âOh yeah ~~ back then Eromanga-sensei was so cool!â
âI-I donât know anyone with that name!â
That was a few days after the unmask death match.
Inside the locked room, I laughed with my little sister.
â No drawing of a little sister could be cuter than meâŠâŠyeah righttttttt! I like it! Everyone thought that you were really going to lose! I thought even with the Eromanga Flash you still couldnât win! Yet you turned it into a crushing victory!â
âStopâŠstop sayingâŠ.after the eventâŠyou keep saying it more and moreâŠ.â
My little sister blushed in embarrassment when I mentioned the scene back then. But in my excitement, I kept talking.
âI will say it as many times as I like! Thank youâŠfor winning.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ..Um.â
Still blushing, Sagiri nodded.
Frankly speaking, this time Eromanga-sensei is super cool.
Even if I donât know her, even if I still thought that âEromanga-sensei was an old manâ, my feelings remained unchanged.
âIf I were a girl, I would have fallen for Eromanga-sensei.â
âReallyâŠ.I-Idiot.â
A long time agoâŠ.I fell in love at first sight with the dreamy Sagiri.
A few days ago, I fell for the super cool Eromanga-sensei.
And they are the same person --- I was a bit confused.
I like her so much that I donât know what to do. Just standing in front of her made my heart race.
I tried to act normally, and asked:
âSay SagiriâŠ.during that unmask death matchâŠ.you picked an illustration for Sekaimo.â
ââŠYes.â
âDid you choose that character after reading my manuscript?â
ââŠ..No.â
Sagiri pouted, and shook her head.
âI only read it after the fightâŠ.the manuscriptâŠ.I knew that Army-chan would pick a similar characterâŠif I had read it beforehandâŠ.that would have been cheating.â
âIs that so?â
I donât agree though. Both sides were free to draw whatever they wanted. Army herself decided to draw the same character as Eromanga-sensei.
Still ---
âThat would be cheating.â
See. My little sister had her own sense of pride.
âEh, if that was the caseâŠ.then it didnât make any sense. Without reading my second volume manuscript, how could Eromanga-sensei draw an illustration that suited it?â
Yes. During that unmask death match, Sagiriâs drawing looked like it was made for the second volume of the cutest little sister in the world,
âThatâŠwas actuallyâŠjust a coincidence.â
âCoincidence?â
Sagiri nodded, then she relaxed.
âAfter reading the first volumeâŠI felt thatâŠthe second volumeâŠ.for those siblingsâŠ.it should be this wayâŠsoâŠâ
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠEhâ
I blushed, I didnât know what to say. BecauseâŠthe illustration that Sagiri drew with the hidden meaning of Eromanga Flash isâŠ
An illustration of a "little sister in love"
On the cover page of volume one, the little sister still had her feelings hiddenâŠ.and in volume two of The Cutest Little Sister in the World, after a lot of things happened, she slowly started to fall in love with her brother.
To tell the truth, when I wrote this, I put my wishes to improve my relationship with my little sisterinside of it.
âSagiriâŠthisâŠthis meanâŠyouâŠ.â
âAh!â
She noticed what I was about to say.
âItâs not like that. I-I â I didnât mean that I wanted to improve my relationship with you! This is from the novel, that little sister isnât me ---- â
She clenched her hands, and waved them in a panic, while shouting:
âThere, there is no love here! Donât have any strange misunderstanding!â
Normally her voice was so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear, who could have thought she could yell so loud.
âI, I got it! Anyway, I only wanted to express my admiration, your illustration was super cute, and super amazing! So, I have decided!â
I opened my arms wide:
âLetâs make it the cover page for volume two!â
âHuh?â
Hearing my proposal, Sagiriâs eyes widened. I turned to her and repeated it once more:
âI want to use that illustration as cover page for volume two, which is scheduled to be sold this December!â
ââŠSure, okay.â
Thus, I made my decision about the cover page of volume two.
âSayâŠâ
ââŠWhat? Is there something else?â
Her tone suggested that this was the time for me to get out.
To think that she was smiling just now and agreed with me about the second volumeâs cover pageâŠso heartless.
I even thought that the current atmosphere was nice!
âI felt that recentlyâŠ.are you a bit⊠displeased?â
âItâŠit was...Nii-san.â
âMe?â
Sagiri gave me half a glare and mimicked my tone:
ââŠSayâŠSagiri, are you still using Eromanga Flash?.....You are sexual harassing me with such a naughty expression on your faceâŠ.â
âI only wanted to ask! How could it count as sexual harassment?â
âIt was! Do you need me to pat your head in order to use Eromanga Flash? -- Itâs good then! I will help you every time you ask! You definitely think that way!â
Sagiri glared fiercely at me, while I averted my eyes from her gaze.
ââŠ..NoâŠ.probablyâŠ.just a bit.â
âI knew it! So you did think that way!â
Sagiri immediately stood up and thrust her finger at me:
âNii, Nii-san you pervert! Siscon!â
âSorry! An-anyway!â
I tried to stop talking about this topic.
âIt wasnât the only reasonâŠ.that made you displeased, right?â
ââŠâŠ.â
Sagiri looked away, and pouted.
See!? I knew it! There was another reason!
ActuallyâŠI felt that I could guess what it was.
âAm I right? YouâŠwere thinking about that incident with Army, werenât you?â
ââŠâŠMwu.â
âŠ.Ah, I was right.
Let me explain everything.
Because Eromanga-senseiâs Eromanga Flash sudden appearance, she won against Great.
