Unfortunately, Eriri had jumped to conclusions a little too quickly.
"Warrior of Love and Hope...?" Shiina blinked, puzzled.
"Is that some kind of codename? It sounds odd."
Akifumi's lips twitched.
Yeah, yeah, i know the name was a bit strangethanks for pointing that out.
"No, it's not like that," Eriri explained.
"They're a rookie manga artist I really admire!"
"Oh..." Shiina nodded blankly, still not quite understanding.
Eriri pouted, dissatisfied with Shiina's tepid reaction.
Before she could gush about the artist's greatness, Akifumi led them into his room.
"Wait here for a second," he said.
[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 new advanced chapters every week in there! And thank you so much for reading!
[064] The Truth Finally Revealed!!
Eriri refrained from continuing the conversation and plopped onto the bed.
'Childhood friends, huh?' Shiina observed with a hint of envy.
It wasn't that she envied Eriri's carefree attitude about entering a guy's roomrather, it was the effortless and unguarded relationship they shared.
Eriri misunderstood Shiina's expression and assumed she was shy.
"Why are you staring at me? Come sit too!" she said warmly.
"Thanks."
Shiina smiled politely and sat beside her.
Her eyes wandered around the room, taking in the layout.
It had three main areas: the bed they were sitting on, a desk near the window, and the bookshelf where Akifumi stood.
The shelf was split into two sections: one filled with light novels and manga, and the other displaying various figurines.
Although the display was mostly full, it was still far from reaching the value of a "one-wall, one-apartment" kind of collection.
But Shiina wasn't paying attention to those details.
"Akifumi-kun room is surprisingly clean and tidy!"
The girl's natural desire to care for others kicked in.
Before Shiina could dwell on it, Akifumi returned with over ten sheets of manuscript paper in hand and sat down.
"What's this?"
Eriri took the stack, her eyes curious.
As she scanned the pages, her expression lit up.
"You've started drawing manga?!"
Shiina peeked at a few pages, intrigued.
"So this is manga? Using illustrations and dialogue to tell a story?"
"This is your work, Akifumi-kun? It's amazing!"
Though impressed, Shiina, being a manga outsider, chose to remain silent and simply listen.
Eriri's reaction, however, confused Akifumi.
The manuscript was for the third chapter of Anohana, a story any fan would recognize.
Waitdid this mean...
"You've never read it?" he asked, bewildered.
"Read what? This?"
Eriri rolled her eyes.
"You just showed it to me today! Of course, I haven't read it yet."
"You've really been dedicating yourself to drawing lately, huh?"
Had she been so focused on creating that she'd missed all the latest news online?
Knowing Eriri's personality, there was no way she would overlook her idol's latest work unless she'd been completely absorbed in her own project.
"Eh, eh."
"Wait, what?"
"Not only is Akifumi drawing manga, but Eriri is too?!"
Shiina eyes widened in disbelief, her gaze darting between the two.
Eriri tossed her hair proudly.
"Of course!"
Not that anyone was praising you, dummy!
Akifumi sighed, got up, and pulled a fresh issue of Weekly Shonen Jump from the bookshelf, handing it over.
"You actually got the latest issue?" Eriri's eyes sparkled with surprise.
"I went all over town after school and couldn't find it anywhere! Everyone kept saying it was sold out!" she grumbled.
"It's not even a new volume; why's it selling out so fast?"
"Here," Akifumi said casually.
Eriri snatched the magazine eagerly but froze midway.
"Wait a secondweren't you going to introduce me to that author? Why are we reading manga now!?"
At least she remembered her original goal.
Akifumi gave her a deadpan look.
"You're the only one who forgot."
"Flip to page 158."
"Huh? How's that gonna introduce me to an editor?" she muttered but obediently turned to the page.
What she saw made her jaw drop.
Mahiru blinked in confusion. "Hey... aren't these characters just like the ones from the sketches Akifumi showed us earlier?"
Eriri snapped out of her daze, her gaze fixating on the author's name printed beneath the title.
The Warrior of Love and Hope
"It's not just similar," she muttered.
"It's identical."
Mahiru gasped.
"So Akifumi's work is being serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump!?"
"That's amazing!!"
For most people, having their work serialized in a major publication was a monumental achievement.
But Eriri's voice was unexpectedly calm.
"Mahiru, this isn't just amazing."
"Eh? Then what is it?"
