The next morning, the gentle and clear morning light slipped into the room through the window, caressing Yukino's smooth, milk-like skin.
"Mmm~~" Yukino slowly woke up, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while before sitting up.
She raised her hand to rub her cheeks, and could vaguely still feel a phantom pain in them...
"Ugh~~" As she rubbed her face, Yukino suddenly felt a bit nauseous, as if she remembered something.
"Mmm~~ that bastard... he's not human... he's an animal... a beast..."
After a few dry heaves, Yukino, her face flushed red, clutched her blanket and muttered angrily, though it was unclear who she was cursing.
...
At the same time, just waking up, Hoshimi suddenly felt his ears burning.
"Is Yukino cursing me?" he muttered as he sat up.
He pinched his ears, mumbling indistinctly, "Ungrateful little wildcat... It was clearly a mutually beneficial thing... Why curse me? I also paid a big price..."
Hoshimi shook his wrist, flexing his somewhat numb fingers, then opened his mouth and stretched his slightly sore tongue.
Once the phantom pain in his body disappeared, he got out of bed, put on his slippers, and headed downstairs to the bathroom.
First, he would freshen up, and then... play games!
That fighting game was pretty fun and perfect for some leisurely entertainment! At least it was better than those pay-to-win online games, which he'd grown tired of. It was time to enjoy some fighting game fun instead.
...
At 4 p.m. on Saturday, at a café near Toyogasaki Academy.
Eriri closed her tablet and downed the remaining half of her coffee in one gulp.
Bang—!
She set the cup down and looked at Kasumigaoka, who was sitting across from her, impatiently saying, "We've finished discussing the illustrations, so I should head home. You're such a pain. Why did we have to meet in person to discuss this? Wouldn't a video call have worked just as well? Whatever, I'm leaving."
As she spoke, Eriri picked up her shoulder bag and stood up to leave.
"Wait."
"What now?" Eriri bared her fangs, glaring at Kasumigaoka with a slightly fierce yet adorable look.
"There's one more thing I need your help with," Kasumigaoka casually glanced at Eriri's expressive face.
"Tch~" Eriri clicked her tongue, sat back down, tossed her bag to the side, crossed her arms, and looked at Kasumigaoka with impatience. "I knew it. You didn't just call me out to talk about the illustrations. What else do you want? Spit it out, and I'll decide if I want to help."
Kasumigaoka didn't mind Eriri's impatience. She was used to this golden retriever acting like she'd just swallowed explosives when she wasn't putting on a front.
Following her usual negotiation routine, Kasumigaoka took out a folded piece of paper from her small bag and placed it on the table, then slowly pushed it toward Eriri.
"What's this?" Eriri frowned unconsciously as she looked at the folded paper.
"Why don't you open it and see?" Kasumigaoka remained nonchalant, showing no sign of asking for a favor.
"Tch~" Eriri clicked her tongue again and, slightly annoyed, opened the paper to take a look.
[Design: Typical school uniform blazer, with white undergarments.]
[Color: Primarily black, with white accents around the collar...]
[Collar style: Inner shirt has a standard collar, while the outer jacket collar is...]
[Pocket placement...]
[Sleeves...]
[Pants...]
Eriri read the entire note and realized it was all about the detailed design of a piece of clothing.
After reading, she set the note down and looked at Kasumigaoka. "What's this about? Do you want me to design a school uniform based on your specifications?"
"More or less," Kasumigaoka nodded slightly.
Eriri: "Tch~ Kasumigaoka Utaha! Do you have any idea how busy I am?!"
Kasumigaoka rested her chin on her hand, speaking calmly, "I know, but designing one outfit shouldn't take up too much of your time. After all, Eriri, you're the ace of the art club. Your speed and quality won't be an issue."
"..." Eriri's eye twitched, and she turned her head, muttering quietly, "It's rare to hear you compliment someone..."
"Eriri, I'm in a hurry for this drawing, so could you prioritize it? Of course, I'll compensate you accordingly for the job."
Eriri glanced at Kasumigaoka, her voice low and unclear. "I don't need money... What's the point of extra compensation..."
"I see..." Kasumigaoka thought for a moment, then revealed the terms she had prepared. "Eriri, you haven't started on your summer CM doujin yet, have you?"
"Guh~" Kasumigaoka hit a sore spot, and Eriri's ears turned red as she shouted angrily, "Kasumigaoka, are you mocking my procrastination?!"
"Not at all," Kasumigaoka slightly raised her delicate neck and smiled faintly. "If you haven't started, it's good news. As compensation for this drawing, I can help you with your doujin's plot. With my writing, you won't have to worry about people criticizing the storyline."
"..." Eriri was tempted.
Indeed, with Kasumigaoka's writing skills, crafting the plot for her doujin would be like using a cannon to kill a mosquito — overkill. However...
"Forget it, no need. I'll draw it, and you can just pay me the market rate." Eriri rejected Kasumigaoka's offer.
She had already figured out the plot for her doujin and didn't want to change it...
As for what the plot was... it could be summarized in one sentence:
A white-haired, red-eyed boy with a bad attitude gets captured by a witch and is locked in a basement, where she uses various methods to train him into an untouchable exclusive servant.
Yes, everyone who knows the white-haired, red-eyed boy will understand. As for why the plot is like this, there's no need to explain much — it's simply to vent her frustrations.
By the way, she did make a few small adjustments to Hoshimi's appearance and body data.
Not because she was afraid Hoshimi might take revenge if he saw it in the future, but just because she found it a bit annoying that too many people, especially women, might see an adapted version of Hoshimi.
Also, for the usability of the doujin, she designed the witch character as a curvy, perfect-figured mature woman.
Because of that, every time she imagined the plot of her doujin, she couldn't help but feel like she was being NTRed...
===
[30 Bonus Chapters: https://www.patreon.com/cherryblooming]