Since it was the unmask death match, Eromanga-sensei the Great was forced to drop the black mask and revealed herself for the whole world to see.
âUâŠUâŠIâŠI never thought thatâŠI would loseâŠ.â
She truly didnât think that she would lose.
Great â Army hugged her body and trembled. Her strong and dominating aura had long disappeared. Her masculine behavior, too.
ââŠWhatâŠwhat should I doâŠI loseâŠ.I will have toâŠ.drop my maskâŠ..â
MaybeâŠ.just maybe she is actually a delicate girl.
She cried when she wanted, she laughed when she wanted, she got angry when she wanted â she always showed her feeling without restraint.
This is only a theory, but maybe is actually bad at flexibility and didnât think this through.
Could that be the case? The reason for this fight?
She was so careful around males, maybe not only because she likes girlsâŠ.but also because she is scared of men?
Elf choose this moment to yell:
âAlright! Eromanga-sensei Great! What are you hesitating about! Accept this defeat properly as a loss, hurry up and drop your mask!â
âHey heyâ
âDonât stop me Masamune! My style includes beating up on losers! You could only feel happy in victory because you will taste regret and pain in defeat!â
âIt isnât right! Elf-sensei, you are an accomplice! Why are you talking like you are the winner?â
Youâre the loser here, right? You donât have any right to say that!
Hearing my flat statement, Elf âEh?â then suddenly ~~ blushed.
âMasamuneâŠyouâŠyouâŠ.you! You wanted me to strip in front of the whole world? You wanted me to show my scared naked body in front of the countless people?â
âI never said that! Please donât talk like I forced a naughty punishment game on you!â
You do know that the whole world is listening?
Elf looked like she didnât hear me and absurdly stood up.
âAl-alright! I couldnât let ArâŠGreat strip alone! In that case, together, we will ---- â
Since when did unmask became strip naked in her head? Are they really going to strip in front of countless people?
In my head, my neighborâs pervert ranking kept rising. At this time:
âWaitâŠjust wait!â
Great barely managed to say:
ââŠ.Right nowâŠI willâŠdrop my maskâŠbecauseâŠbecauseâŠat leastâŠ..â
Her voice was weak and mechanical.
ââŠ.This humiliationâŠIâŠI will take thatâŠaloneâŠ.â
To protect Elf from stripping, she had mentally prepared herself.
Also, because of their mess, we skipped the part when I planned to tell them not to unmask. Thus, all I could do was wait in silence for Army to drop her mask.
ââŠâŠâŠ.â
This was a live video. In front of countless viewers, first Great dropped her coat. And so, her pink ponytail, and her pure white neck was revealed for all to see.
â!?â âWowâŠ.â
Those who didnât know Greatâs identify, of course, were very surprised.
The image of Greatâs identity in their mind was completely different from the female figure on the screen.
Great â Army put a hand on her mask, and made her decision.
The stage became very loud. Because for a lot of people here, this was the first time they saw a famous illustratorâs real face.
âHa? Ha!?â
âItâs not an old man!â
âHeyâŠfor realâŠ.is it for real?â
â!?!?!?!? Lolololol!â
âGreat is so cuteeeeeeeeeeeee ---------!â
The chaos that followed still hadnât ended.
The news âGreatâs identity is a beautiful girlâ quickly spread on the Internet.
Besides, thanks to Elfâs twitter that had Armyâs picture, the mystery surrounding the beautiful illustrator all disappeared. And the result was ----
The beautiful illustrator Army-chan became every otakuâs idol after a single night.
And about Army, who is scared of men:
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ..Eh? Ah, ahâŠ..?â
After seeing everyoneâs reaction, which was outside of her expectations, she was confused for a moment before grasping the situation:
âYaa ~ So embarrassing! Am I that cute?â
She looked like an eyeshore.
Army-chan is scared of men â but if it was via the Internet then itâs fine.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ..â
On the other hand, while she won, Eromanga-sensei was treated like a disgusting old man and ignored.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ..Iâm the winnerâŠbutâŠâ
Amidst the cheers for Army, no one listened to her.
And then, the next day. Due to everyoneâs flattery, Army learned from Eromanga-sensei and made a website to share her live videos.
In the end, a lot of Eromanga-senseiâs viewer switched sides. They said âCompare to Eromanga-sensei, I like the cute Army-chan more!â
Now, the website of âThe beautiful illustrator Army-chanâs live videoâ took the top place among video sharing websites. At the same time, Eromanga-senseiâs live video websiteâs ranking dropped because the loss of viewers.
Total defeat.
Even though she won the drawing match. Not to mention that she wonât lose when it is came to appearance.
--- In short, that was what happened.
âReally â of course Sagiri wouldnât be able to accept this result! I could understand why feel unhappy! I couldnât accept it either! My little sister was much cuter! You wonât lose to Army when it comes to beauty! I really want to show it to those guys!â
âI-Idiot.â
She lightly tapped my shoulder:
ââŠArmy-chan could gain more fansâŠbecause she is capableâŠ.IâŠI donât hate it at all. I will quickly win them back.â
She pouted. But I still could see that she was displeased ---
âI see! Then, do your best!â
But it wasnât a bad thing.
Elf also said that because you feel regret in defeat, you could feel happy in victory.
StillâŠ.it was a hard fight, what should I reward her with thenâŠ.
âAlright! Then tonight, I will make a feast to celebrate your victory against Eromanga-sensei the Great! Just wait for it!â
ââŠ.Even if Nii-san was motivated, you are probably going to make Kinpira.â
âWhat is wrong with that? Kinpira tastes good!â
It seemed like her taste was a bit different from mine.
