aircannonsinc Page 71
Page 71
"Mom, the pudding you made is too sweet," Eriri complained, but still ate it heartily.
"Sweets replenish energy, you know," Little Lily said with a smile, looking at them. "The way you two are acting is just like a newlywed couple working hard for the future."
"Cough cough!" Yuto Itsuka almost choked on his coffee.
"Mom! What are you saying?!" Eriri's face instantly turned bright red. "We're just working!"
"Okay, okay, I'll get to work," Xiaobaihe replied compliantly.
She moved closer to Yuto Itsuka, "Yuto, are you sleeping well in the guest room? Would you like me to get you a softer mattress?"
"No need, Aunt Sayuri, I can fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow now," Yuto Itsuki said with a wry smile.
"That's good. You can continue. I won't disturb you any longer." Sayuri left the studio satisfied.
The studio fell silent again, with only the soft scratching of the pen tip sliding across the digital screen.
Eriri secretly glanced at Yuto Itsuka. His profile looked particularly thin under the cold light of the screen, and the dark circles under his eyes were even more pronounced, but his gaze was very focused.
"Hey," Eriri said softly, "...Thank you."
"Hmm?" Itsuka Yuto's gaze didn't leave the screen. "Why are you thanking me?"
"Thank you... for helping me."
“Don’t mention it, Kashiwagi-sensei. Your illustrations are also part of my work, and I don’t want to affect sales because of illustration issues,” Yuto Itsuka replied casually.
"Can't you say something nice?" Eriri puffed out her cheeks.
"Just telling the truth." Yuto Itsuka finally turned his head and smiled. "Besides, I also want to go to the Izu training camp. So, good luck, partner."
partner……
This word made Eriri's heart skip a beat.
"Hmph, I know." She turned her head, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.
……
Wednesday, July 7th.
Yuto Itsuka and Eriri drifted into the school like two ghosts. They didn't even have the energy to bicker anymore, and just moved around mechanically.
"Good morning." Kato Megumi looked at Itsuka Yuto at the next table, whose dark circles under his eyes were almost like a panda's.
"Good morning..." Itsuka Yuto's voice was a little hoarse.
"Itsuka-kun, today is Tanabata (the seventh day of the seventh lunar month)," Kato Megumi reminded her.
"Qixi Festival?" Yuto Itsuka was stunned for a moment. His mind was currently filled with RGB, CMYK, layers, and halftone dots, and he had completely forgotten about the date.
The Japanese Tanabata Festival differs from that in China; it is celebrated on July 7th of the Gregorian calendar.
Because the lunar calendar was abolished during the Meiji Restoration, most of the festivals that came from across the sea were adjusted to be celebrated on Gregorian calendar dates.
Some festivals, after being passed down, have even taken on completely different meanings from their original ones.
For example, there is Children's Day, which evolved from the Dragon Boat Festival, and it is also called Boys' Day. Because in Japanese, "calamus" and "martial spirit" are homophones, the Dragon Boat Festival gradually became a festival to pray for the growth of boys, and the date is fixed on May 5th of the Gregorian calendar.
In addition, there are the Respect for the Elderly Day, which evolved from the Double Ninth Festival, and the Ghost Festival, etc.
Although the Tanabata Festival originated from the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, in Japan it has become a day for making wishes. People write their wishes on colorful strips of paper called tanzaku and then hang them on bamboo.
In the corner of the classroom of Class B in the first year of high school, some students have already placed a decorative bamboo plant with several colorful paper strips hanging on it.
"Oh, Qixi Festival." Yuto Itsuka, who was Chinese in his previous life but is a single dog, has no interest in this. "My only wish now is to sleep."
"Why don't you write one? I heard it's very effective." Kato Megumi pointed to the bamboo.
"Forget it, I don't even have the strength to write right now." Itsuka Yuto waved his hand.
Yoshihiko Uego turned around and said mysteriously, "Itsuka, didn't you know? In Toyonosaki, there's a tradition for Tanabata: if couples write their wishes together in a tanzaku, they can stay together forever."
"We're not a couple, get lost," Yuto Itsuka said irritably.
“I’m not talking about myself! I mean…” Shangxiang gestured with his eyes towards the direction of the second-year teaching building.
