Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

She pinched it again.

No.

She still ended up losing out.

Natsume Akane's touch was completely steady.

No matter how she pinched it, it didn't feel like she could get it back, which was a double loss for Eri Aragaki.

The complex expression on her face made Erina, who was watching from the side, laugh.

Natsume Akane, however, immediately backed down, saying, "Alright, alright, let's stop fooling around."

She climbed off Eri Aragaki and tidied her messy hair and collar.

Eri Aragaki sat up from the sofa, her hair a mess, and her T-shirt pulled askew at the shoulder.

While straightening her clothes, she still refused to admit defeat, saying, "You were the one who started the fight."

However, at that moment, Erina suddenly said with a smile, "Then, sister... Akane-nee and Ayane-nee both have salaries, so what about me?"

Eri Aragaki stopped adjusting her clothes.

She turned to look at Erina, speechless.

"Where does your monthly household allowance come from?"

Erina blinked. "That's household gold."

Eri Aragaki rolled her eyes and said, "Okay then, how about I change your allowance into a salary from now on?"

Erina then pouted and said, "Sister, I was just joking."

"I know you're joking."

Eri Aragaki pinched her cheek and said, "You're just trying to blackmail me."

Erina chuckled and didn't refute.

Ayane Takeda stood by, watching the two sisters bickering, and couldn't help but laugh too.

Just then...

"Ding Dong"

Doorbell rang.

"Who?"

Erina immediately became curious and asked instinctively.

Then Eri Aragaki suddenly remembered something, slapped her forehead, and said, "Right, it might be the deliveryman..."

Erina immediately sprang off Eri Aragaki's arm, walked towards the entrance, and said, "I'll go open the door."

"I'll go as well."

Eri Aragaki also got up and went over to her, saying...

"Let's see if we can help."

Natsume Akane and Takeda Ayane also got up and followed closely behind, saying...

Less than half a minute later...

"Sister, what did you buy this time?"

Erina Aragaki looked at the cardboard box in front of her and asked curiously.

Eri Aragaki walked over and squatted down in front of the cardboard box, using a utility knife to remove the seal. "It's a computer... I just thought I'd buy one for home since I figured my next payment for my writing wouldn't be long."

The cardboard box was opened, revealing a desktop computer case, a box for an LCD monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, and a bunch of cables and power cords.

The box was mostly filled with bits and pieces.

"Senior, are you planning to learn how to draw comics on a computer in the future?"

Ayane Takeda leaned over to look at the contents of the box, her eyes lighting up as she said, "I remember recently some manga artists have started using computers with certain equipment to try drawing manga. Some software allows you to draw directly on the screen with a graphics tablet, and the results are quite good."

Eri Aragaki paused for a moment while unpacking the package.

She opened her mouth, then said, "Yes, yes, hahaha, that's right. After all, computers are developing so fast these days... I'm thinking that if there are technological innovations in the future, I won't be left behind."

She had no idea about any of that.

She bought the computer at this time purely for surfing the internet!

As a prolific internet surfer, especially after Attack on Titan officially began serialization, she frequently went online to read readers' comments.

Scrolling through forum posts, reading how manga fans evaluate the plot of Attack on Titan, speculating on future developments, and occasionally seeing people praising her drawing skills and panel layout.

Of course, there are also some haters, but she usually just glances at them and then forgets about them.

Therefore, she is a high-intensity internet surfer.

But having to go to an internet cafe every time is too much trouble.

Moreover, internet cafes in this era were not very formal.

Don't assume that internet cafes in Japan are safe during this time of day; on the contrary, they are full of pickpockets, robbers, and gangsters.

She had encountered this a few times when she went to the internet cafe last time. Anyway, Eri Aragaki didn't want to deal with these troublesome things anymore, so it was better to build her own computer at home.

She can surf the internet anytime, anywhere, without having to worry about the internet cafe owner's attitude, the smell of cigarettes and instant noodles wafting from the next seat, or the theft of her belongings while she's in the restroom.

