I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

A revelation from chance

Imitation is just the simplest human behavior.

From birth, we are destined to imitate the behavior of those around us. All we see is what others have done, so we may not have thought about what we really want to do, nor have we ever considered whether what we want to do is actually achievable.

Perhaps, what I have been doing is not actually applicable to me? Or, what seems to be something I can do, is actually something that only others can do.

The so-called confidence you generate may be nothing more than an illusion. It's because you can only see the successes of others but not their failures, which is why you develop a shallow sense of confidence.

"However..."

I was busy coloring, but I felt that I was not a confident person. On the contrary... I was the kind of person who had lost confidence.

"Why are you sighing?"

Kurimasa, who should not appear under normal circumstances, now appeared in front of me.

"Ah... no, nothing."

After all, she is a young lady. Even if it is summer vacation now and she is resting at home, she will not wear overly casual clothes... No, to be precise, it is because she has to devote herself to work, so she won't let herself relax.

On the other hand, since I don’t have any particular goals, I probably seem to be not very motivated about anything.

"Well..."

I have no idea what I want... or what I can achieve. Even after talking with Tongyou, I still don't understand my purpose. All I can get is useless comfort.

"Anyway, cheer up. Here, this is for you."

A cup of steaming coffee was placed in front of me.

"Um, thank you..." I was a little surprised.

I originally thought she was the aloof type, but now it seems... I should change my mind about her.

"No thanks, no thanks."

She said this as she walked towards her studio, carrying another cup. "After all, I'll have to trouble you for a while, and it would be bad if the quality of the painting was affected by this."

Um...there's no need to add this sentence.

"Oh, be careful not to spill coffee on the drawing paper."

"Okay... I got it."

"Please cheer up and work hard so that your work can be successfully released."

...Well, it seems she is indeed a self-centered person.

Should I take back what I said?

Chapter 1: An accidental revelation

In short, because I was thinking about all kinds of things, my thoughts turned to various directions uncontrollably, so when Ye Hui reminded me to eat, I suddenly realized... I still hadn't thought about the next plot.

The key part is probably how to make the relationship between the two protagonists with different personalities harmonious.

"Don't think about it for now, just try the food I made."

Ye Hui pulled me up from my computer without a second thought. I didn't even pay attention to the plot... maybe I was just too eager to show off my skills.

"Okay... then, what kind of dish is it?" I asked casually despite being happy.

"Ahem, well... you'll know when the time comes."

But this reaction made me feel unhappy. I suddenly felt uneasy.

I hope it's my delusion.

......

"How's it going? Does it taste good?"

“I haven’t even started to taste…”

According to Ye Hui, the dish in front of me was something she suddenly came up with when she was selecting ingredients.

"Even though this dish doesn't have a recipe, I'm very familiar with the compatibility of the ingredients, so the taste is definitely good."

I had a feeling I'd heard this familiar theory before, and then it suddenly occurred to me that time I went to the beach and had a "free sample dish" at a restaurant.

"...Um, is there really no problem?"

Compared to tasting, I would rather continue thinking about the plot... although I still have no idea what it is.

"Why, you don't trust me? I made some changes to the cookies and snacks I made before."

Ye Hui was obviously a little dissatisfied with my reaction.

Ah, it's not that I don't trust her, but... it's just an instinctive fear. That's right, it's just an instinctive fear of unknown food.

"Yeah... after all, snacks and dishes are still..." There is still a big difference.

"Um?"

But I definitely can't say this.

"No, it's okay, I'll just eat it..."

So I shifted my gaze from Ye Hui to the plate in front of me. If nothing goes wrong, the contents will be my lunch.

Speaking of which, Ye Hui was wearing the apron my mom used to cook. Should I say age is an advantage? The crimson apron, which looked a bit old-fashioned on my mom, surprisingly matched Ye Hui. Her hair was tied up with a red ribbon for convenience, and the unified color easily brought out her beauty.

How should I put it...are girls who can cook really full of charm? Even though I have to face the risk of not knowing what the dish will be, I still feel happy inside.

"Oh I see."

Maybe this is what is called "pain and happiness".

"Now that you understand, eat it while it's hot... Ah, is that really the way it should be?" Ye Hui seemed to understand something, revealing an expression of sudden enlightenment. "Is that really the way it should be?"

So...what's that like?

"Do you want me to feed you myself?"

