Chapter 10: Ni-san, I need you to help me train!
"Ni-san, I'm coming in."
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and Sagiri walked in.
"You're still not asleep so late. Is there something you need?"
Sitting at his desk, Izumi Chihiro, dressed in pajamas, stopped what he was doing and glanced at the time, realizing it was already half past nine.
Normally at this hour, Sagiri, as an elementary school student, should be drowsy.
He himself wasn't asleep yet because he needed to continue improving himself, currently reading battle-oriented light novels, learning their techniques to make himself stronger.
He had already learned from Machida Sonoko the reason he was able to debut; ultimately, it was because he was relatively young, so the management believed in his potential to make rapid progress in the future.
But in fact, he knew very well that his current level was entirely due to having lived a few more years.
If not for that, he would only be an ordinary person, completely unable to meet others' expectations, nor his own.
Therefore, he needed to become stronger!
For this, the time he dedicated was no less than Sagiri's.
"Um, Ni-san, do you… do you… have abs?"
As she said this, Sagiri's face turned as red as if it had been scorched.
"Huh? Why are you asking such a question? But regarding abs, I do indeed have them…"
Though confused, he still answered the question.
Because he was often sickly in his previous life, he was quite diligent about exercise and didn't want to frequently take sick leave like his childhood friend, so he had been serious about training from an early age.
There was no other way; a healthy body is the capital for everything.
"Ni-san, have you heard of… a human model?"
Sagiri blinked her eyes repeatedly.
"A human model, you mean…"
Izumi Chihiro's eyes widened.
"Because Tanjiro needs to show his growth with muscles after training, right? So I thought I'd reference it a bit. For an artist, what they've touched themselves is definitely much more real than what they see online…"
Sagiri's voice grew softer and softer.
To be frank, it was: Ni-san, I need you to help me train!
"I know there's such a saying, but…"
Izumi Chihiro fell into hesitation.
"Ni-san, I want to draw better! I don't want to disappoint you!"
Sagiri's gaze, as if condensed with moisture, looked at his eyes piteously.
His heart instantly melted.
"Alright, I promise you then."
Izumi Chihiro chose to agree to his sister's request.
"Then, Ni-san, stand up and pull your shirt up a bit."
Sagiri began to direct him, her eyes flashing with a strange light.
Izumi Chihiro, like a manipulated puppet, did as she said.
"Wow, are these Ni-san's muscles? Ni-san is much stronger than he looks!"
Sagiri let out an exclamation.
Izumi Chihiro looked thin on the surface, but in reality, there was quite a contrast.
"Then let me feel the texture of your muscles properly!"
Sagiri, with a serious expression, extended her soft, delicate hand and ran it over his abdomen, gently sliding it, and even pressing on the muscle blocks a few times.
This almost made him let out an inappropriate sound.
"Hehehe…"
Sagiri, with her head down, subtly let out a few strange laughs.
"Are you done, Sagiri?"
Izumi Chihiro couldn't help but urge her.
His face also flushed slightly, as the process was simply too stimulating.
His younger sister's small hand casually caressing him, soft and cool…
This undoubtedly trespassed on some taboo!
'Sagiri is still an elementary school student, I need to stay calm!'
He took a deep breath.
"Don't go any further down! That's enough! It's already enough!"
Noticing that Sagiri's actions had the potential to violate a taboo, Izumi Chihiro chose to forcefully stop her.
"What a pity… I originally wanted to wait a bit longer."
Sagiri said with some regret.
"Isn't that enough?"
He asked in return.
"Yes, thank you Ni-san for your cooperation! I feel like I'll definitely be able to draw even better next time!"
Sagiri looked up and expressed her gratitude.
"Alright, you can go back now."
Izumi Chihiro waved his hand.
Sagiri left the room.
"This little girl… could she have been led astray by Eriri?"
Izumi Chihiro murmured, making a rather malicious speculation.
Of course, it was also possible that it was due to inheriting the title of 'Eromanga Sensei'.
…
The next morning.
Eriri bumped into him when she was walking down Detective Slope, so they chose to walk to school side by side.
Their relationship was not a secret at Shimamura Middle School, so they weren't afraid of being seen.
"Haah… Chihiro, how are things on your end?"
Eriri yawned.
"It's already decided for publication; Fujikawa Bunko is already doing the initial promotions."
Izumi Chihiro replied.
"Hmm, it's alright, just so-so."
Eriri gave her assessment.
"By the way, has the illustrator been decided? Is it Sagiri?"
She then changed the subject.
"Yes… Speaking of which, didn't you encourage Sagiri to be my illustrator?"
Izumi Chihiro asked in return.
"No, I just chatted with her casually, and in my opinion, Sagiri's skill hasn't reached that level yet…"
Eriri shook her head in denial.
"Sagiri has improved a lot recently; she might surprise you."
Izumi Chihiro said with a slight smile.
"Really?"
Eriri's eyes were skeptical.
In such a short time, Sagiri had improved enough to be an illustrator?
Although the industry was uneven, she should at least have some professionalism.
She had seen Sagiri's previous drawings; she was like an ordinary enthusiast who had drawn since childhood, with decent foundational skills, but lacking in other aspects, probably because her heart wasn't truly in drawing.
If her focus increased, it was indeed possible for her to improve significantly in a period of time…
But the extent of this improvement was still too great.
So, with doubts in her heart, when she returned home that evening, she specifically visited Izumi.
"I asked Kasan for guidance, and she taught me many things, because Kasan was originally a very talented illustrator!"
Sagiri explained the reason and even found her mother's drawings.
"Eromanga Sensei… I've heard that name before, she's indeed a very professional artist, I didn't expect her to be your aunt!"
Eriri showed a surprised expression.
She had once purchased a certain magazine precisely because Eromanga Sensei's drawings had deeply moved her.
Because Eromanga Sensei's art style was rather suggestive yet highly professional, she would occasionally observe her artworks.