Hanayoi Is Actually—!?

Sitting down in the meeting room with tea in hand, Izumi Kotomi waited for Hanayui to arrive.

"By the way, has Hanayui-sensei always been a part-time illustrator?" Kotomi couldn't help but ask.

The quality of Hanayui's illustrations was remarkable, even surpassing that of some full-time illustrators. The female characters she drew had an indescribable allure, which was one of the reasons Kotomi specifically chose her as the illustrator for her light novel.

"Yes, her primary job is running a shop, so she doesn't have much time to dedicate to drawing. That's why she only works as a part-time illustrator for Dengeki Bunko," Yukinoshita Haruno explained.

After chatting a bit more, Haruno checked her watch and said, "It's about time Hanayui-sensei should be here. I'll go meet her."

Just as Haruno finished speaking, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the door.

There was a knock—three crisp taps—before Haruno instinctively called out, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal a slightly flustered Yui Yuigahama's mother, who entered the room with an apologetic tone in her voice, "Sorry, I'm late!"

She wiped away the beads of sweat on her forehead, lifting her gaze to the room. When she spotted Izumi Kotomi, she froze in shock.

And so did Kotomi.

Wait... my illustrator is my classmate's mom?!

And... Hanayui is Yui's mom?!

For a brief moment, the two just stared at each other, both completely dumbfounded—one sitting, the other standing, wide-eyed and confused.

"Kotomi-chan?" Mrs. Yuigahama ventured, cautiously testing the waters.

"Yui's... mom?" Kotomi responded, equally unsure.

After confirming each other's identities, their internal confusion only deepened. Kotomi was utterly stunned. Her illustrator, Hanayui, was none other than the mother of her classmate, Yui Yuigahama!

Yui's mom, too, was panicking. Since she first started uploading her artwork online, she had kept her work as an illustrator a secret from her two daughters. She had thought she was keeping a good lid on things, but now she had unexpectedly bumped into one of Yui's classmates here at Dengeki Bunko!

So that's why the pen name "Izumi Kotomi" sounded so familiar!

Haruno quickly picked up on the situation and asked, "Wait, do you two know each other?"

Kotomi hesitated for a moment before nodding and replying, "Yeah, Hanayui-sensei… is my classmate's mother. We've met before."

"At a cake shop," Mrs. Yuigahama added with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Oh! So you're already acquainted!" Haruno laughed as she pulled out a chair for Mrs. Yuigahama. "No need for formal introductions then! Hanayui-sensei, take a seat. Don't just stand at the door."

After sitting down, Mrs. Yuigahama looked a little winded, catching her breath. She was dressed casually, in a simple shirt that made it hard to believe she was such a skilled illustrator. To most, she would just appear as a very attractive woman.

"I remember hearing over the phone that Izumi Kotomi-sensei was a high school student. I had assumed you'd be around the same age as my daughter, but I didn't expect… that it would be you!" Mrs. Yuigahama said, letting out a few awkward chuckles, still adjusting to the revelation.

"Yeah, I didn't expect Hanayui-sensei to be you either," Kotomi replied with a laugh, equally thrown off by the situation.

Up until now, Kotomi had kept her career as an author a secret from everyone at school, except for Megumi Kato. She never imagined she'd run into the mother of a classmate in such a setting—and that her classmate's mother would be the one illustrating her novel!

Both Kotomi and Mrs. Yuigahama had their own reasons for keeping their professional lives separate from their personal lives. But fate had a funny way of bringing their worlds together at this unexpected moment.

After a short while, they both regained their composure, smiled, and greeted each other formally.

"Nice to meet you, Izumi Kotomi-sensei. If you're alright with it, I'll be handling the illustrations for the Sword Art Online series. I look forward to working with you," Mrs. Yuigahama said, extending her hand.

"Likewise," Kotomi responded, shaking her hand. Despite the surprise, they knew they needed to focus on the task at hand.

Mrs. Yuigahama, or Hanayui, was a serious professional when it came to her work. She reached into her bag and pulled out several sheets of sketch paper, placing them on the table.

"I had the chance to read through Kotomi-sensei's descriptions of the characters and scenes yesterday. I didn't have time to complete full illustrations, but I've prepared a few rough character designs. I hope that's okay," she said apologetically.

Kotomi, who was looking over the sketches, smiled and reassured her. "No worries at all, Hanayui-sensei. I've already heard from Haruno-san about your situation, and I totally understand. Honestly, I'm impressed you managed to prepare character designs this quickly! And to be honest, I already loved your art style, which is why I chose you as the illustrator in the first place."

As Kotomi studied the rough sketches, her eyes widened in surprise. Even though they were still in the draft phase, the quality was already exceptional.

Kirito looked incredibly cool, perfectly embodying the sleek, black coat she had envisioned for him.

And Asuna… Asuna was breathtakingly beautiful, with her slender legs wrapped in white stockings, a graceful figure, and a face that combined cuteness with a fierce, determined look befitting the "Flash" and a formidable front-line player.

Hanayui had even sketched out the weapons: Kirito's Elucidator and Dark Repulser, along with Asuna's rapier, the Lambent Light.

"These weapons look amazing!" Kotomi exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

The reference illustrations Kotomi had seen before didn't include any weapons, so she had assumed that maybe Hanayui didn't specialize in drawing them.

Hearing Kotomi's enthusiastic praise, Mrs. Yuigahama chuckled, clearly pleased. "I've mostly done illustrations for school romance novels, so I've never had the opportunity to draw weapons for a commercial project before. But when it comes to weapons, I'm confident in capturing their form and texture."

Her usual mature and gentle smile now had an air of confidence and pride—a rare shift in expression that only appeared when talking about her two passions: drawing and baking.