"Weekly Shonen Jump is the crown jewel of manga magazines under Shueisha!" Eriri's eyes gleamed with a passionate light.
"Over a decade ago, it set a record with more than 6.5 million copies sold!"
"For aspiring manga artists, getting serialized there is nothing short of a lifelong dream!!"
Her fervor was contagious, and Mahiru exclaimed in awe, "That's incredible!"
"Exactly! Just calling it amazing doesn't cut itit's super, super, super, super incredible!!"
Akifumi couldn't help but quip, "Adding more 'super' won't make it sound any cooler."
"Pfft." Mahiru stifled a laugh.
"Akifumi-kun, you should be more considerate of girls' feelings in moments like this."
"YOU! Why didn't you tell me!"
Eriri suddenly exploded, throwing down the magazine and grabbing Akifumi by the collar. Her voice boomed, "Since when did you become this amazing?!"
"Two simultaneous serializations in Weekly Shonen Jump! That's unheard of!!"
"I can't believe itmy idol, the Warrior of Love and Hope, is actually my childhood friend?! Even a light novel wouldn't dare write something this absurd!! Have you been secretly laughing at me all this time?"
She mimicked a mock villainous laugh.
'Kukuku! Foolish Eriri! Little did you know your idol was right by your side!'
"Did it feel good basking in my admiration, huh?! Admit it!!"
Akifumi cleared his throat.
"I mean being admired does feel kind of nice."
Mahiru's lips twitched at his honesty.
"Akifumi, maybe don't provoke her right now?"
Eriri, panting heavily, finally let go of his shirt and plopped back onto the bed.
"You're not going to punch me?" Akifumi raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I?" Eriri rolled her eyes.
"For keeping it a secret?"
She waved dismissively.
"I was mad at first, sure. But thinking about it... when Madoka Magica entered the Tezuka Awards, editors probably contacted you right after the results, right? You probably had to sign a confidentiality agreement."
"Wow, you really know your stuff."
Eriri huffed.
"You think I've been entering the Tezuka Awards for nothing?"
"But you could've told me the day the results were announced."
Akifumi shrugged.
"You had such a huge bias against magical girls back then. Wouldn't that have been like slapping you in the face?"
Recalling her past statements, Eriri's face turned crimson.
"Well how was I supposed to know you were that talented? My reaction was totally normal!"
"Which is why I didn't say anything."
A brief silence fell before they both burst into laughter.
Akifumi grinned mischievously.
"So, Eriri, how does it feel to find out your idol was right by your side all along?"
"Don't ask me such a complicated question!" Eriri shot back.
"It's impossible to describe exactly how I felthappy, excited, angry, frustrated basically a mix of everything!"
"Bittersweet?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"And now?"
"Happy and excited!" Eriri declared confidently.
"With someone like you by my side, and my art skills will definitely get me serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump too!"
She flashed her trademark grin, showing off her little fang.
"You better not say no after causing me this much emotional trauma!"
Akifumi chuckled.
"Don't worryI've already got it all planned out for you."
Eriri's eyes sparkled. "Really?!"
"But after finals. Finish your current work and get through exams first."
Deflated, Eriri waved her hand.
"Fine, fine. I'll do it."
Then she perked up again.
"But hey, imagine how jealous people would be if they found out the Warrior of Love and Hope was once my assistant!"
Akifumi rolled his eyes.
"What are even saying....."
Mahiru watched the scene with envy in her eyes.
Childhood friends are so wonderful If only I had someone like Akifumi...
Her cheeks tinged with a soft blush.
[065] Final Exams!
Time flew by, and soon it was Wednesday.
As usual, Akifumi Mugiho and Shiina Mahiru walked to school together.
By now, this sight was no longer surprising for the students at Toyogsaki High.
Their classmates had long gotten used to it, and even students from other classes no longer batted an eye.
Occasionally, they still caught a few envious glances, but that was about it.
Although Mahiru had explained things to her friends after rumors started swirling, it seemed her words didn't quite do the trick.
At first, she felt a bit guiltybut before she knew it, she had somehow grown accustomed to the situation herself.
It's amazing what you can get used to, huh?
"Good morning, Kato," Akifumi greeted as he sat down at his desk, sounding as carefree as ever.
Kato, however, was anything but relaxed.
Her usually composed face looked visibly tense.
