Chapter 5 - 5

Words : 1555 Updated : Sep 24th, 2025

Get a glimpse of "I just want to quietly draw manga" Chapter 5: At that moment, the flag was halfway raised, and all the students could see was... Continue the adventure now!

At that moment, the flag was halfway raised, and all the students could see was a boy carrying the president of the student council, rushing past everyone. The flag-raiser stood stunned, his hands slowing down for a brief moment. The song finished, but the flag remained only halfway up. Kotone's body was surprisingly light. Even though she was 160 cm tall, she only weighed about 45 kilograms at most. Despite that, Haruki could feel the sweat breaking out on his forehead as he ran with her towards the infirmary on the third floor. "What happened to her, classmate?" A female doctor quickly noticed and let Haruki bring Kotone into a room, helping her lie on the bed. She turned to Haruki, concern evident in her eyes. ... Twenty minutes later, the pale Kotone had finally regained some color. Although she still couldn't stand up, she managed to sit at the edge of the bed. Hypoglycemia meant her body had temporarily run low on energy. Though she was weak during the episode, she had already started recovering after some time and food. The doctor, having given Kotone an injection, left the room after confirming she was stable. "You didn't eat breakfast this morning, did you?" Haruki asked, noticing that Kotone had recovered enough to speak. He couldn't help but shake his head. He couldn't help but remember his mother, who also struggled with low blood sugar issues because of her dieting. He would often end up carrying her back home when she passed out from exhaustion. Haruki had always gotten scolded for it. But now, as he looked at Kotone, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat. In the end, he simply said, "Take care of yourself from now on." With that, Haruki stood up, ready to leave. "Wait a minute..." Kotone's weak voice called out behind him. Haruki paused and turned around, his brow furrowed in curiosity. Kotone, with her clear, intense gaze, looked at him as if considering something before she finally spoke. "You... What's your name?" "Uh... Haruki Yuuki," Haruki responded after a brief hesitation. He couldn't help but wonder if Kotone was going to scold him for picking her up earlier or make some kind of snide remark. "Haruki Yuuki?" Kotone repeated softly. "Thank you. In the future... If I have the opportunity, I'll return this favor." "Favor?" Haruki blinked, a little confused. Was she thanking him for helping her? But then again, she didn't seem like the type to express gratitude easily. Kotone's lips barely curled up as she nodded. Haruki could sense that she wasn't like the rumors painted her—distant and cold. There was something different about her, something that made him pause and take notice. "Oh! Well, if you get the chance, sure. No need to worry about it," he said, a little more casually, not wanting to make things more awkward than they already were. ... When Haruki returned to his classroom, all eyes were on him. Where had he taken Kotone? Why had she been carried? What was going on between them? The entire class buzzed with questions, but it was the middle of class, and the math teacher had a notoriously bad temper. No one dared ask directly. Since the incident with the comic a few days ago, Kanna had been paying more attention to Haruki. After all, he had reprimanded her. A girl never forgot something like that. Kanna was curious about what had happened between Haruki and Kotone. What was going on? Haruki returned to his seat, and although Ren, the boy sitting in front of him, didn't ask outright during class, his expression told Haruki everything. After class ended, Ren Kaoru wasted no time, leaning over with a serious face. "Alright, you'd better explain to me what's going on with you and Kotone!" But when Haruki gave a straightforward explanation, the curiosity quickly dissipated. The gossip seemed to lose its appeal, and soon enough, everyone moved on, uninterested in the details anymore. ... What happened that Monday was just a blip in Haruki's day-to-day life. As for Kotone, the student council president, someone destined to enter a prestigious university and rise to the top of the social pyramid, her paths didn't cross much with Haruki's, someone who might not even make it into university and was destined to graduate from high school with little fanfare. Despite Kotone's earlier words about repaying the favor someday, Haruki didn't take them seriously. He figured it was just an obligatory comment. After