"Pun... Punishment!? Pervert! Vulgar! Lecher! Doujinshi Protagonist!"
Sagiri instinctively covered herself like an agitated kitten, putting on an extremely fierce look, clearly having imagined something inappropriate. Seeing Rin Ito's smiling demeanor, Sagiri cautiously spoke.
"W-What kind of punishment?"
Although they had agreed to sell doujinshi at the convention together, Sagiri was still apprehensive about the world outside her room. Just as Rin Ito suspected, Sagiri was planning to stall if she didn't finish the doujinshi. If the punishment isn't too severe, stalling for a bit shouldn't be an issue, right?
"Punishment? For instance... hmm, I'll cut off your internet access and reconnect it once you're done drawing."
Cutting off the internet. Rin Ito had heard from his System Daughter that light novel writers sometimes got locked up by their editors in a dark room until they finished their manuscripts.
"Cut off the internet? Are you a devil!?" Sagiri flinched violently upon hearing the words "cut off the internet."
"Hmm?" Rin Ito looked at Sagiri with a half-smile. "If you don't procrastinate, then any punishment is meaningless, isn't it? Or, if you prefer, we can switch to taking off your panties and spanking you."
"Guh... Pervert!"
Sagiri muttered "Pervert" under her breath, then sat down at her computer.
"Forget about punishment! Start drawing now!" Rin Ito patted Sagiri's head. "If you have any questions, you can ask me directly."
To avoid getting her internet cut off or getting spanked without panties, Sagiri forced herself to calm down and started drawing... Sagiri had read quite a few doujinshi these past few days. What if, during the spanking, his hand slipped and he decided to expand my horizons by sticking a finger up my ass?
Sagiri wanted neither to experience being disconnected from the internet nor an expanded horizon, so she had no choice but to diligently begin drawing the storyboards. While Sagiri drew, Rin Ito wasn't idle; he took out his laptop and tablet and started drawing himself. Hinata and Saya had also given Rin Ito a lot of inspiration, but Rin Ito only drew simple character designs and outlined the basic plot and storyboard drafts. He had no immediate plans to draw the actual manga.
After drawing for a bit, Rin Ito's phone vibrated. It was Orihe, the editor from the Crab Editorial Office.
Rin Ito left Sagiri's room before answering the call. The moment the door closed, Sagiri rushed to the door and pressed her ear against it.
"Ms. Orihe? What's up? Is it a publishing issue?"
"No, no, it's a private matter."
"Huh... Discussing private matters during work hours? Aren't you afraid Misaki will catch you?"
"Eek!"
True to her reputation, the name of the Devil Editor, Misaki, startled Orihe.
"Don't worry, Misaki's bad attitude is only directed at procrastinating artists. You're fine." Rin Ito paused. "What is this private matter you wanted to discuss?"
"Well... I told you before, Mr. Ito, that I have a hobby of making cosplay costumes, right? I recommended your manga to a friend who loves cosplay, and I also mentioned that you're preparing to sell a new work at the next convention... She said she wants to cosplay a character from your work to be your booth girl!"
Rin Ito raised an eyebrow.
"You mean your friend wants to cosplay a character from my manga and be my booth girl?"
"Ah... yes, is something wrong, Mr. Ito?"
"No... nothing, I'm just a little surprised. No problem at all." Rin Ito smiled, then walked downstairs and lowered his voice. "Ms. Orihe, did you see those rough sketches I posted on my account? If possible, could you ask her to cosplay the Cat Girl in there?"
The Cat Girl in the sketch was Sagiri's work. If Sagiri knew someone was willing to cosplay a character from her work, it might boost her motivation.
"I see... I'll ask her."
"Thank you."
Meanwhile.
At the Editorial Office, after hanging up the phone, Orihe confirmed it was lunchtime at school before dialing another number.
"Hello? Marin-chan? About what you said earlier about cosplaying Mr. Ito's booth girl..."
"Ah... Orihe, hold on a minute, I need to find a quiet place."
On the other end of Orihe's phone, Marin Kitagawa, a high school girl, was eating lunch with friends in a noisy classroom during the break. Her golden hair flowed down to her waist, her uniform jacket was draped over her chair, and her uniform shirt was tied at the waist, revealing a sliver of her midriff. Her red-contact-covered eyes showed a hint of apology.
"Sorry, sorry~ I have to take a call~"
Marin clapped her hands together to apologize to her friends, who all looked like gyarus (gals/fashionable girls), and walked out of the classroom with a light step.
"It's about manga again, isn't it?"
"Marin-chan really loves manga. I don't know what's so great about those comics... right, Misaki?"
"Eh... well... I think... they're pretty good," Misaki replied evasively to her friend.
The girl called Misaki looked like a gal to other students, just like Marin, but Misaki was a different type. Her pretty face was framed by somewhat frizzy blonde hair, and her skin was a healthy tan, not as fair as Marin's. Compared to Marin, Misaki fit the stereotype of a gal.
Although Misaki and Marin were close friends, Misaki deeply envied Marin, envying her ability to openly express her hobbies. Misaki actually loved manga just as much as Marin, but she didn't dare to be as open as Marin. Besides the fact that manga was not well-received in gal circles, there was another reason: the manga she loved... or rather, the doujinshi, was quite heavy. She didn't like pure love; she liked doujinshi where the heroine was violated and conditioned with various tools. This made it difficult for her to admit her preference.
The girls ate lunch and chatted. After a while, Marin, her steps light, returned. Everyone could tell Marin was extremely happy, unable to suppress her smile.
"What good news happened?"
"Hehe~ A manga artist agreed to let me cosplay a character from his manga to be his booth girl at the convention! It's in two weeks, you know. Do you guys want to come?"
"Eh... it's going to be so hot..."
"It doesn't matter! Love can overcome the temperature!" Marin said with a bright smile. "It's fine if you don't want to come. I'll bring you back some souvenirs and pictures~" Marin knew her hobby was niche, and she just mentioned it to her friends without expecting them to join her.
Looking at Marin's cheerful smile, Misaki couldn't help but feel a little envious. After hesitating for a while, Misaki finally spoke.
"Um... I'll go with you!" Misaki said, gathering her courage.
"Huh? Misaki, you like cosplay too?" Marin looked at Misaki excitedly. "The manga artist said he wants me to cosplay another character too, so we can be a pair! I have a friend who likes to make cosplay costumes. I'll take you to her place this afternoon!"