Why mess around with something else?
If you have weird ideas, save them for when you have more time.
"You're so egoistic!"
Never mind.
Though there were many things he wanted to criticize, at least this time her procrastination didn't kick in.
The painful memories of frantically rushing to finish the manuscript in the final month made his stomach churn just thinking about it.
"Heh, who's so egoistic just now?"
The girl, who had just been looking all pitiful, now glared at him like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
She pushed against his forehead with a disgusted look, trying to act tough, but her strength was so weak it posed no threat.
"Who else but you?" Akifumi rolled his eyes, teasing her.
"Are you sure you want me to list all the mistakes you've made recently because of your ego?"
"Ugh!"
Eriri let out a pitiful sound, and although she felt a strong sense of fear, she still braced herself and said, "Say it!"
"Fine, when you're all decayed in a few hundred years, your mouth will still be as stubborn."
Eriri snapped back, "Nonsense, it's soft!"
"Hmm?"
"What are you looking at, you've touch it before!"
Eriri glared at him, and within a few seconds, her face was a fiery red.?
In such a situation, she still managed to stir up a strange sense of competition.
Akifumi had a subtle look in his eyes, then smiled wickedly.
"Now that you mention it, we never got to fully experience last time, and you ran off."
When Eriri saw him getting closer, her heart skipped a beat, and an ominous feeling surged in her.
She stuttered, "W-What are you doing!?"
Akifumi paused for a moment, then honestly nodded, "What do you think?"
What?
What does that mean?
Eriri blinked in confusion, quickly reacting as she realized what he meant.
Her already blushing cheeks turned even redder, embarrassed and furious, but also slightly scared.
Though she didn't dislike him, the situation wasn't anything like she imagined!
At least...
"At least, we should move to another place!"
But Akifumi didn't give her a chance to speak, sealing her lips with his.
"Mmgh!"
Eriri let out a small cry.
This time, there was no escape, and she froze for a moment, her mind going blank...
10 minutes later.
Looking at Eriri, who was lying on the couch with a dazed expression, like someone who just pleasure themself, Akifumi felt his little brother got hard.
But, with his strong willpower, he managed to suppress it.
Though he knew she wouldn't resist anything at this point, he wanted to make her first time a good experience.
This casual approach wasn't his style.
"Fine, I take it back. Eriri's lips are definitely soft!"
Eriri, who hadn't fully recovered, could only weakly glare at him with all her might.
After a while, Eriri, regaining some energy, muttered, "You're just bullying me!"
Akifumi shrugged innocently, "Aren't you the one who asked me, 'What are you going to do?'"
She shot him a huge eye roll.
Do you really have no idea what that means?
Akifumi didn't mind her glare.
It's not like he would lose anything, and if she was happy, that's what mattered.
"Let's talk about the Summer CM."
Akifumi said, "The stuff you showed me earlier? Just keep it for yourself."
"You mean start over?" Eriri frowned.
"Well, what else is there?"
Akifumi shrugged. "Don't you think it's harder to fix something like this than to just start over from scratch?"
"Or do you already know how the plot should go?"
Eriri was at a loss for words, but then she stubbornly said, "But there's only a month and a half left until the Summer CM!"
The Summer CM takes place from the second Friday of August to Sunday.
It was now the middle of June, so there was actually a little more than a month and a half.
"You've done the last-minute rush before."
Eriri was speechless.
After thinking for a moment, she hesitated and said, "Then let's start over, I guess."
"But doesn't that mean we need to think about what to draw?"
"It's not like we're drawing a manga. You don't need to overthink it."
Eriri countered, "Even if it's just a doujin, story is also a important!"
"So after all these years, do you think you've improved and can write a new story?"
"..."
Eriri angrily muttered, "Can't you say something nice for me just once?"
"Lies don't hurt, but the truth is a sharp knife."
Akifumi said bluntly, "The truth is, after all these years, you still haven't made any progress in your storytelling."
"Instead of relying on 'experience' that you don't even have, why not try depending on me for a change?"
"Depend on you?"
Eriri looked at him with suspicion, and Akifumi casually replied,
"Well, I do know a few people in the manga industry."