"Eri and I are just colleagues." Yuto Itsuka numbly repeated the words he had said countless times in the past few days.
"Do we need to live together because of work?" Yoshihiko Uego asked with a mischievous grin.
Yuto Itsuka was too lazy to explain anymore. He realized that ever since the news of him living at the Sawamura's house spread, his image at school had changed from "cool and aloof academic genius" to "a winner in life who lives with a beautiful female painter".
Tired, destroy it.
……
In the afternoon, it’s time for club activities.
When Yuto Itsuka and Megumi Kato arrived at the activity room, Utaha Kasumigaoka was already there.
She seemed to be in a good mood today, and was even humming a little tune.
"Good afternoon, junior and junior Kato." Kasumigaoka greeted them with a smile.
"Good afternoon, Kasumigaoka-senpai."
Yuto Itsuki noticed that there was also a small bamboo stalk and a stack of colorful short stories on the table in the activity room.
"Senior, is this also part of the club activities?" he asked.
“Of course.” Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded. “Today is Tanabata Festival. As creators, we should definitely experience this traditional culture and find inspiration.”
At that moment, Eriri also pushed open the door and came in. She looked even more haggard than Yuto Itsuka, and her golden twin tails were somewhat disheveled.
"Good afternoon..." she greeted weakly, then slumped onto the table.
Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Itsuka Yuto and Eriri.
The two had similar dark circles under their eyes and similarly listless mental state, making it hard not to draw parallels.
"Oh dear, Sawamura-kun, you look very tired," Kasumigaoka Utaha said teasingly.
"Could it be that I...exerted myself too much last night?"
Eriri looked up abruptly, her cheeks flushed, and retorted, "W-what are you talking about! I'm rushing to finish my manuscript!"
"Fighting a deadline? Of course I know you're fighting a deadline." Kasumigaoka Utaha stood up, walked to Eriri's side, and looked down at her. "But why does my junior look so tired too? Could it be... you're working on the same draft?"
In some ways, she was right.
"Yes...yes." Eriri said somewhat guiltily.
"Huh? As far as I know, your drawing skills aren't professional enough to be an illustrator, are they?"
Yuto Itsuka sighed, "Kasumigaoka-senpai, I am indeed helping Eriri, but mainly doing some auxiliary work, so I guess you could say I'm acting as an assistant."
“I see.” Kasumigaoka nodded, seemingly accepting the answer, but then she immediately changed the subject, “So, where are you working on your manuscript? At your junior’s house? Or…”
She paused deliberately, then turned her gaze to Eriri.
Eriri's face turned even redder, and she stammered, unable to speak.
“It’s at Eriri’s house,” Yuto Itsuka replied calmly. “To save commuting time and improve efficiency, I’m staying at her house temporarily this week.”
Upon hearing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha's smile froze on her face.
Although Kato Megumi already knew, she cooperated by showing an "I see" expression.
"Living in her house?" Kasumigaoka Utaha repeated, enunciating each word clearly.
Beneath her signature white headband, her wine-red eyes narrowed slightly, and the look she gave Eriri was enough to send chills down the latter's spine.
"Yes, yes!" Eriri forced a response, her voice trembling slightly, "It's just to meet the deadline! You know the deadline is fast approaching!"
"Oh? Rushing to finish a manuscript?" Kasumigaoka Utaha elegantly tossed her long hair and slowly walked to Itsuka Yuto's side, her tone full of sarcasm. "I didn't know that light novel authors needed a live-in assistant who also worked as an illustrator. Beautiful girl teacher, you really are a considerate partner."
Then, she twirled her long hair with her fingers and said in a low voice, "When I hit a roadblock while writing my novel, I didn't have my childhood sweetheart eager to come to my house and be my 'live-in editor'."
"I've talked to you about this on LINE before, right? You're a romance novel author, and I'm a farming novel author. Our genres are different, so the advice I can offer is very limited," Yuto Itsuka explained helplessly.
"Furthermore, Eriri is my illustrator, and she's putting in a lot of effort for my work. As the original author, I can't just stand by and do nothing."
Shiyu remained silent for a moment. She knew that what Itsuka Yuto said was true, but she still inexplicably didn't want to accept this explanation, and she didn't know why.
