Chapter 16: A Manga Proposal and Lingering Feelings

“Actually, I’ve been quite troubled by the school magazine’s manga lately.”

Having settled myself beside Hayato, Shiraishi-san immediately cut to the chase.

Seizing the momentary lull, I glanced at Hayato, noting how he seemed to have grown a little more tense since my arrival.

‘Was it because of me?’

Yet, whenever we had been together before, Hayato’s mood was always so relaxed.

A sense of disappointment, as if I had failed to meet some unspoken expectation, welled within me.

Shiraishi-san, perched gracefully across from Hayato and me, spoke with a tone that suggested a hint of vexation.

However, ever since this morning, marshmallow-like bubbles had been continuously floating above Shiraishi-san’s head.

Invisible to anyone but myself, these were surely the materialized manifestations of some profound emotion.

‘Had her relationship with Hayato progressed, then, to spark such joy?’

At any rate, it was a relief that Shiraishi-san didn’t seem to dislike me.

Whether as Shiraishi-san herself, or as Magical Girl Sakura Tsui, she was someone I deeply admired.

Having never experienced romance, I understood all too well the profound pain of being disliked by someone you held in high regard.

I harbored no romantic feelings for Shiraishi-san.

Perhaps, much like Hasegawa-san, I had been profoundly moved by Shiraishi-san in some undefinable way.

Knowing that such a beautiful girl held affection for Hayato filled me with genuine happiness.

Were I to choose a partner for Hayato between Shiraishi-san and Kato Eri-senpai, I would unhesitatingly side with the former.

‘And yet, that was undeniably the truth.’

After my transformation, my feelings for Hayato had begun to ripple through me, echoing persistently.

‘I simply couldn’t forget.’

Consequently, the pure blessings I had for my dearest friend, and my steadfast support for Shiraishi-san, had become tainted with an impurity I dared not voice.

‘This simply wouldn’t do.’

“So, is there anything Ren and I can do to help?”

Hayato responded.

‘Indeed, why had Shiraishi-san specifically called upon Hayato?’

The time was precisely five-thirty in the afternoon.

Presumably, Shiraishi-san had asked Hayato to come to the manga club after his student council duties had concluded.

Typically, if Hayato had no other engagements, he would head to the basketball club.

Their activities sometimes extended until six-thirty.

While my academic tutoring class wouldn’t begin until next week, my cram school teacher had already started assigning homework.

The purpose was likely to assess the students’ capabilities and to ensure they prepared in advance.

Hence, I had just come from the library, where several other students, much like myself, were diligently engrossed in their studies.

They might have been striving for a promising future or a good career.

As for me, I simply wished to keep pace with Hayato, nothing more.

After all, this boy sitting beside me and I had been inseparable since the tender age of three.

‘If we were to be separated for four years, I would probably perish from loneliness and solitude.’

‘However, I wondered how Hayato would fare?’

With so many people constantly surrounding him, he would likely never lack for companionship or excitement.

“Just a few days ago, I read a manga that moved me immensely! I want to create a work that evokes such powerful emotions!”

Shiraishi-san exclaimed, her excitement suddenly palpable.

‘Did this have any connection to Hayato’s earlier response?’

It was the first time I had witnessed Shiraishi-san’s demeanor transform so profoundly when discussing something she cherished.

On the bookshelf behind Shiraishi-san, several manga volumes were scattered, their titles and authors on the spines largely unfamiliar to me.

‘Were they popular shojo (TL Note: Japanese manga aimed at a female teenage audience) works? I made a mental note of a few author names.’

‘I would search for them at the bookstore when I had the chance.’

Currently, clutched in Shiraishi-san’s hand, was a recently popular shonen (TL Note: Japanese manga aimed at a male teenage audience) manga from Oueisha Publishing (TL Note: A fictional publishing company, akin to Shueisha).

It chronicled a world where demons and humans coexisted, following a boy who forged a contract with a demon capable of severing all evil, embarking on a bloody, romantic, and absurd adventure.

I was also a fervent fan of this manga, eagerly following its weekly updates.

A theatrical film adaptation seemed to be currently showing, and Hayato would likely enjoy this genre of animation.

Just the day before yesterday, I had already pre-ordered two tickets for the Saturday afternoon premiere. I hadn’t yet had the chance to tell Hayato.