Still, even with those small changesâŠ
Our siblingâs daily life returned to its usual routine.
Although I said that â but the next event quickly showed itself.
The next day, I was having a meeting with Kagurazaka-san at the publishing company.
Yesterday, I received her mail, which said ăThere is something important I have to talk about with you. But I canât say it through the phone. ă
I felt like I was thrown from Hell to Heaven in a blink of an eye.
My head was in chaos, I couldnât follow this development at all.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ Isnât itâŠgoing to beâŠ..Discontinued?â
Kagurazaka-san gave me an antagonistic smile:
âNo no â how could a novel that I oversee get discontinued?!â
âBut, but just nowâŠyou said its sales is the worst.â
âYes â but it was last week. Didnât I made an advertisement a few days ago?â
âEh?â
Kagurazaka-san made an advertisement? When?
âLook! It was the unmask death match between Eromanga-sensei and Eromanga-sensei the Great!â
âAh, ah ---â
âIt was very well-received! After this match, Izumi-senseiâs novelâs sales suddenly spiked all over the country! Aha â I knew it would turn out this way! If Eromanga-sensei would win, what a great development for me â er â for Izumi-sensei, right?â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
Really? I remembered you only blamed me though. We had a great result only because Sagiri beat Great.
Well, forget it. Kagurazaka-sanâs effort was real. It was suspicious, but now I was too lazy to bother.
âThenâŠthenâŠ.soâŠ.â
Kagurazaka-san turned to me, who was still very confused by this development, and flashed her usual smile.
âCongratulation, Izumi-sensei. Do your best on your next work ~ okay!â
Together with the monthly publishing, we will keep making advertisement about our novelâs news.
The first chapter will be published in December, 20XX
Artist candidate
Please look at the additional reference for a writer candidate list.
----- And so on
In short, our newest light novel The Cutest Little Sister in the Worldâs manga series is going to be published by the publishing companyâs Monthly Comic.
The manuscript included a lot of artists, many of them who had experience working on a serial manga before. Their illustrations for Sekaimo were also included here for me to see.
PersonallyâŠI think that their drawing is great.
âI see. So thatâs what it feels like to have a manga version.â
I couldnât help but feel pride towards having the first manga adaption of my career.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠUm.â
âThat was what I felt when Eromanga-sensei drew an illustration that exceeded my expectations ~ fufufu ~ yeah ~ what a fresh experience.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.Heh.â
âAll of those manga artistâs drawings looked great too!â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ..Is that so?â
âI was so happy! Eromanga-sensei, what do you think about their drawings? I think that at the very least, we could use their drawingâs background as reference ---- eh? Sagiri? Whatâs wrong?â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.HmâŠ.nothing.â
âEeeh? What, whatâs wrong? Are you getting grumpy again?â
Why? Why did the good news I brought make her grumpy?
ââŠâŠâŠMwu.â
Unable to figure anything out from Sagiriâs expression, I was very troubled.
ââŠ..Did IâŠdo something wrong?â
ââŠ..Nothing.â
She didnât even look this way. Just like a kid who was throwing a tantrum â but she was so cute â no, now wasnât the time to get my heart racing.
Sagiri glared at me:
âNii-sanâŠ.arenât you happy? About thisâŠmanga adaption?â
âItâs not nothing. If you have something to say, say it. Consider it â a manga adaptionâs meeting.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
She didnât look at me. Every time I tried to look at her, she quickly averted her eyes. In the end, she even turned her back to me.
Still, she turned her head sideways:
âGot itâŠthen I will say itâŠ.my opinion â as an illustrator.â
âSure sure.â
âManga versionâŠ.although itâs a good thing. If The Cutest Little Sister in the Worldcan turn into a manga and make more people read itâŠ.it will become more famousâŠand our dream would be one step closer.â
âI know, right! Itâs great! We are thinking the sameâŠ!â
âHoweverâŠall of those manga artists hereâŠ.are unqualified.â
Eromanga-sensei said something unbelievable.
â!? Wh, why?â
âThey are completely different from my drawingâ
âWell, of course, they are not Eromanga-senseiâŠ.Still, I think they are close to your illustrations.â
ââŠâŠMwu.â
Even though I like Eromanga-senseiâs illustration the most, even though they suited the story the most, I still wanted to see otherâs drawings.
âI⊠I want to add my requirementsâ
â!? Ah, of course! You can add anything!â I immediately agreed.
âThenâŠ..â
Eromanga-senseiâs requirement for manga artistâŠisâŠ
âFirst, their drawing must look similar to mine. They have to at least be able to fool me unless I take a closer look.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ..â
HeyâŠthis is a very strict requirementâŠ
Eromanga-sensei continued:
âThey must like the original story as much as I do. Also, they must have enough knowledge and understanding of the story and the characterâs feeling.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ
âNext is their drawing skill. It must be the same as mine or better.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ..â
âAndâŠcan I add one more thing?
Still more?
âWh, what?â
âIt would be great if they are a cute girl.â
âSo you only want to sexually harass them!â
Oh  () mwu.
This is bad.
After that, I could only go meet Kagurazaka-san and ask her to find another artist. However ----
âThis one is no good. The drawing style is completely different!â
âThis one probably didnât like the original story at all.â
âNo good.â âThis one is not good either.â âI donât like this oneâ âWrong. This girl should be cuterâ
âThis little sisterâs drawing couldnât arouse peopleâs desire to lick her panties!â
----- etcâŠetc ----
My fear had become true.
