"If it weren't for Minano-san stopping us, the Chief Editor would have come along too."
"..."
So this was Mashiro's leverage?
It made sense. If her artwork could sell for millions of euros, then bringing a high-caliber artist like her to do manga would naturally require top-tier treatment.
Of course, Mashiro probably didn't think of herself as someone special.
But even so, she still didn't have anything that would truly grab attentionbesides her talent for drawing.
Realizing this, Akifumi gave up on trying to advise her. "Well, if you're happy, then go ahead."
Mashiro, with respect, handed over her work.
"Thank you."
"Ms. Shiina, you're too kind!"
Mihari was taken aback, her nervousness evident.
She quickly began flipping through the manuscript to cover up his unease.
The exquisite art style immediately impressed Mihari.
"This is amazing!" she said. "It's definitely a step above even the most talented artists from 'Love and Hope.' It's almost like a dimension-shifting impact."
However, as she kept turning the pages, her expression grew more and more troubled.
Akifumi watched with amusement as the scene unfolded.
At just 20 pages, it didn't take long to reach the end.
Silence.
A long silence.
"So, what do you think?" Akifumi asked.
Mihari snapped out of her daze, uncertain of how to respond.
She glanced at Mashiro, who was waiting expectantly, her face unreadable.
After a moment of careful thought, Mihari flipped to page 8 and asked, "Shiina-san"
"Can I ask why the main couple decides to start dating in this scene?"
"Because they like each other."
"??"
Mihari, still unfamiliar with Mashiro's style, had trouble understanding the depth of her simple two-word answer.
"Because they like each other, so they decide to start dating."
Wait, why did I suddenly become the translator?
""
Mihari sighed, finally giving in to her frustrations. "But why would they suddenly decide to confess their feelings when they haven't really spoken much before?"
"Secret crush."
This time, Mihari understood without needing further explanation. The characters had been secretly in love with each other and decided to confess and become a couple.
"But nobody just confesses out of nowhere during a secret crush!" Mihari finally couldn't hold back her complaints. "What happened in between!?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Mashiro said innocently.
""
Mihari, head in her hands, placed the manuscript back on the desk, wondering how to even begin explaining things to Mashiro.
[121] Mashiro Problem [50 PS]
Upon seeing the expression on Mihari's face, Akifumi couldn't help but feel a slight curiosity about the comic that Shiina Mashiro had drawn.
"Can I take a look at it?"
"Sure." Mashiro nodded, and Akifumi wasted no time grabbing the comic and starting to read.
The story was simplea boy and a girl like each other, eventually come together, and live happily ever after, eventually tying the knot.
After finishing, Akifumi fought back a chuckle, "This isn't so bad, is it?"
"Really, you think it's good?" Mashiro's eyes lit up with hope.
Akifumi grinned and ruffled her hair, to which she squinted her eyes in enjoyment.
"For your first attempt at drawing a comic, this is pretty good."
Looking at Akifumi, who was treating Mashiro like a doting parent, Mihari couldn't help but mentally roll her eyes. 'Don't keep spoiling her.'
She let out a tired sigh before continuing, "Maybe it's good, but a story like this would never get published."
"Why?"
Mashiro didn't understand.
Mihari explained, "In the earlier pages, the focus is mostly on the minor details around the characters."
"They only have a couple of conversations about school work. But then, on page 8, suddenly they're confessing to each other and becoming a couple."
Mashiro frowned.
"But why? What reason do they have to get together?"
Mashiro, serious as ever, replied simply, "Because of a crush."
"Hahahaha!"
Akifumi couldn't hold back, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, "Well, as a sci-fi story, it's not bad."
Mihari shot him a fierce glare, "Stop making it worse!"
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry!" Mihari, suddenly reminded of how frightening Akifumi could be, apologized quickly.
"Anyway, Shiina-san, you should think more about why the two characters got together. What event made them brave enough to confess?"
"I understand." Mashiro nodded, still confused, but willing to listen to the advice.
Mihari looked at Akifumi and muttered, "Aren't you two really close? Why don't you just teach her?"
"Well," Akifumi waved his hand dismissively, "You can't rush things like that. As she experiences more, Mashiro will naturally get better at drawing comics."
