Female protagonists from various anime/manga crossovers? They'll all regret it for the rest of

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Kasumigaoka Utaha entered the room, her gaze sweeping over Kato Megumi and Eriri before finally settling on the room's furnishings.

"Hmm, it's fairly tidy." She nodded, like a queen surveying her territory. "It seems that even without me around, Junior can take care of himself."

Don't say things that could lead to misunderstandings!

Yuto Itsuka glanced at Eriri's expression and thought to himself.

She placed the paper bag on the table: "This is the black tea I brought. Also, I brought the black tea cake that was 'snatched by the dog' from last time."

As she spoke, she took a beautifully packaged cake box out of the paper bag.

"Ah, thank you, senior." Yuto was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the other person would remember this and bring it over on her own initiative.

"Hmm~ Junior, you owe me two portions now~"

"Hmph." Eriri snorted softly from the side, turned her head away, and pretended to be tidying up her art supplies.

At this point, everyone is present.

The atmosphere in the small apartment began to become subtle.

Yuto cut the cake, poured everyone a cup of black tea, and then announced, "Alright, everyone, the 'First Toyonosaki Creative Mutual Aid Association' is now beginning."

"This name is rather old-fashioned. Junior's taste is still so bad." Kasumigaoka Utaha picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

Kato Megumi tilted her head and said seriously, "It sounds like Itsuka-kun is the student council president."

In a relaxed atmosphere, the creative session officially began.

Yuto opened his laptop and continued typing.

Eriri spread out her easel and began to sketch lines on the paper.

Kasumigaoka Utaha also took out her computer, seemingly revising the outline of her novel.

Kato Megumi, on the other hand, actually opened her summer homework book and began to work on it stroke by stroke.

For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the tapping of the keyboard, the scratching of the pencil on the paper, and the occasional turning of pages.

It's a wonderful feeling; everyone is doing their own thing, yet they are all connected through this small space.

Yuto Itsuka's writing is in a better state than ever before.

Sitting next to him were illustrators of his works, fellow authors in the industry, and... an ordinary classmate who always brought a sense of peace.

This strange combination made him feel like he was fighting alone.

After finishing a chapter, he habitually stretched and turned his head, only to meet Eriri's gaze.

"What are you looking at! I'm just thinking!" Eriri, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately looked away and pretended to be focused on her drawing board.

Yuto smiled and turned his gaze to the other side. Kasumigaoka Utaha was resting her chin on her hand, staring at the computer screen. Her slender fingers occasionally brushed across the touchpad, and the lines of her profile appeared particularly soft in the light.

Seemingly noticing his gaze, she turned her head and gave him a meaningful smile.

Yuto quickly looked away and pretended to drink water.

At that moment, Kato Megumi, who had been quietly doing her homework, suddenly spoke up.

"Itsuka-san."

"Hmm? What's wrong, Kato-kun?"

"I don't quite understand this math problem." She pushed the workbook in front of Yuto.

Yuto leaned closer to take a look and saw that it was a rather complicated function problem. He picked up a pen and began to work out the calculations on the draft paper, explaining it to Kato Megumi in a low voice.

"We need to use substitution to simplify this complex expression first..."

Eriri paused on the paper with her pen, her ears involuntarily perking up.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stopped typing and glanced over, seemingly casually.

When Yuto finished helping Kato Megumi solve the problem and looked up, he found that the other two girls were looking at him.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke first, closing her laptop and picking up her slightly cold black tea. "I just didn't expect our beautiful teacher to be so excellent in her studies as well. It's a talent that makes me envious."

You're the only one who has no right to say that!

"I... I don't know how to do one question in my history homework either!" Eriri raised her hand defiantly and slammed her history workbook on the table from her bag.

Yuto had no choice but to go over and look at her history questions again.

"This question tests knowledge of the Sankin-kotai system during the Edo period. The answer is on page 78 of the textbook. Did you not read the book again?"

"I... I just forgot!" Eriri's face instantly turned bright red. She snatched the workbook and angrily flipped through it.

Yuuto laughed.

Just then, the doorbell rang again.

