A reversal of fortune and victory in a world hated by all girls!

"...Yes, I understand. I didn't really think about it that way either, but I'm really happy that you took the initiative to tell me about it..."

On Saturday afternoon, Natsuki Aoi took the initiative to call Hayakawa and explained what had happened between him and Ayano these past few days. Although he didn't think she would misunderstand, he believed that by informing her of the situation, he could avoid any potential consequences.

Natsuki Aoi always felt that she lived in a real world and couldn't treat it as a simple dating game. She believed that one should have their own subjective consciousness and not bring too much purpose into it.

He helped Ayano because he considered her a friend. This was an incident that might not have any impact on the overall romantic relationship, but given that this was a real, tangible world, choosing the best option was already quite good.

It's not necessarily about making purposeful choices to increase favorability; there's a chance that it might backfire. This was a major reason why he struggled to increase favorability at the beginning and kept hitting roadblocks.

"Well, I'm glad you understand. By the way, that bag of potatoes that was delivered to your house a few days ago, did your family cook or eat them? What did your family say about them?"

"That's really delicious! My dad loves it and even asked me where I bought it, saying he wants to buy some more to stock up at home."

Keiko Hayakawa was standing next to the shoe cabinet in the corridor. Her left index and middle fingers were unconsciously moving forward slowly in a walking posture, while her right hand was holding a phone and listening to it. She was in a very happy state, and her body was unconsciously twisting left and right.

Hayakawa's younger brother, Koizumi, also came down from the second floor, intending to check the refrigerator for any food, when he saw his sister's strange state downstairs.

He crossed his legs, leaned against the shoe cabinet, spoke very softly, and was extremely polite.

Yeah...

Koizumi immediately guessed that her sister was calling a boy, but it was a novel thing. She had never seen her sister like this before, and it was quite interesting to watch.

I absolutely have to tell my parents about this tonight at dinner!

Koizumi secretly made up her mind.

……

"Then please take good care of me today!"

"it is good."

Natsuki Aoi received the original artwork sent by Ayano Takahashi and examined it carefully.

Lina sat down in the chair next to her, her eyes wide open, staring at the computer screen.

Without making a sound, it doesn't interfere with Natsuki's work.

After reading it, Natsuki Aoi nodded: "This time it's much better than before. The subject matter is indeed the most important thing when drawing comics. First of all, comic artists themselves cannot limit themselves."

The reason why Japan's anime industry is able to flourish is mainly because there are no strict restrictions on various themes. The content may vary in terms of audience and publishers, but there will be no major cuts.

"Yeah, thanks to you. There were so many things I couldn't understand before, and I couldn't figure them out even after talking to other manga artist friends. But Natsuki, your advice has really helped me a lot. I suddenly feel like I can do it again!"

In the video, Ayano Takahashi is full of confidence and charisma, with her purple hair tied in a ponytail and wearing black-rimmed glasses; she truly exudes the aura of a female manga artist.

This time, the short story is more tightly paced and the humor is more concise, making it a much better viewing experience.

Natsuki Aoi's idea is correct: comedy is a timeless treasure for newcomers and the primary driving force for manga adaptations. Most of the best-selling merchandise features characters with strong comedic appeal.

“Then I’ll take this short story and submit it!” Ayano Takahashi said on the other end of the video call.

"Wait a minute!" Aoi Natsuki quickly called for a stop, then turned on the computer screen sharing function, opened the drawing tool, and said, "Your story is indeed more interesting than before, but there is still a fatal flaw, which is the character design. Although you have used your excellent drawing skills to distinguish the three girls, in reality, when they are not in the picture, some of the comments are unclear, and the whole thing looks very messy."

Ayano Takahashi listened quietly, while also working on her own artwork again.

It seems that's indeed the case...

“Ayano, the characters were actually more distinct in the first draft you showed me. After all, it was an isekai adventure, so you might have copied some of the hot-blooded male protagonist's personality. At least the character design was there then. But this time you're drawing a school anime, and the characters are just making sarcastic remarks for the sake of sarcastic remarks. That makes each character lose their uniqueness.”

Seeing Ayano fall silent and begin to think, Natsuki Aoi continued, "Don't throw away everything from your past. Some of them are great strengths that you need to keep. For reference on the uniqueness of a character, you can think of the three girls in 'Nichijou' or the three members of the Yorozuya in 'Gintama.' Creating a character design is an absolutely crucial step, second only to the story's subject matter."

"Oh! I understand now... You're right! I'll try to change!" Ayano Takahashi suddenly raised her head and said solemnly.

She takes comics seriously.

Seeing that she listened to the advice without arguing or making a fuss, but instead humbly accepted it, Natsuki Aoi realized that she was completely different from her sister. They were born from the same mother, so why was there such a big difference between them?

"Summer Tree".

Ayano suddenly called his name.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Nothing much, it's just that we feel like we're two main characters from Bakuman right now, and it's kind of funny when I think about it," Ayano said with a smile.

