Late at night.

Lunye, who was making an unsteady breathing sound on the bed, showed a rather uncomfortable expression in the darkness, twisted left and right, suddenly opened his eyes suddenly, and sat up suddenly.

His breathing was shriveled, his eyes were dazed, his chest and back were wet with sweat, and even his hair was wet on his scalp as if it had been raining heavily.

Glancing at the digital clock at the head of the bed, "04:00", which was unusually bright in the dimness, made Lun smile wryly.

He let out a long breath and slowly got off the bed, muttering, "...... Water. ”

Picking up the water glass that had been placed on the computer table before going to bed and drinking it down, Lun also looked at the computer screen with a complicated face and only a faint outline in the dark, and his heart was pounding.

After gradually calming down by the chill in the air, Lun also realized that he was wearing wet pajamas, and pulled the corners of his mouth a little weakly: "Let's go take a shower......

Until then, though......

Lunya, who has recently become accustomed to checking emails, turned on the computer after four o'clock in the morning, intending to take another look at his mailbox.

Thereupon......

"Huh?"

There was a brand new unread email inside, the time was four o'clock in the morning today, and the sender was Ying Lili, who was about to be uncontacted for three days.

"Today, I looked at the sea. I don't feel scared anymore."

"Ying Ying Ying Ying Lili ~~~!"

Lun didn't care about such a terrible cry, he might wake up his father and mother who were sleeping, and his heart was filled with an inexplicable emotion.

Ah, and now is not the time to complain that Tochigi Prefecture is located in the interior of Japan's Honshu Prefecture and does not face the sea.

……

"I'm thinking, Lun you should be facing a difficult choice soon."

"Just because of that, are you going to send that kind of letter that makes people feel cold?!"

It was Saturday, at 4:10 a.m., and the location was a house built in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, and an upscale villa in Nasu Kogen, Tochigi Prefecture.

To put it simply, Lun also hurriedly called after seeing the email that made the insider feel cold, but before it could even be heard, Yingli Li was connected.

"Then again, isn't it good for you to call directly if there's something? Even if you write an email, you can use a simple sentence "I received a call back", right? ”

Lun was still quite dissatisfied with the email that made him tremble just now.

"Ahaha......" Ying Lili's voice on the other end of the phone seemed a little illusory, but Lun also attributed this to the distortion of electrical signal transmission, "Doesn't that make you think I'm so lonely that I can't help it?" ”

"Ha......" Lun also exhaled deeply, but the tense heartstrings still couldn't be relaxed in the slightest, "So, how are you doing over there?" English pear. ”

Ying Lili's tone became a little excited: "Well, it's snowing right now." It's been white outside since yesterday, it's dreamy! ”

“…… That's really four...... That's great. ”

Gritting his teeth and pretending to be calm, Lun also didn't care about the slight out-of-tune pronunciation.

After all, Ying Lili's tone on the other end of the phone sounded lively and happy, without the slightest sense of heaviness, and he had to do his best to pretend to be calm.

"Sorry to interrupt when you're busy, but can you tell me about the current status of the original painting?"

After thinking about it a little, Lun still didn't inform the other party that the current work had actually been completed under the leadership of Jiang Yu with the help of other painters.

He is the producer, the representative of the society, and the founder of the society who has been entrusted with the responsibility of checking and supervising the progress of the painter by the overseer.

Avoiding the creator on the other end of the phone is the number one priority.

So, whenever there is something like "How worried do you think I am!" This kind of complaining words, such as "I haven't been in touch for two days, are you okay?" "I can't say this kind of cold and warm words.

At the same time, Lun also involuntarily recalled in his head Jiang Yu who had an angry face after school yesterday, as well as the words of Kasumigaoka Shiyu who had a flat expression and could even speak coldly, and even the soft words of the girl who had recently changed in the end.

The throat that had just been drunk began to dry again, and the heart was beating violently again.

"Whew, what's this...... I think it's probably in time. ”

"Really, really!"

Lun didn't even notice it, and his voice trembled with undisguised happiness.

"Actually, I had a flash of inspiration yesterday and came up with a great idea."

"Oh, that's it!"

Lunye, who heard the good news, couldn't help but start thinking about the situation in a better direction - for example, Ying Lili didn't contact him before, was it because he was busy, but in fact, the remaining sketches have basically been completed...... Something.

"When I used to draw characters and backgrounds, didn't they always have separate layers?"

Ying Lili's tone was still slightly excited, to the point where it was doubtful that the day after tomorrow, as a dead line, would not come as scheduled.

…… If that really happens, it will jump from the daily life of the campus to the magic fantasy side all at once, right?

But I think that in the ordinary campus day, there will not be a rookie team that fights with monster-level fandom clubs as soon as they appear. And is there really a student who suddenly misses half a month of class because of a private matter?

"Draw the original art of the game, of course it will be like that......"

Lun also tried to use a relaxed tone, echoing the Ying Li Li on the other end of the phone.

Basically, Galgame's artists, in order to ensure efficiency and fit the game mode, will choose this drawing method. And if you unpack a Galgame's drawing resources, you can also see the composite pattern as CG, as well as a separate character portrait.

