[A/N: Thanks so much to my supporters! I'm back with another fanfic! I really appreciate all of you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy the read. Feel free to roast me too, that's the only way I can improve my writing.]
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"Another rejection!" I exclaim in panic, my eyes practically popping out of their sockets. Right before me is an email from yet another studio I had sent my work samples to.
The email reads:
[We regret to inform you that your application has been rejected. While we admire your perseverance in not giving up after countless attempts, we must also inform you that you've been blacklisted by our staff. Your art style is indeed intricate, but unfortunately, your illustrations are too explicit and unsettling to be published. If you're willing to attempt something more conventional, you may try again.]
I sigh and delete the email. It's become so routine that it barely fazes me anymore. Reaching into my chest pocket, I pull out a cigarette, light it, and take in a long puff of smoke.
"What's the point of being a manga artist if I can't draw what I want? How are my drawings too explicit? This is so unfair… the hypocrisy of this world is insane. I bet half of these studio directors jerk off to hentai porns. If only they'd set aside their hypocrisy and admit I have solid storylines.
"Ah… maybe it was rejected because of the part where the behemoth had sex with a loli. Or was it when the heroines transformed into sperm monsters at the end? No, that was perfect. Did they seriously expect the heroines to actually win? Pfft, how cliche."
I rise from my seat, my spine popping and cracking after being glued to the chair all day. It's nearly nighttime, the hour I usually stop all tasks to seek motivation, gather inspiration, and avoid hitting a block. Even with all the rejections, I'm far from broke. I earn plenty from self-publishing across different platforms and have a loyal base of supporters. Yet, the emptiness lingers because my works never get turned into an anime series.
It's not something I could just buy into, even with wealth, unless I settle for a shitty, low-grade animation. I recall attracting plenty of sponsors, but not one renowned studio had the guts to pick up my work, even when we practically shoved money in their faces. Their precious reputations mattered more.
Anyway, time to hunt for inspiration. I grab my small camera and step outside the building. The moment I do, I'm met with my neighbors' contemptuous stares. Even though I live in one of Tokyo's nicest areas and enjoy a huge online presence, in reality I'm despised—thanks to my notorious reputation, hehe.
With my hands folded behind my neck and my camera dangling across it, I stroll down the street, hearing the whispers and murmurs of my neighbors.
"Hey, that creepy guy is here again. Pull your skirt down so it won't get blown by some random breeze. He'll definitely try to snap a photo."
"Kyaa, why isn't he in jail already?"
"I heard he's rich and always bails himself out whenever he's arrested. Plus, he manages to erase the evidence before the police arrive."
Sigh, talking about me so openly, huh. I look at the two young women standing before me, they seem to be around nineteen or twenty. I stop just a few meters away.
"Oi, you two are cute. Do you want to show me your panties? I promise I'll create a masterpiece from it!" I say with enthusiasm, hoping they'll share my vision. But their faces twist in pure terror.
"KYAAAA!! PERVERT!!!" they scream, bolting away in horror and leaving their handbags behind.
I freeze, my hand still in the air as if to stop them, then slowly lower it once I realize they're gone.
Hunching my back in defeat, I continue down the street.
"Where am I supposed to create the ultimate masterpiece? When? When?" I mutter to myself, until something catches my attention in the shadow on the ground. Two shapes, moving suspiciously.
Eh, is that?
I lift my gaze and, just as I suspected, through the middle floor window of a building, two people are having sex in plain view, the woman's breasts swinging lewdly and making the shadows dance.
Blood trickles from my nose as a grin creeps across my face. This… this could be my masterpiece collection. Without thinking, I start climbing the building. Somehow, I feel like I've gained sudden superhuman strength. Before long, I've reached the middle floor and perch myself on the air conditioner mounted to the wall.
Thankfully, the couple is too lost in lust to notice me. I raise my camera and start snapping photos.
CHAK. CHAK. CHAK. CHAK. CHAK.
The faint shutter sound is only audible to me as I capture their obscene act.
I want more… more! I need to capture a real-life ahegao face. Maybe this couple can deliver it. I continue taking pictures, completely unaware that the AC unit beneath me is loosening under my weight.
Then suddenly, a sharp metallic creak.
"W-What?!" Before I can react, the air conditioner mount tears apart, and I plummet downward.
BAM!
I open my eyes in shock, realizing I'm not dead and feel no pain. It's almost as if I landed on a cushion—wait… what's that smell?
"Nande!" I cry out, realizing I've fallen into a huge trash bin. As I try to climb out, a man in a familiar garbage collector's uniform approaches.
"Damn, this trash stinks," he mutters, slamming the lid shut. I pound desperately from inside, but there's no response. Suddenly, the bin is lifted by the claws of the garbage truck, and with a quick motion, it flips me upside down along with the garbage.
"Oi, hurry up and compress that load! We still have a lot to collect!"
Instantly, the truck's compactor kicks in, crushing me together with the filth. My lungs tighten, air slipping away, consciousness fading.
"M-My masterpiece…" I whisper faintly before darkness takes me.
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"Thank you for coming today, Stunk-sama, teehee."
What… is that?
I blink, turning my head to see a beautiful blonde elf girl staring at me in confusion. She's wearing an indecently thin dress, her nipples clearly outlined beneath the fabric.
"Stunk-sama, is something wrong?" she asks, pressing her soft breasts against my shoulder. "You don't look satisfied. Do you want more, Stunk-sama?"
"EHH?! WHERE THE FUCK AM I!?"