In this crossover anime, I've been bound to two systems.

In a well-air-conditioned room.

Eriri Sawamura lay on the bed, her hands supporting her chin, a manga in front of her. Her bare, white feet, without socks, were rhythmically raised and swung back and forth in the air.

Suzumiya Chisato sat at her desk, holding a paintbrush in her hand. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she slowly turned her gaze to the side.

"Speaking of which, Eriri, you're actually a very famous illustrator online, right? If I remember correctly, your online name is Kashiwagi Eri."

"Yes, why are you suddenly asking about this? Didn't I already tell you about it before?"

"Eri, your manga must be very popular."

"What I drew can't really be called a comic; in some ways, it's something unsuitable for children... Wait a minute, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"I didn't have any particular idea, it was just out of curiosity that I suddenly wanted to try it."

"Huh? So, you're going to draw doujinshi too, Haruhi?"

"Can't I?"

"It's not that it's impossible... Your drawing skills are just as good as mine, so there's no problem if you really want to try. It's just that it feels very strange."

"It's not strange to want to try new things, is it? I've been learning from you for so long these past few days, so I'm bound to want to actually draw something and see how it goes."

…………

Chapter Thirty-Four: Eriri Begins to Compromise

Eriri's face turned slightly red.

There was nothing wrong with what Suzumiya Chisato said.

Indeed, it's not surprising that everyone has the desire to try new things.

Since the start of summer vacation, Suzumiya Chisato has been practicing manga every day. Now that he has mastered all the basic skills, it is only natural that he wants to test his skills.

"However, there's no need to draw a special doujinshi... regular comics will do."

Eriri Sawamura asked timidly,

The explanation of Suzumiya Senri.

"It's not that I don't want to draw regular comics. My childhood dream was to be a comic artist. But how should I put it? Comics have to pay extra attention to the content, but comics are different. The focus of comics is on the expressiveness of the visuals..."

Chisato Suzumiya put down her paintbrush, walked to the bedside, sat down, reached out and held Eriri Sawamura's bare feet, carefully stroking and examining them.

"Wait...don't touch me..."

"Didn't you tell me before that when drawing the human body, if you don't know where to start, the simplest and most direct way is to observe the human body?"

"What I told you back then was to observe yourself!"

"No, I'm drawing a girl right now. If I were to observe myself, the shape of my feet would definitely look weird. You said you would help me unconditionally until I completely master the skills of drawing comics."

"...Then don't just start doing it; at least tell me beforehand."

Eriri Sawamura muttered shyly. She turned over and, after hesitating for a moment, put her foot back on the sole of Chisato Suzumiya's foot. She thought to herself that it was good that she had taken a shower in the morning and hadn't gone out since, so her feet shouldn't smell.

"Yes, yes, I'll let you know in advance next time."

Suzumiya Chisato stretched out her other hand, gesturing for Sawamura Eriri to extend her other leg as well.

Eriri Sawamura slowly did as he was told, her pretty face already flushed as she watched him intently stroke the back of her foot and gently rub her toes with his fingertips.

"Where were we? Oh right, comics need a strong plot, and I don't have that much energy to think about plots right now, so I thought I'd try drawing doujinshi instead. After all, visually compelling scenes are one of my strengths."

"But... don't underestimate the script. Even if the plot requirements aren't that high, the handling of many details is even more rigorous than with comics. You need to clearly know which parts can resonate with the readers and create excitement, and these are not things that can be mastered in a short time."

"I know, but there's a teacher right here."

Suzumiya Chisato placed his palms on the soles of Sawamura Eriri's feet, savoring their soft warmth. He suppressed the restlessness within him, maintaining his usual harmless expression, making sure nothing changed.

"If it were a well-known doujinshi artist like Eri Kashiwagi online, I should be able to absorb the difficulties you just mentioned and grow quickly under her guidance and explanation..."

not right...

Something doesn't seem right.

With her feet held in Suzumiya Chisato's palms, Sawamura Eriri's body temperature was rising, and her consciousness was somewhat out of control. She hadn't even paid much attention to what he had said, and could only give perfunctory soft hums and grunts.

"...Then I'll leave it to you. I knew Eriri would agree."

Suzumiya Chisato sounded very happy, and a smile appeared on her face.

"kindness……"

Eriri Sawamura kept staring at her feet, which he was holding in his palm. Right now, her mind was filled with trivial thoughts like, "Hiramisu's hands are so big," "He really doesn't mind me," and "His palms are so warm."

So much so that it took her quite a while to realize that she seemed to have forgotten something.

"Um, Haruhi... what did I just promise you?"

"Are you a goldfish with a seven-second memory?"

"You...you're so long-winded. I was just...my back was a little itchy, and I wasn't paying attention to what you were saying."

"It's so hot, you must have prickly heat."

"That's not the point!"

"Okay, okay, it's nothing serious, it's just that you promised to teach me a series of techniques for drawing notebooks."

"A series refers to..."

"You promised to teach me all these techniques, including plot development, character expressions, and those parts you mentioned earlier that can excite readers."

