Chapter 67 – The Beginning of "Your Name"
In the next two days, Lucien completed the draft and annotation work of the fourth volume of Attack on Titan, and also finished chapters 45 and 46 of the sixth volume of Slam Dunk.
Then, he finally began to work on his new project—Your Name.
Compared with Slam Dunk, Your Name was a whole new challenge in terms of creative difficulty.
Director Arata Shinkawa was known in the industry for his obsession with detail. His films placed immense emphasis on backgrounds, subtle movements, and delicate light and shadow effects. He believed that even the smallest detail could reveal the inner heart of the characters.
That meant Lucien needed to be more meticulous than ever—adjusting backgrounds, refining settings, and carefully layering tones of light and atmosphere.
With only two hours of creation time allowed each day, he could only complete a little over one episode of Your Name daily.
The story itself wasn't long—about 20 chapters spread across three volumes. Lucien estimated he could complete it in about half a month.
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Mizuki's Visit
On Friday afternoon, Usami Mizuki came to the hospital after school.
"Senpai, the school's cultural festival is starting soon," she explained, clutching her bag shyly. "I'll have to help out with the art club, so… I might not be able to visit twice a week."
Lucien smiled warmly. "It's okay, Mizuki. You've already helped me a lot. Here—" He handed her the draft of Attack on Titan Volume 4. "Take your time with this. No rush."
After giving her some final instructions, Mizuki bowed politely and turned to leave.
Just then, the door opened—and in came Eriri, her blonde twin-tails bouncing as she hurried in.
The two almost collided.
"You must be Mizuki, right?" Eriri quickly guessed, looking at the petite underclassman. "Hello, I'm Sawamura Spencer Eriri, Lucien's classmate."
"H-hello, Sawamura-senpai…" Mizuki bowed quickly.
In that moment, she couldn't help but stare. Eriri looked like a heroine straight out of the two-dimensional world—blonde hair, blue eyes, twin ponytails, over-the-knee socks, a perfect mix of moe elements.
She was dazzling. Almost intimidating.
Eriri chuckled and gently put a hand on Mizuki's shoulder. "Don't be so stiff! I won't eat you."
Mizuki blushed and shrank her shoulders.
Lucien laughed. "Eriri, don't tease her. She'll cry if you scare her too much."
"Wha—!" Mizuki puffed her cheeks and shot Lucien a resentful look. Who are you calling a child?
But she quickly composed herself, bowed again, and said, "I'll excuse myself now. Goodbye, Sawamura-senpai."
Then she scurried out, red-faced.
---
"Your Name" vs "Slam Dunk"
Eriri sat down beside Lucien, still smiling. "She's adorable. Way too cute."
Lucien smiled to himself. Not as cute as you…
"Anyway," Eriri pulled out the latest issue of Manga Jump. "There's only one chapter this week—the Captain Levi special. Everyone's craving more!"
Lucien set the magazine aside and picked up two sketchbooks from the table.
"One is Slam Dunk chapters 45 and 46. The other is Your Name chapters 1 and 2. Which do you want first?"
"Your Name! Definitely!" Eriri answered without hesitation, eyes sparkling.
Lucien chuckled and handed her the new manuscript.
Eriri eagerly flipped open the pages—only to freeze after a few panels.
The artwork was stunning. The landscapes looked like photographs, the details crisp and alive. Mitsuha's hometown shimmered with rural warmth, while Taki's Tokyo glowed with modern brilliance. The characters themselves were drawn with such beauty that she felt captivated immediately.
She looked up at Lucien with admiration before continuing.
But two pages later—her face turned scarlet. She slammed the sketchbook shut and threw it back.
"W-what the hell are you drawing?!" she snapped, glaring at him.
Lucien blinked, confused. Then he saw the page: Taki, in Mitsuha's body, was nervously "checking" her chest with his hands.
"…Ah." Lucien sighed. "Eri, don't overreact. It's a natural reaction in the story."
"Natural?!" Eriri's blush deepened. "You boys are unbelievable!"
"Come on. If you swapped into a guy's body, you wouldn't be curious?"
"T-that's different!" she stammered, turning away.
Lucien smirked. You liar.
Eriri quickly shoved the Slam Dunk draft into her lap. "Forget it. Just let me read this instead."
Lucien chuckled helplessly. Strong-willed as always. But that's part of her charm.
---
The Game Heats Up
Eriri became absorbed in the new chapters of Slam Dunk.
The Shohoku vs. Ryonan match had reached its climax.
Sakuragi Hanamichi stunned everyone with his rebounding power and even blocked Sendoh's shot. Akagi Takenori finally shook off Uozumi's dominance and rallied his team with unyielding spirit.
The score closed in—84:85. Just one point difference.
And with 21 seconds left, Sakuragi snatched the ball from Rukawa and charged toward the basket…
The scene cut off there.
Eriri exhaled sharply. "That idiot Sakuragi! If he misses, Rukawa's hard work goes to waste." She glanced at Lucien, narrowing her eyes. "But… you'll make him score, won't you?"
Lucien smirked. "Of course. He's the protagonist. Readers would riot otherwise."
"Ha! Knew it. Classic protagonist halo!"
The two burst into laughter, Eriri teasing, "Genius Whale-sensei really knows how to toy with readers' hearts!"
Lucien shrugged with mock arrogance. "Well, I am a genius."
"Hah! Shameless. You sound just like Sakuragi Hanamichi himself!"
Their laughter filled the quiet ward.
---
Summer Heat
Eventually, Eriri packed up, sighing. "I have to go. Busy night—homework, drawings, uploading your manga…"
Lucien pouted. "So soon? You've only been here a while."
"Don't act spoiled. I'll bring you something tasty next time."
She ruffled his hair gently before leaving.
Lucien watched her go, smiling faintly. She really brightens this room.
---
The Tournament
The week passed quickly, and midsummer arrived.
Cicadas screamed outside the hospital windows, and all across Japan, high school students were burning with youthful passion in baseball, tennis, soccer, track—and of course, basketball.
Basketball usually paled in comparison to baseball, but this year was different.
Two names had set the nation buzzing:
Mai Sakurajima – The national idol, appearing as a basketball team manager in a new drama and now the ambassador of the National High School Basketball Tournament.
Whale – The rising manga creator whose Slam Dunk ignited passion in basketball teams across Japan.
This year, the national tournament had become a spotlight event.
At Toyonosaki Academy, the basketball team shocked everyone by crushing Takedai High School 82–53 in the preliminaries—an incredible 29-point lead.
In the school corridors, students buzzed with excitement:
"Did you hear? We crushed Takedai!"
"Makishima-senpai's training finally paid off."
"Do you think Kasumigaoka-senpai will really date him if they reach nationals?"
Hearing this, Eriri's eyes widened. No way… our basketball team actually won?
She couldn't wait to rush to the hospital and share the news with Lucien.
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✨ End of Chapter 67
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