After a couple second, she nodded and sighed.
"Akifumi, I really envy you."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Akifumi tilted his head.
"You don't have to stress about exams. Your grades are perfect. Meanwhile, the rest of us are freaking out over failing."
"Exams?" Akifumi blinked.
"Wait, is today the start of finals?"
Kato's expression hardened.
"You seriously forgot? Is this what academic genius looks like?"
Akifumi waved dismissively.
"Kato, complimenting me won't improve your grades, you know."
"Also, just because I get good grades doesn't mean I have no worries!"
"Ehhhh?" Kato raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"I'm serious! You don't understand the pain of always being ranked number one!"
"...then what is it the so called pain?"
Even Kato, with her usual poker face, looked visibly stunned by this statement.
"When you're not at the top, there are always people ahead to chase."
"You've got endless potential and opportunities to improve!" Akifumi declared dramatically.
"But as someone who's already at the top? What am I supposed to do? There's no one to catch up to, no room left to improve!"
"Doesn't that sound utterly depressing?"
Kato fell silent, clearly at a loss for words.
Behind them, Mahiru couldn't hold back her laughter anymore and let out a soft giggle.
Feeling their eyes on her, she quickly covered her mouth, blushing.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
Akifumi grinned.
"It's fine. You're cute, so I forgive you."
C-cute?!
Mahiru's face turned a deep shade of red.
Flustered, she avoided his gaze like a startled deer.
Kato gave Akifumi a deadpan look.
"Akifumi, you're getting way too good at charming girls."
Akifumi's grin only widened.
"Oh? So are you saying Shiina-san isn't cute?"
Kato paused, then shook his head.
"No, she's very cute."
"See? Then I was being genuine, not a sweet-talker."
Deciding not to engage further in Akifumi's antics, Kato brought the conversation back to the exams.
"Akifumi, as your friend, I have some advice: don't repeat that nonsense about having no room to improve. People might actually beat you up."
Akifumi laughed.
"Got it, thanks for the heads-up."
"Anyway, let's hang in there for these exams. Summer break is just around the cornerbeaches, waves... beautiful girls!"
"Hold on," Kato said suspiciously.
"One of those words didn't belong in that list."
Akifumi feigned innocence.
"You must be imagining things."
...........
At Shueisha Publishing
"Mihari, the chief editor wants to see you," a colleague called out.
Otosuna Mihari, who had been diligently working on a manuscript, looked up in surprise.
"Thanks. Any idea what it's about?"
The colleague shrugged. "How would I know what the chief editor's thinking?"
After saving her work, Mihari grabbed her notebook and headed toward the office.
She knocked politely.
"Excuse me, sorry to disturb you!"
"Come in."
The voice belonged to Chief Editor Minano Matome.
She was seated at her desk, typing furiously without even looking up.
"Take a seat on the sofa. Help yourself to a drink."
Used to her boss's busy nature, Mihari poured herself a glass of water and sat down, feeling a bit restless.
What could this meeting be about?
Had she made a mistake on a recent project?
Was there a problem with a manuscript?
Her calm demeanor began to waver.
After a few minutes, Minano finally stood up, carrying a file.
She sat across from Mihari and smiled.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"N-not at all," Mihari stammered.
Honestly, getting a chance to slack off guilt-free? Who'd complain about that?
Though it would've been nice to know the reason for being called in right away!
Minano cut to the chase.
"It's about Akifumi-sensei."
Oh, Akifumi? Phew, that's a relief!
Waitthere hadn't been any recent developments, right? Madoka Magica's second volume release hadn't even been finalized yet, and Anohana was still doing well.
Could it be...
A sudden memory of her last conversation with Akifumi surfaced in Mihari's mind.
No way.
Her face paled at the thought.
Oblivious to Mihari's internal panic, Minano continued, "Thanks to the efforts of the chief editor, Akifumi-sensei's Madoka Magica has officially been greenlit for an anime adaptation."
Oh. That's it?
Phew! She had been overthinking things.
.......WaitANIME?!
Mihari shot up from the sofa.
"What? It's getting an anime!?"
Minano chuckled.
"Remember to manage your emotions, Mihari. It's important."
"I'm sorry!"
Mihari blushed furiously and bowed her head in embarrassment.
[066] The Plan for Anime Adaptation! [100 PS]
Minano Matome shook her head with a slight smile and placed a document on the table.