"Wait……!"

Eriri Sawamura was momentarily speechless. She understood the situation and quickly pulled her foot back from the other person's hand.

She needs to let her overheated brain cool down.

"It's strange that I'm teaching you these things."

"What's weird?"

"It's really weird... It's not like a comic book, this is a doujinshi..."

Eriri Sawamura was quite at a loss.

Chisato Suzumiya, however, couldn't understand at all.

"What's wrong with the notebook? If you find it troublesome, you can just refuse me, but I want to know the reason."

"It's not that I find it troublesome, it's not difficult at all, it's just that... although we are very good friends, before that, our genders... are a little inconvenient... Do you understand what I mean?"

Meeting Eriri Sawamura's shy and embarrassed gaze, Chisato Suzumiya nodded with a subtle expression.

"I see, Eriri, you're quite old-fashioned."

"Old-fashioned...old-school?!"

"Yes, if we follow your logic, then when we go to the hospital for a checkup, shouldn't male and female doctors treat patients of different genders separately?"

"These are two completely different things and cannot be compared at all!"

"But in my opinion, this is actually similar to what Eriri was worried about."

"..."

Eriri Sawamura, who was being watched by Chisato Suzumiya, was losing momentum.

That being said, that being said...

But teaching Suzumiya to draw pamphlets... that just doesn't feel right.

"It's okay. If Eriri really finds it difficult, I'll just spend more time figuring it out myself."

Suzumiya Chisato took a step back, returned to his desk, picked up his phone, and glanced at it.

"It's about time to prepare lunch. You wait here and come down for lunch in forty minutes."

"Wait a minute, Suzumiya."

Suzumiya Chisato, who had already placed her hand on the doorknob, turned around when she heard the sound.

Eriri Sawamura stood up straight nervously, her gaze darting around unnaturally, one of her golden twin tails falling in front of her.

"...I understand, I will teach you."

…………

Chapter Thirty-Five: Stealing a book isn't stealing; wearing it means you're safe.

Eriri Sawamura agrees to start teaching you the techniques for drawing notebooks.

Over the next week, under your subtle guidance, Eriri Sawamura's attitude towards teaching you about adult doujinshi gradually changed from extreme shame to acceptance. She no longer saw it as something strange or unacceptable, but rather as normal teaching.

[On the tenth day, you completed your first script, a simple story about a mischievous girl and her timid older brother. You submitted it to Eriri Sawamura for review, and she criticized it harshly, saying that you severely lacked control over the female character's exaggerated expressions and completely failed to convey the expected impact.]

Despite Eriri Sawamura's repeated explanations, you still didn't quite understand. In the end, she had no choice but to demonstrate on the spot. She took a sip of water, then opened her mouth slightly and rolled her eyes upwards, looking like she had been thoroughly messed with. You applauded in admiration, saying that as expected of Kashiwagi Eri, the teacher of doujinshi, this teaching method made everything clear in an instant.

After that, you revised the original artwork, finally satisfying her. You uploaded the sketchbook to the relevant website, where it received positive reviews from most people, and you were both very happy.

A month has passed, and your relationship has deepened. Whenever you use the excuse of needing material for your sketchbook, you can not only hold her hand, but also hug her, or have her sit on your waist so you can observe her from below.

You told her that all of this was to improve your doujinshi drawing skills. Sawamura Eriri felt shy, but because she cherished her friendship with you, she reluctantly cooperated, since it was all still within her tolerance.

[You didn't have Eriri Sawamura review your second doujinshi before uploading it directly online, and the feedback was less than satisfactory. Many people offered criticism, with the most striking comment being that the artist was definitely an inexperienced virgin; what kind of couple kisses in such a strange position? It looks odd and unnatural.]

[More than a hundred people clicked "like" on that comment, leaving you extremely dejected, even unable to eat. Eriri Sawamura was very worried, but she didn't know how to cheer you up. As she wandered in the park, at her wits' end, the sound of flapping wings grew fainter, and a summer festival poster landed in front of her.]

You accepted Eriri Sawamura's invitation and went with her to the summer fireworks festival.

The venue was packed with people; you had to hold her shoulder tightly to avoid being separated by the crowd.

You found a secluded grassy slope, and amidst the bursts of fireworks, you calmly said to Eriri Sawamura, "Let's kiss."

[Your reaction to Sawamura Eriri's words was exactly what you expected; she froze, her entire body seemingly turning ashen.]

[You appropriately expressed your frustration, explaining that you weren't acting with ulterior motives, but simply wanted to redraw a script out of pride that would silence those who criticized you online.]

Even with those words, Eriri Sawamura still hesitated. Holding hands and hugging were one thing, but kissing just didn't seem like something friends should do.

[You anticipated her hesitation, so after a moment's thought, you took out the plastic bag containing the beverage bottles and showed it to her. You told her that wearing a mask blocks dust, and gloves protect against germs; by the same token, with a plastic bag between you, there's no real skin-to-skin contact, so it doesn't count as a kiss.]