LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 11: Annoying brat
I repeat, I am the God of Pure Love! Not the God of Minotaur! But the title of illustrator is real.
And you don't need to pay any attention to these middle school girl-like remarks, okay?
What a new way of PLAY this is!
Izumi Yuu complained about the narrator's remarks in his heart, then looked at the girl not far away and said calmly, "You probably don't have a chance."
"Huh?!" Seeing Izumi Yuu's calm expression, as if he didn't even consider her as an opponent, Yamada Elf was about to say something. But before she could retort, the automatic door of the publishing house in front of her had already closed. Izumi Yuu and Kagurazaka Ayame had disappeared into the depths of the building.
Left outside, the petite girl angrily hammered the automatic door to vent her frustration and anger.
"Izumi Sensei, you're finally here! I couldn't contact you no matter what! I thought something might have happened to you," Kagurazaka Ayame exclaimed, looking at Izumi Yuu with a mix of relief and excitement as she gestured for him to sit on the sofa.
Ever since Izumi Yuu submitted his work to their publishing house, they had only discussed the publication during contract negotiations. After that, Izumi Yuu seemed to have vanished, leaving Kagurazaka Ayame unable to reach him.
If Izumi Yuu hadn't shown up today, Kagurazaka Ayame would have been ready to march straight to his home.
"I'm sorry," Izumi Yuu apologized with a faint, slightly awkward smile. "I've been busy with part-time jobs and taking care of my sister. It's been overwhelming."
Kagurazaka Ayame, wearing a clean and professional OL (office lady) outfit, nodded in understanding. Her short chestnut hair framed her face neatly, exuding the capable and confident aura of a career-driven woman.
"Ah, I see," she replied. "But don't worry, Izumi Sensei. Once your book is published, you can quit your part-time jobs and focus entirely on your writing career!" Kagurazaka Ayame's tone grew more enthusiastic as she added, "I've secured the largest first print run for your book and arranged for the two best illustrators who work with our publishing house. Everyone here at Dengeki Bunko has full confidence in you, Izumi-sensei! They believe your work will become a bestseller, and you might even surpass Ms. Kasumi Shiko in one fell swoop!"
[You glance at your beautiful editor, who's working so hard for your success. A thought crosses your mind: the best way to repay her is to offer your body. After all, she's single, and you're already used to being a slave in your past life. Why not continue by devoting yourself entirely to her? You could gift yourself to her doorstep with rich woman's "happy balls," whips, candles, and a bottle of blue pills...]
Huh?! Does this beautiful editor of mine have some... special preferences? Otherwise, why on earth would I need whips and candles?
Wait! No, this isn't the time to dwell on such bizarre thoughts!
Izumi Yuu ignored the narrator's nonsense and addressed Kagurazaka Ayame with a polite nod. "Thank you for the trust you've shown in me, and I truly appreciate the opportunity. By the way, I heard that Kashiwagi Eri wants to discuss the illustrations with me in person?"
Izumi Yuu was confident that his novel, The Brave Abin, would become a bestseller. Discussing it with well-known creators like Kasumi Shiko and Aki Tomoya was simply a way to secure a brighter future for himself—and to help others avoid failure.
But Izumi Yuu had another reason for being here today: Kashiwagi Eri, also known as Sawamura Eriri.
"Yes," Kagurazaka Ayame confirmed. "A few days ago, Kashiwagi-sensei mentioned that some of the illustrations were quite complicated, and she felt it would be better to discuss the details with you in person. Even with the help of Eromanga-sensei, it's still a lot of work. These two illustrators seem eager to outdo one another on this project."
"Of course, I'd be happy to discuss the details directly," Izumi Yuu replied with a calm smile.
"Wonderful! I'll send you Kashiwagi-sensei's contact information shortly," Kagurazaka Ayame said, returning his smile.
"Thank you. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave for now," Izumi Yuu said as he stood.
Kagurazaka Ayame nodded. "That's all for now. I have a lot of work to finish, so I can't see you off. Goodbye, Izumi-sensei!"
"See you next time," Izumi Yuu replied before turning and heading toward the exit.
---
When Izumi Yuu left the publishing house, he spotted a petite figure standing by the elevator.
It was Yamada Elf.
"Huh?! Has Yamada-sensei been waiting here the whole time?" Izumi Yuu raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Indeed, while he'd been speaking with Kagurazaka Ayame, Yamada Elf had remained near the elevator, waiting for him.
As Izumi Yuu entered the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor, Yamada Elf quickly stepped in after him, looking annoyed.
"That's right! I want to see just what makes you so special—why Eromanga-sensei would favor you!" Yamada Elf declared, her voice tinged with frustration.
Izumi Yuu smirked slightly. "Didn't you hear what Kagurazaka-sensei said earlier? Eromanga-sensei probably hasn't even read my work. Most likely, she just saw my pen name and photo and developed a crush on me."
Yamada Elf glared at him, unwilling to accept his explanation. "Huh?! That's impossible! Eromanga-sensei's art style is clearly in sync with mine! We're soulmates, destined to become the greatest creative duo in light novel history! There's no way she'd choose you over me just because of your looks!"
"Yes, yes, whatever you say," Izumi Yuu replied, too lazy to argue further.
[You look at the girl before you and find her naïve confidence amusing. How can the so-called "collision of souls" compare to a collision of bodies? You decide it's time to show her what a real "collision" entails...]
What?! Body collision?! Narrator, you're insane!
Izumi Yuu rolled his eyes at the intrusive narration and focused on ignoring it.
---
At least Izumi Yuu glanced at the fair, delicate face and figure of the girl in front of him and found himself thinking that a physical collision might indeed be preferable to a spiritual one.
