You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Meteora was taken aback by these words, but quickly realized just how likely they were.

"If settings can be changed at will, then even a princess in military uniform... well, the creator of Iori should actually be the general public, not Kubo-sensei."

However, the game I came from, "Avaken of Remembrance," is an RPG game with many creators involved. It's difficult to identify who designed my character, and the search is too challenging.

"In that case, let's start with the creator of Ceresia."

"It can only be her."

Iori and Kubo nodded in unison.

"Ah, me?"

Ceresia was startled. "My creator?"

Meteora solemnly said to the red-haired female swordsman, "I'm counting on you, Ceresia."

"Huh... well, I hope my creator wasn't some bad guy."

……

"It looks silly."

"Your appearance isn't great either; your hairline is a bit high."

"Doesn't seem like a good person."

"..."

Listening to her companions' comments and looking at the middle-aged man looking around in the distance, Ceresia suddenly felt her face burning with shame, as if she were airing her dirty laundry in public.

My stepsister, who isn't related to me by blood, is actually a beautiful girl illustrator?

The white-haired girl who fell in love with me at first sight turns out to be a light novel author!

Before indulging in those kinds of daydreams, please check if your voice actor's surname is Matsuoka.

As for Kubo? She's a proper working adult. Although she's still young in terms of social awareness, she's long past the age where she can pretend to be young, both psychologically and physically.

It's like how you can't be considered a magical girl after turning sixteen~

Getting back to the main point, Ceresia's creator, whose pen name is Matsubara Takashi, is a middle-aged man who appears to be facing a hairline crisis and has no sense of urgency whatsoever.

Iori and the others contacted him via email, sending him a message claiming to be his biggest fans who wanted to meet him. They also attached a real photo of Ceresia to the email.

Well, to someone who doesn't know the details, that photo probably looks like a very accurate cosplay photo.

They agreed to meet at a certain observation tower, but the other person casually walked out of their hole like a mouse chasing cheese.

While it's good that the author was brought out so easily, from Ceresia's perspective, she doesn't want her "father" to be this kind of guy.

"Oh, here it is!"

Matsubara Takashi saw Ceresia and the others gathered there and quickly walked through the crowd to get over.

"Celecia".

Meteora gave her a push.

"Okay, okay, I understand."

Ceresia sighed, forced herself to cheer up, and went to greet him with a stiff smile.

"Nice to meet you."

"Hello."

Matsubara Takashi looked the female swordsman up and down in amazement. "I never thought it was real... I thought it was photoshopped. It looks too real."

When observed at close range, Ceresia's expression and movements became somewhat unnatural.

"Oh, does it look very similar?"

"Of course! It's exactly what I imagined..."

Matsubara scratched his face sheepishly, "To be honest, it looks too much like it, it's almost disgusting."

"Yeah, it's normal for them to be exactly the same, after all—"

—I am the real person.

There was no smile left on Ceresia's face.

What is this child saying?

Matsubara Takashi frowned. He was, after all, an adult with some social experience, and like Kubo, he tried to avoid meeting fans privately. The reason he volunteered to come out was because the Ceresia cosplay was so well done.

The fact that someone can inspire such passion proves that one's work is exceptionally excellent—and as a cartoonist, it's impossible to resist the sense of accomplishment that comes with it!

However, if this child doesn't simply like novels and cosplay, or if their liking goes too far and leads to adolescent fantasies... then it should raise a red flag.

Damn!

Although it's hindsight, I really shouldn't have gone to the appointment so rashly!

"It's been a long time, Mr. Matsubara."

Just as Matsubara Takashi was unsure what to do and was about to turn around and go home, Kubo stepped out from behind Iori and greeted him familiarly.

"...Huh? Mr. Kubo!"

Matsubara Takashi was stunned. Even though they weren't in the same industry, they were in the same circle. Kubo, a pillar-level manga artist, was undoubtedly superior to him, a light novel author, and their influence was on a completely different level.

Why would someone who is treated like a panda by editors appear alongside a cosplayer dressed as a high school girl?

By the way, who's next to Kubo-sensei?

“You’ve already met Ceresia. This is Aizen Iori. Don’t be shy, just call him Iori.”

"Huh? What's going on? I'm a little confused... Did you invite these two cosplayers, Mr. Kubo? By the way, the last time we met was at the publishing house's year-end party, right? Why did you suddenly decide to meet me?"

"Could the editor please say something simpler?"

"It's impossible to help, and we can't let anyone else know, because these two, no, these three are not cosplayers."

Kubo Hide then pointed to Meteora, who was standing next to the handrail.

"It's our 'child'~"

Chapter 452 Am I too late?

Ugh?

Child, what's wrong?

Is this a scam, specifically a marriage scam?!

—This absurd idea only lasted for a moment before Matsubara Takashi dismissed it.

