I just want to quietly draw manga Chapter 355(2in1)

The car slowed as it approached Karigawa Hall. Through the window, Haruki could already see the crowd gathered outside, dozens of people without tickets, pressed against the barricades, craning their necks toward each arriving vehicle. It was just past eight in the morning. The signing event did not officially start for another fifteen minutes, but the crowd had clearly been waiting much longer.

Haruki leaned forward. "Stop the car here."

The driver glanced at Haruka, who nodded. The car pulled over near the side entrance.

"Maybe I should go out there and sign a few volumes," Haruki said, still watching the crowd. "They have probably been waiting for hours."

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "When did you get so sympathetic toward fans?"

Haruki turned to her. "I do not avoid signing events because I hate fans. I avoid them because I do not want to answer 'why did you kill my favorite character' five hundred times." He looked back at the crowd. Some held volumes above their heads, hoping to catch his attention. "But look at them. Some probably traveled from other cities. They might never get their volumes signed otherwise."

He opened the door before Haruka could respond.

The moment Haruki stepped out, the noise erupted.

"Muzishiro-san."

"Muzishiro-san, over here."

"Can you sign my Rurouni Kenshin volume, please?"

"Muzishiro, I came all the way from Osaka."

"Please sign my first Garden of Words magazine."

Haruki walked toward the barricade, and the bodyguards immediately moved with him. The crowd surged forward, not aggressively, just excited, phones raised, manga volumes held out toward him.

He had expected anger. Complaints. Maybe someone yelling about Nina or Hughes or the latest Fullmetal chapter.

Instead, they were simply happy to see him.

Haruka came up beside him with her arms crossed, watching his confused expression with clear amusement.

"Haruki, you are one of the biggest mangaka in Japan now," she said. "When fans meet you in person, they are not thinking about giving you a hard time. They are thinking 'can I get my manga signed' and 'his work changed my life'. Your worry was pointless." She smiled. "I could have told you this earlier, but watching you pace around was too entertaining."

Haruki stared at her. "So you enjoyed the show."

"Very much." Haruka gestured toward the crowd. "If you want to sign their manga, do it quickly. We are on a schedule."

As Haruki moved toward the barricade, Haruka added quietly, "But stay alert. Most fans would not do anything, but with a fanbase your size, there is always someone who might try something stupid."

The bodyguards positioned themselves on either side as Haruki reached the front. A young man thrust his Rurouni Kenshin volume forward, hands shaking slightly.

"Muzishiro-san, please, I have been following you since the beginning."

Haruki took the volume and signed the inside cover. The fan's face lit up like he had just won the lottery.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

More volumes came at him, Rurouni Kenshin, Initial D, Garden of Words. Haruki signed as many as he could reach, the bodyguards keeping the crowd from pushing too close.

After about ten minutes, he stepped back.

"Thank you all for coming," Haruki said, raising his voice slightly. "Even without tickets, you still showed up. I feel guilty for not doing signing events more often."

A few people shouted encouragement. Someone yelled, "We love you, Muzishiro."

"Sorry I could not sign everyone's volume," he continued. "I have to go inside now. But I will try to do these more often."

The crowd cheered as he turned toward the entrance. Several fans waved, and a few were already checking the signatures he had given them, grinning.

Haruka walked beside him as they headed through the staff entrance.

"See," she said. "That was not so bad."

Haruki did not answer, still processing it.

Inside Karigawa Hall

The main hall was empty when they entered, but Haruki could hear the murmur of the crowd outside the front doors. Through the windows, he could see the line, hundreds of people, tickets in hand, chatting and checking their phones.

One thousand tickets sold. One thousand people here to see him.

Haruka was already speaking with the event manager near the stage.

"Is everything ready?" she asked.

"Everything is set, Haruka-san. We are just waiting for Muzishiro-san to take his seat."

The signing table had been positioned on a small raised platform. A chair, a stack of markers in different colors, bottled water, and a discreet security button under the table in case anything went wrong.

Haruka turned to Haruki. "Let us start now. Otherwise we will run out of time."

Haruki checked his watch. 8:15 AM.

He walked to the table and sat down. The chair was surprisingly comfortable. The event staff moved to the doors, and a moment later, they opened.

The line began moving immediately, not rushed, but eager. The first fan, a college-aged guy, practically jogged up to the table.

"Muzishiro-san, can you sign my first volume of Initial D?"

Haruki took the volume, flipped to the title page, and signed. The fan watched like he was witnessing a sacred ritual.

"Muzishiro-san, when will the Code Geass Season 2 trailer be released?"

Haruki handed the book back. "Code Geass is still in production. But we will release the trailer around the same time we did for Season 1."

The fan's face fell. "That is too far away, Muzishiro-san. Can you give us something?"

Haruki opened his mouth, but the staff member beside him stepped in smoothly.

"Only one question per person, please. Muzishiro-san has many fans waiting."

The fan was gently guided aside, but as he walked toward the exit, he turned and yelled to his friend still in line, "He told the release date for the Code Geass trailer! Ask something else!"

Haruki sighed.

The next fan stepped up holding a Sora magazine like it might disintegrate.

"Muzishiro-san, I came all the way from Osaka. Can you sign the first chapter of Garden of Words?"

Haruki opened the magazine to the page and began signing.

"I have been following you since Rurouni Kenshin," the fan continued. "Please make a deal with your old publisher. We need more Rurouni Kenshin chapters."

Haruki paused mid-signature. "I would love to write more Rurouni Kenshin, but I do not have time. I am already serializing two manga and working on an anime."

The fan looked disappointed but nodded. "I understand. But please, someday."

"Someday," Haruki agreed, handing the magazine back.

The line kept moving. Most fans were polite, nervous, excited, but respectful. Some just wanted a signature and left quietly. Others thanked him for his work. A few bowed deeply before walking away.

Then one fan stepped forward holding a rolled-up poster, grinning so wide it was almost unsettling.

"Muzishiro-san, please sign this."

Haruki smiled automatically. "Sure."

The fan unrolled it.

Haruki's smile vanished.

The poster was a collage, beautifully printed, professionally laid out, of every major emotional gut punch scene Haruki had ever written:

Tomoe's death from Rurouni Kenshin

Menma fading away from Anohana

The train scene from 5 Centimeters Per Second

Mami's death from Madoka Magica

Maes Hughes' funeral from Fullmetal Alchemist

It looked like a memorial wall.

The fan leaned forward eagerly. "Muzishiro-san, what do you think? Did I get all the major emotional scenes, or am I missing something?"

Haruki stared at the poster for three long seconds.

Then he signed it quietly, hand moving on autopilot.

"You made a very thorough poster," he said carefully as he handed it back.

The fan left looking incredibly proud.

The staff, standing off to the side, covered their mouth to hide their laugh.

The morning continued. Fans came and went. Most were sweet. Some cried while thanking him, some were too shy to make eye contact, some rambled about how his work had changed their lives.

Around 1 PM, the staff called for a break.

Haruki stood, stretching his hand. His wrist ached from signing, and his cheeks hurt from smiling.

He and Haruka ate lunch in a back room, simple bento boxes the venue had prepared.

"It was not as bad as you thought, right?" Haruka asked, picking at her rice.

"No," Haruki admitted. "It was not."

"You were worrying for nothing."

Haruki frowned slightly. "But there have been very few people bringing Fullmetal volumes. Most brought Rurouni Kenshin, Initial D, Natsume."

Haruka shrugged. "You have written so many manga. Of course people want your early works signed. They are collectibles now. They're harder to find."

"But did we not organize this event to promote Fullmetal?"

"We cannot tell fans they are only allowed to bring one specific manga. And aside from your first two works, everything else is published under Echo Shroud anyway. It is still promoting your brand." She took a sip of tea. "Besides, we already did the marketing push for Fullmetal, so it doesn't matter what fans bring."

"Oh." Haruki went back to eating.

After twenty minutes, they returned to the main hall.

The line looked just as long as before.

Haruki sat back down, picked up his marker, and nodded to the staff as they continued the line.

A girl approached, maybe seventeen or eighteen, holding the final chapter of Natsume's Book of Friends.

"Muzishiro-san, can you sign this?"

Haruki took it and signed carefully. As he did, she asked, "Do you have any new stories to tell? We really miss the weekly Natsume chapters."

This was the fifth time someone had asked that question today.

Haruki did not like disappointing people. He had dodged the question the first few times, but now, seeing her hopeful expression, the words slipped out before he could stop them.

"I'll try to write a few bonus chapters this year."

Her face lit up instantly. "Really?!"

Haruki blinked, realizing what he'd just committed to. "I'll be very busy, but... I'll try to write one or two short stories. For Natsume."

The girl looked like she might cry from happiness. "Thank you! Thank you so much, Muzishiro-san!"

The staff gently reminded her to move along, and she left practically floating.

Haruka, watching from the side, raised an eyebrow at him. Haruki avoided her gaze.

The next fan walked up with a JoJo volume clutched in both hands. His expression was deadly serious.

"Muzishiro-san." He set the volume down with more force than necessary. "Should I be worried about Part 3? I love this team. You killed Avdol. The rest of them won't die too, right?"

Haruki opened the volume to sign. "I don't do spoilers."

The fan's face went pale. "That means it's going to end in tragedy! You're going to kill them all, aren't you?" His voice rose. "Please, Muzishiro-san, don't kill Joseph! Please change the ending!"

The security staff stepped closer.

"Sir, you need to keep moving."

"I'm not leaving until he promises!" The fan planted his feet. "Muzishiro-san, please! Just tell me Joseph survives!"

Two bodyguards gently but firmly took his arms and guided him toward the exit. He was still yelling as they led him away.

"I'll be watching, Muzishiro! If Joseph dies, I'm never reading your work again!"

The hall went quiet for a moment.

Then, from somewhere in the middle of the line: "What an idiot."

"If I don't get my manga signed because of that guy, I swear—"

"These new fans are too sensitive. They're going to give the whole fandom a bad reputation."

Another voice, frustrated: "I had a funny question ready, and now I can't ask it because of this idiot. I'll have to go back to the end of the line."

Haruki wasn't surprised. He'd already seen enough online reactions and forum threads to know what to expect. He had prepared himself for chaos, but seeing it in person... most of them were calmer than he imagined.

The line resumed.

The afternoon blurred together. More signatures. More thank-yous. A steady mix of excited and quiet fans passing one after another.

Most didn't ask anything. They just thanked him and stepped aside with small, awkward smiles.

It went smoothly.

By the time the sun had set, it was already past nine p.m. Haruki's hand was cramping. His back ached from sitting.

The last fan in line stepped forward. He was holding another rolled-up poster. Haruki's internal alarm went off immediately.

The fan set it on the table with a cheerful smile. "Muzishiro-san, can you sign this for me?"

Haruki took it slowly, already dreading what he'd find.

He unrolled it.

Oh no.

The poster was a collage of manga panels, every single time Haruki had killed a dog in his stories. The Fullmetal dog scene was placed dead center, the largest panel. Two scenes from JoJo flanked it on either side.

In the corner, printed in bold letters, was a counter:

JoJo – 2

Fullmetal Alchemist – 1

Haruki stared at it, pen hovering over the paper.

The fan leaned forward, phone recording. "You gave a reason for the Fullmetal dog scene. But what about the ones in JoJo?"

Since he was the last fan, he didn't bother hiding it. He wanted a reaction and was willing to wait for it.

Haruki lowered his head, thinking carefully.

"I love dogs," he said finally. "I wrote those scenes to show how cruel the villains are. It establishes their nature immediately."

The fan pushed again, fully aware the clip would spread. "There are other ways to show that."

Haruki gave up. "It's a stylistic choice. I don't know. Let's go with that."

The whole exchange was being recorded by the official Echo Shroud staff, and the fan had his own phone pointed at Haruki the entire time. As the fan left looking extremely satisfied with his footage, Haruki let his forehead drop onto the table.

He heard footsteps approaching.

"This clip will go viral, right?" he asked without lifting his head.

Haruka tried to console him. "Don't worry too much. Like you thought, the disaster didn't happen today, right? This will just become a meme."

Haruki let out a long sigh.