May 26, Saturday

I found myself standing in front of Keiyu's home right after lunch, eager to begin work. Today was the deadline for our manuscript and illustrations, and I had insisted on coming over early to ensure we finished on time.

Knocking on his front door and ringing the doorbell, I leaned towards the intercom to announce my arrival. "Kurumizawa-san, it's Imaizumi," I said.

The door soon swung open, revealing Keiyu's welcoming face. He seemed glad to see me, but his eyes looked hilariously tired, he probably pulled an all-nighter trying to work on our one-shot, "Imaizumi-san, I'm glad you could make it early," he greeted.

As I walked through his home's entryway, I asked, "Have you figured out how many illustrations I need to make?"

Keiyu nodded, "Just six. One for the cover page and five for specific scenes. All greyscale."

I responded with a firm nod, good thing I came in early. We made our way to the usual workroom, walked towards my workspace, and set my bag down.

Just as I settled in, Keiyu turned to me, "You'll be using the tablet this time, Imaizumi-san. We need the illustrations to be digital for printing."

"Okay then!" I nodded enthusiastically, finally relieved to be able to finally make good use of the drawing tablet, it's my best medium after all.

I immediately set to work, powering up the sleek laptop and adjusting the colossal drawing tablet into position. The tablet's screen was a vast expanse of glossy glass, slightly bigger than my own at home but equally impressive. I marveled at Keiyu's dedication to equip his team with such high-quality tools.

Thankfully, the workspace was surprisingly spacious, comfortably accommodating both the mammoth tablet and the laptop, alongside an array of art materials.

Once the laptop whirred to life, I was greeted by a familiar sight. My heart leaped in recognition of the icon of the art software on the desktop screen. It was the same one I used at home, a comfort in an otherwise new environment. With that, I clicked the icon and waited for it to launch.

The software opened up, and a pop-up window appeared, asking for the dimensions of the canvas I wanted to work on. I turned to Keiyu with my eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Kurumizawa-san, what size should the canvas be?" I asked.

Keiyu didn't miss a beat, "My previous illustrator made a template in there that says A6. That's the standard bunkobon format for light novels, it should be right there."

I nodded, and my eyes quickly got to scanning the list of templates. Spotting the A6, I clicked on it, and a fresh, blank canvas appeared on the screen.

"Got it," I affirmed, gently picking up the drawing pen from the pen holder and getting my hand familiarized with gripping it.

Keiyu handed me a neatly folded paper, upon which were written ideas for the illustrations. "Here you go, Imaizumi-san," he said. "This should guide you on what I'm envisioning for the illustrations."

I unfolded the paper carefully, my eyes immediately landing on the concept for the cover page. Keiyu wrote that it's supposed to be a solo shot of our one-shot's protagonist, the fiery and strong-willed Rose. The instructions were vague, almost non-existent. It seemed Keiyu was giving me complete creative freedom for this one.

My eyes then roved over the other five descriptions, each of them meticulously summarizing the scenarios for the scene illustrations. From the characters' poses to their actions, to the background and even the minute details, everything was written in a compact, easy-to-understand summary.

I can see why he's a prodigal newcomer to the industry.

I read through the list again, just to make sure I had grasped everything correctly. It was then that Keiyu broke the silence. "Just have fun with it, Imaizumi-san," he said before turning to his computer to continue writing.

I looked at him, and found myself nodding. "I will," I said as I prepared to draw the first illustration: the cover page.

I began with a rough sketch, allowing my hand to flow freely as I outlined Rose's figure. Her long hair cascaded down her back, framing her fierce eyes. I drew her adorned in armor, the intricate decorations signifying her royal rank as a princess. A delicate tiara rested on her head, while a one-handed sword was held firmly in her grasp.

After the initial sketch, I refined it once more, making sure every line was exactly where I wanted it to be. With the cleaner sketch completed, I moved on to the line art, my pen gliding smoothly across the tablet as I traced over the sketch. I knew the illustration was meant to be in greyscale, but I couldn't help but feel that this illustration of Rose deserved to be drawn with full color.

I hesitated for a moment, and then turned to Keiyu. "What's Rose's hair color and eye color?" I asked, curious to know his thoughts.

He looked confused at first, unsure why I was asking about colors when the illustration was meant to be greyscale. But after a moment, he smiled warmly and said, "It's up to you, Imaizumi-san."