Not to mention that he and Kubo Hide have no connection whatsoever, even if it were a scam, such a "good thing" would not fall into his lap.

Because Kubo's annual income is far higher than his, and his novel has only just been adapted into an anime, and it's a standard seasonal series, with the possibility of a second season depending on its success. Kubo's *Boundary*, on the other hand, is a long-running, action-packed series, a super-popular work that's been running for years, and it also has various merchandise; its copyright revenue absolutely far surpasses his.

From another perspective, whoever marries Hide Kubo in the future is truly lucky!

If I had a wife who could make money like that, wouldn't I be able to play mahjong and relax all day like that famous senior in the industry, without having to worry about anything else?

"It's true, Matsubara-sensei."

While the middle-aged man was still in a daze, Kubo said seriously, "She is Celestia, the heroine of your fantasy light novel!"

"...Is this a collaboration between Kōkawa Bunko and Jumping?"

Matsubara blinked repeatedly and looked around: "Where are the cameras for a parody variety show or something?"

"Ah, I really like 'Amateur Challenge' too, but those kinds of shows—they're not like that at all!"

Kubo frowned, gestured towards Iori with his lip, and said rather bluntly, "Iori, my son who was born in darkness..."

Go, give him some small tasks!

"From any perspective, you're not qualified to address me like that, are you? Never mind."

"Wait a moment."

Meteor stretched out his hand to stop Iori: "It's not good to attract attention here. We don't know the Japanese government's attitude yet. It would be terrible if we were considered dangerous elements."

"It's okay, I've always been very low-key."

Iori took two steps and put her hand on Matsubara's shoulder. The middle-aged man subconsciously tried to dodge, but his body wouldn't obey him and he stood there stiffly, leaving him with a bewildered expression.

"Huh? What are you going to do?"

"Open your eyes wide."

Iori turned around and gestured to the others: "I'll be right back..."

Before she could finish speaking, Iori and Matsubara Takashi had vanished without a trace. Celestia looked around nervously, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she found that no one was paying attention.

Here on the top of a crowded observation tower, what happens in a corner naturally doesn't attract much attention.

"Instant Step! It's Instant Step!"

Kubo, however, became excited and hugged the expressionless Meteora, shouting excitedly, "No matter how many times I see it, it's still amazing! The power system I created is just so cool!"

"Okay...can you let me go?"

Meteora couldn't understand Kubo's feelings.

However, these days, whenever Kubo has free time, he asks Iori to take her to secluded places. Sometimes he demonstrates Kido, sometimes he demonstrates swordsmanship or hand-to-hand combat, keeping the female manga artist in high spirits every day, and she is even gradually developing a tendency towards chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).

Or rather, it's gotten even more serious.

Ceresia sighed resignedly, deciding to stay where she was and wait for her creator to return, though she was also slightly dissatisfied.

Why is her "father" a bald middle-aged man, while Iori has such a kind "stepmother"?

Just as she was lamenting the injustice of fate, the atmosphere in the hall subtly changed.

"Hey, look at that person!"

Is it cosplay?

"Is it really surprising that someone is wearing such a thick trench coat in this weather?"

...Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to it.

The man, or rather the "boy," who was short in stature with a few strands of messy blond hair peeking out from his hood and half his face hidden in shadow, undoubtedly became the focus of the hall.

He wasn't particularly special, but when he arrived here, it was as if he had become the protagonist under the spotlight, and everyone had the same thought flash through their minds:

I cannot stand in his way.

The crowd parted automatically like duckweed on water, and the boy walked leisurely to Ceresia.

Out of a warrior's instinct, the red-haired female swordsman had already placed her hand on her weapon, ready to fight at any moment.

So, under everyone's watchful eyes, the young man chuckled and asked, "Excuse me, are you Miss Celestia? Um... Mr. Matsubara Takashi isn't with you."

"He's not here,"

Celestia's gaze sharpened as she demanded, "Who are you? You're not an ordinary person, are you?"

Meteora also became alert and decisively stepped forward to protect Hisa behind her. At the same time, she was secretly relieved that Sota, who was preparing for the exam, hadn't come along; otherwise, protecting both of them at the same time would have been much more difficult.

"Could it be that you are also..."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."

He removed his hat, revealing his magnificent short, golden hair, which, instead of looking disheveled, exuded a sense of languid elegance. And so, a beautiful young man with ruby-clear eyes appeared before the crowd.

Unlike a human!

This was Celestia and the others' first impression.

This blond boy, though he had a smiling face, exuded a sense of aloofness that made him unapproachable.

There was nothing unusual about its appearance, but it had a kind of "inhuman" aura, which was quite strange.

"Hello, wanderers from another world."

My name is... Hehe, I'm sorry, although there's no need to keep secrets in this world anymore, I still can't tell you my real name out of tradition.

According to the lore in Blood Limit Chronicle, I think I'm the final boss~

"Blood Limit Chronicles?"