tuition,” Roy looked at Nanami, his tone gentle but slightly probing, “but I don’t think you’re the kind of person who works just to survive. You… seem to have your own goals.”
Nanami lowered her head, holding the teacup, and was silent for a moment.
“…You figured it out.” She looked up with a wry smile, “I still need to pay for the voice actor school.”
“Voice actor?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, her eyes becoming serious. “I’ve always dreamed of being a voice actor since junior high school. It’s not because I simply like anime, but… I really want to impress others through my voice and express the emotions of the characters.”
She clenched the teacup gently and lowered her voice.
“My family didn’t really support it. They said it was unrealistic and wanted me to give up as soon as possible. But I didn’t want to compromise, so I moved out and supported myself. Then I went to school and took voice actor training courses. Those courses were very expensive…that’s why I worked so many jobs.”
Roy looked at her quietly without interrupting.
“I know I have no talent.” Nanami whispered, but the corners of her mouth raised a little stubbornly, “But I want to give it a try, at least… I don’t want to regret it even if I fail.”
At this moment, her eyes were clear and firm.
15. Maid Nanami’s Morning Revolution! (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 15. The morning revolution of maid Nanami!
After dinner, the lights in the house were warm and soft, and the air was filled with the lingering fragrance of the meal. Deng was busy cleaning up in the kitchen, while Nanami sat in the corner of the living room, hugging her knees and staring blankly.
Roy took out a neatly folded blanket from the room and handed it to her: “Don’t go back today, stay here tonight.”
Nanami raised her head, a little hesitant: “…Not so good. I have disturbed you for a long time.”
“I heard from Deng that you work four jobs every day, and you also have to deal with school and voice acting classes. You can barely pay the rent.”
Roy said softly, his blond hair shining softly under the light, and his wine-red eyes showing a hint of seriousness and concern.
“You might actually consider…living here.”
Nanami’s eyes widened: “Huh?”
“Although this is a vampire’s home,” Roy tilted his head with a joking smile on his face, “but we don’t charge rent. There’s lights for eating, and I’m responsible for cleaning. The living atmosphere… is basically managed by two-dimensional otakus + intruders.”
Nanami was still processing the meaning of the word “vampire”.
At this time——
“…Who is making noise?”
Following the lazy voice, a familiar figure appeared on the stairs.
Sophie, wearing a loose nightgown and a silver-haired shawl, walked down slowly, holding a can of warm blood bag in her hand. Her red eyes were slightly narrowed, with an expression of “I need to explain now” on her face.
“Roy… brought another girl back?”
“Ah, just in time.” Roy stood up. “Nanami, this is the owner of this house, Sophie Twilight.”
“Blood-sucking ghost?” Nanami finally regained his ability to think, and his whole body froze.
“Oh, yes.” Roy said in a relaxed tone, as if he was introducing “This is my cat.” “But she rarely works night shifts, doesn’t eat human food, only sucks blood bags, and stays at home like crazy.”
“Please don’t discuss my eating habits in the living room!” Sophie hugged the blood bag in dissatisfaction and turned her head away.
“But she’s a very nice person.” Deng poked his head out of the kitchen to add, “Although she disappears during the day, sticks to the wall at night, and occasionally falls asleep with the remote control in her hand.”
“What the hell are you three talking about…” Nanami held her forehead with her hand as her head ached, “I’ve only been here for a few hours and I’m almost accepting the truth of the universe.”
Sophie squinted her eyes and leaned on the armrest of the sofa, looking at Nanami, then glanced at Roy: “Are you planning to take her in?”
“She works hard too.” Roy nodded seriously, “It’s just too much work. Since we just happen to be in need of a cooking expert, why not…”
Sophie snorted and walked to the other side of the sofa holding the blood bag: “Whatever you want. Anyway, this house is not mine alone – even though it is mine.”
“Thank you, Sophie.” Roy smiled back at her.
“I just… don’t want you to burn down the kitchen with the food you cook every day.” She turned her head away, her voice low and a little arrogant.
“I’ll take this as your way of welcoming her.”
In this way, Nanami Aoyama began her new daily life as a “temporary resident” in this vampire mansion – spending warm and incredible days with the two “puppet-type” boys and girls.
Six thirty in the morning.
Waking up in a strange but unusually clean guest room, Nanami Aoyama almost thought she had dreamed of a fairy tale the first second she opened her eyes.
The surroundings were decorated in a retro European style, with a gorgeous chandelier on the vaulted ceiling, thick dark blue velvet curtains, and an overly luxurious coat rack against the wall. The most important thing was that she really lived in the “vampire lady’s mansion.”
Nanami: “…I really moved in.”
She patted her face gently, and after confirming that it was not a dream, she quickly threw off the quilt and got out of bed. Her movements were as skillful as those of a veteran who had survived in some dark culinary abyss for many years.
But today is different, she wants to prove that she is a qualified “housekeeper”!
She changed her clothes and tiptoed out of the room. The living room was quiet, without any sound. At the end of the corridor, the coffin lid was quietly closed, exuding a “do not disturb” aura – Miss Sophie had obviously “got off work and gone to sleep”.
“Okay… let’s start in the kitchen.”
She opened the kitchen door and was greeted by a… somewhat safe smell.
“I cleaned up pretty well last night,” she breathed a sigh of relief, “There are no signs of explosion.”
She opened the refrigerator and started to prepare breakfast. Deng had also agreed to leave for school at 7 o’clock, so she had to hurry.
Twenty minutes later, the delicious aroma of breakfast filled the entire house: the fried eggs were golden and fluffy, the toast was crispy and soft, and there was freshly cooked milk and fruit salad, the whole table was mouth-watering.
But at this time, there was another person – still sleeping soundly in bed.
Nanami put her hands on her hips: “…Roy hasn’t woken up yet.”
She walked to his room holding a cup of milk and knocked on the door, but there was no response.
“Roy…Roy! Get up, you’re going to be late!”
“…Hmm…I’ll write one more chapter and then go to sleep…”
Nanami: “…You didn’t sleep at all!”
She rushed in angrily and pulled the quilt off his head.
Roy was lying on the bed, his hair was messy, and his notebook was open beside him, a true portrayal of a “late-night writer”. His blond hair was soft and scattered on the pillow, his eyelashes were long, and his profile was as delicate as a person in a painting, too delicate to be real.
Nanami’s eyes paused, then looked away consciously.
“If you don’t get up, the breakfast will get cold! If I tell Deng to leave alone, you’ll be done for!”
Roy opened one eye, his wine-red pupils glowing softly in the morning light, his voice hoarse but still a little boyish.
“Nanaha…you look like my mother.”
“I’m not your mother, ahhhhh!!” She couldn’t help but punched the pillow.
A few minutes later, Roy finally washed up and sat at the dining table in a daze, eating breakfast with the lamp that was already ready to go.
“Mmm, it tastes great.” Roy nodded as he ate, “Much better than the potato paste dumplings I fried.”
Deng also chewed seriously: “I feel so happy that I can eat the food made by Nanami every day.”
Although Nanami complained, a satisfied smile still appeared on her lips: “Then you should try not to blow up the kitchen again.”
Deng checked the time and started packing her bag, “Nanami, we should leave now.”
“Well, I’ll walk you a little way.”
Roy held his face up and watched the two of them leave with their school bags on their backs. He couldn’t help but smile and said, “They really look like two ordinary high school students.”
Nanami turned around and shouted as she ran, “You are not ordinary! Go wash the dishes!!”
“I’m a writer!”
“Writers have to share the housework too!!”
The door slammed shut, and the mansion returned to silence.
Roy was the only one left in the living room.
He glanced at the remaining fried eggs on the table and thought for three seconds.
“I’d better not try to heat it. Something bad will happen.”
16. Teacher’s home visit! Is the existence of vampires exposed? (Old version)
The life of a manga writer: 16. Teacher’s home visit! Is the existence of vampires exposed?
In the afternoon, the sun shines into the spacious study room of the mansion, and the light golden shadows wander on the wooden floor. Roy sits at the desk, his fingertips flying on the keyboard, his ruby-like eyes shining slightly.
The document title of the second volume of “NOGAMENOLIFE” quietly unfolds on the screen. As the page scrolls, the different world under the Ten Covenants gradually expands.
“Sora and Shiro’s challenge to the Eastern race… well, next is a gambling duel.” Roy muttered to himself, his eyes burning with the familiar passion for creation. He had already planned his goal for this life – to completely conquer the world’s two-dimensional world with these works in his memory.
With the tap of a finger, the characters’ personalities become more three-dimensional as their strategies for victory and defeat fly. He already knows the structure of the entire work, but when he really starts writing, he is still excited about the interaction and growth of the characters. Sophie sleeps during the day, and Deng and Nanami go to school – the whole mansion is just quiet enough, which is perfect for immersive writing.
“It’s a pity that no one can discuss the plot with me…” Roy blinked, took a bite of the cold sandwich, and buried his head in his writing.
On the other side, in the academy—
Nanami Aoyama sat by the window in the classroom, taking notes attentively, until a familiar and intimidating voice appeared in her ears.
“Mr. Qingshan, are you living well recently?” His tone contained a hint of subtle concern.
Nanami turned around, slightly surprised: “Sengoku-sensei? And… Hiratsuka-sensei?”
Qianshi Chihiro still held a stack of test papers in her hands, and her tone was as kind as always: “I heard that you didn’t return to your original dormitory after transferring to another school. The teachers are still a little worried.”
Hiratsuka Shizuka stood aside, frowning and looking at him, “It’s not easy for a student to move out alone. Especially if you have a part-time job, if you have difficulties in life, you must speak up.”
Nanami paused, and smiled awkwardly but sincerely: “Actually… I live in a Western-style house near the school now.”
“Western-style house?” the two teachers asked almost in unison.
“Yes… It’s a very quiet old house with a nice environment. Someone is willing to let me help with housework in exchange for accommodation, so I am currently in a… semi-employed state?”
There was a hint of mischief in Sengoku’s eyes: “It sounds like a fairy tale.”
Hiratsuka remained realistic as always: “You, a student, can’t possibly support yourself in the mansion, right? Who is that ’employer’? A student?”
Nanami shook her head vaguely: “It’s not convenient to say… But he is really nice and won’t force me to do anything.”
The two teachers looked at each other, and Qian Shi smiled softly: “In this case… we are not going to force you to ask. But as teachers, we still hope to have an understanding of your living conditions. How about this, can you invite us to the Western-style house after school tomorrow?”
Nanami was stunned for a moment, then nodded: “I…I can ask him.”
Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled a little bit, “After all, the teachers also want to meet the mysterious person who can live in the Western-style house.”
When the school bell rang, Nanami hurried back to the door of the mansion and gently pushed it open to come in. The entrance was quiet, with a faint scent of ink in the air.
“Roy, are you there?” She looked inside curiously.
The study door was half-closed, and Roy’s voice came from inside: “I’m writing the second volume. What’s the matter?”
Nanami mustered up her courage, trotted to the door, and smiled awkwardly: “Well… two teachers from school want to come over for dinner tomorrow, and by the way, they want to learn about my ‘accommodation situation’. Is that okay?”
Roy turned his head, his red eyes lit up slightly, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: “Of course. Just think of it as a part of my integration into society.”
He closed his laptop and said, “But…I’ll have to leave cooking to you and the lamp.”
Nanami breathed a sigh of relief: “Just leave it to me.”
The next evening, the afterglow of dusk fell on the dark brown eaves and vine-covered outer walls of the mansion. The rose bushes trembled slightly, and the whole mansion looked like a scene from a classical fairy tale. Nanami walked along the stone path with Chihiro Chiishi and Shizuka Hiratsuka, one in front and one behind, with a look of surprise and curiosity in her eyes.
“So the mansion Nanami was talking about… is a real ‘mansion’.” Hiratsuka Shizuka said in a complicated tone, “I thought you were exaggerating.”
“From the outside it looks like a doll’s house in a fairy tale…” Chihiro Chiishi sighed softly.
At this moment, there was a light “click” sound at the entrance, and the door was opened. The one who greeted them was Roy, who was wearing a white shirt and a light blue sweater. His short blond hair was soft and natural, his burgundy eyes reflected the twilight, and his skin was so white that it was almost transparent, as if he had walked out of a doll’s glass window.
“Welcome.” Roy’s voice was unhurried, with a little aristocratic politeness and distance, but his smile was unexpectedly gentle.
Qianshi Qianxun was stunned for a moment: “This… this child is the one you were talking about?”
Hiratsuka Shizuka’s eyes fixed, and although she didn’t say anything, she was obviously shocked by Roy’s appearance.
“Come in.” Roy leaned slightly to the side, his movements natural and appropriate. His posture could almost be described as “perfect like a puppet.”
In the living room, Deng was laying out the dishes. Hearing the noise, he smiled and greeted, “Hello, teachers~ Nanami said you were coming tonight, so we specially prepared dinner.”
“Mr. Deng is here too?” Qianshi was surprised.
“We are in the same grade.” Deng smiled sweetly, “I am here to help today.”
Shizuka Hiratsuka scanned the entire room keenly: the exquisite fireplace, dark red sofa, lace curtains, so gorgeous that one almost forgot that there were three “students” living here.
Just as they were about to take their seats, a light sound of footsteps was heard coming up the stairs.
Sophie walked down the stairs slowly, wearing a black dress, with silver hair like a waterfall, and red eyes like blood gems under the dim light. She rubbed her eyes slightly sleepily and glanced at the guests.
“And humans?”
“This is…” Sengoku Chihiro opened his mouth, but found himself speechless for a moment.
“She’s Sophie Twilight,” Roy introduced gently. “She’s the original resident here… or our current landlord.”
Sophie glanced at Nanami, pursed her lips and nodded, then said in her usual indifferent tone: “Don’t worry about me, I’m just a vampire who is afraid of light.”
“?”
The two teachers were stunned for a moment, their expressions almost frozen. Chihiro Chiishi smiled a little unnaturally: “Is it, is it role-playing…? The children are very creative these days.”
“She’s serious.” Roy didn’t shy away from it. “But don’t worry, she won’t bite. She only drinks the blood bags she ordered.”
“…Order?” Shizuka Hiratsuka finally spoke, her eyes full of “What on earth did I hear?”
Nanami quickly smiled and tried to smooth things over: “It’s really okay! Miss Sophie is just a little shy and not very good at socializing.”
Deng also agreed: “In fact, she is more like a cat that moves late at night than a vampire.”
The dining table was filled with home-cooked dishes prepared by Nanami and Deng, including curry, tamagoyaki, vegetable soup, Japanese salad, and Deng’s masterpiece – strawberry cake.
“By the way, your last name is also Twilight?” Shizuka Hiratsuka looked up at Roy.
Roy nodded: “I like this last name too, so I used it.”
“Don’t you think… that the people in this mansion are special?” Sengoku looked at Nanami.
Nanami smiled helplessly: “I was just looking for a place to stay… but now it seems like I have strayed into a doll story.”
Roy looked at them and said, “Perhaps it is precisely because they are not ordinary that they get together.”
17. Twilight’s Family’s Breadwinner (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 17. Twilight’s family’s breadwinner
As night fell, the lights of the mansion sprinkled on the dining table like warm water waves. Dinner was over long ago. Nanami and Deng were cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen. Only Sophie, Roy, and the visiting teachers Chihiro Sengoku and Shizuka Hiratsuka were left in the living room.
The aroma of tea wafted in the air, and Sophie curled up in the corner of the sofa, hugging a pillow, looking like a porcelain doll wrapped in long white hair. She glanced at the two teachers sitting opposite her and said calmly, “Don’t worry, although I’m a vampire, I haven’t touched human blood for a long time.”
“…A real vampire?” Teacher Sengoku blinked his rational eyes behind his glasses.
“Well, I don’t eat people. I just watch animation and drink specially mixed blood bags.” Sophie supported her face and added slowly.
“Still sitting on the sofa watching late night shows all day.” Roy complained softly. Although he was only 140cm tall, his posture was calm and child-like. He picked up the teacup with graceful movements. The sunset shone on his blond hair and burgundy eyes, making him look like a prince who had gone to the wrong world in a fairy tale.
Shizuka Hiratsuka stared at Roy for a few seconds, then spoke with a rare gentleness: “Twilight-kun, are you working from home now?”
“Yes.” Roy nodded. “I’m writing light novels. The first one has just been published – “No Game No Life”.”
“You are Twilight?!” Qianshi almost sat up straight on the sofa. “I’ve read that book! The world setting is exquisite, and the concept of the Ten Covenants is so interesting! Are you really… the author?”
“That’s me.” Roy smiled and gave an exaggerated little bow.
“Although he’s not very tall.” Hiratsuka Shizuka stared at him for a few seconds and asked seriously, “Are you an adult?”
Roy sipped his tea helplessly, “Unfortunately, I’m an adult now, I just can’t grow up.”
Sophie looked at him sideways, raised the corner of her mouth slightly, and added proudly: “Anyway, I thought he was a doll at first, too.”
A chuckle rang out in the living room, as if this old western-style house was meant to be home to a group of “unusual” people. And these unusual people happened to live the most gentle and peaceful daily lives.
It was already late at night, and Chihiro Chihiro and Shizuka Hiratsuka stood at the door of the mansion, ready to say goodbye. In the courtyard, the night breeze gently blew through the grass and flowers, and the dewdrops glowed coldly under the moonlight.
“Today we really got to see a different world.” Teacher Qian Shi pushed up his glasses and glanced at Sophie who was still leaning out of the living room window not far away. “Vampires… I thought I would never see them in my life.”
“Indeed.” Hiratsuka Shizuka put away her coat and looked at Roy standing on the steps. “And… a truly talented novelist. Although he is small, his aura is not inferior to any adult.”
Roy stood by the door, still holding the bookmark gift he had just given, and said softly, “Thank you for visiting tonight, and thank you for your support of my work.”
“Next time if you have a new work released, please be sure to tell us as soon as possible.” Teacher Qian Shi smiled and waved his hand, “Our school’s literature club needs role models.”
“Goodbye, Twilight-kun, Miss Sophie.” Hiratsuka also nodded and said goodbye, with a rare tenderness in his eyes.
After the two teachers left, the door of the mansion slowly closed, and the room returned to silence. Roy turned around and saw Sophie leaning against the carved pillar by the door, hugging her favorite bear pillow and pouting.
“Why does it feel like there are more and more people at home?” she complained in a low voice.
“Isn’t it quite lively?” Roy raised his eyebrows and walked to her side. “Didn’t you say, ‘As long as they don’t disturb you while watching cartoons, it doesn’t matter what other people do’?”
“…That’s right.” Sophie turned around. “But I was originally planning to live in a quiet and mysterious vampire mansion. How come it has become… a dormitory for strange humans?”
Roy looked at her with a smile, stretched out his hand and gently flicked her hair in front of her forehead: “That’s okay, you are still you, and we won’t stop you from watching anime.”
“Hmph.” Sophie turned her face away and hugged the pillow tightly. “If anyone dares to snatch my remote control, I will kick him out.”
“Don’t worry, no one dares.” Roy shrugged, “The mistress is the most important.”
Sophie nodded with satisfaction, walked slowly to the sofa in the living room, turned on the TV and started choosing anime, her figure once again blending into the warm and soft night of this mansion.
Roy stood in the middle of the living room, looking at the lights in the room and the slightly tilted corner of the curtains, and muttered to himself: “Home, it really feels like… it’s starting to look like this.”
In the early morning, sunlight slanted into the hall of the mansion through the gaps in the thick curtains.
Nanami was used to getting up early, wearing an apron, and preparing breakfast in the kitchen in an orderly manner. The pot sizzled, and the aroma of eggs and miso soup wafted in the air.
“Deng, get up quickly, you’re going to be late!” Nanami shouted while cutting vegetables.
“Well…just five more minutes…” The sound of a lazy light coming from the second floor, but a few seconds later, there was a thumping sound coming down the stairs – she rolled off the bed.
Roy was already sitting at the dining table, with one hand on his chin and the other hand still tapping the laptop keyboard on his knees. It was an old-fashioned laptop with a retro shell, but it was connected to the mysterious “previous life resource library”, and the new chapter draft of the second volume of “No Game No Life” was scrolling on the screen.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Nanami put the last plate of fried eggs on the table and looked at him helplessly.
Roy raised his head, rubbed the tiredness from the corners of his eyes, and smiled: “Write a little more. I have already written the deconstruction of the Ten Covenants into the new chapter, and I am ready to enter the chapter on the [Orc Race].”
“No Game No Life…You’re writing more and more smoothly.” Deng sat down, yawning as he picked up the rice ball. “Didn’t the publisher say that they’ll print the second volume next month? That’s too soon.”
“Editor Machida used the word ‘shocking’ directly in her email after reading the first draft.” Roy muttered softly, as if repeating some uncontrollable joy, “She also said that she would open a column for me on the official website of the Fuzugawa Library.”
At this time, a special entertainment program of a variety show was playing on the TV nearby.
“Recently, the debut work of the literary phenomenon Mr. Twilight, No Game No Life, has sold over 50,000 copies within a week of its release… According to the Fuzugawa editorial department, the second volume is already being scheduled…”
Deng slammed the table. “Wow – so cool! There’s actually a serious light novel writer living in my house!”
“You just realized it now?” Nanami sighed, “In a few days, maybe someone will want to interview you.”
“Interview… I refuse.” Roy continued writing with his head down, his tone calm, “I want to maintain my mystery.”
“You talk as if you’re not sitting in the lobby every day being watched by us,” Nanami complained.
18. Book signing event! (Old version)
The life of a manga writer: 18. Book signing event! Pictures and text
A few days later, after dinner, the mansion was as quiet as usual. Roy sat at the desk, typed the last line of the second volume of “No Game No Life”, took a deep breath, and pressed “Send”.
After a moment, a “delivered” notification popped up in the mailbox.
He leaned back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling and whistled softly. In his ears was the rustling of leaves in the courtyard by the breeze outside the window, and in the room was the rhythmic footsteps and mopping sounds of Nanami while cleaning.
Soon, the mailbox beeped, it was a reply from Machida Sonoko:
“I received the second volume! It’s great, even better than I expected! I’ll arrange an internal review right away. By the way, I’d like to ask, Mr. Twilight, if you would consider hosting a book signing event? The response from readers has been very enthusiastic, and many people have asked if they can meet you in person.”
Roy blinked and tapped his fingers on the keyboard twice, but he didn’t rush to reply. He walked to the floor-length mirror and looked at himself in the mirror.
He has slightly curly blond hair, porcelain-white skin, and wine-red eyes that shimmer like gemstones in the sun. He is a little short—but as long as he sits, no one can tell that he is only 140 cm tall.
He smiled slightly and muttered to himself, “Book signing event… Actually, I kind of want to give it a try.”
After all, this was an event that he could only watch others participate in through videos in his previous life. Now, he was the “author” who was expected to appear.
But he couldn’t help but sigh.
“But it would be troublesome if I get too tired. Besides, I have to consider Sophie’s fear of light, and Nanami and Deng’s studies… ah, it’s really troublesome.”
He walked back to his computer and began to reply to the email:
“Thank you for your affirmation. I am happy to hold offline activities for my work. I can consider a book signing event, but I hope the format can be more relaxed and not too big. After all… I am too small, and no one will notice me if I stand for too long (laughs).”
After sending the email, he leaned back in his chair and stretched, just as Sophie, wearing a cloak, slowly walked down the stairs.
“Book signing?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “You do have a penchant for being in the spotlight, Twilight.”
Roy blinked. “It’s just moderate publicity. Besides, I’m the breadwinner of our family now.”
“Humph, he’s obviously just a narcissistic writer who peeks at book reviews with a blushing face.”
He raised an eyebrow and smiled, “That’s better than being afraid of people like a vampire.”
Sophie pouted: “It’s as if I’m afraid of seeing people if I don’t go.”
On the side, Nanami leaned out of the kitchen: “Eh? Book signing event? Do you want me to help you design your costumes?”
A voice came from the lights upstairs: “I want to make a banner!! Write: ‘Twilight teacher is awesome!'”
“…I didn’t dig a hole for myself to fall into.” Roy muttered softly.
But the pride in his eyes could not be hidden.
The preparation for the book signing event started with a reply letter.
Machida Sonoko quickly arranged for the signing event to be hosted by the Fuzugawa Bunko’s partner bookstore in Akihabara – the event was small in scale, with only a hundred people participating, but the layout was thoughtful and the publicity was appropriate, making it an ideal venue for a debut author’s first appearance.
Once the “Twilight Book Signing Event Poster” was released on Twitter and in front of bookstores, it immediately became a hot topic.
Because Twilight has never released any photos, and the introduction says “No one-on-one interviews allowed”, netizens began to speculate:
“Isn’t she a beautiful female writer?” “I heard the editorial department said he ‘looks like a doll’, is he a man or a woman?” “No way… is he an idol artist who has changed his career to write novels?” “I bet he’s a shota.”
In the mansion, Roy looked at himself in the mirror wearing a small suit and having his hair waxed by Nanami, and he felt a helpless sense of fate.
“I knew this would end up being a doll.” Roy sighed, looking at Nanami and Deng who were holding bows and ribbons in front of him, “Can you guys stop taking cosplay so seriously?”
“This is not Cosplay!” Nanami pulled the ribbon on his collar tightly, “Your beauty looks like you walked out of a doll cabinet. It would be a pity if you don’t package it.”
“Yes!” Deng’s eyes lit up. “I want to draw your appearance today and make some merchandise!”
“Wait a minute, I haven’t authorized you yet… Don’t develop a product line without your permission.”
Sophie leaned against the sofa, smiling, “Well, you should go out and get some sun, even though you can’t get tanned.”
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Me?” Sophie raised her hand to block the light coming in through the French windows. “If I go out, I’m afraid you’ll have to hold a ‘Twilight memorial autograph session.'”
Roy sighed and pouted, “Okay, okay, wait for me to come back, remember to drink your tomato juice.”
“Blood special.”
“Okay, ‘Blood Special’.”
That morning, at the book signing event——
A long queue has formed in front of the Akihabara bookstore. Compared with the usual book signings, this queue is obviously more attractive, with most of the fans being “non-mainstream” light novel readers, and many student-like girls quietly discussing whether Twilight is “cute”.
Just as the staff were busy making arrangements, a low-key black car stopped at the alley entrance. Roy got out of the car wearing a beret and sunglasses, accompanied by Nanami and Tomo, who were dressed as “assistants”.
As soon as she entered the venue, editor Machida Yuanzi’s eyes lit up.
“Ah…as expected.” She murmured, “Our author is really unruly.”
She stepped forward with a professional smile. “Welcome, Mr. Twilight. I’ll be leaving my job to you today.”
Roy took off his sunglasses, gave her a little smile, and held out his hand: “Please take care of me.”
The signing table was decorated to look like the chessboard background in No Game No Life, with a neatly laid out tabletop, a specially made autograph book, and a slightly higher chair – “to accommodate your height,” Yuanzi explained in a low voice.
Roy: “…Thanks for your thoughtfulness.”
As the live music started, fans outside the door began to file in.
The first few people in the queue were senior readers who knew the works by heart. A college girl’s hands were shaking when she stood in front of Roy:
“Excuse me…is it true…that you wrote this?!”
Roy smiled, “It’s me. Which volume do you like?”
“Volume 1… Chapter 6… Sora and Shiro said ‘reality is a bad game’, that part… I cried…”
Roy wrote in the autograph book: “To the real winner” and handed it to her.
“Mr. Twilight…”
“Are you…really the author? You look…only twelve years old…”
Roy couldn’t help but laugh: “I’m an adult now, I just haven’t grown taller.”
