How rude, we are pure love!

She knew why she woke up.

--pressure.

Akane Benizaka is a general with great courage. She was thrown into the high position of chief artist right from the start. Usually, this position is held by experienced and senior painters. Now she, a high school student, has taken it up. Those top-tier original painters in Japan are assisting her. It is easy to imagine how those people will view her.

But in fact, she did not suffer too much doubt or disgust. I don't know whether it was because of her beautiful appearance or because they trusted Akane Benizaka's vision, but everyone still trusted her, including Kiyono.

That's why she felt so heavy. Sometimes expectations can crush a person more than ridicule.

And... Qingye.

When I think of that man, the corners of my mouth will unconsciously rise, and my mood will become light, as if I am basking in the sun.

Before, the two were partners fighting side by side. Perhaps light novels were only a part of his life, but in that short period of time, they did sprint towards a goal, and now, they have the additional attribute of "comrade-in-arms."

In the field of painting, they seemed to have become companions without realizing it. They would feel anxious when seeing each other's progress, and would give advice when confused... However, she should be a senior now, and Qingye is still far from her. In order to maintain the status of a "senior" and lead him, she must keep working hard.

"Really? Why are you drawing for no reason?"

Ying Lili muttered something, stretched, and prepared to pack up and go to the company.

When she first started working, she would have a sense of hard work as if she was the protagonist. However, after less than two days, she lost all her enthusiasm and became a sleep-deprived, mentally unstable, and physically and mentally exhausted office worker.

*

The next afternoon, Eriri took the elevator, walked through the corridor, and arrived at the company's large flat.

The scenery in this space remains the same as before. Time seems to have been covered with a layer of glue, becoming solidified and dull. There are only the sounds of air conditioners and keyboards. Everyone stares at the computer screen, as if they have forgotten reality and immersed themselves in that magnificent world.

However, occasionally, one could hear whispers drifting from behind the partition: "Business plan...hot spring trip...year-end bonus...drinks..."

By the time it reached his ears, it had already transformed into the meaningless whispers of a resentful spirit.

To be honest, the treatment that Akane Benizaka gives to creators is already very good. There is a beautiful environment, free snacks and drinks provided throughout the day, and there is also a gym and lounge next door. As long as the creators are serious about their work, she never skimps on money.

But this kind of environment obviously has no appeal to the eldest lady. If she wants, she can travel and soak in hot springs all year round, so occasionally she would ask herself whether it is worth it.

The blonde girl shook her head, glanced around casually, and suddenly caught a glimpse of someone accurately.

Qingye was hanging out in the original painting area, holding a paintbrush and chatting and laughing with the painter uncle sitting next to him, looking very harmonious.

Ying Lili pressed her forehead and said, "You really ran there!"

Qingye's position in this project is like that of a saint who has already achieved enlightenment. He has long since jumped out of the Three Realms and is no longer in the Five Elements, but he insists on entering the cycle of reincarnation and rebirth to cultivate again.

…and sneak a peek at what he’s drawing.

The girl put her hands behind her back and came quietly behind him, and the boy seemed to have opened his mind and covered the drawing paper with his arms.

"You're not doing anything shameful, are you?" Eriri said sarcastically.

"You're actually trying to turn the tables?" Qingye glanced at her and snorted, "It's just that inspiration hasn't struck yet."

"Ah, Mr. Kiyono must be busy replacing Haruki Murakami and competing for the Nobel Prize." The blonde girl read emotionlessly.

"Are you implying that I can only write novels?" Qingye slammed the table, "Just wait! I will soon replace your dynasty!"

"It's a good ambition, but I won't let go easily."

The blonde girl smiled. It was incredible. Just by teasing him like this for a while, the heaviness in her heart dissipated a lot, and she had more motivation to move forward.

On this path, he will move forward with himself.

"Sawamura, come and gather." Akane Benisaka called lazily.

Ying Lili responded, walked into the meeting room, sat down in an orderly manner, and spread out the documents.

The walls here are covered with a lot of information, including human design drawings, game landscape paintings, and setting drawings, which make it feel so close to that world.

She silently scanned the wall. In this small place, all kinds of bizarre conversations and stories would be born. Some were magnificent epics, some were about noble love and promises, and some were about brave young men rushing to the battlefield alone.

All of this was born from behind this dark scene, from her and their pens.

She had a real sense of reality. Once upon a time, she had sat in front of the TV, using a controller to control a tiny figure as it emerged from a dark cave, gazing upon endless mountains, plains, and a vast, boundless world. She had longed to enter this world herself, to create it.

This made her both moved and uneasy.

She had a feeling that this would be the first battle in her life where she would have to fight with all her might. If she chose to escape, it might continue like this.

The girl turned her head and saw a young man sitting there, shining like a star inside and out.

Sometimes, seeing how far ahead he is of me, I feel jealous and inferior at the same time as blessing and admiring him.

However, more and more, I want to catch up.

She couldn't explain the emotion in her chest at the moment, the only thing she was sure of was—

Ahhh, I came here just to be with this guy.

She could no longer deceive herself.

*

"Ms. Sawamura, this is the set of pictures I designed yesterday. Please review it."

A woman in her thirties with thick dark circles under her eyes walked into the office and handed her a USB drive.

"Ah, okay."

Facing the older 'senior', Eriri quickly stopped what she was doing, stood up, politely took it, and then plugged it into the computer.

What appeared on the screen was a woman wearing blue clothes and holding a blue staff. She was a small boss in the novice copy. She was set to be a lost little magician who accidentally broke into the forest and got lost.

