Pretending she didn't hear him, Akifumi Mugiho turned to Shiina Mahiru, who had been quietly listening.
"Shiina-san, is there any manga you'd like to read?"
Shiina Mahiru smiled shyly.
"I've never really read manga, so I'm not sure what to pick."
"The only thing I know is the you make."
"Akifumi-kun, so can you recommend me something?"
"Okay, No problem."
Akifumi Mugiho agreed without hesitation.
After all, the things he drew were meant to be shared with others.
He wasn't ashamed to have his friends see them.
He grabbed Madoka Magica off the shelf and handed it to Shna Mahiru.
Shiina blinked when she saw the title, then couldn't help but laugh.
"I didn't expect you, Akifumi, to have such a girly side."
Though she hadn't read the manga, she had seen the TV show as a child.
She knew all about magical girls.
'Girly side?'
Eriri rolled her eyes at the comment, silently lamenting for Shiina.
'I hope Shiina doesn't end up crying over Madoka's fate.'
For someone with strong empathy, just watching Sayaka's downfall was enough to be heartbreaking.
Akifumi chuckled but didn't offer further explanation.
There's nothing like hitting someone with a surprise in the most unexpected wayhow fun!
His gaze shifted and landed directly on Eriri, whose eyes were wide, eagerly waiting for a treat, like a puppy waiting for food.
"I get it, I get it."
"Come on, follow me."
Akifumi Mugiho shook his head helplessly, beckoning Eriri over to the desk.
"Heh heh heh."
Eriri gave an innocent giggle and sat down in the chair.
After finishing Madoka Magica, Akifumi remembered two more projects he had in mind.
One was the ongoing Anohana, and the other... well, it was just too perfect for Eriri, so he had decided to bring it to her.
He pulled out a prepared proposal from a drawer and placed it in front of Eriri.
"Just take a look first."
Eriri obediently picked up the proposal, but her eyes widened with confusion when she saw the title.
Shokugeki no Soma.
Shoku... must refer to food, right?
Was it something like 'Cooking Master Boy'?
But what about the rest of the title? What did it mean!?
Curious, Eriri flipped open the first page.
She quickly got lost in the story that unfolded.
The basic setting was about a world centered around cooking, where the protagonist, Soma Yukihira, grew up working in his family's restaurant and always aimed to surpass his father.
However, one day his father sent him to a prestigious culinary school in Tokyo, Tyoko Academy, to study further.
The story was definitely engaging, but...
"This is such a complete story, with character explanations and all these important details. Isn't this basically a fully fleshed-out manga already?"
Eriri voiced her confusion.
In other words, why was he giving her this story to work on?
"You're right," Akifumi Mugiho nodded, then added, "I've got a clear idea in my head already, and I could start drawing it myself."
"But can you do it though?"
"Not just drawing it, but you've got to meet with my standards."
Eriri blinked, her expression thoughtful.
"So... you want me to draw this?"
"Well, it seems like you're not completely hopeless after all," Akifumi Mugiho said, smiling.
"I don't know how to delegate drawing tasks, so I came up with the simplest ideagive you the content and let you fill in the details and imagination."
"Once you can meet my standards, you can officially made it."
Eriri smiled.
"That sounds too easy, though."
Akifumi Mugiho grinned back, "You can always try."
"By the way, if you pass my review, this work will definitely be serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"It's a collaborative manga, and you'll get some of credit!" Eriri answer with so much energy.
Akifumi Mugiho rolled his eyes.
"Credit?"
"My name won't be on it."
"Eh?"
"But 80% of the royalties, volumes, animation rights, and merchandising are mine. Can you accept those terms?" Akifumi Mugiho asked seriously.
As the daughter of a diplomat, Eriri didn't lack money, but some things needed to be clarified from the start!
Even if they were childhood friends, there was no way he would be generous enough to give her a free pass, unless they were married...
[071] 200 Chapter!?
"80%?"
Eriri pursed her lips and nonchalantly responded, "Just be bolder. and go for 100%."
"I don't need the extra money. As long as I can get my serial in Weekly Shonen Jump, that's all that matters."
Is this what they call the confidence of a rich kid? A little money doesn't even faze her?
