Devilish Personality

The next day.

Under the watchful eyes of several girls, Homura managed to get in touch with Akane over the phone.

"I never expected Minamiya-sensei to call me himself." Akane's voice remained calm, not at all matching her earlier statement of being surprised.

"Kosaka-san, let's get straight to the point. Our previous agreement still stands, right?" Homura went straight to the point.

"Of course, I wouldn't joke about something this important. Besides, hasn't Izumi been well taken care of? You already let her join your circle's latest work project, after all."

"Izumi's skills are indeed impressive, and I have every reason to rely on her. Calling you today, I'm sure you already know my purpose."

"Yes, I didn't think you would contact me for any other reason. But, can we meet in person?" Akane asked.

Upon hearing that, Homura replied without hesitation.

"Of course, we should meet in person. Even if you didn't mention it, I would have brought it up. I take every work seriously, so before we collaborate, it's necessary for you to have a detailed understanding."

"Hmm... that sounds... quite exciting..."

"Don't worry, even if there's no deal between us, I believe this work will impress you."

"Though there's some information on your circle's website, it's still too little. Can I get a sneak peek at this yet another masterpiece from Another Dimension? Your fans would probably envy me~" Akane said with a mischievous tone.

It seemed like she also enjoyed spreading some salt.

As a fellow salt spreader, Homura felt a slight fondness for her, but only a slight one. If she turned out to be someone with ulterior motives, that little fondness would quickly disappear.

Homura didn't feel the need to remind her not to disclose anything. As a heavyweight in the doujin circles, Akane knew what to do and what not to do.

"Kosaka-san, you can decide the meeting place." Homura said, shifting this responsibility to her, just like he had done when meeting Ayano in the past.

"Me?"

Akane's voice held a hint of surprise for the first time.

Deciding the meeting place was the right of the party with the upper hand, and right now, it was undoubtedly Homura, so her surprise was understandable.

"Well, it's troublesome..." Homura chuckled. "Thinking about where to meet gives me a headache. If I had to arrange it myself, we might end up at a maid cafe. After all, my first meeting with my editor was arranged there."

Upon hearing that, Akane chuckled.

"That's unexpected... I've never heard of such a thing before. Well, since Minamiya-sensei says so, let's skip the maid cafe. I'll decide on the location... let me think..."

After contemplating for a while, she spoke up.

"Let's go with a place I often visit. I'll send you the name and location."

"Alright, I'll head there once you send the details."

"See you later, Minamiya-sensei."

"See you later."

Watching Homura end the call, Eriri quickly asked.

"You're meeting her so soon?"

Homura shrugged his shoulders.

"I was planning to reveal the main characters' design to her first. Isn't now a good time?"

"I heard from Machida-san that Kosaka Akane is quite a beauty..." Utaha chimed in with a meaningful tone.

Upon hearing her words, Homura froze.

'What exactly are you trying to say?' Homura thought tiredly.

"Oh? Are we talking about some kind of beauty trap here?" Elf grinned mischievously.

As soon as that remark was made, several pairs of eyes turned their attention towards them.

Seeing this, Homura was at a loss for words.

"Do you really think I will just hand off Another Dimension to someone because of their beauty?"

Everyone present wore expressions that clearly said—Of course you won't.

"That settles it then. Why are we even discussing this beauty trap nonsense? Your mind is really wild. Besides, do you really think someone with a devilish personality like Kosaka Akane would resort to a beauty trap?" Homura sighed.

Upon hearing his words, everyone looked surprised.

A devilish personality? Was that for real?

Homura turned his head to Shizuka.

"Shizuka, do you know Kosaka Akane?"

Shizuka nodded with confidence.

"Ahh, even before she found out about Homura-chan, Kosuke-chan had already investigated her thoroughly."

Her words attracted everyone's attention except for Homura's.

Even Izumi was curious. After all, while she had seen Akane a few times, she knew nothing about her.

"Calling her a devil isn't far from the truth..." Shizuka sighed. "When she sets her sights on someone, she'll stop at nothing to recruit them into her circle."

"Stop at nothing...?" Eriri murmured to herself.

"That's right." Homura chimed in. "Eriri, I told you she wanted you the most. If I hadn't intervened, you would have experienced that kind of thing from her."

"First off, she would throw a work project at you that's just impossible to resist. I mean, even the toughest artists would struggle to say no. Isn't that how I hooked all of you?

"But here's the thing, she wasn't like me. If you turned her down, she would crush you outright. With your skills back then, she could easily find a few folks in her circle who could mimic your style or just do it herself. Then, bam, they would create some artwork that looked a lot like yours, but, well, better."

"That would be a huge blow to any artist who's confident in their skills. So, after you'd been through all that and still held your ground, that's when her real game started. Want to get back at her? Sure, you totally can. It's all right there in that work project she presented earlier, a chance to prove that you're better."

"If you can't prove yourself, well then, you're just not up to the task. But if you do prove yourself... want to keep getting better? Isn't her circle the best place for that?"

After hearing Homura's explanation, Eriri was drenched in cold sweat, realizing the depths of Akane's devilish tactics.

Izumi was also taken aback.

Akane's tactics were truly frightening, not the kind to motivate you, but to humiliate you! If her circle had been growing like that all along, wouldn't it be akin to a den of devils?

"If it were the usual kind of motivation, it would be one thing, but she crushed many people directly. Quite a few have never recovered, and that's why I call her personality devilish." Homura concluded.

Eriri was now extremely grateful that she had accepted Homura's invitation to join his circle. Mashiro's subsequent joining also contributed significantly to her growth.

Comparing the two circles, it was like hell and heaven.

One side was likely filled with cutthroat competition, while the other was all about healthy competition.

It was clear which one was better.

Moreover, with the Minamiya family backing them, hardly anyone dared to cause trouble.

The more Eriri thought about it, the more satisfied she felt!

"If it were you, what would you do, Homura-kun?" Utaha suddenly asked.

Megumi's expression hardened upon hearing the question, as Utaha had finally voiced the question lingering in everyone's minds.