After leaving the publishing house, Izumi Yuu walked straight toward his home.
"Huh?! Why are you following me?!" A sharp voice suddenly called out from behind him. Yamada Elf put her hands on her chest, glaring at him with a mix of vigilance and accusation. "Do you have some nefarious intentions toward this beautiful female writer?!"
"Do you even hear yourself?" Izumi Yuu turned and shot her an unimpressed look. "You're the one following me. If you think I'm following you, it's you who needs to reevaluate your reasoning. My house is in this direction. Am I supposed to turn around, go the opposite way, circle the Earth, and come back just to avoid being accused by you?"
As Izumi Yuu took another look at Yamada Elf's exquisite features, he thought to himself: If she weren't so lacking in language skills, she'd score an 8.5.
"Hmm…" Hearing his rebuttal, Yamada Elf blushed faintly but quickly masked it with indignation. "Who knows? Maybe you already investigated my address in advance and are using this as an excuse to stalk me home!"
[After being falsely accused, you decide to embrace the villainous role and sneak into the girl's home. Once there, you'd ruin her peace by exacting a full-scale revenge plot. But first, you'd need supplies: a foolproof alibi, an oversized cloak, and maybe a fake mustache...]
No! That's ridiculous! Why does this narrator always jump to such absurd extremes?!
Besides, if this girl really believed her own ridiculous accusations, she'd probably feel proud that her "prediction" came true rather than feeling any fear. The thought made Izumi Yuu shudder.
This little blonde was exactly the type of gamer who, after being defeated a hundred times, would gloat endlessly if she managed to win once and then publicize the victory everywhere. Izumi Yuu could already imagine her smug grin.
"I knew it! You're just pretending to be innocent while secretly plotting to take advantage of my body!"
The mental image was so vivid that Izumi Yuu felt physically uneasy.
"I'm home," he muttered, too lazy to keep arguing. He unlocked the door to his house and stepped inside. Before closing the door, he glanced back at Yamada Elf, who was standing frozen in disbelief. With a calm, almost pitying tone, he added, "Goodbye, Ms. Yamada."
"Ha?! You insufferable jerk!" Yamada Elf stomped her foot angrily as Izumi Yuu shut the door in her face. Left standing there, she fumed with no outlet for her frustration.
---
"Hah… Finally got rid of that little blonde pest," Izumi Yuu muttered as he slipped off his shoes. "I'm back!"
As expected, no one responded.
After putting his things away, he headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Once it was ready, he brought a tray upstairs before returning to the dark living room. Only a faint light from the second floor broke the gloom.
Izumi Yuu had grown used to this. He sighed and opened his email to see a new message from Kagurazaka Ayame, who had sent him Kashiwagi Eri's contact information. After leaving a polite message for her, he opened YouTube on his phone.
Yes, his reclusive younger sister was a streamer.
Ever since the traumatic incident half a year ago, Izumi Sagiri had refused to interact with the outside world, becoming a full-blown shut-in. Streaming was her way of coping, a means to connect with people from a safe distance.
Knowing her as both a skilled illustrator and a streamer, Izumi Yuu often watched her live broadcasts when he had free time. On one hand, it was a way to engage with his sister indirectly. On the other, it killed time.
He opened the stream just as Sagiri appeared on-screen, wearing her signature mask and green hoodie.
"Hello, everyone! This is Eromanga!" she chirped, waving to her audience. Her voice was processed to sound like AI narration, similar to the one that haunted Izumi Yuu's own mind.
[As you gaze at the girl on-screen, a wicked idea forms. To spice up the broadcast, you could sneak into her room mid-stream. Then, as the audience watches, you'd—]
Stop! STOP! What kind of deranged commentary is this?!
There's no way I'd let Sagiri-chan's body be seen by others! Izumi Yuu thought furiously.
He shook his head, dismissing the narrator's nonsense, and focused on the stream.
"What do you have for us today, Eromanga-sensei?" a viewer asked in the chat.
"This is the character design for The Brave Bin, a new work from Dengeki Bunko's Izumi-sensei!" Sagiri announced proudly. "Since there's another artist working on the project, I'm in charge of the male protagonist Bin, his childhood friend Hui, and other characters like the saint and the princess."
She displayed her illustrations, and the chat erupted in praise.
"Wow, so beautiful! Eromanga-sensei's skills are top-notch as always!"
"This white silk! These generous proportions! You're amazing, Eromanga-sensei!"
Izumi Yuu, however, stared at the character designs with wide eyes.
"Wait… why do these characters look so familiar?" he muttered.
The male protagonist and his childhood friend clearly resembled himself and Sagiri. Though the figures didn't match Sagiri's petite frame, the faces were unmistakable.
[You realize the girl has drawn inspiration from you. To ensure her art reaches perfection, you decide to become her model. Of course, this requires getting into top physical shape, so you...]
"For the last time, my novel is all-ages!" Izumi Yuu growled internally, dismissing the narrator's twisted ideas.
The broadcast continued uneventfully until Sagiri ended it—or so she thought.
Unaware that the stream was still running, she stood, removed her green hoodie, and revealed a pink nightgown underneath.
The chat exploded.
"Wait, Eromanga-sensei is a girl?!"
"No way! I thought she'd be a middle-aged guy!"
"She's adorable! This can't be real!"
Realizing what was happening, Izumi Yuu shot to his feet.
"Sagiri-chan, your stream's still on!" he yelled, rushing upstairs.
He pounded on her door while keeping an eye on the stream on his phone.
Moments later, the broadcast abruptly cut off. Sagiri opened the door, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Nii-san, how did you know I was streaming?!" she asked in Confusion.
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