"You know the person who drew Madoka Magica, right?"
"Of course!"
After the Madoka Magica volume came out, Eriri had bought a copy immediately and became a huge fan of "The Warrior of Love and Hope."
Although it was violent, the fresh path it depicted shocked her!
Thinking of something, Eriri looked at him suspiciously, "You don't mean you actually know the author, do you?"
"I do, actually."
"Huh?" Eriri laughed.
"I'll introduce you to him next time."
"Really?"
Eriri instantly believed him.
Akifumi wasn't the type to joke about such things.
"When?"
Seeing how excited Eriri was, Akifumi smiled, "When you finish your Summer CM work, I'll tell you."
"It's a deal!"
Eriri exclaimed, then jumped up from the couch.
"What are you doing?"
"Going back to draw!"
"Wait."
"Mm!?" Eriri didn't understand, and once again, the room was filled with her pitiful cry.
[042] The Stunned Mihari!
Friday, after school.
At a caf near Shueisha.
Akifumi Mugiho and Otosuna Mihari sat across from each other.
"This week, Madoka Magica started serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump," Akifumi began.
"The reader survey results show that it's currently in the top three rankings!"
Reader surveys have always been a tradition at Shueisha.
By looking at the feedback forms sent in by readers, you can clearly see which works are popular and which are not. Of course, this is a bit of an oversimplification.
Take To Love ru for instance.
Many male readers love it, but because it's too risqu, they wouldn't want anyone to know it's one of their top picks.
Or consider Medaka Box, The Strongest President, Kurokami by Nishio Ishin, which has always ranked low, but its volumes sell well.
This happens because Nishio Ishin has a strong fanbase, but they don't often buy Weekly Shonen Jump.
Back to the topic.
Akifumi thought about the plot of Madoka Magica's first chapter.
It has some subtle hints about Akemi Homura going back in time, but without knowing the full plot, it doesn't really stand out from a typical magical girl story.
For a magazine primarily focused on boys' manga, the magical girl genre wouldn't usually be well-received.
Yet, the feedback from readers was great.
The only explanation for this is simple:
These readers must have already bought the manga volumes and know the upcoming storylines!
"I didn't expect that the editor, Otosuna-san, would be the kind of person who cares about this stuff," Akifumi teased.
Mihari Otosuna shrugged helplessly. "What do you think adults work hard for?!"
No matter how passionate you are, without proper rewards, that passion gets drained.
For a mature adult, the only thing that can move you is the paycheck.
"A top three ranking means you got a bonus at the end of the month, and I'm counting on you for it."
With that, Mihari gave Akifumi a pitiful look.
"I think you should rely more on the readers," Akifumi responded.
"By the way, as a perk, the author also gets a bonus!"
"And it's much higher than what we editors get!"
Mihari looked at him enviously.
Akifumi nodded seriously.
"I'll encourage the fans to vote for Madoka Magica more!"
What a change of heart!
Mihari almost rolled her eyes at how fickle Akifumi was, but since she too would benefit form it, she let it slide.
"Hold on,"
Mihari Otosuna suddenly realized, "Aren't you still lacking an official SNS account?"
Akifumi shot him a big eye-roll.
"Are you the editor, or am I? You should've thought of this yourself."
Though annoyed, Mihari couldn't deny that he was in the wrong.
"Sorry, I'll help you apply for one when we get back."
Akifumi gave her a look that said, "You've finally grown up, I felt so lonely now."
Don't be mad, don't be mad! Mihari breathed in deeply and tried to calm herself.
"Madoka Magica's sales are dropping this week, but breaking 100,000 copies sales should be no problem," Mihari Otosuna added.
"Second-week sales drop? That's normal. Don't worry." Akifumi said.
"But 100,000 copies sales sure is impressive."
Mihari nodded instinctively before realizing, wait, wasn't this supposed to be MY line?
Then she thought, "Wait a minute. This boy work is doing so well, and she's getting more salary and bonuses."
So that makes him my boss, and Shueisha is just the middleman paying the salary!
'Of course, I'm still the editor' she told herself, feeling a little better about it.
After discussing the latest situation, Mihari asked with a serious look, "So, Akifumi-sensei, what did you ask to meet about today?"
