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

Page 26

"I told you to get away! Can't you understand human language? Idiot! You idiot Yuto!"

Yuto Itsuka sighed, and instead of knocking again, he simply grasped the doorknob.

The door is unlocked.

He gently pushed open the door, and a fluffy slipper flew past his nose and hit the wall across the hallway.

The room was a mess, with cushions and paintbrushes scattered all over the floor.

The blonde girl with twin ponytails was sitting on the carpet with her back to the door, her shoulders twitching.

This place is more like a professional studio than a bedroom.

A huge bookshelf stood on one side of the room, crammed with comics and art books.

On the other side were some painting equipment, a digital screen, and various types of paintbrushes and paints scattered around it. There were also several character design drafts on the wall.

Yuto Itsuka's gaze inadvertently fell on the lit digital screen.

The screen displays a drawing interface for a software program.

In the center of the canvas is a male character he knows all too well—black hair, resolute eyes, dressed in simple cloth, holding a knight's sword.

He is the male protagonist of his novel "The Farming King".

Although it was just an unfinished line drawing, he recognized it at a glance.

Yuto Itsuka closed the door, walked to Eriri's side, and without saying a word, silently picked up the scattered paintbrushes on the ground and put them back into the paintbrush holder one by one.

His actions gradually stopped Eriri's crying.

She slowly turned her head, looking at him with teary eyes, her gaze filled with panic, shame, and helplessness.

On that pretty face, four big words were written: "It's all over, meow."

"You...you saw it all?" Her voice trembled.

"Hmm." Itsuka Yuto nodded, put away the last pen, and then sat cross-legged in front of her. "Not bad."

Eriri was a little stunned. She asked softly, "Aren't you...aren't you angry?"

"Why should I be angry?" Yuto Itsuka retorted. "Angry that you kept it from me? Or angry that you missed your deadline?"

He already knows that Eriri knows he is the author of "The Farming King".

During dinner, when Aunt Sayuri asked him a question, he didn't hide anything and told her that he was writing a light novel set in another world.

Another world, farming, lord, Eriri, if you still can't guess it, you might as well hang yourself with a noodle.

“I…” Eriri’s face turned bright red in an instant, the redness spreading from her cheeks to her ears.

She buried her head in her knees. "I didn't... I didn't mean to miss the deadline..."

"why?"

"...I have no inspiration."

The creator's go-to excuse—no inspiration.

Yuto Itsuka realized that he often used this excuse to fob off Editor Machida.

However, looking at Eriri in front of him, he still wanted to laugh a little. In essence, she was still the clumsy, dishonest crybaby he remembered.

"And now? Still no inspiration?"

"……Um."

Yuto Itsuka stroked his chin and said deliberately, "That doesn't make sense. Since I'm the author of the novel, Eriri should be bursting with inspiration, right?"

"No way!" Eriri said irritably.

Yuto Itsuka did not continue the topic, but instead asked, "So, why did Eriri take this job? With the reputation of 'Eri Kashiwagi,' you shouldn't lack commissions, right?"

"..."

Yuuto Itsuka suddenly realized: "Could it be that Eriri, you already knew I was the author of 'Farming King' and couldn't wait to become my exclusive illustrator, which is why you accepted the commission?!"

"No! That's not true!" Eriri retorted loudly.

She only agreed to the job because she happened to discover that the editors at Shinazugawa Bunko were looking for an illustrator for this work and thought the work was good.

She's an otaku too, of course she plays games and reads novels! What's so strange about that!

Seriously, I never expected the author to be such an idiot!

"I...I just thought the novel was pretty good!" she stubbornly insisted. "The story was very interesting...that's why I took the job! It has nothing to do with you!"

Although it was true, Yuto Itsuka didn't believe it at all.

"Really?" He looked at the line art on her computer screen. "If it has nothing to do with me, then why haven't you submitted the manuscript yet? Ms. Kashiwagi Eri, this doesn't seem to be in line with your professional ethics, does it?"

"I..." Eriri was choked and speechless, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"I just have no inspiration! I just can't draw it!"

"And now, just thinking about the male lead's face turning into your idiotic face makes me... I just can't continue drawing!"

"Oh? Then what's with that sketch on Line?"

"That was...that was a quick sketch, just to get a feel for it!"

Yuto Itsuka raised an eyebrow. "I think it's more like a loser venting his anger."

"Loser?! Loser?!" Eriri blushed, grabbed a cushion next to her and threw it at him. "You're the loser!"

"You big idiot! You bastard Yuto! You were the one who ignored me first! And now you're lecturing me! What right do you have!"

Yuto Itsuka didn't dodge, letting the soft pillow hit his face.

Looking at his childhood sweetheart, who was completely defenseless and crying her eyes out, the unhappiness in his heart vanished without him even realizing it.

He sighed, reached out, and pinched her cheeks with both hands.

"Gu..."

"Okay, stop crying." His voice softened considerably. "Your makeup is all ruined by crying, you look awful."

