In the anime, cultivating a girlfriend starts from childhood

The two moved to an open-air coffee shop opposite the bookstore.

"Hiratsuka-san, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you in a place like that."

At this time, Eriri was dressed differently from usual at school, but her mentality was still calm.

After all, he had already seen the other side outside of school.

"It's indeed a coincidence, Sawamura-san."

Hiratsuka Ryosuke nodded and replied calmly while stirring his coffee cup.

Seeing the other party's nonchalant look, Eriri raised the corners of her mouth slightly, leaned forward, and said softly: "Hiratsuka-san, you don't want your secret to spread in school, right?"

Hmm? What's my secret?

Ryosuke held the coffee cup in his hand, paused in the air, and frowned slightly.

He was a little confused about what Ying Lili wanted to say, so he chose to remain silent and wait for the other party to continue.

Seeing this, Eriri thought that Ryosuke was under her control.

"You are also an otaku, right? And a fan of Yamada Fairy Sensei." Eriri flashed a sly smile on her face, and then tentatively asked, "How about we keep each other's secrets and not reveal each other's otaku identities at school?"

"Then you guessed wrong. I'm not a fan of Yamada Fairy." Hiratsuka Ryosuke put down his coffee cup and denied it calmly.

I thought there was some shocking secret, but this is it?

After hearing the other party's words, it was Eriri's turn to get anxious.

Why is this person so calm?

Isn't he afraid that his identity as an otaku will be exposed at school?

"Aren't you a fan of Mr. Yamada Fairy's books? Where did you get that hardcover signed edition of "The Exploding Dark Fairy"?"

Ying Lili mentioned what happened in the villa area that day, and her expression looked a little unnatural.

After all, she was the one who took someone else's book and didn't return it.

Ryosuke Hiratsuka noticed the uneasiness and guilt in Eriri's eyes and roughly guessed what she was thinking.

"Don't worry, I don't plan to ask you to return it." Ryosuke took a sip from the coffee cup and then said calmly, "As for the book, it was given to me by a friend of mine."

Ryosuke had long realized that the two people's books had been swapped because he found that the later book did not have the fairy's signature.

The reason why I didn't ask Eriri to get the book back is very simple.

He is very familiar with the author himself, and given his relationship with the goblin, it really doesn't matter whether he signs or not.

If you want a signed version, just ask her to sign another one.

At this point, Eriri suddenly realized.

This is a lie.

Sometimes when a person wants to hide his or her true thoughts, he or she often uses this statement.

For example, “A friend of mine wants to know something”, actually that friend is himself.

Eriri had participated in that "holy war" and of course knew how hard it was to get a signed hardcover copy. After all, her father almost worshipped the book.

Maybe Ryosuke Hiratsuka is the kind of fanatical fan who slept on the floor to grab books the night before but didn't dare to admit it.

Thinking of this, Eriri believed that Hiratsuka Ryosuke was an otaku like her, who was unwilling to reveal his otaku identity in front of outsiders.

It's like I've discovered a whole new side of this guy.

Unconsciously, in her mind, she had transformed Hiratsuka Ryosuke's identity from an ordinary classmate to a comrade-in-arms.

Eriri nodded thoughtfully.

She said meaningfully, "Hiratsuka-san, I understand you. Let's make a deal, we both have to keep each other's secrets at school."

Then a blush appeared on her face, her eyes wandered, and she said with some difficulty: "Well, thank you for that morning as well."

Hiratsuka Ryosuke nodded, accepted Eriri's thanks, and sent her to the infirmary. It was just a piece of cake.

"By the way, what are you doing at the Fuzugawa Bookstore? Are you buying books? If they are light novels, I can recommend a few to you!"

After Eriri confirmed the identity of Hiratsuka Ryosuke's comrade, she let her guard down.

At this moment, she seemed a little excited.

She planned to use her experience of reading countless books to recommend her favorite books to her comrades.

"Wait someone."

Hiratsuka Ryosuke's brief answer left Eriri stunned.

Her eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on her face, revealing her white little canine teeth. "What a coincidence, I'm waiting for someone too."

Seeing that the time was almost up, Eriri took out her cell phone and sent a message to Ryou.

"Teacher Ryou, I'm at the cafe across from the Fuzugawa Bookstore. Are you there yet?"

Hiratsuka Ryosuke also just took out his cell phone.

I was just about to send a message to Kashiwagi Eri, but unexpectedly she sent it first.

Ok?

Kashiwagi Eri is here too?

“I’m in this coffee shop too.”

After Ryosuke clicked send, he looked around, trying to find someone who looked like Kashiwagi Eri.

After all, painters are artists, so sometimes they let their clothes and hairstyles be free and unrestrained.

