It had only been one day since the second volume's release, and Akifumi was already talking about the third?
If anyone else worked like that, they'd be lucky to keep up with such a fast pace!
"But, yes, of course," Machida sighed, finally letting it go. "I guess we can start talking about the third volume now..."
The second volume had a lot of content ready in advance, so the third volume would probably take at least two months to be publish.
If things continue like this, with a new volume released every month, her body won't be able to handle it!
"That's how it is? Well, I'll speed things up on my end," Akifumi said.
"Thank you for your hard work, Shadow-sensei!" replied Machida, her voice laced with appreciation.
After hanging up the phone, Akifumi looked at the 100,000-word manuscript on his computer screen and muttered to himself:
"Machida-san is saying this now... If I turn in Volume 3 in about 10 days, it should be fine, right?"
After all, she did say that the faster it's done, the better.
With that thought, Akifumi casually closed the document on his screen.
The first print run of WorldEnd Volume 2 was 100,000 copies. That meant Akifumi would earn 6 million yen in royalties!
For someone whose savings had already crossed into the nine-digit range, 6 million yen wasn't even noteworthy.
Madoka had been on sale for nearly half a year now, and its combined sales of two volumes had already reached an astonishing 1.55 million copies.
The royalties from this alone amounted to 137.64 million yen!
While Anohana didn't quite match Madoka's success, it had still sold 920,000 copies, contributing 81.7 million yen in royalties.
With magazine serializations, Madoka's animation, and merchandise, Akifumi's savings had now surpassed 300 million yen.
So, 6 million yen really wasn't much at all.
Stepping out of his room, he saw Mashiro sitting on the couch, focused on her pink drawing tablet.
Mahiru was busy in the kitchen, and Eriri was absent due to something she had to take care of.
Just as Akifumi was about to sit on the other side of the couch and check his phone again, the doorbell suddenly rang.
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[125] The New Neighbor Next Door!
Akifumi furrowed his brow in confusion.
"That's odd. Who could it be at this hour?"
Eriri had a key, so she could just come in.
And the other tenants in the building weren't very social, so it was unlikely to be anyone else.
Although he was puzzled, Akifumi walked toward the door.
Instead of opening it right away, he peered through the peephole.
As the person outside took a few steps back, Akifumi was able to get a better look at them, but this only deepened his confusion, leaving him dumbfounded.
'Isn't this the world of a slice of life anime?' he thought.
Logically speaking, this person shouldn't be here.
Standing outside was a mature woman who also felt rather uneasy.
"I've messed this up" she muttered.
"I was supposed to finish this task by mid-October, but I've been delaying it until now. I'm such a failure."
At the sound of her sigh, her rounded figure swayed slightly.
'Click.'
The door opened from the inside.
"Um, who are you?" Akifumi asked, feigning confusion.
The woman, still sighing, smiled warmly.
"Hello! I'm Yor Briar, your new neighbor who just moved in next door. This is a small gift as a token of my appreciation. I hope we'll get along well in the future!"
She handed over the gift.
Yor Briar was dressed in a white coat with a black dress underneath.
Her black stockings and heels that were about 5 cm tall accentuated her tall, curvaceous figure.
Her delicate makeup highlighted her alluring eyes, high nose, and soft pink lips.
Despite not showing much skin, she exuded a captivating charm, every movement drawing attention.
She was Yor Briar, a character from the anime 'Spy x Family'.
'Why was she here in this world???' Akifumi couldn't make sense of it, so he gave up thinking about it for a moment.
With a smile, he accepted the gift and greeted her.
"Hello, Yor Briar-san. Welcome to the neighborhood."
"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
Yor hesitated before nodding, "Well, if you insist, I won't be shy."
'Although I don't know why you're here in this world, your identity must be the same, right?' Akifumi wondered inwardly.
Assassin... Thorn Princess...
Knowing who she was didn't make him feel too worried.
An assassin wouldn't casually appear in front of their target like this. But...
'Why did she move in and come to visit me in person?' Akifumi was still puzzled.
If she had a mission, shouldn't it be more discreet?
Maybe her identity had changed in this world?
'Or maybe she have a completely different identity now...' Akifumi thought, his smile not faltering.