Here is the requirement that Eromanga-sensei made:
----- Similar drawing style. Unless Eromanga-sensei took a closer look, she mustnât able to see any differences.
----- Must like the original story as much as Eromanga-sensei.
----- Drawing skill must be better than Eromanga-sensei.
Plus other requirements that normally goes with a manga adaption.
That kind of artist could only exist in peopleâs imagination!
âBadâŠitâs badâŠ..â
No matter how many artist candidates I brought, Eromanga-sensei didnât accept any of them.
Also, for some personal reasons, Eromanga-sensei was in a bad mood. It really went from bad to worse.
It was a rare chance to get a manga adaption âŠat this rate it wonât get anywhere.
âStillâŠ.I want to respect Eromanga-senseiâs opinions ~~~ .â
I scratched my head in my room.
âSoâŠwhat should I do then?â
I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, but couldnât think of anything.
After a while, suddenlyâŠ
*Ding Dong*The doorbell rang.
âComing ~â
I run to the front door and opened it. In front of me was Elf.
ââŠIt-it has been a long time, Masamune.â
She was wearing her usual lolita clothing, with both hands behind her back. Somehow, she avoided looking directly at me.
âElf. It hasnât been that long actually, didnât we meet during that match --- whatâs wrong? Arenât you going to come in?â
âErâŠYouâŠ.Arenât youâŠ.angry?â She looked up at me.
âWhat are you talking about?â
ââŠ.You seeâŠafter that matchâŠ.aboutâŠ.â
âAh, gezzz!â
What are you talking about --- Was what I was thinking when Elf suddenly bowed.
âSorry, itâs my fault.â
ââŠâŠ.â
Faced with this sudden development, I couldnât manage to say anything, and my eyes widened.
Elf looked up with an honest expression:
âBack then, I didnât think it through --- I only found out about it laterâŠ.! It was interesting for meâŠ.but not to you and Eromanga-sensei! So, sorry! Please forgive me.â
What an honest apology. She is still a straightforward person as usual. I couldnât help but laugh.
âWhat a virtuous girl. Alright, really, cut it out. To tell the truth, Eromanga-sensei was the same as you â she was happy. So I should thank you instead.â
Facing a strong opponent, Sagiri tried her hardest â and learned new skills, and reached a higher level. Not to mention that she could almost see her mother again through Greatâs drawing...so moved.
ââŠAre you forgiving me?â
âAlthough Iâm still angry with you because you threatened Eromanga-senseiâs career as an illustrator â but still, there were a lot I should have thanked you for, so weâre even.â
âI see.â
I felt that I didnât make myself clear enough, but Elf is sharp enough to figure the rest out on her own. She nodded in satisfaction. And ---
âFu ~~~~~~ Itâs good thenâŠahâŠ.â
She put a hand on her chest, there were tears in her eyes.
âI wouldnât know what to do if you hated meâŠI was so worriedâŠWell, actually, I was only worried a bit.â
Seeing that she had recovered back to her usual state, I also didnât hesitate and told her in an attempt to hide my embarrassment.
âYou worry about it too much.â
âOf course I did! You love me the most out of everyone, after all.â
âIâve hated you since the moment we met!â
âEeeeeeeeeeee?â
Elf looked very surprised â did she think that I didnât hate her?
Didnât she remember how bad our first meeting went?
âStillâŠnow, I like you more than I hate you.â
â!â
âThatâs why we are friends. What happened didnât affect our relationship.â
ââŠ.Ah, I see! You hate a part of me!â
Elf crossed her arms across her chest, looked away.
âYup.â
âHm.â
Affection points dropped â which is something the gamer Elf would usually say, but how much you like or hate someone canât be expressed so directly.
There were a lot of parts to hate and to like that is normal. Love is complicated, like âI like this part of you, but I hate that part of you.â
Itâs impossible to not hate any part of someone. If that situation existed, then that person is no longer a friend, no longer family, and no longer human.
Thatâs why people take time to carefully consider before saying that they âLikeâ someone.
So that after a fight, they could make up with each other
ââŠStill, while you yourself is too good, but if something threatened what you considered important, you will immediately treat it like enemy. Even a reincarnation of love and kindness goddess like me is no expectation. You have to give it some thought, otherwise it will turn into conflicted and misunderstanding.â
ââŠI will carve it into my heartâ
She was right. I also agreed that I was too cautious with anything that threatened Sagiri, even more than was necessary.
I donât plan to change it anytime, but I do know about this side of me.
âOh right, right. As an apologies, today I made candy! Macaron! Of course there is a portion for Eromanga-sensei too!
Her uneasiness disappeared, and Elf returned to her usual self.
I also âlikeâ this part of her.
âOh, thank you! Then letâs eat --- also, I have something I would like to talk to you about.â
After that, I led Elf to the living room. While she prepared tea and candy, and we had a discussion.
âFu ~ I see â in other words, right now you canât continue without an artist that Eromanga-sensei approves, right?â
âYes. I donât think that there is anyone who can fulfill Eromanga-senseiâs requirements.â
âAny wayâ Elf gracefully smiled âCongratulation about your manga adaption and reprinting.â
âAhâŠthank you.â
It felt so unreal, to think that someone I knew would praise me like this.
A reprint of a new serial novel, and our first media adaption ---
Our dream could continue to grow.