And even if it's a work that uses e-mote technology to make a dynamic CG, the unpacking is actually pretty much the same, so it's a limitation of this type of game.

"However, I also belong to the art club, right? Probably because of that, separating the characters from the background makes it feel wrong when drawing. ”

"Yes, yes?"

Hearing such an unexpected topic, Lun was also a little dumbfounded.

"I always feel that it's just incongruous, as if in a landscape where there is no one, and people who were originally staying elsewhere are pasted up...... That's no wonder, because it's actually a different post. ”

“…… British pear? ”

Len also felt sweat on his forehead and a chill in his vest.

"The last time I didn't know how to draw the painting, maybe it was because the characters and the background were blended just right, so I felt like I had never drawn such a work."

“…… Maybe so. ”

Recalling the painting that amazed everyone in the community, Lun also nodded convincingly, but ......

"After I figured it out, I changed my mind – oil and watercolor paintings don't have layers at all."

“…… You wait. ”

Lun didn't want to hear it from Ying Lili's mouth, which was almost a reborn word for the painter.

Ying Lili didn't mean to stop at all, it was better to say that her tone became more and more brisk: "In a picture, the characters and scenery should be blended together in order to play a complementary effect......"

"I told you to wait, Ying Lili!"

"Huh? How, Lunye? ”

She didn't notice it, but he did—the tone and content of her speech were so enthusiastic that it was unpleasant.

Specifically, Eiri has changed her way of thinking, come up with a new idea, and is excited about being like herself.

This is something that any creator will experience - in the process of creation, suddenly a flash of inspiration comes to mind, and the more you think about it, the more you think about it, the more you think about it, the more feasible it is, and then you don't stop to implement it.

This state of affairs can be aptly described by an idiom – a whim.

Lun also licked his lips, and his voice was a little dry: "What do you mean by that...... Want to change the way you draw now? ”

What he meant by this was that you were going to change your drawing method and draw six original drawings from the day before the deadline for completing your work?

Ying Lili on the other end of the phone, her tone still sounded very calm: "It's a full set of practices that will be replaced." Draw with a drawing tool, then sweep it into the computer with a color scanner, and then use that as a base to color......"

In this regard, Lunye, who was a little dumbfounded when he heard this, could only think of one word......

"It's a big deal. Aren't you wasting time and energy? ”

In this information age, especially after the popularization of pen tablets and computer graphics, most artists have long given up the previous practice of drawing on paper, and then scanning it into the computer and sending it to Party A.

"It works, it works! Hey, maybe I'm the only one who can do it, ahaha. ”

This time,The implication of Ying Lili is that this kind of practice is probably only possible now, as a doujin artist and a member of the active art department.。

"Pear ......"

Lun also didn't know what to say, and finally just unconsciously called the other party's name.

I called out, the name that has been firmly rooted in my heart since I was in elementary school.

"Ah~~ That's going to be a different stroke from the previous CG, but there's no problem with the balance. After all, it's a rare happy ending in that cruel story! Ahahahaha. ”

Ying Lili's laughter is both light and bright.

It's like ......

Lun shuddered, too, but it wasn't because he stood dumbfounded in the winter night, and his hands and feet gradually became cold.

"So, I want to start working right away. Although the background of the reunion at the end of the scene has to be blurred, it's okay to draw it completely at first, right? I'll leave the technical problems to that guy! ”

Because he realized that the current Yingli pear is not simply becoming cheerful, nor is he forcing a smile.

Lun also settled down and said, "Before that, Ying Lili, please tell me something." ”

The girl replied with a slight annoyance: "What's the matter, I finally got up with it......"

That's right, Ying Pear is currently too high.

In a way, the whole person is broken.

It's like ...... It's like falling into a frenzied creative mode that is no longer in the unexpected world at all.

Now Yingli Lili, I only have the idea of wielding an animation brush in my heart, and I only want to vent my heart's thoughts about the emotions that finally got a happy ending after a thousand turns.

She is indeed struggling to grow in her own way.

Lun Ye suddenly flashed such a thought in his mind, and at the same time, recalled what Jiang Yu said in the evening.

"In addition, I hope you can be a little more considerate of the creator's desire to grow."

How can you be considerate of me?

This guy ...... This guy ...... This guy is ——!

Lun also tried to calm down the turmoil in his heart, and tried his best to maintain a calm tone: "It's still the same question at the beginning. How many pictures have you drawn now? ”

"Ouch, I said, I'm just going to start drawing now!"

The girl's tone did not show the slightest haze, even if the other party was not in front of her, Lun seemed to be able to see the bright smile that the person didn't care about.

"From now on, draw six?"

Dan Lunye's thoughts did not waver in the slightest, and he said this sentence in an almost interrogative tone.

"I'm not sure, but it might be added suddenly. After all, now my brain and hands want to draw so much! ”

"That's too nonsense......"

"I can do it!"

The arrogant, arrogant, selfish blonde girl with two ponytails said this sentence categorically in a tone that subverted Ryanya's impression of her so far.

