"I was his illustrator for the entirety of Run With the Wind," she admitted, her voice was low but clear.

I blinked in surprise, feeling a little embarrassed for not considering that possibility sooner. "I-I'm sorry," I stammered, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I didn't realize..."

Yukari chuckled lightly, waving off my apology with a gentle smile, "It's okay, really. No need to apologize," she then reassured me. Her smile faded a little as she looked at me curiously, "But, how did you know about Kurotsuki-sensei's past?" she asked again.

I hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest with her, "Well, I'm actually... Kurumizawa-san's current illustrator," I confessed. "I drew the art for Rose of Vermillion."

Yukari's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting my answer. Then I continued, "Kurumizawa-san told me about his father just recently, but we were actually classmates in middle school, although we weren't very close back then."

Yukari's expression shifted to one of understanding as she nodded thoughtfully. "I see. That makes sense," she mused. "You know, I also went to the same middle school as you and Kurotsuki-sensei, but I don't recall seeing you around."

A puzzled frown crossed my face. "Really? I-I don't remember you either," I admitted. Yukari smiled, "I was in a different class, but it's still a little surprising that we've never seen each other."

A fleeting memory of my middle school years then stirred in my mind. Remembering how I was the frequent target of bullies, an experience that marred most of my time there, and even haunts me to this day.

It was most likely because of this that I didn't remember a person like Yukari, my mind must've been preoccupied with other thoughts and worries at the time. But I shrugged off the thought for now and responded, "Y-Yes, it's a little surprising."

Suddenly, our conversation then took an unexpected turn as Yukari began to praise my artwork. "So I was reading Rose of Vermillion earlier, right? I got to say, your artwork is truly amazing, Imaizumi-san," she complimented. "I dare say it even surpasses what I did for Run With the Wind."

I was taken aback by her words and felt a blush creep up on my cheeks. I quickly shook my head, dismissing her praise with a bashful smile. "N-No, that's not true. Your illustrations were perfect for Run With the Wind. They matched Kurumizawa-san's writing style so well," I countered.

Yukari chuckled lightly, and we shared a moment of laughter. After a while, Yukari glanced at her watch and decided it was time for her to head home. But before she left, she turned to me with an earnest expression.

"Imaizumi-san? Would it be okay if we exchanged contact information? I think it'd be nice for us to keep in touch, you know since we're both illustrators, we can bounce ideas off of each other if needed," she suggested.

I was a bit taken aback by her proposal. I was typically shy and reserved, so it was rare for me to make friends easily. But Yukari seemed kind and genuine, and there was something comforting about the idea of making friends with someone who used to work with Kurotsuki, she's like my senior, even.

My blush returned to my cheeks, but I managed to find my voice and answered, "Y-Yes, of course. That sounds like a great idea," I stammered, quickly pulling out my phone to exchange numbers with Yukari.

"Great, I'm looking forward to getting to know you more, Imaizumi-san," Yukari said with a warm smile, before bidding me farewell and exiting the convenience store, leaving me standing there still a little dazed by the chance encounter.

I took a moment to compose myself, then continued to browse the aisles for my dinner and some snacks. I ended up selecting some convenience store bento and a couple of sweet treats, before making my way to the cashier to pay for my purchases.

Arriving back at my apartment, the fatigue and hunger from just the walk overwhelmed me. I made my way to the kitchen, placing my bento in the microwave and setting the timer.

As I waited for my dinner to heat up, I picked up my phone and started idly browsing through the internet. Once the microwave beeped, indicating that my meal was ready, I settled down at the dining table, slowly savoring the convenience store food.

After dinner, I felt the need to relax and unwind. I ran a hot bath, letting the steam and heat soothe my tired body. Once I was done, I changed into my comfortable night clothes.

Feeling refreshed, I returned to my workspace. I settled down in my seat as the quiet hum of my PC filled my quiet bedroom.

Once I reached the desktop, I opened my usual art software for the second time today, where my artwork from earlier greeted me on the screen as I opened the saved file. It was time to continue where I left off.

I took a moment to familiarize myself with the refined sketch on my screen, tracing the lines with my eyes, before picking up my digital pen.

I carefully began to trace over the sketch, meticulously ensuring that each stroke of my pen was as precise as possible. I wanted to make sure that the line art captured the essence of the original sketch without distorting it as I could only afford little to no adjustments.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

This piece was meant for the first time I will be participating in the Hikari Monthly Artists competition, so I had to put in more effort than I usually would for my casual live stream artworks. I had to make sure that this piece was nothing short of exceptional, not just for the sake of the competition, but for myself as well.

Speaking of going live stream, earlier in the day, I had announced on my social media profile that I would be taking a short break this week to focus on this competition.

My fans were understanding, as always, sending me supportive messages and wishing me luck, but sometimes, I just can't help but feel bad for leaving my previous schedule where I would stream daily, it was exhausting, but my viewers loved it.

As I carefully traced over my sketch, drawing a solid line with controlled pen pressure, the lines were coming out crisp and clean, just the way I wanted them to. I continued to work in silence, the only sound in the room being the faint hum of my PC and the occasional soft click of my stylus against the tablet.

After a solid hour and a half of focused work, I finally finished the linework for my competition piece. The lines may have only been in black and white for now, but I could already see the colors and textures that I would later add.