âLetâs keep up with this momentum and reach the anime stage!â
âIt would be great if I could! But saying that now is too soon.â
âThen use the royalties from the anime to buy a new house! Ah, I know! Letâs merge your house with mine!â
Youâve already treated my house as your own for a long time now, I thought.
âItâs too soon, you know?â
âOn the internet, I heard that you have prepared an anime script?â
âStop with the ridiculous rumors! How did it came to this --- was it because of the unmask death match?â
âRight right. Actually, although that match was mine and Army-chanâs idea --- the result was a very good promotion, and your novel gained some benefits too. Many would think that this is the foundation for an anime.â
ââŠâŠWhile you are partly right, but you are still wrong.â
Everything you said is only right IF my novel is really going to be made into anime. Donât push it onto a lowly novelist with poor sales like me. It could only be used with a novelist that has high sales.
The reason things turned out this way was all due to coincidence and my editorâs influence.
âHm? So your novel really isnât going to have an anime version? In that case, you need to make sure your manga adaption turns out perfectly.â
âYeahâŠ.â I firmly nodded.
Eromanga-sensei also said that this would have a great effect on our dream.
âIâm also looking forward to it too. This is the first time one of my light novels will be adapted into a manga.â
âStill, you couldnât find manga artist that could satisfy Eromanga-senseiâs requirement.â
âReallyâŠ. All candidates were rejectedâŠ.ignored editorâs angerâŠ. Eromanga-sensei is probably aware that those requirements were insanely highâŠ.and felt depressed because no one could satisfy herâŠ.soâŠI thinkâŠmaybe we shouldâŠ.â
âShould do what?â Elf told me to say the rest ---
â --- I think we shouldâŠâŠâŠâ
After hearing my solution, Elfâs eyes widened.
âYou! Are you serious?â
ââŠ.talking with me is a right choice that you madeâŠalright Masamune, next, just follow what you said.â
Elf seriously pointed at my face, and said:
âNow â immediately tellyour idea to Eromanga-sensei.â
Leaving Elf in the living room, I brought the macarons to the second floor. Standing in front of the locked room, I called to my little sister:
âSagiri ~ Elf brought a snack. Letâs eat inside your room, shall we?â
The door slightly opened with a *creak*, and Sagiriâs face was half revealed.
âDonât wanna.â
She cutely shot me half a glare.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠThenâŠ.letâs eat while talking via Skype?â
ââŠ.HmâŠdonât wanna.â
She poutedâŠ.it looked like a tantrum again.
Well, considering that not only was the manga adaption giving her lot of stress, many of her fans were stolen away, of course she would threw a tantrum. It looked like Macarons alone wouldnât be able to restore her mood.
ââŠAlso, I need to talk to you about the manga adaption.â
ââŠâŠ..â
âSa, Sagiri?â
ââŠ. I have nothing to say. Do whatever you please.â
ââŠNo no, donât ----â
âI said I have nothing to say!â
She yelled, then looked down, and muttered:
âReallyâŠRecently Nii-san keeps talking about manga adaption this, and manga adaption thatâŠ.â
â..If you like the manga adaption this muchâŠthen go and get married to the manga adaption.â
âYes?â
How the heck did it come to this? I totally donât understand Sagiri at all!
âEtoâŠ.just nowâŠ.â
âDonât, donât say it!â
Sagiri immediately blushed and looked away. Before I could say anything, she raised her voice again and interrupted me.
âI have nothing to say to someone who likes the manga adaption more than me!â
âAlright! I wonât say anything anymore! Forget everything I said, okay!?â
Finally, I managed to calm her down.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
With teary eyes, Sagiri nodded.
What the hellâŠ.why did it look like I was bullying her?
âAnywayâŠ.in short, Sagiri â Eromanga-sensei doesnât want to get a manga adaption?â
ââŠ.I never said that. And I donât know anyone with that name.â
She never said that â true, her words were âIf there is no suitable artist, then I donât want a mangaâ. But an artist that could satisfy Eromanga-senseiâs requirements simply doesnât exist.
In short, it was the same as saying she doesnât want a manga adaption.
âI see.â
How troublesome.
Because of oneâs desire to create the best story, because this is the favorite story, no compromises would be given and trying to find someone to only follow the original idea â was making the process harder â something like this wasnât all that strange.
It was the same in writing light novels. If more than one person took part in writing, when someone gave up and said âIt canât be helpedâ, the story will became boring.
âI seeâŠ..â
But if no one said âIt canât be helpedâ, then the story will never be finished. They canât all keep stubbornly following their idea. Someone will have to give up at some point.
This is reality, one of the reasons that bad outcomes can happen when writing a story.
When I write a story, when I face my readers, I always write with âNo compromises. I will write the best masterpiece with my idea!â
But even with that though, I ended up compromising a lot.
âIt canât be help then.â
So I turned to Eromanga-sensei and told her what I planned to say.
âLetâs give up on the manga adaption.â
That was what I told Elf a moment ago.
ââŠâŠ.Eh?â Sagiri said: ââŠ.Just now, just nowâŠwhat did you say?â
âI said letâs give up on a manga adaption.â I gently repeated what I said.
âHow, how could it be!â
âErâŠno need to be so angryâŠand donât be mistakenâŠI only say that if we couldnât make a manga adaption that fit Eromanga-senseiâs wishes then itâs better to forget about it.â
ââŠ..ButâŠ.butâŠdreamâŠourâŠ.dream.â
âEven without the manga, our dream could still come true. There have been cases of a light novel skipping a manga adaption and going straight to an anime.â
ââŠ.AhâŠuâŠ.â
Sagiri turned as pale as a ghost, and her body slightly trembled.