Well, considering her mansion is probably worth billions of yen, who can blame her? But did she even know how much could she make from a serial manga?
Akifumi Mugiho shook his head, sighing.
"I know you're a rich girl, Eriri, and money doesn't mean much to you, but..."
"Do you have any idea what kind of project this is?"
"Project?" Eriri shot him a confused look.
Rather than explaining right away, Akifumi switched topics.
"Do you know how many chapters Madoka Magica has?"
"How would I know?" Eriri rolled her eyes.
"While I can't show you the later chapters, I can share this little bit info with you."
"The second volume coming out in August... and that will be the final one."
"??"
Eriri froze for a second before exclaiming in disbelief, "Only two volumes!?"
"What are you, crazy!? Even if don't chase money, with the current popularity of Madoka Magica, there's no reason to end it so soon!"
But, honestly...
Akifumi thought to himself, I can't keep going without fresh ideas.
There's no new spinoffs or anything to create; rather than forcing it, why not end it at the peak of its popularity?
A series that redefined magical girls, wrapping it up prematurelyas a fan of this genre, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for letting it fizzle out!
But on the outside, Akifumi showed no concern.
"You said it yourselfI don't need the money. The story's about to reach its end, so why drag it out?"
"Beautiful things always leave a little room for imagination."
Eriri sighed.
"Fine. The publishers have probably already discussed this enough."
"They're fine with you doing whatever you want. What can I, an outsider, even say?"
"Hopefully, the ending doesn't disappoint the fans."
Akifumi nodded indifferently.
He wasn't sure if fans would be disappointed, but he knew for sure there would be some tears.
"Anyway, about my new project Anohanahow many chapters do you think I'll draw?"
That familiar phrase...
Eriri smirked.
"Let me guess... is it going to be like Madoka Magica ?"
Akifumi grinned and shook his head.
"Nope."
"I knew it, there's no way you'd just draw something short when you finally get a precious serial opportunity!"
But then, he added...
"Actually, it might be even shorter than Madoka Magica ."
Eriri blinked.
"??"
"Akifumi , you're just teasing me now, aren't you!?
She shot him an exasperated glare, then let out a tired sigh.
"If the industry finds out you're playing them around like this, you'll probably end up with a red face and get a good beating."
"To not be envied is to be mediocre."
Akifumi didn't care about what others thought.
After hearing his words, Eriri began to understand where he was coming from.
"So, you're saying I'll draw Shokugeki no Soma for a long time?"
"Exactly."
Akifumi gave her an approving look.
"In my plan, Shokugeki no Soma will go on for at least 200 chapters."
Actually, the full story, without any side stories, would probably end up being 318 chapters...
But, since he hadn't even drawn the first chapter yet, he couldn't just throw out an exact number.
A vague estimate was the usual move, slowly increasing the number over time.
"200 chapters!?"
Eriri was taken aback.
If he planned to release a chapter every week, that would take over 1,400 days for it's to finish.
Of course, there might be breaks or special plans that would make it take even longer.
And even if it was just 1,400 daysthat's nearly 4 years!
At first, she might not have cared about the money.
But after a few years of drawing, learning all the tricks, and getting no positive feedback and reward, burnout was inevitable.
It wasn't about the money anymore. It was about getting positive feedback and some reward.
Seeing that Eriri was deep in thought, Akifumi continued.
"Right now, it hasn't even started yet. 200 chapters is just a rough estimate."
"Who knows, it might even take longer than that."
"Spending 4 precious years on this... and not earning a penny... Can you still keep chasing that dream of being published in Weekly Shonen Jump?"
"Of course..."
Akifumi cut her off before she could finish.
"Don't answer me now, just think about it yourself."
Eriri fell silent.
Could she keep going? She wasn't sure.
Even though she initially wanted to argue, deep down, she knew that kind of answer would just be a half-truth.
Her stubborn nature always got in the way.
"Ugh, fine I admit it."
She sighed and helplessly added, "You didn't have to say all this."
Akifumi shrugged.
"What can I say? We've got a special relationship."
If it were anyone else, he wouldn't care at all about giving them a hard time.