"I'm at table 5. Where are you, Mr. Ryou?"

Eriri even stood up and looked around.

As far as the eye can see, there are only a few people scattered around.

Hiratsuka Ryosuke glanced at the number plate on the table.

5 number.

He put his phone down, rested his elbows on the table, and looked at Eriri with a scrutinizing gaze.

He said calmly, "Sawamura-san, are you teacher Kashiwagi Eri?"

After hearing what Ryosuke said, no matter how stupid Eriri was, she guessed an outrageous answer.

boom!

She slammed her boneless hands heavily on the table.

Her body suddenly leaned forward, her little mouth opened and closed, her lower lip trembled slightly, and her deep blue eyes were full of disbelief.

At this moment, even her voice was trembling, "You are R...Ryou?!"

Chapter 45 From today on, we are partners

Eriri sat on the chair shivering.

He picked up the coffee with trembling hands and took a sip, trying to calm himself down.

Even if she didn't want to believe it, she had to admit the fact.

The boy in front of me only took a few minutes.

His identity changed from an ordinary classmate to a hidden otaku comrade, and then from a hidden otaku comrade to his own financial sponsor.

Now, I am not only the sponsor, but also the prototype model of the illustration characters.

She thought it was just a simple illustration handover, but now she was even a little afraid to hand it over.

"So, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, where are my paintings?"

Ryosuke didn't forget the purpose of this date and asked directly.

There were a lot of thoughts running through Eriri's little head.

The face and movements of this illustration were drawn according to the requirements, and he probably won't realize that the prototype is himself.

It's so embarrassing. I have to draw someone else secretly and then show the drawing to that person.

What are you doing, Eriri?

She took a deep breath and her face turned red, as if she had done something immoral.

In the end, I chose to hand over the file bag containing the illustrations.

Hiratsuka Ryosuke took the bag and took out the illustration from it.

I couldn't take my eyes away for a moment.

The imaginative composition and the vigorous brushwork.

The most amazing thing is the eyes of the black-clad swordsman, which are so lifelike.

Compared to Mr. Tong in his previous life, he has a bit more sharpness and coldness, which is more in line with the character's personality in the early stage of the story.

He even felt that the illustration resonated with himself.

Although the faces don't look quite like each other, it gives the illusion that I'm looking in a mirror.

Hiratsuka Ryosuke nodded secretly in his heart, thinking that the money was well spent.

So he put a thick envelope on the table and pushed it to the girl opposite.

"I am very moved by your painting. This is your reward. I hope we can have a chance to cooperate for a long time in the future, Mr. Kashiwagi Eri."

Hiratsuka Ryosuke looked directly into Eriri's eyes and spoke seriously.

It is very difficult to find an artist who can produce high-quality works quickly, so we have to find a way to get more illustration funds from the publishing house.

When Ying Lili saw the thick envelope, her eyes suddenly lit up like a light bulb.

She took the envelope and held it horizontally.

Her fair and clear face looked like a blooming white orchid. A smile was written on her face, full of joy and even a hint of tears.

Finally someone recognized her paintings.

Ying Lili is not a money-grubber, but she earned a generous reward through this form of commercial transaction.

It means that she is one step closer to being a professional artist, and it symbolizes that she is not just a fan artist who can only rely on her love to create works.

"Hey, Hiratsuka, I have some more drafts of the Black Swordsman here, do you want to take a look?"

"Hmm? You have more? I remember the request was only sent once?"

“I really like this character, and I think there is still a lot of room for improvement, so I drew a few more pictures.”

Eriri handed the tablet in her hand to Ryosuke with excitement.

Just like a little kid sharing his treasures with his friends.

Ryosuke took the tablet and looked at it.

There is a picture of Uncle Tong’s back, with two swords on his back, and he is lonely and moving forward.

He has the courage and fortitude to hold a sword in one hand and not back down in the face of a powerful enemy.

There is even a close-up of the side profile, with a gentle smile appearing on the cold face.

Although they are all line drawings, it is not difficult to see that the quality of these pictures is also very high.

Is she really a genius? !

A hint of surprise also appeared on Ryosuke's calm face.

"Ahem, each of these paintings is very good."

A heartfelt compliment escaped his lips.

Eriri squinted her eyes, revealing her white canine teeth, and smiled proudly: "Haha, I'm Kashiwagi Eri, a genius beautiful girl painter!"

Then a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes, "By the way, Hiratsuka, why do you need so many custom illustrations? From what I understand, boys also like beautiful girl illustrations more, right?"

She added in her mind, just like how she liked male protagonists like princes and knights.

"Because I'm writing a light novel, these illustrations are used as light novel illustrations."