Natsuki Aoi thought of that anime series and grinned, "It really does look quite similar."

Bakuman, also known as Dream Eater, tells the story of two high school boys who want to become professional manga artists by drawing manga together. One of them has excellent drawing skills, and the other has excellent control over the plot. The result is greater than the sum of its parts, and they keep striving towards the top.

"Thank you so much for today."

Ayano Takahashi slowly suppressed her smile and bowed deeply to him, expressing her respect.

Knowing that she shouldn't refuse at this moment, Aoi Natsuki bowed to her in return, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."

That concludes their discussion on comics for the day.

Ok……

It's really nice to have a chat like this once in a while.

……

downstairs.

Mito Takahashi was still watching TV when her younger sister, Ayano, walked down from the second floor, looking quite pleased with herself.

I started changing my shoes as I walked to the shoe cabinet by the door.

"I'm heading out!"

"Hmm? Are you going to volunteer again?"

"Well..." Ayano Takahashi changed her shoes, her tone gradually lowering as she slowly raised her gaze, "Maybe she's going to see Natsuki Aoi~"

As soon as she finished speaking, she shot off like an arrow, and before Takahashi Mito could react, she heard the heavy slam of the door closing.

Eh?

Mito Takahashi's brain froze for a second before she quickly came to her senses.

A second time!

This time, she kicked her slippers off the sofa and rushed towards the door at lightning speed!

No!

Don't go!

Don't go see Natsuki Aoi!

Chapter 69 You have mashed potatoes too?!

……

Mid-December is approaching.

The weather is getting colder and colder. Walking on campus, the bare tree trunks on both sides of the road are covered with white frost, and the cold wind cuts like a knife across the cheeks of every student who passes by.

The winter wind is known for its penetrating power; it can easily slip into your neck if you're not careful.

Even so, many female students still went bare-legged or wore only thermal stockings, their knees turning red from the cold, but they still didn't intend to change out of their skirts. It's an old Japanese tradition, which explains why so many Japanese people suffer from arthritis.

noon.

The members of the Discovery Club also arranged to have lunch together.

The main reason is that the clubs will soon be holding a cultural festival, and each club needs to come up with an activity to attract students from different grades to come and play. In addition, the student council has also said that it will prioritize funding for future clubs based on their popularity.

Each club receives a decent amount of funding each semester, and most of the strange and unusual items in the classroom were accumulated by the previous club president through this funding. Not a single item has been lost to this day, and Sakurajima Anne cherishes these things like treasures.

"Aoi... hasn't he come yet today?" Takahashi Mito asked when he saw that he was late.

"Yes, he took the day off today. He said it was Lina's first day of elementary school, and because of her special circumstances, a family member needs to accompany her for three days. He can't come tomorrow or the day after."

Listening to Hayakawa's explanation, Takahashi Mito nodded slightly.

Getting back to the main point, what exactly should the Exploration Club activity include this time?

After thinking for a moment, Mitsu Takahashi suggested, "Perhaps we could do something simple like we always do, like blowing out candles. If you blow out more than five, you can win a prize. Or maybe we could display some things in the club that people haven't seen before for others to see?"

"Um, isn't this too boring?" Sakurajima An frowned and looked at Hayakawa beside her.

"It seems... there is a little bit."

Hayakawa said softly.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

“I think… how about we get some snacks or something?” Sakurajima Anne suggested.

"What kind of dessert? Are we still going to cook?" Mitsu Takahashi asked doubtfully.

“No, the existing ingredients can be simply processed, for example…” Sakurajima Anne’s gaze slowly rose as she fell into thought, before finally turning her gaze back and saying…

Mashed potatoes.

"???" Takahashi Mito was immediately filled with question marks. "What, what are you talking about!"

These days, her life has basically revolved around mashed potatoes. They appear every few days, and she's practically obsessed with them when she sees them.

"Don't you know? This is it." Sakurajima Anne then untied the tablecloth and opened the bento box, which was filled with mashed potatoes.

"Ah! This, this!" Takahashi Mi couldn't believe her eyes. How could Sakurajima's lunch be mashed potatoes too!

"Why are you so surprised? Didn't Aoi tell me she gave you a lot of potatoes? Haven't you tried them yet? Let me tell you, they taste pretty good." Sakurajima An squinted her eyes as she recalled the taste.

Mito Takahashi looked at the mashed potatoes in her bento box, her brows furrowing even more.

Just how many people did that guy give away potatoes to?!

Mito Takahashi gave an awkward smile and said, "The taste is indeed alright. So you received it too..."

"Hey! Not only me, but Ryuzakura received it too. Have you followed her on Facebook? She posted something." Sakurajima An opened her phone and quickly found a post on Facebook.

"Potatoes are definitely the best for making mashed potatoes!"

Hey!

Why are you making mashed potatoes too?

There are so many ways to cook potatoes, why do they all end up making mashed potatoes?

And why are all the potatoes sent by Aoi?!