Chapter 81
Eriri had planned to work at home today, but no inspiration came to her no matter how long she stared at her blank canvas. Frustrated, she gathered her brushes, sketchpads, and a couple of novels into her bag and decided to head for the hospital.
The inpatient wing, quiet and filled with soft daylight, carried an oddly calming atmosphere. She thought maybe being where Lucien had created so many of his works would help her feel what he felt—a space where stories and characters came alive.
The book she carried was the very first volume of Kasumi utako's new novel ,Love Metronome . She needed to read it thoroughly so she could sketch the heroine's design in line with the author's vision.
When Lucien D. Blackthorn noticed what she was doing, he raised an eyebrow.
"You're already working with Kasumigaoka?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
Eriri avoided his eyes. "Something like that."
In the original course of events, Lucien knew, Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha only truly came together later—after joining Aki's circle. Their collaboration had always been explosive, sharpening Utaha's writing and Eriri's illustrations until both reached new heights. Even if things had shifted here, Lucien was determined to steer them back toward that inevitable meeting. It was too important for their future careers.
Of course, neither of the girls yet realized the other's hidden identity. With Tomoya Aki missing from this timeline, there was no bridge to connect them.
"Don't distract me," Eriri said, noticing Lucien's curious gaze. "If you keep asking questions, you'll dig out more of my secrets."
That silenced him, and soon the ward fell into stillness. Only the soft rustling of pages turning and the steady tick of the wall clock filled the space.
Lucien lowered his head, flipping through Love Metronome, but his concentration wavered. It wasn't Utaha's writing—her style was sharp and elegant—it was simply the distraction sitting across from him. Watching Eriri, golden twin-tails brushing her shoulders, completely absorbed in a book… it was enough to make him restless.
Half an hour slipped by. A breeze from the window stirred the curtains, making the quiet feel heavier, almost intimate.
Finally, Eriri shut her book, her eyes thoughtful. "This heroine… she feels familiar somehow."
She didn't notice the obvious—how the heroine of Love Metronome, Murasaki Anjie, with her blonde twin ponytails and tsundere streak, was practically a mirrored version of herself.
Then inspiration struck her. She straightened, grabbed her sketchpad, and looked at him.
"I'm going outside to paint. Want to come?"
"Sure," Lucien said, grateful for the excuse to move. He slid into his electric wheelchair, picked up some manuscript paper, and followed her out to the lawn in front of the building.
The afternoon sun was warm but gentle. Leaves rustled with the wind, casting dappled shadows on the grass. It was the perfect place to create.
Eriri quickly set up her board and began sketching, completely absorbed. Lucien watched her a moment, smiling at how her brows furrowed in concentration, before wheeling a little further away to start his own work.
He'd been keeping up with Attack on Titan and Slam Dunk without falling behind, so today he wanted something different. An idea flashed—an adaptation of an anime into manga form, not simple copying but a true reinterpretation. Secondary creation, testing his skills as Whale.
Meanwhile, Eriri paused. The more she drew, the more a realization gnawed at her. Blonde hair, twin ponytails, tsundere…
"…Wait. Isn't this just me?" she muttered under her breath, staring at her own reflection staring back from the page.
Her curiosity got the better of her. She glanced over at Lucien, head bent, sketching intently. What was he working on?
She stood, leaving her drawing covered, and padded over. "What are you drawing? Slam Dunk again?"
Lucien startled and shut his notebook a little too quickly. "No, just something random."
His evasive move only deepened her curiosity.
"Come on, let me see!"
He smirked. "Tell you what—show me your drawing, and I'll show you mine."
Eriri froze. Her sketch looked too much like herself. "I… I'll think about it."
"You must be hiding something," She teased.
"Humph! Probably something indecent, that's why you won't show me. I don't even want to look now!" she huffed, spinning on her heel.
Lucien called after her, laughing. "Hey! Don't spread rumors like that. I'm not a smut artist!"
Her face heated instantly. She stormed back to her board, refusing to look at him again, and buried herself in her work.
The hours slipped away until the sun grew harsh overhead. Three hours of steady sketching left her drained, her stomach rumbling loudly. She began packing her tools.
"I'm starving. I'm heading home," she said.
Lucien nodded, though he felt a pang of reluctance. "Alright."
They returned to his ward together. Just as Eriri shouldered her bag, the door opened and Eve walked in carrying two boxes.
"Oh, Eriri-chan, you're here," she said warmly.
"Auntie, hello," Eriri greeted politely.
"I heard from the nurse you two were outside sketching. I thought you'd be hungry, so I brought lunch." She set the boxes on the table, smiling. "These are bentos from a good hotel nearby. Try them."
Eriri hesitated. "Ah, thank you, but I should—"
"Stay and eat," Lucien said, grinning. "It's rare we get treated like this."
Eve opened the boxes, and the aroma immediately filled the room. Eriri's resolve crumbled.
"…Fine. Just for a little while."
The bentos were beautifully arranged: rice topped with a soft poached egg, sides of beef, hamburger steak, ham, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and corn.
Eriri dug in eagerly, but paused to shove the hamburger patty into Lucien's box. "I don't like these. You take it."
Lucien chuckled, accepting it without complaint. He ate slowly, trying not to look sloppy, though compared to Eriri's dainty bites, he still looked ravenous.
Before long he emptied his rice, but Eriri noticed. "Still hungry? I've got plenty left. Here." Without hesitation, she scooped rice from her own box into his.
Lucien hesitated. Sharing food like this was intimate—something usually reserved for family or couples. But refusing might hurt her feelings. After a beat, he accepted with a quiet, "Thanks."
They finished in companionable silence. For Lucien, it was the best meal he'd had since arriving in this world.
When they were done, he poured her a glass of warm water. She drank it gratefully, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"You eat so happily," Lucien said, amused. "It makes me want to draw a food manga."
"Food manga?" she scoffed. "Do you even know how to cook?"
"…Not really."
"Do you know recipes? Techniques?"
"…No."
"Then don't underestimate the genre!" she snapped, eyes sparkling with unexpected authority. "Food comics need real knowledge, detailed explanations, and creativity. Otherwise they're just cheap fluff."
Lucien leaned forward, fascinated. "Teacher Eriri, enlighten me."
She cleared her throat, suddenly serious. "Food comics began after the war, when children were hungry. Artists used food to bring comfort and dreams. Over time, it became a genre that shaped entire generations. Great mangaka built their names drawing food."
Lucien smiled, impressed. She wasn't just bluffing; she really knew her stuff.
"I see… Thank you, sensei."
Eriri looked away, embarrassed. "Don't make a big deal. I… just picked it up somewhere."
The truth, of course, was her secret: she'd once drawn a doujinshi based on a famous food manga and had to study recipes and cooking techniques to make it authentic. But that was something Lucien could never know.
As the evening light dimmed, she packed her things and said goodbye. On the way home, replaying the meal in her mind, she suddenly flushed.
"…I really fed him from my own lunch. What am I doing?"
End of the chapter
250ps=1 extra chapter and so on
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