coobybook Chapter 31 Pen Names Xia Xue and Xia Zhou
Chapter 31 Pen Names Xia Xue and Xia Zhou
After finishing his meal at Isshiki's house, Natsumi said goodbye and left.
His counseling work has come to an end.
Mrs. Isshiki gave him his wages before he left; it wasn't much, but it wasn't a small amount either.
Xia Sheng no longer cared about the salary; compared to that amount of money, he was more satisfied with his acquaintance with Isshiki Iroha.
If all goes well, Isshiki Iroha will become his junior.
Just the thought of meeting her at school and hearing her call me "senior" in such a sweet, almost sickeningly sweet way would be a dream come true.
Back home, Xia Sheng took a shower, lay refreshed on the bed, and turned on his phone.
Today, only Yui Yuigahama contacted him.
She was confirming the authenticity of last night's events with Xia Sheng.
After all, she had been thinking about that place for a while, and it was possible that she might dream about it.
Natsumi, needing to focus on tutoring Iroha Isshiki, gave her a brief reply.
As a result, she sent a whole bunch of messages and emojis, all of them puppies.
Xia Sheng didn't reply with a single word.
Yukino Yukinoshita remained completely silent, not even asking what happened last night or whether the situation was different from before.
Perhaps she drew that conclusion from Xia Sheng's lack of contact.
After all, if the situation were different, Xia Sheng would naturally take the initiative to tell her.
Even without much contact, Xia Sheng had already been thoroughly figured out by her.
Xia Sheng opened the chat interface with the black cat and took the initiative to send a message.
Savior: [Are you there?]
Black Cat replied immediately.
Black Cat: [Teacher Xia, what's up?]
Savior: [How's the novel going?]
Black Cat: [This...]
Savior: [Just speak frankly, don't hide anything from me.]
Black Cat: [I'm very sorry! I haven't been able to contact the illustrator yet.]
Just as I expected... Xia Sheng had already guessed it.
If I had contacted the illustrator, I would have already asked for his suggestions on the character design. No matter how slow it is, the first draft of the character design should be finished in the next few days.
Savior: [Is it because there aren't any suitable illustrators?]
Black Cat: [No, it's because of my own problems. I'm so sorry! I've let my teacher down!]
Savior: [It's nothing, a minor issue.]
Black Cat: [A minor issue?]
Savior: [I have a suggestion, how about I become the illustrator for my novel?]
Black Cat: [Huh?]
Savior: [Don't you believe me?]
Black Cat: [N-No! It's just that the teacher wants to draw illustrations for her own novel... Really?]
Savior: [Enough talk. How about I draw a few character designs for you to see? If you don't like them, then just pretend I didn't say anything.]
Black Cat: [I understand...]
In the bedroom of a studio apartment, the black cat leaned against the bed, sat on the carpet, and lay on the low table, its gaze fixed on the chat interface on the laptop, somewhat lost in thought.
The teacher actually wants to draw his own illustrations!
She couldn't imagine it.
Because Xia Sheng is just a high school student, and his novels are already so excellent, if he can also draw, what kind of genius would he be?
Black Cat had never seen or heard of such a person in the world of novels.
This reminded her of what Xia Sheng had said to her when he first found her—that he had something he wanted to write.
The teacher really just wanted to write stories.
Only someone who wants to write a story would be so responsible for their story.
After all, writing novels and drawing illustrations at the same time is too mentally and physically exhausting.
Black Cat couldn't help but feel excited, hoping that Xia Sheng would surprise and amaze her.
Moreover, she was at her wit's end.
Because of his lack of achievements, Black Cat didn't have many connections and didn't know many illustrators.
Several illustrators I knew rejected me.
Illustrators aren't just thinking about getting paid; they also want to become famous through the novels they illustrate.
And for novels that aren't popular, the illustrations won't get many views either.
Nobody wants their painstakingly created work to go unnoticed.
Black Cat was starting to doubt whether he was suited to be an editor; he wasn't good at writing novels, and he wasn't good at editing either.
Is she really still suited for this industry?
Black Cat had doubted herself more than once, but for some reason, she just kept going.
She wasn't sure what she was holding on to, but she just didn't want to give up like this.
Black Cat continued her daily suspicions until late at night, when Xia Sheng sent her another message.
These are several drawings.
She froze the moment she clicked on it.
She felt as if the characters from the novel had actually appeared in front of her.
Black Cat had read Xia Sheng's novels several times and was already familiar with the characters' appearances. When she saw these illustrations, she was certain that these were the characters from the novel!
She hadn't carefully imagined the character's appearance, but now, the character had come to life.
A beautiful and charming water goddess, a petite and adorable magician, a dignified and solemn female knight... the three female protagonists are vividly portrayed.
These are them.
Black Cat immediately replied to Xia Sheng: [Teacher, that's amazing!]
Teacher Natsuo: [Really? Then is that alright? I'll be the illustrator?]
Black Cat: [Of course, no problem! No one is more suitable than the teacher to illustrate your novel.]
Teacher Xia Sheng: [Then it's decided. I should be able to get the illustrator's salary too, right?]
Black Cat: [Of course!]
Teacher Xia Sheng: [Can you wait a week? I'll give you the illustration next weekend.]
Xia Sheng only drew character designs; the illustrations are specific scenes drawn based on the plot, which still need to be conceived.
Black Cat: [Only a week? That fast?]
Teacher Xia Sheng: [It's alright. After all, it's a novel I wrote myself, so I naturally know what to draw.]
Black Cat: [As expected of the teacher...]
Teacher Xia Sheng: [That's all for now, goodnight.]
Black Cat: [Wait a minute, teacher, you still haven't told me your pen name, for novels and illustrations.]
Teacher Xia Sheng: [The novel's pen name is Xia Xue, and the illustrator's pen name will be Xia Zhou.]
Black Cat: [I understand.]
Black Cat waited on the chat screen for a while, but after not receiving a reply from Natsumi, he couldn't help but start reading the first volume of "Konosuba".
With specific character designs, the images of the characters seem to appear directly in one's mind; their every move, every frown, appears in one's mind.
The teacher's novel is really well written; it's incredibly interesting.
As the black cat watched, it couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
I wish she could write such interesting novels.
......
Nothing happened that night.
The next day, when Xia Sheng woke up, he stretched in bed.
I used up a lot of energy drawing yesterday.
He reached for his phone, checked the time, and it was exactly six o'clock.
Unlock the screen, open LINE, and the interface is still showing the chat with the black cat.
His gaze fell on the two names in the last message he sent to the black cat—Xia Xue and Xia Zhou.
It wasn't that he was having impure thoughts, but rather for a very simple reason.
The novelist chose the pen name Natsuyuki because he acquired the ability to write when he went to that place with Yukino Yukinoshita.
For the same reason, the illustrator chose the pen name Natsuyuki because she acquired the ability to draw while Shiina Mahiru was still alive.
The two of them probably wouldn't notice this, and besides, they don't read light novels... wait, Yukino Yukinoshita has already read them.
They probably... won't realize anything, right?
Natsumi wasn't entirely sure either; Yukino Yukinoshita's little head was a bit too clever for her liking.
But it's no big deal if they find out. Since he decided to use this pen name, he's naturally not afraid of being discovered.