Because her body felt uncomfortable from holding one position for too long, Yamada Elf shifted and sat up straight again, a satisfied smile appearing on her face as she looked at another SSR card she had just drawn.
"Fantastic! A new character!"
"Don't be too loud, Miss Elf."
Izumi Chihiro reminded her without looking back.
"It's truly pathetic, you don't understand the joy of drawing a limited character, Chihiro! This feeling is completely uncontrollable!"
Yamada Elf spread her hands, as if lamenting his inability to experience her pleasure.
"Are you really that fond of mobile games, Miss Elf?"
Izumi Chihiro felt confused.
"Of course! Games are what I love most. Novels, they're just a pastime."
Yamada Elf replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"And you still dare to call yourself the savior of the light novel world."
Izumi Chihiro shook his head.
Upon hearing that, Yamada Elf's small face flushed red then pale with anger.
"Before this miss's astonishing talent, even so, it's not a problem!"
She said these words as if hypnotizing herself.
It's hard to tell if she even believed herself.
Izumi Chihiro could only express his thoughts with this expression —?
With only an elementary school education and writing that hadn't improved much over several years, Miss Elf, that's enough!
The atmosphere in the room was silent for a few minutes.
"Phew~"
Yamada Elf did several more ten-pulls, but her luck was terrible. She only got a few regular guaranteed items, things she already owned. So, she took a deep breath and closed the mobile game.
"So, what should I do next?"
Yamada Elf pondered.
Eromanga Sensei's attitude had softened, and there might be a win-win solution, but when it came to thinking about a new work, she still wanted to indulge for a while longer.
"Oh, right, this guy doesn't like mobile games, but he must have played games from the previous era, right? After all, it's a very brilliant part of ACG culture."
Her gaze swept around, noticing the items placed below the television.
Just as she thought!
"Chihiro, let's play a game!"
Yamada Elf pointed at the television while speaking to him.
"Hmm... alright."
Izumi Chihiro hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
After not playing for a while, he also had an itch.
"You're quite capable, Chihiro."
"I underestimated you!"
"Hmm? You can even do that!"
"This level is so exciting! Can you still do it, Chihiro?"
Subsequently, Yamada Elf gained a deep understanding of his gaming skills, and her attitude towards a fellow enthusiast showed a different expression than usual.
"What are you two doing...?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.
Yamada Elf's heart trembled, even having the illusion of being caught in the act.
"Is this a game?"
Mashiro looked at the television screen, her eyes filled with great confusion.
The game paused.
"That's right, Mashiro, I think this is your first time seeing it, isn't it?"
Izumi Chihiro turned his head and said.
"I've seen similar things in anime."
Mashiro replied.
"I see. I think Mashiro could try it, experience it. Also, you could actually add gaming scenes into your work. For people who understand ACG culture, it's very relatable."
Izumi Chihiro recommended it.
"I've noted it down."
Mashiro thought she might use it when drawing manga in the future, so she became more proactive and sat beside him.
"Mashiro, I'll teach you how to play. This button's function is... you need to do this to clear the level..."
Izumi Chihiro gave Mashiro hands-on instruction, truly teaching by example.
The girl also memorized it.
Beside them, Yamada Elf watched this scene, her gaze changing slightly.
But there was nothing much to say, she could only maintain a smile.
Next, she and Mashiro continued the game. She initially thought that since Mashiro was a beginner, she might need to take care of her. However, before long, she realized 'the clown was me all along'.
In a short while, Mashiro's game skills became frighteningly proficient, even surpassing an experienced player like her.
Later, they almost entirely relied on Mashiro to clear the levels, just as they had relied on Chihiro before.
"Can he be this amazing even at games!?"
Yamada Elf murmured.
She was having an existential crisis.
"It's not surprising, because Mashiro has an excellent memory. As long as she's willing, she can remember anything after seeing it once, and she also has abilities like [Absolute Touch]."
He kindly explained it to the young girl.
Yamada Elf pursed her lips.
She had overstepped. With only a B-rank 'God's Eye' talent, what right did she have to question a monster with at least dual S-rank talents?
She was truly overestimating herself.
Mashiro immersed herself in the game, finding enjoyment in it, and a rare smile appeared on her face.
"Mashiro, remember how you feel right now. This is what it's like to play games with friends."
Izumi Chihiro seized the opportunity to guide her.
Mashiro nodded, then looked up.
Her gaze was not hard to understand.
"Miss Elf, give me the controller."
Izumi Chihiro turned his head and said.
"What? I wanted to play a little longer!"
Yamada Elf pouted with a displeased expression, puffing out her cheeks, but she still consciously handed him the game controller.
Miss Elf showed great perceptiveness at such times; she was actually a more mature beautiful girl than her outward appearance suggested.
In the subsequent game, he and Mashiro cooperated wholeheartedly, even setting a new clear record.
In that regard, their compatibility was quite high.
Dinner time.
"How sneaky! Ni-san, Mashiro, and Miss Elf played games together and didn't even call me!"
Sagiri pouted, saying angrily.
She wanted to play games with Ni-san too!
"Sorry, Sagiri, this was just a sudden event, so I forgot! Next time, I'll definitely tell Sagiri!"
Izumi Chihiro made a promise, which finally brightened his sister's expression.
Game time was important, but such a promise showed even more how much her older brother cared about her!
Over the next period, Izumi Chihiro began to maintain his work intensity, and the progress on Volume 7 of "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World" quickly picked up.
At the same time, through Miss Elf's unremitting efforts, Sagiri finally relented and agreed to become the illustrator for her new work.
Because of the different work intensity of the original works, even completing two jobs only meant that Sagiri used her usual practice time for illustrations.
The greatly encouraged Yamada Elf also accelerated the writing of her new work, avoiding the result of her editor coming to rush her manuscript.
However, this approach also brought another problem.
Since the two were not from the same publishing house, would Sagiri be in breach of contract if she worked two jobs alone?
Izumi Chihiro wasn't sure, so he looked at the contract Sagiri had signed earlier and found that there didn't seem to be overly strict requirements for an illustrator's work, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Isn't this a story setting that only exists in anime?
An illustrator's work is usually only a part of a painter's job, because relying solely on illustration income is usually not enough for full-time work, so they also do things like game original art, magazine commissions, and doujinshi.
Therefore, the publishing house would not prepare overly strict contracts for illustrators.
Previously, Sagiri and he hadn't thought that Sagiri would draw for others, so the content of the contract was quickly skimmed over.
Now that he looked, there was actually no problem.
On the contrary, completing an additional job would even help boost the reputation of 'Eromanga Sensei'.
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter