Cross-dressing Dormitory 34

“Not mine, but someone else’s story?” Erick repeated, making sure he hadn’t misunderstood his editor’s Japanese.

“Yes. One of our authors wrote a one-shot, but her partner can’t draw it at the moment. He’s already too busy with their current series.”

“W-would he like that? I mean, it’s his partner’s work…”

“Don’t worry, she doesn’t want to turn that into a series. It’s one of her first work she brought us. We rejected it back then. It was still too green. But since she had some free time lately, she rewrote it just to see her evolution as a writer. She has no plans to turn into a series.”

“Unless it’s popular and the readers want more,” Erick said, looking at the envelope before him.

When his editor called for a meeting, he thought he was checking in on him, maybe even give him a few ideas to help. He never thought Akira-san would ask him to draw someone else’s one-shot idea.

“Well, yes, but that’s a talk for later, and that only if it’s really popular. The editorial staff doesn’t want her splitting her focus. Her current manga is doing really well. Right now, we’re only talking about this one-shot. Since you said you’re having trouble writing your own story, this is a good opportunity for you,” Akira-san said.

Erick bit his lips, looking at the envelope before him. He had read the story and he liked it, but something inside him didn’t let him say yes. To draw someone else’s stories… It’s different from Yuri. I only helped with the art but the story was his…

“Why now?” he asked.

“By coincidence, most of our series will have fewer pages next month, so instead of making a thinner issue, the editor-in-chief wants a one-shot to fill in.”

“I see… Can I think about it?”

“Sure. But please make your decision by this weekend. If you don’t want to, we’ll have to find another artist.”

Erick thanked him, said goodbye, and left the publisher’s building, heading to the station.

“I’m home,” he said when he opened the dorm’s door.

“Welcome back, Erick,” Mikki greeted him.

“What did the publisher want?” Kanata asked, raising his eyes from his phone.

“He asked me to draw another writer’s one-shot.”

“That’s great. When will it be published?”

“I don’t know if I’ll accept…”

“Why not?” Rin asked.

“Isn’t this a good opportunity for you?” Kanata asked. “As an artist, I mean.”

“Yeah, I agree. You’ll have your name in the magazine again. And you’ll earn money.”

“Yeah, I know that…”

“But you don’t seem happy with the idea,” Rin noticed.

“It’s a good opportunity…”

“Then why do you look like you couldn’t get a boner in the middle of sex with a cute girlyboy?” Rin asked.

Erick opened his mouth, but instead of words, he let out a weak chuckle. “That’s not a good way to put it…”

“But you understood.”

“C’mon, tell us. We’re not artists, but we might be able to help you,” Mikki said.

Erick tightened his lips. “I don’t know how to put it into words… I don’t know why, but drawing someone else’s story feels… weird…”

“Ah,” Kanata said, nodding with an understanding smile. “I think I know what that is. You’ve only drawn stories you wrote yourself, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I think you might be feeling a kind of responsibility. If you made a bad story, or screw up the art, it was all on you until now. It’d be only your name. But if you draw something someone else wrote…”

Though Kanata didn’t finish the sentence, Erick understood.

“I think you might be right…”

“Wait, a second. This doesn’t make sense,” Rin said. “Is this one-shot something big to your career or are you overthinking things like usual?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Sometimes you overthink even something simple and can’t make an easy decision.”

“I don’t do that,” Erick mumbled defensively.

Rin, Mikki, and Kanata exchanged looks. Then they smiled and looked back at Erick.

“Yeah, you do that all the time,” they said as one.

Even Erick couldn’t help but laugh at that. “That might be true… Just a little though…”

“A lot, actually, but it’s not the point. This is a good opportunity for you, so instead of worry if you can screw up, just do it,” Kanata said.

“Unless the story is bad,” Rin added. “Then I wouldn’t recommend.”

“Is it bad?” Mikki asked.

“No. It’s an interesting fantasy story with good characters.”

“Then do it. Just do it.”

“Wait. I have an important question,” Rin said. “Is there any cute girlyboy like us?”

“No.”

“Boo. That sucks,” he booed and pouted crossing his arms. “No cute girlyboys, no fun. Don’t do it.”

Erick chuckled, and it was stronger this time. “If that was the criteria for me to draw a one-shot, I wouldn’t draw anything.”

“Then put cute boys in skirts in your stories. We need more characters like us. In fact, the world will be a better place with more cute girlyboys!”

Erick laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Ara ara, you always seem to worry about something, Erick-kun,” Yuki said when he entered the living room. “That’s not good. You’re so young but you’ll get white hair like me.”

“Apparently, I overthink things a lot.”

“All the time,” Rin, Mikki, and Kanata said at the same time.

Yuki chuckled. “Why are you worrying this time?” he asked and Erick explained the situation. “I see. When do you have to decide?”

“By this weekend.”

Yuki hummed for a while. “Then I have the perfect idea to help you clear your mind and make a decision.”

“What is it?”

“Before that, let me ask one question to you all.” Yuki smiled at the four of them. “What do you think when I say summer?”

There was a moment of silence.

“Summer comiket,” Rin said.

“Cosplay events,” Mikki said.

“New wardrobe,” Kanata said.

“Beach episode,” Erick mumbled, blushing slightly.

Yuki beamed at the foreigner. “That’s it!”

“What?” the four of them asked.

“Someone I know has a beach house, but he can’t go this summer, so he wanted me to ask you boys if you want to use it this weekend. You’d have to clean a bit, but it’s not that much.”

They exchanged looks, then the girlyboys looked excited.

“I need to buy a new bikini!” they all exclaimed at once. Then they turned to Erick, flashing smiles full of meaning.

He had a slightly bad feeling, but he was also kind of excited. He couldn’t help but remember the time he took a bath with Rin and Mikki.

So this is my beach episode… With three cute cross-dressing guys that I slept with… How many anime main characters can say that?