"Don't worry, it's not a big deal."
Akifumi waved his hand, signaling him to relax.
"I finished Madoka Magica already. I'm here to give you the next batch of pages."
"You finished it?" Mihari blinked.
"Actually, you didn't have to work so hard."
"The last batch of pages you gave me will last for quite a while."
For example, the volume that's already out has 12 chapters, which is enough for over two months!
"You could afford to slack off a little, no problem."
"True, but I'm not drawing Madoka Magica anymore."
Sure enough.
Mihari put a hand to her forehead, realizing this guy was a "problem child."
But fixing these issues was part of her job as the editor!
She clenched her fist and took a deep breath, ready to defend her editor honor.
With a big smile, she meekly asked, "Did something happen at home, Akifumi-sensei?"
"If you need anything, feel free to let me know. The company is more than happy to help!"
Akifumi stared at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"I'll be blunt."
Mihari Otosuna said seriously, "With Madoka Magica doing so well, why are you choosing to end it?"
"End it? When did I say that?"
Mihari Otosuna was disappointed, "But you just said you wouldn't be drawing Madoka Magica anymore!"
"I've finished it. Why would I draw more?"
"So you've finished it"
Mihari sighed in relief, but then her eyes went wide in shock.
"You finished it!?"
She gasped loudly enough to attract the attention of everyone around them.
Mihari didn't care.
"You mean the pages you gave me aren't just for the next issue, but for the entire Madoka Magica series until the end?"
"That's right."
"Huh?"
She couldn't process it.
How fast could this guy work?!
It's almost as if his creative speed is like an electric motor!
But wait...
No way, even with how fast he works, a long series can't possibly be finished this quickly.
Unless
"How many more volumes will there be for Madoka Magica?" she asked cautiously.
"One," Akifumi replied.
As expected!!
Mihari Otosuna couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
"Akifumi-sensei, Madoka Magica has so much potential. You don't have to end it so soon."
"Once I've finished telling the story I wanted to, it's time to end it."
"Don't you think it's a waste?"
"Next time, you might not be able to come up with a hit like this, and getting another serialization opportunity isn't guaranteed."
"Also, creating a new story is no easy feat."
"If you're worried about that, there's no need to be."
"Actually, I've already started the next story. I've finished the first part of it."
"Huh?"
Mihari sat there in shock, unable to process it.
Did I hear that right?
If not when did drawing manga and creating story get so easy!?
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally Just a heads-up, there will be advanced chapters available there! and Thanks so much for reading!
[043] [30 PS] New Work: "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day"!
After bidding farewell to Akifumi Mugiho, Otosuna Mihari didn't even remember how she made her way back to the office.
"Does this world really have such monsters talent?"
"Or is he just messing with me using his old work?"
These two thoughts kept swirling in her mind.
She barely managed to greet the colleagues who spoke to her along the way, eventually making it back to her desk.
"Overthinking won't change anything."
"Anyway, let's just take a look first."
With the two works in hand, Mihari didn't hesitate for a second and chose Madoka Magica.
If she were to just go along with things, she would never agree to let it end like this!!
This was for that annoying guy, and also for herself!
At the end of the first volume, Kyubey true identity was revealed a little.
Though it looked like a cute pet on the outside, its corrupted form was truly evil, sending chills down the spine!
Many people who had first seen it thought it was adorable, but now, they wished they could travel back in time and slap their past selves for ever thinking that.
Mihari was no exception.
Of course, from an editor's perspective, she had to admit that the character was perfectly crafted.
It was designed to seem so cute before its true nature was revealed, and when the truth came out, it was so sinister, it made you feel pure hatred from the heart!
It was the kind of hatred that wouldn't be soothed even after hundreds of attempts to destroy it!
The seamless transition between these two faces in one characterthis skill alone would leave countless new creators in awe!
At the same time, in the final chapter, some truth about the magical girls was also exposed.
The real magical girl had already 'died' the moment they became one!
Their body turned into a puppet, only moving but unable to feel pain.
The true self, the soul, was transformed into a 'Soul Gem'!
If the distance between the body and the Soul Gem became too large, they would lose contact.
