I just want to quietly draw manga Chapter 34

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"Damn it..."

Inside the editorial office, Rika sat at his desk, jaw tight, his mood darker than ever.

For the past two days, all he kept hearing were three things—Mizushiro-sensei, Rurouni Kenshin, and worst of all, whispers about sora.

Even when he walked through the manga department, he caught glances. Some of the younger staff looked away too quickly, others smirked when they thought he wasn’t paying attention.

He wasn’t clueless. He knew exactly what they were thinking.

Everyone at the office knew what had happened. He had tried—and failed—to pursue sora. His so-called authority had been used not for professional decisions, but personal grudges. He had tried to sideline her work, all because she wouldn’t yield to him.

But what did that achieve?

After months of effort suppressing her projects, all he’d done was drive her into the arms of a new rising star. Mizushiro’s sudden emergence had flipped the entire manga scene on its head. Rurouni Kenshin wasn’t just gaining traction—it was becoming a phenomenon.

And that terrified him.

Mizushiro had no prior fanbase. No famous debut. Just four chapters—yet the manga had already climbed to fourth place in reader votes, surpassing ten thousand supporters. Rika could feel the gap closing fast.

In his estimation, Hidden Girl—that fantasy romance series by Yuna Takahashi—would eventually overtake Demon Realm, the long-standing pillars of the sora Series.

But Rurouni Kenshin?

It was a different beast altogether.

The first chapter had pulled in over 4,000 votes. The second exploded past 14,000. What would the third and fourth bring? If the trend continued, it wouldn’t just catch up.

It would take over.

A year ago, anyone suggesting that a completely unknown newcomer could top the manga charts would have been laughed out of the building.

But now?

Now that thought felt less like a joke, and more like a slow-building storm.

Rika clenched his fists.

He hadn’t come here to lose.

His posting at Kurokawa Publishing wasn’t some leisurely break. He was here to sharpen his resume. His future depended on it.

His father had spent his entire life as an editor at one of the most prestigious manga companies back home. Rika was supposed to follow in those footsteps. Succeed him. Carry the legacy forward.

So he'd come here to stand out. To gain real results. “Deputy Chief Editor at Kurokawa’s Series” looked impressive on paper—but only if he had hits to his name.

If his projects weren’t number one, then what was the point?

People remember the champion, not the runner-up.

If he failed to deliver, his return home would be meaningless—and worse, his father would see it too.

Despite his father's seniority, the industry played by its own rules. There were rivals, factions, limits to what favoritism could cover. If Rika didn’t bring real results, he’d be starting from behind.

And now, Mizushiro—this upstart—was threatening to shatter everything he’d built.

No. He couldn’t let that happen.

This wasn’t about a personal grudge anymore.

It was about survival.

---

"Hey, did you read the latest chapter of Rurouni Kenshin last week?"

"Of course I did! Kenshin’s just too cool—those action sequences and that sword technique? Unreal."

"I'm not talking about him! I'm talking about the woman who showed up at the end. She's my new goddess now."

"Wasn't your goddess that girl from hidden Girl last week? You switch sides faster than a game show contestant."

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"Mizushiro really knows how to hook you in. That cliffhanger at the end of Chapter four... Who is she? What's her story? Why does she seem so important?"

"A good cliffhanger means good writing. If the art or pacing were weak, people would drop it. This guy knows how to keep us wanting more."

---

"I want a boyfriend like Kenshin now..."

“Don’t kid yourself. You don’t even have a friend that cool.”

laughter

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"Wait, are you sure Mizushiro is the same person who did The Garden of Words? That was such a slow-burn romance, and this one is like... war, strategy, action, emotion—everything at once. But it’s beautiful."

---

Back at school, Haruki could feel the shift too.

The conversations between his classmates—mostly anime fans like himself—had changed. The usual chatter about Demon Realm, Celestial Book, and even Hidden Girl had been eclipsed.

Everyone was talking about Rurouni Kenshin.

And even though they didn’t know his secret, they found it odd that Haruki, who usually loved to talk manga, wasn’t chiming in.

He didn’t need to.

He was the one who created the storm.

A week.

That’s all it took.

Thanks to the Sora magazine platform, the series spread like wildfire. The momentum it had gained was staggering.

Fans were forming groups online, theorizing, sharing art, dissecting every panel. His previous work, The Garden of Words, was now seen in a whole new light. Some fans were even reselling old issues at two or three times the original price, just to complete their Mizushiro collection.

In the system space that only he could access, Haruki watched as the numbers ticked upward—world points surpassing 200,000, his bank account steadily climbing.

And yet... this was just the beginning.

---

At night, in Haruki’s apartment.

He stared at the cardboard box on his table, slightly overwhelmed. It was filled to the brim with envelopes—fan letters.

“All of these… are for me?” he asked, blinking in disbelief.

“That’s right,” Sora replied with a light smile.

Haruki looked at the pile again, unsure what to make of it. “What am I supposed to do with all these?”

Sora gave a small shrug. “Read them if you want. Write back if you have time. Or just keep them somewhere safe. Honestly, it's up to you.”

She paused, her voice a bit more serious. “But you should get used to this. There’s probably going to be a lot more in the future.”

Haruki gave a quiet nod, still taking it all in. Before he could say anything else, Sora reached into her bag.

“Oh—also, I have something to tell you today.”

“Huh? What is it?” Haruki asked.

She pulled out a document and handed it to him. “This is a supplemental agreement. After you sign this, your page rate will increase from 600 to 1,000 yen per manga page.”

Haruki blinked. “Wait, what?”

“It’s an initiative from the editorial board,” she said. “Nothing for you to worry about. The 600 yen per page rate was more or less the standard for new artists. But after last week’s voting results and internal review, they’ve decided to adjust your rate to match your… potential.”

Haruki stared at the paper. “Another pay raise…”

It was only two weeks ago that his rate had been raised once already. Now, it was going up again. He was starting to feel a little numb to it.

Sora continued, “Also, the company will be holding its annual New Year’s meeting about two months from now. It’s a big event—lots of key industry players, partner companies, senior editors, and a select few manga artists will be attending.”

She looked him straight in the eyes. “The editor-in-chief told me today—you’re on the invitation list.”

Haruki’s eyes widened slightly.

“He asked me to confirm with you—would you like to attend?”

Haruki glanced at the supplemental contract in his hands, then looked back up. Normally, something like this wouldn’t interest him. But they’d already gone out of their way to increase his pay before inviting him—it felt rude to refuse.

“…I guess I’ll go,” he said after a moment, a little hesitant.

Sora nodded. “Alright then! Oh, and—”

She smiled. “You’re allowed to bring someone with you. A partner, a friend, family member—whoever you want.”

Haruki turned his head slightly, glancing at Kotone, who had been quietly sitting beside him this whole time.

He knew very well that the reason he was being invited had a lot to do with the success of Rurouni Kenshin. And Kotone… had been instrumental in bringing that work to life. If he could bring someone with him, it felt only right.

“You want to come with me?” he asked her.

“Huh? Me?” Kotonelooked genuinely surprised, as if the thought hadn’t crossed her mind.

Of course she wanted to go.

As someone who had been working from the sidelines for so long, just trying to get by, the opportunity to attend such a high-level event—and meet well-known industry figures—was huge.

But Sora’s earlier words about “bringing a partner” made her cheeks flush ever so slightly.

She hesitated for a long moment, then gave a tiny nod.

“I… I’d like to go.”

“Then it’s settled,” Sora said, smiling warmly.