"...Hmph, that's easy for you to say." She turned her head away, her tone softening slightly.
"Fine, I'll let you off this time since you've worked so hard."
Kato Megumi, who had been quietly standing by as a background figure, suddenly spoke up.
"Today is Qixi Festival," she said with a smile, successfully changing the subject.
"Oh right, today is Tanabata." Eriri realized as well. "No wonder there are so many decorations in the shopping street."
"So, today's club activity is related to Tanabata." Kasumigaoka Utaha took out a stack of colorful paper strips from her bag.
"This is... a short story?" Yuto Itsuka asked.
“That’s right.” Shiyu nodded. “Although we are the Civility and Etiquette Learning Department, understanding traditional festival culture is also part of our learning. So, today’s activity is to write down your wishes.”
"Huh? How old-fashioned." Eriri pouted, but still picked up a pink booklet with interest.
"Can I write anything?" Kato Megumi asked.
"of course."
Shiyu picked up a pen and started writing on the note, “Whether it’s studies, career, or… love.”
She emphasized the word "love" and her gaze drifted toward Itsuka Yuto.
Yuto Itsuka didn't notice her little action. He picked up a blue notebook and started thinking about what wish to write down.
A bestselling novel? Getting accepted into the University of Tokyo?
The studio quieted down as everyone diligently wrote down their wishes.
Eriri bit her pen, agonizing for a long time before finally writing: "To become the strongest illustrator! And... I hope 'Farming King' gets an anime adaptation!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's handwriting is beautiful: "Love Metronome has sold over a million copies this year. I hope to get closer to someone."
Megumi Kato's wish is the simplest: "I hope everyone can have a happy summer."
Yuto Itsuka glanced at their wishes, smiled, and then wrote in his notebook: "I hope we can all have our wishes fulfilled."
After they finished writing, the four of them hung the short booklet on a bamboo branch, the colorful strips of paper swaying gently in the breeze.
After hanging it up, Kasumigaoka Utaha gave a seductive smile. "I'm really looking forward to having an in-depth exchange of creative ideas with my junior in the Izu night."
"Don't even think about it!" Eriri immediately stood in front of Yuto Itsuka, like a puppy guarding its food. "During the training camp, Yuto has to help me come up with the illustrations for the next volume!"
"Oh dear, Sawamura-kun, you really treat your junior like your personal possession."
"He was always my...my partner!"
Just as the two were about to start arguing again, Kato Megumi spoke up at the right moment: "Speaking of which, how's Eriri's artwork progressing? Itsuka-kun is staying at your house, so her efficiency should have improved a lot, right?"
Successfully changed the subject.
Eriri's expression immediately fell. "There are still two more color illustrations and three more black and white illustrations to go. Although Yuto helped a lot, the rest are the most delicate parts, which I have to do myself."
"Can it be finished before Friday?" Yuto Itsuka asked. Today is Wednesday, and there are only two days left.
"It should... be okay, right?" Eriri asked, somewhat uncertainly.
"Then let's give it our best." Itsuka Yuto stood up. "Sorry, Senpai, we have to leave early today. Kashiwagi-sensei, we should go back to work."
"Huh? They left so soon?" Kasumigaoka Utaha was a little dissatisfied.
"There's no way around it, the deadline is the biggest boss." Yuto Itsuka pulled Eriri up. "Senpai, Kato-kun, we're leaving now."
Watching the two figures walk away side by side, Kasumigaoka's expression was somewhat complicated.
She glanced at the short booklet on the bamboo branch, then turned to Kato Megumi, whose expression also seemed somewhat complicated, and asked, "Kato-senpai, what are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing." Kato Megumi shook her head and gave a faint smile. "I was just thinking that Itsuka-san and Eriri really look like a couple."
Shi Yu's expression changed slightly, and she snorted coldly: "Whether it looks like it or not is not determined by that."
Kato Megumi didn't refute, she murmured softly, "Yes, who knows what the future holds."
……
Volume 1: Chapter 93: All Pears Gone? No, It's a Great Victory! (Bonus Chapter 10/5)
Friday, deadline, the night of the decisive battle.