After I Rescued a Beautiful Woman From a Stalker, She Started Spoiling Me and Turning Me Into a No-Good Freeloader - Chapter 56 - Editor 3 [Kasui’s POV]

Chapter 56 – Editor 3 [Kasui’s POV]

[Kasui’s POV]

Today I came to a drinking party with a former colleague of mine, an editor.

It’s more like a complaint session than a drinking party.

It’s Friday, so this much is allowed, right!

“Hah~ Delicious!”

“Oh! You’re drinking quite a lot today, Kasui-san.”

“Yeah. Novelists have unique sensibilities, and it’s difficult to work with them. Some people say they can’t write at all unless they come up with an idea, while others are simply slow at writing and always miss their deadlines. I’m still in charge of only a few writers, so I can get away with this much, but even so, there are still way too many intense writers out there.”

I felt like I could finally let out what I’ve been holding back for a while, and the alcohol kept flowing.

I was originally in the department in charge of manga artists, but after three years, I was moved to a department that discovers web novelists, considering the increasing number of web novelists nowadays.

At first, I was confused, but I started to find joy in discovering new talents and dealing with such authors.

Unlike full-time writers, web novelists are often part-time and they need flexibility in terms of time.

Even if you tell them when and by what date you want them to submit their writing, there are times when they can’t comply due to conflicts with their actual work.

“Well, isn’t it the same for everyone who’s into creative work? Even in my case, there are runaways. Can you imagine that? A manga artist running away from their responsibility in this day and age?”

“Hah, running away, huh~?”

“I can understand it if they can’t come up with any ideas and miss their deadline! But abandoning work and running away from home when they’re already an adult? Seriously?!”

“Hah~ It seems you have it rough too~”

“That’s right! We’re not here to take care of children!”

This woman is a colleague of mine who I worked with before I changed departments.

It was tough when we were both rookies.

However, because we were working hard in our respective fields, we were able to come to a mutual understanding.

“Hmm?”

I noticed a notification on my smartphone and checked my email.

There, I received an email from String-san asking for confirmation.

String-san is a newcomer illustrator, but he is over 30 years old. Although he has the vibe of an old man, he has that baby face that makes you want to take care of him.

“Huh?”

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Kasui-san?”

“Sigh~”

I read what was sent to me.

Thank you for your hard work. This is String.

There are a few things I’d like to confirm, so I’m sending you an email.

For the maid outfit to be included in the illustrations, I was imagining a maid outfit with a long skirt from medieval Europe, something neat and tidy. Was it different from what you had in mind?

Also, will there be a character resembling a demon or devil in the story? If so, I’d like detailed information about the character. I apologize for bothering you while you’re busy, but please check and confirm.

There were files attached too.

I tilted my head to see what String-san had sent me and looked at the attached file.

Attached were photos of Korisho-sensei cosplaying in a lewd little devil costume, and a maid outfit with an extremely short skirt and the chest area bared open.

Eehh?!! Why does String-san have these photos?

……

Suddenly sober, I spun my head around and checked the email I had sent before.

I looked back at the collection of materials that Korisho-sensei had sent me.

I thought I had looked through everything thoroughly, but on the very last page, right at the very end…

I hadn’t noticed the blank space for one page.

There were 2 photos there.

Korisho-sensei had sent it through me.

Of course, this was bound to create misunderstandings with String-san.

But why did Korisho-sensei send such photos? If she wanted to use this kind of maid outfit, she should have consulted me first.

And what’s with the devil costume? Did anything like that appear in the story?

“What? You’re making such a serious face. Did you manage to get yourself a boyfriend? Is he telling you to come home?”

My friend who didn’t understand the situation made fun of me, but to be honest, I don’t have the patience to deal with her.

“No, it’s a work-related matter…”

“Ah, that’s what it is…”

This is a common occurrence among editors.

She can understand when there’s a problem.

“It’s not something I can solve today, so I’ll just send one email. Sorry about this.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. Hang in there!”

I emailed String-san that I’d be confirming his question, so I asked him to wait a little while.

However, what should I ask Korisho-sensei? Should I simply ask if this is part of the reference files? Or should I ask about her intention behind sending it?

I regret that I overlooked it.

No, Sensei might have intentionally hidden it, so I should have noticed it and asked her about it.

I quickly checked the materials and pretended to have just noticed the images, then asked if they were references for the characters’ designs.

However, I didn’t receive a reply from Korisho-sensei that day.

The drinking party ended with me feeling uneasy.