Mihari suddenly froze.
'Speaking of which, I don't remember crying when I saw the original draft... Did I cry... that much!?'
"At times like this, shouldn't you be praising me? I was able to hold back my pain and finish drawing that heartbreaking conclusion!"
"Shut up, you heartless person!!"
As the two bickered, Mihari smiled and gestured for them to follow her.
Half an hour later...
"Just as expected from Shinbo-san, this is impressive!"
After watching the first episode of Madoka Magica, Eriri let out a satisfied sigh.
While the manga was already great and let her imagine everything, the animation brought a completely different feeling.
Even though she already knew the plot, she still couldn't help but feel excited.
"Yeah!" Akifumi nodded in agreement, remarking, "I'm really looking forward to the third episode, especially when Mami-chan turns to witch. I wonder how Shinbo-san will handle that scene."
"???"
"ARE YOU SERIUOS?!"
Eriri's mood shifted from happy to horrified as the fear of the Madoka Magica plot twisted in her mind.
"SHUT UP!!"
Her eyes narrowed, fuming.
Tsk.
It's truly painful to immerse yourself in the main characters' perspective.
But if you shift to the perspective of an outsider, seeing all those fans suffering, yet still eagerly waiting for the next update... that feeling is just... exquisite!
What? You want me to see things from Kyubey's perspective!? Even Satan would get a tattoo of you!
Mihari, who had been quietly listening, couldn't help but twitch at the exchange.
She pushed through the awkwardness and said, "As expected of Akifumi-san, you definitely look at things from a completely different perspective!"
"Ah, you're too kind, Otosuna-san," Akifumi smiled.
Is he really seeing things differently? No, he's just being a jerk! He just wants to see me suffer!
Hmph.
Eriri glared at the two, narrowing her eyes.
"By the way, Otosuna-san."
"Hmm?"
"I'm almost done with Anohana."
"??"
Mihari was confused for a moment before she couldn't help but voice her disbelief.
"Anohana only started serialization in July, right? Two months in, and you're telling me you're almost done!?"
"Well, well, calm down." Akifumi raised his hand, signaling for Mihari to relax, then innocently added, "I didn't say I'm done yet."
'I knew it! There's no way it's done this quickly!'
Akifumi explained further: "I said I'm almost done. If I push myself a little more tomorrow and the day after, I should be able to finish the last panel."
??
Mihari looked at him with dead fish eyes, coldly staring.
What's the difference between almost done and done? Oh, so you're just two days away from finishing.
So... you draw one panel a day, right!?
Shouldn't you see how fast other artists work!?
Inside, Mihari was already grinding her teeth, but she forced a smile and said, "So, Akifumi-sensei, what you're saying is...?"
"There's nothing special about it. I just happened to remember, so I mentioned it."
You really had to bring it up like this?
After working with Akifumi for so long, if Mihari still couldn't pick up on the hidden meaning behind his words, she'd be ashamed of her own intelligence.
She sighed, "I understand, I'll pass this along to Editor-in-Chief Minano later. But whether we can release the volume early will still depend on the meeting."
"Eh, you can do that?" Akifumi acted surprised, blinking innocently.
Come on, don't pretend with me.
"We all know each other too well," Mihari rolled her eyes.
"Since Madoka Magica is already a precedent, and the feedback seems pretty good, the company is considering this approach."
"I see!" Akifumi smiled.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Otosuna-san."
How to put it...
Right now, Akifumi isn't lacking in money.
Just from the royalties of Madoka Magica's first and second volumes, he's already surpassed 99% of people his age in wealth.
But…
The world doesn't work that way.
Some people are born into positions of power that others can never reach, no matter how hard they try.
After the whole ordeal with the Shinomiya family sending him a "gift," Akifumi has been thinking hard.
As an ordinary person with no background, and no system to rely on, how should he deal with these conglomerates?
The answer is clear: build up power and work to become a financial force like them.
Of course...
It's unrealistic to think he could grow his own influence to rival the Shinomiya family by himself. However...
'At least, when facing these financial giants, I need to have the means to protect myself!'
Sure, the whole "gift" thing might just have been a joke.
But thinking about it differently, if something really were to happen, Akifumi has no way to defend himself.
In this world, a well-known manga artist with a few million yen to their name isn't much.
It's not paranoia; it's simply the harsh reality he's seen too many times before.
'Though I don't need to worry too much.'
He's just an ordinary manga artist. Unless something major happens, he's not in any real danger.
But after that thought, he can no longer just lie back on his wealth and waste away.
That's why, in August, he's been pushing himself to finish Anohana while maintaining quality.
He's almost finished before school starts.
'A manga artist with a bit of fame and a few million yen is nothing.'
But, if...
'If I become a top-tier manga artist with millions of fans, and my wealth is in the billions, then anyone who wants to make a move will have to think carefully.'
After all, anime is one of Japan's top three industries!
So for Akifumi, manga is no longer an optional career path, it's a business he must keep up with.
'Plus, my network is stronger than I originally thought.'
He's got ties with Shueisha, the biggest publishing house in Japan.
While they may not have the wealth of the Shinomiya family, they're definitely not poor.
For someone like Akifumi, a bestselling author, he makes at least 100 million yen a year from Madoka Magica.
The publisher is also reaping huge rewards from this.
Not to mention, Akifumi isn't just in the manga industry.
If he can keep proving his value, that's all he really needs.
Additionally, there's Eriri with her diplomat father, the wealthy Shiina… well, forget about Shiina.
Her family's a bit... much.
But taking all that aside, his parents have built up a solid network over the years.
They've traveled around the world for their archaeological work, appearing in newspapers and meeting important figures regularly.
So, there's really no danger!
But this personal awareness of danger keeps creeping up, pushing him to prepare.
Plus, unlike the Shinomiya family's frivolous heiress, the real big players in the world aren't going to waste time targeting someone like him.