19. Kashiwagi Eri appears! (Old version)
The life of a manga master: Episode 19. Kashiwagi Eri appears! Illustrations and text
Roy sat quietly beside the neat autograph table. He was wearing a modified suit with a silver-rimmed collar ending on the collar of his snow-white shirt. His blond hair fell softly to his shoulders and neck. His wine-red eyes seemed to have crushed the light of dusk, and he scanned the queue quietly and with a sense of distance.
Under the lighting of the scene, he looked almost like a high-end custom-made doll that had just been awakened in a doll cabinet.
He signed autographs one after another, but no matter how many people came to talk to him, he always maintained a perfect balance between being neither overly friendly nor cold.
“Thank you for coming.”
“Oh, you like the setting of the Ten Covenants? I like the eighth one too.”
“Is this role ticket… cast for nothing? You are a good comrade.”
——All of this made Machida Sonoko, who was recording the performance on the spot, feel relieved.
“This guy has an appearance that is extremely beautiful, but his personality is inexplicably reassuring.” She murmured and wrote it down in the editor’s notebook, “He is worthy of being the trump card that we, Busikawa, are betting on.”
The team continued to move forward, Deng silently recorded the readers’ questions, and Nanami was responsible for reminding Roy to take a break.
As the signing was coming to an end, a familiar voice suddenly rang out:
“…I didn’t expect it would really be you.”
Roy looked up and paused.
——Kasumigaoka Utaha, standing in front of the autograph counter, wearing school uniform, with a meaningful look in her eyes.
“So you were serious about what you said that day.” She took the autographed book and smiled slightly, “Mr. Twilight.”
Roy raised his eyebrows: “Remember? That day when you said ‘interested’ to me, I took it seriously.”
Shiyu chuckled: “It seems that you are a very dangerous shota.”
Roy: “…I am a grown-up shota.”
At this moment, a girl suddenly came in from the door – she didn’t look like a light novel fan at all.
She was wearing a baggy college sweatshirt, a baseball cap pulled down very low, and her golden hair was braided into two braids hidden under the brim of the hat, with a strong disguise of “please don’t look at me”.
Eriri, who was almost late, happened to see the two of them looking at each other: “Wow, what kind of eye contact is that!! Did I see Kasumigaoka Utaha getting horny for a baby-faced girl?!”
There are about twenty minutes left until the signing ends.
Eriri was standing in line, staring nervously ahead.
…It’s her turn.
“Name?” Roy asked politely.
She paused for a moment and replied in a low voice: “… Kashiwagi Eri.”
Roy was slightly stunned, but didn’t say much. He took the book and signed his name: “To Kashiwagi Eri, I hope your works can always touch people’s hearts.”
“…Thank you…”
She turned around and was about to slip away, but the next second—
“You are quite good at hiding, Ms. Kashiwagi Eri.”
A faint female voice came from the rest area nearby.
Kashiwagi Eri froze in place.
When I turned around, I saw Kasumigaoka Utaha leaning against the wall, her arms folded across her chest, a smile that was both teasing and a bit malicious.
“…Kasumigaoka Utaha.” Eriri whispered alertly.
Shiyu walked over slowly, flipping through the novel she had just signed, and whispered, “I didn’t recognize you at first, after all, you were wearing a hat and a mask and dressed like an intern at an art museum, but you were so nervous that your shoulders were shaking – at a time like this, you should go back to drawing your illustrations instead of spying on other people’s book signings.”
Eriri blushed. “I’m not peeping! I’m just… just a little… curious about what ‘this author’ looks like!”
“You’re not good at lying.” Shiyu spread her hands, “But I understand, after all——”
She glanced at Roy, and his burgundy eyes met hers squarely, quietly, with a hint of curiosity.
“It’s hard for even Kashiwagi Eri to remain completely indifferent to this face.”
Eriri immediately got angry: “Who, who is interested in Shota!”
Roy coughed lightly: “I’ve said it many times, I’m an adult.”
Shi Yu snorted and laughed: “I believe it, but I don’t believe it with my face.”
In the end, Eriri failed to escape from the Shura field after being exposed, and was taken to the backstage by Shiyu to participate in a light meal party after the autograph session.
The after-show was set up like some kind of secret tea party in the publishing industry.
On the small round table, there were light meals specially prepared by the Fuzugawa Library for the authors: sandwiches, fried chicken nuggets, cheese fruit tarts, and rich milky pudding. The editors gradually relaxed their faces and switched from “work mode” to “peer communication mode.”
Roy sat on the sofa next to the main seat, holding a cup of hot black tea in his hand.
He leaned against the cushions, his profile looking like a finely crafted European doll in a wax museum, his blond hair hanging loosely on his shoulders, his burgundy eyes scanning everyone at the party calmly.
He didn’t show off anything on purpose, but he didn’t hide anything either – everyone present tacitly admired this “SSR character who seemed to be randomly generated by a developer setting for a light novel game” with a bit of awe.
“Teacher Twilight is just like the rumors say… No, I should say, she is even more fantastic than the rumors say.”
“Are you sure you are an adult?”
“…It looks like a physical representation of a certain style doll.”
Faced with all the murmurs, Roy just nodded gently without much response.
At this time, Machida Sonoko came to sit next to him elegantly with a plate of small cakes, and glanced at the girl with blonde twin ponytails who was holding a Coke can and trying to “reduce her presence” at the other end of the sofa.
“Hey, Kashiwagi Eri, don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.”
“Who, who is Kashiwagi Eri!” Eriri almost exploded, muttering in a low voice, “I, I’m just a passerby who came to visit today!”
“Oh?” Yuan Zi raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. “I forgot you were still pretending. Do you think you won’t be recognized if you wear a hat? Come on, our editorial department has already analyzed the composition style of the books you drew.”
Eriri paused while biting the straw: “W-what did you say…?”
“Your painting style, line processing and coloring habits, as well as the highlight curves at the base of the characters’ ears, are all unique.” Yuan Zi chuckled, “Few people in the circle don’t know that you are Kashiwagi Eri, but because you ‘don’t want to say’, no one has revealed it.”
“I, I don’t believe it—”
“And,” she continued, “to be honest, the sales of ‘those books’ with your illustrations are pretty good.”
Eriri’s face turned completely red. “Are you, the people in the publishing house so scary!?”
Roy looked at the scene in front of him, took a sip of black tea, and a smile silently appeared at the corner of his lips.
“So you’re an illustrator.” He finally spoke, his voice unhurried and warm, “I thought you were just Shiyu’s friend, and you came here to collect autographs today.”
Eriri replied almost instinctively: “We’re not friends! We just communicate occasionally!”
“Oh.” Roy nodded thoughtfully, “Communication is also a great thing.”
“Are you mocking me?!”
“Not at all.” He said seriously, “I think you’re actually quite cute.”
After he said this, the air froze for a moment.
Eriri choked, her face stiff with a look of “system not responding”.
Shi Yu drank a sip of tea slowly at the side: “…I said, he looks like this, but he speaks seriously, which is the most terrifying.”
“……” Ying Lili clenched her straw tightly and bit it making a crackling sound.
“Well, since you’re here,” Sonoko patted Eriri’s shoulder, “why not think about it – would you like to draw illustrations for Twilight-sensei’s works in the future? I heard that you have a wide range of styles and are very adaptable.”
“W-what!?” Eriri was shocked. “Your publishing house is too quick!”
“Recruiting talents is a basic quality for us editors.” Yuan Zi showed a confident smile, “After all, there are not many opportunities to catch the first light novel of this beautiful boy.”
The dinner ended with light banter and laughter. Roy received a booklet with his book cover printed on it prepared by the editorial department as a souvenir.
Before leaving, Eriri hesitated and stood at the door of the bookstore. She stared at Roy for a long time, then whispered:
“…I will consider the illustrations. It’s not because you’re handsome! I just think the setting is interesting.”
Roy: “I know. I understand.”
She was stunned, looking at the faint smile at the corner of his lips.
Then Eriri rushed into the crowd as if she was running away.
20. The arrival of a genius painter? (Old version)
The life of a manga master: 20. A genius painter has arrived?
A few days later, at night, the mansion was as quiet as usual. The moonlight poured into the study, softly reflecting on the desk covered with manuscripts and light novel materials. Roy sat on a chair, a cup of long-cooled black tea beside him, his fingertips tapping deftly on the keyboard, continuing to write the chapter on the gods that Sora and Shiro were about to challenge in the third volume of “NoGameNoLife”.
He was completely immersed in the world of creation, his expression was focused, his wine-red eyes seemed to glow faintly under the moonlight and the dim light reflected from the screen. His slightly curled blond hair hung in front of his forehead, making him look more like a beautiful boy who walked out of an illustration.
“Roy,” Nanami’s voice came from the door, hesitant but gentle, “It’s a call from Sengoku-sensei.”
Roy blinked and slowly pulled his thoughts back from the fantasy world. Taking the phone from Nanami, he thanked her softly and pressed the answer button.
“Good evening, Sengoku-sensei.”
Chihiro Chihiro’s usual capable but slightly tired voice came from the other end of the phone: “Roy-kun, sorry to bother you. I heard that you are writing a new volume recently? Is your work going well?”
“It’s OK. I’m writing the key chapters and I’m doing pretty well.”
“That’s good,” Qianshi paused, his tone becoming slightly more serious, “I’m calling you this time because I have something to ask of you.”
Roy sat up slightly, “Please go ahead.”
“It’s like this,” she sighed softly, “My cousin originally lived in Sakurasou, but as you know, it has been included in the reconstruction area and is ready to be demolished. The students have to move out.”
Roy nodded slightly: “I know about that…what about your cousin?”
“She doesn’t have a suitable place to stay for now, but she has a special personality and is not very adaptable to sharing a room. I wanted to arrange for her to stay with me for a few days, but you know that I live in a teacher’s dormitory, which is not convenient for long-term accommodation of students.”
“So you hope…”
“Yes, I would like to ask you for a favor and bring her to live in the mansion for a while. If you are willing.” Qian Shi’s voice on the other end of the phone softened a little. “I know your place is already very lively, but she is not a very noisy child. She is very quiet and likes to paint. She has nowhere else to go.”
Roy pondered for a moment, then smiled softly: “Since she is Sengoku’s cousin, then of course I welcome her. However, I still need to ask Sophie’s opinion – although she always looks like she doesn’t care.”
“Thank you, Roy-kun. I really appreciate it. I’ll have her arrive at the station tomorrow at noon. Would it be convenient for you to pick her up tomorrow?”
“No problem, I’ll compress the work and arrange my time tomorrow morning.”
“That’s great.” Chigoku sounded relieved, “Her name is Shiina Mashiro.”
Hearing the name, Roy’s eyes flickered slightly.
“…Shiina Mashiro? Is she that…’the quiet and talented artist who returned from studying in England’?”
“Have you heard of her?”
“I’ve seen it in some exhibition portfolios. The style is very unique.”
“It’s her, for sure.” Qianshi smiled, “Then you’ll know how special she is. I’ll leave it to you, Roy-kun.”
“Leave it to me.”
After hanging up the phone, Roy put down the phone, rubbed his brows, and whispered to Nanami who was waiting beside him:
“The mansion will have a new resident.”
Nanami was stunned: “Sensei Sengoku’s cousin?”
“Well, her name is Shiina Mashiro. I heard she’s a talented painter, and…” He paused, “Maybe she’ll make this place more interesting.”
Outside the window, the night is dark and the moonlight is cold, as if foreshadowing that a new story is about to unfold quietly in this ancient Western-style house.
It was late at night, and outside the window was the silent, silvery moonlight, but there was still a light on in one room of the mansion.
Roy sat at his desk, tapping pause with his fingertips, the document in front of him stopped at the eve of the war that was about to appear in the third volume of “NoGameNoLife”. However, his eyes had already wandered away, not in the story world, but thinking about the visitor who would arrive tomorrow – Shiina Mashiro.
“A genius painter…” he murmured.
When he thought of this name, he could not help but think of the familiar silhouette in his previous life—a girl as pale as snow, as delicate as a doll, with smooth golden hair and red eyes like glass beads. Although she was taciturn, the world she painted was always full of emotions and soul.
“Since she’s returned to Neon… that means – her goal is also comics.”
Roy leaned back in his chair and exhaled softly. He was not dissatisfied with his writing speed. With his special physique, as long as he concentrated, it would not be a problem to write tens of thousands of words a day. It’s just that –
“Publishing is slow,” he sighed. “Even if I finish writing in three days, it will take several months to schedule, proofread, and illustrate the cover.”
That was not a bottleneck in writing, but the process of the industry, which made him feel a little empty after waking up full of energy every day.
“In that case, why not – open both?”
His eyes became sharp, like a falcon staring at its target. Of course, he remembered those heart-stirring works in his previous life, and he also knew which ones were successful examples of “light novel + comic” dual-track advancement. If Mashiro was as good at storyboards with excellent style and delicate emotions as in her previous life, then she would be his most suitable “partner”.
And more importantly, she has no place to live now.
“…Since she’s at our house, why not…” Roy chuckled, “just drag her into this.”
He opened a new document with a blank title, but an idea was already in his mind. Not a reproduction, but a reconstruction.
——A new project that can be ranked alongside “No Game No Life” and even become the second pillar.
“The serialization of the novel is released simultaneously with the serialization of the comics… building them simultaneously from the source of the story, this is the efficiency revolution of modern entertainment.” He said like a calm planner, and then raised his eyebrows, “Of course, she has to be willing first.”
At this moment, the sound of Nanami’s door turning off the light came from the door next door, and the sound of Sophie watching late-night animation came from downstairs. The lights were left on at a friend’s house tonight, and Roy was the only one in the mansion who was still thinking under the light.
He looked at the starry sky outside the window with a smile on his face.
“Welcome to this ‘home’, Ms. Shiina Mashiro.”
He murmured to himself, as if to say to the upcoming fate: “I have prepared the stage for you.”
21. Shiina Mashiro! (Old version)
The life of a manga writer: 21. Shiina Mashiro!
The sun was shining obliquely, and the afternoon was slightly warm. On the cobblestone road outside the mansion, Roy tied his scarf, put on his windbreaker, and walked out of the door carrying a small insulated bag.
His steps were brisk and steady. He was only 1.4 meters tall, but he had an aura of his own, a contradiction between the unique charm and calmness of a “beautiful boy”. A neighbor’s child peeked in and whispered, “It’s like the little prince walked out of a painting…”
Roy ignored it. He had more important tasks today.
He was going to pick up a “pet girl”.
To be precise, it was Shiina Mashiro – in his previous life, in the world he was familiar with, he was active in the European and American art circles as a talented painter, but after returning to Neon, he fell into a complete collapse of his ability to take care of himself.
He knows it very well.
She might even need help putting on her socks, go out with only a pencil and notebook, and squint like a cat at the sight of a Baumkuchen.
“But I heard that Kamiigusa Misaki taught him some basic common sense,” Roy thought as he walked, “at least… he won’t sleep in a convenience store like it’s his own home, right?”
2:30 pm, in front of the station.
Roy stood in the sparsely populated square in front of the station, his scarf swaying slightly. He switched the thermal bag to his other hand and glanced at the automatic door. Soon, a familiar white-haired figure came into view.
Shiina Mashiro – as expected, her smooth silver hair fell to her waist, and her white and almost transparent face showed no emotion, only her empty eyes slowly swept around.
She was wearing a tweed coat that was not suitable for the season, holding a drawing board in her arms, and carrying nothing but a backpack full of drawing papers.
Roy raised his hand and waved, “This way.”
Mashiro blinked, and it seemed like several seconds passed before he confirmed his target, then he slowly walked over.
“You are… the new owner.”
“… Could you please say yourself first?” Roy held his forehead.
“Hello.” Mashiro nodded gently, still without any emotion, “I’m hungry.”
Roy was not surprised. He picked up the cooler bag in his hand and said, “I guessed it, so I brought you a Baumkuchen cake with chestnut flavor.”
Mashiro’s eyes really lit up for a moment. She took it silently and lowered her head to study the packaging carefully: “…It’s more than the previous owner gave me.”
“You are referring to Igusa Misaki.”
“Yeah. She’s too noisy.” Mashiro paused, “But sometimes she’s delicious.”
“…This comment is really subtle.”
The two walked out of the station. Mashiro followed Roy while munching on a Baumkuchen. She was very quiet and well-behaved.
“So, you know why I came to you.”
“Because… you are the new owner?”
Roy almost choked on his saliva.
“I’m here to ‘take you in’, not to treat you as a pet.”
“…but I can’t do my own laundry, cook, or set an alarm. You have to feed me, remind me to wash my hair, and tell me not to wash my socks with my underwear.”
Roy: “…Sounds like the owner.”
He smiled helplessly and looked sideways at her.
Mashiro still lowered her head and ate the cake at a leisurely pace, just like a cat following its owner home.
“…You should live in the mansion from now on. There are a lot of people in our family, so you should be able to get used to it.”
“…As long as you don’t make noise.” Mashiro said seriously, “Also, the room needs to be able to see the moon.”
“You like the moon?”
“Because the sun is too bright.”
Roy was stunned for a moment, then suddenly thought of a certain vampire roommate who liked to get up at night, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You’re quite compatible. Maybe you’ll get along well with her.”
“Is she a cat?”
“…Not a cat, but a vampire.”
Mashiro stopped and looked up at him for the first time: “A real vampire?”
“real.”
“Can she turn into a bat?”
“…I don’t know. I’ve never seen it.”
Mashiro nodded: “Then I’ll draw her.”
Roy glared, “You haven’t seen what she looks like yet!”
“Draw first, then modify it.”
Roy was completely defeated: “…As long as you are happy.”
The sun shone through the clouds and fell at their feet. Mashiro had finished eating the cake and was so quiet that it seemed as if she had never made a sound. She looked up at the building in front of her.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly: “Welcome to the mansion, Shiina Mashiro.”
The door of the mansion slowly opened, and a breeze blew up the dry air outside the wooden entrance. The afternoon sun cast mottled shadows through the stained glass windows, creating strange patterns on the floor.
Shiina Mashiro stepped over the threshold, her footsteps light and silent, as if she was already accustomed to entering and leaving such a space with a historical atmosphere.
But her eyes were still empty, without a trace of curiosity on her face.
Unlike other first-time visitors, he did not marvel at the exquisite chandeliers, corridors, and carved staircases inside the mansion.
She just stood quietly at the entrance, like a cat waiting for orders.
Roy put down her luggage for her, changed her into slippers, and then took her into the living room.
“This is where you’ll live from now on.” Roy introduced casually, “The kitchen is on the left, the bathroom is on the second floor up to the right, and Sophie’s room is on the third floor. Generally, don’t go in there casually.”
“…I won’t go.” Mashiro responded softly, and took out a drawing from his drawing bag, as if he was about to start recording the light and shadow structure of this space.
Roy looked at her and couldn’t help asking, “Are you not interested here? Is this your first time in a place like this?”
Mashiro thought about it seriously: “…There is no cat.”
“cat?”
“Sakurasou has cats. And chainsaws.”
“…Ah, this comparison is indeed quite different.”
He sat back on the sofa with a dry laugh and calmly brought up a topic: “Speaking of which… what was the place you used to live in, Sakurasou, like?”
22. What color do you like? (Old version)
The life of a manga master: 22. What color do you like?
The chandelier in the living room cast a soft glow, illuminating the thick yet peaceful atmosphere in the mansion.
Shiina Mashiro sat on the sofa, holding her painting bag, looking as calm as ever, without a trace of nervousness as a newcomer. Roy leaned against the armrest of the sofa, drinking black tea while pretending to ask a question casually:
“Come to think of it…you used to live in Sakurasou, right?”
“Yeah.” Mashiro answered briefly and in a calm tone.
“I heard that it’s a…quite unique place?”
“It’s a zoo.” She paused, her eyes sweeping across the roof, as if recalling, “There’s a big sister who can scream, a hacker who develops a little maid, a boy who often stares at the ceiling in a daze, and a playwright who shouts ‘I’m so annoyed’ every day.”
Roy almost laughed out loud and coughed: “Now that you mention it, I’m even more curious…Does everyone still live there?”
Mashiro shook his head: “It’s not six people anymore.”
“oh?”
Her eyes dropped slightly, as if she was organizing her words word by word.
“Kanda Sorata has returned to Fukuoka and is living with his father.”
Roy suppressed the resonance of his past life memories and nodded nonchalantly.
“Then…what about Mitaka Jin?”
“Osaka. He’s going there to be a playwright. He said he wants to write a play that can make people cry even in Kansai.”
“…quite hard-working.”
Mashiro didn’t respond, but continued, “Kamiigusa Misaki didn’t go with him.”
“Huh? I thought she was…?”
“No.” Mashiro interrupted calmly, “She said that she never liked Mitaka Jin. She was just used to being rejected by him.”
Roy was speechless for a moment.
“She’s looking for a house, but hasn’t found one yet. She’s staying at Sengoku-sensei’s house for now.” Mashiro said as if reporting the weather. “There are only health drinks in Sengoku-sensei’s refrigerator.”
“…doesn’t sound like a good fit for her.”
“She’s not picky about food. She just dances at four in the evening.”
Roy couldn’t help laughing out loud. This kind of outrageous behavior of the “former owner” was just the same as always.
“Then…where is Akasaka Ryunosuke?”
“Still in Tokyo. Living in the employee dormitory of his partner company. He said the dormitory has a server cooling system and is suitable for work.”
“Is he… okay?”
“Not sick, but refuses to go out. He says the world is too noisy.”
Roy couldn’t help but imagine the scene of the boy with a cool appearance but a middle school student squatting in front of the monitor and fighting the AI for three days and three nights.
“He’s recently been designing a bulletproof backpack to fight socializing.” Mashiro said softly, tilting his head, “He said he wants to apply for a utility model patent.”
“… is what he would do.” Roy nodded slightly, and then deliberately asked in a joking tone, “So, you are moving from the ‘Zoo’ to the ‘Mansion’ now?”
“I moved from being a pet to being with my owner.” Mashiro hugged her painting bag tightly, “But I can take a bath by myself without anyone watching.”
“You make it sound like Misaki actually did something like that.”
“She certainly did.”
“…I understand.”
The breeze outside the window blew the curtains lightly, blowing up a strand of Mashiro’s hair. She put her hand behind her ear and asked softly:
“Can I paint at night in the mansion?”
“Whatever you like.” Roy smiled, “But don’t set up the server by the window like Akasaka did.”
“I can’t.” Mashiro said seriously, “I only draw, I don’t make bombs.”
“What color do you like?” She stared at Roy quietly.
The sound was like a feather falling to the ground.
Roy tilted his head: “Huh? Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”
“I want to paint a picture,” she said, “and I need your favorite colors.”
Roy looked into her calm eyes, and many colors appeared in his mind.
“Red is too passionate, blue is too cold. Black is too depressing, white is too lonely… I thought about it.”
He chuckled. “Maybe – ‘amber’.”
“Amber?” Mashiro repeated.
“Like the color of sunlight through syrup, and like the light in your eyes at dusk.”
Mashiro lowered her eyelashes and hummed softly.
“…What about the color you hate?”
Roy thought for a moment. “Gray. The color of hospital ceilings. Makes you want to run away.”
Mashiro nodded, as if storing this information in some invisible album.
“I can’t draw that,” she said.
“This kid…really still thinks I’m his owner.”
Roy smiled and stood up, sighing silently in his heart: This home is already full of variety, and now it is more like a “temporary shelter for geniuses”.
As dusk fell, the windows of the mansion were dyed with a soft golden-pink light by the sunset.
Deng and Nanami walked into the entrance one after the other, changing their shoes while chatting about the interesting things that happened in school today.
“Tomorrow is finally the weekend—” Deng stretched his arms, “It would be nice if I could sleep until noon.”
Nanami said helplessly: “Don’t forget that I still have to work tomorrow morning…”
At this time, the two noticed a strange girl standing by the entrance.
Blonde, white skin, barefoot, wearing a light blue dress, with a calm expression. She looked like an elf from a picture book, watching them quietly without a trace of panic.
“…Who is this?” Deng subconsciously moved closer to Nanami and asked in a low voice.
Nanami was also a little surprised, but out of habit she still took the initiative to greet him: “Hello, may I ask who you are…?”
Mashiro nodded and said softly, “Mashiro.”
“So you’re Sengoku-sensei’s cousin…” Deng heaved a sigh of relief, then smiled sincerely, “I’m Amano Deng, this is Aoyama Nanami, welcome to this mansion!”
Nanami smiled as well, “The room may be a little old, but everyone is easy to get along with.”
Mashiro didn’t react much, just nodded slightly.
Deng tilted his head and looked at her for a few seconds, then whispered:
“…She also looks like a doll.”
“I heard it.” Mashiro said calmly.
“I’m sorry!” Deng immediately put his hands together, “I don’t mean it in a bad way, it’s a compliment! You see, Sophie-chan is the representative of the vampire doll style… You also have that kind of temperament!”
“Hmm.” Mashiro thought for a moment, “Then I am… a cool color.”
“Ohhh, the sorting has begun,” Nanami complained quietly.
At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded in the hallway. The door of the study opened, and Roy walked out, followed by a figure –
Sophie, with silver hair, red eyes and snow-white skin, had just gotten up. She was wearing her dress-like pajamas as usual, and she looked a little lazy.
She glanced at the living room, squinting her eyes and looking around: “…There are more people at home?”
“She’s Sengoku-sensei’s cousin,” Roy explained calmly. “She’s Mashiro.”
“…” Sophie took a few steps closer and her eyes met Mashiro’s.
The two “doll girls” stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
“Okay.” Sophie nodded. “At least it’s more reliable than those two who were arguing.”
“Eh?! Are you referring to me and Nanami?” Deng accused.
“Who else could it be if not you?” Sophie said matter-of-factly, walking around to the sofa, sitting down and grabbing her remote.
Roy smiled as he watched everyone start their daily routine. He knew that this mansion had welcomed a new “family member”.
23. Let the world go crazy for “Magic Index” again. (Old version)
The life of a manga master: 23. Let the world go crazy for “Magic Index” again.
As night falls, the kitchen lights in the mansion are warm yellow, pots and pans clink on the stove, and the aroma fills the air.
Nanami and Deng were wearing aprons and were chatting quietly while skillfully preparing dinner.
“Deng, the onions are cut!” Nanami handed over the cut vegetables.
“Got it~ The next step is to stir-fry the meat!” Deng smiled with satisfaction, as if he was performing some daily ritual.
At the other end of the living room, Sophie leaned on the sofa, holding a pillow in her arms, staring at the animation playing on TV with a focused expression.
The character on the screen shouted his lines, and fighting light effects flashed in her ruby pupils.
Roy sat at the corner of the dining table, his face propped up on his elbows, his thoughts sunk into deeper ideas.
——If you want Mashiro to participate in a comic project, you must choose a work that is attractive enough.
Although she has a blank expression on her face, she is extremely picky about paintings, and any random subject matter cannot attract her.
To do it, you have to open two books at the same time, novels + comics, which attract each other.
He recalled the heavyweight IP that was once popular in the second dimension in his memory——
“A Certain Magical Index”.
The intersection of science and magic, a huge setting group, visual wonders, distinct and complex characters…
The world view of this work is naturally suitable for starting as a novel and further expanding the audience through comics.
“…That’s it.” Roy whispered to himself.
“What’s it?” Sophie asked, biting on the straw.
“It’s okay.” Roy waved his hand perfunctorily.
When dinner was finished, Mashiro sat quietly at the table. She was still not good at communicating with others, but she did not hesitate to eat the steaming dishes in front of her, and began to eat carefully.
“Are you used to the food, Ms. Mashiro?” Nanami asked.
“…better than Misaki.” Mashiro answered seriously.
“Wow, really? I heard she is Kamiigusa Misaki!” Deng was a little flattered.
“She cooks very lively.” Mashiro said calmly, “It’s not about the taste, it’s about the quietness.”
