Sophie blinked her eyes and said,
"Sigh... So does Japan turn everything into otaku culture, including Vampires?"
Kagaribi no Kiriue sighed again. It seemed the circle of Vampires she knew was becoming increasingly decadent.
They were friends who had met after moving to Chiba at different times. To properly entertain her friend, Kagaribi no Kiriue had specially invited her over for tea and a chat.
Speaking of anime... for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on, Kagaribi no Kiriue always thought of that frivolous Chen Yao, and her gaze became somewhat speechless.
Ever since she and Chen Yao had a fight over a Service Club matter, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. At least she had a fellow half-breed studying with her at school, and they had even performed in a stage play together. Life was, for the time being, quite eventful.
"Miss Kiriue, what are you thinking about?"
Sophie looked at the suddenly dazed Kagaribi no Kiriue and asked in confusion.
"No, it's nothing..."
Kagaribi no Kiriue snapped back to her senses and coughed a few times to hide her embarrassment.
As the vehicle drove into the estate, Kagaribi no Kiriue smiled. "Welcome to my home, Miss Sophie. I'll take you upstairs first to put your luggage in the guest room."
"Sorry for the trouble."
Sophie nodded and responded politely.
It had to be said that Kagurazuki's home was much larger than hers and appeared quite magnificent. After all, she was a lower-tier Vampire, while Kagaribi no Kiriue was a pure-blood Vampire who did not fear the sun.
Coincidentally, the room she moved into was the most luxurious guest room where Chen Yao had previously stayed as an apology. As soon as she entered the room, she could actually smell a faint scent of rust.
"Miss Kiriue, why is there a smell of rust in the room?"
Sophie asked in confusion.
Kagaribi no Kiriue was taken aback and apologized. "You smell it too? Sorry, I already had the servants clean it once. A Classmate of mine stayed here before. If you mind..."
"No, it's fine. I don't mind."
Sophie smiled and shook her head. She was just a bit curious about what kind of human would naturally carry this scent of rust.
As a result, while Sophie was putting her clothes in the wardrobe for the first two days, she saw a few pages of sketches inside. She picked them up out of curiosity, but upon seeing them, her clothes immediately slipped from her hands.
Kagaribi no Kiriue, waiting at the door, saw this and asked in confusion, "Miss Sophie, what's wrong now?"
"Ah... ahhh..."
Sophie began to tremble all over, holding these few sketches in her hands as if she had seen something terrifying.
In her confusion, Kagaribi no Kiriue stepped forward and took a look. She found they were a few manga storyboard sketches featuring cat and dog characters. She asked curiously, "What's wrong with these drawings?"
Sophie whipped her head around and asked with immense excitement, "These... who drew these!?"
Kagaribi no Kiriue thought for a moment. No matter how she looked at it, only Chen Yao had stayed here recently. She said, "It should be that Classmate who stayed over at my place. I sucked a little bit of his blood before and seemed to feel... that he has a habit of drawing manga..."
"There's no mistake, these storyboards... they perfectly match a page from the 'kura kura of haruta street' published last week. And after checking the brushstrokes, it's definitely the author's handwriting!"
Sophie pulled a magnifying glass from her pocket and examined the sketch as if inspecting an original masterpiece, saying as if she had found a treasure.
"..."
Seeing Sophie so excited, Kagaribi no Kiriue's expression became even more helpless. She said, "It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it? Are you a fan of that fellow Mr. Chen Yao's manga?"
"Chen Yao? Is the author Yokoyama-kun's real name Chen Yao!? Miss Kiriue, do you know the author!?"
Sophie grabbed Kagaribi no Kiriue's hands, her expression becoming very serious. "Please, you must introduce the author to me, I beg you!!"
~·~·~·~·~·~·~·
In Gunma Prefecture, at the window of the second floor of a detached house, the lights were still bright.
"What should I do now..."
Chen Yao looked at the sketches on the table that he hadn't even begun to think about how to draw with a look of melancholy, falling into deep thought.
He was a professional manga artist for Kadokawa Library, seventeen years old this year. He was currently serializing an all-ages manga called 'kura kura of haruta street'. Sales were decent, and it aired every Friday night on Fuji TV, hailed as a comedy masterpiece with the influence of a second 'Sgt. Frog'.
But creation isn't always smooth sailing. After resolving the commission regarding the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School for the Service Club, he gained a month of free time. But on tonight's deadline, he... procrastinated... Procrastinating meant he failed to submit his manuscript by the time stipulated by the editorial department. It was supposed to be handed over to his editor-in-charge before eight o'clock tonight, but he still had four pages of sketches for which he couldn't think of the subsequent story. This kind of timing was the most agonizing.
He had thought that becoming a manga artist with an animated work meant he had reached the peak of his life. But recently, a major situation occurred in last week's final chapter. Readers were severely dissatisfied with the ending arrangement of the last chapter. Now, major manga forums online were criticizing his work and him personally.