Mihari shook her head.
Though she didn't entirely understand, she couldn't argue as an outsider.
"By the way, Food Wars is going to debut in the first issue of November."
"You should just tell Eriri about it."
'Of course, I will talk to the author directly!' Akifumi thought to himself.
'But if this childhood friend remembers, giving her a surprise later would make for a nice gesture.'
He had to suppress the urge to comment on the fact that Mashiro had so many beautiful girls around her and was still single.
It felt too awkward to say.
Was Akifumi unaware of why Mihari mentioned this?
Not at all.
He just hadn't figured out how to balance his relationships with the different girls around him yet.
It wasn't a romance novel where a guy could just coast by with good looks and drawing talent.
'Wake up. If you're this naive, then you deserve to stay single.'
"Oh, by the way, when will your next work be finished?" Mihari asked.
"Don't worry, I'll get it to you before Madoka Magica finishes its serialization."
Mihari smiled, "As reliable as ever!"
After finishing up the discussion, the two left Shueisha.
"Are you thinking about what Otosuna-san said?" Akifumi asked.
"Mm-hmm."
Mashiro nodded, her face still clouded with confusion.
Seeing this, Akifumi paused for a moment before asking, "Mashiro, do you like Madoka Magica?"
Mashiro thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"I mean... before, I saw a little boy reading it at the art exhibit, and I was curious about what was so interesting to him."
"So that's what made you want to learn comics in Japan?"
"Yes."
'So it wasn't just about liking the story? It was something deeper,' Akifumi thought.
Not wanting to delve too deeply, he just said, "Well, that's not really important."
Then, after thinking for a moment, he added, "After watching Madoka, did you ever wonder why Madoka decided to become a magical girl?"
Mashiro thought for a moment before answering simply, "For everyone sake."
She meant all the characters who appeared in the story.
"That's right."
Akifumi smiled, nodding.
"Mami, as Madoka's guide, helped her realize how harsh being a magical girl was. Sayaka and Kyoko revealed parts of the cruel truth. Homura, though initially hard to understand, eventually showed Madoka that she was fighting for her."
"And when the Night of Witches came, Homura couldn't stop it alone. The result of failing to stop it was that everyone would die."
"Everything led Madoka to understand why she became a magical girl and what her true reason was."
"So, what you need to think about, Mashiro, is what brings two characters who have no interaction to finally come together. What events gave them the courage to confess to each other?"
"Not just the simple feelings like 'I like you' or 'I've had a crush on you.'"
"Because everyone knows that for a relationship to start, there has to be mutual attraction, but what really matters is the journey that gets them there."
"Do you understand?"
Mashiro looked deep in thought for a moment, then nodded.
"I think I get it. It's not about having them start a relationshipit's about what makes them decide to."
"Exactly! You're getting it!" Akifumi grinned, ruffling her hair again.
This time, Mashiro didn't smile in enjoyment but instead was lost in her thoughts.
After a few moments, she looked up at him and said firmly, "Akifumi, teach me how to draw comics."
"Why?"
"Why the sudden urge to learn?"
"Because I need to know how to draw comics... it's really important to me"
Akifumi was taken aback.
Looking into Mashiro's determined eyes, he suddenly understood why she wanted to draw comics.
Maybe others, especially top-tier oil painters, would think it was a waste of time.
But for Mashiro, she understood something deeper: she was stuck in a creative block.
No matter how much she painted, she wasn't growing anymore.
But in comics, she found her potential for improvement.
'She may look clueless, but this girl is surprisingly sharp and perceptive,' Akifumi thought to himself.
He shook his head. "The way I teach might not be the best fit."
"Is it about drawing other people's comics?"
"Exactly."
Mashiro replied without any confusion, "After today, I realize I'm still far from drawing real comics. Before I can do that, I need to improve."
.........
[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 day in there! And thank you so much for reading!
[122] .Friends
Akifumi shook his head.
"The way I teach might not be the best fit for you."
"Is it about drawing other people's comics?" Mashiro asked
"Exactly."
"After today, I realize I'm still far from drawing real comics. Before I can do that, I need to improve." Mashiro replied without any confusion.
"Have you made up your mind?"