As I pulled back from my PC to take in the full view of my work, my right hand throbbed with a dull ache, "O-Ouch! Not again..." I yelped in pain, I must have been gripping my stylus too tightly. I flexed my fingers, trying to alleviate the tension, and massaged my hand gently, wincing at the slight pain.

A memory suddenly flashed in my mind, an image of Keiyu doing the same thing when I had cramped my hand while working on the illustrations for Rose of Vermillion. The sudden recollection made my cheeks flush.

I miss working with him.

Shaking off the sudden wave of nostalgia, I let out a sigh. It was time to rest. I hit save on my file, making sure that my hard work was secure.

After saving my progress, I allowed my gaze to drift away from the screen, my body leaning back in my chair as I took a contented sigh. I was just about to shut down my PC and retreat to my bed when the sudden ring of my phone startled me.

Blinking in surprise, I reached over to my phone. It was a call from Keiyu. I glanced at the time displayed on the screen, noting that it was just past nine in the evening.

What could he possibly want at this hour?

I swiped to answer the call, bringing the phone up to my ear. "Hello?" I greeted.

"Ah, Imaizumi-san, good evening," Keiyu's voice answered from the other end of the line, his usual calm tone made me feel oddly relaxed. "I'm sorry for calling at this hour."

"It's alright, Kurumizawa-san," I replied with a small smile. "What can I do for you?"

There was a brief pause before Keiyu finally spoke, but when he did, his voice remained calm but he was evidently excited over something. "Kaname-san just updated me. Rose of Vermillion is currently at 4th place in the poll."

The news brought a wave of joy washing over me, and I couldn't help the wide grin that spread across my face. "T-That's great news! I hope we continue to rise in the ranks."

"I hope so too," Keiyu replied, "It's a good chance for us to continue into a full series."

"Yes, I really want to help you turn it into a series, Kurumizawa-san," I smiled.

"Speaking of chances," Keiyu's voice then shifted to a more curious one, "How's the progress on your submission for the competition going?"

"I just finished the linework actually. All that's left is to color it," I responded.

There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the line, and I could almost picture Keiyu's amused expression. "That's quite some progress, Imaizumi-san. And what are you drawing to match the theme?"

I let out a soft giggle at his question, and I replied with a teasing tone, "That's a secret~"

He sounded surprised at my response. "A secret, huh?" he asked. "Why would you keep it a secret?"

I shrugged, "I think it's best if you see it when it's submitted," I continued to tease.

Keiyu hummed understandingly on the other end. "Alright, I'm looking forward to seeing it," he said, and I could tell from his tone that he was smiling as well.

"I could say the same to you, Kurumizawa-san," I replied playfully. "How's your submission for the New Writers competition going?"

There was a brief pause before Keiyu answered, "I'm currently refining the draft. I'm at my second pass-through of editing my drafts. Once I finish with that, I'll work on the final manuscript and then I'll be done."

"Really? Wow..." I said in awe of his talent, I just couldn't help but marvel at his progress. "I-I don't really understand your work process but, I can tell that you're making fast progress."

Keiyu just chuckled at my reaction that I could practically hear the grin in his voice. "What can I say, I've been inspired lately," he said.

"What's the title going to be?" I then asked.

"Now, that's a secret." He replied with a teasing tone.

I was caught off-guard by his response, I let out a short laugh before saying, "Ah, you got me there..."

The conversation continued with a friendly back-and-forth banter, but after a few more exchanges, Keiyu's tone turned serious. "I should head out now," he told me. "I still need to pull an all-nighter to finish editing my drafts."

Immediately, I felt my brows furrow in concern, "Wait, you're planning to stay up all night?" I asked with a worried voice, "You need to rest, Kurumizawa-san, you might get sick if you push yourself too hard."

Keiyu let out a chuckle. "You're worrying like a wife, Imaizumi-san,"

His words made my cheeks heat up, but I brushed off the embarrassment, sticking to my point. "I-I am worried about you!" I retorted, albeit a bit flustered. "But I'm not your wife... okay?"

Keiyu's laughter rang through the phone, "Alright, alright," he conceded, "how about this, I'll stay up until 1 AM."

"No," I immediately disagreed, "that's too late."

"Okay, how about 12 PM?" Keiyu proposed, but I still shook my head, despite knowing that he won't be seeing it anyway.

"No, that's still too late," I countered.

Finally, he sighed, "Fine, 11 PM?" he offered.

I considered it for a moment before letting out a sigh of my own. "Alright, 11," I agreed reluctantly, "but not a minute later."

Keiyu chuckled again, "You're quite the taskmaster, Imaizumi-san."

"I just don't want you to get sick because of a bad sleep schedule," I admitted to him, hoping my concern would outweigh any teasing.

"Alright, alright, I understand," Keiyu conceded, his tone carrying a hint of warmth that made me smile. "I'll be sure to get some sleep."

"Good, make sure you do," I replied, hilariously trying to sound stern but ending up sounding more worried than anything else.

We exchanged a few more pleasantries before finally saying our goodnights. I ended the call, and as soon as I did, I couldn't help but cover my face, my cheeks were burning red hot with embarrassment.

The way Keiyu had referred to me as being "like a wife" made me feel a mix of warmth and bashfulness that I couldn't quite shake off. I rolled around in my bed, trying to suppress my flustered state.

After a few minutes of squirming, I finally managed to calm down, only to realize that I had completely forgotten to tell Keiyu one more thing.

I forgot to tell him about Yoshida-san... oh well.