I've Already Seen Through My Sister's Tactics

Gu Xue's current state was actually a little strange.

Back on Earth, Gu Xue had experience and ability, but she hadn't been especially fast at drawing. After all, the planning stage took quite a bit of time. But maybe it was because she'd changed genders—whatever the reason, ideas now poured into Gu Xue's mind as she drew. All she had to do was sketch the crystal-clear actions she pictured in her head with a pencil, and she could do it incredibly fast.

Gu Xue had gotten stronger without going bald.

She didn't know why she'd become like this. She decided it was compensation from this world, and since she couldn't figure it out, she accepted it without a second thought. It wasn't a bad thing, anyway.

Time passed.

Before long, it was midnight.

Gu Xue was so focused that she didn't notice anything happening around her, including the fact that Mihara Chisa was standing beside her, holding a computer tower.

It wasn't until she looked up to sharpen her pencil with the electric sharpener that she caught sight of Mihara Chisa out of the corner of her eye. She stood right beside Gu Xue, her face expressionless.

"You could've said something," Gu Xue said. She glanced at the computer tower by Mihara Chisa's feet, amused. She had no idea when Mihara Chisa had come to stand beside her.

"Stand up." Mihara Chisa didn't waste a word.

Gu Xue stood up and hesitated. "Want me to help?"

"Move." Mihara Chisa lifted the tower with some effort and plugged in the various cables. She glanced at Gu Xue, who was standing to the side, hesitated for a moment, then said, "I still have to bring the monitor over. There's a convenience store downstairs, and there's a vending machine in the lounge by the stairs."

Am I in the way...?

Gu Xue scratched her cheek. That was what she thought, but she knew Mihara Chisa didn't mean it that way.

She was finally sure that Mihara Chisa really was a kind person, even if she was a little awkward about it.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Xue slipped away to the lounge by the stairs. She looked at the drinks in the vending machine, deliberately bought two cans of coffee, then hurried back.

Mihara Chisa had already brought over the monitor and was bent over, connecting all the cables.

Gu Xue crept closer, picked up the cold can of coffee, and quietly pressed it against Mihara Chisa's cheek.

"Eek..." Mihara Chisa let out an adorable squeak and jolted. Her shoulders shook, and she abruptly straightened up.

"What are you doing?" Mihara Chisa glared at Gu Xue, looking annoyed. At last, her face wasn't expressionless.

She's flustered! She's flustered! She's finally flustered!

Gu Xue's eyes lit up. If she had to put her feelings into words, it would be like little "affection +1" messages popping up over her head...

"Here. Thanks." Gu Xue paid no mind to Mihara Chisa's question. A smile that could heal the soul spread across her face as she held out the coffee can.

"...Please don't do that again."

Mihara Chisa was silent for a moment, seemingly conflicted. In the end, though, she accepted the coffee and admonished Gu Xue. Then she changed the subject and asked, "How much was it? I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about the money." Gu Xue set her own coffee on the desk, pulled out a chair, and sat back down. "If you could, just go easy on me and don't push me too hard. I'm creating something, not laying bricks..."

"Impossible." Before Gu Xue could finish, Mihara Chisa rejected her without hesitation. She glanced at the coffee in her hand, then put it back on Gu Xue's worktable.

"Is fair exchange really all you ever think about?" Gu Xue couldn't help laughing. She picked up the coffee and put it back in Mihara Chisa's hand. "I'm kidding. Do things your way. Think of the coffee as my thanks for bringing my computer over."

Mihara Chisa: "..."

She still seemed to be struggling with the decision, so Gu Xue smiled and wheeled her chair around, leaving her to it.

People with awkward personalities were such a handful. She'd chat with Mihara Chisa another time, when she had the chance. Right now, work was more important. If she failed to finish on time, Mihara Chisa wouldn't be the only one who wouldn't let her off the hook—Gu Xue wouldn't forgive herself, either.

By the time Gu Xue put her headphones back on, Mihara Chisa had left with the can of coffee.

Gu Xue started drawing again and finally finished the key animation for one cut a little after one in the morning.

