There are so many geniuses in crossover anime! What's wrong with adding me?

"There are so many things to complain about, I don't even know where to start." Kasumigaoka Utaha looked helpless, then looked at Sakurakoji Sai with a sharp look in her eyes: "Sai-kun, although she is indeed easy to understand and not very smart, your behavior of flattering her so shamelessly on the first meeting in order to get closer to her is not praiseworthy. Rather, I almost threw up."

After saying that, she made a gesture of covering her mouth as if she was vomiting.

“You’re absolutely right,” Sakurakoji readily admitted his mistake.

"Hey! What do you mean by saying I'm not smart enough in front of people? Are you provoking me? You must be provoking me!" Eriri puffed out her cheeks, staring angrily at her exquisitely beautiful face that made her want to vomit.

"The moment you can't even be sure if I'm provoking you, you're already out of the game."

"Damn it! This is infuriating!"

“Um,” Sakurakoji Sai interrupted again, exasperated, “shouldn’t we be getting down to business?”

If they keep talking, the sun will probably set. These two seem like they'd start arguing the moment they meet, but could they actually be good friends?

"Ah~ that's true." Kasumigaoka Utaha stopped teasing her and raised her hand to Eriri, "Have a seat, Sawamura-kun, would you like to order a drink first?"

"...I want unlimited refills and a sundae parfait, it's on you!"

"Hi hi."

Kasumigaoka Utaha was always amazed by her textbook-perfect tsundere behavior, no matter how many times she saw it. She couldn't believe that such a character actually existed in the world; she was a rare gem, wasn't she?

"Let me introduce you. This is the artist I was just talking about, my classmate Sawamura Spencer Eriri. Her name is a bit strange because she is of British and Japanese descent." Kasumigaoka Utaha pointed to Eriri sitting to her right and introduced her to Sakurakoji Sai.

"Don't let her appearance fool you, she's actually quite talented at drawing. She creates 18+ doujinshi under the pen name 'Kashiwagi Eri' and is a very popular doujinshi artist."

"Wait, who told you to reveal my secret too! And don't point your finger at me!" Eriri blushed and spat at her, seeing that her secrets had been exposed.

"What does it matter? Quite a few people know about it anyway." Kasumigaoka Utaha wiped her cheek, which had been splashed with water, with a disgusted expression.

"Those are all people in the industry and the otaku community; they have nothing to do with ordinary people!"

“That’s alright, since Saiki-kun is also in the industry.” Kasumigaoka Utaha reached out to Sakurakoji Saiki and introduced her: “This guy looks incredibly glamorous, so handsome that you want to punch him in the face, but he’s my junior from Shinazugawa Publishing. He’s also a popular new author whose first volume sold over 100,000 copies recently, and his pen name is Yukimi Sakura.”

"Shiyu-senpai, I think I heard some dangerous words. Is it just my imagination?" Sakurakoji Sai's eyelids twitched involuntarily.

"It must be your imagination."

"Huh?" Eriri looked at him in surprise upon hearing her words. She never expected that such a seemingly fantastical character would actually be a kindred spirit like herself.

"Hey! You're Yukimi Sakura? The legendary newcomer who's both a writer and illustrator?" Eriri exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table.

"It's like this, have you heard of me?" Sakura Koji blinked in surprise, not expecting that she already knew about him beforehand.

"If you follow the latest news, you can't possibly not know this! I also saw your illustration; the colors and composition are simply masterpieces, absolutely brilliant! Kasumigaoka Utaha! Where did you find the real deal?!" Halfway through her sentence, she excitedly turned to her nemesis.

"Sawamura-kun, has your memory gotten this bad too? I already told you, Caihua-kun is a junior at the same publishing house as me, what's so strange about us knowing each other?"

"Oh, right." Eriri suddenly realized.

"Thank you for your compliment. I was quite surprised to find out that Ms. Kashiwagi Eri was a high school student at the same school as Utaha-senpai."

"You know me?" This time it was Eriri's turn to be surprised.