With his permission, I decided to color Rose's hair a bright, fiery red, and her eyes a blazing orange. My hand moved skilfully as I began filling in the colors as if they had always belonged there.

As I continued to draw, I couldn't shake the feeling of a burning desire to impress Keiyu, to impress Kurotsuki, to show him just how much his faith in me meant.

For the next two hours, I was completely absorbed in my work, making sure I colored in her shadings perfectly and finally added in the letterings for the title.

Meanwhile, Keiyu worked diligently on polishing the final manuscript, all while his habit of mumbling silently as he wrote leaked out. Though some may find it annoying, I didn't mind it, after all, he's working really hard to make sure that the story is well written.

Once finished, I leaned back and relaxed on my chair, and examined my creation.

"Kurumizawa-san," I called out, my voice filled with excitement. "Would you come and take a look at the cover page?"

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Keiyu looked away from his work and walked over to my workspace. As his eyes scanned the illustration, I could see the surprise and admiration in his expression. "Woah, this is amazing," he commented. "You didn't have to draw her in full color, but you did, and it impressively worked."

I smiled at his compliment, "Thank you, Kurumizawa-san! I just felt like she deserved to be seen in all her vibrant glory, even if the final print will be in greyscale."

He nodded, his eyes still glued to the image of Rose, "Can't believe that you did this in a few hours. You've really brought her to life, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out."

I blushed at his continuous praise, "I-I'm glad you really liked it.

"Save a colored copy of that, then save a greyscale version of it as well. We'll print both so we can impress Kaname-san," Keiyu then instructed.

With a nod, I saved the color version and went ahead and converted the image into a greyscale version to save another copy. As I looked at the completed cover page for Rose of Vermillion, I smiled and thought to myself.

My first official illustration for Kurotsuki-sensei, I can't believe it.

After a quick breather, I got back to work, this time tackling the five scene illustrations for the one-shot. Keiyu had already reassured me that they didn't have to be as high quality as the cover page, but I still felt the need to do my best.

Yet, I also knew I needed to save time. So, I decided not to color these illustrations, instead working only in shades of grey.

I repeated my usual process for each illustration: sketch, refine the sketch, line art, and then shading. While doing that, every now and then I would glance at the note Keiyu had given me. It listed the details of each scene I needed to draw, and it was crucial that I follow these instructions to ensure the visuals aligned seamlessly with the story Keiyu wrote.

Most of the scenes centered around Rose, depicting her in various situations: locked in intense battles, sharing intimate moments with the prince of an opposing kingdom whom she was in love with, and so on. I still haven't read the final manuscript yet as Keiyu is still working on it, but even without that, just the illustrations were enough for me to be engrossed in each scene.

At times, I could feel my hand cramping up, but the sight of the evolving illustrations before me spurred me on.

As soon as I completed the last illustration, a sharp pain shot through my hand. I let out an involuntary "ouch," which immediately caught Keiyu's attention.

"Imaizumi-san, you okay?" he asked with concern in his voice as he quickly moved over to where I was sitting. "What happened?" he then asked.

I shook my hand to ease the discomfort and gave him a reassuring smile. "I-It's nothing serious, Kurumizawa-san. Just pushed too hard, I guess."

His eyes softened, and he let out a sigh of relief. I then directed him to the completed illustrations, he nodded and his face instantly lit up with awe as he went through them one by one. "Huh, these are amazing," he murmured, a hint of wonder in his voice. "They're perfect for the one-shot, good work, Imaizumi-san."

Even though his words made me blush, his next action turned my face a deeper shade of red. "Now, let me massage your hand," he then insisted.

"E-Eh?!" I hesitated at first, the thought of him holding my hand making my heart flutter. But, realizing the absurdity of my thoughts, I gave in and extended my hand.

"Seriously, you're such a hard worker, only three days in and you already got hurt," He said as he knelt before me. He gently took my hand in his, his hand was surprisingly warm and comforting.

He then began to massage my hand with his thumbs, his movements precise and soothing. I could slowly feel the tension easing away with each stroke, causing the discomfort and small pain in my hand to begin to slowly diminish.