“……”

Lun also subconsciously held his breath, he understood.

I understand that Ying Lili has become completely different from her in the past.

Could it be that the enterprising face of the creator when he tried to get his hands on a certain element that he had been shouting "not enough" and "not great"?

It's hard to be done.,That is, the two people in the community, who are creators, Kasumigaoka Shiyu and Jiang Yu.,For the situation that Yingli couldn't draw before.,But I still can't help but care.,And eagerly look forward to seeing it...... The evolution of illustrator Eiri Kashiwagi?

However, he ......

Lun also grabbed his heart with his right hand and slowly squatted down.

"I see...... But don't you want it, too reluctantly? ”

Divide a complete sentence into four times before finishing it. Moreover, while Lun also spoke, his expression was distorted, and his whole body trembled slightly.

"Huh? Lun: What do you mean by that? ”

"I mean, even if you don't have time, I'...... We'll figure it out on our side, too. ”

Rather, there is already a finished product in standby......

“…… You're not going to say you're going to cut this plot line, are you? No, no, no, even if it's Lun, you and Jiang Yu said that you want to cut it down, and I absolutely don't agree! ”

"I'll tell you honestly! This work doesn't have the ending at all! In terms of the depth of the plot and the completion of the game, they are two works! ”

"And...... After all, I'm still just like you, a brainless player who pursues a happy ending. ”

"In the end, if it's not GoodEnd, it won't work! In the end, it is unacceptable if it is not a happy ending! ”

Hearing this, Lun also suddenly felt a little more relaxed, and a smile unconsciously bloomed on his lips.

"Hmmm......"

He replied softly.

Because he understands that the two of them are housemates who enter the house at the same time, and they are spiritual companions who grew up watching the animation of the same disc.

"So I'll draw, I'll draw...... Although I was too obsessed, I felt a little sorry to delay it so late. However, by tomorrow, I will definitely hand in a great painting! ”

Just a young classmate, in his prime; The scholar was angry and scolded Fang Xuan.

Pointing to the country, passionate words, dung was ten thousand households.

Such an impassioned English pear, Lun also asked himself that he had never seen it; Such bloody, touching and sour words, Lun also asked himself that he had never heard the other party say it.

But even so, he ......

“…… Shall I come over tomorrow? Do you have anything you need? ”

"Don't come!"

Hey——! To be honest, this kind of second answer is a little hurtful.

But then, the girl on the other end of the phone pursed her lips and said in a weak voice: "...... But I want to see you. ”

"What the hell is going on?"

Lun also stood up and sat down on the bed, a little crying and laughing.

"Don't come here! On the other hand, just give me a supply. ”

"What?"

Lun also raised his eyebrows in surprise, and once again confirmed in his heart that Ying Lili was definitely not normal at this moment.

This is not her usual her.

It was as if I had a high fever, as if I had forgotten my position, as if I had forgotten my proposed identity, as if I had forgotten the seven years that were almost like a chasm between each other.

"Give me encouragement. Like you did to Jiang Yu's guy, like you did to Po Island to the sea. ”

"Say I can absolutely do it, say I'm actually very good, say I'm a genius——! Tell me, that's why I'm definitely going to win! ”

The voice on the other end of the phone was cut off, leaving only a slightly strained exhalation.

However, the silence didn't feel like regretting that I had overdone it, and I wasn't shy about my embarrassing lines.

It seems that he is just waiting for the reaction from the bottom of his heart; It seems that he is just blindly waiting for what he wants.

Lun also pursed his lips, and a lot of words suddenly came out of his heart, passionate, passionate, and surging...... Even he himself felt stupid, and he was worried about whether he would frighten the other party, and the kind of unnutritious jokes that otaku usually used to bubble up a lot at once.

But he just said in an extremely soft tone: "Well, it's a British pear, you can do it." ”

He omitted all the nonsense that he usually didn't get tired of saying no matter how he said it.

He seemed to have forgotten for a moment the enthusiasm and enthusiasm he once had.

Perhaps, it was not Ying Lili who had a bad brain, but him, and it was him An Yilun.

Lun also had such a fleeting thought in his mind.

"yes, I see." Ying Lili's voice revealed an unprecedented tenderness, "I want to fight, Lunye." ”

However, the determination that flowed from that gentle tone was incomparably tenacious after all. For Lun's unusually weakness, the girl named Sawamura Eiri Pear, was unmoved.

Be stubborn and persistent.

This is the ideal creator posture of Jiang Yu and others.

A look of realization flashed in Lun's eyes.

In fact, Ying Li Li no longer needs to rely on his strength.

She's not a weak girl who can't do anything without him.

…… No, he had known that thing years ago.

He clearly understood when the pen name Eiri Kashiwagi began to emerge in the industry......

"Bye-bye."

The girl's gentle and clear voice came from the other end of the phone, and the next thing that rang was the busy tone that the phone was hung up.

Lun also held the phone's left hand and fell down following the gravitational pull.

Then he collapsed on the bed, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling of the room.

He didn't speak again.