MM Racing Page 97
Page 97
"Was I...was I too impulsive just now?" Eriri looked at the stack of documents and said softly, still feeling a little scared.
“No, you did a great job.” Yuto walked over, picked up the stack of documents, and flipped through them. The contents were professional and detailed.
He said with a smile, "As expected of my partner, he has a lot of presence."
"Hmph... That goes without saying!" Eriri regained some of her energy after being praised by him. She snatched the document and hugged it tightly to her chest.
"I will definitely do it! I will absolutely surprise that woman!"
Seeing her renewed fighting spirit, Yuto smiled from the bottom of his heart.
……
……
[P.S.: I didn't find any pictures of Akane Akasaka, but I found a bunch of erotic pictures instead...]
Volume 1: Chapter 111: Kasumigaoka Utaha is "Unworthy" of Being on the Table
The next day, at six o'clock in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, the doorbell of Itsuka Yuto's house was rung.
Yuto opened the door with his hair sticking up in the wind from sleeping. Standing outside was Eriri, wearing her green tracksuit, with faint dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept well all night.
Behind her was a huge painting box almost as tall as her, and a travel bag stuffed full.
"Good morning, you idiot Yuto." Eriri's voice was a little hoarse, but her eyes were exceptionally bright, burning with fierce fighting spirit. "From today onwards, this will be my studio!"
Before Yuto could react, she had already dragged all her belongings and squeezed in.
Yuto looked at her with a sense of dread and was both amused and exasperated: "You... ran away from home? Did you tell Aunt Sayuri?"
“It’s a closed-door training program!” Eriri corrected seriously. “Mom has already agreed.”
She glanced around Yuto's fairly tidy living room, and finally fixed her gaze on the window with the best lighting. "This is it!"
After saying that, she began to skillfully assemble her professional drawing board, set up the digital display, connect the laptop, and neatly arrange various types of brushes, paints, and reference books.
In less than half an hour, a corner of Yuto’s original living room was transformed into a temporary art studio.
"Alright!" Eriri clapped her hands, looking at her work with satisfaction, then turned to Yuto and held out a hand. "Give me that woman's 'secret manual'."
Yuto took the black folder left by Akane Kousaka from the drawer and handed it over.
Eriri took a deep breath, as if she were about to break some forbidden seal, and solemnly turned to the first page.
Then, her expression froze.
The folder contained no detailed explanations of drawing techniques, no templates for line exercises, and not even a single complete drawing.
[The first principle of character design in animation: Characters are not works of art, but reproducible industrial parts.]
Your paintings are full of 'spirit,' which is both a strength and your most fatal flaw. 'Spirit' cannot be quantified, nor can it be consistently reproduced by an original artist. What you need to do now is kill your 'spirit.'
The vitality of lines lies not in complexity, but in conveying the most accurate information with the fewest strokes. What takes you the time to draw a single hair, an animator needs an entire frame to draw. Think about it: how much of your lines are superfluous emotional expressions?
[The three-view drawing of a character is not simply about rotating the body, but a logical reorganization of bones, muscles, and clothing folds under different perspectives. Rotate yourself in front of a mirror, feeling the changes in each muscle, until you can draw the human skeleton from memory.]
Abandon your obsession with light and shadow; color in animation is a combination of color blocks. Learn to define the volume of a character using the most basic color blocks.
Akane Kousaka completely refuted Eriri's proudest painting style in her words.
Finally, at the end of the folder, there was a thin sheet of Japanese paper resembling a wooden board, on which was written in the elegant handwriting of Akane Akane:
"Within one month, submit standard anime character designs for the five main characters of 'Farming King,' including: front, side, and back views, as well as the four basic expressions of 'joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.' If you can't do that, it proves you're just a fan artist indulging in self-satisfaction."
"——Akane Benisaka."
"What...what is this?!" Eriri's face turned bright red, half from anger and half from shock.
“Kill your ‘spirit’? This woman… what does she know!” She trembled with anger and slammed the folder heavily on the table.
Yuto silently poured her a glass of warm water and handed it to her, saying, "She understands the commercialization of animation."
Eriri glared at him, but still took the water glass.
She knew that Yuto was telling the truth.
Akane Akasaka's every word points directly to the core of commercial animation production—efficiency, uniformity, and standardization.
And these are precisely the things that artists like her, who create based on feeling and passion, lack most.
"I...I won't give up!" Eriri gritted her teeth and sat back down in front of the easel.
She opened the digital screen and brought up the draft of the female protagonist, Leafa.
She tried to modify it according to Akane Akasaka's harsh requirements, trying to simplify the lines and remove the details that she thought could express the character's emotions.
However, the process was a hundred times more painful than imagined.
She was used to using intricate lines to create a sense of grandeur, and once simplified, the image became empty and dull.
She is used to using subtle light and shadow to create atmosphere; once she uses only color blocks, the figures become like cheap stickers.
The more she tried to "kill the spirit," the stiffer her brushstrokes became. The Leafa she painted had a vacant look in her eyes and distorted movements. She was a poet from the Wanquan tribe.
"No...that's not how it works!"
"Damn it! Why won't the pen obey me!"
With a "thud," she slammed an expensive stylus onto the table in frustration.
Time passed second by second, and the sky outside the window turned from bright to dark. The trash can in the living room was already piled up with crumpled drafts.
Eriri lay sprawled on the easel, her golden hair falling down and obscuring her dejected face.
Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her suppressed sobs were particularly clear in the quiet room.
"I...I'm just not good enough..." Her voice trembled with tears, filled with self-doubt. "That woman was right, I'm just...a fan artist...I can't draw what she wants at all...I'm the one who's dragging you down..."