“You mean we cook without making noise, right?” Deng smiled and shook the spoon.
“It’s a compliment.” Mashiro added.
After the meal, everyone started to clean up the dishes. Sophie had already half-lynked back on the sofa and started refreshing the show on her phone.
Roy was about to go back to his study to continue working when he suddenly heard light footsteps behind him.
Looking back, it was Mashiro.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Teacher Sengoku said you’re a writer.” Mashiro looked at him directly, “She said if I want to draw a comic, I can ask you.”
Roy’s eyes flashed with anticipation: “Do you want to draw?”
“Yeah.” Mashiro nodded, “I need someone to write the script. I’m not good at anything other than composition.”
“That’s perfect.” Roy sat down and handed her a chair, motioning her to sit down as well. “I’m also planning to try dual-opening. Since you’re willing to draw, we can work together on one.”
Mashiro tilted his head: “Cooperation?”
“I’ll write the original novel, and you’ll draw the comics.” Roy paused, and his tone became serious. “I’ve chosen a work that’s very suitable for us to start now – “A Certain Magical Index.”
“Magic?” Mashiro’s eyes lit up with interest. “Like vampires?”
“It’s more exciting than vampires.” Roy chuckled. “The confrontation between science and magic, the out-of-control world setting, and the girl and faith interspersed in it. As long as you draw it, the visual impact alone can attract a large number of people.”
Mashiro thought for a few seconds: “You write and I draw. Is that okay?”
“Of course.” Roy nodded. “The novel I wrote will be published on the library version first to attract readers who like words; the comics you draw will be released online at the same time to attract readers who like visuals. The two sides will attract each other and strengthen each other.”
“Can I finish drawing?” Mashiro asked seriously.
“If you can hold back and not run away, I’d certainly be happy with that.” Roy grinned.
Mashiro didn’t smile, but just nodded: “Then, owner, please start writing.”
“…Don’t call me owner.” Roy rubbed his forehead.
“Is it the commander?” Mashiro thought seriously about the alternative title.
“… whatever you want.” Roy stood up resignedly, “I’ll give you the Baumkuchen for free.”
The corners of Mashiro’s mouth twitched, as if hiding a barely perceptible smile.
At this moment, the first piece of the puzzle belonging to the **”A Certain Magical Index” production plan** fell quietly.
Late at night, the lights in the study of the mansion were soft. The moonlight outside the window poured down like water, as if the whole world was shrouded in silence. Roy sat at the desk, his focused face reflected on the laptop screen.
His fingertips rested on the keyboard, but he did not start typing immediately. Instead, he fell into deep thought.
——The opposition between “magic” and “science” must be clear from the beginning, and must be shocking and exciting enough.
He recalled the opening of the first episode of “A Certain Magical Index” in his previous life.
It’s not a straightforward story, nor a slow-burning routine, but it creates suspense and conflict from the very first scene.
He muttered to himself: “The opening scene… must be ‘her’, the hunted girl, falling on the rooftop of the city… the amnesiac magician, the background of the scientific city…”
Snap——
He typed the first line:
Episode 1: “The Index of Prohibited Books”
“On that day, I met her – a miracle that fell from the sky, as if the world had arranged it to play a prank on me.”
Then he quickly outlined the main paragraphs:
Academy City: A testing ground at the forefront of world science, a strange city with superpower development and scientific miracles.
Kamijou Touma: His ability is assessed as “Level 0”, but he actually possesses a right hand that can negate all supernatural powers – “Imagine Breaker”.
The incident begins: In a corner of Touma’s daily unlucky life, he unexpectedly finds a girl falling from the sky on the balcony.
Index-Librorum-Prohibitorum (Indix): A girl wearing a nun’s uniform, claiming to be hunted by a magic organization, with a forbidden index of 103,000 magic books sealed in her head.
The fuse of the conflict: The “pursuer” from the magic world is coming, and a great battle over the girl is about to begin.
Roy quickly wrote down a brief plot paragraph in his notebook:
Kamijou Touma got up under the pressure of failing the final exam, complaining about the vending machine swallowing his coins and the electromagnetic door malfunctioning, a typical unlucky day. Just as he was complaining about his fate as usual, a light “bang” sound came from his balcony.
There was a young girl hanging on the balcony railing.
Long silver hair, English monastic robes, pale skin, and an expression that looked like she was about to fall off.
“Who… are you?”
“I’m Index.”
“Who would believe this!!!”
Roy grinned unconsciously as he wrote.
——This is the first episode.
It has everything: suspense, contrast, setting, and cuteness. The information density is explosive, but the rhythm is just right.
He stopped to drink some water, check the setting details again, and add some dialogue keywords so that he could hand them over to Mashiro for the composition tomorrow morning.
On the screen, the first draft of the opening of the first episode has been completed.
“The Right Hand of Fantasy Slayer vs. the Magical World of the Index of a Certain Magical Index.”
“The first strike between science and magic begins from now on.”
Roy looked at the screen and murmured:
“Mashiro, please draw it… Together, let’s make this world crazy about ‘Magic Index’ again.”
——The night is getting darker, and a new miracle has just begun.
24. Magical Index, dual-line creation begins! (Old version)
The life of a manga master: 24. Magical Index, dual-line creation begins!
A few days later, one afternoon, Roy finally completed the final revision of the first volume of “A Certain Magical Index”. He looked through the manuscript, silently summarizing the ideas and writing thoughts during this period of time, and felt that everything had met expectations.
After packaging the revised manuscript, Roy sent the file to the editor’s mailbox. When he pressed the “Send” button, he felt much more relaxed. At this moment, he felt that he could finally relax a little, after all, he had been busy for so many days and had not had much rest.
Not long after, Machida Sonoko’s reply came quickly.
Title: RE: A Certain Magical Index Volume 1 Draft
content:
Mr. Roy,
I just finished the first draft of the first volume of A Certain Magical Index and I am blown away! This book is so good and far exceeded my expectations! You have nailed the world building, character development, and story pacing.
You did an extremely good job with the conflict between the two, “magic” and “science”, and Kamijou Touma’s reaction as an ordinary person in these extraordinary worlds.
I can’t wait to work with you further! Can we meet as soon as possible to discuss the signing? I really hope to move this project forward and reach a cooperation with you.
Looking forward to your reply!
Seeing the enthusiastic response in the email, Roy was even happier. He knew that Machida Sonoko had always had high standards, and his efforts in writing were well rewarded by her recognition.
In the cafe, Machida Sonoko had been waiting for a long time. She was wearing a simple and elegant business suit, and when she saw Roy and Mashiro, she immediately stood up with a smile on her face.
“Roy-kun, sorry to have waited so long!” Machida Sonoko greeted enthusiastically, then turned her gaze to Mashiro, “This is…”
“Shiina Mashiro,” Roy introduced with a slight smile, “She will be in charge of the manga adaptation of A Certain Magical Index.”
Machida Sonoko’s gaze lingered on Mashiro for a while, with a hint of surprise in her eyes. “Shiina Mashiro?!” Her voice was obviously filled with shock, “Is this… the famous Shiina Mashiro?”
There was obvious confusion in her tone, “Why would a world-class artist draw comics?”
When Mashiro heard this, he frowned slightly, as if he didn’t quite understand what it meant. “Huh? That is, I like comics, so I want to draw comics…”
Roy smiled slightly and replied calmly, “Yes, Mashiro’s painting style is indeed world-class, whether it is the smoothness of the lines, the depiction of details, or the use of colors, it is almost impeccable.
However, Mashiro’s works are indeed a little weak in terms of plot. Because she devotes almost all her energy to painting, her story ideas are a little…unconventional. “He paused slightly, with a slightly gentle teasing look in his eyes, “Her works often appear to be more…strange.”
Mashiro just raised her head slightly, her eyes a little confused. “I… am not very good at writing stories, but it’s okay if I just draw…”
Roy went on to say, “But as long as Mashiro is given a good enough story, she will definitely draw the best comics. In fact, her style and understanding ability have long been able to meet any high-quality work. As long as she can get a fascinating story like “A Certain Magical Index”, she can fully demonstrate her talent.”
He added, “So, it was for this reason that I decided to bring Mashiro to this project.”
Machida Sonoko’s expression softened a little, and she began to understand Roy’s intention. “I see, you mean, as long as Mashiro has a suitable plot, she can turn it into an excellent comic, right? So you think she is more suitable for the comic adaptation of “A Certain Magical Index”?”
Roy nodded with confidence. “Absolutely, I believe she will do well. She has always been pursuing perfection, but she just lacks a suitable stage. The story I gave her is not only full of depth, but also full of challenges. And these are exactly what she needs.”
Mashiro listened quietly, and there seemed to be a gleam in her eyes. Although she still looked a little confused, it could be seen that she had some expectations for this new challenge.
Seeing this, Machida Sonoko finally put aside her doubts. “Well, in that case, I look forward to your cooperation even more. I hope you can bring something different and exciting to this work!” Her tone was no longer filled with the initial shock and confusion, but recognition of the cooperation between Roy and Mashiro.
“Yeah!” Mashiro looked up and her eyes lit up. Although she didn’t say much, her expression revealed a hint of excitement and anticipation.
“Now, let’s get started!” Roy smiled and looked very excited. “This will be a very interesting cooperation.”
The first thing Machida Sonoko did when she returned to the editorial office was to print out several copies of the manuscript of the first volume of “A Certain Magical Index” handed in by Roy, and placed them on the discussion table often used by senior editors.
“Everyone take a look at this – this is a draft of Roy’s new work.”
“It’s him again?” An elderly editor pushed up his glasses. “No Game No Life isn’t finished yet, is it? Why is there a new draft so soon?”
“You guys should finish watching it first.” Machida Yuanzi took a sip of coffee, a sly look in her eyes, “This thing… I’m afraid it’s even more explosive than No Game No Life.”
The editors looked at each other and fell silent as they flipped through the pages – but this silence could not last more than three pages.
“Wait, this setting of ‘Fantasy Breaker’ is… interesting.”
“Isn’t this world view too vast? Science and magic go hand in hand? Levels of ability users? The entire Academy City is simply a modern fantasy city setting textbook!”
“And the protagonist is not a hot-blooded type, but rather has a kind of moderate flavor of ‘the intersection of daily life and extraordinary life’, but surprisingly still retains its charm.”
“The climax of the first episode has a nun falling from the sky… the pace is so refreshing.”
After a young editor read the last page of the first volume draft, he slammed the table and said:
“I bet this book will definitely set off the entire light novel industry once it is released.”
“To be honest,” the senior editor adjusted his glasses, “if the quality can be maintained in the future… I even think that this will be a ‘big IP’ that can be serialized for a long time.”
“And the visuals are so strong that sometimes I even think this manuscript was written for an animation.”
“Wrong.” Machida Yuanzi said with a smile, “Not only will this novel be published, but there will also be a comic. Who will draw the comic? Guess who?”
Everyone looked confused.
“Shiina Mashiro.”
The air was silent for three seconds.
“Are you talking about Shiina Mashiro? The talented girl who won the gold medal in Paris? Doesn’t she not accept commercial manuscripts?”
“It’s true that she has never published a comic publicly, but – she is now living in Roy’s mansion and has said in person that she wants to work with Roy.”
Silence, shock, half-open mouth, and gasps appeared alternately.
“…As an editor, have you ever chosen the difficulty level in your previous life?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. If this combination goes smoothly, it will be a miracle maker in the light novel world.”
“We immediately arranged column coverage, official website previews, trial readings, PV preparations, and media interviews.” The editor-in-chief calmly but excitedly arranged, “This is the top project.”
25. The book artist…should…be good at drawing structure? (Old version)
The life of a manga artist: 25. The manga artist should be good at drawing structure.
That night, in the mansion.
Mashiro sat in front of her easel, with Roy’s printed storyboards and character settings beside her.
“The protagonist’s name is Kamijou Touma… black hair, a useless face… but actually very gentle.” She murmured softly while composing the picture with pencils.
The first episode, titled: “Miracles Don’t Belong to Me”.
She decided to draw the seconds before that iconic line was uttered.
First frame: The perspective is slightly tilted, and a white figure is falling in the sky.
Second frame: The girl’s face—silver hair, innocent eyes, and nun’s uniform fluttering in the wind.
Third frame: Kamijou Touma reaches out his hand and shouts, “Hey, hey, hey, hey! Are you okay?”
Frame 4: He catches her steadily—she opens her eyes: “It hurts…”
When the lines fall, it seems that it is not the pen that moves, but the picture itself jumps onto the paper. Mashiro’s speed is amazing, and his almost instinctive ability to compose and draw lines is fully displayed in the storyboard.
She didn’t know how to arrange the plot, but when Roy arranged every rhythm, emotion and dialogue for her, she could “translate” them accurately with her brush – and even go further.
Two hours later, when Roy pushed the door open, he saw this scene:
Mashiro was outlining the girl’s eyes bit by bit with transparent ink. The light slid down from her shoulders, reflecting the outline of the nun on the paper.
“…I finished the first three pages.” Mashiro said softly.
Roy walked forward and looked down——
Shocked.
That is not the so-called “light novel attached comics”, it is a picture that is worthy of being published in a regular series and on par with professional cartoonists.
It can even be said that it is a top-level artistic performance that “recreates” the atmosphere of the novel.
“…You’re really strong, Mashiro.”
“Because… the owner’s story is very interesting.”
“Of course.”
It was late at night, and the lights in the study of the mansion were still on. The keyboard sounds stopped for a while, and Roy leaned back in his chair, his eyes fell on the preliminary storyboard drawings on the table, and he fell into thought.
Mashiro’s lines are impeccable, and her composition even has an artistic intuitive beauty. She can almost perfectly restore all the fantasies in Roy’s mind – but it is limited to “restore”.
“She can understand the composition I give her, but she doesn’t necessarily know ‘why’ it’s drawn that way.”
Roy murmured. The subtle interactions between characters, the details of emotional transitions, the construction of a sense of reality and the control of rhythm… these are not drawn by talent, but by “life experience” and “emotional reading”. And this is exactly what Mashiro lacks the most.
“She can build the world, but she doesn’t understand people’s hearts.”
He thought for a moment and began to screen candidates in his mind——
English pear.
A talented fan artist, she is very good at capturing characters and expressing emotions. Especially in terms of character design, emotional details, and visual performance, she can be said to be a top-notch expert. Although she has a proud and unstable personality, if Mashiro is responsible for the main painting, she only needs to add details and assist in the composition, and this division of labor is valid.
Kato Megumi.
A completely opposite existence. She doesn’t draw pictures or write novels, but she is the type who knows best “how to make people accept her works”. Roy remembers her characteristics of being inconspicuous in the class but being able to easily get along with others, and also remembers that when Shiyu and Eriri disagreed, she just said a few words to make them both shut up.
Her empathy and keen understanding of the audience’s perspective make her a natural “polisher” and “common sense detector.”
“If Mashiro is a creator who is too advanced, then Eriri is an artistic expresser, and Kato Megumi is the bridge that lubricates and connects the two.”
Roy smiled slightly, as if he saw a future trio.
“…If these three people could work together, they would probably be a very formidable creative team.”
The next morning, Roy said to Mashiro while drinking the black tea that Nanami had just brewed:
“I’m thinking of finding you two assistants. Not the kind who can directly help you draw, but collaborators who can help you sort out the plot details and character reactions.”
“…Does the owner think that my drawing…is not good enough?”
“It’s not ‘not good enough’, but your paintings are several steps ahead of the world.” Roy said calmly and seriously, “But the world – the readers – understand the story based on ‘common sense’. You are moving too fast and others can’t keep up.”
Mashiro tilted his head: “So, someone needs to be behind them… to pull them back?”
Roy smiled: “No, next to you… gently push them towards you.”
Mashiro blinked as if she understood, but still nodded: “…I’ll listen to the owner.”
The next day after school, the campus corridor was dyed with the golden color of the setting sun, and sparse footsteps echoed in the corridor of the art building.
Eriri pushed open the door of the art room with ease, feeling a little anxious. The draft on the table was not finished yet, and she had to finish the cover draft of the new chapter today. Sitting down, shaking her twin ponytails, she bit the pen while thinking about whether the background should be academic style or European style.
At this moment, a slight but unusually continuous sound of sketching strokes came from behind the easel next door.
She frowned: “…Who else is here at this time?”
With the intuition of a painter, she stood up and gently walked around the easel – then she stopped unconsciously in front of an unfinished but extremely stunning painting.
That is the back of a girl, sitting in the evening light, her white hair almost blending into the light. Her movements do not seem to be painting, but rather “calling the painting out of the paper.” The lines are light and steady, as if all the composition already exists in her mind, and she only needs to copy it with the help of the pen tip.
Eriri’s pupils shrank slightly. That style of painting – that extremely exquisite perspective and line details, that control, that beauty, is simply not at the level of a high school student!
“Who are you?” Ying Lili blurted out.
The girl didn’t even raise her head, but just said calmly:
“…Mashiro?”
Ying Lili’s mouth twitched slightly, and a name instantly came to her mind.
Mashiro Shiina, a talented young female painter from the UK, is a legendary figure in the art world – the “legend” who is said to have never rejected a draft since she was born and can make headlines at an art exhibition with just one painting.
She is now sitting at her usual easel, painting with an attitude of “I’m just practicing”?
“Wait, wait a minute… Are you Shiina Mashiro!?”
Only then did Mashiro raise his head slightly and look at her, his eyes calm but without hostility.
“Yeah. You’re the one with the blonde twintails… the book artist.”
“Who are you talking about – where did you hear that from!?” Ying Lili instantly got furious. She jumped up, her cheeks flushed red, and she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
“The previous owner said so.” Mashiro blinked, obviously stating the fact.
Eriri felt as if her sociality had died in an instant.
“You said…your former owner?”
“Yeah. Kamiigusa Misaki.” Mashiro paused, then added, “She said you were a good painter, but she liked the angle of the skirt being lifted up too much.”
“You…what on earth are you doing here?” Yingli’s scalp tingled.
“Draw comics.”
Mashiro said this as a matter of course, but it left Eriri stunned.
“A great artist like you… draws comics?”
“Yes. To become… an artist who can make a living on his own.”
Only then did Ying Lili truly look into the girl’s eyes. There was no pride or shyness in them, only extreme seriousness and firm persistence.
“But… I don’t know how to write the plot. So now I draw it together with the owner.”
“Owner?”
“Roy.”
Yinglili:……
“Are you talking about that beautiful elementary school student who is a disaster?”
Mashiro nodded seriously: “Yes. It’s the owner for sure.”
Ying Lili could no longer remain calm. She leaned one hand on the easel, with thunder and lightning in her heart.
“What kind of weird combination is this… the world’s number one artist x a beautiful young writer?”
Mashiro looked at her quietly, then asked, “Can you draw comics, too?”
“You are a book artist… you should be good at drawing structures?”
“Wait, wait a minute, what is your definition of ‘book’…”
Mashiro nodded: “A very good… painter.”
Ying Lili held her head with her hands, squatted on the ground, and exploded on the spot.
———
Outside the window, the sunset dyed half the sky red, and in the art room, a conversation began that started with misunderstanding.
Despite the embarrassment and frequent complaints, Eriri had to admit that the girl in front of her really possessed “painting skills” that could attract the world’s attention.
“Would you like to visit the mansion?” Mashiro asked calmly.
“The owner has too many drawings, so I might need help drawing… the angle at which the skirt is lifted up.”
Eriri: “Shut up!!”
26. New Assistant? Observer! (Old Version)
The life of a manga writer: 26. New assistant? Observer!
At the end of the school day, dusk began to cover the horizon. As the school bell rang, the door of the art room slowly opened.
Eriri stuffed her painting supplies into her bag, looking at Mashiro behind her, who was covered in pencil dust and paint. “I really want to complain, but your painting style with clean lines that look like printed pages is really… unreasonable.”
“You asked me to draw.” Mashiro’s voice remained calm.
“Okay, okay.” Eriri waved her hand, “I can’t argue with you. Come on, I’ll walk you out of the school gate today.”
“…Someone will take me away.”
“I am the one taking you away now!”
The two of them walked through the shadow of the teaching building one after the other. When they arrived at the main entrance, they saw a familiar blond boy leaning against the doorpost, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Ying Lili frowned, “Why are you here?”
“Come and pick up Mashiro.” Roy glanced at them lightly, as if unintentionally, but soon fell on another slender figure.
She was a girl with neat medium-length straight hair, wearing a school uniform, standing next to Eriri. She had a calm expression and clear eyes, but no fluctuations.
She just stood there silently, without any unnecessary movements or any intention to actively join the conversation, but –
In Roy’s eyes, her presence was like still water shimmering with light.
This is… Kato Megumi.
He was slightly moved in his heart, but he showed no emotion on the surface. He walked forward and asked politely and gently, “Who is this…?”
“…classmate.” Mashiro said briefly.
“…She’s Kato Megumi.” Eriri added reluctantly, looking at Roy warily, “Do you know her?”
“First time meeting you,” Roy answered frankly, “but she looks like she would be a good assistant for the project we’re preparing.”
“Huh?” Eriri couldn’t help but raise her voice. “You decided to invite her just by looking at her? What’s wrong with you…”
“She stood beside you, but didn’t want to join the conversation, but she didn’t seem awkward.” Roy smiled and looked at Kato Megumi, “This shows that she is used to being ignored, but she doesn’t mind being with others.”
“…Are you praising me?” Ying Lili’s mouth twitched.
Roy continued, “Moreover, she has been silently observing your personality patterns from Mashiro’s micro-expressions when talking to you. I bet she has formed a dozen judgments about ‘what kind of people you are’ in her mind, but she won’t say it out loud.”
Kato Megumi blinked slightly and finally spoke for the first time: “…Hello.”
Roy was stunned, then smiled softly: “Hello, I’m Roy.”
“I’m not interested in comics or novels.” Kato said in a flat tone.
“It’s okay.” Roy was not in a hurry. “What I need is not someone who is fanatical about the work, but someone who can tell me ‘what’s wrong here’. Mashiro is good at pictures, and I’m good at building frameworks, but we still lack someone who can keep a steady pace.”
“You seem to know what you’re talking about,” Kato said calmly.
“So I hope you can regret it later.” Roy looked at her seriously, “At least come and take a look at this ‘overly crazy creative scene’.”
Kato was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Mashiro: “…Are you in there too?”
“Yes.” Mashiro nodded, “New owner.”
“…” Kato’s eyes twitched.
Ying Lili covered her face: “Don’t listen to her screaming.”
“It sounds lively.” Kato said softly, “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s good.” Roy nodded, then looked at Eriri, “You won’t be absent either, right? You’re already a member of the team.”
Ying Lili rolled her eyes: “You tricked me into coming here a long time ago, and you want to drag another person into this. Do you have any bottom line?”
Roy spread his hands: “I am a serious literary youth.”
“You have to have some shame.”
“Yes, it’s golden and very small.” Roy smiled and pointed at himself, “Face.”
Eriri was very angry, but Kato seemed to have heard a joke and his mouth corners curled up in a rare way.
Several people walked slowly side by side along the path in front of the school gate. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the glass windows of the teaching building, reflecting a layer of warm halo.
Roy walked in front, occasionally glancing back at the girl behind him.
“Are you really going to consider it?” Eriri turned her head slightly and asked Kato in a low voice.
“I’m just going to take a look.” Kato’s tone remained calm, “It doesn’t mean I’ll stay.”
“…You’re the kind of person who gets quietly dragged into a bunch of trouble.” Eriri muttered, but didn’t try to stop her.
As soon as Deng brought out the hot tea, Mashiro carried the drawing board upstairs, leaving Roy sitting on the sofa in the living room to sort out the design drafts.
The doorbell rang again.
“I’m here.” Kato appeared at the door in casual clothes and carrying a shoulder bag.
“You really came.” Roy stood up, looking like he had expected it.
“I’m not good at writing, and I’m not good at criticizing,” she said as she walked in, “but I’m good at…finding the parts where the rhythm is messed up.”
Roy nodded. “Just try to review it for us. Just give us your thoughts on the character motivations, plot connections, and dialogue rhythm.”
Kato nodded slightly and walked to the table and sat down.
Roy handed over a storyboard for “A Certain Magical Index”.
Kato opened the first one and scanned it quickly.
“…The character motivations here are a little disconnected.”
“Hmm?” Roy’s eyes lit up.
“The hero was slapped by the heroine in the previous page, but in the next page he agreed to accompany her to steal books from the library. It was too fast and unreasonable.”
Roy was stunned, then chuckled: “Very good. We really need people like you.”
Mashiro poked his head out: “A new assistant?”
Kato corrected in a flat tone: “Observer.”
“…Hello, Sister Hui.” Deng also leaned over and greeted her.
Kato nodded slightly, then picked up the pen and began to circle the second unreasonable turn: “And this.”
As the night deepened, the documents on the table became more and more messy, but the atmosphere was unexpectedly harmonious.
Ying Lili leaned on the sofa, looking at the scene of three people sitting together, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, as if she was thinking about something.
“That guy…really is using his own way to bring all of us troublesome people together.”
She suddenly felt that the blond boy might not be as comfortable as he seemed. He just turned his lonely experience into a “creative stage” that others could rely on.
And on this stage, the characters under the spotlight are also appearing one by one.
27. If you keep arguing, I will kick you all out (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 27. If you keep arguing, I will kick you all out.
Since being invited by Roy that day, Kato Megumi did not explicitly agree, but she did not refuse either.
She just showed up in the classroom as usual the next day, and after school she followed Mashiro and Eriri out of the school gate without making a sound, and then she continued to come on the third day, the fourth day…
At first, she just sat quietly in the corner, watching Roy and Mashiro discussing the story framework, watching Eriri scribbling character sketches on the iPad, watching Nanami complaining while cutting vegetables, watching the lazy Sophie curled up on the sofa and eating snacks –
No participation, no comment, just observation.
On the fifth day, Roy spread out the draft structure diagram of the third episode of “Magic Index” on the table: “The pace is too fast, the story will be too fast to keep up, and the storyboards have to be started again.”
Mashiro tilted her head and looked at the draft, while Eriri crossed her arms and said, “I said this chapter was too rushed. You had to force the collision point between science and magic into it.”
“What’s the problem?” Roy asked.
Everyone was silent.
At this time, Kato stood up and walked to the whiteboard: “The rhythm of the first two chapters focuses on the sense of surprise, but if the rhythm of the third chapter is to be continued, the readers will have no breathing space. The confrontation between the characters is interesting, but it needs a period of foreshadowing for the audience to stand firm on their feet.”
As she spoke, she pasted the core color blocks of the first two chapters back onto the rhythm board: “Slowing down is not dragging, but creating an emotional buffer.”
“…So you really can talk.” Ying Lili complained subconsciously.
Kato glanced at her calmly and said, “I always save costs for people who don’t need to waste words.”
“Who are you talking about!” Ying Lili was furious.
Kato shrugged, “Literally.”
Roy clapped silently, “Okay, it’s decided. From today on, Kato is the official structural consultant.”
Sophie crossed her legs. “Huh? Does it mean ‘one of the official heroines’?”
“I refuse this position.” Kato refused coldly.
“…It’s too late for you to refuse.” Roy sighed.
What really escalated things was a sunny weekend afternoon.
When the doorbell rang, Mashiro was drawing a draft on the sofa, Eriri was leaning aside and changing the character design, Nanami was cooking miso soup in the kitchen, Kato was sitting in front of the coffee table flipping through the pages and proofreading the manuscript, and Sophie was taking a nap on the balcony holding a watermelon.
Roy opens the door.
Standing outside the door was a black-haired beauty with an elegant temperament, delicate makeup and a dignified posture.
Kasumigaoka Utaha.
“…Your home seems to be much more lively than I imagined?” She smiled, but her tone was subtle, “Or did you set up some kind of ‘harem selection camp’?”