If it were someone else, she might have considered them a fellow enthusiast and not paid much attention, but judging from the other person's expression... they didn't seem like someone who would appreciate her work. Although it sounded a bit odd coming from her, her work was indeed somewhat...

"Yes! I've also read your works, teacher. Putting the plot aside, the character illustrations are exquisite, the style is beautiful and unique, and the hidden potential is not to be underestimated!"

"Stop talking! Stop talking!" Eriri cried out, covering her face. Although she had been praised, she felt no excitement or joy at all; instead, she felt like she was being publicly executed.

"Looks like you're self-aware enough." Kasumigaoka Utaha raised the corners of her mouth, not missing the chance to tease her.

"But, to my surprise, I didn't expect that Caihua-kun would also look at the works drawn by this female pervert who prefers the 'breast-raising' style." Her expression became indescribable, and her eyes gradually became shy. "That's true. Although he looks like that, Caihua-kun is a normal boy. It's not surprising that he has this kind of interest."

Image: "When will Megumi Kaname appear?", Location: "Images/1756643160-100446961-113794009.jpg"

Volume 1: Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 80 This Game's Name is Too Evil!

"..." Although it was meant to build rapport, I still felt like my reputation had been unfairly damaged.

Sakurakoji Saiko could only remain silent about this.

“But it would be easier if we knew each other. That’s it. Although this guy is far inferior to me in terms of both creative ability and daily life, he should be fine as a tool. What do you think?” Kasumigaoka Utaha asked for his opinion.

"Wait a minute! I won't say anything to you, you narcissistic woman, about everyday matters, but what makes you think I'm inferior to you as a creator?!" Faced with the questioning of her professionalism, Eriri couldn't ignore it. She brought her face, distorted from clenching her teeth, close to her and questioned her indignantly.

"I dare to bring my work to school for my teachers and classmates to read, do you dare?" Kasumigaoka Utaha chuckled, casually tossing a few strands of lead-white hair behind her back, and glanced at her with amusement.

"Gulp!" Eriri seemed to have been hit hard, her upper body lurched backward, and she collapsed weakly onto the table.

“Of course I have no objection. On the contrary, I would say I welcome it very much. I just don’t know what Kashiwagi Eri-sensei thinks.” Sakurakoji Sai looked at Eriri, who was lying on the table and muttering things like, ‘I’m a doujinshi artist, I’m so sorry,’ and ‘Damn it, when will Eromanga be able to stand up?’

"Hey, I'm talking to you, it's about time you got up." Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at the loser with her right eye and poked her back with her finger.

"Uh..." Eriri slowly sat up, looking at the two of them with a confused expression. "What are you two talking about?"

“Cai-kun told me he has a project that requires a lot of talent to complete, and asked me to recommend illustrators. You were the first person I thought of. How about that? I’ve been pretty good to you, haven’t I?” Kasumigaoka Utaha rested her chin on her hand, presenting the situation in a way that was favorable to her.

"A project? Just the two of you?" Eriri looked at her questioningly. "What kind of project is it?"

"Galgame."

"Huh?" Eriri was even more confused. "Hey, Kasumigaoka Utaha, I've always thought that although you're hateful in other ways, you're not the type to joke around when it comes to creative work. Are you serious?"

"To be precise, it's Caihua Jun who's serious."

"Anything is fine! Don't think that butter is simple, Ooh-Ya-Lu! Original artwork, music, script, electronic animation, packaging, funding, sales... every step is very difficult!" Eriri frowned and pondered, entering her professional field, she became unusually serious and focused.

"What can you two accomplish? Well, I admit, in terms of funding alone, the two of you working together should be able to cover the production costs, and the script doesn't seem to be a problem either."

"But what about the others? I have no intention of spending so much time and energy on a project that is very likely to be a waste of time and energy."

"Although I'm speechless that you subconsciously overlap Galgames with your own field and narrowly refer to them all as 18X eroge, well, that's not the point." After hearing her dissatisfaction, Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her perfectly curved chin, indicating to Sakurakoji that it was his turn to perform.

“Um, Ms. Kashiwagi Eri…” Sakurakoji finally spoke.

