"Why didn't I go with you?"
Eriri gritted her teeth in frustration, her small face filled with dissatisfaction.
"Because you always slack off, can't produce enough drawings, and are on the verge of missing deadlines."
"Ugh..."
Faced with Akifumi Mugiho's blunt criticism, the girl let out a pained whimper.
Even though she had originally prepared three extra chapters as a safety net before serialization, unexpected situations had drained them all!
After all these months, Eriri's stockpile was completely depleted.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have had to push herself so hard last week.
As for someone like Akifumi, who consistently works ahead and has completed entire chapters in advance—that kind of dedication was almost unheard of in the manga industry!
"It's not like I wanted this! Keeping up with serialization isn't that easy!"
Akifumi raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you want to say that to me?"
"..."
Eriri refused to answer and instead flicked her twin tails at him.
Feeling the soft impact of her hair, he absentmindedly noted that it actually made for a decent massage.
Seeing Eriri puff up her cheeks and sit down on the sofa, Akifumi casually asked, "By the way, is next week's serialization on track?"
"Of course." Eriri smirked confidently.
"Who do you think I am?"
"With the help of my assistants last week, I managed to draw two entire chapters!"
"Ohh, yes yes that awesome." Akifumi clapped with a deadpan expression.
"So, you're using up your backup chapters this week and planning to work hard again next week?"
"I'm always working hard!" Eriri pouted.
"I draw manga every day after school."
"Today is just a rare break."
"I see." Akifumi nodded.
But judging from the flicker in her eyes, he estimated the truthfulness of her words was barely 50%.
She was probably drawing, but definitely not as diligently as she claimed.
"Speaking of which, now that Your Lie In April is over, what's next?" Eriri asked, smoothly changing the subject.
"Are you just focusing on WorldEnd?"
For most people, that might be the case.
But with this guy? Definitely not!
So while the question sounded like it was about continuing WorldEnd, she was actually fishing for hints about any upcoming projects.
Of course, Akifumi saw right through her.
But since he had no reason to keep it a secret, he answered honestly.
"I've already shown the proposal to my editor. The title is Akame ga Kill."
"Eh? You're doing a classic battle manga?!"
Eriri's reaction was nearly identical to Otosuna Mihari's.
Akifumi just smiled and didn't elaborate.
"So, what's the plan? Will it start serialization after WorldEnd ends?"
Not getting approved for serialization?
That thought wouldn't even cross the mind of any reasonable fan.
"No."
"Then what?"
"The first volume will be released directly as a standalone in May."
"Wait, you're skipping serialization entirely?"
Eriri instinctively nodded before her sapphire-blue eyes widened in shock.
"You're going straight to publishing a collected volume?!"
"That's never happened in the entire manga industry before!"
"It hasn't happened before, so why not be the first?"
Eriri was left speechless.
"Minano-san has given you so much support, enough to make countless other mangaka want to kill you."
Akifumi nodded in agreement.
He was genuinely grateful for Minano's help.
"Well, enjoy your time off outside. I'm heading to work."
As she watched Akifumi disappear into his room, Eriri, who had been tense until now, finally relaxed.
She hugged a nearby cushion and curled up on the soft sofa, her eyes carrying a hint of confusion.
It was Saturday.
A week had passed since their amusement park trip.
And today, surprisingly, Akifumi was the only one home.
Mashiro's family had come to visit, and since Mahiru had been looking after Mashiro, it was only natural that she got invited as well.
"Mahiru, that sneaky girl..."
Eriri muttered under her breath. As images of recent events flashed through her mind, her face started to heat up.
Without a doubt, the reason she was here today was all part of Mahiru's plan.
'Eriri, don't let this rare opportunity slip by~'
Remembering Mahiru's teasing message on LINE, her face grew even redder.
"Taking the initiative? No way. A pure girl like me could never do something like that..."
Despite drawing risqué doujinshi since childhood, Eriri was unexpectedly conservative in real life.
But that was normal.
Just like how someone might "reward" themselves since elementary school yet still get nervous holding hands with their crush—it was the same logic.
So when Mahiru suggested she "make a move," Eriri found herself completely flustered.
"That guy..."
Back when it was just the two of them, he used to tease her all the time. But now? Why had he suddenly become so reserved?!
"Ugh, so frustrating!"
Eriri bit her lip, hesitation written all over her face.
Her rational side knew this was a rare opportunity.
But her pride as a girl made it impossible to take the first step.
———————————————————————
Meanwhile, Akifumi had no idea what was going on outside.
Right now, he was focused on something far more important.
"I've learned most of the theoretical knowledge. Now it's time for practical application!"
After finishing Your Lie In April, two new projects had naturally surfaced in his mind.
After all, Steins;Gate had already been fully produced by the company.
According to the usual pattern, the conditions for unlocking new works had been met, and they had materialized accordingly.
One of them was the Akame ga Kill manga he had mentioned earlier.
The other, however, wasn't an anime, manga, or novel.
It was a game.
An RPG.
How ridiculous was that?
He had already made a name for himself in light novels, manga, and anime.
And now, a game?
"I guess I'm truly covering the entire ACG spectrum now."
With that thought, Akifumi let out a sigh, feeling both overwhelmed and oddly proud.
The sheer breadth of his work was both a burden and an achievement.
Plenty of anime writers and light novelists had dabbled in game scripts before.
But actually developing a game independently?
That was rare.
And among those who had worked in anime, manga, light novels, and games?
He was probably the only one in the entire industry.
"I've already installed the necessary development software."
Although he could create his own assets, downloading them online was much more efficient.
"I'll collect the materials first, then start programming."
With modern tools, making a game wasn't as difficult as it used to be.
Even a complete beginner could pull it off with some effort.
For someone like Akifumi?
It was a breeze.
Thanks to his photographic memory, programming was practically second nature.
After gathering the necessary assets online, he stretched.
"The rest... I'll draw myself."
The game itself wasn't too large. Once he got the hang of it, finishing it within a month wouldn't be a problem.
Compared to that, his biggest headache was still... manga.
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