The subsequent character design and illustration work progressed unusually smoothly—almost as if the universe itself was conspiring to make Kuroha Akira's dreams come true.
Aizono Moe fully accepted all of Kuroha Akira's suggested changes to the art style and immediately set about making revisions without a single complaint.
For example, Kuroha Akira mentioned that the eyes of older sister-type characters could be drawn narrower and longer, with the lower lash line curving upward slightly. This would make them more alluring—essentially, he was trying to capture the vibe of a 'dangerous woman' similar to Makima from Chainsaw Man, or perhaps that cool, calculating energy of Kafka from Honkai: Star Rail, or even the teasing aura of the Demon Sisters from various isekai titles.
After a brief attempt, Aizono Moe immediately understood what Kuroha Akira was going for. Her eyes lit up with the spark of realization, and she exclaimed in surprise that simply changing the shape of the eyes completely altered the character's entire aura. She then proceeded to draw five different versions, discussing and selecting the most suitable eye type together with Kuroha Akira like two coworkers vibing over a shared passion project.
What surprised Kuroha Akira even more was Aizono Moe's extremely strong understanding of storyboarding and composition.
All he had to do was describe the action and camera angle—"She's looking down from a high angle, slightly smug"—and she could immediately whip up a rough sketch, perfectly recreating the image that had been living in Kuroha Akira's head. It was like she could read his mind.
He had originally thought it would take at least one or two weeks to properly train Aizono Moe and get her up to speed. But he quickly discovered that she was a fast learner—she grasped concepts immediately and didn't need constant back-and-forth or repeated adjustments.
The art style adjustment was completed in a single day!
Along with the character designs and storyboard sketches for the illustrations—also completed!
The progress was so incredibly fast that Kuroha Akira couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, his delight practically radiating off him in waves. He praised Aizono Moe without holding back.
"That's amazing… Aizono, you're definitely going to become a famous illustrator someday."
Although she wasn't naturally good at receiving compliments, Kuroha Akira had been praising her to the skies throughout this collaboration. Even someone as shy as Aizono Moe was starting to get used to it. At this moment, she showed a slightly embarrassed, wry smile and said,
"Kuroha-kun, you're exaggerating… There are plenty of people at my skill level. I can only rank second in my drawing class…"
"No, I'm not exaggerating at all." Kuroha Akira shook his head firmly. "Honestly, before this, I just thought your drawing skills were decent. But now I truly feel that you, Aizono, are an incredibly skilled collaborator. Not only can you fully accept revision suggestions, but you can also quickly understand my intentions without me having to spell everything out… You're genuinely amazing."
That affectionate gaze and those sincere words were almost like something out of a rom-com—the kind of line where the protagonist praises their partner for being so understanding. It was almost embarrassing to witness.
"Hmm…"
Aizono Moe's face turned bright red again from all the praise, and she lowered her head shyly, her ponytail falling forward to hide her burning cheeks.
Kuroha Akira held the illustration sketches in his hands, observing them carefully. The more he looked, the happier he became, because these illustrations would be the biggest boost to his novel's sales.
In other words, these were pure cash waiting to be printed!
This would certainly catch Editor Mori's attention—in fact, after Kuroha Akira's art style adjustments, these illustrations had completely surpassed the average level of light novel illustrations in this world. They weren't just good; they were next level.
As long as the coloring wasn't an issue, there was nothing to worry about regarding the illustrations.
But then, Kuroha Akira let out a cunning sigh.
"Sigh…"
Aizono Moe's heart sank. She immediately thought there was something wrong with her drawings and quickly asked, panic creeping into her voice,
"Um, Kuroha-kun, why are you sighing? Is there still something wrong? Please tell me—I'll change it right away!"
"No, it's not that." He waved his hand dismissively. "It's just that when I think about you illustrating many other light novels in the future, I feel quite regretful… Because you might become too busy to illustrate my works anymore…"
"No, no, that won't happen!" Aizono Moe shook her head vigorously. "If Kuroha-kun hadn't invited me, I wouldn't have had the chance to illustrate a formally published light novel at all…"
It could be said that Kuroha Akira had fulfilled Aizono Moe's dream—allowing her artwork to be seen by the public for the first time. She was genuinely grateful to him, and her gratitude ran deep.
"So please rest assured," she continued, gathering her courage. "As long as Kuroha-kun doesn't dislike it… hmm… I will always draw illustrations for Kuroha-kun!"