"No, no, no, thanks!" I don't know what my mentality was, but I immediately refused.

"Is that so..." Perhaps the emotion she displayed was too intense, and she seemed startled. "Well, I was just kidding. No need to react so violently."

...What's going on? I feel like I made the wrong choice. I vaguely sensed the words "Favorability -1" appearing before my eyes.

Damn it!

Why would I refuse? If Ye Hui could really feed me personally, it wouldn’t matter even if it was dark cuisine.

"Well... then I'd better... taste it first."

...I thought that when these unrelated combinations were put together, there would be an incredible chemical reaction...but.

"How's it going? Does it taste good?"

After noticing the expression on my face, her tone became full of boasting.

"Indeed..."

Why is it that... Why does the combination of ingredients that sounds so ridiculous actually emit its own flavor so harmoniously?

"Of course, the ingredients are the primary factor affecting taste. The choice of seasoning is also crucial. If the flavors are very different but you still want to combine them, you'll need auxiliary seasoning ingredients..."

...seasoning...?

"Oh, I understand!"

Was this intentional on Ye Hui's part? This dish certainly gave me a lot of inspiration...it's no exaggeration to say it gave me the motivation to break through a bottleneck.

"What? You understand my cooking method..."

"No...it's something more important than this." I could feel my emotions rising. "I'm going upstairs now to record this moment of inspiration..."

I was about to turn around and go upstairs, but...

"Wait for me!"

It seemed like she was pulling my back, which made me stop.

"...Hmm? What's wrong..."

"Finish your meal first!"

"...Ah? But...inspiration..." is of course fleeting, so it must be recorded immediately.

"I said... finish your meal and then we'll talk." Ye Hui looked straight into my eyes and repeated what he had just said word for word.

"...Yeah, okay."

I sat down in my previous seat again.

"That's right."

“…Ahahaha…”

...Well, it's also a sign of respect for the chef. It's not that I'm afraid or anything... absolutely not.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"What's wrong? You look listless..."

I feel like this sentence has some subtle similarities to what Kurimaru said just now.

The person who asked me was Jiumuting, who was responsible for the painting. As the client, her attitude towards me was naturally much better than that towards Li Moya.

"Well, maybe she feels that what she is doing now is a little insignificant... or it is hard to be remembered." I pushed the unfinished coffee aside and looked at the manuscript in front of me. The beautiful picture was of course from her hand.

“The only people who will be remembered are the people who wrote the story and the people who drew the picture.”

If only I had talent...

"...That's true, but I'm still very grateful for your help. Otherwise, if we keep going like this, we probably won't be able to keep up. After all, Xiaoya is a person who pays great attention to perfection. When it comes to plot, once she makes a decision, she might come up with a better one the next morning, so she has to start over a lot."

After mentioning the matter of Li Moya, Jiu Muting's face showed a helpless expression. How should I put it? Although I think some of her actions are unacceptable, I still try my best to tolerate it....

Ah, come to think of it, I'm in pretty much the same situation. After all, Tongyou is such a capricious person, it's basically pointless to argue with her.

"You've been working hard too..."

As I said this, I once again looked at the nearly completed drawing in my hand...How many times did this plot take to come up with?

"Of course it's hard... but overall, I'm happy," she said after a moment's thought. "Because this time I can actually feel like I'm working towards a goal. Compared to just sitting at home doing nothing, it definitely feels fulfilling."

"Ah... indeed..."

If it weren't for this commission, I would just stay in my bedroom reading or playing games.

"The feeling of doing my best at what I'm good at and showing my work to others... I didn't feel anything special at first, but after going to bed late and waking up late, rethinking the story over and over again, I realized that the creative process can be quite intoxicating."

"......"

Such a happy face.

It’s great... to have this kind of thought.

"So, you are also indispensable helpers. Although Tongyou is not here today, you, Xun, have also worked hard."

"Hmm...hmm." My response wasn't that enthusiastic...well, there was nothing I could do about it.

"Well, I still have to continue drawing, so I'll excuse myself for now." She said and waved to me.

"See you later."

Having said that, depending on the actual situation, I may not be able to see them when I leave at night.

"...trying...?"

Just now Jiumuting said that I worked very hard...

"What a joke."

With something of this level, no matter how hard you try, what achievements can you make?

“…Damn it.”

If only I had talent... It doesn't have to be rare, or amazing. Just enough to allow me to put my heart into it, to give it my all.