Chapter 226: Collapsing, But Not Really Collapsing
The lounge was quiet. Utaha had originally thought the two would be playing games, but when she entered, she found they weren't.
With earphones plugged into a phone, each of them had one earbud in, and Eriri was resting her head on Kaede's lap. The two of them were asleep on the lounge sofa.
Seeing this scene, Utaha couldn't help but feel a pang of imbalance. How could these two calmly play games and sleep in the lounge while she worked hard all afternoon outside, only to come in and see them flaunting their affection?
This life was unbearable... They didn't lower their voices when they entered, so Kaede and Eriri, who weren't in a deep sleep, immediately woke up.
"Hmm? Is it over?"
Rubbing her eyes as she sat up, Eriri yawned, then leaned back onto Kaede's shoulder, closing her eyes and saying, "Hmm... Where are we going next? Is it time to eat?"
"..."
Taking a deep breath, Utaha looked at Kaede, who was much more awake than Eriri, and asked, "Are you perhaps spoiling Eriri too much? All she knows is eating after she wakes up?"
Kaede gently brushed Eriri's somewhat messy bangs away and smiled, saying, "Not at all, but Eriri does tend to be a bit groggy when she first wakes up. I'm already used to it, and it's quite cute, isn't it?"
This time, it wasn't just Utaha; even Machida Sonoko was hit hard.
Covering her face with her hands, she said in distress, "I'm being shown up by two kids again. I feel like I've lost my dreams in life..."
Unfortunately, none of the three paid attention to Machida Sonoko. After two minutes of being groggy, Eriri finally woke up, washed her face in the restroom, put on some light makeup, and the group finally left the autograph session venue.
For the celebration dinner that evening, since the main character, Utaha, was not yet an adult and couldn't drink alcohol, the dining location wasn't a izakaya but a yakiniku restaurant.
The budget was more than sufficient, so Kaede and Eriri also took the opportunity to enjoy a free meal, saving them from having to cook dinner at home.
It wasn't until nine in the evening that the two of them returned home.
As for Utaha, the Bunko had arranged a hotel, so she would rest well in a hotel suite tonight and return home tomorrow on Sunday.
Opening the front door, turning on the lights, and putting on her slippers, Eriri quickly ran into the living room and headed towards the cat bed. This was a routine for Eriri every day after coming home since they started keeping a cat.
"I'm home, Camilla~"
As she spoke, Eriri ran over to pick up Camilla and happily rubbed against her. Camilla was very well-behaved, allowing Eriri to pick her up without any resistance. Only after Eriri had her fill of petting did she climb back onto the cat tree, comfortably lie down, and narrow her eyes.
Today could be considered a day out, so after showering that evening, Kaede and Eriri went straight to the studio to start working on their manga.
While drawing, Eriri said, "Kaede-kun, the first episode of konosuba airs next Wednesday night, right?"
Kaede helped Eriri draw the background for a manga page and said, "That's right, it airs at 11 PM. Do you want to watch it then? Even though we've already seen it once."
Eriri immediately nodded: "Of course! This is an anime adaptation of your novel. Even if we've seen it, it's still its television premiere, so we absolutely have to watch it. And besides watching the premiere, we also need to see how the anime is reviewed after it airs."
Although she was very satisfied when she watched it herself, finding it full of comedic elements, Eriri was still a little worried about whether it would receive the same reception from other viewers.
Kaede, however, was not worried at all. He said with a smile, "Don't worry, it will definitely be a huge success. And Eriri, you might not know this, but when I was communicating with DEEN, I told them something."
"Hmm? What?"
"When portraying exaggerated character expressions, don't prioritize refinement. Sometimes, a bit of 'collapse' isn't a bad thing."
..."Huh? 'Collapse'? Kaede-kun, you haven't lost your mind, have you?" Eriri heard this and immediately reached out to place her hand on Kaede's forehead.
Kaede gave Eriri a speechless look, took her small hand, and held it firmly, saying, "Don't worry, it's not the 'collapse' from rushing deadlines, nor is it from a lack of skill. It's the kind of 'collapse' meant to highlight the character's comedic effect, understand?"
Only then did Eriri stop worrying. After a moment of thought, she said, "I understand, but wouldn't that be a bit unstable? There might be some negative comments from the audience."
"Don't worry, I've already prepared for it and discussed it with DEEN," Kaede said calmly. "I asked them to prepare several clips, specifically the ones where character expressions 'collapse,' and to create an additional frame with no 'collapse' at all, to make comparison short videos or comparison images. If there's no discussion online, that's fine, but if there's a negative trend, we'll directly release those comparisons. The 'collapse' in this anime isn't just a simple collapse; it serves the purpose of performance, much like exaggerated acting in a comedy."
Although Eriri understood everything Kaede said, she was still a little worried: "Will it really not cause problems?"
"Don't worry, of course not. We discussed this with DEEN, and they also believe that slightly 'collapsed' expressions will have a greater performance effect. However, this also depends on the anime genre; most anime aren't suitable, but some of konosuba's plot perfectly fits this kind of performance, otherwise they wouldn't have agreed."
Only then did Eriri feel a little more at ease.
Then, she saw her right hand, which was held in Kaede's palm.
"Kaede-kun, let go! I still need to draw!"
"It's fine, a few minutes won't hurt." Kaede took Eriri's hand and pressed it against his cheek, smiling as he said, "Oh, doing this now, Eriri doesn't get shy much anymore. It's not as interesting."
"Ugh... What do you mean?" Eriri puffed out her cheeks and said discontentedly, "It's all your fault, Kaede-kun."
"Hehe, I strangely feel a sense of accomplishment."
Looking at Eriri, Kaede couldn't help but laugh, then beckoned to Eriri.
Only then did a blush appear on Eriri's cheeks. She reluctantly put down her pen, stood up, came over to Kaede, and sat on his lap.
Why the sudden change of heart?
"I just suddenly felt like hugging Eriri." Smelling the shampoo scent emanating from Eriri's long, flowing hair, Kaede said with a smile, " Eriiri, how about wearing stockings tonight? White stockings, please!"
"...Your thinking is so unpredictable!!!"