Roy coughed: “We are all staff.”
“Are all the staff so pretty?” Shiyu looked around the room and paused when she saw Eriri, “…Oh? Why are you here too?”
Ying Lili leaned against the sofa and sneered: “Why, you won’t come when I’m here?”
“Of course I’m here.” Shiyu walked in with an elegant gait like a movie scene. “After all, there are still people here who need real literary guidance, not ‘painters’ who can only draw beautiful girls with revealing clothes.”
“Huh?!” Eriri stood up suddenly, “Are you scolding me in a roundabout way again?!”
“Did I turn?” Shiyu smiled slightly.
The air cooled instantly.
Kato looked at the atmosphere of their back-and-forth confrontation, gently pushed the paper in front of him, and said calmly: “Do you want to discuss today’s storyboard first?”
“Who are you?” Shiyu finally noticed the silent black-haired girl.
Roy introduced: “Kato Megumi, structural consultant.”
Shiha glanced at her and said, “…Are you the Kato classmate whose presence is so thin that he seems invisible?”
“My sense of presence is still okay now.” Kato looked at the manuscript in his hand, “What you just said is illogical.”
“Ahahahaha…” Eriri slammed the table and laughed, “You’re getting counterattacked!”
Shiyu paused for a moment, then raised her lips: “It seems that there is someone else in this room who can talk besides Roy.”
“You talk as if you’re capable of chatting,” Eriri retorted bluntly.
Night falls quietly, and the hustle and bustle of the day gradually sinks into the horizon.
When the lights in the mansion switched from natural light to soft warm indoor light, a familiar tired sigh came from the second floor.
“…Why are you making so much noise again…”
With the “click” of the door being pushed open, Sophie slowly walked down the stairs, wearing her usual silk nightgown and a beige robe, yawning lazily. Her silver-white hair glowed like moonlight under the staircase light, and her eyes were half-open, as if she still maintained a gentle barrier with the world.
She held a red blood bag in her hand, and she inserted the straw expertly as she walked, and then –
“Gu…Gu…”
Eriri turned her head and glanced at her: “You’re up late, Miss Vampire.”
“You’re too noisy.” Sophie frowned slightly, took a sip, and lazily glanced at the scene in the room.
Mashiro was drawing at the table, Eriri was redrawing the lines, Shiha was sitting on the sofa, sipping tea and flipping through the draft of the novel. Nanami and Kato were checking the proofreading sheets, while Roy was standing in front of the French window discussing the rhythm and emotional coordination of the pictures with them.
“…Tsk.” Sophie snorted.
She walked to the corner of the sofa and sat down, curled up her legs, and continued to suck blood, but her eyes glanced at Roy from time to time.
“With so many people…it’s so noisy at home.” She complained again, her tone tinged with resentment and a subtle hint of coquettishness.
Roy turned his head and looked at her, then smiled and said, “After all, it’s a ‘creation scene’, so of course it’s lively.”
“Hmph.” Sophie snorted, “So you like such a lively life.”
“…I can’t say I like it, but it’s definitely quite lively.”
“Wasn’t it best when it was just you and me?” She muttered, lowering her head to suck a blood bag, “It was quiet and comfortable… No one would disturb me at night.”
Ying Lili’s mouth twitched: “When you say ‘no one disturbs’, don’t you mean that you often -“
“Shut up.” Sophie glared at her with a red face before she could finish.
Shi Yu turned the page and curled her lips: “Hmm, I didn’t expect that this vampire lady would be jealous.”
“I, I didn’t.” Sophie bit the straw and turned her head away angrily. “I just hate these human women who put things everywhere, occupy the sofa, use the refrigerator… Most importantly, they get close to him.”
Roy laughed: “You said that last sentence a little loudly.”
“…You heard wrong.” Sophie tilted her head, her eyes a little evasive, her eyes reddened to the point of almost bleeding, “I just…I hate you guys quarreling.”
Kato said calmly: “But you got up on time today, unlike before when you slept until midnight.”
“I’m just hungry!” Sophie retorted almost immediately, finishing the blood bag and throwing the empty bag into the trash can. “If you make any more noise, I’ll kick you all out.”
Eriri: “Is it still useful for you to say this now? You are the one with the least say.”
“Huh?!” Sophie’s eyes widened and she was about to retort, but Roy reached out and held her head.
“Okay, okay, stop arguing.” Roy said softly, “Sophie, when these tasks are finished, we still have time to watch animations together in the evening.”
Sophie was slightly stunned, the corners of her mouth gradually turned red, her whole body froze for a few seconds, then she snorted softly, tilted her head and said nothing, but her tail (if she had one) was probably already raised.
Shiyu took a sip of tea and looked at the subtle exchange with a half-smile: “Interesting, this house is really becoming more and more like a Shura Field anime for otome audiences.”
“That depends on how the screenwriter writes it.” Roy responded softly.
He glanced down at the draft script in his hand, and a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
28. The Sober Observer (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 28. A sober bystander
Even as the night was about to fall, the mansion was busier than usual.
On the sofa, Mashiro was quietly leaning over the drawing board, still in the calm posture of not caring about the world and only focusing on the drawing paper; Eriri was sitting at the coffee table, altering the design draft while arguing with Shiyu, her tone was sharp but familiar; Kato was leaning against the window, holding the proofreading paper in thought, occasionally inserting a precise attack into the conversation. Nanami made the sound of pots and pans colliding in the kitchen, and Sophie was lying on the hammock, muttering “this group of people is too noisy” but she didn’t move and refused to leave.
Roy stood at the stairs, leaning against the handrail, watching the scene quietly.
“It’s like a home version PV of some kind of light novel-adapted anime.” He thought to himself with self-mockery.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t see the subtle atmosphere between these girls gradually heating up. On the contrary, he knew it all too well.
He knew that his appearance was too outstanding. It was a kind of beauty that could transcend gender and reason – genetic genes plus the heroic spirit template, if that face was born in ancient times, it would probably have driven nobles and princes crazy.
And when this face is coupled with his “clear mind, precise words, and steady behavior” personality, it becomes an almost irresistible source of attraction for many girls during their growing up stages.
Mashiro is close to him with a natural dependence and obsession; although Eriri yells at him, she is always the first to turn back to confirm whether he is there; Kato remains calm, but stays here more and more often; Shiwa knows that he is in danger, but still insists on walking towards the fire.
It’s not that he doesn’t understand.
But he still just stood on the edge.
It’s not about avoiding, nor about enjoying, it’s just –
He has not yet truly “established himself” in this world.
It’s not that there is no sense of belonging, but that we haven’t had time to establish it yet.
He is aware of his identity as a “time traveler”, and he also knows that although this world is a paradise of the fusion of the two dimensions, it still has its own rules, its own system, and things that he must understand.
Until then, he won’t rashly break the balance.
“I don’t want to be dragged into the harem to fix water pipes just after moving into this house.” He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and muttered to himself.
At this moment, Mashiro suddenly raised her head and looked at him.
“What are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at a very lively daily group portrait.” Roy walked down the stairs and came to her side. He picked up the scattered draft paper on the table and gently folded it. “The composition is very good, but the color matching is a bit mixed.”
Mashiro tilted her head, “I like it brighter.”
“I know.” Roy smiled calmly, “But if the world is too bright, it can sometimes obscure people’s expressions.”
Mashiro was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head and continued painting.
The quarrel between Eriri and Shiwa became the background music. In the background, Kato quietly turned the next page of paper. Nanami’s pot lid slammed again. Sophie turned over again and cursed in a low voice: “You humans are so noisy…”
——
Roy turned his head and watched all this.
He knew that sooner or later he would be caught in the eye of this typhoon of “beautiful girl’s daily life + creative hell”.
But until then, he can still be a “sober bystander.”
At least for a little while longer.
late at night.
The lights in the house had long been turned off, leaving only the weak reading light in the study. Roy sat on the sofa, a novel from the original world spread out on his knees, and beside him, Sophie was curled up beside him wrapped in a blanket, holding an empty blood bag in her hands, with a slightly raised corner of her mouth, obviously in a good mood.
“You must have said it so harshly today.” Roy tilted his head and looked at her softly.
“Hmph.” Sophie responded with disdain, staring at the ceiling. “They’re too noisy. I can’t concentrate on watching the anime.”
“Is it really because of this?” Roy thought.
“…One more thing.” Sophie tilted her head and added softly, “You’ve been too gentle to them lately.”
“I do this to everyone.”
“Then you should be special to me.”
Roy smiled softly, without saying anything, but reached out and rubbed her hair. Sophie was startled, but did not refuse, instead she moved closer, like a kitten occupying its territory.
“That’s more like it…” she muttered under her breath.
At the same time, in the other room
Shiyu sat in Kato’s temporary guest room, drinking evening tea elegantly. She asked with a hint of playfulness:
“What do you think of that ‘Miss Vampire’?”
Kato replied calmly: “Not like a human. But…very real.”
“You can tell?”
“The way she talks, it’s not flattering, and it’s not concealed,” Kato said softly, “Most girls would fake their emotions, but she doesn’t. It’s possessiveness.”
“Well… you noticed it too.” Shiyu stroked her chin gently, “That lady, from her eyes to her movements, she has the confidence of a ‘first comer’.”
“She seems to really care about Roy.” Kato said calmly without any emotion, “But… Roy didn’t completely reject it either.”
“Of course I won’t refuse,” Shiyu chuckled, her eyes sharpening, “He may look like a gentleman, but he’s actually the most dangerous type when it comes to relationships – he won’t refuse, but he won’t accept easily either. He’s like reading a novel, observing, waiting, and recording.”
“What should we do then?”
“Stay here.” Shiyu said softly, with a glimmer of interest in her eyes. “This story has just begun.”
In the morning, next to the storage room at the end of the corridor on the second floor.
The morning sun shone into the corridor, and the air was filled with the faint aroma of bread and fried eggs. Mashiro leaned against the wall, holding a sketchbook in her hands. Her fair face was expressionless, and she just stared at the ceiling with empty eyes.
Eriri walked quickly from the other end of the stairs, looked around impatiently, and after confirming that there was no one around, she whispered, “Hey, Mashiro, why are you standing here?”
“Waiting for you.” Mashiro replied softly.
Ying Lili was stunned for a moment, her cheeks flushed: “Who asked you to wait for me… It’s like we were having a secret date.”
“Isn’t it?” Mashiro tilted his head, “Yesterday you said you wanted to discuss ‘alliance operations’.”
“…I, I’m talking about collaboration in terms of creation!” Eriri yelled, quickly lowering her voice, “Can you please not make every sentence so misleading!”
Mashiro nodded and hugged the sketchbook tightly, “Okay. Let’s have the meeting now.”
29. Tactical Game (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 29. Tactical game illustrations
Mashiro looked at Eriri while holding the sketchbook.
Eriri took a breath, stood beside her, and leaned against the wall, lowering her voice: “First, let’s talk about that woman – Kasumigaoka Utaha.”
“…venomous tongue.” Mashiro commented bluntly.
“Yes, she has a very sharp tongue and her words are always sharp, but as soon as she saw Roy, her face became gentle and her voice became soft!” Ying Lili gritted her teeth, “I tell you, this kind of person is the most terrible!”
Mashiro nodded: “She wants an owner.”
Eriri glared at her. “Can you please stop calling him ‘owner’? At least show some respect for the fact that he is… a man.”
“The owner is the owner.” Mashiro insisted, “I don’t want to leave him.”
“…Who wants to chase you away? I just…I just…want to have more chances to chat with him.” Eriri muttered softly, her voice getting lower and lower until it finally sounded like a mosquito’s hum. “It’s rare to see that expression on his face…I always feel like he’s actually very lonely.”
Mashiro didn’t say anything. After a while of silence, he said, “Yeah, I know. The owner occasionally sits on the balcony alone to watch the stars.”
Ying Lili’s heart tightened, and a little annoyance appeared on her face: “You live with him every day… I can’t compare with him at all.”
“…You’re noisy, but he likes the characters you draw.” Mashiro said softly.
Ying Lili was stunned for a moment, then turned her head away: “Don’t think I will thank you.”
The two were silent for a while, and Eriri asked again in a low voice: “What about Kato Megumi? What do you think of her?”
“Like air.” Mashiro said lightly.
“This evaluation is too much!”
“I don’t mean it in a bad way.” Mashiro explained seriously, “She won’t make us uncomfortable when she’s around us. And…she doesn’t look at her owner’s face.”
“Shiha would stare into his eyes, Eriri would peek at his profile, and Megumi… wouldn’t look at anyone.”
Ying Lili’s mouth twitched: “You…when did you become so observant?”
Mashiro lowered his head and flipped through the notebook in his hand: “I was thinking about this while I was drawing you.”
Eriri was silent for two seconds, with mixed feelings in her mind: “…So do you think Kato is a threat?”
“I don’t know.” Mashiro said, “Maybe not for now.”
“In other words, as long as we keep an eye on that woman Shiyu, then—”
“——It’s time for breakfast everyone!” Nanami’s crisp voice came from downstairs.
Eriri and Mashiro looked up at the same time.
“Let’s eat first.” Mashiro said, and left first with the notebook in his arms.
Eriri followed: “Hey, wait for me! …We haven’t come up with a plan yet!”
The two of them continued their discussion in low voices as they walked down the stairs, but they didn’t notice that –
In the shadow at the corner of the corridor, Kato Megumi stood quietly, as if blending into the wall.
Her expression remained calm, but her clear eyes blinked gently the moment the sun set.
No one knew that she heard everything clearly from beginning to end.
After dinner, everyone gathered in the center of the living room.
Roy’s living room has been completely transformed into a “creative base.” An entire wall is covered with character setting drawings and process sketches, with a low round table in the center and several lazy sofas and cushions around it.
Mashiro sat on the carpet holding a tablet, her expression as blank as ever, but her hands were constantly drawing. Eriri sat in the corner, holding the drawing board in her arms, looking at Roy from time to time, but quickly looking away.
Shiyu sat most elegantly, with a copy of Roy’s first draft of the script on her lap, flipping through it very carefully. And Kato Megumi…didn’t go to the window today, but sat firmly to Roy’s right, looking “naturally in place”.
Roy looked around and said calmly:
“What we have been working on these past two days is the first three chapters of the manga “Magic Index”. The first draft of the script has been completed, and the storyboard draft has also taken shape.”
As he spoke, he gently placed a few folders and a tablet on the table, and the image was immediately projected onto the living room wall.
“We will first review the script paragraph by paragraph, and then confirm the rhythm of the scenes. After that, we will enter the final draft stage. Opinions are free to be raised, no worries.”
“Then I’ll be polite.” Shiyu raised her hand first with a sweet smile on her face. “In the dialogue on the third page, the male protagonist suddenly quoted Shakespeare’s line ‘Even chains cannot restrain the mind’… Isn’t that too pretentious for a high school student?”
“But that line comes after he breaks the spell with his right hand.” Roy responded calmly, “It needs a little bit of a middle school feeling as a keynote of the world view.”
“You can pretend, but you have to be cool.” Eriri suddenly added, “If you don’t change the rhythm of that line, readers will think you are just reciting a line, not speaking from your heart.”
“I can smooth out the rhythm.” Roy nodded, “But in terms of character setting, he should have been the ‘hard-core second-year’ of that era.”
“…I added two additional drafts yesterday.” Mashiro suddenly looked up and handed the tablet over, “They are two angles before and after ‘right hand extended’.”
Roy took it and looked at it for a few seconds, then whispered, “Very good. This low-angle upward shot is very powerful and shows the character’s momentum very well.”
Mashiro nodded, “I drew the type I like.”
Ying Lili couldn’t help rolling her eyes and said, “As long as you like it.”
“I also modified it a little yesterday.” Kato suddenly said, “…In terms of dialogue, I shortened the introduction of ‘Academy City’ to three sentences. It was too long.”
Everyone looked at her.
Kato said calmly: “You are working on a comic, not a setting collection.”
Shiha gave a meaningful smile: “…You speak surprisingly professionally, Kato-san.”
“I’m not a professional, just a reader.” Kato answered calmly, “You all know this story too well, so it’s easy to forget how it feels to see it for the first time.”
The corner of Eriri’s mouth twitched: “…Although it sounds unpleasant, it does make sense.”
Roy smiled softly: “That’s why I dragged her here.”
“Ha… what a bastard.” Eriri bit her pen and glared at Roy.
Shiyu’s lips curled up into a smile, but she did not refute it. Instead, she actually turned to the second part of the manuscript.
“Then let’s talk about the rhythm of the battle.” She looked at Roy with an ambiguous look in her eyes, “Also, is the heroine’s role… too little?”
As soon as these words came out, Eriri raised her eyebrows, Mashiro stopped writing, and Kato blinked.
The air froze in an instant.
Roy did not answer immediately, but just looked at the storyboard sketch on the wall and said calmly:
“The protagonist of this work has been the ‘conflict of ideas and beliefs’ from the very beginning. The heroine is not a foil or a vase, but the embodiment of one side of the conflict. So the role does not depend on the number, but on the presence at the key nodes.”
“That’s a nice thing to say.” Shiyu raised an eyebrow, “But I don’t believe you’re not secretly favoring a certain character.”
“Who do you want to talk about?” Roy looked at her.
“I didn’t say that.” Shiyu closed the manuscript with a smile.
At this moment, Mashiro in the corner suddenly said:
“I also want to draw more heroines.”
Ying Lili was startled, then she coughed softly: “…It’s not impossible, I can also try to draw some plot illustrations.”
Roy looked at them and suddenly smiled: “Then let’s give it a try.”
But the next second, he turned to look at Kato: “What about you? Who do you think should be the character that the audience remembers the most?”
Kato lowered his head and took a sip of water, then said calmly: “…It’s not about ‘who’, but ‘how to appear’.”
“The audience doesn’t remember the setting. What they remember is what a character did, what he said, and how he looked when he first appeared.”
She paused and said, “If you really want people to remember her, let her carve herself completely into the picture on one page.”
Roy’s eyes narrowed.
He realized that this “meeting” was much more than just a creative discussion.
This is the beginning of the first real “harem tactical game”.
30. The usual beachside camp (old version)
The life of a manga master: 30. The customary beachside training camp
The creative meeting lasted into the afternoon.
Kato made many calm and sharp suggestions on structure, Shiwa showed her writing skills in language details, while Eriri and Mashiro each took their own sides in terms of the rhythm of visual presentation and “performance tension”, sometimes competing and sometimes cooperating. Nanami took notes silently and handed over hand-brewed coffee from time to time. The entire creative team seemed to be in a harmonious atmosphere on the surface, but in fact they had their own thoughts.
Just as everyone was discussing how to improve the next stage of the storyboard, Roy suddenly stood up, walked to the big whiteboard, and wrote a few words at the bottom:
“Short-term training: three days and two nights”
Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on it.
“Training?” Eriri frowned. “Are you serious? You know we are students, right? Some of us have to go to cram school.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already booked it for the weekend and the next holiday. The location is a private beach villa with complete facilities and weak signal.” Roy smiled calmly, “There I can completely get rid of distractions and focus on my creation.”
“Private beach…” Shiyu raised her eyebrows slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, “It sounds like an arrangement very much like your style.”
“You can go there in person, right?” Kato answered surprisingly accurately.
“…You could say that.” Roy nodded.
“I don’t want to leave the room,” Mashiro whispered.
“You don’t need to leave. I will move you and your sketchpad intact.” Roy spread his hands.
“It sounds like kidnapping.” Eriri rolled her eyes, “But…if it’s really white, I’ll go too.”
“Then I’ll join in, too.” Shiyu’s smile deepened. “After all, if I don’t ‘go to the front line’, how can I know how true your ‘on-the-ground tactics’ are?”
“I can cook.” Nanami said softly.
“Then… I’ll be responsible for the itinerary and supplies.” Kato added lightly, and no one objected.
So, the plan was decided.
——However, before that, there is still a small problem that needs to be “dealt with quietly”.
On the day of the training camp, 10 a.m.
As everyone was starting to gather, Roy gently pushed open the bedroom door and looked at the blonde girl, Sophie, who was sleeping soundly on the huge lazy sofa curled up behind the blackout curtains.
Her face was peaceful, her breathing was even, and she held the blood bag like she was holding a hot water bottle.
“…I’m sorry, Sophie.” Roy squatted down and whispered, “You said you hate noise and that there are too many human girls… But you also said that as long as I don’t leave too far, you don’t mind where you sleep.”
He looked at the specially made large sun-proof and light-blocking suitcase – it was equipped with air conditioning, light-blocking, a built-in blood pack refrigerator, a passive magic shield, and a customized “princess hug-type” vacuum cotton pad.
He gently picked up Sophie, his movements extremely gentle, even adjusting the angle at which she was holding the blood bag to make sure she would not wake up from the touch, and then put her safely into the suitcase.
“You are…luggage today.” Roy whispered.
The suitcase closed with a click, and after activating the magic buffer system, he dragged the suitcase downstairs.
“Roy, what strange things did you bring again?” Ying Lili looked at him curiously.
“I… brought some very important personal items.” Roy said frankly.
“It can’t be that golden statue collection of yours again…” Shiyu narrowed her eyes.
“No.” Roy smiled, “It’s much more important than that…the lifeline.”
No one noticed that the silver-haired girl turned over in the suitcase and muttered vaguely: “Don’t make noise… Night is the time for the nobility…”
As the afternoon approaches, the sun penetrates the mist on the coastline and sprinkles on the golden and delicate beach. The waves gently hit the shore, and in the distance the crystal blue sea extends to the sky, intertwined with the clouds, like a painting that is too real.
The villa is located on the cliff by the sea. It is a three-story modern building with white and dark gray lines on the exterior. The floor-to-ceiling windows and open balcony offer a panoramic view of the sea. The interior is a unified minimalist design style, but there is no lack of luxurious details. There is also an outdoor swimming pool, barbecue platform, and a private staircase leading to the beach at the back.
“This place… is even more upscale than I imagined.” Shiyu put down her luggage, stood on the balcony, looking at the sea, and raised her eyebrows slightly.
“This is so unfair!” Eriri stamped her feet in anger, “This isn’t a ‘training’ at all, this is a vacation!!”
“No matter what you say, I’m not going to deny it.” Roy shrugged, “But you guys just came in and started taking pictures, don’t be so hypocritical.”
“…It’s just for material storage.” Eriri looked away.
“Mashiro, do you like it here?” Roy looked at the silver-haired girl who was standing in the middle of the living room, staring blankly at the swimming pool.
“…The smell of the sea.” Mashiro nodded gently, “You can draw it.”
“What are you drawing?”
“…You.” Mashiro looked at him seriously.
Everyone: “…”
“Ahem.” Kato cleared his throat, “Now that everyone is here, why don’t we… go for a walk on the beach?”
“I agree!” Eriri immediately raised her hands. “Who wants to work right away? It’s such a waste not to bask in the sun in this weather!”
“Then relax for a while.” Roy smiled and turned to go upstairs, “You guys go first, I have some things to clean up.”
Just as everyone was running towards the beach in swimsuits, holding parasols and water guns, in the bedroom at the back of the third floor, it was so quiet that the only sound could be heard was the wind blowing the curtains.
“…It’s so noisy.” A lazy voice sounded from behind the blackout curtain.
Sophie slowly sat up from the cushion and squinted her eyes to look around.
White ceiling, quiet space, and the smell of salty sea breeze in the air.
“This is not my home.”
She looked down at her body: “…It’s not my sofa either.”
“…” She paused for a second, then slowly turned her head to look at the miniature refrigerator next to her that neatly stored blood bags, and the… locked suitcase rack in the corner.
“…Roy.” Her voice turned cold.
Five minutes later, Roy came down the stairs and saw Sophie standing on the balcony. She was wearing a nightgown with the lid of the suitcase kicked open at her feet.
“You.” She pointed at him, her eyes dark.
“Um… good morning.” Roy waved at her, “Welcome to… the sunny creative training camp.”
“You packed me up and took me away?” Her voice was low, as if releasing a red mist.
“I told you that you don’t like noise, but I also told you that you can’t be too far away from me.” Roy said confidently.
Sophie snorted coldly and turned around, with her skirt slightly lifted up as she moved: “…I will bite you.”
“Are they biting at the beach? Be careful of getting a tan.”
She turned her head sharply and said: “I’m not afraid of the dark, I just hate the sun.”
“Then wait until night time, then you can scare me again.” Roy looked up at the sea, “Now you can consider this as our ‘private moonlit night reservation’.”
Sophie was stunned.
After a moment, she gently landed back on the sofa, lowered her head and began to open the blood bag.
“You are responsible for providing me with cooling and dimming.”
“It has been arranged.”
“And don’t bring anyone else to the third floor at night.”
Roy grinned, “That depends on how well you behave tonight.”
Sophie: “…”
The vampire girl blushed for a moment, but then she snorted coldly and turned away.
31. Creative material record: Swimming pool, Sanluochang? Chapter 1 (old version)
The life of a manga master: 31. Creative material record: Swimming pool in Sanroku? The first chapter of the picture and text
The dazzling sun shines on the private beach, the waves beat against the shells on the shore, the white sand is soft, and the air is filled with salt and heat.
Eriri stepped on the sea water, pulling on her sun protection clothes while making a scissors hand gesture to the camera: “Hey, Kato, did you take the picture? If the composition is off at this angle, I will–“
Kato Hui stood not far away and said calmly: “Your sun hat is pressing down your bangs.”
“What…Ahhhh, why didn’t you tell me earlier!” Eriri quickly held up her hat, “Do it again—”
On the other side, Mashiro was already sitting on a beach chair in a white bikini, quietly drawing. The background was a curtain she had set up herself, with “cover visual test draft” written on the back. She stared at the drawing board, drawing herself holding a cold drink in the sun stroke by stroke.
“…It has to feel like water beads,” she said to herself, “summer sweat and the reflection of the beach.”
Shiyu was standing on the other side, wearing a dark blue swimsuit with a bold cut and a very mature temperament. She was playing with a pair of sunglasses sideways, and her eyes swept over the other two people calmly.
“Are you drawing yourself?” She suddenly walked over to Mashiro and smiled gently, “Are you so narcissistic because no one else is worthy of your attention?”
“I just used the most suitable person as a reference.” Mashiro said calmly, “No one is more suitable than me to be the cover protagonist.”
“Haha.” Shiyu smiled softly, her eyes falling on Eriri, “I’m afraid someone will be unhappy with what I said.”
“Who are you talking about, you old woman!” Eriri immediately exploded, “Your swimsuit…your swimsuit is just meant to provoke, right? Do you think that you can get a cover shot by exposing yourself…”
“I just chose a style that suits me.” Shiyu continued calmly, “Unlike some people who can only come up with a distorted aesthetic of the second dimension.”
“Say it again!!”
“I’m just worried that your little belly is getting in the way of the composition.”
“You-you poisonous woman!”
“Are you talking about me… or yourself?”
Eriri’s face had turned red, but Mashiro was still sitting there, continuing to draw lines, as if this war had nothing to do with her. But the lines she drew gradually became darker, and the outlines looked more and more like her.
Just as the three of them were gradually moving towards a three-way balance of power——
Roy came from a distance holding a few coconut drinks, wearing a simple T-shirt and beach pants, with his blond hair shining softly in the sun. As soon as he approached, the three of them looked at him in unison.
“Um…what were you arguing about just now?”
The three of them said in unison: “No!”
Roy: “…You’ll scare Kato like this.”
Turning around, Kato Megumi was still standing not far away, holding a large towel, watching everything with an indifferent expression – then she lowered her head and took a sip of coconut juice.
“…It’s quite beautiful.” She commented softly, but it was unclear what she was saying.
Roy chuckled and shared the drinks among the three people: “Would you like to have a vote? Take a few pictures and then let everyone choose who took the best picture.”
