Early the next morning.

Ying Lili walked out of the villa wearing a warm autumn suit, and the first thing she saw was the black BMW 5 Series parked at the door.

A tall man, wearing a black suit and a top hat, was leaning on the side of the car, smoking leisurely and facing the vast forest scenery in front of him.

Her steps hesitated slightly, then she walked up.

"Hello, is this the car we reserved to go to Tokyo?"

The man paused with his hand, stubbed out the cigarette in the portable ashtray, and then turned around.

"Well, let's just say it's what you said. Are you all ready?"

The man said in a slightly low and flirty tone. The top hat was pushed down so that one could not see his face clearly, only the slightly neutral jawline could be seen.

Ying Lili frowned unconsciously, but she still patiently explained: "...Well, my companion is picking up his luggage and will be out soon."

Just as he was talking, there was a "crack" on the door behind him.

"——Sorry for keeping you waiting."

Kato Yusuke came over with the suitcase in hand, raised his hand and patted the butt of the car, speaking in a very natural tone, "Akane, open the trunk."

"ok."

With the "click" sound of the lock, the trunk opened.

"Eh? Akane——??"

Yinglili couldn't help but raise a long note, and then heard a chuckle.

"Huh~? Look at it like this, so it turns out he didn't tell you about it? Mr. Eri Kashiwagi."

"The man" said, raising the brim of his hat to reveal his true face.

What appears below is a face that is by no means unfamiliar in the fandom industry.

"--It's you!"

Eiri was shocked, "Wait a minute, why is the famous Akane Benisaka here!?"

"About this~" Akane Kurisaka raised the corners of her lips intriguingly, "You might as well ask that bastard next to you~?"

So Yinglili immediately changed the direction of attack.

"Yusuke! What's going on...!?"

"Well?"

Kato Yusuke pressed the automatic switch on the trunk and explained:

"Didn't I tell you yesterday that we made an appointment for a ride back to Tokyo? Akane said she was free and could drive us back to Tokyo."

"ha?"

The girl showed an indescribable expression, glanced back and forth between them, and finally hugged his arm.

"Eiri Riri?"

"...You should have told me about that kind of thing earlier."

Eiri cooed, staring warily at Akane Benisaka in front of her, but she only received a half-smiling look from him.

"Well……?"

Kato Yusuke observed the atmosphere and suggested: "Anyway, let's get in the car first. If we have anything to say, it's not too late to talk about it on the way."

No one refuted.

Akane Hongsaka shrugged, opened the door and got into the driver's seat.

Kato Yusuke reached out and opened the door of the rear seat, letting Eri sit in first, and then followed him into the car.

Then, the car slowly drove forward.

…

On the way, Kato Yusuke briefly explained the situation.

He originally planned to rent a car to return to Tokyo, so he asked Akane Benisaka if there was a recommended car rental company.

As a result, after understanding the situation on their side, they offered to take care of the pick-up and drop-off, and expressed that they wanted to appreciate Ying Lili's new works.

The two parties thus reached an agreement, and then the current situation emerged.

As for why Kato Yusuke didn’t inform the girl about this matter at the first time, he himself also whispered a word in the girl’s ear——

"That's because you didn't seem to be in the mood to listen to this at the time, and I won't be in the mood to talk to you about this later..."

Yinglili instantly understood what he meant by being uninterested, and she blushed and lowered her head.

It can only be said that what happened yesterday was so ridiculous that even now when she thinks about it, her cheeks feel hot...

Even though she has a wealth of theoretical knowledge due to her creative experience, when it comes to practice, the sense of reality is completely beyond the imagination. The difference can only be described as heaven and earth!

She shook her head to get rid of unnecessary distracting thoughts, calmed down and asked: "But, why does Akane Benisaka want to see my original painting?"

Kato Yusuke joked with a smile.

"That's because Akane is the type of person who is eager for excellent original animators. Once she finds someone with potential, she will rush after her like a wolf. You can understand her as a collector in the game."

"Eh... does this mean...?"

Yinglili hesitated to speak, and cast her eyes towards the front row with some uncertainty.

"Ah, it's just what you thought."

Kato Yusuke nodded with a smile, put his hand on her head, and confirmed her guess, "Akane, you think your new work is great?"

"——!"

Yinglili's eyes widened in surprise, a trace of ecstasy flashed in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth could not help but raise slightly.

But immediately, she stopped smiling, pulled the corners of her mouth downwards, pretended to be calm, coughed, and cleared her throat.

"...Oh, so that's what it is, let me tell you."

She spoke seriously, not letting her emotions leak out, but her expression could not hide her excitement.

You know, that's Akane Kurisaka——!

While she was still playfully drawing graffiti, the other person was already a famous figure.

Although the creators who were taken under his wing seemed to end badly, it is undoubtedly an honor for any creator to be recognized by Akane Kurisaka himself!

Kato Yusuke turned his face to one side and watched her reaction in a somewhat amused way, but said nothing.

Akane Kurisaka did not deny this statement. He glanced at her in the rearview mirror and continued speaking.

"Well, those seven original paintings are indeed good, and the brushstrokes are completely different from those of Eri Kashiwagi in the past.

Obviously you can imitate your previous painting style in just a few clicks, but now it takes a lot of effort.

With this aura, you can be considered an excellent piece of jade, and it is normal to feel proud."

"Huh……"

"Well, although you probably won't agree, I still want to ask. Teacher Eri Kashiwagi, are you interested in coming to my place?"

"Aha?"

Ying Lili was stunned at first, and then refused: "How could I be interested! I already have my own club, how could I accept such an inexplicable invitation!"

"Is it true? In that case, just pretend that I didn't say it." Akane Hongsaka said disapprovingly.

"Well……?"

Eirili struggled for a while and couldn't help but ask: "Um...do you really have a collecting habit for the original animator you like, as Yusuke said?"

"Collection addiction? Well, if you insist on interpreting it that way, it's not impossible, but it's not just for the original artist, it must be extended to the creators."

"Eh?"

"As a person, what I hate the most are authors who don't write, artists who don't draw, and producers who don't work. Since you can still move, do it for me!"

Akane Benisaka narrowed her eyes and her tone suddenly turned nasty.

"Guys like that who are clearly talented but have been idle and thinking about resting on their laurels, it would be better for them all to die!"

"Varied--"

The car was driving on the highway, and the scenery on both sides was quickly retreating.

"For those guys, I will never let them have an easy time. I will move closer to their style, then make better works, use all means to make them lose their existence value, and finally let those guys finish playing!"

"..."

Yinglili was speechless.

The strong aura suppressed all voices, leaving people speechless.

Akane Hongsaka paused for a moment and then said: "By the way, the bastard next to you was in this situation before~"

"Hey, Yusuke, he——??"
To be continued...