Mashiro nodded seriously. "Yes."
"If you've decided, then I won't hold back."
"As long as it makes you happy, I will do whatever you want."
'Huh?'
'Why does that sound a little... off?'
Pushing aside the strange thought in his mind, Akifumi nodded.
"Well, since you've made up your mind, I'll teach you how to draw comics when we get back."
"Please train me to become an adult."
!!
It wasn't just my imagination!!
Akifumi suddenly felt a wave of guilt.
Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he sighed in relief.
Otherwise, who knows what kind of looks they'd get, or worse, someone might even call the cops on them!?
"Don't use words that could easily be misunderstood like that!"
"What's wrong with it?"
Mashiro blinked, her face full of innocence and confusion.
"No, never mind."
"But next time, please avoid using the word 'train'."
"Oh."
She nodded obediently, though still unsure why.
'Is this what it feels like to have a new disciple?'
And one that's a beautiful girl, no less.
This world is truly strange.
As for what Akifumi would use to teach her, it would naturally be Guilty Crown.
Over these past days, whether it was Guilty Crown or WorldEnd, Akifumi had already drawn an entire volume's worth!
What he would have Mashiro do was simple:
Take the Guilty Crown content he'd drawn and trace over it.
Different people needed different approaches.
If he just taught her about character design or the storyline like he did with Eriri, it would be no different than letting her continue making things up on her own.
Through tracing and her daily life, she would slowly come to understand what makes a story, and how one should go about creating a comic.
"Well, let's head back for now. The lunch should be almost ready, right?"
"Mm." Mashiro nodded.
Under the sun, their shadows were close together.
Monday.
After the quiet weekend, things were bustling once more.
In the classroom where Tanaka, Tadakuni, and the others were, it was especially noisy first thing in the morning.
"Tanaka!!"
It was a roar full of malice from his friends.
After a brief escape attempt, Tanaka was eventually cornered in the back of the classroom.
As for his usual good friends, Tadakuni and Tabata, they had already run off as soon as they saw things weren't looking good.
Shivering, Tanaka flashed a pleading smile.
He raised both hands. "Guys, let's talk about this, okay?"
"This killing intent is so thick, it feels like you guys trying to kill me!"
"If you get reported, it won't be good for you, right?"
Tanaka's words made them hesitate for a moment.
But...
"You didn't do this on purpose, did you?!"
"Do what on purpose?"
Tanaka blinked in confusion.
"Madoka Magica, episode 3!!"
As soon as these words were said, their resentment almost turned into something tangible.
"Ah, you're talking about Mami-senpai, right?"
"You knew?!"
Tanaka waved his hand, signaling his friends to calm down. "I know you're upset, but please don't rush."
"As a manga fan, I know the plot is totally unpredictable, right?"
"So you planned to trick us from the start?!"
"Am I that kind of person?"
Tanaka said with great righteousness: "It's because I know Mami-senpai's death and the following events that I understandthis is a story that absolutely can't be missed!"
"Tell me, after watching episode 3, do you still think Madoka Magica is just an ordinary series?"
"Don't you want to see what happens next?"
"Well..."
The group of friends hesitated.
Haha, as expected!
Even though they usually claim they'd never watch a series with such a "sharp edge," after seeing it, they were crying and begging for more!?
Tanaka could barely hold back his laughter.
"Let me ask you, was Mami-senpai's scene amazing or what? Wasn't it shocking enough?"
His friends all nodded honestly.
"Is it really my fault for making sure you didn't miss out on such a masterpiece?"
"Hey, no way!"
"Tanaka, trust us, we didn't mean it like that!"
"It's just..."
"You thought I was trying to trick you?"
Tanaka spoke with great dignity: "Am I that kind of person? I just wanted to share a good story with you! But if you're going to think like that, I won't tell you about the next great anime!"
"No, no, Tanaka, you're right!"
"We'll buy you lunch!"
"We'll get you soda!"
Tanaka nodded in satisfaction.
When he returned to his seat, he saw the two traitors, Tadakuni and Tabata.
Tadakuni avoided his gaze. "Are you okay?"
"Ha, traitors!"
"We were in it together, and you pushed me out to take the fall?!"