The three of them were stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then they looked at each other at the same time.
Eriri: “Humph, I won’t lose.”
Shiyu: “Voting… I am best at conquering people’s hearts with my works.”
Mashiro: “I’ve already drawn it.”
At this time, Kato suddenly came over, put a towel on his shoulders, and asked softly: “Do you need photography assistance? I have adjusted the parameters.”
The three of them were startled and looked at her in unison.
Roy raised his eyebrows slightly: “Kato…are you going to join the war?”
Kato glanced at them and said calmly: “No, I just want to see if you will fall into the water together after arguing.”
“You…you are the one who will fall in!” Ying Lili said angrily.
And Shiyu laughed: “You really are a terrible bystander.”
Mashiro put down the drawing board, however: “…If you fall in, I can draw a wet version.”
The atmosphere gradually became tense.
Roy smiled and sat down, silently opened his notebook, and wrote “Creative material record: Swimming pool Sanlo Field? Chapter 1” on the title page.
Creative material record: Swimming pool, Luochang
Recorder: Roy (temporary editor-in-chief and observer)
Scene setting: private beach, afternoon, clear sky, bright sun.
Shooting purpose: Get reference material for the new chapter illustrations of the comics. Secondary goal: Confirm the composition direction of the “character visual axis”.
Round 1: Character entry – “active” two-person development
Entrant ①: Eriri (Illustrator)
Status: Highly alert + trying to take control of the C position
Swimsuit style: double-strap playful bikini + fluorescent color + drawing tablet waterproof case
Action trajectory: seize the center position without any instructions and start self-guided pose rotation
Note: Trying to create the story atmosphere with the first visual of “Yuanqi style”
[Observation Notes]: Eriri has a very strong expressiveness, but this is accompanied by a strong desire for presence and control, and she has a natural confrontation with other characters. She knows that she is “the one who understands the picture best”, so she always wants to dominate in the composition. Her hostility has quietly heated up before Shiyu appeared.
Entrant ②: Mashiro (Main manga artist)
Status: Naturally empty + painting on my own
Swimsuit style: Pure white one-piece swimsuit + shell hair accessories + a drawing board that you can’t let go of at the beach
Action track: After Eriri sets the composition, he automatically sits in the corner, and then immerses himself in the depiction of Roy’s “shell image”
Note: She seems to be unaware that the theme of the photo shoot is “Swimsuit Performance” and is currently working on “her own Roy drawing”
[Observation Notes]: Mashiro is indifferent to the competition for the C position, but her sense of presence is significantly increased due to her “sense of alienation”. She is the “inappropriate” quiet factor in the picture, with an abrupt poetic feeling. Her positioning can be classified as [Quiet? Medium Danger].
Round 2: Tactical interveners appear on the scene – “mature offensive” starts
Participant ③: Kasumigaoka Utaha (Scenario Supervisor)
Status: Elegant, precise, and focused on “killer atmosphere”
Swimsuit style: black and blue interwoven high waist split + tulle blouse + perfect makeup
Movement trajectory: Slowly walk into the camera, accurately position to occupy the left side of Ying Lili, and the movement has a strong sense of “portrait guidance”
Note: The first line of question is “Roy, which composition do you prefer?” Obviously the goal is not photography, but psychological warfare
[Observation Notes]: Shiha’s strength lies not in her appearance but in her speech. She knows that Roy is the “creative center”, so her offensive cannot avoid influencing Roy. She has fierce conflicts with Eriri, and her language is extremely lethal. She has a laissez-faire attitude towards Mashiro, and is implicitly on guard against Kato.
Excerpts from the conversation (conflict escalates):
Eriri: “Who would believe your elegance? I knew you weren’t here for the photo shoot, but to be the king of the battlefield!”
Shiyu (with the same smile): “Then at least, I have the ability to unify the situation, right? Unlike someone who even argued about the positions.”
Mashiro: “…I’ve finished drawing the shells.”
Round 3: Observational Entry – “Stealth Character Awakening”
Entrant ④: Kato Megumi (Assistant)
Status: No surface + data priority + subtle changes
Swimsuit style: light-colored short top + knee-length pants + sun-proof cape (most conservative)
Action track: Responsible for checking the photographic equipment and remote composition. She did not actively enter the camera during the whole process, but… she set herself as the “photographer’s perspective”
[Observation Notes]: On the surface, he is an outsider, but in fact he is guiding the rhythm of the entire shooting. The photo angle is chosen accurately, and there is an independent “photo editing tag record” for each person in the photo. The potential is very strong, and the emotions are hidden too deeply. The hostility cannot be seen, but the speed of adaptation cannot be ignored.
Special event: When Roy proposes “taking a group photo”, the Shura Field trigger condition is triggered
Event Summary:
Roy: “Shall we take a group photo?”
Eriri: “Then I’ll stand next to you!”
Shiyu: “I just need a reference point, so stand over here.”
Mashiro (walks silently to Roy’s side): “I was right next to him.”
Kato: “I’ll press the shutter.” → Roy: “You come in too.”
[Observation Notes]: At this time, Kato first showed his “will to participate after hesitation”, which was a slight but real “position shift”. This photo became the most “explosive” one among all the subsequent material records.
32. Shura Field Breath (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 32. The breath of Shura Field
The setting sun dyed the sky orange-red, and the sound of waves slowly lapping against the beach. On the terrace in front of the villa, the barbecue grill had already been set up, the charcoal fire was crackling, and the air was filled with the aroma of burnt fat.
“——Huh, this is the correct way to start a training camp!” Eriri rolled up her sleeves and excitedly flipped the grilled chicken wings on the iron grid, a sense of accomplishment written all over her face.
“You’re really a woman who knows how to cook.” Shiyu stood aside and skewered beef elegantly. She had a sharp tongue but her movements were quick and decisive.
“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t put salt in there instead of sugar.” Eriri pouted.
“Huh? At least I’m better than someone else at not turning grilled corn into charcoal.” Shiyu responded calmly.
Mashiro sat quietly on a small stool, holding a skewer of grilled tomatoes in her hand. She ate while staring at the rolling flames in a daze, as if she had already drawn up a new comic scene in her mind: a human fight in the flames.
And then, the disaster finally arrived.
“——Okay, everyone, make way and leave this part to me!” Roy walked forward confidently with an apron on his face, holding two large bowls full of pickled ingredients in his hands, like a chef ready to perform a magic trick.
“Are you… sure?” Kato tilted his head slightly, as if he had vaguely sensed something.
“I’ve said before, I’ll get rid of the reputation of ‘Kitchen Killer’!” Roy vowed, and threw a few skewers of pork belly directly onto the grill. With a sizzling sound, the charcoal fire began to burn.
Three minutes later——
“Hey, hey, hey, how much oil did you put in? Why are the flames three feet high?” Ying Lili exclaimed.
“Is this color… preset?” Shiyu asked calmly, but with an upward tone, and it was obvious that she was organizing her words to express sarcasm.
“Wow…it’s turned into charcoal.” Mashiro held the tomato skewer and looked at the “dark meat” in Roy’s hand with shock.
“I, I just wanted it to be a little burnt on the surface…but it ended up being burnt all over…” Roy smiled stiffly and turned over the piece of meat that could hardly be called “meat” anymore. The other side had already cracked and broke into three pieces.
“…Did you use sugar instead of salt just now?” Nanami poked her head out of the kitchen window, holding a freshly made seafood cold dish in her hand.
“Uh, it seems that the white one was released…?” Roy lowered his head.
Everyone fell into dead silence.
“Huh… you really should be forbidden from approaching fire.” Kato finally made an objective evaluation.
Just as Roy was about to quietly clean up his “sacrificed” kebabs, a small white hand reached out and took the baking tray away for him.
“Let me do it.” Kato said lightly, and began to accurately grab cumin powder and sea salt from the seasoning bowl next to him. His movements were steady and calm, as if he was already used to storms.
Roy looked at her operating procedures that seemed to be systematically set up, and for a moment he was somewhat moved.
“…How on earth can you do everything?” he couldn’t help but ask.
Kato didn’t even look up: “Because I know you’re going to mess it up.”
Ying Lili: “You are even more poisonous than the fat woman!”
Shiyu: “No, she’s not saying it harshly enough.”
Mashiro: “…The owner failed.”
“Don’t summarize it like a defeat report, okay?” Roy held his head.
In this way, in the sea breeze and flames, everyone bickered while engaging in their own offensive and defensive battles around the barbecue. As night fell, the barbecue grill continued to emit fragrance, and the laughter and firelight intertwined into unforgettable scenes.
No one says it, but they all know that this is the most precious time in creative life, “time without writing.”
“The sun is setting.”
As Eriri finished her words, the last golden line on the horizon slowly sank. The night was like a gentle curtain, wrapping the entire private beach in a hazy blue.
“That is to say…” Mashiro bit into a tomato skewer and looked back in the direction of the villa.
The next second, the door of the villa was slowly pushed open with a creaky sound.
It was as if the curtain of a stage was drawn aside, and a figure in a dark cloak walked out slowly, his long silver hair swaying in the night breeze, his steps light but with an unignorable presence.
“… Humph, it’s finally quiet.” Sophie lazily walked out of the shadows holding the blood bag, with impatience from just waking up still hanging on the corners of her mouth.
Her eyes immediately passed over the barbecue grill, charcoal fire and ingredients, and locked onto Roy who was standing beside them.
“You, what do you mean by hiding me in the suitcase?”
Roy was trying to turn over a piece of burnt pork belly. When he heard this, his hands shook and the grill almost flipped over.
“…I’m doing this for your own good. You said you didn’t want to be in the sun, I just want to make sure you can sleep until dark.”
“How is sleeping in a foam box considered ‘protection’? Do you want me to experience coffin mode the moment I wake up?” Sophie approached slowly, her red eyes flickering.
“Didn’t you say ‘coffins are the romance of vampires’?” Roy shrugged, looking very reasonable.
“I was just describing the atmosphere! Not literally!”
“The atmosphere is perfect, villa + private beach + starry sky + barbecue + vampires, it’s totally on the cover of a monthly magazine.”
Everyone listened in silence to the daily bickering of this “night partner”, and Eriri couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“…It feels like she is the mistress,” she muttered.
Shiyu smiled and took a sip of her drink, “No, you just now realize that she is at the top of the food chain.”
Mashiro looked at the blood bag in Sophie’s hand and tilted his head and said, “I thought you would look for your owner first when you woke up, not drink blood first?”
“Of course I drink blood first.” Sophie snorted and glanced at the people sitting around, “Otherwise, when I see you eating and drinking around Roy, I won’t be able to control my sneer at this ‘competition for the top of the human food chain’.”
Kato silently moved the chicken skewers he was grilling a little further away.
“Well, I didn’t prepare anything for you to eat.” Roy smiled helplessly, “But at least you’re here, and this dinner is complete.”
“Don’t try to flatter me.” Sophie finished sucking the last sip of blood and squinted her eyes like a satisfied cat. “But… it smells better than I thought.”
“So, you want to join us?” Roy held out his hand in an inviting gesture.
Sophie looked at his hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally snorted: “You barely passed today.”
So the vampire lady sat next to Roy under the cover of night, and all the girls’ eyes quietly gathered on that position.
The flames are flickering, but people’s hearts are unclear.
The skewers of meat on the charcoal fire made a sizzling sound, but it could not cover up a vague feeling of——
The atmosphere of Shura Field.
33. This is more like a confession than “I like you” (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 33. This is more like a confession than “I like you”
Late at night, the sea breeze with a damp and salty smell swept across the roof, and the night enveloped the entire private beach as gently as velvet.
The lights in most rooms in the villa were off, only the warm light on the second-floor balcony was still on.
Roy leaned back in his chair, looking at the dozens of pages of creative notes in front of him. He didn’t flip through them, just stared at the pile of text, as if his thoughts had already drifted far away.
He didn’t notice that a quiet figure had quietly opened the door and walked out.
“You haven’t slept yet.”
Roy turned around and was slightly stunned: “Kato?”
She was wearing soft home clothes and holding two cans of iced fruit tea in her hands. There was no gorgeous decoration, only the usual lightness like water.
“I just wanted to drink something.” She handed him a can, “but when I opened the refrigerator, I thought you might still be awake.”
“Thank you.” Roy took it and smiled, “I thought you were asleep.”
“I can’t sleep.” Kato sat beside him, folded his legs, and hugged his knees with his hands. “It’s too quiet here. I’m just daydreaming.”
“Creative pressure?”
“No.” She glanced at him, her eyes as calm as always, but with a hint of…uncertainty than during the day.
“Roy.” She suddenly spoke softly.
“Do you remember what you said when you invited me to join the project?”
Roy blinked and chuckled: “I said a lot of things, which one do you want to be specific about?”
“You said you needed someone who could keep the pace.” She gently rested her forehead on her arm. “Actually, I didn’t understand what you were talking about at the time, but I came anyway.”
“Do you understand now?”
Kato was silent for a moment, then said softly:
“I’m not sure if I helped you keep your rhythm, but… you did influence me.”
Her voice was still light, but not as calm as before. Instead, it was like a stone falling gently into the night sea, stirring up a circle of soft ripples.
Roy opened his eyes slightly and looked at her profile.
“I’ve never been the kind of person who likes ‘shine’.” She spoke slowly, but her tone was unusually frank, “But you are different. You obviously have light, but you don’t try to illuminate anyone. You just stand there silently.”
“I thought you didn’t like complicated interpersonal relationships.” Roy said softly.
“I really don’t like it.” She smiled, “But if I don’t take the initiative to approach you, I can only stand aside and watch—watch you handle so many things by yourself, listen to you talk about your work with others, and share your inspirations.”
She raised her head, and for the first time, there were ripples of unrest in the depths of her dark eyes.
“I don’t want that.”
The night wind seemed to stop at this moment.
Roy stared at her blankly, unable to speak for a long time.
“I don’t know if this counts as ‘love’.” Kato continued, his speech speed barely changing, “But I know that if you ever decide to return to your original world… I would hate to be a ‘partner’ and see you off.”
There was a long silence.
Roy suddenly smiled, and that smile wasn’t teasing or gentle like usual, but real, gentle seriousness.
“Kato, you are so cunning.”
“I didn’t say ‘like you’.” She replied calmly.
“But every word you say… is more like a confession than those three words.”
The two looked at each other in silence.
Then, a light breeze rose and the sound of waves began to rise again, as if the world had acquiesced to this moment.
“I will remember this.” Roy said softly, “But I won’t let you regret joining this team. Because from the moment you came to me… I don’t want to be alone anymore.”
Kato lowered his head and hummed softly.
At the corner of the stairs in the distance, a pair of dark red eyes stared at this side quietly. The girl hiding behind the moonlight quietly withdrew her gaze and retreated silently into the night.
Late at night, only a faint light was left in the villa’s living room. Roy sat on the sofa by the window, with the draft of the picture book spread out on the table. His eyes had already drifted to the night sea outside the window, so quiet that it seemed as if everything had been paused by time.
“You look very anxious now.”
Kato Megumi sat opposite him, her voice as quiet as water.
Roy turned to look at her, a hint of smile in his eyes, but he seemed to be hiding something.
“I…maybe I’m too greedy.”
“…Greedy?” Kato tilted his head.
“I thought I would feel at ease as long as you were by my side.” He whispered, “But I found that I was increasingly reluctant to let you leave alone, but… I couldn’t keep you alone.”
Kato didn’t respond immediately. She looked at him quietly, as if waiting for him to finish.
Roy continued, “You’re the one who understands me the most and makes me relax the most… but I… I want more. I want you, and I want them… I know this is too much.”
Kato was silent for a while, then smiled slightly, that smile was as gentle and fragile as the night breeze blowing across the glass.
“I’ve known for a long time that you’re not just an ordinary person,” she said softly. “When you casually took out strange books from the air, and once lifted a 50-kilogram easel like a piece of paper… I guessed it.”
Roy was startled, then smiled bitterly: “So it was exposed a long time ago.”
“Well. You are not someone that can be ‘circled’ by everyone.” Kato looked at him, his tone was calm, but it was like a nail driving into his heart, “You will attract more people, and you will be needed by more people… I can’t, and shouldn’t, tie you down.”
Roy suddenly felt his chest tighten. He was rarely afraid, but at this moment he felt a little uneasy.
“But…” Kato changed the subject, stood up gently, and sat down next to him, “You said you can’t leave me, right?”
“Of course.” Roy’s voice was low and firm.
“That’s enough.” She leaned on his shoulder, her tone as light as a dream, “I can’t be your only hindrance, but I can be your most stable fulcrum.”
He was stunned, then slowly hugged her.
“benefit……”
He murmured the name again, as if to confirm, to confirm that she was really here, to confirm that she had not left.
Outside the window, the night is gentle and the sound of the tide is soft. The King’s Treasury is sleeping in the void, but in Roy’s reality, some more important “treasures” are quietly glowing in his arms.
34. What unspeakable tacit understanding did you two have just now? (Old version)
The life of a manga writer: 34. What unspeakable tacit understanding did you two have just now?
The next morning, the sun sprinkled on the private beach like a gentle veil. Under several parasols, members of the creative team gathered one after another. The sea breeze, with its salty and cool moisture, blew the scattered sketches and notes on the table.
A drawing board, a laptop, drinks and snacks were already laid out on the long white table. Roy drank coconut juice while watching Eriri, who was still rubbing her eyes, walk towards him.
“Can you please stop looking so sleepy? We still have tasks to be assigned later.” Eriri scolded unceremoniously, “Aren’t you the initiator of this training camp?”
Roy yawned: “I just provide a creative environment… not a manuscript-urging machine.”
“You’ve been trying to fish in troubled waters from the beginning to the end.” Ying Lili snorted coldly.
“I’m thinking about the plot.” He shrugged.
Mashiro also sat down slowly, her eyes a little straight, holding in her hand the character setting drawings that she had completed last night, a total of thirty pages.
“…Aren’t you sleeping?” Ying Lili looked at her in disbelief.
“I slept a little last night.” Mashiro replied calmly, and then added, “…Kato also got up early.”
“Kato?” Eriri glanced at the girl sitting quietly on the other side.
Kato Megumi was already sitting at the edge, with a notebook, notepad, iced coffee and a spare pen neatly placed in front of her. She didn’t say much, but occasionally lowered her head to take notes, as if paying attention to what everyone said, with a normal expression and a stable mood.
“She’s always been like this, right?” Eriri recalled her previous impression.
Mashiro tilted her head: “…It feels a little different.”
“What’s the difference?”
Mashiro thought seriously for two seconds, “It seems… her recording speed has increased.”
Eriri: “This is too subtle! Are you an AI? Can you even see this?”
Roy smiled and said nothing, as if he hadn’t heard anything, but a new line appeared on the page of his notebook: [Kato, entering the “second stage.”]The meeting officially begins.
As the planner, Roy was responsible for the overall guidance, Eriri and Mashiro were responsible for the visuals and character design, Shiwa was responsible for proposing the text content and controlling the aesthetic rhythm, and Kato Megumi took over the task of adjusting the script structure and proofreading the rhythm – although no one said it explicitly, she had become an indispensable “balance anchor” in the script meeting.
“Should we embed the worldview directly into the character interactions in the first chapter ‘Daily Paragraph’?” Shiyu asked as she looked at the draft.
“I prefer to start with the purely daily life and move forward slowly.” Kato said steadily, “The first three chapters lay the foundation for the emotions, and then I can introduce the extraordinary life later.”
“Didn’t you say you had no interest in novels and comics?” Eriri stared at her suspiciously.
Kato said calmly: “I am interested in rhythm.”
“Your words are so irritating.” Ying Lili gritted her teeth.
Mashiro raised her hand: “I also think it’s better to move forward slowly.”
“Then let’s try this plan.” Roy made the decision, and then asked in a seemingly nonchalant tone, “By the way, Shiyu, you are wearing something very…summery today.”
Shiyu smiled elegantly: “I’m afraid of getting tanned, and I’m afraid you won’t pay attention to me.”
Eriri: “…Can you please stop being provocative in your words?”
Mashiro blinked: “…The atmosphere today is a bit complicated.”
Only Kato looked towards the distant sea, her eyes still calm, as if she was waiting for her next action.
The sun gradually sets in the west, and the temperature of the beach changes from scorching hot to gentle. The sand is slightly hot underfoot, but the sea breeze brings a salty and damp coolness.
Everyone was sitting under a makeshift awning, having just finished a round of script discussion. Eriri yawned loudly, then stood up and stretched first.
“I propose that the meeting be adjourned for now! Let’s go for some water activities!” She raised her hand high, her blonde hair reflecting a bright luster in the sunlight.
“Can… I bring a float?” Mashiro asked softly, her fair skin almost transparent under her swimsuit.
“Of course, you don’t need to swim, just… stay floating.” Eriri assured, patting her chest.
Shiyu elegantly put on her sunglasses to block out the sun: “Although I don’t really like sunbathing… but it’s nice to play with you guys occasionally.”
“I’m not very good at sports activities.” Kato Megumi said calmly, but she had already stood up and prepared to change into her swimsuit.
Ying Lili stared at her with dissatisfaction: “You said you are not good at it, but you are always the fastest and your body is surprisingly good… This is too unfair.”
“Thank you for the compliment.” Kato responded calmly as usual.
Roy sat on a beach chair, holding a drawing board and pretending to record his creative inspiration. In fact, he was observing several girls gradually gathering in the middle of the beach, preparing to play in the water, take pictures, play beach volleyball and even – draw swimsuit illustrations.
“…But, I remember you said you wouldn’t go into the sea?” Eriri suddenly turned and asked Kato.
“Yes, but I’ll stay on the shore.” Kato’s tone was as calm as ever, but his eyes glanced at Roy inadvertently.
Roy just happened to look up, and their eyes met briefly.
“You two just now…” Shiyu narrowed her eyes sharply, “What kind of tacit understanding do you have that cannot be expressed?”
“No.” Kato denied immediately.
“I actually hope you do.” Shiyu smiled meaningfully, “That would be fun.”
Eriri: “Hey, don’t say that! It’s beach time! We’re here to relax, not engage in psychological warfare!”
“Let’s have a water fight then.” Mashiro suggested, “I brought balloons.”
Roy sighed silently as he watched a group of swimsuit girls quarreling, chasing, and tumbling in the waves.
——Isn’t this a creative training camp?
Why did it turn into a war drill in front of the Shura Field?
However, watching them playing innocently, their emotions rippling in the sunshine and waves, Roy put down his pen and paper, stood up and walked towards the sea.
He knew very well that although the waves were gentle today, some emotional tides were surging undercurrents.
35. Would you be jealous? (Old version)
The life of a manga writer: 35. Would you be jealous?
The setting sun completely fell into the sea horizon, the afterglow of the sunset faded away, and the beach was shrouded in a layer of gentle blue-gray under the night sky.
In the open space in front of the villa, everyone sat on the ground, surrounding a simple bonfire that had just been lit. In front of them were prepared fireworks and fire-making equipment. The air was filled with the salty sea breeze and the aroma of charcoal fire.
“It’s time to set off fireworks at a time like this.” Eriri hugged her knees, a rare look of ease on her face.
“I’m more looking forward to the fairy wand.” Kato Megumi still expressed the most ordinary wish with a blank expression.
“Well, I want to draw a set of storyboards of silhouettes under fireworks at night.” Mashiro sat quietly beside Roy, staring at the night sky with sparkling eyes.
“The visual effect is indeed good.” Nanami nodded, and then reminded, “But please be careful, especially you, Roy-kun.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with me?” Roy was squatting beside and lighting a fire. “I have a child safety education certificate…”
“You are obviously the one who plays with fire the most.” Shiyu glanced at him with a smile that said “I see through you”.
As the first bunch of fireworks bloomed in the night sky, illuminating everyone’s profile like a blooming golden flower, everyone’s emotions gradually softened, and they briefly forgot the anxiety of creation and the confusion of emotions.
——Just then, amid the rustling sound of the beach, an elegant figure walked slowly out of the darkness.
She was wearing a black dress as dark as the night, holding an open parasol in her hand. Even though the moonlight was bright, she seemed to be keeping a distance from the world.
Her long silver-white hair fell on her shoulders, and her blood-red eyes narrowed slightly under the light of the fireworks.
“You guys are making so much noise that I can’t sleep.”
“Sophie!” Mashiro waved and shouted first.
Roy turned his head and looked at the figure walking in the night, with a slight smile on his face: “You finally woke up.”
“I woke up because of you guys’ noise.” Sophie snorted and walked to the edge of the crowd. She stood with her arms folded, as if she was going to examine this shallow human pleasure.
“Do you want to play together?” Kato asked her calmly, handing her an unlit fairy wand.
“…I don’t want to play with noisy humans like you.” Sophie said with disdain, but her eyes were already on the fairy wand that was shining with silver light.
“Actually, this is pretty nice.” Mashiro suddenly added in a low voice beside her.
“… Humph, since you said so, I’ll give you a little favor.” Sophie took it gently, but her attitude remained arrogant.
The next moment, fireworks soared into the sky again, illuminating this “creative team” from different worlds with conflicting personalities yet a wonderful fusion of people.
Sophie stood at the edge, but she would peek at Roy from time to time. Roy was observing the interactions of the people around him calmly, his eyes subtly passing between Kato Megumi and Shiyu, and smiling gently when Mashiro and Eriri had a small argument.
This is a seemingly peaceful and relaxing time, but in fact it is a foreshadowing of the next stage of the “creation x emotion” confrontation.
And their “summer story” is slowly unfolding in the night and fireworks.
The night is as dark as ink, and the waves lapping against the shore sound like soft whispers.
The fireworks had already burned out, and everyone went back to the villa in twos and threes at Nanami’s urging to wash up. Eriri was still unwilling to say, “My set of fireworks is more beautiful”; Shiyu walked into the house last with a meaningful smile on her face, and when she passed by Kato Megumi, she even glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.
And Kato Megumi, as if nothing had happened, quietly walked to the end of the corridor at the end of the room.
Only Roy was left, standing alone on the second-floor terrace of the villa, staring at the night sea in a daze.
“You are becoming more and more like a human being.”
A familiar cold voice sounded.
He turned around and saw Sophie walking out slowly from the darkness. Her figure was like a cat blending into the night, elegant and light, yet with an oppressive feeling that could not be ignored.
“I’m sorry, but packing you into the suitcase was just a team act.”
Roy raised his hand with a smile, his tone light.
“Hmph.” Sophie sat down next to him, still looking forward. “You are one of the masterminds. Don’t play innocent.”
“Yes, yes.” Roy spread his hands and accepted the accusation she threw at him, “But didn’t you have a lot of fun? You even set off fairy wands with Mashiro and the others.”
“…That was just to observe the mental state of your human creative team.” She said stubbornly.
“You talk as if you’re not part of our team.” Roy tilted his head to look at her, his voice slowly lowered: “You’ve been living in this house with me for so long… In fact, you’re more like a ‘partner’ than anyone else.”
Sophie paused visibly.
But she didn’t answer, she just turned her head away, using her usual arrogant attitude to hide her slight hesitation.
“You were…looking at what happened between me and Hui today, right?” Roy suddenly said.
She neither denied nor admitted it.
He just stared at the sea ahead, as if thinking about how to start the conversation. In the end, he just said coldly: “You said you don’t belong here yet.”
“Well, not yet.” Roy smiled, but his tone was sincere and warm, “But I am slowly beginning to feel reluctant to let go.”
“Are you going to start playing those half-truths again?” Sophie glanced at him. “Do you do this to every girl?”
Roy asked back softly: “Will you be jealous?”
“Who, who would——!” Sophie instantly stood up like a cat. “I just don’t want my life to be disturbed by a bunch of nosy humans! Who you fall in love with is none of my business. I, I won’t——!”
