Chapter 363: Come Be a Mangaka!
Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24
"I know," Seiji said. "He's a strong opponent for me, and I'll do my very best."
"As long as you realize it."
After Seiji went back home, he returned the drawing to Shika and explained what happened.
Shika revealed a complex expression after learning that Seiji was going to have a competition against the artist that had been hired.
"I'm sorry, Brother Seiji. All because of my willfulness…"
"What are you saying? I promised you, and this isn't only something that you want, it's something that I want to do now as well." Seiji smiled. "I'll do my best to achieve victory."
"…Good luck, Brother."
"Yep!"
Seiji immediately started preparing to draw.
He faced off against a blank piece of drawing paper and began considering how he wanted to draw.
The scene was going to be the main character fighting against the antagonist. Specifically, the scene should involve a fierce fight with weapons.
The people, clothes, actions, weapons, expressions, and backgrounds… Seiji carefully considered everything.
After some time passed, he felt that he had imagined plenty of details already, but that there was still something insufficient.
That's right, he should add the female lead into the scene!
The 'younger sister' was only a bystander in this battle. Logically speaking, it was probably fine to not add her into the drawing. In fact, it could even be said that drawing her here might distract from the focus on the 'older brother' and the 'antagonist.'
However, Seiji wanted to add her into the drawing, and give her the feeling that she wasn't a simple bystander, in order to add on to the mystery of the first volume's ending.
The male lead and the antagonist were the focal points of the drawing, and the female lead definitely couldn't be allowed to surpass them in attention drawing. He needed to draw her in a way so that she wouldn't be in the forefront, but that when people looked closer, she would seem somewhat abnormal.
At any rate, the female lead's appearance in the drawing needed to be an add-on element which didn't affect the main focal points, in order to add more of a mysterious feeling to the drawing.
Seiji did his best to imagine how to do it and took quite a while to think about it.
After he finally finished imagining what he wanted, he picked up a drawing pencil and began drawing on the blank paper.
Lunchtime.
Seiji continued drawing after finishing his lunch.
At this time, he received a phone call.
It was from Peach-sensei!
"I heard about what happened from Saki… do you need my help?" the mangaka asked.
"If Peach-sensei helped me, it'd feel like cheating." Seiji chuckled and continued, "But, in a competition, it's probably correct to use any advantages that you can. In that case, Sensei, could you take a look at my drawing and give me your advice?"
"I'd be more than happy to." Mayuzumi smiled.
And so, Seiji took a picture of his current drawing and showed it to Mayuzumi.
"It's pretty good, Haruta-kun… When did you start learning how to draw?" Mayuzumi praised him after looking at the photo that he sent.
"About two months ago, I started practicing every day by myself at home…" That was Seiji's reply.
The mangaka couldn't help but widen her eyes at this.
"Two months… you only practiced by yourself, without especially learning, or going to an art studio, or having anyone teach you?"
"Yeah."
Mayuzumi was astonished to hear this.
He was capable of drawing at this level already simply by learning on his own for two months!?
She was so shaken that she didn't know what to say for a while.
"Sensei, what's the matter?" Seiji was mystified by her silence.
"Haruta-kun… Come be a mangaka!" Mayuzumi couldn't help but say this.
"Er?"
"Eh?" Mayuzumi noticed what she said only after she already said it. She then took a few seconds to organize her thoughts. "Haruta-kun, you can write excellent stories already, and now that I've learned how good you are at art, you could definitely become an incredible mangaka… even more so than me!"
Seiji didn't know what to say to this for a moment.
"I'm happy to hear you say this, Sensei… but if it's to draw a manga, I think that my level is still insufficient," he responded.
"With your talent, as long as you study professionally for a while, that should be sufficient," Mayuzumi told him seriously.
"I currently don't intend to draw manga, and I'm only focusing on this little competition in order to draw for my own story." Seiji looked at the ceiling in his room. "I'll try my hand at it in the future. I love manga, and I also want to create my own manga in the future!"
"I'm really looking forward to Haruta-kun's future manga. I hope that I won't have to wait too long." Mayuzumi smiled.
"It won't be long."
Currently, he was focusing on his story. As for manga… he would consider it more seriously after he raised his [Art] stat sufficiently. That was what Seiji intended.
He then changed the topic back to the insert art that he had drawn, asking for specific opinions.
Mayuzumi gave him recommendations on what parts to change, and he wrote down all the advice that she gave him. Then, he asked about the parts which he didn't understand.
The two of them chatted for a long while.
After the end of the phone call, Seiji felt that he had greatly improved to another level on the topic of insert art and was sincerely thankful for Peach-sensei's guidance.
He poured all his efforts into drawing.
...
There was still half an hour until the deadline for the drawing competition.
Shouri Tanaka brought his completed artwork and arrived at the coffee café that they had agreed upon.
He ordered a cup of coffee without sugar or milk and drank it just like that. The bitterness stimulated his mind.
He was quite nervous. He felt as if he were taking a new manga draft to see an editor.
It wasn't like he would be able to get published if he won this little contest.
'It's just drawing insert art for a light novel, so why am I so nervous?' Tanaka inwardly sighed.
He was confident in his own drawing that he did his very best on. Although he wasn't able to make it more detailed due to the relatively short time limit, he considered it pretty good already.
He didn't know how good that high school boy would be able to draw…
Tanaka had an indescribable feeling as he recalled the look in that boy's eyes.
If he had to describe it, was it jealousy? He was jealous that the boy was able to have that look and such will.
Tanaka, at twenty-two, wasn't old. However, when he compared himself to that boy, he really felt that he was beginning to get old.
Tanaka drank his coffee as he silently waited with complex emotions within himself.
Ten minutes later, he saw the young author and the beautiful editor enter the coffee café together.
Tanaka waved at them to help them notice him.
"I'm sorry for the wait, Demon Soldier Sensei."
"It's okay… I only waited for a few minutes, Shore Sensei."
Seiji and Saki sat down across from Tanaka. A server came over and both of them ordered a cup of coffee.
"Honestly speaking, I'm really nervous right now." Tanaka felt a sudden impulse to say something as he looked at them, so he acted upon it. "I feel as if I'm showing a manga draft to an editor… even though this is only a light novel's insert art job. No… I shouldn't have said it like that. My apologies, I sounded too arrogant just now. What I meant was, I didn't expect that I would be so serious about this job."
Tanaka laughed at himself.
His laughter was filled with complex feelings.
"I like your novel, but I'm currently competing against you. Even I feel that this situation is rather strange. I shouldn't be doing this, something like a contest… Now that I think back on it, I was really being too willful. I should have believed in your ability after seeing your drawing and backed out on my own.
"But, I still asked for a competition… just what was I thinking at that moment? Even I myself don't understand."
Seiji looked towards Tanaka. "I think that you were thinking of something quite simple, Demon Soldier Sensei. You simply didn't want to lose."