Maybe she felt that because it was her fault that our manga adaption could never be made â and blamed herself. I quickly began to remove her guilty conscious:
âDonât worry about it! Itâs nothing, really! You see, because we beat Army, our first volumeâs sales skyrocketed! This is a good start for a new novel! Much better than a manga adaption!â
I squatted down, and put my eyes on the same level as my little sisterâs.
âSo, donât worry about it. Letâs keep doing our best on the coming road.â
âI-Idiot!â
Once again, I had to put up with her abuse at point-blank range.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ
My eyes widened, and I blinked in surprised.
âIzumi-senâŠâ Sagiri paused midway, shook her head furiously âNii, Nii-sanâŠwhy do youâŠalwaysâŠ.alwaysâŠ.â
âAlways pamper me so much!â
â---------â
She yelled, with a voice like she was about to cry.
âItâs clearlyâŠIâm the one at fault hereâŠIâmâŠ.wrongâŠ..I shouldâŠI shouldnât be so selfishâŠNii-sanâŠyou donât have a reason to give upâŠâ
ââŠâŠâŠ..â
My eyes were opened wide, and my body was stunned. I never thoughtâŠSagiri would say that.
ââŠâŠâŠ.I see.â
Although her words were fragmented, I understood the emotion behind it.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ..â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
We looked at each other without saying anything.
âI get it â Eromanga-sensei.â
I breathed out and relaxed myself.
âI take back my plan to give up on the manga adaption.â
ââŠUm.â
Sagiri patted her chest, and breathed a sigh of relief.
âBut it will be very hard. I truly think that if we canât make a manga adaption that fits Eromanga-senseiâs wishes then itâs better to forget about it.â
âSoâŠI saidâŠ.â
âAll manga artist candidates I suggested earlier â you found them all unpleasant, didnât you?â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
âSpeak the truth.â
ââŠâŠâŠ..Yes, I donât like them.â
âI see.â
She doesnât like any of manga artist candidates that I suggested.
She also doesnât want to give up on the manga.
How frightening capriciousness. Normally no one could say that, this is something only a child would say.
But I was happy.
âŠIt felt great to hear Sagiriâs true feelings.
Because she is my little sister â so she could ask her brother for anything.
âThen I will think of something!â
I slapped my face and smiled
âI wonât give up on the manga, but I will fulfill Eromanga-senseiâs hope at the same time! Letâs do it!â
Just leave it to your brother!
ââŠNii, Nii-sanâŠâ
WahâŠSagiri was looking at me with tears in her eyes.
Then suddenly she seemed to snap out of it:
âSo, so I said âŠdonât pamper me so muchâŠdonât be so gentle to me!â
âNo.â
I mimicked her pose and shot her half a glare.
âEh? Eh?â
âI wonât do that. Donât think that I will do anything you said. Why do you pamper me so much -- because Iâm happy! I like to do that â I canât follow your request to treat you hastily. How about order yourself that then.â
âThatâŠthat isâŠtoo difficult.â
âOf course â so you see, Iâm not just your pampering brother.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.Mwu.â
Sagiri didnât look like she could accept this answer. After a moment of silence, she raised her head.
âThenâŠNii, Nii-san, what are you going to do?â
âOf course I will find a manga artist that fits Eromanga-senseiâs requirement to help.â
ââŠButâŠsomeone like thatâŠdoesnât exist.â
âYupâŠ.this is the problemâŠwhich I just had a conversation with Elf about.â
I thought back to Elf in the living room.
âYou see, sheâs had a few manga too, how about asking her?â
âItâs nothing...say....Who drew Elf-chanâsThe Expurgatory Flame of Dark Elf manga?â
Eh? Ah, it should be --------- Yes.â
â...? Nii-san?â
Sagiri looked at me, her eyes widened. But I was trying to remember.
â..........................â
--- ---- Drawing must have a similar style and must be able to fool Eromanga-sensei unless she takes a closer look.
--- They must like the original story as much as Eromanga-sensei.
--- Drawing skills must be the same as Eromanga-sensei or higher.
Ah, now I know.
âYesâŠyes! MaybeâŠ.yesâŠthere is someoneâŠ.â
The next day, I immediately went to meet this âsuitable personâ at her home.
Of course, I had told my editor Kagurazaka-san about it. After I told her my intentions via phone, she said --
âAhaha ~ yes, âthat personâ would indeed fit Eromanga-senseiâs requirementsâŠ.However, âthat personâ is a problem child, I donât really want to meet her unless it is an emergency situationâŠ.But this canât be helpâŠ.then, Izumi-sensei, please go talk with her. At least you will have a better chance than me.â
I thought so too. It would still be hard, but we had no better choice. Hopefully she would agree.
She is the one who could turn The Cutest Little Sister in the World into a manga.
She is the manga artist who fist Eromanga-senseiâs requirements.
Who is she, you ask --?
âYou want me to draw a manga?â
Just as you probably expected, she is the beautiful genius illustrator, Eromanga-sensei the Great, Army-chan.
Since we were enemies just a few days ago, I didnât think about her.
âŠNow looking back, there was no one who could be better than her.
She, who once called herself âOre-samaâ, who tried to defeat Eromanga-sensei, defeat SagiriâŠIf I could convince her, our side would be a hundred times stronger.
Army was still raising her slanted eyes, and pointing at her face. Today she wore belly button-revealing clothes.