Yuto was stunned. He hadn't made any plans with anyone today, and he never ordered takeout in Japan. The apartment didn't have a TV, so it couldn't be NHK. He had just paid the rent last month, so it couldn't be the landlord. So, who could it be?

He got up and walked towards the entrance, feeling somewhat puzzled.

However, when the door opened, there was someone he never expected standing outside.

"Auntie Little Lily?"

The person who came was Eriri's mother, Sayuri Sawamura.

She was dressed in a stylish summer outfit, with a bright smile on her face, and carrying a large insulated bag in her hand.

"Oh, Yuu, sorry to bother you." She winked at Yuuto. "I heard from Eriri that she was coming to your place today, and I was a little worried, so I came to check on you. I also brought you some ice cream."

She was about to walk inside, spouting reasons that neither Yuto nor she herself believed.

Before Yuto could stop them, the three girls in the living room had already heard the commotion.

"Mom?!" Eriri exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and dancing wildly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kato Megumi also cast curious glances at her.

When Sayuri Sawamura entered the living room and saw that besides her daughter, there were two other beautiful young girls in the room, her eyes lit up instantly, sparkling with gossip and excitement.

"Oh my, Xiaoyou, this is truly amazing! This... could this be the legendary..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Kasumigaoka Utaha sitting there. Her smile froze slightly, then became even more enthusiastic.

"Is this Ms. Kasumi Utako? Eriri often talks about you at home!"

Then, her gaze fell on Kato Megumi.

Who is this lovely girl?

"Hello, Auntie, my name is Kato Megumi, and I'm Itsuka-san's classmate." Kato Megumi stood up politely to greet her.

"I see. Hello everyone, I am Eriri's mother, Sawamura Sayuri."

She introduced herself with a smile, then refocused her gaze on Yuto, giving him a knowing look.

Yuto Itsuka felt that his head was twice as big as before.

"Mom! What are you doing here!" Eriri was both embarrassed and anxious. She quickly went to her mother's side and tried to push her towards the door. "We're busy with important business! You should go back!"

"Oh dear, Eriri, you can't be so rude to your mother." Sayuri easily brushed her daughter's hand away and looked around the room with a smile.

"I'm just concerned about you and Xiaoyou. Besides, how could I miss the opportunity to be in the same room with my daughter's friends, especially the famous teacher Xia Shizi?"

"Auntie, you're joking. If we're talking about someone really famous, there's someone standing over there." Kasumigaoka Utaha deliberately avoided mentioning Eriri and instead brought up Itsuka Yuto, who was standing to the side.

Xiaobaihe didn't respond to that, but instead enthusiastically opened the cooler bag, took out several different flavors of ice cream, and placed them one by one on the low table. "Come on, everyone, don't be shy, try the ice cream I brought. Xiaoyou, come and have some too."

"Thank you, Auntie Sayuri." Yuto couldn't refuse such kindness, so he accepted it.

With the ice cream as a buffer, the atmosphere finally eased a bit.

Sayuri sat down next to Eriri quite naturally, observing the peculiar group of four with great interest.

“Xiaoyou’s house is so clean,” she said, scooping ice cream with a small spoon. “It’s amazing that she can manage so well living alone.”

“He must have just cleaned it!” Eriri immediately contradicted him.

Yuto Itsuka lowered his head in shame.

"Oh? Did you clean it specially to welcome you lovely girls?" Sayuri's eyes lit up even more. She looked at Yuuto and teased, "Yuuto is so thoughtful."

Yuto could only smile awkwardly and bury his head in his ice cream.

Kasumigaoka Utaha put down her spoon, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and smiled as she spoke: "A creator with aspirations should indeed have a clean environment to inspire them. Unlike some people whose rooms are as messy as a garbage dump, their inspiration can probably only be found in the trash."

These words were loaded with meaning, and Eriri's face instantly turned red: "Who are you calling a garbage dump! You damned woman!"

"I'm just stating a common phenomenon, why are you so agitated, Sawamura-kun?" Utaha asked slowly.

"you!"

"Alright, alright," Sayuri stepped in to smooth things over. She patted her daughter on the back and then smiled at Shiyu, "Ms. Kasumi Shiko is so funny. Our Eriri is indeed a little bad at tidying up, so please bear with us in the future."