all, he didn't expect his life to suddenly intertwine with hers. Two days passed in a blink, and Wednesday arrived. The latest issue of Inkbolt, a manga weekly published by Kurokawa Publishing, had shipped out the previous day and was already available in bookstores across Osaka. Though Inkbolt sold only around 60,000 copies weekly, it had strong sales channels across the City thanks to Kurokawa's backing, and this was one of the major reasons why Inkbolt was considered one of the top manga magazine, attracting many aspiring manga artists to submit their work. By Wednesday morning, most major bookstores had opened, and newspapers were the first to fly off the shelves. As for magazines like Inkbolt, they were a little more niche, but their target audience—mainly students—made them a popular read among young people. In the afternoon, the bookstore was flooded with fans of manga and anime, eager to grab the latest issues. ... Haruto Minami, an ordinary office worker, had a little-known hobby: manga. A large part of his monthly salary went toward buying manga. He regularly picked up the best-known ones. Occasionally, he'd buy something more offbeat like Inkbolt, which offered shorter serializations that often wrapped up in a few months. He liked the change of pace it offered. "Hmm, let me see... Ah, is Takumi Kouun finished this week? Oh, a new series..." Haruto flipped through the magazine as he walked down the street. "Garden of Words?" he muttered, looking at the title. "The name is a bit...unusual." But as he skimmed through the first few pages, he had to admit—Garden of Words had a nice style. "The author is Muzushiro... A female artist? Is this a new series?" Haruto walked on, intrigued, turning the pages with a growing sense of curiosity. ---- After lunch, Rika Yoshimura wandered back into the classroom, feeling a bit bored. On a whim, she decided to head outside campus to a nearby bookstore and picked up the latest issue of *Inkbolt*. She hadn't followed the previous issues consistently, so many of the ongoing series were already deep into their stories. Flipping through the table of contents, she soon found what she was looking for. "The Garden of Words, Chapter One." She turned to the listed page number. The first panel showed a rain-soaked pavilion, with a beautiful woman sitting alone. Beneath the illustration were the words: The Garden of Words. To be honest, the title didn't immediately catch her interest—but the artwork... it was on another level compared to the other serialized works she had skimmed. It was delicate. Exquisite. At the very least, the art alone compelled her to start reading. --- The scene opened on a rainy morning. People heading to work or school hurried by, focused on their own lives, indifferent to everything around them. Takao Akizuki, the main character, had skipped class and walked into the park's pavilion with an umbrella in hand. Inside, a woman had already taken shelter from the rain—Yukari Yukino. A teenage boy sketching shoe designs. A woman sipping beer in a public pavilion during a weekday downpour. Their first meeting was brief. The two hardly spoke. But as Takao prepared to leave, Yukari noticed his school uniform and recited a short poem out of nowhere: "The thunder murmurs, the sky is dim—yet still, I pray the wind and rain may come and keep you here." --- Their second meeting came with another rainy day. This time, they weren't surprised to see one another. The awkwardness of the first meeting was gone, replaced by casual greetings. She brought chocolate and beer. He kept glancing at her feet while sketching shoes. Eventually, Takao mentioned that he only skipped class during rainy mornings. Yukari smiled. "If that's the case... perhaps we'll meet again." The page turned—rain poured across the next panel. The rainy season had arrived. And so ended the first chapter of *The Garden of Words*. --- Rika flipped to the next page, only to find the magazine had moved on to a different series. She skimmed a few pages, but something felt... off. With a frown, she flipped back to The Garden of Words. The art was truly beautiful, and the story—simple, almost quiet—had something that lingered. It didn't grip her with drama or action, but left a subtle impression. It wasn't exactly the kind of manga she would normally follow. Yet somehow... she wanted more. With a small smile, Rika picked up her phone and scanned the QR code on the back of the magazine. The voting page loaded. Without overthinking it, she tapped on The Garden of Words and submitted her vote.

Chapter 5 - 5

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