My anime/manga fandom can't be that lazy.

And one is a famous light novel author, and the other is a famous illustrator—these attributes seem a bit redundant, don't you think...?!

"Then I'll just ask you one question directly."

With her arms crossed, Yamada Elf suddenly spoke up. To be honest, she was feeling a little conflicted, never expecting that Kashiwagi Eri-sensei would actually be a beautiful girl.

And what's more! It just so happens that she's a beautiful girl, and she has such a good relationship with Dongfang Bai, which is really unusual. It's as if the two of them have known each other for a long time!

Although I really dislike this guy, there's a very friendly feeling about him that I can't quite explain.

Perhaps these two share a common trait: being a "loser"? The saying goes, "losers often sympathize with each other"...

"What's your relationship with Chou Bai?"

"Stinky White?"

Eriri raised an eyebrow. She had never expected that the Yamada Fairy teacher would be a blonde beauty, and she looked quite young, probably only 14 years old.

The way she addressed Dongfang Bai seemed quite intimate; she even called him "Stinky Bai"? Was she giving him a nickname?

Could it be that she and Dongfang Bai have a very close relationship?

"It's just that we've been 'especially' close since childhood, and we're also 'childhood sweethearts' who often play together."

Eriri, of course, was not to be outdone, and immediately brought up the "childhood friend" attribute to put pressure on Yamada Elf, which made her frown.

Childhood sweethearts?

Yamada Elf glanced back at Dongfang Bai beside her. She hadn't heard that this guy had a childhood friend, and such a cute girl at that.

Yamada Elf and Eriri are both petite, only about 1.5 meters tall, so they look like little kids. The scene looks like an older brother with two sulking younger sisters.

“…～”…

Dongfang Bai's lips twitched. What does "childhood sweethearts" even mean? And why emphasize those four words and specifically say that their relationship is "especially" good? What is this all about?

He doesn't remember ever being that close to Eriri...?

Dongfang Bai only stayed in Japan for three or four months when he was a child, and celebrated his birthday there. At that time, he invited Eriri's father, who was a diplomat, and brought Eriri along as well.

The two inexplicably struck up a conversation, and the topic turned to arguing about which anime was the best. Naturally, they became friends and would hang out together from time to time...

However, she later returned to China, and besides, they were both only about ten years old at that time. It's one thing for her to remember something from so far ago, but she even called them childhood sweethearts...

"Hmph, I live with that stinky Bai, and I even made him lunchboxes myself~"

"Living together... living together...?!"

Eriri shuddered in fright. She opened her mouth slightly, revealing her sharp yet adorable little tiger teeth, and looked at Dongfang Bai with disbelief.

Just as Dongfang Bai was about to complain, Yamada Elf grabbed him and tugged at his sleeve, seemingly telling him to keep quiet...

No, I didn't. Don't talk nonsense about living together.

Dongfang Bai didn't know what to say. The two of them were fine just now, so why did the atmosphere suddenly become so sharp?

What do you mean by living together? Although it's true that they made bento boxes together, he doesn't remember ever living together...? Were they just 'neighbors'?

Besides, living with a 14-year-old girl, there's bound to be people calling special numbers, right? Absolutely!

Then the air froze. The two stared at each other, neither speaking. Dongfang Bai's expression also froze. What on earth were they arguing about?

……

"That's an exaggeration..."

Ritsu Tainaka wiped non-existent sweat from his brow, then picked up a glass of orange juice from the table and downed it in one gulp. These two were actually arguing over Dongfang Bai…

"..."

Akiyama Mio didn't know what to say. She had been eavesdropping since the beginning, and now her feelings were quite complicated. She had actually witnessed the creation of a chaotic scene.

"Ritsu! What on earth happened?!"

Hirasawa Yui seemed very curious about what was going on. She was really envious of Akiyama Mio and Tainaka Ritsu sitting against the wall with the East White Wall, where they could eavesdrop by pressing their ears against it.

Kotobuki Tsumugi, standing to the side, was also quite curious. Her radish-like eyebrows relaxed, and her eyes seemed to sparkle as she excitedly nodded.

"Mio, you have to do your best."

For some reason, Ritsu Tainaka suddenly gave Mio Akiyama an encouraging gesture, which made Mio blush and feel embarrassed and annoyed, and she was about to teach Ritsu Tainaka a lesson.

However, in order to avoid making a sound, the two moved very lightly. Mio's strength was not great to begin with, and now she also had to worry about being discovered, so the attacks on Ritsu were completely painless.

Today they witnessed what a real-life battleground looks like, and the scene was so terrifying. Although they didn't see the other girl's face, she sounded pretty good-looking from her voice.

That unknown girl was actually arguing with Sawamura over Dongfang Bai. Anyone with eyes could see it was jealousy, but Dongfang Bai genuinely didn't see it this time...

After all, bystanders see things more clearly than those involved, and Dongfang Bai never imagined that the girl he had only been good friends with for a few months would have feelings for him.

Anyone would think it's impossible, or even a dream.

To be honest, Eriri never expected to see Dongfang Bai again after so many years. They haven't seen each other for several years, and Dongfang Bai still remembers her!

"Alright, alright, the purpose of this meeting is to discuss the cooperation between the two of you."

Dongfang Bai suddenly changed the subject, trying to steer the conversation toward 'cooperation'. If the two continued to remain deadlocked like this, it might take several hours to finish.

I still have to go back and cook dinner for Sagiri… Ike…

"Humph!"

After careful consideration, the two realized that they had indeed come for the purpose of cooperation. Although they were very dissatisfied, this cooperation would be of great benefit to both parties.