Shi Yu smiled and didn't continue the topic.

Kato Emi quietly ate her ice cream, as if this war without gunpowder had nothing to do with her.

"Auntie Lily, aren't you going to work today?" Yuto Itsuka asked.

“It’s my day off today.” Sayuri turned to him with a beaming smile. “Speaking of which, Yu, when you stayed at my house last time, I’m so grateful to have you taking care of Eriri. That child has been used to being taken care of since she was little, and it must have caused you a lot of trouble, right?”

“No, that’s not true,” Yuto quickly waved his hand. “Eri worked very hard. We’re partners, so it’s only right that we help each other.”

“Partners…” Sayuri repeated the word with amusement, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Yuto and her daughter, her smile growing even brighter. “Hmm, it’s quite a good relationship.”

Eriri's face was so red she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Kasumigaoka Utaha watched this scene, put down her teacup, and turned her attention back to her computer. She spoke calmly, "Junior, what are your thoughts on the plot of Volume 4 that I mentioned earlier? Especially the handling of the relationship between the heroine Sayuka and Mayuki. I think it could be further developed."

She deliberately raised her voice, forcefully steer the conversation back to work.

"Oh?" Sayuri's attention was immediately drawn. "Is Ms. Kasumi Shiko discussing her new work with Yuu?"

“Yes,” Shiyu turned to her with a professional smile, “Junior always gives me unexpected inspiration in plot construction. He is an excellent mentor.”

Eriri, not to be outdone, immediately straightened her back and turned her drawing board towards Yuto: "Yuto! Look at the character design for my new character! I drew it exactly according to your description of the 'elf princess'. Look at this expression, this clothing detail, isn't it a perfect recreation of your idea?"

She held the drawing paper up to Yuto's face. The drawing depicted a beautiful and proud elf girl. The brushstrokes were delicate and the colors were bright. It was indeed a masterpiece.

"Yes, it's very well drawn." Yuto exclaimed sincerely, "It's even better than I imagined. Especially the sense of detachment in the eyes, it's captured perfectly."

Eriri, pleased with the praise, immediately wore a smug expression and gave Kasumigaoka Utaha a defiant look.

“Hehe,” Shiyu chuckled, “It is indeed well drawn. However, if it is just a simple ‘reproduction,’ then one can only be considered a qualified craftsman, not an artist.”

“A truly soulful character should be based on the original work, but with the artist’s own understanding incorporated. Some inner emotions don’t seem to be fully expressed in the artwork.”

These comments were like daggers, shattering Eriri's smugness completely.

"What...what do you know! This is just a first draft!" Eriri was trembling with anger.

"These issues should be considered even more in the first draft. Otherwise, if you find that the character lacks soul after it's finished, wouldn't all your efforts be wasted?" Shi Yu said unhurriedly.

"you!"

Seeing that the two were about to have a full-blown fight in front of Sayuri, Yuto felt extremely overwhelmed and suddenly stood up.

"I'm hungry!" he announced loudly.

Everyone was taken aback by his sudden remark.

Yuto glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost dinnertime. He made a quick decision and rolled up his sleeves.

"Are you all hungry? Let's have dinner here, I'll cook."

"Oh? Xiaoyou made the food? I want to eat it!" Xiaobaihe's interest was piqued again.

Without waiting for a reply, Yuto headed towards the kitchen area. "Is there anything you want to eat? Uh... it seems like there are only eggs, green onions, and some ham in the fridge."

"Fried rice with egg!" Eriri blurted out almost immediately, then realized she had overreacted and quickly added, "I-I was just saying!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes flickered, as if she remembered the plate of food she had eaten in her apartment that night.

“I’d like to try it too.” Kato Megumi raised her hand, as always, showing her support.

“Alright then,” Sayuri declared decisively, “Let’s try Yuto-kun’s lovingly fried rice!”

A conflict over creative concepts was thus forcibly shifted into the kitchen.

Yuto busied himself in the kitchen, rinsing rice, cooking rice, and chopping scallions and ham.