Chapter 90 - 88

The two days of running around over the weekend had left Haruki feeling drained—not physically, but mentally. Still, all his hard work over the past month hadn't been for nothing. However, Haruki couldn't just sit around for the next two weeks waiting for Haruka's serial meeting results. At the very least, he needed to complete the full storyboard name—over forty pages—for Anohana all on his own. The sooner he finished it, the better. If someone else suddenly brought in a strong script, there was always the risk his would be pushed aside. Even though creating a name draft was much simpler than a full manuscript, and Haruki could replicate the original from his system, over forty pages was still no small task. So for the next two weeks, life would ease up slightly compared to the intense rush of the past month, but overall, it would still be far from relaxed. At least now, he finally had time to go back to attending classes. If he kept skipping any longer, he figured the school might really send him packing. "Arata Fujimoto !" "Here!" "Fujio Nakamura!" "Here!" "Haruki Yuuki!" "Here!" Haruki responded a little too loudly—his voice unconsciously filled with excitement after missing two weeks of classes. The sudden burst of energy drew everyone's eyes toward him, including the math professor, a stern man in his fifties. Adjusting his glasses, he glanced over at Haruki. "Haruki Yuuki!" "Yes, sir." "Hmph, surprising. You actually showed up today!" The professor gave a dry chuckle. "Let me remind you—under my rules, if you skip even three more classes, your attendance score will be penalized. Unless you score above 90 on the final exam, you'll fail this course. And trust me, no amount of pleading will save you when that happens." Not wanting to waste more time, the professor continued taking attendance after the warning. Around him, some classmates looked over with curiosity, others with disdain, a few even smirking. Over the past few weeks, Haruki's reputation as the guy who always skipped class had spread through the cohort—even among people who had never met him. Everyone else was busy grinding through lectures and coursework, while Haruki seemed to be playing hooky without a care. It was only natural that resentment had quietly built up. Haruki felt a bit awkward, finally deciding to show up, only to be publicly singled out. But it couldn't be helped. He had to make choices based on his priorities. Right now, the birth of a new manga came first. If it meant sacrificing some of his classes, so be it. Looking around, Haruki noticed how the class had naturally formed into groups—dormmates sticking together, chatting in small clusters. Meanwhile, he sat alone. Guess he'd be a lone wolf through college too. Still, if the serialization for the new manga went well, he'd need to start recruiting assistants. Maybe then, things would change a little. --- That night, in a small apartment complex in Tokyo— "Haruka, are you serious? Mizushiro's already here in Tokyo, and he brought a new project?" Airi's voice was full of excitement. Her room was still a mess, and Haruka was helping tidy up as they talked. "Yeah, I just met with him yesterday," Haruka replied casually. "Is it a new chapter for Rurouni Kenshin?" Airi asked eagerly, squatting childlike in a spinning chair, her hands resting on her knees. Her small frame made her look even more petite in that posture. "Rurouni Kenshin?" Haruka chuckled. "Not a chance." "Unless he reconciles with Kurokawa and Rika Hayashi on Red Lantern, that series won't ever continue. The rights are stuck between the two of them—no way either side moves without the other." "Oh..." Airi's excitement visibly deflated. "Can't you convince them to make peace?" she pleaded. "I really want to see how Rurouni Kenshin ends..." "Are you crazy? I'm an editor for Echo Shroud Publishing—why would I stick my nose into the affairs of another company? Besides, if they were going to reconcile, they'd have done it already. It's not my place." Haruka paused, picking up a stack of scattered manga volumes. "Anyway, this time, he didn't just bring one new work—he brought two." "Two new works?" Airi immediately perked up again. "Are they good?" "From what I've seen so far, not bad. I haven't had enough time to dig deep, but..." Haruka's eyes lit up slightly. "One of them, I'm planning to submit to the Shroud Line Series' serialization meeting in two weeks. It's fresh, and the story's really good. I personally like it a lot." "And the other?" Airi leaned forward eagerly. "That one's for Kazanami's new animation project. He seems pretty confident about both works, and from what I've heard from you and Sora, everyone speaks highly of him. So, we're giving him a shot." "If things go smoothly, you might even end up competing with him for a spot in the same magazine. And if he's lucky, maybe his other work gets greenlit for an anime adaptation in a few months!" "Competing against Mizushiro, huh?" Airi's face beamed with excitement. "I really admire him... but if we're rivals, I won't lose." "Good," Haruka said, smiling at her enthusiasm. "But listen, one more thing—" "I know, I know!" Airi interrupted with a pout. "You won't leak anything before the serialization meeting." Haruka smirked. She and Airi had worked together long enough that she could guess exactly what the girl was thinking just by her expression. "Nope. Not a chance. But don't worry—if everything goes smoothly, you'll get to see his new works officially in a month." "Fine," Airi huffed. "And don't forget," Haruka added with a sly grin, "your deadline's three days away. If you don't turn in your draft... well, you can say goodbye to this room next week." Airi froze in place, the color draining from her face. ... Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. In those two weeks, Haruki managed to keep up with his class schedule, no longer skipping his lessons, and also completed the remaining nineteen pages for the Anohana. Haruki wasn't worried that the publisher might be confused. After all, if the company was an established animation production house, they surely had a wealth of experience in the industry, whether it was in manga, novels, or anime. At the end, Haruki attached character sketches and the finalized drafts for the first three chapters. He was confident that if the team at the company was professional enough, they'd recognize the potential of the work. Shroud Line Publishing – Meeting Room The conference room was filled with a buzz of voices. "No... I still think that The Thousand Stars Secret Realm by Coffee Bean is more appealing than the others. In this series, characters selected for the realm can exchange anything they have... knowledge, longevity, luck, IQ, EQ... I believe that if it gets serialized, the popularity will be huge!" "No, I don't agree. I'm more optimistic about Natsume's Book of Friends proposed by Haruka. The plot is quite fresh. Honestly, the elements like spirits, friendship, and personal growth all tie together really well. If it's serialized, the market response could be big if the quality holds up." "But Magic Paradise, suggested by Kazuki Shiranami for serialization, is also not bad. For those fans into the more mysterious and darker themes, this one could definitely attract attention." At this meeting, the editors at Echo Shroud had put forward 49 works for discussion. These works came from experienced, well-known authors from both Echo Shroud and other provinces who had moved to the Tokyo to expand their careers. After an hour of discussion, 49 works were narrowed down to 13. Two hours later, the list was down to just five. It was clear that the works still in the running had their merits. Although Haruki's work had proven to be a hit in a parallel world, the standards for manga in this world were no less rigorous. After all, Haruki had only completed the drafts for the first three chapters, and the overall plot hadn't expanded much beyond that. While there was a quirky cat teacher among the supporting characters, it still felt underdeveloped. At this stage, his work was being evaluated on limited material, and the discussion was far from a clear victory. Haruka, along with several other senior editors from Echo Shroud, were actively debating and pointing out the flaws in each other's choices. 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