A few days later, Yamada Elf came skipping to him, her expression joyful.
"It's really useful! I feel less lost when writing, and when inspiration strikes, I can just write it in the outline. This way, I'll have more time to play games…"
"Hm?"
Izumi Chihiro let out a soft sound of surprise.
"Cough, cough, no, I misspoke. I meant more time to practice writing."
Yamada Elf coughed and corrected herself.
In the past, she definitely wouldn't have changed her words, but after realizing the crisis, she decided to change her mindset.
The boast she made, she had to at least work for it, not just for herself, but also for her partner, Eromanga-sensei, whom she had managed to invite with great difficulty.
"Didn't you notice? Elf, your writing has actually improved a lot compared to before, especially starting from these last two volumes. The progress is very obvious, although that's also because there was a lot of room for improvement."
He said.
"Is that so?"
Yamada Elf was half-skeptical, thinking it over.
"It seems it really is true. Fewer people seem to be picking apart the new volume. I thought it was because of declining popularity, but it turns out this was also a reason."
"So keep up the good work. The harder you work, the luckier you get. I believe the future will reward you handsomely."
He patted Elf's shoulder, speaking earnestly.
"You're right."
Feeling the physical contact, Yamada Elf blushed and nodded slightly.
Most importantly, as a senior, it would be too embarrassing to be surpassed by Kasumigaoka Utaha and Black Cat.
She couldn't beat Nayuta, Muramasa, and Chihiro, but could she not even beat them?
Another few weeks passed.
Demon Slayer was still airing, and compared to puella magi madoka magica, its popularity accumulated much slower, mainly due to its 'climax points.'
The senpai's three-episode rule was truly impressive, whereas for Demon Slayer, one had to wait until the battle with Lower Moon Five Rui. That was when the emotions accumulated in the early stages would truly explode.
Although the novel version he wrote differed slightly from the manga in his previous life, mainly in details, the general outline of the story was still similar.
Therefore, this was also the focus of the animated adaptation.
These past two months, the new volumes of Kani Nayuta's and Senju Muramasa's works were also released one by one, with their popularity remaining high, and everyone had discussed them a lot.
Besides that, what Izumi Chihiro cared about most was the progress of Mashiro and Eriri in manga.
Eriri could be said to be getting better and better, performing increasingly well. To a large extent, this was due to 'pressure' pushing her onto this path she dared not take.
She had once considered becoming a manga artist, but the difficulty of getting started and the headaches of updating made her give up.
The result was that, with her diligent and unceasing efforts, progress was smoother than she had imagined.
The story design issues she used to worry about turned out not to be so difficult. The many works she had read before were her accumulation; she just needed a spark of inspiration to complete it.
Mashiro had also found her footing. Although there hadn't been much improvement in various aspects recently, a well-structured story, coupled with a super strong art style and novel themes, could still capture many people's hearts.
Currently, it was only in a middle-tier position because the content was still limited and the story hadn't yet become exciting.
"It's getting closer and closer, Eriri. Do you feel the pressure that comes with it?"
This was still Izumi Chihiro's concern.
It's not hard to understand.
When someone is a hundred thousand miles away from you, even if you know she is a genius, you can ignore her.
But when she approaches within an inch with astonishing speed, the pressure builds up.
It's like AI painting; artists look down on it, but when it actually produces exquisite works, artists feel something is wrong.
If it continues to evolve and affects higher-end creation, it will cause panic.
Only when it achieves something beyond the reach of artists will everyone gain a little comfort, thinking, 'This way, we don't have to compare anymore.'
Mashiro was taking a bite of Baumkuchen to replenish her energy, with cream and crumbs still on her mouth. Seeing him lost in thought, she proactively asked, "Chihiro, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
He snapped out of it.
"Are you hungry?"
Mashiro thought for a moment, then tore off a piece of cake and offered it to him.
"You've already eaten it; there's still saliva on it."
He looked down, then looked up again and said.
"It's okay, I don't mind."
Mashiro said softly.
"It seems Mashiro AI still needs more training."
Izumi Chihiro sighed, reached out, took the cake, and ate it in one bite.
Mmm, it tasted very sweet.
"What is AI?"
After he finished eating, Mashiro looked at him curiously.
"AI is artificial intelligence, for example, giving machines human intelligence so they can act on their own… If it grows, the world will change a lot."
He briefly explained.
"I understand, like robots in anime."
Mashiro made the connection.
"That's still a bit early, but who knows, maybe there will be such a day."
He smiled and said.
...
"Editor, may I ask about this week's ranking?"
"It's very good! We've managed to stabilize in fourth place. If we can get an anime adaptation to boost popularity, first place isn't out of reach."
"Then, I have another question..."
"I know, Shiina's ranking is..."
Eriri hung up the phone, her gaze involuntarily growing a bit more serious.
Although her drawing improvement speed couldn't compare to her past self, Mashiro was still improving. After several months, she had reached a position where Eriri could almost see her back.
That feeling of being pricked by thorns made her very uncomfortable.
"Don't rush, don't worry. I just need to do my best! I won't lose that easily! And this rate of improvement is just about average for a manga artist, nothing special...!"
Eriri clutched her chest, catching her breath, and muttered to herself.
She was trying to stay calm, but being so concerned itself implied her own lack of confidence.
The closer she got, the higher the pressure rose.
Positive pressure can promote growth, while negative pressure can completely suffocate a person.
Once out of balance, the result would be an underperformance.
She tried hard to remind herself not to repeat past mistakes.
Suddenly, her phone chimed with a message notification.
[Eriri, keep it up.]
It was a very short message, yet it had a feeling that made one want to cry tears of joy.
This was the ultimate boost for her.
Eriri's expression instantly changed.
"Who needs your concern, you jerk, hmph!"
"Just you wait, I'll become a famous manga artist soon... more popular than you!"
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter