By the time Mrs. Izumi finished bringing out all five steaming hot dishes from the kitchen to the dining table in the living room, it was already past noon.
Preparing lunch had taken just over an hour. It wasn't too long, but not particularly short either.
If it were Aoi Kujo, that time would've been enough to cook for a hundred people. But for Mrs. Izumi, a normal person, it was a fairly typical cooking duration.
The five dishes included four entrees and one soup, making for a relatively hearty meal. The aroma wafting from the dishes was certainly appetizing, though only tasting could reveal how good they really were.
Sitting at the dining table, Mrs. Izumi enthusiastically recommended, "Eriri, try the potato and beef stew—I'm most confident in this one."
Potato and beef stew was a common household dish and relatively easy to prepare. It was also the dish Mrs. Izumi made the most often.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Even someone not good at cooking can improve with enough repetition. That's why she felt confident in this particular dish.
Sagiri also chimed in eagerly, "That's right! Mom's potato and beef stew is really tasty—it's my favorite. You've got to try it, Eriri-nee."
"Is that so? Since you're both saying that, I'll have to give it a proper taste."
Smiling, Eriri picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks and placed it in her mouth, chewing gently. The meat had become soft and tender after being simmered for nearly an hour, but still retained a bit of chewiness.
After swallowing the beef, she picked up a piece of potato. Having absorbed the flavorful broth, the potato offered its own unique deliciousness.
If Eriri were to evaluate it honestly, she would describe the stew as a good, standard homemade dish.
While it didn't fall short compared to food from professional chefs, it still couldn't compete with the level of cooking from people like Aoi Kujo or Erina.
Of course, Eriri wouldn't say that out loud in front of Mrs. Izumi. Comparing her to top-tier supernatural chefs wouldn't be fair—like comparing a regular person to a powerhouse combatant.
So, she offered her assessment based on everyday standards.
"Mm, it's really quite good."
"Right?!" Sagiri beamed, as if she were the one who cooked the dish.
Mrs. Izumi also smiled happily at Eriri's praise.
Eriri then sampled the other four dishes one by one. Compared to the beef stew, they were a bit more average.
Still, Eriri didn't complain. Although she was used to top-tier cuisine, she wasn't the type to turn her nose up at ordinary home-cooked meals.
...
The lunch didn't take too long. In less than thirty minutes, it was all finished.
After Mrs. Izumi cleaned up the dishes, it was already 1:00 p.m.
That's when she brought up the other reason she had invited Eriri over.
Glancing at the manga in Sagiri's hands, Mrs. Izumi turned to Eriri and asked, "Eriri, when do you plan on officially publishing volume two of those two manga?"
Hearing this, Sagiri paused slightly, then looked up from the manga to gaze at Eriri.
As a devoted fan, she was naturally very curious about the release.
Under the expectant stares of both mother and daughter, Eriri didn't hesitate in her reply. "Let's see… probably within the next few days."
After all, publishing in this world was already in her plans—she could do it anytime.
Since Mrs. Izumi had brought it up now, she figured she might as well move forward with it in the next day or two.
"That's great," Mrs. Izumi said excitedly. "Actually, I contacted a manga editor from FULLDRIVE Publishing just a couple days ago. How about I introduce her to you?"
She looked at Eriri with an inquiring expression, clearly not wanting to make any publishing decisions on Eriri's behalf.
But Eriri didn't give it much thought. To her, it didn't really matter which publisher she went with. There was no need to follow the same path as Utaha Kasumigaoka or Yuzuru Hanyu, who had submitted their work to Dengeki Bunko at Kadokawa.
So she nodded straightforwardly. "No problem, I'm not that picky about things like that."
"Alright, then how about we head over there in a bit? FULLDRIVE Publishing isn't too far from here."
"Sure." Eriri readily agreed. Then she reached out and gave the nearby Sagiri's head a gentle ruffle. "Sagiri, want to come with us and go out for a bit?"
"Umm..."
Sagiri hesitated, a conflicted expression on her face.
On the one hand, she really wanted to go out and spend time with Eriri, but as a shut-in, her default principle was to avoid going out whenever possible.
However, she wasn't quite the same level of extreme shut-in as her original counterpart. After a bit of internal debate, her desire to be with Eriri ultimately won out.
"I want to go!" she declared loudly, her simple words showing firm determination.
"Great, then let's get ready and head out. Once we've taken care of the manga publishing stuff, we can stroll around town a bit."
"Yay!"
Eriri's suggestion only made Sagiri more excited. She was already starting to feel impatient to leave the house.
However, both Sagiri and Mrs. Izumi were still in their indoor clothes—not at all suitable for going out, especially in weather that hovered around zero degrees Celsius.
So they quickly returned to their rooms to change into proper winter outfits.
About ten minutes later, dressed warmly and ready to go, Sagiri and Mrs. Izumi stepped outside with Eriri.
While it was true that FULLDRIVE Publishing wasn't far from the Izumi home, that was only true if one had access to transportation. On foot, the trip would take around half an hour.
Still, none of them chose to take public transit. Walking there also served as a way to enjoy the outing.
Because of the cold weather, there weren't many people on the streets. Those who were out were bundled up tightly, like Sagiri—who wore a thick brown winter coat and a big scarf wrapped around her neck.
That said, there were still a few young women under twenty who stood out with their unusual clothing: warm on top, but wearing only short skirts and tights on the bottom.
Even if those tights were lined or thick, they didn't offer much protection in this kind of weather.
And these girls weren't supernatural beings—they had no means of resisting the cold, so Eriri was certain they were just toughing it out.
She could understand their desire to show off their figure and beauty, but didn't particularly support it. If they wanted to show off, summer would be a far better season.
Of course, it was just a passing thought. She had no intention of getting involved in such trivial matters.
As they made their way to FULLDRIVE Publishing, Eriri naturally drew a great deal of attention from passersby. Her beauty left many stunned.
However, the air of elegance and nobility that radiated from her deterred any ordinary people from daring to approach. They could only admire her from afar, lacking the courage to strike up a conversation.
Their walk to FULLDRIVE Publishing went without incident. Since the three weren't in any rush, they took their time, stopping occasionally along the way. As a result, it took them nearly an hour to reach the publishing building.
Before leaving, Mrs. Izumi had already informed the manga editor she'd contacted a couple of days ago that Eriri would be visiting FULLDRIVE to discuss publishing.
So when the trio arrived at the front entrance, the editor was already there waiting.
Upon seeing Eriri, Mrs. Izumi, and Sagiri approaching, the editor quickly jogged forward to greet them.
After all, this was none other than the legendary Eri Kashiwagi-sensei—someone whose name had already spread through otaku circles on the strength of just two manga volumes. The editor knew she had to give her best first impression.
The editor looked to be in her early twenties, with long black hair tied back in a neat ponytail. She wore a fitted black suit that accentuated her well-proportioned figure.
Her attractive face was currently lit up with a bright, excited smile.
She had been looking forward to this meeting ever since Mrs. Izumi first reached out.
Just like Dengeki Bunko, FULLDRIVE Publishing had also been searching for any lead on Eriri.
"Long time no see, Eromanga-sensei," the editor greeted Mrs. Izumi first before turning her attention to Eriri.
"You must be Eri Kashiwagi-sensei! Just as beautiful as the rumors said—no, even more amazing in person," the editor said, clearly awestruck.
She then smiled warmly and continued, "We're so honored that you've chosen FULLDRIVE Publishing. My name is Ayano Iida. If you don't mind, I'd love to be your future editor."
She politely extended her right hand toward Eriri.
As someone who had read both of Eriri's manga—even if only the scanned versions available online—Ayano Iida was without question a devoted fan.
Now that she was seeing her idol in person, she was practically glowing with excitement. And Eriri's flawless beauty was enough to make her feel a little dazed.
As for how she was certain Eriri was the real Kashiwagi-sensei and not the quiet girl standing beside her, Sagiri, there were two reasons.
First, from reports shared online by those who had seen Eriri at the winter doujin event, it was widely known that Kashiwagi-sensei had long, beautiful blonde hair and an incredibly striking appearance.
While some had thought those claims were exaggerated, the image of Kashiwagi-sensei as a stunning blonde girl had already become ingrained in the public mind.
Second, she had heard from Mrs. Izumi about Sagiri before. Seeing Sagiri's face—so similar to her mother's—made it obvious who she was.
Even though she considered herself a devoted fan, Ayano Iida hadn't truly believed the internet hype about Eriri being the most beautiful girl in history.
But now, having seen Eriri in person, she realized just how narrow her perspective had been.
Eriri's beauty exceeded all expectations. The title of "most beautiful girl in history" wasn't an exaggeration—it was well-deserved. In fact, she couldn't imagine anyone else ever surpassing her.
"Nice to meet you, Editor Iida," Eriri replied with a gentle smile, extending her right hand to shake Ayano's.
Even that brief contact—the light touch of Eriri's fingers—sent Iida into a brief moment of mental shutdown.
Thankfully, she recovered after just a few seconds. Any longer, and she might've embarrassed herself.
A few minutes later, under Ayano Iida's lead, Eriri and the others arrived at the manga editorial department on the twelfth floor of the FULLDRIVE Publishing building.
For both Eriri and Sagiri, this was their first time at FULLDRIVE, and Sagiri in particular acted like a curious kitten, glancing around in every direction.
It seemed that the entire manga department had already caught wind of Eriri's upcoming visit, so as soon as she stepped in, she felt the subtle shift of numerous curious gazes aimed in her direction.
As long as they weren't malicious or invasive, Eriri usually didn't care about being stared at.
Fortunately, she didn't sense any discomforting attention right now, so she said nothing and simply followed Ayano Iida into a nearby meeting room, with Mrs. Izumi and Sagiri in tow.
Once they had casually taken seats on either side of the meeting table, Eriri wasted no time and got straight to the point.
"Editor Iida, let's skip the small talk. Since you come recommended by Chisa-neesan, I naturally trust you. From today on, I'll be entrusting you with all my manga."
Ayano Iida, who hadn't even fully settled into her seat, shot up in excitement upon hearing Eriri's words, her face glowing with delight as she looked at her.
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