There was no further mention of the book.
But as a fellow illustrator, Eriri couldn't resist bringing up some book-related topics with Tanaka Masao.
"By the way, how did you decide on the coloring? The tones look really striking."
Tanaka Masao was caught off guard by her professional question.
He hadn't drawn the comic himself, so how could he explain something he didn't do?
"Uh… well… you see…"
Seeing his guilty, wandering gaze, Sawamura Eriri snorted with disdain.
"Tsk. What, are you afraid I'll copy your art style, so you refuse to share? If you don't want to talk, fine. I don't care."
She turned her head aside, but Tanaka Masao didn't want a misunderstanding to wedge itself between them.
He quickly came up with an excuse.
"It's not that I don't want to teach you. It's just… I didn't make this book entirely by myself.
Someone else handled the coloring, but he prefers to keep his identity a secret."
"So, you collaborated with someone else?"
Eriri touched her chin thoughtfully, then nodded after a couple of seconds.
"That does make sense. It'd be really difficult for one person to complete such a large project alone."
Her eyes then lit up with anticipation as she looked at Tanaka Masao.
"Then can you introduce your friend to me? We're both illustrators—sharing ideas would be good for both of us."
"I'll have to ask him first," Tanaka replied vaguely.
Eriri didn't press further. Her temper always rose and fell quickly.
Instead, she changed the subject and continued chatting with Tanaka Masao.
"You came up with the plot for this book, right? I'm the illustrator for the humiliation series. What's your take on this genre?"
This time, Tanaka Masao had plenty to say. Having read countless works, he was no amateur.
"In my opinion, the heroine needs to be pure and noble—that's what creates the strongest contrast.
For example: a saint, an empress, a beloved princess, or a resolute female warrior…"
He went on at length, making Eriri's eyes shine brighter and brighter. Excited, she exclaimed:
"You're really clever. You've got so many ideas—it's scary how much dirty garbage must be stuffed in your head.
But thanks to you, my inspiration feels endless now. I can totally start on a new book!"
In her mind, Eriri was already sketching out a pure and noble saint… only to imagine her in all kinds of situations.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. Her cheeks flushed, and a strange laugh slipped out.
Watching her perverted grin, Tanaka Masao silently closed his eyes.
[She must be imagining something outrageous right now.]
A few minutes later, Sayuri Sawamura arrived carrying tea and snacks.
As soon as she walked in, she spotted Eriri's indecent smile and then glanced at Tanaka Masao, who sat quietly with his eyes closed.
Sayuri immediately felt secondhand embarrassment for her daughter and quickly spoke up.
"Eri, save that for later. We have a guest here."
Snapping back from her fantasies, Eriri realized the situation. She coughed awkwardly, then turned to Tanaka Masao.
"Honestly, your head is just full of garbage. Next time I'm low on inspiration, I'll come to you again."
"Sure," Tanaka replied. "But let's save that for later. Today, there's something more important."
Sayuri reminded her, "Eri, finish up and then take Tanaka-kun to the neighborhood to see how his book is selling."
"Okay."
Eriri agreed, nibbling on some snacks as she spoke.
"I'll go get ready in a bit. Last time someone recognized me—this time I'll need a proper disguise. I can't get caught again."
She quickly finished a few more bites, washed them down with tea, and hurried back to her room.
Watching her daughter's carefree behavior, Sayuri shook her head helplessly.
"Eriri never bothers with manners in front of guests. Please don't take it to heart, Tanaka-kun."
Masao Tanaka simply shook his head.
"If anything, it just shows she considers me a friend—showing me her truest self."
Sayuri smiled warmly.
"That's true. Usually, Eriri hides her otaku side and pretends to be someone she's not.
It's been a long time since I've seen her this relaxed."
To be honest, Sayuri was starting to grow fond of Tanaka Masao.
He was an illustrator like herself and Eriri, but when spending time together, he never acted strangely. He was polite and always knew his boundaries.
His only flaw was that he was a little overweight, which hurt his appearance.
Otherwise, Sayuri would have already considered matching him with Eriri.
After all, she didn't think highly of Aki Tomoya. Even if Eriri were forced into that relationship, conflict would be inevitable.
Curious, Sayuri asked directly:
"So, what have you been working on lately, Tanaka-kun? Any new story ideas?"
"I haven't been drawing recently."
Tanaka Masao shook his head. "I've been focusing on losing weight."
"Oh? Losing weight?"
Sayuri's eyes lit up. Just earlier she had thought his appearance wasn't good enough, but now he was working to change that.
And the fact that he started dieting after meeting Eriri made it hard not to draw a connection.
[Could it be… Tanaka-kun fell for Eriri, and decided to slim down so he could pursue her?]
The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. A smile curved her lips.
"Did you decide to lose weight because there's a girl you like, Tanaka-kun?"
A girl he liked?
At that, Tanaka Masao couldn't help but think of Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki.
He glanced at Sayuri, who was smiling like a blooming flower, and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"That's part of it… but mostly, it's for my health," he explained.
In this anime-like world filled with beautiful girls, Tanaka Masao naturally wanted to have a chance.
And for that, a decent appearance was a must.
Sayuri chuckled softly at his expression.
[So it really is for a girl. Good luck, Tanaka-kun—I'll be rooting for you.]
But what Sayuri didn't know was that Eriri was only a very small part of his motivation.