âYes, itâs the case. Please accept, Army.â
In the tablet, Eromanga-sensei repeated what I said:
ăIt canât be helped then. Can you do it with the reward we proposed? ă
âŠStill pretending now?
You arenât really good when itâs came to lying. Everyone could see that you wanted to say âI donât want anyone else to do itâŠ.unless itâs you, then maybe I can made an expectation.â
âŠThis was how Eromanga-sensei true feeling as the original illustrator.
By the way, we were sitting in Armyâs living room. In front of me and Eromanga-sensei were Army and Elf.
âWait, wait! You canât! You canât do that!â
Elf said in panic.
âI knew that you two were troubled because of the manga adaption âŠbut I never thought you would set your sights on my Army! You canât! You never told me this yesterday!â
âIf I told you, you would try to stop me.â
âYou knew, yet you still did that? You-youâŠas soon as you are together with your little sisterâŠ.reallyâŠ.! Ahhhh really!â
âIâm talking with Mistress Army at the moment, please be quiet, Elf.â
âHow could I be quiet! Army-chan is still working on my The Expurgatory Flame of the Dark Elf, not just as an illustrator, but also as my manga artist!â
âYes, yes. Also, anime character design and copyrighted illustrations are my work too. Iâm also drawing game CG at the moment.â
Illustration. Anime. Manga. Game --- everything used Armyâs drawings.
That was even more unbelievable than a middle school student who wrote a novel that had more than 100,000 sales.
Because âa person who is both an illustrator, a manga artist and a light novelistâ or âa person who is both an illustrator, an animator and a musicianâ was so beyond humanity, so in reality they are all wonderfulâŠ.
No matter what I said, Army-sensei is a person who could do anything by herself. As expected from someone who is nicknamed a âMulti-talented artistâ
And that was also the reason we came here.
âAlright! You heard that? Right now Army-chan is very veryveryvery ~~~~~~~~~~~ busy! She couldnât accept your request! Understand?â
ââŠAck, Elf, although you say thatâŠ.â
ăThe defeated Army, do you dare to accept drawing this manga? ă
Today Eromanga-sensei was trying to tease her.
Hearing our question, Army put a finger on her chin, and answered seriously:
âHm ~~~~ letâs seeâŠif the condition is good then I might agree.â
âWhat is with that attitude? What about my The Expurgatory Flame of the Dark Elf?â
Elf slammed her hand on the tablet.
She had been angry for a while. Well, I could understand her reasoning. It looked like I owed her an apologize later.
Army turned to Elf and showed a full canine tooth smile:
âDonât worry Emily, I still have free time.â
âAre you kidding me? You really are a monster.â
I agreed. Even I was surprised.
I was worried that Army-sensei was now very busy and she would use that as her reason to refuse meâŠwho could have thought she had free time?
She could draw anything, her drawings are very good, and she could work with anythingâŠ.what the hellâŠ
Should I say she is incredible or outright brokenâŠ.if she didnât have her annoying quirks, she would be the strongest illustrator.
âYes, even if you still have free times, we are at the anime stage, which is very busy! You shouldnât take on more work! Do you have a reason to pick on me?â
âYes ~ I have, I have ~ a lotâ
âA lot?â
Elfâs eyes widened in surprised.
Army began to count with her fingers:
âFirst, Emily looked so cute when jealous about me. That made me happy.â
âWhat?â
Army turned to Elf:
âNext, Iâm Izumi Masamune fan. Sekaimo got a manga, Iâd like to do it myself.â
ăâŠHmâŠ.you only like Sekaimo thoughâŠ. ă
Eromanga-sensei kept up her insult. Facing the tablet, Army answered:
âAlthough it was the case, but after reading Sekaimo, I tried Silver Wolf and Black Sword too. All are good. I think I could put my heart into drawing for them.â
Black Swordis the name of my debut novel.
--- My Eromanga Flash could only be used on something I like a lot
Army was telling the truth back then.
If that was the caseâŠthen itâs great. I couldnât help but smile.
âMasamuneâŠ..I have told you before, Army usually said âitâs goodâ to almost anything. What are you getting full of yourself for?â
ăWhat are you doing? ă
What Elf and Eromanga-sensei said wasnât wrong either. Now wasnât the time to get full of myself because someone praised my novel.
Army raised another finger:
âThird. Sagiri is my respected masterâs daughter â sheâs like a little sister to me. If my little sister had a problem â of course I would try to help.â
I could accept this reason.
She added another finger:
âFourth. Through this job, I can gain a chance of revenge.â
âWhat do you mean by that?â
âBefore I answer this question, let me say something else â Sagiri, you deserved your victory.â
Army told Eromanga-sensei via the tablet.
ăAhâŠ.. ă
To get an acknowledgement from her âolder sisterâ  who could draw a same drawing as her mother â is an important matter to Sagiri.
ăâŠUm. ă
I could tell she was biting her lips to hide her agitatation. Army said:
âI acknowledge you are the real Eromanga-sensei!â
ăI, I donât know anyone with that name! ă
While she was happy, she still acted embarrassed.
After a few moments, Army continued:
âThatâs why â while I lost to Eromanga-sensei, I still couldnât accept it. Iâm still looking for a chance to get my revenge.â
ăâŠ.My fansâŠ.were taken away because of your live videoâŠwhich is copied from mineâŠ.that was your revenge too huh? ă
Eromanga-sensei said, her tone full of resentment.
âYes! So two wins and one loss, this means that Iâm still ahead of you --- well, saying that wonât clear anything up. My feelings are very complex, Iâm not going to feel at ease that easily.â
Army smiled her usual canine tooth revealing smile.