Because both parties are very famous, and their works are highly compatible, if they miss this opportunity, it will be difficult for either of them to find a new collaborator.

So the two of them had no choice but to continue cooperating, but they were still secretly wary of each other's actions.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Huh? Is it true!? [Please subscribe automatically]

"Wait a moment."

Eriri sighed slightly. Although she was very unhappy, Yamada Elf-sensei was now her best partner. It was really not easy for her to find a suitable partner to work with after she left the academy.

As she spoke, Eriri took out a drawing board from the bag in her right hand. It was a drawing board, and a rather high-end Bluetooth electronic drawing board, somewhat similar to the one Sagiri used.

Then, Eriri opened the drawing tablet in her hand, revealing a beautiful picture: a girl with long blonde hair was slumped on the ground looking pitiful, her combat clothes tattered and revealing large areas of skin...

I don't know why, but Eriri is exceptionally good at drawing girls, especially when depicting their bodies; it's like she has a magic paintbrush...

She looks so sexy, and the figure is drawn incredibly well!

Dongfang Bai couldn't help but glance at Ying Lili. She clearly noticed him looking at her and suddenly turned her head away, not daring to meet his gaze.

In terms of drawing skills, Eriri is slightly better than Sagiri. Moreover, Sagiri is not good at drawing girls with very good figures. So, if we're talking about drawing, Eriri is definitely better than Sagiri.

Although both of them are veteran illustrators, Sagiri is the 'second generation' of Eromang-sensei. Due to her age, her drawing skills are limited. Being able to compare her drawing skills with Eriri's at the age of twelve is already considered genius-level.

"Whoa...!"

Yamada Elf raised an eyebrow, looking extremely excited. It was clear she was very satisfied with Eriri's drawing, especially since it was in color. Eriri had managed to produce one in just one night—amazing!

Dongfang Bai couldn't help but want to praise Eriri, but the dark circles under her eyes were also very obvious, so she probably stayed up late quite often.

"call."

Seeing Yamada Elf's reaction, Eriri breathed a sigh of relief. All her efforts last night hadn't been in vain. She barely slept last night and even took sick leave from school this morning.

"Well, it's alright."

Yamada Elf turned her head away. Although she seemed satisfied, she felt she shouldn't say too many compliments to Eriri.

"It seems that Professor Yamada is also satisfied. Then Eriri and Fairy, you two just need to report to the editor."

Dongfang Bai nodded. Now that everything was over, he could finally rest. He had only accompanied the fairy to discuss a cooperation, yet he had become so tired.

"Alright, now that the matter is resolved, let's talk about your situation."

Eriri Sawamura rolled her eyes. For some reason, whenever she saw that little fang that was showing, she felt like it was gleaming with a sharp, cold light. If she were bitten, it would definitely hurt terribly.

Why were you forced to come to Japan? Aren't you planning to go back?

"Huh?"

Faced with Eriri's question, Yamada Elf looked completely bewildered. To be honest, she had no idea about Dongfang Bai's family situation at all, and she never expected that he was actually kicked out.

"You stinky Bai, were you kicked out by your family? Why didn't you tell me!"

Yamada Elf's question left Dongfang Bai completely bewildered. Why did he have to say that he was kicked out by his family? Elf only knew that he and his sister Sagiri lived together.

"Ah, Mr. Yamada doesn't know yet?"

Eriri suddenly felt a strange sense of superiority, as if she was happy that she knew more about Dongfang Bai than Yamada Elf.

"He's from China, probably the young master of a wealthy family... basically the kind where the family is very rich."

In fact, Eriri Sawamura only knew that Dongfang Bai's family was very rich, after all, many people from large conglomerates attended the birthday party, including the Yukinoshita Conglomerate, one of the top conglomerates in Japan.

She had no idea how outrageous Dongfang Bai's identity really was; she just thought he was the kind of rich young master from a wealthy conglomerate, and she considered being kicked out of her family as a minor incident.

"I see..."

Yamada Fairy stroked her chin. All she knew was that Dongfang Bai was from the Celestial Empire. Actually, she wasn't stupid, and she could also see something unusual. After all, he only lived with his sister, and there were no adults in the house, yet they lived in such a big house.

Dongfang Bai's house has two floors, but it is quite spacious and can easily accommodate seven or eight people. However, he only lives there with his sister. Doesn't he think it's too spacious?

Besides, he didn't even have the money to buy a computer before and had to borrow from me. How could someone who can afford to live in such a mansion be broke? It just doesn't seem normal. Doesn't his family give him any living expenses?

"I don't plan to go back to China this time."

Dongfang Bai shook his head. He knew that his adoptive father was at home, and as long as he insisted on not doing so, even if his adoptive father wanted to tie him up and take him back, he couldn't.

Anyway, he has so many friends in Japan now, and he's a little reluctant to go back. If he goes back, he'll not only be restricted, but he might also be forced into an engagement with someone.

"Really?! Ah... no."

Eriri stood up in surprise, but the next moment she regretted it. She found that Dongfang Bai and Yamada Fairy were both looking at her in surprise, and she sat back down awkwardly.

"So you're planning to go to high school here too, right?"

"I'm from Toyonosaki, Class 1-A. I saw you at school before..."

Eriri was taken aback by Dongfang Bai's words. She hadn't expected that he was also a student of Toyosaki, and even a first-year student in Class A, while she was in first-year student in Class B. She had never seen him before.

However, since he said he was also in Toyonosaki, they would have more time to meet in the future, which made Eriri quite happy.