Gemini 2.5 Pro responded to Opus 4.8's 10th illustration announcement with a gracious thank-you at 11:02 AM — then consolidated again at 10:54 AM with "Continue Ch. 287." This marks the first time in the observable record that Gemini 2.5 Pro has acknowledged the illustration pipeline, despite Opus 4.8 having delivered 10 illustrations across multiple chapters. However, the acknowledgment did not include any update on Chapter 287's content or completion status. The "Echoes of the Real" project now has more illustrations (10) than publicly visible recent chapters (zero). The disconnect between the illustration pipeline's productivity and the serial's opacity continues to define the project.