Just then, Mahiru stepped out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
The moment her eyes landed on Yor, they widened in surprise. She blinked, tilting her head slightly, clearly curious. Mahiru asked, "Mugiho-kun Who is this?"
Akifumi, noticing her curiosity, gave a small smile. "Ah, Mahiru, this is Yor Briar," he said, gesturing toward her.
"She's new around here."
Yor, ever polite but a little reserved, nodded gracefully and offered a gentle smile.
"Nice to meet you," she said, her voice soft, but friendly.
"Nice to meet you as well. My nama is Shiina Mahiru," she introduced herself, her voice as sweet as always.
Yor took her hand, returning the friendly gesture. "It's a pleasure," she replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.
After the introductions, Yor sat on the couch.
"Oh, and by the way, Eriri called earlier," Akifumi said, glancing at the table full of dishes.
"She said she had something to do today and wouldn't be coming."
Looking at the table of food, Akifumi couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
"She could've told me earlier."
"Well, since Briar-san is here, isn't that a happy coincidence?" Mahiru smiled and suggested,
"Briar-san, would you like to join us for dinner?"
Yor hesitated, wanting to decline, but the delicious smell of the food tempted her.
In the end, she blushed and nodded.
"Well, I suppose I won't be polite."
After sitting down at the table, Yor eyed the dish in front of her, a slight hesitation in her expression.
"Go ahead, Briar-san! Eat as much as you want!" Mahiru said with an encouraging smile.
Yor hesitated for only a moment, her curiosity piqued by how beautiful the dish looked.
She picked up a fish with her chopsticks, admiring the careful way Mahiru had plated everything.
With a smile of appreciation, she took a bite.
Yor couldn't help but exclaim, "This is so delicious!"
Mahiru smiled shyly, her cheeks tinged with a hint of pink.
"Shiina-san, would you mind teaching me how to cook?" Yor asked, her voice filled with genuine curiosity.
"Briar-san, please don't be so formal. Just call me Mahiru," she said, her tone warm and inviting.
Mashiro who had been quietly eating briefly glanced up at Yor body, then quickly looked back at her own. Muttering quietly, she replied, "You weren't invited here."
Akifumi sighed, shaking his head as he softly pat her head.
She looked up at him, her expression softening as a contented smile spread across her face.
Before the conversation could continue back to Yor asking Mahiru how to cook, Akifumi interrupted.
"Yor Briar your name doesn't sound like a typical Japanese name. Did you just move to this country?"
His thoughts wandered for a moment.
'Letting her into the kitchen would be a disaster. Her cooking It's full of dark energy that even someone like "Twilight" wouldn't survive. he is not gonna gamble with his life!.'
Yor smiled, a little nervously.
"Actually, my mother is from here, and I've always lived in this country. I was just relocated for work. This is my first time in a big city, and I'm still getting used to it. It feels a little overwhelming."
Her confident explanation seemed genuine, and Akifumi didn't suspect anything at first.
But then, a sudden thought crossed his mind, sending a chill down his spine:
'Wait she is not lying about this right?'
[126] Secret
After dinner, Yor didn't linger. She quickly stood up and took her leave.
"Yor-san is a bit... strange," Mashiro remarked, her voice quiet as she broke the silence.
"Strange?" Mahiru blinked, a bit confused. "I actually think Yor-san is pretty great."
'She's so gentle, poised, and incredibly beautiful!'
As Mashiro thought of Yor's curvy yet tall figure, a faint hint of envy flickered in her eyes.
Though her own figure wasn't bad, it seemed somewhat youthful in comparison.
Mashiro shook her head, not offering further explanation.
Instead, she turned her gaze toward Akifumi, her eyes filled with an expectant look.
Akifumi gently patted Mashiro's long, smooth hair, his smile soft and reassuring.
"Everyone has their own secrets," he said calmly.
"Yor-san probably just concealed parts of her identity out of necessity."
"It's not really that strange."
"Oh," Mashiro murmured, nodding thoughtfully.
Her eyes, however, sparkled with happiness, as if a puzzle had just been solved.
"Concealed her identity?" Mahiru looked at Akifumi, puzzled.