You can even experience the charm of early online games.

"Senior! Let me help you!"

"Let's help too!"

Ayane Takeda and the others were very excited and said...

"Alright... come on over..."

What else can Eri Aragaki say?

Then... Erina took the monitor out of its box and placed it on the coffee table, while Natsume Akane unpacked the keyboard and mouse and straightened out the cables one by one, placing them aside.

Takeda Ayane squatted in front of the computer case, removed the side panel, looked at the configuration inside, muttered the CPU model and memory parameters, and then began to plug the power cord and other connecting cables into the corresponding interfaces one by one, her movements very skilled.

She's a computer science student, so this is as easy for her as assembling building blocks.

Erina was responsible for screwing the monitor stand on and placing it in the empty space next to the TV.

Natsume Akane cleared out the space under the table and handed over the various connecting cables one by one, following Takeda Ayane's instructions.

Eri Aragaki wanted to lend a hand, but the three of them had already pushed her to the outside, so she could only stand aside and watch.

Takeda Ayane plugged in the video cable between the host and the monitor, plugged the power cord into the power strip, and inserted the USB ports of the keyboard and mouse into the back of the host. Then she looked up at Aragaki Eri.

"Senior, it's connected. Press the power button, the one on the main unit."

Eri Aragaki knew this, of course; she had already walked over, squatted down, and pressed the button.

Chapter 51 The Giants' Reputation

The main unit emits a startup beep and the indicator light illuminates.

Several cooling fans started spinning simultaneously, emitting a steady hum.

This Dell computer cost her a lot of money; the whole set cost her nearly 60 yen. The CPU and graphics card are the best available in Japan right now: an Athlon 64 FX-74 and a GeForce 8800.

From the perspective of Aragaki Eri, a time traveler, this configuration was so expensive that it hurt her wallet a little.

But there's nothing we can do; that's just the limitation of our times.

However, Eri Aragaki's income is now significantly higher than before, thanks to her stable serialization in Attack on Titan and her stable position in the middle of the popularity rankings.

Her income has also seen a steady increase, since the popularity of comics can affect a comic artist's income.

Therefore, according to the contract, Eri Aragaki's after-tax income last month was approximately 120 million yen.

Based on the latest trend of creeping into the top ten, income is expected to increase next month.

Although Eri Aragaki still has a considerable debt, it is paid in installments, and she has only recently paid off a portion of it.

In addition, Eri Aragaki was well aware that her income would gradually increase.

After all, this is only the income before Attack on Titan has been published as a manga or adapted into an anime. When Attack on Titan is published as a manga, her income will skyrocket thanks to the revenue sharing from the manga!

Not to mention what would happen after it was adapted into an anime.

Then why save? Of course you should save where you should save and spend where you should spend!

The monitor lit up, the boot screen appeared, and then the system began loading.

After the progress bar finished, the desktop appeared, displaying a rather unfamiliar blue-green aurora image.

At that time, the operating system commonly used in Japan was Windows Vista, which was a Microsoft system version that was quite unfamiliar in China.

This was mainly because pirated XP was prevalent in China at that time, and Vista had high system requirements and poor compatibility, so it was not widely adopted in China. Instead, the Chinese government moved directly from XP to Win7.

At this moment, Ayane Takeda and the other two gathered in front of the monitor.

Erina stared at the icons on the screen once, and Natsume Akane's gaze also fell on the screen. Only Takeda Ayane sat in front of the computer, holding the mouse, and began to operate it skillfully.

"Senior, which internet service provider do you use?"

"NTT's."

"Account and password."

Eri Aragaki pulled a crumpled sheet from her drawer and handed it to Ayane Takeda.

Takeda Ayane took a look, then opened the network settings interface, entered her account and password, selected the access method, and set the DNS.

Her fingers typed quickly on the keyboard, pausing once to think for a moment before adding an address to an input box.

"It's connected."

Ayane Takeda pushed the mouse aside, making room for Eri Aragaki to see.