âAnd so, this job! KukukuâŠ.I will draw your manga, it will turn into a breathtaking masterpiece. If after reading the manga, fans said âItâs even better than the originalâ â then I will feel very satisfied! My regret in my last defeat will complete disappear. I will be reborn as a winner!â
âI can understand that!â
Elf, who was angry a moment ago happily joined in.
âThatâs right! Thatâs right! Media adaption is a fight with the original itself! During the time when I made my Dark Elf anime, all managers and employees tried their hardest to made the best final product â to tell me
She raised her fist:
âRight now, my goal is after my anime ends, when we are having a party, I can pat the managerâs shoulders and tell him
Iâm starting to hate you.
âAhaha, a very Emily style!â
She made it like itâs just a matter of time before her anime became victorious.
Why are both Elf and Army so competitive?
Do they enjoy that feeling? Maybe that was right. When I battled against Elf and Muramasa-senpaiâŠ.while those battle were very hardâŠit was fun.
Army showed us her raised fingers:
âThose are all of the reasons that made me accept drawing this manga â however.â
â?â
Her sudden announcement caught me off guard. I slightly tilted my head.
She stuck her tongue out:
âI wonât accept this job for free.â
â!â
I â and I think Eromanga-sensei too â opened our eyes wide.
âHey heyheyheyhey â why are you acting so surprised? I was your enemy not long ago. While Iâm not your enemy now â donât think that I will help you for free â only a stupid light novel author could flirt with an enemy at a time like this!â
âWait a sec! You meant me didnât you?!â Elf interrupted. I ignored her.
âBut, but youâŠdidnât you say Sagiri is like a little sister to youâŠ.and you wanted to help her?â
âSo ~ Iâm going to ask for payment ~â
Army made a circle with her hands.Â
âOf course, I donât mean just money. You have to pay more than that if you want your enemy to help you.â
âAs long as I can, I will do anything.â
I immediately replied. Aside from Army, I had no one else to turn to now. If even she refused --- then the manga that Eromanga-sensei asked for could never be done.
ăâŠNii, Nii-san⊠ă
âDonât worry, leave it to me â Alright, Army. Tell me, what is the payment that you speak of?â
Her final words sounded so much like a normal cute girl. So cute.
âSee? See? The look on those twoâs face when I put a hand over your shoulder and said âI wanted to talk in private with youâ! Kyahahahaha! What a masterpiece!â
âListen to me! What are you trying to do! What if Sagiri has a weird misunderstanding?â
This was ten minutes later. I was walking on toward Shinjuku together with Army. Elf wasnât here, and my communication with Sagiri was also cut off.
After what happened ----
Without explaining anything, Army suddenly yelled âLetâs goâ and pulled me by hand. While Elf looked displeased, she also seemed to understand what Army was trying to do and did nothing.
âPrepare yourselfâŠwe will go from a request to another in the way.â
âWhere exactly are we going to? And by request, you meanâŠ.â
âKekeke, you think that I only had one request? What a pity, but you have to make me satisfied. For now, I have two request.â
Army raised two fingers toward me.
By the way, she changed her clothing into a bright color jeans and boyish clothes before going outside.
âJust two requests. As long as you fulfill them, I will help your manga adaption.â
âRe-really?â
âI will keep my promise.â
Thatâs how it is.
After she was defeated by Eromanga-sensei, as promised, she revealed her bare face.
âReady? Then my first payment â request:Â From now on, flirt with me when Emily is present.â
Whatâs with this request?
ââŠCould it be that you like me?â
âAs a friend.â
I see â well, each of us already has someone we like.
âThen why?â
âI want to see her jealousy. I wanted to tease her, taunt herâ Army suddenly said. âThen she will pay more attention to me.â
Hearing that, I felt all the strength leave my bodyâŠ
âYouâŠyouâŠ.â
âYou understand, donât you? You are a boy after all.â
âKuhâŠ.â
YesâŠeven though I have accepted my role as an elder brother ---
I still wanted Sagiri to get jealous for me!
âWhile I understand your intentionsâŠwhat if she hate you instead?â
Are you an elementary school kid?
Army waved her hand without worry:
âDonât worry donât worry âȘ. Emily is the type who will get closer after stuff like that happens.â
As expected of a childhood friend, she understood Elf very well.
âBut Elf is very sharp, what if she figures it out?â
âEmily is a big idiot, a bit of acting could fool her. As long as your method is right â so Iâm counting on you âȘâ
âAbout SagiriâŠâ
âIf you tell her, then we are done.â
âWhy? Shouldnât we only keep it a secret from Elf?â
âA secret between two peoplefeels more realistic, right? Donât you want your little sister to feel jealous too?â
ââŠ..GrâŠâ
âAlright, that settled it. Even if your little sister asks you âWhat happened, Nii-sanâ, make sure not to reveal anything.â
ââŠ.Mwu.â
I donât really believe that I could, but since it directly affects the fate of our manga, I have to tryâŠ
âAnything else? Where are we going?â
I do know that since we are walking toward the station, we are likely going to board a train.
âOf course to satisfy my second request â to your house.â
After we boarded the train and arrived at the area close to my house, and Army began to take a look around.
âHe ~ we are still in TokyoâŠ.but this placeâŠseems different from Shinjuku.â
ââŠYou donât have to force praises, you know.â
Compared to high class area like Shinjuku, my area is nothing. There arenât any skyscrapers.