I watched him as he worked, his golden-amber eyes were focused on my hand and his brows furrowed in concentration, perhaps to control himself and not squeeze my hand too hard. He adjusted his glasses and then looked up at me, "I'm sorry, Imaizumi-san," he apologized, "I gave you too much work."

I shook my head, dismissing his apology. "It's okay. I want you to succeed with your story, Kurumizawa-san," I said, trying to reassure him. But he didn't seem convinced.

"Your health is more important," he said seriously, his gaze never leaving mine. "It would be pointless if you get sick now, wouldn't it?"

His words left me speechless, and I could feel my cheeks warm up again, "O-Okay, I understand,"

Keiyu's hands stilled on my own, and he offered me a gentle smile before releasing my hand. But as he moved to stand up, I found myself grabbing his hand.

"Could you… do the other hand too?" I found myself asking, my face kept reddening at my boldness. Keiyu looked surprised, but then a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, his eyes searching mine for any signs of discomfort.

I shook my head, my cheeks still burning. "N-No, it doesn't... but what you did felt really comfortable. I... I would like to experience it again."

Keiyu let out another chuckle, followed by a nod, "Alright then," And just like that, he was massaging my other hand, the familiar warmth and pressure returning. I relaxed into the chair, my eyes closing instinctively.

"You're really making me do all this work for you?" Keiyu jokingly teased.

"I-I'm sorry... but just this once?" I replied, still keeping my eyes shut.

"Just kidding, you can ask me for anything," he responded back.

After what felt like minutes or maybe hours, I felt Keiyu release my hand. I opened my eyes to see him standing up, glancing at the clock. "It's past 4 PM already," he mused, "I should finish up the final pages."

As he moved away, I felt a little bit of disappointment, but I quickly understood that we still had work to do.

"Okay, thank you!" I replied with a smile on my face.

"You can take it easy for now, you've completed all our work." He said back to me.

And with that, I was officially off-duty. I remained seated, my hands resting on the table in front of me, and absentmindedly began to scroll through my phone.

The quiet hum of Keiyu's computer filled the room, and the clicking sound of both his keyboard and mouse punctuated the silence.

Not too long after, Keiyu stood up from his chair, stretching his arms and letting out a satisfied sigh. "We're officially done with the one-shot, Imaizumi-san," he announced, his voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and relief. "All that's left is to print these."

He turned to me and bowed, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose as he did. "Thank you for your hard work," he said sincerely, and I found myself returning the gesture, bowing as well.

"Y-You too, Kurumizawa-san," I replied with a smile.

With the exchange of pleasantries done, Keiyu moved to my workspace and I moved aside, watching him as he began clicking through some settings on the laptop before initiating the print command for my illustrations. The printer beside my workspace suddenly sprang to life, the sound of its gears and rollers working in harmony filling the room.

After ensuring that my illustrations were being printed correctly, Keiyu returned to his computer and began printing his manuscript as well. Another printer, this one beside his workspace, began printing as well.

As the printers continued their work, Keiyu took out an empty envelope from one of his drawers, and with a pen in hand, he carefully wrote the label: "Rose of Vermillion, final manuscripts.". After doing so, he stood beside me as we both waited for the printers to finish their job.

The printers hummed and whirred as they spat out page after page, and eventually, they fell silent as they completed their tasks. I gathered the printed illustrations, marveling at the detail and quality of each one. I handed them over to Keiyu, who was already flipping through the pages of his freshly printed manuscript, making sure everything was in order.

"Are you going to bind these all together?" I asked as I was curious about the submission process.

Keiyu shook his head. "Hikari Suisei requires authors to submit unbound final manuscripts," he explained. "It makes it easier for them to scan the pages if needed."

I nodded in understanding as Keiyu carefully went through the pages, double-checking the cover page, the order of the scene illustrations, and ensuring that everything was in its proper place. After a few moments of scrutinizing the manuscript, he looked up and gave me a nod.

With a sense of finality, Keiyu slipped the pages into the envelope he labeled earlier. He then looked at me with a determined expression and said, "All we have to do now is to give these to Kaname-san and hope for the best. Think we'll make it to the magazine?"

I nodded excitedly and answered with a smile, "Of course! It's written by you, Kurotsuki-sensei after all."

Keiyu chuckled and shook his head, "I don't think so, I think if it succeeds, it's because of you helping me out.