"That's enough of that form of address, don't say it anymore!" Eriri blushed and quickly stopped her, "Just call me by my surname."

“Well, Sawamura-kun.” Following her lead and changing his form of address, Sakurakoji continued to explain, “I never said this was a free activity.”

"Huh?" Eriri opened her bright blue eyes wide, her gaze drawn to him. "What does this mean?"

"In other words, this is a legitimate project with compensation, not just a hobby for a doujin circle. If you agree, I will pay everyone the market rate for their work in this project," Sakurakoji Saiya said with a charming smile, presenting a highly appealing proposal.

To be honest, he wasn't very familiar with them yet, and he wasn't confident that he could get them to immediately agree to join the cooperation for free. However, he was confident that he could use his financial power to persuade them.

"I can offer you experience in creating Galgames, along with reasonable and stable compensation. Most importantly, you can collaborate with other talented and well-known creators to create extraordinary works. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?"

“In that case…” Eriri put away her somewhat dismissive expression and began to think seriously.

If what he says is true, it does seem quite good, with only benefits and no drawbacks. Being able to participate in such a comprehensive and high-caliber project during high school, considering future career plans, is a very attractive proposition.

The only problem is...

"But do you have that much money?" she asked the only question on her mind.

"I'm not bragging, but if we're talking about market prices, just one of my original paintings would be worth at least tens of thousands of yen. I can give you a discount on character illustrations, but it would still be a huge sum of money."

Ninety percent of jobs in the world can be solved with money, but the vast majority of failed projects also end tragically with insufficient funds.

If she has to abruptly end her project halfway through due to a lack of funds, she might as well go back to drawing fan art; at least that would be more comfortable and relaxing.

"Although I know you just received some money from the sales of your new book, I'm afraid that amount is far from enough, isn't it?"

"Please rest assured on that point. There's no need to worry about funding. I can assure you that this issue will absolutely not force you to halt operations in the future." Sakura Koji's talent revealed a simple yet unpretentious confidence, reliable yet exasperating.

"Could it be that you've already made the arrangements?" Eriri was taken aback and stared at him blankly.

"How much? I don't know the scale of the game you're making, but it should at least be in the tens of millions of yen. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

“For now, let’s say we’ve prepared 100 million in start-up capital. Although we don’t have any experience in this area, it should be enough if we’re only doing the prologue, right?” Sakura Koji looked at the two of them, seeking their opinions. “Of course, if it’s not enough later, I can add more.”

"One hundred million yen?!" Eriri stood up excitedly, staring at him and exclaiming in a broken voice, "You're not kidding, are you?"

"Ouch!" Kasumigaoka Utaha rubbed her little finger, which had just bumped into the corner of the table, with a pained expression. Then, she looked at Sakurakoji Sai with a forced smile and said, "Sai-kun, I didn't expect you to be a rich young master."

Since it wasn't earned from writing books, it must have come from the other party's family. Kasumigaoka Utaha gritted her teeth inwardly. Damn it! She lost again. Was she just like that loser girl next to her?

"Isn't it enough?"

"Ugh~ That's enough! Absolutely enough!" Eriri shook her golden twin tails vigorously, shaking her head in denial: "As long as it's not some big-budget special effects production, this budget is enough to make most visual novels! No problem at all!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha was careful not to get hit by her hair, and couldn't help but feel a little regretful. If she had known that this team was so rich and well-organized, she wouldn't have been so reserved. It was all because she hadn't read the proposal properly earlier—in other words, it was all because Talent-kun had disturbed her mind!

"So, when do we start?" Eriri rubbed her hands together, full of fighting spirit and eager to try.

She couldn't wait to start this challenge that allowed her to both earn money and learn new things.

"So you agree, Sawamura-kun?" Sakurakoji asked her to confirm.

“Of course! Even the cunning Kasumigaoka Utaha agreed to such a rare opportunity, how could I possibly let it slip by!” she replied with an unquestionable expression.

"Hey, is this how you describe the benefactor who introduced you to this opportunity?" Kasumigaoka Utaha kicked her with her leg in annoyance.

