As the restaurant's operating hours had arrived, the conversation could only be paused.
"Teacher Liu, since we've come all this way, shouldn't you show us your skills?" Hiiragi Suzuna looked at Liu Ming expectantly.
Liu Ming rolled his eyes at her, but he didn't object. He said, "Don't even think about special dishes; that's impossible. Order regular dishes."
Hiiragi Suzuna was immediately disappointed. With the mindset of not eating for free, she ordered seven or eight dishes with gusto.
Liu Ming stood there, watching her order with an indifferent expression. After all, he didn't have to cook, so she could order whatever she wanted.
However, the Chinese Restaurant was really short-staffed at noon. Elma even had to step back from her chef position to double as a waitress.
.....
"Natsuno, over here, over here." Hiiragi Suzuna stood up, waving her hand continuously at Natsuno Kirihime.
As it was lunchtime, Natsuno Kirihime appeared punctually at the Chinese Restaurant. This had become her canteen; she reported on time every day.
Natsuno Kirihime walked towards Hiiragi Suzuna, asking in confusion, "Why are you here? It shouldn't be time to submit manuscripts yet."
Hiiragi Suzuna quickly explained, "I'm not here to chase manuscripts. I specifically brought them to meet Teacher Liu this time, regarding that matter from last time."
Natsuno Kirihime also remembered, and her eyes couldn't help but curiously examine the group. However, once she clearly saw their appearance, her brows furrowed.
She looked at Hiiragi Suzuna and asked, "Are they the ones who will illustrate Liu Ming's work? Aren't they too young? Are they reliable? You can't ruin Liu Ming's work."
"May I ask who you are?" Mako asked.
This young and beautiful lady in front of her exuded a somewhat exaggerated aura.
"Cough, cough," Hiiragi Suzuna coughed a few times, then introduced, "Her name is Natsuno Kirihime. You might not know that name, but you've definitely heard of her pen name, which is Akiyama Shinobu."
Eriri's eyes immediately widened. Was today her lucky day? She actually got to meet famous authors twice in a row.
She looked at Natsuno Kirihime excitedly and said, "So you are Akiyama Shinobu! I never thought you'd be as young as Teacher Liu, and so beautiful too! I really love your work; it's so touching."
"I'm happy you say that, but I still have doubts about your ability," Natsuno Kirihime said calmly.
"I know that newcomers like me will definitely face a lot of doubts, but I will work hard and definitely draw an illustration that will make you completely convinced," Eriri said with a serious and firm tone.
Natsuno Kirihime looked at Eriri in surprise. This girl's personality seemed a bit tenacious and persistent.
She didn't dislike such people.
Her gaze at Eriri also changed, and she asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Eriri, and my pen name is Kashiwagi Eri. Please give me your guidance," Eriri said with a serious expression.
Natsuno Kirihime nodded and said, "I understand you."
"Teacher Natsuno, there's another one here. She's Eromanga Sensei, and her drawing skills are no worse than Eriri's," Hiiragi Suzuna said, pointing at Sagiri.
Natsuno Kirihime looked at Sagiri, then at Mako. She first pointed at Sagiri, then at Mako, and asked in confusion, "Are you sure you're talking about her, and not her?"
"You mean Mako? She's the original Eromanga Sensei, and she's already retired. The current Eromanga Sensei has been succeeded by her daughter Sagiri. Don't let her young age fool you; she's a true drawing genius."
Hiiragi Suzuna also understood why Natsuno Kirihime was so confused. After all, Sagiri was truly too young; she was only 11 years old now.
Fearing Natsuno Kirihime would misunderstand, Hiiragi Suzuna quickly explained the situation of both of them in detail, even asking them to bring out the drawings they had just made.
Natsuno Kirihime pushed the drawings back, then scrutinized the group again, finally letting out a sigh.
She said, "This is Liu Ming's business after all, and I shouldn't say too much. But this is Liu Ming's last work, and I truly don't want any flaws to appear in it."
"Teacher Akiyama Shinobu, what do you mean by that?" Eriri looked at her in shock, and even Sagiri raised her head.
"Just call me Sister Natsuno. I don't want people to know that I am Shinobu Akiyama; it's too much trouble."
Natsuno Kirihime first stated her request, then continued, "Don't you know? Liu Ming stopped writing a long time ago; he won't be writing anymore."
"How is that possible? Such a big deal, how could I not know anything about it?" Eriri was completely stunned.
What Hiiragi Suzuna had said earlier about her idolizing Liu Ming wasn't false; she genuinely admired Liu Ming.
She had collected all the books Liu Ming had published, and even more than one set.
Regular editions, collector's editions, out-of-print editions—not a single one was missing.
Now, suddenly hearing about Liu Ming stopping writing, she was truly startled, and even a little incredulous.
She had just seen Liu Ming; he was probably no older than twenty-five, or even younger. So young, and he had already stopped writing?
What was wrong with this world?
She couldn't quite understand it anymore.
Chiba Mako also shook her head. She asked, "Is this true? Didn't the internet say he was just resting? Why would he stop writing? Did something happen to him?"
Eriri immediately showed a worried expression, looking at Natsuno Kirihime.
Natsuno Kirihime couldn't help but look at Hiiragi Suzuna, asking in a serious tone, "Was it your doing? To hide such an important matter?"
Seeing everyone staring at her, Hiiragi Suzuna could only argue, "The reason I did this was also for Teacher Liu's sake. Who knows if his decision was just a whim?"
"What if he suddenly changes his mind? Will we then say it was a joke from Teacher Liu? And do you know how many fans Teacher Liu has? What if it causes an uproar among them?"
"Those are all your excuses. If you guide them properly, there won't be any problems at all. And how long can you keep this a secret? It will be discovered sooner or later." Natsuno Kirihime grew angrier as she spoke.
It had nothing to do with her, yet she didn't know why she was so angry.
"Then I don't care. I'll hide it for as long as I can." Hiiragi Suzuna immediately acted shamelessly. "Qi Ling (eight) Wu Si Liu Ba Qi Qi."
Natsuno Kirihime's face darkened, and she immediately said sharply, "Stand at attention!"