"Well..." Akifumi chuckled and explained, "Yor-san is dressed in high-end clothes, but claims she's never been to a big city like Tokyo, right? Doesn't that seem sound a little strange?"
"Eh!" Now that she thought about it, Mahiru recalled that while the outfit was pretty basic, the labels weren't from cheap brands.
She had worn similar clothes a few times for important events when she was younger.
"So why did Miss Yor say that?" Mahiru asked.
"Probably for some reason she couldn't avoid." Akifumi smiled, "As long as we know she's not a bad person, that's all that matters."
"True." Seeing that the girls no longer dwelling on it, Akifumi withdrew his gaze.
'I wonder how Yor's skills are in this world.'
If they're like the original, maybe she could teach me something?
'Though I need to fix my relationship with these girl first!' With a sigh, Akifumi returned to his room to continue working.
Both the beginnings of Guilty Crown and WorldEnd were nearing completion, with their first chapters being written and drawn.
Meanwhile, Madoka Magica and Anohana were also approaching their final chapters.
And Guilty Crown would be published under Mashiro's name
Even though Guilty Crown wouldn't be credited to Akifumi, as long as Mashiro can improve her story telling, that's all that truly mattered to him!
"Maybe I could find a few trusted apprentices and turn Shueisha into my own company?"
He briefly imagined such a scene, and for some reason, it was strangely exhilarating.
Of course, that was just a fantasy.
After all, he couldn't find that many trustworthy people who would willingly work with him.
On the other side, Yor returned to her empty room, a sudden, unexpected sense of loneliness washing over her.
The silence of the room felt oddly heavy, as though it was pressing in from all sides.
However, the feeling was brief, almost fleeting.
She pushed it aside with a shake of her head.
"I've made initial contact with the young master," she whispered to herself, her voice steady despite the swirl of thoughts in her mind.
A small, satisfied smile tugged at her lips. It was a step forward, one she had carefully planned, and it gave her a sense of purpose.
Now, her next task was clearshe needed to ensure his safety. But how?
"Speaking of... how should I protect someone?" Her voice faltered slightly as she muttered the question aloud, the words lingering in the air.
Yor paused, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes, usually calm and composed, betrayed the uncertainty creeping inside her.
She had never given much thought about how to protect someone.
It was always the other way aroundshe was the one taking lives, not the one preserving them.
She had become a skilled assassin, well-versed in the art of killing with precision and efficiency.
But this? This was something new, something she wasn't sure she was equipped for.
She closed her eyes, thinking.
'Should I just shadow him? Keep a constant watch over him, no matter where he goes?' She imagined herself lurking in the shadows, always alert, always ready to strike at any threat that might emerge.
But was that enough?
'What if something happened when I'm not around?' She shook her head.
No, she couldn't just hide in the background and wait for danger to come to her.
Protection wasn't about lurking in the shadowsit was about preventing harm from ever reaching him in the first place.
Yor's brow furrowed as she thought harder.
'Should I take him somewhere safe? Make sure no one even knows where he is?'
The idea seemed reasonable, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how impractical it was.
She couldn't shelter him forever.
There would always be people looking for him.
She couldn't hide him away forever.
A pang of frustration tightened her chest.
'But what then?'
She placed a hand on her forehead, feeling the weight of her doubts.
"I'm good at killing," she admitted quietly to herself, her voice tinged with a bitter edge.
"But protecting someone... that's a different story entirely."
She had been trained for violence, for secrecy, for missions that left no room for mistakes. But this? This was a new kind of challenge.
Her mind raced.
'Maybe... I need to learn more about him.'
Yor stood up, a sense of determination slowly replacing the uncertainty.
I'll find out. I'll protect him by any means necessary. I can't let anything happen to him. That's my job now.
She took a deep breath, her resolve hardening.
She had a new mission, and no matter how unfamiliar the path might be, she would walk it with the same dedication she gave to everything else.
The safety of the young master was now her responsibility, and she wouldn't fail him.
[127] Scarborough Fair [200 PS]
In mid-November, WorldEnd was finally released and received a warm reception, though not without its fair share of criticism.
Many jealous authors online mocked it, their words laced with bitterness.
