Chapter 32: Foreword
Next, under Izumi Chihiro's leadership, they started playing co-op arcade games.
Snow Bros., Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers…
In a blink of an eye, dusk arrived.
Throughout the game, they bickered and argued, mocking each other over minor mistakes, and even intentionally causing trouble for each other when they had the chance…
This atmosphere allowed both of them to let loose after a long time.
They hadn't felt this pure joy in a long time.
At this moment, Mrs. Izumi, who had gone out to buy groceries, just returned home and entered the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"It's already this late, I should head back."
Eriri suddenly came back to her senses and put down the controller.
"Hmph, this battle didn't decide a winner.
Next time I get a chance, I'll properly deal with you!"
She was very proud, as if a victor, she dropped this statement and left Izumi.
His comment on this was:
"Still being stubborn."
Izumi Chihiro got up to put things away.
"Ni-san, can you teach me how to play?"
Sagiri suddenly spoke.
"Sagiri?"
He suddenly realized his sister's presence, then his expression changed, "I'm sorry, I overlooked you earlier."
He had promised to play together earlier.
"No, it's nothing..."
Sagiri shook her head.
Watching their game interaction just now, she knew there was no room for her to intervene, so she chose to remain silent. This was her own choice, and she couldn't blame anyone else.
She understood that her status as a younger sister was inferior, and the bond between Eriri and her Ni-san was much stronger.
Therefore, she hoped to have more time with her Ni-san to bridge this gap...
"Alright, it's not too late to teach you now."
Izumi Chihiro sat back down and patted the seat beside him.
"Mm, thank you, Ni-san. Please teach me to your heart's content!"
Sagiri sat down beside him, looking happy.
About half an hour passed.
"Ahem, Sagiri, can you..."
"I'm sorry, Ni-san, I'm too bad!"
Although Izumi Chihiro was very patient with his sister's terrible performance, he was gradually reaching his limit.
Teaching a novice was truly a torment.
Fortunately, Sagiri wasn't that clumsy. Under his careful guidance, she gradually got the hang of it—which was to hide behind him.
The game gradually changed from torment to enjoyment.
Sagiri's expressions also became more varied and colorful.
"Ni-san, save me!"
Suddenly, a misstep in movement almost got her character killed by a minion, so Sagiri quickly called for help.
"Okay, Ni-san is coming to save you right away!"
Izumi Chihiro quickly controlled his character to approach and eliminate the minion.
"You two siblings are getting along better and better, aren't you? But it's time to take a break, isn't it?"
Mrs. Izumi walked over, smiling gently.
Behind her, dinner was already prepared on the dining table.
"Then let's play later, Sagiri."
Izumi Chihiro turned his head to look.
"Mm... when that time comes, I want to play 'Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers' that Ni-san and Eriri played!"
The silver-haired loli nodded.
"Alright, alright."
He said repeatedly.
Mrs. Izumi, watching the two interact from the side, showed a satisfied look.
Siblings should have a good relationship...
It wouldn't even matter if it was even better, because wouldn't that just be adding more closeness to the existing bond?
Then she wouldn't have to worry about her daughter's future prospects.
Of course, such matters were still far off and not something to consider now.
So she only had such a thought and didn't pay too much attention to it.
...
After dinner, Izumi Chihiro and Sagiri played until late at night before returning to their respective rooms.
Fortunately, because it was the weekend, they didn't have to worry about waking up early the next day.
He leaned quietly against the headboard of his bed, his mood suddenly calming down at this moment, without the usual sense of hustle and bustle.
The moonlight from outside the window shone on his face. He suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of a comfortable expression on his face.
He suddenly understood.
He had been pushing himself too hard before.
He was too eager for success, which made it difficult for his mood to align with the story. In other words, when he was writing, he couldn't immerse himself in it.
In that case, his writing naturally lacked the practical feeling it had before.
Although he had always been unclear about the reason, he instinctively felt dissatisfied with the words he wrote.
"It seems that taking a break, relaxing my mind, and temporarily emptying my thoughts... really is useful."
Izumi Chihiro sighed in his heart, then slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
One contraction, one release, like breathing, not too tense.
This was the way to break through his bottleneck.
For this, on Sunday, he played games with his sister for another afternoon, expending all his excess thoughts and immersing himself in the world of the game.
Until the evening, he sat back at his desk, lowered his head, and stroked the keyboard, suddenly having a different feeling than before.
"It's time to move forward."
Izumi Chihiro took a deep breath.
He had been slacking off for quite some time, and his mood had also improved.
In that case, the latter part of the third volume of demon slayer could also resume work.
In a blink of an eye, two more months passed.
He had mistakenly thought he could face it more calmly, but he still took longer than before. If he added the wasted time and the time needed for publication and promotion, it would be even more.
All of this still stemmed from his inherent lack of ability.
However, after rereading the third volume he had poured his heart and soul into, he still showed a very satisfied expression.
"Oh, right, what should I write for the preface of this volume? Let me think…"
Izumi Chihiro thought for a while before typing out another line of text.
[Humans and demons are different, but siblings are not.]