"Why would Meow Meow lose the East Side Park? The design has no logic at all."
"Isn't the Kappa of the street a neutral party? Why did he secretly help the Cat Faction this time? It makes me dislike Kappa-kun a bit."
...On the Kadokawa Manga Forum, comments were becoming increasingly extreme. Many anime and manga fans were advocating for a boycott of his work's merchandise, and discussing how to teach him a lesson to vent their anger. Some moderators were even pooling money to hire people to investigate the identity of the author [Yokoyama-kun] to ambush him... The problem was, he remembered that eighty percent of his manga's audience were middle and elementary school students. Are Japanese middle and elementary school students so terrifying nowadays?
"Strange, this is just a gag manga. Gag plots don't need to be taken so seriously. Just because the protagonist Meow Meow lost the park area, is it worth such excessive swearing... Do teenage readers really need to curse so intensely..."
Chen Yao recalled the chaos in the comment section while brainstorming the plot and sighed gloomily. Now, when he saw elementary school students on the street, he wanted to take a detour.
Facing this creative risk, what should he do for the story of the next chapter... "Sigh, I must remember not to pursue too much unconventionality in the story. Since this is a manga mainly for readers below middle school age, it's better to draw more everyday comedy. If I don't do plots with gains and losses, I won't fall into such a passive situation..."
Chen Yao sighed, thinking troubledly.
The manga was now in a rather dangerous position, and he had to carefully consider the story progression for the next chapter.
[Knock knock knock.]
While he was thinking, there was a knock on his room door.
"Is it Uncle or Aunt?"
Chen Yao asked in confusion. He was currently staying with Mr. and Mrs. Yokoyama, and it was already nine o'clock. Usually, they rarely disturbed him at this time... However, when he opened the door, standing there was an adult beauty wearing black work clothes, with long black hair and a refined face, though her eyes had a sharp, piercing look. She was looking at him expressionlessly.
"...Ugh!!"
Chen Yao's expression immediately turned from confusion to as if he had seen a ghost. His eyes widened, and then slowly... slowly, he tried to close the door.
"What are you doing, Chen Yao-kun?"
The adult woman reached out to hold his door, a cold and serious atmosphere washing over him as she asked.
"Editor Isur, wh-what are you doing here..."
Chen Yao had a rare guilty expression and asked in a low voice.
"The sketches are already overdue. It's time to hand them over to me, isn't it?"
The female editor from Kadokawa Library, named Isur Fuyumi, reached out her hand and asked in a cold tone.
Chapter 021: An Angel Fan Named Vampire
Inside the room, Isur Fuyumi sat on a chair and began to flip through the completed manga pages one by one.
This female editor was his mentor. She was twenty-three years old and reportedly a graduate of a prestigious university's literature department. After joining Kadokawa Bunko, she was originally slated to be a light novel editor, but was later transferred to the manga department. When she first received Chen Yao's submission, she discovered his talent for gag manga and encouraged him to draw this lighthearted comedy series.
Despite her kindness to him, this female editor was known as Kadokawa's strongest editor. She excelled at manipulating people's hearts and could hold any mangaka in the palm of her hand; she seemed to have already attained a certain leadership position within the editorial department.
"Hmm... I don't think there's anything wrong with the plot, so why are you delaying the manuscript?"
Isur Fuyumi crossed her legs, her slender, beautiful legs looking alluring under the light as she asked in confusion.
"Because the latest chapter last week caused some controversy. I thought I should be more cautious and make the story a bit more interesting..."
Chen Yao sat on the edge of the bed and explained.
"...Sigh, you, why do you overthink so much? Just because some people opposed your plot arrangement, you think sales will be affected."
Isur Fuyumi sighed. She looked at Chen Yao and said, "A manga work without controversy is a worthless work. The fact that your plot caused a debate just shows that the popularity is still there."
Chen Yao also understood this logic, but at the thought of the readers' anger and opinions, he always felt somewhat restless. After all, whether his manga was good or not depended entirely on reader support; he couldn't ignore those voices.
"Um... so how about letting me think about it some more? Give me another ten hours?"
Chen Yao asked tentatively.
"No way, this final draft is fine." Isur Fuyumi rejected him. She looked over the manga again and said, "You know, Mr. Chen Yao, although your manga might not rank among Japan's top-tier yet, I believe it's absolutely no problem for it to shine. What you draw is much more interesting than 'Sgt. Frog.' A creator must believe in their own work; only a manga whose creator believes in it will have a sense of soul. Last week's segment was very good, don't doubt yourself."
Isur Fuyumi smiled, a smile as beautiful as melting snow on a mountain. She understood well that creators are easily affected by reader feedback—even the most steadfast ones—and editors are their navigators.
Hearing Isur Fuyumi say this, Chen Yao became pensive. Ultimately, he decided to follow the original plot rhythm and nodded, saying, "I understand. Thank you for the advice, Editor Isur."
