CH 10

「CHAPTER 10」

After safely finishing the storyboard, he began drawing immediately. This time,

he was ahead of schedule since his work was going smoothly. After he drew most of the

manuscript, he called up his assistants, but Yanase also came and acted as usual. Because

they had extra time, Yanase was training the other assistants with their techniques.

Remembering the conversation the other day, Yoshino observed them and saw that

Nozomi was gazing at Yanase with loving eyes.

She really does like Yuu…

He began feeling bittersweet the more he watched her innocent behavior.

“…-sei, Sensei, are you listening?”

“Eh? What?”

“I knew it, you're not listening. I said, I finished drawing in the minor characters

in this manuscript I'm holding, so what should I do next?”

“Oh, really? