After club activities, Hiratsuka Ryosuke returned to his apartment building. He walked into his home with a dark look on his face, while his neighbor, Nibutani Shinka, had returned holding her head.
"I'm home..."
Before he could finish, Ryosuke saw a shadowy figure on the balcony as he entered. He flipped on the living room lights, and the room was instantly filled with light.
"Huh? Sis, why are you home so early today? And why are the lights off?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't respond. With her back to Ryosuke, she was carefully arranging something on the balcony. Ryosuke walked closer and peeked over. He saw that Shizuka had moved a small table onto the balcony. There were five clear glasses on the table. She held a ruler in her left hand, placing it against a glass, and poured beer from a can into it with her right hand. She poured a certain depth of beer into each glass before moving on to the next, until the can was empty. Finally, she carefully sealed each cup with plastic wrap.
"What are you doing?"
Hiratsuka Ryosuke's eyebrow twitched. He had no idea why his sister was acting so strangely. In his experience, she would usually open a can of beer with one hand and chug it in a few big gulps before sighing with satisfaction like a middle-aged man.
Shizuka finished what she was doing, tucked her hair behind her ear, and turned to face him with a smile, a hint of pride in her voice. "Ryosuke, you're home. This way, a can of beer can last for five servings."
"Then why were the lights off?"
"The moonlight on the balcony and the light from Nibutani's apartment next door are bright enough."
Shizuka's smile was innocent and pure. Ryosuke's expression was strange after hearing his sister's explanation. "Are we really that poor?" he wondered. Her car was back, and they hadn't had any major expenses recently.
As if she could read his mind, Shizuka quickly provided an answer. "I don't plan on street racing anymore, so I had the exhaust system reverted to the original. That way, it won't be so loud."
Ryosuke fell silent, a mix of emotions welling up inside him. He wanted to scold her for being so careless with money, telling her that she could have waited until they were more financially stable to do this. But inside, he was more touched, because his sister had kept her promise to him. A myriad of thoughts turned into a single sigh. Looking at his sister's innocent face, he felt an odd sense of guilt.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang. The siblings looked at each other, wondering who it could be at this hour. After all, Shinka never rang the doorbell when she came over.
Ryosuke walked to the entrance and opened the door to see a beautifully dressed woman in a business suit. She was momentarily stunned before bowing deeply to him. "I'm terribly sorry for the sudden visit." She then said in a sincere tone, "I'm Machida Sonoko, an editor from Unshikawakunko Publishing. Is this the residence of Teacher Ryou?"
In the Living Room
Machida Sonoko sat across from the Hiratsuka siblings.
"Editor Machida, why are you visiting at this hour?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked, now composed and mature in front of a stranger, a stark contrast to how she was just moments ago. She knew Ryosuke was writing, but for a new, unpublished author to have an editor visit them after business hours was unusual.
Machida Sonoko had a hard time explaining. Sword Art Online had given her editor-in-chief a small taste of a potential hit. The editor-in-chief told her to immediately contact the author, get the layout and illustrations done, and go straight to printing. But then they ran into an awkward problem. All the top-tier artists at the publishing house had their schedules fully booked. Those high-level artists were all temperamental, and though they didn't have a lot of work, they were incredibly slow. When asked to prioritize the cover for Sword Art Online, they all claimed they were too busy. As for the average artists, the editor-in-chief didn't even want to consider them.
As for finding outside help, she had considered it. But after the whole Yamada Elf incident, she didn't want to anger the other major publishing houses. She couldn't just ask them for a favor, and even if she did, they might not agree. So, the editor-in-chief made a rather absurd decision: to give Teacher Ryou the money upfront for the illustrations and have him find the artists himself. Of course, the pay would be that of a top-tier artist.
That's why Machida Sonoko rushed over without delay. She got Teacher Ryou's address from Yamada Elf and personally came to visit.
After Machida Sonoko's explanation, Ryosuke thought the publishing company was a bit unreliable. No wonder Yamada Elf always complained about them.
"I am so sorry for making you do this yourself. Once the book is officially signed and released, we will give you additional compensation!" Machida Sonoko clasped her hands together and apologized to Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"Oh? I'm not Ryou. My brother, Ryosuke, is," Shizuka said, pointing at herself and then at Ryosuke.
Her words made Machida Sonoko's eyes widen, and she covered her mouth with her hand. She then turned to Ryosuke and said with admiration, "This is amazing. I never imagined Teacher Ryou would be so young and talented!"
Yamada Elf was already unbelievable, and now there was Ryou. Are all kids this incredible nowadays?
"That's fine. I don't have a problem with that," Hiratsuka Ryosuke said plainly but readily. Even though the offer felt a little absurd, the publisher had shown their sincerity by giving him the money upfront. Many companies delay paying their employees, and one that pays on time is already considered a good company. Furthermore, after seeing his sister on the balcony, Ryosuke felt a sense of sadness and didn't even try to haggle with Machida. Since Shizuka was there and Ryosuke didn't have many demands, they quickly reached a preliminary agreement.
"Thank you, Teacher Ryou. I wish you great success with your work." Machida Sonoko politely left.
Ryosuke returned to his bedroom and signed up on a platform that many artists use. He then posted a bounty. High rewards attract brave people. With the generous reward posted at the top, a bunch of artists quickly came to promote themselves with their work. Ryosuke went through the drawings, but he couldn't find a single illustration that he liked. Top-tier artists are not easy to find; most of them are already signed with companies. After these artists become famous, people usually seek them out. This was why Machida Sonoko had been in such an awkward position earlier.
Just as he was about to call Elf to ask for a recommendation, a beautiful illustration in his inbox caught his attention. It was a humiliating "ero-guro" image. From the picture, it was clear that the artist's skill was far superior to that of the others. The artist's name was Kashiwagi Eri.
Ryosuke frowned. "Kashiwagi Eri?" The name felt familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. He thought about it for a while but couldn't remember, so he didn't pay it too much attention. "Whatever, this one will do. At least it looks decent."
He already had an illustration in mind. The extremely classic image of Kirito from Sword Art Online's final battle came to mind: his left hand holding Elucidator and his right hand holding Dark Repulser, right before he unleashed his first Starburst Stream. Ryosuke took the time to write a detailed request document and clicked send.
"Hello, Teacher Kashiwagi Eri, here is my request. Please review it at your convenience."
Meanwhile, on the other end, Eriri was browsing some artist websites after dinner. A ridiculously high bounty caught her attention. The long string of zeros made her unable to look away. Although her father was a diplomat and they lived in a big villa, her personal allowance was strictly managed. She bravely sent an email to the client, hoping to get the job. She wasn't very confident because the payment was high even for a top-tier artist.
"You've got to be kidding me! I got picked?! I actually got a job of this magnitude?!" Eriri jumped up in excitement after receiving the reply. Her pale face turned even redder, and her blue eyes filled with joy. Her two ponytails bounced up and down, and her small fangs were just visible. She had that thought again: "As expected, I, Sawamura Spencer Eriri, am the chosen one!"