Although she initially only wanted to bring her over to work as a laborer with her, as long as the result was good, that was all that mattered. She would never admit her initial ill intentions.

"Hmph, for someone like you, you did quite well this time, so I'll give you a compliment." Eriri puffed out her chest proudly, uttering these words through gritted teeth, words that were hard to define as praise.

"You guy!"

Sparks flew as their gazes met, quickly escalating into physical action.

In Sakurakoji's eyes, the two women were bracing their upper bodies against the table with exaggerated and fierce expressions, and the sound of limbs hitting each other could be heard in the air. Based on his experience, their two pairs of black-stockinged legs under the table were probably engaged in a fierce battle.

"Well, we'll all be partners from now on, so let's get along well." After they finished their match and she had secretly enjoyed watching them, Sakurakoji finally spoke up: "Everyone, please order whatever you want to eat. To celebrate our start, it's on me today."

"As for when we will start working, it will take a few more days because I haven't finished writing the script yet. Please take a look at the documents first."

He pointed to the bound booklet on the table, then took out another identical document from his bag and placed it in front of Eriri. Clearly, he had anticipated this scene, since he had originally planned to have Kasumigaoka Utaha bring her along today.

"Wow, so many? You're surprisingly well-prepared." Eriri was somewhat taken aback when she saw such detailed and realistic project documents for the first time.

She realized once again that the other party really wasn't just saying it casually.

"By the way, Caihua-kun, what's the name of this game? It only says that it's a story set in winter, but after just a quick glance at the description, I feel a little uncomfortable..." Kasumigaoka Utaha touched her stomach with a look of discomfort, a faint sadness in her eyes.

"This seems to be a story that uses tragedy as its selling point, which is quite different from mainstream happy ending (HE) Gal stories. Is this really okay?"

"However, I am indeed quite good at describing these kinds of complicated and difficult emotional entanglements, so I have no complaints about it."

“Oh, the name hasn’t been finalized yet, for now it’ll be called…” Sakurakoji’s thin lips curled into a wicked smile, his expression a mixture of anticipation and amusement, “White Album.”

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies: Chapter 81 It Would Be Such a Pity If He Really Died

Night, stars.

"It's been a few days. How have you been lately, Touma?" Sakurakoji greeted the person in front of him, who was even harder to find than Hiratsuka Shizuka and whose refresh time was uncertain. He pretended to be familiar with her.

Beside him, a strikingly beautiful girl in casual clothes with long, flowing black hair that reached her waist, was eating the tiramisu he had just made with a nonchalant expression. She hadn't said a word since the beginning.

"It's nothing, just like that," she replied lazily and simply, then fell silent again.

"Really? By the way, you guys are probably on spring break by now, right? Have you been pretty free lately?" Sakurakoji asked casually.

"What do you mean?" Touma Kazusa frowned at him. "Are you annoyed that I'm just here doing nothing and causing you trouble?"

"That's not what I meant. You're being too sensitive." Sakurakoji Sai was exasperated by her occasional outbursts and tried to soothe her. "Besides, this place is for people who have nothing to do to relax. Even if that's the case, it's not a big deal. In fact, we'd be very happy to have you here."

"Hmph." Touma Kazusa simply hummed, leaving no room to guess what she meant.

But Sakurakoji's talent was probably able to understand that what he meant was, 'You know how to talk.'

"Well, what you said isn't wrong."

Perhaps feeling that not talking would be too boring, after a while, when she had almost finished the dessert, Touma Kazusa spoke up with lingering interest: "If it weren't for the fact that it's spring break and I'm quite free, do you think I would be so idle as to come here so often to kill time?"

"Really? By the way, don't you get homework during the holidays when you move up a grade?" Sakurakoji Sai asked curiously, as she had never attended school here before.

"What it is?"

"..."

Seeing her completely nonchalant and relaxed demeanor, Sakurakoji couldn't immediately tell whether she meant 'there really is no homework during this period' or 'what is homework? I've never written or seen it before'.

It's better not to ask too many questions; sometimes it's better not to know some things.

However, seeing her that night reminded him of her.