Eriri paused in her sobbing and subconsciously touched her face; she hadn't put on any makeup today.

"Li the liar!"

Realizing her face was still being pinched, Eriri slapped away the mischievous hand, "You're lying!"

Yuto Itsuka withdrew his hand and said softly, "Eri, I'm sorry."

"Gah?"

Eriri was stunned.

The sudden apology interrupted her train of thought, making her momentarily forget what she was going to say.

After a long while, her face turned bright red, and she didn't know how to respond. She just stammered, "Why, why are you apologizing? I'm not angry."

"No, that's not it. What I meant was that I'm sorry I didn't discuss it with you properly back then."

"I made the decision unilaterally and then informed you. I'm sorry."

"I was arrogant and selfish. I only thought about myself and didn't consider your feelings. I'm sorry."

"Wow——"

Yuto Itsuka's three consecutive apologies completely snapped Eriri's mental barrier, causing her to burst into tears.

After a long while, she looked at Itsuka Yuuto with teary eyes and said in a choked voice, "Our family... Mom clearly said that she could help you! You were the one who wanted to leave! You stupid thing, you had to be stubborn!"

"It's my fault." Itsuka Yuto wiped away her tears.

"After you moved away, you never came to play with me!"

"It's my fault."

"You...you pretended not to know me at school!"

"I'm an idiot."

"Hmph—" Upon hearing this, Eriri went from crying to laughing, accidentally letting out a pig-like squeal, and then stared blankly at Itsuka Yuto.

Yuto Itsuka pretended not to hear, wiped the tears off her face, and straightened up.

"Anyway, don't cry."

"You...you think I'll forgive you just because you apologized?" She stammered for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out this weak and powerless sentence.

"Yes, it is I who am begging for your forgiveness." Itsuka Yuto clasped his hands together. "Please, Eriri-sama, forgive me for the heinous crime I committed back then."

"Pfft-"

Eriri finally smiled, revealing her cute little tiger teeth as she grinned.

"Hate."

The sound was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Volume 1: Chapter 33: Who's More Handsome Than Me?

"Now that everything has been explained, let's get down to business, Eriri, our new friend."

Yuto Itsuka said in a businesslike tone, "We have a lot of questions about the illustrations for the second volume of 'Becoming the Strongest Farmer in Another World,' and we need to have a good talk about them."

Eriri sat blankly on the carpet, no longer crying or arguing. She just tilted her head back and stared at him with her clear blue eyes.

After a while, she asked softly, "Talk...talk about what?"

"Let's talk about work." Itsuka Yuto pulled over a chair next to him and sat down, looking her in the eye.

"First of all, there's the issue of delayed submissions. Editor Machida has complained to me many times, saying that Kashiwagi Eri is the most high-profile and difficult-to-communicate illustrator she has ever worked with."

Eriri's cheeks flushed instantly, and the shame made her wish she could disappear into the ground.

She knew she had gone a bit too far, but being told off to her face like that still made her feel very embarrassed.

"I...I'm sorry." She bowed her head and apologized.

"No need for an apology," Yuto Itsuka waved his hand.

"Let's discuss a solution. There's less than a month left until the deadline for Volume 2. If the illustrations can't be completed on time, it will affect the entire book's release schedule."

"This isn't just my problem, it's the problem of the publisher, the printing press, and everyone who put in the effort for this book. Eriri, do you understand?"

"Woo——"

"I...I'll finish drawing it as soon as possible," she said, biting her lower lip.

"No, you don't need to finish drawing it. Just don't lose contact like before and report your progress on time."

“…Three days.” Eriri calculated the workload and gave a timeframe. “No, two days! I can finish drawing it within two days!”

"it is good."

Yuto Itsuka chose to believe.

"If you have any difficulties, you can find me on Line. Ah, I mean the old account, since you deleted my work account."

"..." Eriri lowered her head even further.

"So, one last question."

“Eri, based on my understanding of you, it’s really a waste of your talent to use your skills to draw illustrations for novels like ‘Mountain Pomegranate’.”

"So, for the future third, fourth, fifth... and even the final volume, do you still want to continue illustrating this novel?"

She jerked her head up, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "You...you're going to replace me?!"

"No, no, no!" Itsuka Yuto quickly waved his hand.

“What I mean is, you are ‘genius painter Kashiwagi Eri’, you should probably pursue your dream. Haven’t you always longed for the Buffet Art Exhibition since you were little, hoping that one day your paintings could be exhibited? You might consider working towards that goal.”

"Of course, I don't mean to decide your life. I just hope you can think about it carefully. You can also talk to Aunt Xiaobaihe about it."

"No matter what your final decision is, whether you want to continue drawing illustrations or pursue your dreams, I will support you."

"As for the light novel illustrations, don't worry, the paperback publisher..."

"I want to draw!" Eriri practically shouted, interrupting Yuto Itsuka.

"I'm not giving up! This is my job! What genius illustrator Kashiwagi Eri? Who cares about that kind of title! I can draw! And I can draw better than anyone else! Because... because only I understand your novel best!"