"Mm-hmm, then... finish drawing by ten-thirty. I need to rush back. You should be able to do that, right?"
Isur Fuyumi withdrew her smile, her expression becoming serious as she asked.
A Siberian-like cold current made Chen Yao tremble all over. He knew that after Editor Isur gave him a carrot, there would definitely be a stick. He didn't dare dawdle and sat back in his seat to start drawing. However, the chair had been warmed by Isur Fuyumi sitting on it, and he felt inexplicably embarrassed when he touched it.
"..."
After giving up her seat, Isur Fuyumi sat on the edge of Chen Yao's bed, quietly watching him write and draw furiously. Gradually, a trace of a smile appeared on her face again.
This high school student shouldn't have been able to become a mangaka. In Japan, it's very difficult for foreigners to debut in manga. But when she first saw him, she was infected by his burning creative passion, leading her to take a risk and help him debut. As it turned out, Chen Yao was the first author she managed who successfully serialized for a year and received an anime adaptation.
Furthermore, looking at his personality and demeanor, although he was the complete opposite of a certain junior she used to have, they were both the kind of simple boys who knew exactly what they were pursuing.
Although Chen Yao still drew the last four pages of the manga as originally conceived, he still felt some unease. After all, the plot of this chapter was a continuation of the last one and added more conflict. If the plot caused an uproar, his hard work would go up in flames.
However, after thinking it through, he finally decided to submit it. After all, this was the story he had conceived; if he lost readers, there was nothing he could do. He turned his head and said to Isur Fuyumi, "Editor Isur, I've finished drawing. Please..."
As a result, he saw Isur Fuyumi bending down to look under his bed, seemingly searching for something.
"Ahem, what are you doing, Editor Isur?" Chen Yao asked, narrowing his eyes.
"...No, it's nothing." Realizing she had been caught, Isur Fuyumi sat up straight again and answered after a moment of silence.
It was obvious that after a girl enters a boy's room, the first thing she does is check under the bed for hidden adult magazines or other such items. He didn't expect that even the usually mature and steady Editor Isur Fuyumi couldn't escape this habit.
Isur Fuyumi flipped through the last four pages of the plot and nodded, saying, "The storyboards and plot are both fine. I've indeed received them."
"Sorry for the trouble."
Chen Yao breathed a sigh of relief. Although he felt some trepidation in his heart, he believed in his work, and he smiled and nodded to Editor Isur.
Isur Fuyumi was about to leave when she seemed to think of something. She turned her head and asked, "Mr. Chen Yao, have you ever thought about holding a fan meeting?"
A fan meeting? Chen Yao was stunned. This was a term he wouldn't even dare to dream of. Why was Editor Isur suddenly asking this?
"But aren't I a foreign author? Logically, I shouldn't expose my identity..."
Chen Yao asked in confusion.
"That's the logic, but it doesn't mean you don't have a chance to hold such a meeting. As long as you wear a mask, sunglasses, and a hat, basically no one will recognize you. Plus, we can use non-disclosure agreements to keep readers quiet. I just don't think it's the right time yet... When the time is right, I'll ask you again. Don't lose heart."
Isur Fuyumi gave him a faint smile and turned to go downstairs.
A fan meeting... Chen Yao stood at the door, somewhat surprised and unexpected. Could a wild-grown mangaka like him really have the chance to hold such a dream-like event?
~·~·~·~·~·
Night, midnight.
Chen Yao sat on the floor and started playing the game disc Sakayanagi Arisu had given him. Honestly, being rich is great. Although he had made quite a bit of money from manga, he had to pay his own tuition and food expenses, and he also maintained a sports car, so his savings weren't actually that much. He usually bought one game disc and sold another; he couldn't help it, as he came from a poor background.
"'Resident Evil 4 Remake' is indeed a good game, but I still think the old version is more challenging..."
Chen Yao played the game until the castle area, then saved his progress and prepared to sleep.
One reason he liked the old version of Resident Evil 4 was that the treasures in the game would glow; he especially liked glowing treasures... However, a Japanese horror masterpiece called 'Hollow Cocoon' had recently come out. He had played it and thought it was one of the few truly scary games in years. After all, a mangaka occasionally needs some excitement to generate inspiration.
After turning off the TV, Chen Yao fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He pulled up the covers, thinking about how to allocate next month's living expenses, and gradually began to drift off... However, thud, thud, thud! He vaguely heard some strange sounds that caught his attention.
But when he turned his head to look, he saw nothing.
"Strange, did I hear wrong?"
Confused, Chen Yao closed his eyes to continue sleeping.
But in a very blurry dream, he dreamed he was in a very dilapidated old Japanese-style house, being chased by a female ghost with disheveled hair. Although he considered himself battle-hardened, he couldn't withstand the terrifying atmosphere and ran for his life. Just as he was tackled by the female ghost, he immediately woke up... "I had a really scary dream... I must remember not to play horror games before bed in the future..."
Chen Yao exhaled, thinking to himself with lingering fear.