“Then don’t come over to my side to take advantage of the air conditioning anymore.” Roy said calmly.
“you–!”
Sophie’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to retort, but she choked.
The atmosphere became quiet.
The night wind blew through her long silver hair, causing her skirt to move slightly. She finally lowered her head, as if she had compromised a little, but she muttered stubbornly:
“… Leave a small space for me tonight, and don’t fight over the blanket.”
Roy’s smile softened a bit, and he responded softly, “Okay.”
He did not come closer, but just looked at the sea with her until a ray of deep blue moonlight appeared in the distant sky.
This “night talk” did not contain any love words, but it was better than love words.
Not speaking out loud is their way of maintaining a balance.
But the wind is changing – slowly and irreversibly.
36. Is this training camp for creative work or for overcoming difficulties? (Old version)
The life of a manga writer: 36. Is this training camp for creative work or for overcoming difficulties?
The sunlight quietly climbed up the window sill of the villa along the sea surface. The air was filled with moisture brought by the sea breeze and… some indescribable, subtle sense of unease.
Mashiro was the first to wake up.
She was wearing a loose white T-shirt and walked out of the room with light steps, still holding the rabbit pillow that she always cuddled when sleeping.
The living room was empty, but there were two cups of still warm black tea on the coffee table.
She slowly approached, sat down gently, and blinked her eyes – it was Hui’s brew. She remembered the taste. She had accidentally drunk a sip last night.
Mashiro pursed her lips, her eyes flicking over the still steaming cup of milk – neatly placed in front of Roy’s usual seat.
She lowered her head and leaned against the pillow, feeling a little depressed.
She never thought about these things.
To her, Roy is her “owner”, her only support since she came to this world. As long as she can draw, eat and watch him write by his side every day, she is already very satisfied.
But now, it seems that there are suddenly a lot more people.
“…Is it because I don’t draw well enough?” she muttered softly.
The door to the room opened again.
“Haha——I’m so sleepy…”
Eriri came out with her coat on and her hair frizzy, and walked lazily towards the kitchen, “Is breakfast not ready yet…ah, Mashiro, you’re up so early?”
“……Um.”
“I was sitting there holding the rabbit in my arms this morning. It was a bit scary.”
“I’m thinking.” Mashiro blinked, “Megumi is already up.”
“Huh?” Eriri yawned. “She gets up too early… Oh, by the way, where’s Roy?”
Mashiro shook his head.
Ying Lili shrugged and poured herself a glass of water.
Just then, there were soft footsteps coming from upstairs, accompanied by a faint fragrance.
“Good morning, everyone.”
It was Shiyu, wearing a simple lavender home dress, with her long hair loose and a gentle smile, walking down the stairs gracefully.
“Good morning.” Eriri greeted.
“Good morning, Shiyu.” Mashiro said softly.
“It seems that the atmosphere is a little silent.” Shiyu walked to the sofa and sat down, her eyes gently sweeping over the two of them, “Roy hasn’t come down yet?”
“It seems not.” Mashiro replied.
“Then let’s wait together.” Shiyu smiled.
The three of them sat in the living room in silence for a while.
Suddenly, Shiyu looked towards the kitchen: “By the way, was Kato there just now?”
“I didn’t see her.” Eriri said, “Why did she get up so early? She doesn’t seem like a very enthusiastic person.”
Mashiro looked up, hesitated, and said, “She…made tea and prepared milk for Roy.”
Shiyu’s smile paused slightly.
“……Yeah?”
After a moment’s silence, she smiled again, but her eyes were a little deeper than before.
“It seems that Kato-san is really attentive.”
At this time, the door was gently pushed open.
“Good morning.”
It was Kato Megumi, still with a calm expression on her face. She walked into the living room quietly with an empty tray and put down the empty cups.
“…Where have you been?” Mashiro asked softly.
“kitchen.”
She glanced at the few people, sat on the sofa in the corner, and said nothing more.
“You’re up pretty early.” Eriri shrugged. “I wonder if you have accumulated fatigue underneath that expression.”
“Not bad.” Hui replied calmly.
“Morning – did I oversleep?”
Nanami rushed out in a hurry, her hair still sticking up and the scent of shampoo on her body.
“Wow, everyone is here…Should I be the one preparing breakfast today?”
“If you want.” Shiyu smiled, “But I remember Roy said last night that he would take the initiative to take responsibility for breakfast today?”
Mashiro: “…”
Kato: “…”
Eriri: “…Huh?!”
Almost at the same time, the tragic scene of the “kitchen killer” emerged in the minds of the three people.
“I, I think it’s safer to let Nanami come!” Eriri quickly raised her hand.
“If Roy cooks…it will burn.” Mashiro said seriously.
“I don’t mind him doing it, but only if I’m not in the kitchen,” Kato said flatly.
“Then I’ll do it!” Nanami said with enthusiasm, “Breakfast should be fun!”
Shiyu watched their interaction, smiled, tucked her hair behind her ears, and asked softly:
“Have you noticed that Kato and Roy seem to be getting along well recently?”
Her voice fell lightly, but her tone was slightly probing.
Mashiro was slightly stunned and turned to look at Kato.
Kato didn’t answer, he just lowered his head and dialed the interface on his phone, his expression normal.
“…I didn’t notice.” Mashiro said calmly.
Eriri showed a confused expression, “Huh? What are you talking about?” “What are you guys talking about? Don’t play this kind of code game. I’m not fully awake yet.”
“Just chatting.” Shiyu smiled with a gleam in her eyes.
No one noticed that in the corner of the balcony, the sunlight had gradually crept into the house.
There, Roy was leaning against the railing, yawning, and listening to the entire conversation quietly.
He sighed softly.
“…The Shura field has already started in the morning. Am I doing creative work or overcoming difficulties during this training camp?”
“——I have cleaned the grill, so I will just use a frying pan today.”
Nanami tied her hair into a bun, rolled up her sleeves and walked into the kitchen, looking like a housewife. In an instant, the kitchen seemed to be revitalized.
“Let me help you cut the vegetables!” Eriri spoke before Mashiro, her movements a little hurried, as if she wanted to regain some presence in the kitchen, her home turf.
“…I can wash the rice.” Mashiro raised his hand slowly and walked to the sink while holding the rabbit.
“Then I’ll fry the eggs.” Shiyu put on an apron with a smile and skillfully took out the seasoning box from the cupboard.
“I’ll serve the soup.” Kato’s voice came from behind, his tone was flat, as natural as saying “I’ll pour the water”, but he didn’t fight or compete, and just blended into the rhythm directly.
The kitchen became orderly in an instant.
Only Roy was tacitly blocked outside by everyone.
“Just sit down and wait for your meal!” Ying Lili yelled without even turning her head.
“Yes, yes, I know I don’t have the right to cook.” Roy sat at the dining table and raised his hands in surrender, but he was observing everyone’s condition with some complicated feelings in his heart.
Although Mashiro was washing rice, she kept glancing at Hui, and her movements were a beat slower than usual. Eriri was working very hard for some reason, and even started to talk to Shiyu too enthusiastically. Shiyu maintained her usual elegant attitude, occasionally casting a thoughtful look. And Hui… she didn’t fight, nor did she retreat, as if she had gotten used to the tacit rhythm of coexisting with Roy.
37. Come a Little Closer (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 37. Come a little closer
“Breakfast is ready!”
Nanami brought the last plate of fried eggs to the table and smiled brightly: “Today is a healthy breakfast: egg sandwich, miso soup, vegetable salad and fruit cup!”
“Wow, it looks delicious.” Ying Lili swallowed helplessly.
“Nanami is amazing,” Mashiro said softly, sitting down next to Roy obediently.
When Shiyu sat down, she chose the seat opposite Roy with a meaningful smile on her lips.
Hui sat down naturally on Roy’s left side, her movements so smooth that it seemed as if she had done this countless times.
“…No.” Ying Lili was suddenly stunned and looked around the table, “Then where should I sit?”
“There’s room on my right.” Shiyu patted the back of the chair gracefully.
“Hmph… I don’t want you to choose my seat.” Eriri muttered, but eventually she sat next to Hui, feeling vaguely that she was “sandwiched in the middle of a Shura field.”
“… Let’s start.”
“Let’s eat.” Everyone said in unison, and the breakfast battle began.
It was clearly just a normal breakfast, but Roy could feel it – every movement on the table, every change of topic, was surging with hidden emotions.
“Roy, your sandwich has extra lettuce.” Nanami smiled and helped him pick up a piece.
“Thank you…you are an angel.”
“Angel is too thoughtless to say that.” Shiyu continued, with a subtle smile on her face. “If you want to praise me, shouldn’t you change it to ‘goddess’?”
“I can also be a goddess.” Mashiro said in a muffled voice.
“…What? I can do that too.” Ying Lili said quietly and blushed.
“Then I’ll just… be a human.” Hui added softly, seemingly casually, but her eyes fell quietly on Roy.
Roy took a bite of his sandwich in silence.
[This isn’t some kind of creative training session, this is simply a “Shura Field Management Challenge Mode where favorability levels are rising and about to explode”…]But he also did not deny that for a moment he felt happy.
Of course, it’s also very tiring.
After breakfast, Nanami cleaned up the table, while Eriri, Mashiro, and Megumi went to the “creative battle room” on the second floor. The spacious and bright living room in the villa had been transformed into a battlefield full of draft papers and sticky notes. Several laptops, sketchpads, and portable printers were lined up, and the whiteboard on the wall was covered with plot structure diagrams and timeline drafts.
Shiyu arrived late, holding her notebook and a thick setting collection in her hands, and still had an elegant smile on her face when she sat down.
Roy was the last to arrive. He spread his hands and synchronized the prepared documents to the shared system: “–From today on, we will officially start the reconstruction of the fourth volume.”
“The basic framework we’ve set now is centered around the confrontation between ‘Fantasy Breaker and the Amakusa Cross Cult.'” Roy looked around at everyone, “So first we need to unify the keywords and division of labor. Mashiro will be responsible for character illustrations, Eriri will be responsible for battle scenes and scene sketches, Kato will coordinate the text rhythm, Utaha will be the first draft polisher and dialogue supervisor, and Nanami… you’ll be in charge of drinks and supplies today.” He gestured towards the kitchen.
“Understood~” Nanami responded with a lively look on her face.
“What about me?” Mashiro asked, looking up.
“You are also the ‘final color correction supervisor’. You have to watch over Eriri and make sure she doesn’t draw too far.” Roy said with a smile.
“You’re biased.” Ying Lili protested softly.
“Okay, let’s start today’s topic of discussion: the key scene in Volume 4 – the confrontation between Kamijou Touma and Kenmiya Saiji.”
Kato was already typing away at Roy’s thoughts: “Kamijo Touma represents the symbol of ‘denying fate’, while Kenmiya is a fighter who lives with the scars of the past. The opposition between the two is a clash of ideas and emotions.”
Shiyu held up her chin and added softly, “We need to be clear: this battle cannot just be ‘passionate’, but also carry ‘sadness’. Amakusa Shiki is not pure evil, and Kenmiya is even a tragic hero. So the arrangement of the conflict must have a dual perspective.”
Eriri flipped out a page of sketches: “I’ve already made a rough draft of the battle, you guys can take a look.”
Mashiro leaned over to take a look, “Takemiya’s sword should be heavier, like the weight he carried over there.”
Roy nodded. “Yes, the visuals need to present the ‘pressure of belief’. And the setting of Touma not carrying a weapon becomes a contrast.”
“What about the ending?” Nanami asked from a distance.
“The ending still has to be about Kamijou Touma’s determination to sacrifice his own life for another’s. That line is crucial – ‘Even if everyone says you’re wrong, I’ll still say you’re right.'” Roy tapped his fingers on the table. “We need to handle this line separately. Visual, dialogue, and rhythm editing combined. Kato, can you make this the finale?”
“Okay,” Kato responded expressionlessly, but Roy could tell that she was typing a little faster than usual.
Shiyu glanced at her sideways, said nothing, and just quietly wrote a few lines in her notebook.
“…I want to be the finale too.” Ying Lili suddenly spoke.
“What axis are you pressing?” Roy asked with a smile.
“I’ll be responsible for the visual arrangement of the climax of the battle, and I’ll draw the puzzle on the last page!”
“Okay, I’ll leave it to you then.” Roy nodded.
The meeting entered an efficient operation mode, with everyone being drawn to their own tasks and caught up in creative enthusiasm at different levels.
But Mashiro, sitting on the small sofa in the corner, looked up at Roy from time to time, and then looked at Hui. She felt that Roy’s tone of voice had changed, with a “sense of tacit understanding” that she was not familiar with.
She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but she felt like… something suddenly separated her and Roy.
Then, she gently hugged the sketchpad on her lap and took out the sketch of “Kamijou and Index leaning against each other”.
She wanted to get closer to Roy.
Even though she couldn’t express what that closeness meant.
38. Hui’s First Time (Part 1) (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 38. Hui’s first time (first break)
As the last ray of golden red completely disappeared from the sea level, the sky sank into deep blue.
The third day of the seaside training camp is coming to an end.
The bonfire had gone out, leaving only a few pieces of charcoal ashes glowing red lonely in the sand, reflecting the expressions of the people around them who were gradually getting tired but still reluctant to leave.
“Huh… I think I’ve really gotten tanned.” Ying Lili pulled the skin on her arm, looking painful, “If this continues, I won’t be able to draw the draft when I go back…”
“The color contrast will be more obvious after tanning. Maybe it can be a breakthrough in style.” Shiyu commented casually with a sketchbook in her hand, but got a roll of the eyes from Eriri.
Kato Megumi sat on a folding chair nearby, staring quietly at the afterglow in the sky. Her gaze had often fallen on Roy without her knowing when. Although no one said it explicitly, the atmosphere was undergoing some subtle changes in certain details.
Nanami packed up the picnic mat and asked quietly, “Are we…going back to the villa today?”
“Well, we have to continue the script review tonight.” Roy nodded and glanced at his watch.
——It’s time to call Sophie.
She hadn’t been out for the entire day.
“You guys take your time packing up, I’ll go wake Sophie up.” Roy said as he patted the sand off his trouser legs and turned to walk towards the villa.
While sorting the drink bottles, Ying Lili muttered: “She is too leisurely. She sleeps during the day and only shows up at night…”
“She wasn’t human to begin with,” Mashiro whispered back, her tone as calm as if she were stating “the sun is hot.”
“…That’s right.”
Villa Master Bedroom
When the door was gently pushed open, it was still quiet inside.
The curtains were closed, and the air was filled with a faint rose scent and cold night air. Sophie huddled on a velvet sofa in a corner of the dark room, her black hair hanging loosely, and she looked as quiet and peaceful as if she had sunk into the deep sea.
Roy walked a few steps closer and called in a low voice, “Sophie, wake up.”
No response.
He squatted down and patted her shoulder gently.
“The sun is setting and everyone is getting ready to go back to the villa. Do you want to come along?”
This time, the girl’s long eyelashes moved slightly, like the trembling reaction of a cat’s ears.
“…What day is it today?” The voice was soft and hoarse, with the laziness of just waking up.
“Three days.” Roy answered truthfully.
“Tsk…” Sophie sat up with the back of her hand covering her eyes, her expression a little subtle, “Haven’t those humans had enough fun yet?”
“It was a work camp after all.” Roy smiled, “Although it’s true that we had a lot of fun.”
“Humph, I think they are just taking this opportunity to surround you.”
“You sound jealous?”
“No, no!” Sophie glared at him with red eyes and then turned her face away. “I’m just worried that you’d be distracted by the temptation. Don’t forget that your name is Twilight. We are a family.”
Roy didn’t argue, but reached out to help her put on the long dark cloak that was placed aside, “I’m still here, I haven’t run away.”
“…Of course you can’t run.”
The girl under the cloak muttered something softly, and stood up with his movement, stepping barefoot on the carpet. Her slender figure seemed a little vague in the moonlight.
“Let’s go, or they’ll say I’ve slept like a salted fish again.”
“Someone did say that,” Roy laughed.
Sophie snorted coldly: “Who said that? I’m going to bite her later.”
“If you bite someone, I will come out and heal their wounds.” Roy pretended to be serious.
“Humph, just try touching someone else.” Her voice suddenly lowered, with a hint of dangerous coquettishness.
…
When I walked out of the villa, the night was as dark as ink.
The moment Sophie appeared in the moonlight, Mashiro was the first to wave: “Good evening, Miss Sophie.”
“Good night.” Sophie replied coldly, her attitude noble and distant.
Ying Lili said, “She’s really not sociable, isn’t she?”
“Vampire ladies have never been ‘group-type’ creatures.” Shiyu turned a page in her sketchbook.
“The only person she cares about is Roy,” Mashiro deadpanned.
This unintentional remark caused the girls to remain silent for a second.
And Kato Megumi gently clenched her palms during this brief gap.
Three days and two nights of beach creation and gaming life came to an end, and everyone returned to the villa dragging their luggage and tired bodies.
The moonlight slanted in from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa and fell on the floor, as if it was breathing.
Nanami began to prepare a light lunch with ease, Eriri came into the room complaining about her drawing board, Mashiro took a nap on the sofa like a cat, Shiha sat quietly at the table organizing documents, and Kato – packed his luggage as usual, with a gentle tone.
Only Roy yawned skillfully as if nothing had happened: “Let’s take a break today, and confirm the storyboard for the fourth volume tomorrow.”
Everyone agreed.
But no one noticed that when Kato Megumi looked at Roy, her eyes were so gentle that water could almost drip out of them.
It’s late at night and everyone is asleep.
The lights in the villa went out one after another, and starlight slanted in from the skylight, illuminating the dark room.
That was Roy’s room, but today he tapped his fingertips on the door and murmured:
“Soundproof barrier, activate.”
When the door closed again, Kato was already sitting on the edge of the bed.
She was wearing a mint-colored nightgown, her hair was wet and draped over her shoulders, and her cheeks were slightly flushed from taking a shower.
“…Is it really possible?” Roy asked in a low voice.
Kato didn’t answer, but just reached out and held his fingers.
She leaned over very quietly, like a white flower blooming silently. There was no hesitation in her eyes – it was gentle, but also determined.
That night, the lights in the mansion went out one by one, as if the whole world had fallen asleep. Only in the soundproof barrier, a gentle “script” quietly unfolded.
Kato Megumi, the girl who was always as quiet as a shadow and had a very low sense of presence, was sitting on the bedside of Roy’s room, looking down at her folded fingers. She had long eyelashes, black hair falling down her cheeks, and her voice was almost inaudible:
“I’m… ready.”
She did not ask unnecessary questions like “Do you like me?” and did not leave herself any way out.
Kato Megumi will not actively ask for anyone’s preference, but once she chooses someone, she will give herself completely.
The wind was very light that night.
The air in the room was shrouded in a special temperature. It was not just the heat of skin-to-skin contact, but something deeper – the temperature of emotional interaction.
Roy’s actions were as gentle as he usually was to others, but Kato could feel the essential power hidden under his calm expression – the aura that was superior to ordinary people.
Her breathing was slightly disordered, and the sound was like tiny drops of water hitting the water, and Roy’s palm fell on her waist, as steady as the first stroke of a pen, which made people sink into it.
As the night deepened, the wind stopped and only the gentle chirping of insects could be heard outside the window.
But in this small room enclosed by a barrier, there is another kind of “starry sky”.
The next day, the early morning sunlight gently spread into the house, as if it was reluctant to disturb the tranquility of the room.
Roy had already stood up and was tidying up the scattered sheets and clothes. His movements were calm and there was no panic at all. For his physique, even “writing all night” was just a piece of cake.
On the contrary, Kato Megumi on the bed was still curled up quietly in the quilt, like an actor taking her final bow after an intense performance.
Her cheeks were glowing, the kind of glow that only a girl who has been loved can have. But if you look closely, you can see a hint of fatigue at the corners of her eyes.
“…You got up so early.” She spoke softly, her voice hoarse.
“You’re too tired. I can’t bear to wake you up.” Roy walked back and kissed her forehead gently. “I’ll go prepare the medicine. Remember to take it later.”
Kanato curled the corners of his lips, smiling a little softer than usual.
“You are so… so foul.”
She was obviously just an “ordinary” heroine, without exaggerated abilities or a heavy past, but she gained the boy’s real attention.
(Sorry, sorry, I’m not very good at writing driving plots and I’m afraid of being locked up, so this is the only way)
39. I am the older sister character (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 39. I am the elder sister character
“Ah…Xiaohui, your skin looks great today.”
Mashiro was curled up on the sofa early in the morning, staring at Kato Megumi who walked out of the room, like a cat that had found some interesting toy.
“Well, really… I feel like your face is glowing.” Eriri couldn’t help but say it, although there was a little bit of dissatisfaction on her cheeks.
“Maybe… I slept better last night?” Kato lowered his head, his tone gentle and calm.
She was still wearing her usual white, light home clothes, her steps were graceful and steady, her hair was neat, her expression was softer than before, and there seemed to be a faint smile on the corners of her mouth.
Even Nanami couldn’t help but sneak closer and whisper to Mashiro: “Xiaohui… has become a little, prettier?”
“It’s magic!” Mashiro nodded seriously.
While Shiyu was getting coffee in the kitchen, her eyes were fixed on Hui’s back when she passed the living room.
She glanced at Roy’s cup seemingly unintentionally – it was the black tea that Kato had just brewed for him, with the exact concentration and temperature. Then she looked at Hui’s light walking posture just now… that was a “change” that only people who had experienced a certain kind of all-night consumption but looked satisfied would have.
“Oh…I see.”
The corner of her lips curled up into an inaudible smile, and she turned her head and took a sip of the bitter coffee.
“As expected, you are ahead of us, Kato-san.”
Facing the changes in everyone’s eyes, Roy remained calm as usual. During breakfast, he personally helped everyone move chairs and handed the seasoning to Nanami. Everything was normal, except for Kato, who quietly poured an extra spoonful of honey.
He knew he was greedy. He wanted more than just Hui.
But in this house, he doesn’t want to let go of anyone easily.
After breakfast, the villa returned to its rhythm of the “creative group”. The sun shone warmly on the wooden floor. Nanami cleaned up the dishes, Mashiro lay back on the sofa with her sketchbook, and Eriri sat in the corner with her notebook, pretending to look at the paintings but actually eavesdropping on the conversations of the people around her.
Roy sat at the low table in the middle, flipping through the materials while whispering with Hui about the rhythm of the chapters.
“…The last time the breaking point occurred at the end of the second chapter, should we move it forward this time?” Hui’s tone was gentle, and her fingers gently gestured on the edge of the page.
“Okay, but you have to use a new motivation to move forward. For example, a misunderstanding of justice?” Roy nodded and poured her a new cup of tea.
Shiyu watched all this quietly.
She never joined the discussion, but just leaned on the balcony looking at the sea, holding a stack of manuscript paper in her hands. Her backlit profile was as calm as a classical painting.
It was not until Roy’s eyes fell on her that she turned around as if she had just “noticed” and smiled:
“You guys seem to be having a great time chatting, Kato-kun.”
Kato raised his eyes and responded in a flat voice: “We were just discussing the plot.”
“Plot?” Shiyu walked over slowly and sat down next to Mashiro. “Your tacit understanding is becoming more and more like ‘accomplices’.”
Her words were light, yet they carried a special weight.
The air became stagnant for a moment.
Mashiro didn’t understand, but instinctively felt that the atmosphere was not right: “…Accomplices? We didn’t do anything bad.”
“Sometimes, you don’t need to do bad things to ‘keep things from others’ knowledge.'” Shiyu’s voice was as gentle as a feather, but her smile was as sharp as a knife.
Roy raised his eyes slightly and looked at Shiyu briefly, as if to say, “How much do you know?”
Shiyu smiled gently, her eyes moving:
“I didn’t say anything. After all, we are all still in the ‘creative period’. Being focused is a sign of professionalism.”
Ying Lili didn’t say anything the whole time, just lowered her head and typed on the keyboard.
But she was always looking at Shiyu and Hui out of the corner of her eye.
She is not stupid. Although she is not good at hiding her emotions, she is very sensitive to the flow of “subtle atmosphere”.
Kato had definitely changed recently, becoming softer and closer to Roy.
And Shiyu, although always sharp-tongued, was unexpectedly “testing” in a flowery way today, as if she was declaring war, or asking questions.
Ying Lili felt a little flustered, but she didn’t know what she was flustered about.
“…What am I so nervous about?”
She whispered to herself, her fingers unconsciously drawing Roy’s silhouette.
Roy tapped the table lightly as if nothing had happened: “–Now that everyone is here, let’s start the next stage.”
He distributed the newly printed documents to the crowd.
The title reads:
Draft of the fourth volume of “A Certain Magical Index” Version A
Everyone’s attention was once again attracted by the plot.
But the moment Shiyu took the manuscript, she suddenly laughed.
She stared at Roy’s profile and said:
“I’m looking forward to the surprises you’ll bring in ‘each volume’, Roy-kun. Whether it’s the plot… or, something else.”
Her tone was gentle, but the ending was like a sharp needle, trying to pierce something.
In the living room of the western-style house, the sun lazily sprinkled on the sofa, manuscript papers were spread all over the floor, and sketches labeled “Volume 4: Concept” were piled on the long table, like the brainchild of the creators that could explode at any time.
“Hmm… I think the protagonist here should be a little more middle school-like.”
Eriri was lying on the table, scribbling on a sketch with a marker in her mouth.
“But the heroine’s love story has already progressed to this stage, and if she continues to act too arrogant, it will be annoying.”
Senior Shiyu smiled and flipped through her notebook gracefully, being as sharp-tongued and gentle as ever.
“Yeah.” Mashiro still sat next to Roy, quietly drawing the storyboards, but she would occasionally look up at Kato Megumi, and then – lower her head and continue coloring.
Hui, who was sitting on the other side of Roy at the moment, naturally helped him tidy up the scattered manuscript papers and pushed his water cup towards him.
“Drink some water.”
The voice is flat, without any fluctuations.
Roy took it and nodded, “Thank you, Hui.”
This scene looks like –
“…You have been married for ten years, right?” Shiyu smiled calmly, her tone gentle, but the curve of her eyes was slightly tentative.
“Huh? How can you tell?” Roy scratched his head innocently.
“I didn’t notice it.” Eriri immediately interrupted, looking at Hui warily, then at Roy, and began to scratch her face, “If there was any strange relationship, I would have discovered it long ago.”
“It’s nothing, really.” Hui responded calmly, as if he was saying that the miso soup for breakfast today was a bit salty, “It just happened to happen.”
“So smooth that even the little movements are perfectly coordinated? Then you two really are a perfect match.” Shiyu added with a smile, her tone soft enough to make milk tea.
“Is Senior Shiyu jealous?” Hui tilted her head slightly.
Even Roy almost choked on the water when asked this question.
“I—how is that possible?” Shiyu still smiled, her tone still elegant, “I am the older sister, how could I be jealous of you young girls?”
“I’m just an ordinary female classmate.” Hui responded without any fluctuation in her tone, “Not a girl younger than you.”
The air paused delicately for a second.
“…Wait a minute, are you two fighting in a roundabout way?” Eriri finally reacted, biting her pen with a look of shock on her face.
“That’s not the case.” Shiyu and Hui said in unison.
Eriri shuddered, turned her head and whispered, “…No, this is too scary. Sure enough, I wasn’t the first one to appear in the Shura Field.”
“Hmm… Shura Field?” Mashiro blinked and thought for three seconds, “Does it mean that I can’t get too close?”
“That’s not what I meant at all!” Eriri held her head.
At this moment, Roy was drinking water with a thoughtful look on his face, his eyes moving back and forth between the girls, as if he was analyzing some profound philosophical question.
(…The atmosphere seems to be getting complicated?)