The characters and equipment in the draft designs are quite clean, worthy of being a professional, but...

"Isn't the material of the clothing and the hair a bit inconsistent? The flowing fabric of the structure should be more spiritual, so as to show the beauty of the character. After all, this is the first lord the player encounters, so he could be more adorable..."

Eriri tried to express her thoughts. After all, she was a master of the book and had a say in this matter.

But she suddenly shut her mouth.

Because she saw the strange look in the woman in front of her. She recognized this look, which was the contempt and helplessness of being criticized and questioned by the client.

There was a long silence. The other party didn't say anything, just nodded and left her office.

Eriri felt a sharp pain in her heart.

"what……"

She walked out in annoyance, wanting to take a walk to get some fresh air, but when she passed the corner, she happened to hear whispers coming from the art area.

"Has Ms. Sawamura ever had experience with commercial games? The female characters she draws are all very cute, but..."

"I heard she's an illustrator."

"what……"

"Speaking of which, the character designs drawn by the mysterious artist who appears from time to time in the character design section recently are quite interesting."

Her heartbeat pounded. Eriri clenched her fists and took a deep breath.

This is the world of painting, where the works speak for themselves. It is not like novels where different opinions can be held. For commercial works, only when your paintings convince everyone will they recognize you. She finally understood what Akane Benizaka said before. If she did not make progress, she would really be eliminated.

To become more——

So, Eriri lit the fire.

The first thing I do when I get home is to eat a few bites of food, then curl myself up in the room, put on gloves, and pick up a paintbrush.

Until late at night, the desk lamp was still on. Perhaps because of sore eyes or unwillingness, tears suddenly fell on the girl's eyes on the drawing paper, as if giving life to the static girl. She wiped her tears, pulled out this piece of drawing paper, and took out the next one.

As day and night alternated, she seemed to have forgotten the concept of time and just kept painting, thinking, and pondering. She seemed to be standing at the boundary of light and darkness woven by lines, stretching out her hand as if to grasp something that did not exist in the night sky.

To be honest, this is not fun at all. I stay up late every day, eat casually, and my body is extremely weak.

But at some point, she seemed to see the light.

Her hands moved naturally, how wonderful, as if the painting itself was integrated into her body. Her vision was extremely clear, and without too much thought, her emotions turned into colors, forming a beautiful painting.

She can already casually paint the paintings she did during her peak period. The peak of inspiration at that time has become her daily routine.

“Haha… I did it.”

Eriri held up the painting with both hands and smiled brightly.

Then, as if she was afraid that she would forget the feeling, she quickly drew one picture after another. No problem, everything was deeply engraved in her body.

It's said that skills acquired through hard work are more easily remembered by the body than those learned easily. I guess that's what I'm feeling now.

The whole body is filled with fiery passion.

The feeling of impatience is like a confession of feelings.

Do you see? I did it. I will be your matching partner and your companion. I will continue to improve in the future. Let us compete together, quarrel together, and then move forward together.

The world in my eyes seemed to become beautiful and shining.

But, she saw something.

When Eriri arrived at the company, she was surprised to find a group of people gathered in the art department. From time to time, she could hear voices of admiration and praise. She raised her eyebrows and moved over curiously.

For a moment, the world seemed to stand still.

The fire in my heart keeps flickering.

That's a painting.

The boundless grassland is like a deep sea, the sunlight reflects the green tips of the grass. Under the light, there is a girl, solemnly holding her sword, gazing at the distant horizon. She has the awe-inspiring dignity of a knight and the grace of a princess, with delicate brushstrokes and colorful colors.

That's great. She felt so from the bottom of her heart.

But...why is it Qingye?

The moment she realized this, her chest felt like it was pierced by a needle, her lungs contracted into a ball, and she subconsciously took a deep breath, her heart beating rapidly.

It wasn't a feeling of joy for his progress, but quite the opposite.

——What is going on?

She couldn't figure out why Qingye was about to catch up with her. This fact made her feel confused, shocked, and scared.

It took me so many years to get to this point. I painted every day and worked hard. Before, I invested most of my daily life in improvement. Only then did I make little progress with difficulty and break through the bottleneck.

How long had this guy been drawing? Half a month? A month? Yet, he had easily improved to the point where he was almost catching up with me.

Of course, Qingye's skills have not surpassed hers. In her opinion, there are still many areas where he has not done well, such as elements, human body, light and shadow... Qingye is inferior to her in all aspects.

But this is only temporary. What if it happens in another year or two years?

He will definitely outdo himself.

This man is a true genius.

She was absolutely certain and convinced of this.

If it was anyone else, she might just sigh, "How amazing!" and not have too many other emotions, but this person happened to be Qingye.

At this moment, she felt that her soul as a creator was trembling, and her soul was being slowly chipped away by the boy's sharp strokes.

This is……

"talent."

She recited it unconsciously, and then the word seemed to melt into something hot, burning her heart.

talent.

His one month's efforts were equivalent to my one year's hard work. The gap between the two was really too big.

Qingye is destined to become a shining star in this industry, and it is not impossible for him to reach the level of his ancestors in the future.

"Hehe, this is my ideal fantasy heroine! Novels and paintings really do have different mediums. It's definitely more intuitive to draw it myself."

Because he was surrounded by the crowd, Qingye didn't notice the girl on the periphery for a while and smiled happily.

—he was laughing.

This is natural. This idiot has always been like this. No matter what he is doing, he will be extremely focused, work hard, reap the rewards, and then put on a handsome smile.

For him, painting must be a happy and joyful activity.

But she didn't feel happy at all.