Honestly, even drawing a scene of everyday acting could be pretty difficult. When drawing, the audience didn't need to see every detail of something they'd never seen before. For example, if characters were flying around in the air and throwing punches, no one had actually fought while flying around in the air, so nobody would notice if their bodies occasionally looked a little off. But everyday scenes were different. The audience experienced them almost every day, so even the slightest oddity stood out. That made them pretty difficult to draw well, too.

Gu Xue could draw scenes with the attitude of "I just need to look cool as hell. Forget perspective and proper anatomy." But that wouldn't fit the overall style of the project, so she had to let the idea go. Maybe she could try it when she was drawing a fight scene.

After putting away the key animation for the first cut and recording the time on the Dope Sheet, Gu Xue checked the clock. She hesitated, but still didn't take it to Mihara Chisa right away.

Mihara Chisa had insisted that Gu Xue give her the first cut as soon as it was done. But Gu Xue didn't know whether Mihara Chisa had gone home, and even if she hadn't, Gu Xue figured that Hiroshi Misawa, the director, had probably gone home too. There was no need to rush.

She put the finished key animation and L/O in the Dope Sheet and set it aside, then continued drawing the next cut.

She'd gotten a little absorbed in her work—not that much, really—and by the time she looked up again, it was already past four in the morning.

Shoot. Gu Xue quickly took out her phone and woke the screen. As expected, her older sister had sent her a message, and the wording was extremely stern.

Gu Xue didn't know how her sister had found out she hadn't gone home at this hour, when she should've been asleep, but she dutifully sent a message explaining.

The initial fear of "Am I really her little sister?" had already faded. Gu Xue wasn't all that opposed to dealing with Gu Rou anymore. For the first time, she was getting a taste of what it meant to have someone in her family care about her, even if it could be a little annoying at times...

As soon as Gu Xue sent her message, Gu Rou replied. The entire screen was filled with the words "come home."

Their family situation was a little complicated, which meant Gu Rou tended to be somewhat overprotective of Gu Xue. Sorting through the memories had given Gu Xue a headache, too. She glanced at the scene she'd finished halfway through, hesitated, and, considering the time, told a little white lie.

"It's already past four, and it's pretty dangerous to go home alone. I'm a little scared too, so I'll go back in the morning. Don't worry. I won't stay out this late next time."

She tapped send.

Then she put down her phone and went back to her glorious all-nighter.

Gu Xue wasn't actually scared. The trains had stopped running, so she'd have a long walk ahead of her, but this was the city, and it was still quite safe. If all she ran into were ordinary thugs, she could easily rub their faces in the dirt...

She just didn't want to be forced to stop halfway through a drawing. That would really suck. When she picked it up again the next day, she'd have to find her rhythm and get back in the zone. It was much more efficient to finish it all in one night.

As for whether this would happen again, she'd deal with it next time.

After all, as long as she told her sister something self-righteous like, "What's the difference between not working and being a lazy bum? I want to support myself," Gu Rou would usually give in.

I've already seen through my sister's tactics.

That was probably how Gu Xue felt right now.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Time passed slowly.

After sending the message, Gu Rou didn't reply again. Gu Xue took that to mean she'd agreed, and continued drawing.

It took her half an hour to finish the rest of the key animation for the scene.

Gu Xue put away the key animation and stood up to stretch. Just as she was about to check the time and draw a little more, Gu Rou called.

She answered the phone nervously.

Gu Rou wasn't very angry. She simply said softly, "I'm downstairs from your company."

Five minutes later.

Gu Xue got into the car and complained as she buckled her seat belt, "I've heard of parents dragging their kids home from internet cafés, but I've never heard of anyone being dragged home from work."

Gu Rou was wearing pajamas. It was obvious she'd gotten out of bed and driven over to pick Gu Xue up right away, without worrying about the hassle. She rubbed Gu Xue's head. "Aren't you scared?"

If I say I want to make my own anime, will you buy the company?

Gu Xue grumbled to herself. She said it as a joke, but she was actually pretty touched.

Still... Gu Xue propped her chin on her hand and looked out the window. Suddenly, she wasn't very confident about the work she still had to do.