But before he had time to think about it, Kato brought him back to reality:
“Roy, it’s time to decide on the storyboard for Act 4. Do you want me to write down the key points for you?”
“Well, please, Kei.”
Senior Shiyu smiled, with a meaningful arc at the corner of her mouth:
“What a great relationship – the tacit understanding between work partners.”
Hui didn’t respond, but just nodded quietly and continued to take notes with her head down, as if she hadn’t heard it.
But everyone knows that this understated “dialogue” has already been the first round full of gunpowder.
40. Your ‘just-taken-a-shower-glow’ look (old version)
Your life in anime: 40. Your “glow look after taking a bath”
The atmosphere in the afternoon was a bit lazy, and everyone was either taking a shower or taking a nap. Only Shiyu changed into a refreshing white shirt and short skirt, and walked slowly towards the end of the corridor on the second floor.
Outside the half-open floor-to-ceiling window, the breeze blew the white curtains. On the carved bench on the other side of the corridor, a familiar figure was sitting quietly reading a book.
“Kato-san.”
Shiyu smiled gently and leaned against the pillar, as if she was chatting, or as if she was asking questions casually.
“Yeah.” Kato raised his head, still with that indifferent expression.
“It’s such nice weather, sitting alone in the wind, it looks a bit… lonely.”
“I just think it’s cool here.”
“What a coincidence, I also think the scenery here is nice.” Shiyu walked closer with a smile and sat down next to Kato, her skirt swaying slightly in the sun, “It just so happens that we haven’t talked alone for a long time.”
“… Is there something wrong, Senior?”
“You can’t say it’s ‘something’.” Shiyu tilted her head, her eyes falling on Hui’s page, “It’s just that recently, Roy and you – your relationship has become very…special, right?”
Kato paused slightly while turning the pages.
“What do you think?” she asked back in a flat tone.
“I think…” Shiyu’s smile was still gentle, but her voice was a little lower, “He started to do a lot of things for you that he wouldn’t do before. Like getting up early to get you a drink, and before dinner he would check to see if you had dropped your chopsticks on the table, and also…”
She paused, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, “Your ‘glow after taking a shower’ look… it’s hard not to be suspicious.”
Kato closed the book and finally looked at her seriously.
“I’m not trying to hide anything.”
“So, you agree?” Shiyu smiled even more lightly, “That’s really… a bit tricky.”
“But this isn’t a competition.” Hui’s voice remained flat, “It’s not that the one who confesses first wins.”
“Indeed.” Shiyu clasped her hands on her knees and smiled demurely, “But it doesn’t mean that I can stay just by his side.”
“Senior, do you want to stay?”
“What do you think?” Shiyu looked at her with her cunning eyes, her tone becoming as soft and mysterious as a cat, “I’m really good at writing ‘a woman seizing a man’ type of plots. It’s not a bad idea to try it in real life.”
Kato said nothing.
The silence between them was like a taut string that could break if the wind blew.
Then, Shiyu suddenly stood up and patted her skirt with a smile.
“I’m just here to check the current situation. Don’t be nervous. I won’t pull you away from him.”
She walked back a few steps, then turned back and casually said:
“——But you have to be careful, not everyone will say nothing. Especially that painter who always pretends to be ignorant.”
After saying this, Shiyu turned and left, leaving only the wind blowing the veil under the corridor.
Kato was still sitting there, the book in his hand had long been closed, but his fingertips were lightly pressing on the cover, and there was a hidden emotion in his eyes.
As night falls, the courtyard of the mansion is illuminated by soft strings of lights. The starlight and the lights interweave, shining on everyone’s excited and relaxed faces.
The round table was filled with barbecue, desserts, and crepes made by Nanami herself. The air was filled with the aroma of charcoal and cream. Today was a special day—the fourth chapter of “A Certain Magical Index” was officially completed. Less than an hour after the manuscript was sent to the editor Yuanzi, Yuanzi came to celebrate with amazing efficiency.
“Hey, why do you have to rush over to a celebration party?” Yuan Zi complained while drinking juice, but she couldn’t hide the smile in her eyes, “But I have to say… your team is a monster combination.”
She scanned everyone one by one – Mashiro sat next to Roy, holding a drawing board in her hand, but fell asleep halfway through the drawing. Eriri stood in front of the grill and fought with Nanami for the skewers, but she always bit her tongue when Roy looked at her. Shiyu sat on the side with a glass of champagne, observing the whole scene leisurely, but her eyes occasionally glanced at Kato Megumi, who sat on the other side of Roy, with a calm face but shining eyes.
“It’s a gathering of original artists, novelists, scriptwriters, storyboard supervisors, and even a non-human beautiful boy with a magical artifact…” Yuanzi took a sip of fruit wine and sighed, “If I write a novel based on you, I can imagine the name: “The All-Round Production Office: The House Where Glory and Shura Coexist”.”
“This is too childish.” Ying Lili’s mouth twitched.
“But it sounds cool.” Mashiro nodded slightly, looking at Roy with sparkling eyes.
Roy smiled softly and touched the soda in his cup to Yuanzi: “Thank you for your support, editor.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Do you know what level you are in the library now?” Yuanzi waved her fork exaggeratedly, “‘Evil Newcomer’! I have to be careful not to let you rush to the top 3 in your next book – you bastard, your sense of rhythm is simply not human!”
“He wasn’t one in the first place.” Sophie suddenly emerged from the shadows, licking a small bag of blood while adding in a tsundere and cold tone, “I’ve said it many times, he’s mine.”
“Yes, yes, your ‘owner’ will be snatched away sooner or later.” Yuanzi said jokingly.
Sophie blushed, glared at her angrily, then quietly retreated to the corner and sat down, holding the blood bag without saying a word.
“By the way, Roy.” Shiyu suddenly leaned closer and smiled gently, “How are you going to write the fifth chapter? I have some suggestions on the plot that may increase the tension of the whole work a lot–“
“You want to meddle with the script structure again!” Eriri immediately exploded, “You can’t hide your ‘venomous nature as a disguised playwright’ again, right?”
“Eh? I’m just offering some suggestions, not trying to seize power. Besides, you should also reflect on whether your original paintings that always make the heroine’s clothes burst can be selected into the serious literary route.”
“Exposing clothes is art!” Eriri was so angry that her face turned red and her neck became thick, “It’s passion! Do you understand, you stupid literary girl——”
“Alright, alright, calm down, teachers.” Roy quickly spoke up to smooth things over.
Kato Megumi next to him didn’t say anything the whole time. She just watched everyone laughing and joking quietly until Roy turned to look at her: “Megumi, what’s wrong? You’ve been looking at me all day.”
“…You look very happy,” she said softly.
“Then you are also one of the reasons.” Roy’s voice was not loud, but it was enough to make Shiyu raise her eyebrows, and Yinglili suddenly bit off the kebab in her hand.
“I’ll go get some drinks.” Hui stood up calmly, her skirt gently brushing over the chair, as if nothing had happened at that moment.
Yuanzi blinked, moved closer to Roy, and whispered, “The smell of your Shura Field…is getting stronger, huh? This is not a situation that an ordinary club can handle.”
Roy smiled with a hint of helplessness and a hint of pride: “The creation scene is a Shura field, isn’t this normal?”
“Ha… you.” Yuan Zi shook her head and laughed, raising her glass to shout to everyone: “Congratulations on the completion of the fourth volume of Magical Index – and congratulations on me once again witnessing geniuses torturing each other in their daily lives!”
The wine in the glasses clinked, the flames flickered, and in the summer night breeze, a party that was supposed to be just a celebration of the completion of a manuscript quietly kicked off the next emotional offensive and defensive battle.
41. Just… a little greedy (old version)
The life of a manga writer: 41. Just… a little greedy
It was late at night, and most of the lights in the mansion were off, leaving only the dimly lit wall lamps in the living room and the corridor. The wind blew through the trees outside the courtyard, rustling, and the smell of barbecue and fireworks lingered in the air.
Roy was sitting by the window in the study on the second floor, wearing a coat, quietly flipping through an old notebook, recording the details of his creation. It was a rare quiet night, and Kato Megumi went back to her room to rest, and he was finally able to calm down and think about the structure of the subsequent plot.
There was a gentle knock on the door.
“…Please come in.”
The door opened, and Shiyu was wearing a light black silk home suit, with her long hair loose. She walked calmly, but with her usual reserved aura.
“Are you still asleep?” she asked gently.
“I’m still organizing the follow-up outline.” Roy nodded, his eyes calm as water, “Shiyu, is there anything?”
“It’s just… I feel that if I don’t say some things now after today’s celebration banquet, it might be too late.”
She gently closed the door behind her, walked into the study, and sat down opposite the sofa. The light in the room was not strong, but it was enough to illuminate the seriousness and danger flowing in her eyes.
“I’ve been wondering,” Shi Yu said lightly, her voice as soft as the night breeze, “Is it possible that someone like you really belongs to only one person?”
Roy looked at her and didn’t respond immediately. He certainly knew that this was not just a casual “rhetorical question”.
“You know that, right?” Shiyu continued, her tone still gentle, but her eyes gradually became sharper, “Kato… today is very different.”
“Um.”
“She was quieter than usual, yet extraordinarily radiant—like the aftermath of some decisive transformation.”
Roy narrowed his eyes slightly, neither denying nor admitting.
“I admit that my opinion of her has changed.” Shiyu stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to him. “She is more courageous than I thought… and is better at hiding.”
She paused, turned back and smiled, as bright as the heroine on the cover of the novel.
“But I won’t back down.”
Roy raised an eyebrow: “What do you mean?”
“I won’t pretend to be carefree, nor will I pretend not to care just because she left first.” She walked closer slowly, “Besides – I’m a writer, just like you. I know better than anyone what kind of stimulation and opponent you need when you are creating.”
“Do you think you are my opponent?”
“Also an accomplice.” She leaned down, only half an arm’s length away from him, her eyes bright, “You know that, right? The distance between us, sometimes side by side, sometimes fighting, is something that no one can replace.”
The air froze for a moment.
Roy stared at her, his eyes calm, but he no longer avoided her. He knew that Shiyu had always been very smart, and from the day she first approached him, she was not just a simple “literary girl with both talent and beauty”.
She was purposeful—and he didn’t hate this kind of targeted aggression.
“So you came here tonight to attack?” Roy whispered.
Shiyu smiled softly, stood up, and fixed her hair as if nothing had happened.
“It’s not ‘attack’, I’m just telling you in advance.” She turned gracefully and prepared to leave. “I will not withdraw from the battlefield until this work is completed. And you… don’t judge too quickly. She is not the only one who belongs to you.”
The moment the door closed, a faint fragrance filled the room.
Roy sat quietly, tapping the tabletop with his fingertips, as if he already had the answer in his mind.
——But his eyes were deeper than ever.
The morning in the mansion always carries a damp forest scent. Mist spreads from the distant woods to the outside of the house, and the morning light shines in obliquely, like a hand gently patting the back of the old wooden window.
In the restaurant, the air was still hot from the toast.
“Good morning–” Shiyu walked in slowly, holding a cup of black tea. She had changed into a light blue and white dress today, her black hair was smooth, her makeup was decent, and her tone was gentle as if nothing had happened yesterday.
However, when she sat down, her eyes silently slid towards Kato Megumi, who had sat down before her.
The girl was wearing a pure white knitted outerwear today, and there was still some moisture on the ends of her hair. She was as calm as ever, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, chewing toast quietly.
But in Shiyu’s eyes – there are countless flaws.
In those perfect eyes, there was a hint of “emptiness after tenderness” today. The wrist movements were slightly sluggish, and although the neck line was still slender and soft, there was a lingering feeling of not yet recovering after being swallowed.
“This is the second time.”
Shiyu lowered her head and took a sip of black tea. The wall of the cup hid the undetectable smile at the corner of her lips.
“Kato-san looks good today,” she said, her tone impeccable.
“Yeah, I slept well.” Hui responded calmly, his eyes still showing that “I’m just a background board”.
“Yes, last night was indeed quite ‘quiet’.”
Shiyu spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly, but her words were like ripples in the depths of the waves, gently rippling on the table.
Hui raised her eyes to look at her and was silent for a second: “Did you sleep well last night, Senior Shiyu?”
“Oh, of course.” Shiyu smiled gently, “Although… there is some slight ‘perception’, but after all, I am old, and my sleep is not so shallow anymore.”
The air stagnated briefly.
At the same time, Mashiro rubbed her eyes and came down the stairs, still holding her sketchbook in her arms, muttering, “Gu… I’m so hungry… I ate too many fried shrimps yesterday, and I dreamed that Roy turned into a shrimp…”
“Good morning, Mashiro.” Eriri yawned and sat down. While chewing on the bread, she glanced at someone who hadn’t appeared yet: “Where’s Roy? He got up quite late today.”
“He said he wanted to take a nap in the morning.” Hui answered casually without even raising his eyes.
But Mashiro paused.
She slowly glanced at Hui, then looked at Shiyu who was smiling as if nothing had happened, then carefully sat down next to Hui and whispered: “Hui…you seem to be very…”
“Very what?”
“… kind of glows.”
“ah?”
“It’s the kind…” Mashiro blushed and lowered her head, drawing two lines on the paper with a pencil, “like the heroine whose essence was sucked away by a dragon last night.”
“Poof—” Eriri almost spit out the juice, “What a ridiculous metaphor, Mashiro!”
Shiyu’s hand stopped beside the teacup and gently – paused.
Dragon? Sperm sucker? …You’re not far off.
Hui glanced sideways at Mashiro and curled the corners of her lips imperceptibly: “You draw too many comics, Mashiro.”
“But is it true…” Mashiro whispered back, “Roy disappeared this morning too… Miss Hui seemed to be out of her body again… Did you guys secretly…”
“Sleeping.” Hui replied calmly, “Really just sleeping. Don’t worry, I didn’t draw a summoning circle on the ceiling.”
Mashiro said “Oh…” but still secretly looked at Hui.
It’s not that she doesn’t believe it, but that kind of “change” cannot be hidden.
It’s like a subtle “distance” has appeared – although it’s still by my side, it seems to be getting farther and farther away.
She hugged her sketchbook tighter.
Shiyu watched all this, and finally a deeper smile appeared on her lips.
She has confirmed it.
Not only was her intuition correct, but Kato Megumi was even more proactive than she thought.
This quiet “victory” is no longer an implicit test of each other.
From this moment on, she will be serious.
——And in a room upstairs.
Roy was leaning against the window, yawning, drinking freshly brewed black coffee.
“Well…even though her physique is different, she really knows how to drain people.”
He touched his waist and looked at the sunlight outside the window with emotion, but his face looked completely fine and full of energy.
But to be honest, he went a little too far last night… But it’s not his fault, after all, it wasn’t Kato Megumi’s first time.
He’s just… a little greedy.
And no one knows all this yet.
But obviously, it won’t be kept secret forever.
42. This is a confession in the style of Shiyu (old version)
The life of a manga master: 42. This is a confession in the style of Shiyu
The afternoon sun shines through the thick white gauze curtains into the reception room on the first floor. The antique clock on the wall makes a light ticking sound, breaking the moment of peace.
In a corner of the sofa, Kasumigaoka Utaha sat there, slowly stirring a cup of warm milk tea with her fingertips, her violet eyes reflecting a calm light behind the wall of the cup.
Her eyes fell on the notebook spread out on the table, which was filled with densely packed notes. The content was not about script ideas, but her own drawings – “observation records”.
Kato Megumi…her behavior pattern tends to be stable, her attack range is limited, and the possibility of direct conflict is extremely low.
Mashiro…her emotions are not awakened, her sense of dependence is too strong, and she may be prone to induced intervention.
Eriri… is slow and has no awareness of emotional lines, but once she is aware of them, she will quickly fall into them.
Nanami… is still in the observation stage.
Sophie…Acalanatha, the city is stunning when he moves.
“So, if we want to win, we can’t be conservative anymore.”
Shiyu whispered to herself, then turned to the next page – the title was written:
“Kasumigaoka-style Love Attack and Defense Theater Act 1: Afternoon Dessert Operation”
She raised her head and looked towards the kitchen in the distance.
For today’s tea party, she will cook desserts herself. Her goal is clear – to increase Roy’s “favorability value” in front of Kato, and at the same time induce other girls to enter the “consciousness awakening” stage.
Yes, this is psychological warfare in the game of love.
And she – Kasumigaoka Utaha, is the “chief planner” who is best at planning in this battle.
She laughed quietly and stood up, preparing to set up the table for desserts and refreshments.
At the same time, in the studio on the second floor.
Mashiro sat cross-legged in the middle of the drawing paper she had temporarily spread out, tracing the lines with a frown on her face.
On the paper, a blond boy was leaning on a bench, surrounded by girls wrapped in sunshine.
Roy.
She gently stroked the boy’s face with her fingers and quickly deepened the lines of his eyes.
“Although I don’t know what happened between Ms. Hui and Roy…but I always feel that he is getting further and further away from us.”
“If I draw him… will he not be taken away again?”
She muttered to herself and turned to the next piece of manuscript paper.
This time, the painting shows Roy at night, with a starry sky behind him. He tilts his head and looks at “her” outside the picture – the little silver-haired shadow who always follows him.
“Master…you belong to me…”
She used a pencil to depict the gentle profile of the person in the painting bit by bit. At that moment, it seemed that even time stood still.
And then—she hid the manuscript.
“I can’t let anyone else see this… This is a secret story between me and my owner.”
“Everyone!” Shi Yu greeted everyone gently in the hall, “There is no script meeting this afternoon. I specially prepared some snacks. Let’s drink tea together and relax for a while?”
Everyone looked at each other.
“Eh? Senior Shiyu actually made the snacks herself?” Eriri’s eyes widened. “Are you trying to poison us?”
“Hehe.” Shiyu smiled, “What if I said… it was to let Roy taste the dessert I made for him?”
As soon as these words came out, there was a strange smell in the air.
Roy just walked downstairs and happened to see this scene. He rubbed his hair and yawned: “Huh? Dessert? Let me tell you first, don’t make it too sweet… Last time I took a bite of the strawberry tart, my teeth almost fell out.”
“It’s okay, I specially adjusted the sweetness this time.” Shiyu replied with a smile, as if she had expected him to say that.
Roy raised an eyebrow, “Oh? That’s thoughtful.”
——These words happened to fall into the ears of Kato Megumi who was walking from the kitchen.
She paused, without saying anything, but walked to the other side of the sofa with a smile and sat down. She quietly opened the candy jar for the tea party, poured out a bunch of milk candies and stuffed them into her pocket.
Shiyu narrowed her eyes and said, “Does Kato like sweets? I can make milk mousse next time.”
“I prefer… to feed the person I like.” Hui still didn’t look at her, but just responded indifferently to the candy jar.
Shiyu showed an elegant smile: “That depends on whether you can feed her.”
The atmosphere instantly became tense. Eriri had a face full of question marks, while Nanami had already sensed a hint of tension and quietly pulled Mashiro to sit at the far end of the sofa.
Mashiro muttered quietly, “…How terrible…that candy doesn’t taste sweet anymore.”
And this dessert war has just begun.
Dusk, the kitchen of the mansion.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was wearing a light blue apron, holding an egg beater, and standing elegantly in front of the kitchen counter. The sun shone through the window, and her slightly curly hair swayed softly in the light, like a young lady walking out of an oil painting.
“…Damn that Kasumigaoka Utaha, even the way she makes desserts is so artistic.”
Eriri, who was peeping at the door, whispered.
Shiyu turned around and smiled.
“Now that you’re here, do you want to do it together?”
“Hmph, I don’t want it!” Ying Lili ran away with a red face.
Shiyu chuckled and continued stirring the cream, feeling unexpectedly good.
——It’s not that she can’t cook, nor is it a sudden inspiration.
She knew that if she kept some feelings hidden, they would really be ignored by that “slow” guy. And since the literary offensive was temporarily defeated, she would change her approach –
The “family-oriented girlfriend” route.
After dinner.
Roy had just finished washing the dishes (although he was forbidden from entering the kitchen, the task of washing the dishes was still assigned to him), and as soon as he returned to the living room, he smelled a rich chocolate aroma.
“Senior Shiyu is in the kitchen?” He was a little surprised. “Isn’t she the type who usually doesn’t touch the kitchen?”
“For some reason she suddenly said she wanted to make dessert today.” Kato responded lightly.
“Who are you cooking for?”
“What do you think?”
The living room lighting is gentle.
Shiyu placed the last layer of strawberries on the chocolate mousse, elegantly picked up a piece with a small silver fork, and handed it to Roy.
“Come, try what I made.”
“Uh…senpai really did this by herself?”
“Do you suspect that I bought it ready-made?” Shi Yu smiled gently, but there was murderous intent hidden in her eyes.
“No, no! I’ll just eat it!”
Roy opened his mouth and took the forkful.
It has moderate sweetness, is smooth in the mouth, has a rich milky aroma, and has Shiyu’s unique “delicate yet slightly tempting” flavor.
“…delicious.” He said sincerely.
“That’s good.” Shiyu sat beside him, looking sideways at him, her voice as light as a feather:
“——If one day we really get together, I can cook for you every day.”
The air seemed to stand still for a second.
“Senior?” Roy laughed dryly and scratched his head. “You look a little… different today?”
“What’s the difference?” Shiyu still smiled faintly, “I have always been like this.”
On the sofa in the distance, Mashiro tilted his head and looked at them.
“Shiyu… is glowing.”
“It’s ‘The Glory of an Adult Woman in Love’.” Kato said calmly while holding a cup of hot tea, but the nervousness that flashed across the corner of his eyes could not be ignored.
——She knew that this was not just a simple dessert.
This is a confession in the “Shiyu style”.
It was not about stealing someone openly, but telling Roy in the most elegant and perfect way: “I can also be the most reliable part of your life.”
As for Roy, although he pretended to be stupid, his hand holding the fork was obviously stiff for a moment.
“Tomorrow… I want to make tiramisu again.” Shiyu wiped the cream off her fingertips and smiled. “Will you try again?”
“……certainly.”
43. How did you bring all the emotions in? (Old version)
The life of a manga writer under the name of a copycat: 43. How come all the pictures and texts are filled with emotions?
Outside the mansion, the moonlight was as gentle as water, shining through the tall glass windows onto the long table after the dinner. The dishes had been cleared away, and the air still smelled of vanilla and charcoal, while in the living room, an emotional airflow that was a hundred times stronger than that aroma was quietly brewing.
“Okay, that’s it for today’s creative meeting.”
Roy closed his notebook and stretched lazily. Even though he had been in this mansion for several days, his unhurried face still showed the golden ratio confidence of “it’s normal for any girl to fall in love with me”.
Kato Megumi sat beside him and handed the hot tea at hand to Roy naturally. The action was so skillful that it seemed like the tacit understanding of a couple who had been married for many years.
“Thank you for your hard work, Roy-kun.”
Her voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear it, and there was a hint of fatigue in her tone. Although her face was still gentle and calm, upon closer inspection, her steps seemed a little shaky and her fingertips were trembling slightly.
The second late-night romance took away some of her “girlish physical reserves”, but left a deeper mark.
Hui knew very well that Roy would not love only her.
But she also knew that after that night, she had been marked by Roy. That mark, deep in her bones and blood, would be her bargaining chip in this unfair love war.
“…This is no longer something I can handle on my own.” She murmured softly.
Sitting opposite, Kasumigaoka Utaha elegantly sipped her black tea, her eyes calmly sweeping across the seemingly naturally formed distance between Roy and Hui.
She is a smart woman.
He is so smart that he can rationally accept the reality that he is already one step late.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said to herself, “I’d be willing even if it’s the second one.”
So she took the new chapter manuscript sent by Roy with a smile and said in an elegant tone:
“The description of the protagonist’s change of state of mind is very Roy indeed.”
Hearing this, Mashiro frowned slightly.
She had always relied on Roy, as if he was the only one who could allow her to paint peacefully, but recently, she had felt a subtle sense of “alienation.” She could see that Kato Megumi had become more radiant, and the calmness of “knowing one’s own weight” in Senior Kasumigaoka’s words… made her fingers clench involuntarily.
“…If I draw a comic with Roy as the protagonist, can I…be closer to him?”
The little thought quietly took root in her heart.
After helping clean up in the kitchen, Nanami Haruka leaned on the sofa and looked at Roy who was surrounded by a group of girls from afar. She couldn’t help but mutter:
“Why can he accept everyone’s kindness so naturally… It’s not fair, it’s really not fair.”
But she herself couldn’t tell whether the words “It’s really unfair” meant that she envied Roy or envied those girls who could be closer to him.
The only one who is relatively “out of the group” is Eriri.
She hadn’t realized anything yet, but her sense of smell as an R18 creator had begun to hurt. She always felt that the atmosphere these days was weird, especially the way Kato Megumi looked at Roy. That was not an ordinary work partner – more like…
“Ehhhh, no way!? You two are not…really dating!?”
A picture suddenly flashed through her mind, and she quickly shook her head.
“No, no, how is that possible! How could someone as slow-witted as Hui…”
But Eriri always felt something was wrong.
The last to arrive was Sophie, the aristocrat of the night. The moonlight just fell on her pale face, and she walked into the courtyard gracefully, like a black cat exiled by the sun.
She looked at Roy, who was still handling the situation calmly while sitting among a group of girls, and snorted coldly.
“Humph, stupid human, you really enjoy being surrounded by these women.”
But the next second she was biting her lower lip quietly where he couldn’t see – she obviously also wanted to be the one who “could monopolize Roy”.
But she won’t admit it.
Never.
On this night, everyone was very clear about one thing.
Roy, won’t choose just one person.
Kato Megumi knows. Kasumigaoka Utaha knows too.
And they still chose to stay.
Because this man is the one they are willing to wait for, get close to, and even be willing to just get a piece of the pie.
The next day, in the afternoon of the western-style house, the sun shone warmly on the open-air corridor.
Eriri, wearing a large artist’s coat, sat on a bench in the courtyard, biting a straw and looking at the backs of Roy and Mashiro in the distance who were discussing the draft settings.
Mashiro still looked ethereal and natural, quietly pointing at a corner of the drawing paper and saying something. Roy leaned over to listen to her, nodding in response from time to time, with a gentle expression.
Eriri stared at the scene and puffed up her cheeks unconsciously.
“What? I was the first one to work with him…”
She took a big gulp of the juice, making a gurgling sound, and ended up choking and coughing twice.
“What are you doing?” Kato Megumi’s cold voice came from behind.
“No, nothing!” Eriri sat up straight in a hurry, “I just… I just think Mashiro is too cunning. She can get so close to Roy by taking advantage of the drawing…”
Kato Megumi blinked, then nodded, “Indeed. Mashiro took action.”
“Huh?” Ying Lili was a little confused.
“And Senior Shiyu also tried to contact Roy alone last night.”
“…Huh!?” Eriri’s voice suddenly rose two octaves. “Wait, what are you all doing? Aren’t we here to create something? When did you…when did you start secretly—”
As she spoke, her voice gradually became quieter, as if she suddenly realized something.
It seems that I am really falling behind.
Whether it’s the frequency of her interactions with Roy, or the presence that makes people think of someone first when they think of the “heroine”.
“I…I’m not the kind of girl who would admit defeat!”
Ying Lili clenched her fists, her nose turned red, and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes, but she quickly lowered her head to hide it.
“Yinglili.”
“What’s up?”
Kato Megumi looked down at her, her eyes still calm, but with a subtle inquiry.
“You like Roy, don’t you?”
“Hah!? What are you talking about! I, I, I, I’m not that kind of person—”
“I won’t tell him, you don’t have to deny it.”
“…Ugh…”
Ying Lili’s face turned completely red. She held the juice can without saying a word. She stood there like a cat that had been acupunctured, frozen and at a loss as to what to do.
Kato Megumi stood up and patted her shoulder gently.
