A LINE ID, huh?
Sato glanced toward the living room, and Izumi Chiyo happened to be looking over as well. He immediately waved the slip of paper in his hand.
A trace of surprise flashed through Izumi Chiyo's eyes before she nodded, indicating she understood.
Even though he could not see Sagiri face-to-face, Sato did not mind too much.
After all, considering what had happened before, Sagiri was still a girl with thin skin. It was perfectly normal for her to react this way.
Being able to communicate with her now was already pretty good. Other things could come slowly later.
He took out his phone and added Sagiri's LINE account according to the ID on the paper.
Ding!
A notification sound came from inside the room, followed very quickly by some slightly panicked noises.
When he looked back at his phone, Sagiri had already accepted the friend request.
By now, his friends list had become unusually large. Besides his school friends, he also had the LINE IDs of many acquaintances from the apartment complex.
As the landlord of Aoyama Apartments, he had originally planned to make a group chat for the building.
But for some reason, names like "Loving Family," "Happy Family," and similar group titles suddenly popped into his mind. The strange sense of dissonance that came with them made him give up on the idea.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz...
Suddenly, a rapid series of notifications rang out.
Soon, image after image began arriving from Sagiri's side. Looking closely, they were the drafts for chapters two and three.
"Is this all for now?"
He asked Sagiri through the door.
"T-That's all for now. I haven't finished chapter four yet."
Sagiri's tiny and weak voice came from inside the room. She sounded just like an easily frightened little deer.
"I'll take a look first, then."
"Mhm."
The surroundings suddenly fell quiet.
Sato sat cross-legged outside the door, seriously looking through the images on his phone screen one by one.
Meanwhile, inside the room separated by only a single door, Sagiri sat hugging her knees against the door while holding a tablet. Her beautiful silver-purple gradient hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her cheeks were faintly red.
The art style had not collapsed, and neither had the story progression...
It was just that this slightly erotic atmosphere always gave people the feeling that the next moment it would suddenly turn into an adult anime plot.
After finishing...
Sato somewhat contentedly put the phone down.
These drafts could already be considered excellent. If she wanted to reach masterpiece level, then the settings and story would need more work.
Usually, manga that became classics, or not just manga but anime and light novels too, all had outstanding worldbuilding and storytelling. They always had something memorable.
Only works people remembered could become classics!
For example, whenever people mentioned Yosuga no Sora, certain "sibling route" knowledge points naturally surfaced in one's mind.
That was what impressions were all about!!!
"Sagiri, your drawings are amazing."
He praised her without hesitation.
Even though there were still some minor flaws, once one considered Sagiri's age, none of it was really a problem anymore.
"T-Thank you..."
Sagiri's shy voice came from behind the door.
It was not that she truly disliked Sato. Otherwise, she would not have gone looking for him last time.
It was simply that after something like that happened, one had to allow a girl to feel embarrassed.
"So, are you interested in signing with our website? Of course, since you're still young, Chiyo-san would have to sign on your behalf."
"But..."
"But what?"
Sato's brows furrowed slightly.
Sagiri undoubtedly had talent. If something unexpected happened, it would definitely be a huge loss.
"But... I like drawing..."
Sagiri's voice behind the door became even quieter, so faint it was practically like the buzz of a mosquito.
Fortunately, Sato's senses were sharp enough to hear her.
You like drawing?
Drawing what?
"I like drawing... doujinshi..."
Finally, he heard Sagiri's tiny voice filled with hesitation.
Sato: "..."
She liked... drawing doujinshi?!
The expression on Sato's face froze. His entire mind went blank for a moment.
What exactly was he supposed to say now?!
He thought once again of Eriri.
Eriri wanted to move on, wanted to become a real manga artist. That had been her dream for years.
In fact, most doujin creators shared that same dream.
To go mainstream.
To become a real manga artist!
Japan was, after all, a country with a highly developed ACGN industry. It was one of their cultural exports.
And among all those fields, the manga industry stood at the very top. Even light novels could not compare.
In other words, manga artists enjoyed quite respectable social status. It was also a dream profession for many people growing up.
But what about eighteen-plus manga artists?
Without a doubt, they existed in a gray area.
Although highly sought after within certain circles, they fundamentally could not stand proudly in the public eye.
No one openly introduced themselves as an adult manga artist.
Bullying was common within Japanese society. It was not always physical violence. Sometimes it was social isolation or cold treatment.
And now...
Izumi Sagiri was actually telling him that she did not want to draw manga at all, and only wanted to draw doujinshi?!
Sato took a deep breath and stood up.
Then he suddenly felt fine strands of hair brush across his cheek, creating a faint ticklish sensation.
Coming back to his senses, he saw Izumi Chiyo's somewhat awkward expression.
The distance between them was extremely close. Sato could even see her smooth face clearly and feel her warm breath.
Izumi Chiyo was slightly bent forward with both hands resting on her knees, her shimmering silver hair cascading down like a silver waterfall.
At some point, she had quietly walked over and started eavesdropping.
After Sato turned around, she awkwardly scratched her cheek with one finger and let out a sheepish laugh. She did not look like a woman with a child at all. Instead, she resembled a lively young girl.
Seeing her make that kind of expression made it impossible to truly blame her.
Sato's expression gradually became complicated.
He looked at Izumi Chiyo with a profound gaze.
Izumi-san... your sins are truly grave!