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Chapter 38: Rumblings of Recognition
The midterm exams were drawing near.
A tense atmosphere hung over the halls of Toyosaki Academy, where every student, from honors achievers to struggling artists, had their heads buried in textbooks. Among them was Eriri Spencer Sawamura, whose unique burden was not only academic but creative. Her responsibilities as an illustrator often demanded late nights and long drawing sessions, leaving little time for schoolwork. To make matters more complicated, she also took private English lessons—though why her grades remained abysmal despite her British lineage baffled many.
Lucien D. Blackthorn once asked her, out of genuine curiosity, why someone with an English father struggled with the language. All he got in return was a sharp glare.
---
On Friday morning, Eriri rose early with a mission.
After a quick breakfast, she bolted from the house and sprinted toward the small bookstore near her school. Today marked the release of the latest issue of Manga Jump, and she planned to buy three copies—one to keep as a treasure, one to read to pieces, and one for Lucien.
Manga Jump's popularity meant copies vanished fast.
"Ojisan, please give me three copies of Manga Jump!" Eriri declared, pulling out a crisp ¥1,000 note.
"You came just in time," the bookstore owner said, handing her the magazines with a smile. "These are the last three. If you'd been even five minutes later, they'd be gone."
Clutching her prize, Eriri flipped through the contents eagerly, stopping at the Attack on Titan section, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes.
Just then, a voice interrupted her.
"Could I get a copy of Manga Jump too, please?"
Eriri glanced sideways to see a blonde girl—expression blank but composed—handing money to the owner.
"I'm sorry," the shopkeeper said, "It's sold out. I do have Weekly Shonen Magazine, though."
The blonde girl didn't hesitate. "No, I want Manga Jump..."
The shopkeeper pointed at Eriri. "She bought the last ones."
The girl turned to Eriri, her gaze fixed on the three volumes in her hands.
"Could you sell me one?" she asked calmly. "I'll pay double."
Eriri blinked. The girl wore the uniform of Suimei Academy of the Arts, a school she herself once considered before her parents steered her to Toyosaki. Blonde, fair-skinned, slightly sleepy-looking—this girl had an aloof elegance, and her tone, though polite, carried an oddly detached sincerity.
After a short pause, Eriri nodded and handed over one of the copies.
The girl gave her a ¥500 note, accepted the magazine wordlessly, and dashed off toward her school before Eriri could even return the change.
"…Strange girl," Eriri murmured.
The crowd of students was growing, so she slipped the remaining two issues into her bag and made her way into Toyosaki Academy.
---
In the classroom, Eriri barely waited to sit down before pulling out Manga Jump again. She turned straight to Attack on Titan, immersing herself in the printed version. Unlike manuscript paper, this edition boasted crisp textures, balanced tones, and refined linework.
They must've optimized everything before printing—DPI, page layout, brightness… she thought. As expected of Manga Jump.
"Hey, Eriri-chan, are you reading Manga Jump?" her deskmate, Satomi Azusa, leaned over curiously.
"Yes, Azusa. Want to read with me?"
"Sure! What's the story?"
"Attack on Titan. It's incredible."
"Ohhh~ I've heard of that! Let me see…"
Soon, more classmates joined the cluster.
"Wait, wasn't this the manga that entered the Weekly Shonen Senjo contest but didn't get picked up?"
"Yeah! I remember now—it was uploaded online first, right? And now it's in Manga Jump?"
"I heard it's by a new mangaka."
"I wanna read it after you, Eriri! I'll trade you my Shonen Magazine!"
Eriri beamed. "Deal! But give it back when you're done!"
---
Throughout the morning, the classroom buzzed with discussion as Manga Jump and Shonen Weekly Magazine passed from hand to hand.
The consensus was clear.
"Attack on Titan is leagues ahead of the three new serializations in Shonen Magazine."
"The art's intense—the story's gripping!"
"It's got so much tension compared to those generic isekai harem plots."
"I'm already looking forward to next week's chapter."
"I read the others after this one and... they felt boring by comparison."
"Same here."
"I heard the author posts online under the name Whale. That's so mysterious... I'm following him on X (Twitter) now!"
Eriri smiled as she listened to the buzz.
You all have good taste, she thought.
After all, she was one of the few who knew that behind the pen name Whale was none other than Lucien D. Blackthorn—the boy currently battling cancer, yet creating a masterpiece that was shaking the very foundation of manga publishing.And she couldn't be prouder.