“Then hurry up and catch up. Otherwise – you will regret it.”
At the same time, on the terrace of the annex, Shiyu sipped her tea while looking at the two people in the courtyard through the long window.
“…Are you finally starting to waver, Eriri?”
The script notebook in her hand closed with a snap, and her eyes lit up like flames.
“In this work, who is the final heroine? Who can say for sure?”
And that evening, Roy finally became aware that the girls’ gazes began to change subtly.
“Hey, hey, hey… this wind pressure… is not good.”
“Why do I feel like I’ve become the male lead in a romantic comedy…”
He fell into a brief silence as he looked at his desk, which was filled with five visual drafts, three script revisions, and two “dessert invitations” that were secretly inserted.
“Didn’t we agree that this is a creative training camp? Why did you all bring your emotions with you?”
44. Shiyu’s First Time (Part 2) (Old Version)
The life of a manga master: 44. Shiyu’s first time (second time)
The night in the villa is quiet, with only the chirping of insects and the sound of wind flowing through the corridors, reflecting the silver light of the moon.
Shiyu sat in her room, steam rising from her delicate teacup. On the table was a pile of draft paper filled with writing. She had just changed out of her usual cool school uniform and put on a long dress with a light gauze texture. Her hair was also loosely draped, exuding a mature charm that was completely different from the daytime.
Her eyes fell on the corner of the paper, where Roy had written a note:
“Shiyu handled the emotional rhythm of this section very well, I like it.”
Just one sentence made Shiyu purse her lips slightly, and a trace of helplessness throbbing in her heart.
——She never denied that she was a proud girl.
But ever since Kato Megumi secretly returned to her room that night and a tired but satisfied look appeared on her the next morning, Shiyu knew that she had fallen behind.
“But – I won’t give up this stage.”
She stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and pulled out a thick document. Inside was a script revision she had specially prepared, and also – a special short story.
A girl’s novel titled “Promised Night”, the content is set as follows:
“A secret agreement between a talented but lonely teenager and a mature and calm heroine – a nighttime collaboration between the two of them.”
Yes, this was her confession – in her best way.
She wanted to launch an offensive against Roy in a “literary” way.
It’s not about being coquettish or sneaky, but rather it’s a head-on attack, art against art, creation against creation.
What she wanted to do was to pull Roy into her rhythm.
At the same time, Roy’s room
Roy was looking through the creative drafts submitted by several people under the lamp.
“Shiha-senpai’s writing style is really stable… Kato has been subtly simplifying his sentences recently. Is he influenced by me? Mashiro’s paintings are also softer.”
As he was thinking, there was a light knock on the door.
“…It’s so late?”
The door opened, and standing at the door was Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was wearing a snow-white long dress.
“Senior?”
“Sorry to bother you.” She raised the corners of her mouth and elegantly raised the materials in her hand. “I just want to discuss the direction of the script, and – the ‘article’ I gave you.”
Roy was silent for two seconds, looking at the faint fire in her eyes.
——He realized that it was no longer just “creation”.
“Come in,” he said softly.
The door closed, blocking the night wind. In the room, only the two creators and a little bit of gradually warming air were left.
The night is very quiet, with only the sound of wind blowing through the curtains, as if quietly reminding us that tonight is destined to be unusual.
“…So, have you finished reading it all?”
Shiyu gently put down the teacup, her voice not as cold as usual, but with a hint of uneasiness and anticipation.
Roy nodded, his eyes darker than tea: “I like it very much, especially the ending.”
“Yeah.”
She looked away, but raised her eyes the next second, “So, do you want to try the ‘sequel’?”
The atmosphere between the two of them completely changed at that moment.
Shiyu took the initiative to move closer, and her fingertips brushed the back of Roy’s hand, as if she was turning the pages of a book, or as if she was testing the rhythm of the next chapter. The light was soft, reflecting her outline in an extremely gentle manner.
When she stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss, it was not a hasty outburst, but a foreshadowing that had been accumulated for a long time, quietly unveiled under the moonlight.
Long hair fell on Roy’s shoulders, their breaths intertwined, and their emotions were silently ignited. The manuscripts were scattered all over the floor, as if the dialogue between the two creators no longer needed words to carry it.
That night, Roy realized for the first time that Shiyu’s “literature” was not just on the manuscript paper. She occupied his night in an extremely poetic way – like writing a dream chapter that belonged only to the two of them.
Until the sky was slightly bright, she was still whispering: “This is… our joint creation. The next one, only you are allowed to write it.”
The faint light of early morning sprinkled through the gaps in the curtains, like fragmented verses, unfolding bit by bit on the edge of the bed.
When the sunset glow came in, Shiyu had already woken up.
No, he quietly opened his eyes before Roy stood up.
She curled up in her quilt, like a girl who had hidden a secret, or like a writer who had just finished writing a most personal diary, not knowing whether to hide the content in a drawer or submit it for publication.
Her fingertips gently touched her neck – there was a subtle kiss mark left there last night, like a chapter annotation, or like a personal mark Roy left for her.
——”As expected, Hui is happy.”
When this thought came to her mind, her eyelashes trembled slightly.
She was not unaware that she was not the first.
But the dialogue last night, which was not part of any script, really happened to her. From the moment she took the initiative to hold Roy’s hand, she would not allow this to become a one-time episode.
She wanted to make herself part of the text.
Everything in the room still carried the residual warmth of “night”. Roy was sitting at the desk, wearing a thin coat, looking through the manuscripts scattered last night, with a focused look as usual, but – his eyes would occasionally glance at her inadvertently.
There was tenderness, apology, and a kind of acknowledgement in those eyes that made one’s heart beat even without words.
Shiyu knew that it was Roy’s unique tenderness – not exclusive possession of a certain person, but a kind of…inclusive possession.
He would embrace everyone who approached him, and would not have the heart to push away any girl who loved him deeply.
“Are you still thinking about what happened yesterday?” she asked softly, getting up, putting on her pajamas, and walking behind him.
Roy tilted his head: “No, I’m thinking about how to write about you in the next chapter.”
“You are more… proactive than I thought.” He chuckled, “but also more difficult to control than I thought.”
“Do you regret it then?”
“No.” Roy stood up and looked into her eyes. His expression was calm and reassuring. “I never regret every line I wrote. Even if it was an accidental plot, I will take responsibility for it to the end.”
At that moment, Shiyu suddenly felt that a new plot had been written into her heart by him, the “screenwriter”.
No longer a foreshadowing in the corner, no longer a narrator-like audience, but one of the heroines who plays opposite him.
She did not say the vow in her heart, “I will not give in.”
Because she knew that the real battle had just begun.
45. I look pretty good today (old version)
The life of a manga master: 45. Today’s complexion looks very good.
The early morning sunlight poured through the high windows into the restaurant on the first floor of the mansion, falling on the breakfast table, sprinkling on the ends of everyone’s hair and eyes, and also illuminating – that slightly wrong feeling in the air.
“Good morning.” The first person to appear was Eriri. She yawned lazily and sat down with her blonde hair not yet combed.
Following closely behind was Kato Megumi, who was still dressed simply at home and looked neither good nor bad, but the faint smile in her eyes seemed to reveal a bit of the ease of a “owner”.
But the one that everyone was paying attention to was not her——
But it was Miss Kasumi Shiko who made her final appearance——
She was dressed more delicately than usual today, with her lips bright and charming under her light makeup. When she walked into the restaurant, she paused slightly with graceful steps and glanced in Roy’s direction.
“Good morning, you look very good today, Roy-kun.”
“Ah, um…you too.” Roy responded slightly awkwardly.
“The same to you.”
To some people, this sentence sounds like the sound of a confirmation stamp being stamped.
“…Huh?” Eriri paused, and the fork that was holding the fried egg almost slipped from her fingers.
She looked back at Roy, then glanced at Shiyu, and suddenly it seemed as if some slow current in her head finally flowed through.
“Wait, you guys…didn’t something like that happen last night…wasn’t that right?!” Her voice suddenly rose.
“What are you talking about, Eriri?” Shiyu smiled like a lady, “I was just chatting with Roy-kun until late at night about the script.”
“Chat… until late at night?” Ying Lili’s face turned slightly red, and she fell into her own imaginary hell.
On the other side, Nanami was putting the last plate of toast on the table. She looked at the atmosphere, then looked at the smile on Shiyu’s lips that was so faint that it was almost invisible, and sighed.
“That’s great…” she said softly.
“Hmm?” Hui turned his head to look at her.
Nanami smiled, “Everyone is so frank. When I was still worrying about how to start, someone had already taken action.”
“…I see.” Hui took a sip of milk, her lips not moving, but her fingers tapped lightly on the wall of the cup.
If Shiyu’s attack was a blooming rose, then Hui was a bottomless lake at this moment. Although the surface was calm, a hint of jealousy was rising somewhere in her heart.
“I thought you wouldn’t care.” Shiyu’s voice came suddenly, as if it was mentioned casually, but it went straight to the core.
“…Of course I care.” Hui responded calmly, but her tone was surprisingly honest.
In an instant, the subtle atmosphere at the table was like a needle tip hitting a wheat awn——
The most silent person was Mashiro, who was sitting on Roy’s left.
She ate her boiled eggs in silence, spooning jam without moving her mouth.
She looked at Roy, then at Shiyu, lowered her head, and whispered to herself:
“…Should I…finish that painting?”
No one heard what she said, but Roy noticed the lost light in her eyes, with a little bit of confusion and loneliness of being “abandoned”.
——And he said nothing, but silently poured her another glass of milk.
This glass of milk, a small action that made Mashiro raise her head suddenly, and in an instant – her eyes seemed to be wet.
“…Stupid owner.”
The empty plates in the restaurant were cleared one by one, and the girls, with their own complicated emotions, walked into the studio on the second floor of the mansion one after another.
This is a shared workroom specially decorated by Roy. The bookshelves are filled with setting collections and reference materials, and the whiteboard still has a few doodles from the discussion of “Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 5” late last night.
——Everything seems calm, but in fact there are undercurrents.
“Then our goal today is to determine the main conflict between Chapters 2 and 3.” Roy looked around at everyone and spread a stack of information on the table. “I discussed the structure with Shiyu last night… Well, today Hui will be in charge of completing the details, and Eriri will be in charge of the character sketches.”
“…So this is what you were discussing last night.” Ying Lili’s mouth twitched, but her hand still honestly picked up the pencil.
She stole a glance at Hui——
Hui looked natural, holding in her hand the draft copy that Roy had given her that morning.
“…That Kato is so calm.” Eriri bit the pen, but she started to panic inside.
It was only at this moment that she finally felt that things had really “happened”.
Behind her, Mashiro sat down quietly and pulled the unfinished drawing paper from yesterday in front of him.
——It’s a portrait of Roy.
However, this time, she did not draw him holding up his treasure in a majestic manner. Instead, she drew him smiling from the side and saying “good morning” to her tenderly.
“…I don’t want to be left behind,” she whispered, pressing the pencil in her hand a little harder than before.
“Mashiro-chan is very serious today.” Nanami brought the fruit plate and chuckled, “But the atmosphere… is a bit like being on a battlefield.”
“…Battlefield?” Eriri repeated, then suddenly realized something.
She looked back at Kei and Shiwa, then at Mashiro, and finally at Roy.
“Hey, hey…wait a minute, is there something wrong with this plot?”
“Something was wrong the moment you didn’t realize the problem, Eriri-san.” Shiyu handed over a sorted setting sheet with a smile. She looked calm and elegant on the surface, but her eyes seemed to say, “‘Comprehension’ is better than ‘slowness’.”
At this moment, Hui also secretly glanced at the setting table.
She had already noticed Shiyu’s offensive “late last night” – and sure enough, the direction of today’s copy also carried a certain “concentration of love”.
“If she intends to influence Roy’s judgment in the direction of the script… then I should also–“
She opened her notebook and quietly wrote a line under the setting column for “Heroine A”:
“She’s the only one who can handle all of his tenderness and chaos.”
She didn’t say who it was, but she knew Roy would be able to understand.
And Roy looked at the girls sitting around him.
Mashiro lowered his head in silence, the tip of his pen rustling; Eriri kept frowning and biting her lower lip; Nanami listened carefully, but her eyes drifted between him and Megumi for a moment; Shiwa put away the setting collection and looked at him straight; Megumi… Megumi said nothing, just smiled quietly.
“——I am too greedy after all.”
He sighed in his heart.
But the pen in his hand still moved firmly across the manuscript paper.
He had to write the best story for them—and the happiest ending for all of them.
46. Idols’ Favor Script (Old Version)
The life of a manga writer: 46. Idols’ love story
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the mansion’s living room, and the sky gradually darkened.
The script meeting had just ended, and the girls were scattered around the living room in groups of three or four. Some were sorting out documents, some were daydreaming, and some were…sneaking glances at Roy.
“Okay, let’s stop here for today.” Roy closed his notebook and stretched, “But, I have something I want to discuss with you all.”
“We have to vote in groups again to decide the order of the heroines?” Eriri was the first to sit up straight and asked vigilantly.
“No, no.” Roy smiled and waved his hand. “I think… let’s go to the city tomorrow and have a look. Didn’t the fourth volume of “Magic Index” just come out? Let’s go to the bookstore together and see the real reaction. It can be regarded as… a pilgrimage to the author.”
“Huh? That’s a good idea!” Nanami’s eyes lit up. “I heard the venue over there for the book signing event is also very lively. Although we are not an open author, sneaking around feels like a spy mission!”
“We can observe the on-site reactions of the target readership.” Hui nodded and added in a low voice, “Including placement, sales, and reading frequency… It is indeed of reference value.”
“It does sound interesting.” Shiyu rested her chin on her hand and glanced at Roy. “Will you come along? The creative coordinator is here in person. This scene is worth writing about.”
“Well, if no one objects, I’ll go, of course.” Roy smiled calmly.
“I’ll go.” Mashiro held her drawing board, as if announcing some established fact, “I want to see… how my owner’s work is accepted by everyone.”
“Huh!? What, what owner… your word choice is so weird!” Eriri complained without hesitation, “But, I, I’m not not going! It’s just… it’s okay to take a look.”
As everyone nodded in response, the atmosphere for setting off became more and more enthusiastic.
Just then——
“…You daytime animals, why are you holding a small field meeting without informing me?”
The curtains in the corner of the room swayed without wind, and then a red and black figure appeared in the air. Sophie appeared among the crowd, holding an unopened blood bag.
“Gululu-ha… This batch is a little icy today.” She tore open the blood bag and took a sip, squinting slightly, “But it’s okay.”
“Good night, Miss Sophie.” Hui nodded gently.
“Uh…why not say ‘get up late’?” Nanami complained quietly.
“Anyway,” Sophie flexed her wrist and snorted, “of course I can’t go during the day, but I don’t want to miss your ‘guerrilla observation operation’. So—”
She flicked her fingers.
“I will synchronize your actions with the remote terminal in the room, and watch together through video conferencing. Don’t underestimate the technological capabilities of the Night People.”
“Remote meeting inspection!?” Eriri looked incredulous. “Are you planning to remotely inspect the meeting while sucking blood?!”
“As long as we have the Internet and data glasses, it’s not difficult to observe your activities.” Sophie said lightly, “Besides, I also want to see how many people are willing to open the copy of “Magic Index” that made you stay up late at night.”
“You actually considered the vampires’ deployment methods…” Roy smiled bitterly, “Okay, then tomorrow during the day, we will form a ‘ground action team’, and Miss Sophie will serve as… ‘nighttime remote support’.”
“Hmph, let’s look forward to it for a while.”
Sophie turned around, swung her cloak, and returned to her night room.
“In this way, everyone will be involved?” Eriri whispered.
“Even vampires are involved in the ‘test’ of this work.” Shiyu narrowed her eyes and her gaze unconsciously fell on Roy.
One thing no one said was—
This “observation trip” may be another invisible battle between them.
The morning in the mansion was as usual, the air was filled with the fragrance of forest dew, and the sound of birds singing gently passed by the window.
But the atmosphere today is a little different from yesterday.
“…Huh, we have to get up early to gather today.”
Roy was standing at the entrance waiting for someone while tidying up the bag on his shoulder. Everyone who was usually scattered during the creation period unexpectedly gathered on time today, as if they were particularly concerned about the release of the fourth volume of “Magic Index”.
The first person to slowly walk down the stairs was Kato Megumi.
She was wearing a plain but well-fitting light grey dress today, and her hair was tied into a low ponytail – a delicate look that was slightly different from her usual “background heroine” image.
“Good morning, Roy-kun.”
“Oh, good morning, Kei.”
Roy just raised his hand to say hello, but she gently held it.
It was an action so natural that it seemed as if the two of them had a tacit understanding, with their fingertips lightly touching and their palms warm.
“…There are a lot of people on the road, so it’s less likely we’ll get lost if we hold hands.” She added softly, her eyes as gentle as the sunshine brushing across the river in early spring.
Roy opened his mouth, about to say something –
“Ah, you’re really pushing it too far.”
The next person who stepped into the entrance with elegant steps was Kasumigaoka Utaha.
She was wearing a navy blue dress with a rather bold neckline, but paired with a small necklace and a shawl, she looked quite elegant. She looked like a young lady who had just walked out of the cover of a novel.
“Holding hands… isn’t something that only belongs to one person, right?”
She gracefully moved to Roy’s other side and then – calmly took his other hand.
A situation of being surrounded by both sides was created.
Kato was slightly startled, but he didn’t let go. He just raised the corner of his mouth slightly: “Good morning, Senior Shiyu.”
“Same here.” Shiyu’s voice was calm. “It seems that you are in a good condition today. You are indeed ‘rosy’.”
“Thanks to senior, I slept soundly last night.”
The two spoke in calm tones, but there was a turbulent undercurrent in their words, and their grip seemed to be a little tighter than before.
Just when Roy was wondering whether to split himself into two——
“…I want to hold hands too…”
Mashiro’s voice came from the stairs.
She was wearing a white windbreaker and a short skirt, holding a drawing board in her hands, and standing there with her cheeks slightly flushed.
“Roy… is the person I trust the most. He would rather let me hold his hand than let anyone else.”
“Uh, Mashiro? Didn’t you always say that holding hands would interfere with your perception of the ‘inspiration line’…”
“Today is a special day.” Mashiro said stubbornly, “I want to hold your hand too.”
As she spoke, she walked up and grabbed the hem of Roy’s windbreaker, like a cat grabbing its own toy and refusing to let go.
“This is no longer holding hands, but a pendant…” Roy sighed with a wry smile.
“…Huh…what are you doing? Are you guys acting out the idols’ fight for favor this morning?”
The last to arrive was Eriri, with her hands in her pockets and a frown on her face. She wore denim shorts and a mint green jacket, which was unusual for her today. She looked as fresh as an energetic idol in the sunshine.
“I’m not envious or anything, it’s just… you guys are too clingy, it makes you look tasteless!”
“If you want to hold my hand, you can…”
As soon as Roy finished speaking, he saw Eriri’s ears turn red instantly.
“I don’t want to! Who wants to hold your hand? Even if it’s… well…”
Before she finished her words, she grabbed Roy’s backpack strap, not holding hands, but a subtle expression of “just give it a pull”.
At this moment——
Kato and Shiwa on both sides showed barely perceptible smiles almost at the same time.
Not far away, Sophie, who was sitting on the sofa drinking blood, looked at this scene and sighed softly: “Huh, it’s really strange to play such a multi-female lead drama so early in the morning… But…”
She licked her lips and murmured.
“Sooner or later, I’ll have a share.”
47. Suspect Squad Out on the Street (Old Version)
The life of a manga writer: 47. The suspect team goes out on the street
The morning sun shone on the spacious entrance of the mansion, and a group of people came out one after another.
Although everyone’s outfit looks… to put it nicely it’s “low-key and fashionable”, to put it bluntly it’s like “a squad of criminal suspects going out on the streets”.
The hat is pulled down low, and they wear sunglasses and masks, and some even wear large sun-protective shawls.
“I say, do you really think you won’t be recognized like this?” Roy put on a dark blue baseball cap and glanced at Eriri, who was wearing a white coat and even had a camera hanging on her.
“It’s called reverse thinking concealment.” Kato Hui pushed up her sunglasses and replied expressionlessly, “The more you look like an ordinary tourist, the less likely you will be targeted.”
“Mashiro, don’t carry your drawing board horizontally on your back, it’s too conspicuous!” Nanami complained in a low voice, “It looks like you’re going to set up a booth at a comic convention.”
“Gu…” Mashiro responded softly, but did not put down his precious drawing board.
Just when everyone confirmed that they were fully equipped and were ready to go out, the familiar vampire lady finally poked her head out from the other end of the stairs.
“…Are you leaving?” Sophie yawned, dragging her silk cloak downstairs, holding a pillow in her hands.
“The fourth volume of “Magic Index” is on sale today. Let’s go to the bookstore to check it out.” Roy waved his hand, “But it’s not suitable for you to go out during the day, so stay at home.”
“… Humph, I get it.” She turned her head away proudly, walked back to the living room, and threw her phone on the sofa. “Remember to video call me. I want to see how you get recognized and make a fool of yourself.”
Everyone smiled knowingly.
At ten o’clock in the morning, in front of a large chain bookstore in the city center.
“…This scene is more exaggerated than I imagined.” Nanami widened her eyes and looked at the long queue that had been lining up in front of the store since seven in the morning.
“We were all wrong. We completely underestimated the influence of this novel.” Shiyu held the brim of her hat, her lips curled up slightly, “But it does feel a bit fulfilling to talk about it.”
“It’s the power of “Magic Index”, not us.” Kato said calmly, but there was an unconcealable brilliance in his eyes.
In order to avoid being recognized, they formed groups and sneaked in through the back door, pretending to be ordinary customers and blending in with the readers. Unexpectedly, as soon as they approached the main display area——
“Hey, isn’t this Roy-kun?”
A familiar voice came to my ears.
Everyone’s heart tightened and they pulled down their hat brims almost reflexively.
A female editor wearing a slim-fitting jacket and carrying a work bag strode over. The smart and capable face under the brim of her hat was none other than Editor Yuanzi.
“How did you recognize us?” Roy asked helplessly.
“You guys are dressed like a couple who are secretly dating.” Yuan Zi shrugged and handed over a new magazine. “Don’t be nervous. No one saw me. I came here secretly too. Our editor-in-chief is preparing for an interview in the live studio.”
“What about us?” Ying Lili asked in a low voice.
“Of course I’ll continue to play the role of a passerby.” Yuan Zi blinked and smiled like a mastermind. “By the way, did you inform the vampire lady before you came? I remember that she hates being left behind the most.”
Roy nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket and quickly opening the video call.
“—Hey, Sophie, can you see us?”
Sophie on the other side of the camera was curled up on the sofa in the living room, hugging a huge pillow, wearing a pure black silk nightgown, holding a cup of tea in one hand and typing on the remote control with the other.
“Yeah, I saw it.” She stared at the screen lazily, “Mashiro, the poster behind you actually has the heroine illustration you drew printed on it. No wonder so many people gathered around to take pictures.”
“Gu!?” Mashiro immediately shrank his neck.
“Mei, your smile is a little too calm, making it easier for people to doubt that you are the real person.”
“…I’m used to it.” Kato replied softly.
“Shiyu, stay away from Roy. Don’t think I didn’t see you holding his elbow.” Sophie’s voice suddenly became a little colder.
Shiyu smiled nonchalantly: “You were more…”
“Cough cough!” Roy coughed twice and quickly moved the camera upwards to avoid the subtle air fluctuations around the two people.
“Well, anyway, today’s sales look pretty good.” Yuanzi flipped through the backend data to show Roy, “The initial movement has exceeded 10,000. It will be ranked first on the daily trending search tonight.”
“Because the book is good.” Roy said lightly.
“It’s also because your ‘oppositional composition of the heroine’ is very exciting now.” Yuan Zi smiled meaningfully, “Several Twitter users have already started fighting over who is the main wife.”
Hearing this, Sophie in the video, Kato and Shiwa at the scene paused slightly.
Mashiro, Nanami, and Eriri, who were standing in the corner observing them, felt a quiet sense of uneasiness in their hearts—or rather, an unclear feeling.
The craze, the attention, the competition, the story is burning at a speed beyond anyone’s expectations.
——This is the real Magical Index War that takes place in “reality”.
In the bookstore in the afternoon, the air was filled with the faint scent of ink and the noise of the crowd. Roy and the girls were scattered around the booth, disguised as ordinary customers, without attracting attention, but their ears were highly focused.
As one of the most popular works in recent times, the fourth volume of “A Certain Magical Index” was surrounded by fans as soon as it was put on the shelves.
“Wow, this volume is too explosive! The joint operation between Misaka Mikoto and Kamijou——I’m so excited!”
“Yes, yes, yes! That scene took my breath away. Academy City’s LV5 and Imagine Breaker fought side by side. The scene was like an anime!”
Mashiro stood in the comic area, holding the picture book in both hands, her ears moved slightly, and the corners of her lips raised slightly. She stayed up all night for three days to draw the storyboard for the joint battle scene, and she didn’t expect to receive so many praises.
“And that Kihara Suta, he’s too bad! He’s just a human with a scientific bent, but he actually played Accelerator around…”
“I think the more ruthless part is the line – ‘If you want to fight, clench your fists. If you don’t want to fight, don’t get in the way. Don’t trample on other people’s determination with such a half-hearted attitude!'”
“Ahhhhh I really love this book!!”
“Did you notice? There’s actually a kind of… hazy and tense atmosphere between Kamijou Touma and Index in this volume.”
“Yes, I think Touma’s feelings towards her are not just ‘protective’, but a subtle kind of dependence on her. Look, even though he is always beaten half to death, he still holds her in his arms and says ‘You are my church, my hope’… wuwuwu, I am crying to death.”
Hui stood in front of the magazine rack pretending to read “Newtype”, her eyes flickered slightly, and she gently lowered her head to cover the corners of her mouth with a smile.
“It seems that Roy’s emotional scenes are still effective.”
Shiyu stood in front of the light adaptation area with her arms folded, listening quietly and commenting in her heart:
——In this paragraph, she suggested that Roy add the part of “Touma’s inner monologue” to make the protagonist’s emotions more layered.
Now it seems that it was the right choice.
“I’m on Index’s side too! She’s so small but she can memorize 103,000 magic books in one breath. She’s so strong!”
“But I still like Misaka Mikoto more. Who doesn’t want a tsundere girlfriend who can blow up the enemy with one shot?”
Eriri was flipping through the art collection with her head down when she heard the words “tsundere girlfriend” and her fingers trembled.
“Hmph…Tsundere is not the girlfriend type.”
She muttered quietly, not even realizing the slight panic in her tone.
Nanami stood at the farthest point, quietly watching the overall atmosphere of the book fair, her eyes full of envy.
“If… I could also draw a picture like that, and participate in such a work…”
“Someone really loves this book.”
At this moment, Roy silently looked up and saw the readers’ messages posted on the on-site display board:
“I hope the ending is not about who wins or loses, but that everyone is happy.”
“Author, please don’t stab me! Kamijou and Index must be together!”
“Please give Misaka Mikoto a name!”
“Accelerator and Last Order are too cruel! Can you let him go for once?”
——These mixed, passionate and real voices are the original source of motivation for him as a creator.
At this moment, Sophie’s voice came from the other end of the mobile video:
“You guys are having so much fun over there… I’m really jealous.”
“If the sun hadn’t completely set, I would have kicked open the door of the bookstore.”
“Well, when you are awake at night, Roy will tell you the interesting stories of the scene in private.” Hui responded with a smile.
“…Humph, I’m not looking forward to that.”
The vampire lady in the video turned her head away proudly, but the tips of her ears turned red.
Everyone smiled at each other knowingly, and their mood became clearer with the fiery enthusiasm of fans in the air.