Hayato had never once refused to accompany me to the cinema, so I had decided to act first and inform him later (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘xian zhan hou zou,’ meaning to act without prior approval and then report it).

‘Could Shiraishi-san have been moved by this manga, which felt almost like a B-movie?’

‘I had always imagined she would prefer something a little cuter, much like her persona as a Magical Girl.’

“Previously, our club members wanted to create a manga about an outer space adventure.”

Shiraishi-san placed the discarded drafts onto the table.

They were merely rough sketches and storyboards.

The story began with humanity, driven by catastrophe, constructing spaceships to depart from an Earth no longer suitable for life.

The spaceship, fueled by the grand ambition of journeying to a galaxy a billion light-years away, roamed through space until, six hundred million light-years from the Milky Way, it encountered a colossal, Cthulhu-esque cosmic entity…

“Kobayashi-san, who was in charge of monster design, found tentacles too difficult to draw, and since they preferred romance-oriented works, they withdrew from the production team. However, their artistic skill was the best among the members, so the plan fell apart.”

Shiraishi-san sighed.

‘…’

‘It certainly sounded like an ambitious undertaking.’

‘Could it be that they hadn’t considered the production timeline from the very beginning?’

“Therefore, as the club president, it’s now my moment to turn the tide. Friendship, at any time, is an infallible theme, a work that everyone can resonate with.”

“This proposal received strong endorsement from Kobayashi-san, which means our manga is already halfway to success!”

‘So the manga club was practically sustained by Kobayashi-san!’

‘My sincere apologies for your troubles, Kobayashi-san, though we have never met.’

My gaze once again fell upon the manga clutched in Shiraishi-san’s hand.

‘I racked my memory, wondering if there were any elements of friendship within the story’s plot. Why had Shiraishi-san been so profoundly moved?’

“However, most of our manga club members are otaku (TL Note: A Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, often in anime or manga), and aside from myself, their social circles aren’t particularly wide. Plus, I’m a girl, and the manga’s protagonist is tentatively male, so I don’t really know what boys usually do…”

The girl’s fingers incessantly twirled the strands of hair that had fallen onto her shoulder.

“Then I thought of Watanabe-kun and Aoyama-kun. You two have been close friends since childhood, haven’t you? From kindergarten all the way until now.”

“Perhaps even earlier…”

I added.

“Yes,”

Hayato affirmed, his eyes scanning the manga drafts on the table as he listened to our conversation.

“Specifically? When exactly was that?”

‘Shiraishi-san, are you conducting a home visit?’

“Around three… or four years old?”

I said hesitantly, my gaze turning to Hayato.

Even though I had been inwardly certain of the answer, when asked by a stranger, I still worried about making a mistake.

Especially with the other person involved present.

“Hmm, three years and eight months. I was born two months before Ren, so at that time, Ren would have been three years and six months old.”

‘Just as expected of Hayato, to remember such details so precisely.’

Gazing at his profile, for some inexplicable reason, my mind drifted back to the morning, to the moment he had spontaneously leaned in to kiss me.

‘My heart skipped a beat.’

‘Ever since my transformation, I had felt utterly out of sorts; even after reverting, strange emotions lingered.’

I quickly averted my gaze.

Only to meet Shiraishi-san’s eyes directly.

That emotion, thick and syrupy like honey, had been present in this very clubroom during my first conversation with Shiraishi-san.

“Then, please, by all means, allow me to draw inspiration from your friendship for our manga!”

Shiraishi-san pleaded earnestly.

“If Hayato has no objections…”

I murmured softly.

Little Black Cat Lingling had, at some point, circled back, reappearing before Shiraishi-san and me.

Hayato, however, remained completely unfazed by the sudden appearance of the creature.

“I have no issues with that.”

With Hayato’s affirmation, I certainly wouldn’t refuse Shiraishi-san’s request either.

Truth be told, I found it difficult to refuse anyone who asked for help.

“Thank you very much, Aoyama-kun, and Watanabe-kun.”

‘Why had Shiraishi-san thanked me first?’

‘What exactly had Shiraishi-san and Hayato discussed before I arrived at the manga clubroom?’

Yet, everyone had their own social interactions, and even with Hayato, I felt it would be improper to pry.

Similarly, I wasn’t particularly privy to Hayato’s relationships within the student council or the basketball club.

Nevertheless, that peculiar sensation within my heart grew increasingly pronounced.

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