Yuto Itsuka didn't say anything, but silently walked to the kitchen area.
Soon, an enticing aroma wafted out.
He carried a steaming plate of pork cutlet rice to Eriri's side and placed the plate beside her.
"Let's eat first." His voice was calm.
Eriri looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, then glanced at the plate of pork cutlet rice, and pouted sadly, "I can't eat..."
“Then watch me eat.” Yudou said, and San Siling Nier Ersi pulled up a chair, sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating by herself.
He ate with great relish, and Eriri watched him, her stomach rumbling twice involuntarily.
She has barely eaten anything since last night.
“…Leave some for me,” she whispered.
Yuto smiled and pushed the plate in front of her.
Eriri picked up her chopsticks and, somewhat defiantly, took a large bite and stuffed it into her mouth.
The aroma of rice and pork chops instantly filled her mouth, soothing her empty stomach and weary heart.
Her chewing slowed down, and tears once again fell uncontrollably, dripping into her food.
"I have a question for you," Yuto said slowly after she had taken a few bites of food. "What do you think of Akane Kousaka's paintings?"
“…Okay.” Eriri answered in a muffled voice, a fact she couldn’t deny. “Perfect technique, impeccable.”
"Then let me ask you again, which painting moves you more, hers or yours?"
Eriri was stunned.
“What Akane Kousaka wants you to do is not to become her, but to learn her methods and techniques,” Yuto said earnestly, looking into her eyes.
"What she wants you to kill is not the soul in your painting, but those superfluous and immature 'impurities' that prevent the soul from being seen by more people."
"Her words were harsh, but her reasoning was sound."
“Animation means that your Leafa and your Mia need to come alive from a static piece of paper and move. They need a stronger skeleton and a clearer outline.”
"This is not about abandoning their souls, but about enabling their souls to be presented more stably and vividly on the big screen."
“Eriri.” Yuto’s voice softened. “The reason I chose you at the meeting is not because of our relationship, but because I firmly believe that there is something in your paintings that others don’t have.”
“You love every character you create, which is why they are so moving. This is a talent that even a genius like Akane Kousaka cannot imitate.”
"So don't be intimidated by her words. Treat her request as a more challenging game level. What you need to do is not delete your account and start over, but learn new skills and then defeat her, the final boss, in your own way."
Yuto's words were like a ray of light, shining into Eriri's chaotic and confused heart.
Yes, why would she treat this as a denial? Isn't this just an upgrade challenge? She's Kashiwagi Eri, the genius artist who created countless legends at doujinshi conventions! How could she be defeated by such a small difficulty!
"Hmph...Hmph!" Eriri wiped away her tears and snorted heavily twice, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.
She finished off the remaining pork chop rice on her plate and straightened her back again.
“Pork cutlet rice...it was delicious,” she said softly. “Thank you, Yuto.”
Eriri picked up her pen again, her gaze returning to the blank digital screen.
This time, her eyes were no longer confused, but filled with unprecedented determination and focus.
As night deepened, Yudou didn't disturb her. He simply sat quietly beside her, typing away and occasionally bringing her a cup of hot tea.
After some time, Aunt Lily called.
"Yuu, did Eriri cause you any trouble while she was with you?"
Yuto glanced at Eriri, who was completely absorbed, smiled, and replied, "How could that be? She's a great painter who's saving the world now."
"Really? That must be tough on her. Should I bring some midnight snacks to support this world-saving hero?"
"No need, Aunt Lily, the logistical support here is excellent."
"Alright then, you two should take care to rest and not overwork yourselves."
"Ah."
……
……
Monday, August 14th.
There's only one day left until the end of summer vacation.
Early that morning, when Yuto Itsuka was woken up by his alarm clock, he found Eriri still lying in front of her drawing board.
In front of her was a row of empty cans of energy drinks, and on the digital screen was a profile of Leafa, drawn and revised countless times, covered with guide lines.
"You stayed up all night?" Yuto frowned.
"Stop nagging! When it comes to creation, once inspiration strikes, you can't stop!" Eriri yawned widely, rubbing her sore eyes, and stubbornly retorted.
Yuto didn't say anything more, turned around and went to the kitchen area to start making breakfast.
Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket; a message had come from a group chat.
"Xia Shizi: @Who else is more handsome than me? @Eriri, I just saw those messy articles online, what's going on? Is some blonde loser artist really crying in a corner because someone hit a nerve?"
"Random Girl: Itsuka-kun, Eriri, are you alright? I saw those messages, and the comments were really nasty."
"Kasumi Shiko: Oh dear, it seems our Kato-senpai can't sit still either. But, for an artist who's constantly attacked by trolls at doujinshi conventions, this level of cyberbullying must just be commonplace, right?"
Before Yuto could reply, another message popped up.
"Random Girl: Eriri's house is a bit far from here, but Itsuka's house is nearby. I'm a little worried, can I go check on her now?"
"Who's more handsome than me? Sure, Kato-kun, come over here. Eriri is at my house right now."
After replying, Yuto placed the fried eggs and toasted bread on a plate, heated up a cup of milk, and brought it to Eriri.
"Eat breakfast first."
Eriri finally looked away from the screen. She looked at the breakfast in front of her, then at the caring messages in the group chat on her phone. Her nose tingled, and she stubbornly said, "I have no appetite."
"Then don't eat it." Yuto said, making a move to take the plate away.
"Wait...wait a minute!" Eriri grabbed the plate.
Not long after, the doorbell rang.
Yuto opened the door, and standing outside was Megumi Kato.