But with Eriri, someone he's known since childhood, he couldn't do that.
"I just hope you don't think the 80% is too much."
Eriri scoffed, glancing at Shiina Mahiru, who was quietly reading on the bed, and muttered,
"If this really gets to 200 chapters like you say... forget 80%, even 90%... all those dreamers mangaka who are still drying out their salted fish will be begging you to let them in on the story!"
And why?
Because of the solo credit.
If it were a co-authored project, no one would bother with this small cut. But for solo credit? That's a different story.
All the fans and fame would be hers.
Not to mention, it's a series that could run for 200 chapters in Weekly Shonen Jump!
The fanbase built over that time would ensure they'd never have to worry about making a living.
As for whether it'll really make it to 200 chapters?
Eriri had full confidence in Akifumi!
Anyone who could create a masterpiece like Madoka Magica was a master at storytelling.
And not to mention, Akifumi 's mind was sharper than anyone's!
From childhood to now, he's been the top of his classhe was practically cheating!
Maybe normal exams don't prove much, but maintaining the top spot in class all these years?
No one who wasn't exceptionally smart could pull that off.
After hearing her words, Akifumi scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Wait, 80% is still too low? Maybe I should raise it more?"
"??"
Eriri's eyes widened, and she glared at him, "You!"
[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!
[072] Shiina Mahiru is An Angel!
"80% means 80%, not a single bit less!"
"I'm someone with a reputation in the inner industry world, you know!"
"Working for you just to make a little moneydo you think that's easy for me?!"
"Tsk."
Akifumi clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.
"Fine, whatever."
Eriri crossed her arms, about to nod in satisfactionbut then she froze.
Wait a minute!
Why am I so happy about only getting 20%!?
Akifumi, however, was in a surprisingly good mood.
Now that he had a worker, this was a chance to sit back and rake in the moneyplus, he was teaching Eriri how to draw manga, which meant she will owe him more favor.
Honestly, he couldn't even keep track of how many wins he'd racked uphe was practically on a roll!
"Let's start by designing the main character sketches first."
"Once they're done, show me."
"The main character is a redhead, with spiky hair like a hedgehog. At first glance, he seems a bit goofy, but when cooking, he's really focused and serious. I've listed all the details in the project plan."
"Next, for the female characters, make sure to stick to the project's guidelines, but try to make them a bit more... 'Sexy' ."
"Eh!?"
"Don't 'eh' me, isn't this your specialty?"
Akifumi shot her a sharp look.
"Do you think I'm joking when I say this project is made just for you?"
"Well, you don't need to emphasize this part..." Eriri muttered, clearly uncomfortable.
"No, really. It's your strength, so why not use it? Are you going to hide it and try drawing some completely different style instead?"
Seeing Eriri lost in thought, Akifumi stopped talking and gave her space to think.
"Start drawing and think it through as you go."
"Once you have a draft, show it to me so I can guide you in the right direction and help with revisions."
"Once you've nailed the designs for the main characters, we can officially begin."
"For this summer, aim to finish the first chapter."
Finish the first chapter in two months?
Who does he think I am!?
Eriri glared at Akifumi, clearly unimpressed.
But she didn't say anythingafter all, she had chosen him as her teacher, and if she felt he was wrong, she would have to prove it with her own ability, not words.
"Good luck, Eriri!"
Akifumi nodded as she sat down at the desk.
Then, grabbing his comic tools, he headed outside.
The room was small, and since a guest was visiting, he couldn't just kick the others out.
So, the work area would have to be in the living room.
The day passed quickly.
To his surprise, after reading Magica Madoka, Shiina Mahiru didn't burst into tears.
Instead, she smiled happily and said the story was fantastic and that she couldn't wait for the next volume.
She also checked out the first chapter of Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (Anohana), but since it was so short, she didn't have much to comment on.
Still, she said she'll continue following it.
After that, based on these two comics, Akifumi picked out an already-completed series for Shiina.
Meanwhile, Eriri was completely absorbed in her drawing.
Thus, the first day of vacation passed quietly.
The next day, Saturday, was the day grades were announced.
For most, it meant that after today, their real vacation would finally start.