Aizono Moe used all her strength to say this sentence—a sentence that made her feel incredibly shy. For someone as reserved as her, this was already equivalent to a confession. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure everyone in the room could hear it.
And Kuroha Akira had been waiting for this exact sentence. He exclaimed with a look of pleasant surprise, like a protagonist who had just rolled a gacha SSR,
"Really? Then you'll be my exclusive illustrator from now on!"
"Hmm… exclusive… illustrator?"
Hearing the word 'exclusive,' Aizono Moe's mind immediately went to certain… scenarios she had read about in doujinshi before. Her face turned crimson and her heart began racing at dangerously high speeds.
"That's right." Kuroha Akira nodded, completely oblivious to her internal crisis. "Actually, I talked to the editor at the publishing house before. If your illustrations are excellent, the publishing house will introduce more job opportunities to you. But now that I've confirmed your actual skill level, I'm feeling a bit regretful…"
He showed a very remorseful expression—the kind of look a puppy gives when it's been caught stealing food. Then, in a pitiful tone, he begged her,
"So I hope you can decline other illustration jobs and temporarily only illustrate for me. Is that okay?"
Such a valuable illustrator resource must be prioritized for himself. Kuroha Akira had a strong desire for exclusive possession.
This kind of illustration was one of a kind—no other branch would do!
In this way, Aizono Moe's illustrations would be permanently bound to his light novel. Anyone who was only attracted by her art style would have no choice but to buy his light novel, further boosting sales. It was a classic vendor lock-in strategy.
This was actually a very selfish act, equivalent to tying Aizono Moe to his ship and not allowing her to board anyone else's. It would greatly limit her career development as an illustrator.
But Kuroha Akira was inherently a cunning adult at heart, and tricking an innocent young girl caused him no psychological burden whatsoever.
Moreover, he wasn't saying he would keep Aizono Moe by his side forever—after all, he himself wasn't sure if he would write any new works after this light novel was finished. That was a problem for Future Akira.
But during the serialization of Sister's Journey—which would cover his three years of high school—Kuroha Akira decided to monopolize her illustrations and make her art style a signature element of his work.
The simple-minded Aizono Moe had no idea about the schemes brewing in Kuroha Akira's mind.
She just felt that this request wasn't unreasonable, and she was more than willing to 'repay' Kuroha Akira for everything he had done for her.
Because Aizono Moe had never seriously thought about becoming a professional illustrator. Before this, she had only ever hoped for a chance to collaborate with Shirai Shiori just once—and now even that small wish had been fulfilled by him.
So at this moment, she was utterly obedient to Kuroha Akira. Whatever he said, she would go along with it… of course, strictly limited to drawing illustrations.
"Of course!" she said, her voice firm despite her blush. "I can promise Kuroha-kun that I will only draw illustrations for your works. And I'm also very happy that someone likes my drawings this much…"
"Yay!"
Kuroha Akira acted extremely happy—perhaps too happy—and grabbed Aizono Moe's small hand, shaking it up and down enthusiastically like a winning contestant on a game show.
The other two members of the Literary Club naturally witnessed this entire interaction.
Jealousy surged in both of their hearts.
This wasn't exactly a romantic emotion—not entirely, anyway. Rather, it was the realization that the level of importance Kuroha Akira placed on Aizono Moe far surpassed what he placed on them. And that made both of them feel a strong, bitter sense of defeat.
Because Kuroha Akira had never praised them so exaggeratedly, nor had he shown such unrestrained happiness around them.
Good cooking? That's nice. Good writing? Cool, thanks. That was about the extent of it.
Whether it was Asato Hitomi—who secretly believed she had no talent that Kuroha Akira would truly value—or Shirai Shiori—who felt she had no real writing talent worth mentioning—they both understood something fundamental about Kuroha Akira: he would only wag his tail for 'true geniuses.'
Kuroha Akira's clumsy acting was, of course, completely seen through by both of them. They weren't fools.
But the fact that he would go to such lengths—that he would put on this entire performance just to keep Aizono Moe by his side—proved that his recognition of Aizono Moe's talent had reached an unparalleled level.
At least among the three members of the Literary Club, Aizono Moe was the one Kuroha Akira valued the most.
That was truly impeccable talent.
It was enough to make him unsparing with his praise.
Both Asato Hitomi and Shirai Shiori showed envious expressions. Deep within their hearts, the fire of jealousy had been ignited.
When a man pays excessive attention to one woman and neglects the others—regardless of the reason—the neglected women will want to prove their worth.
Thus, the female competition began.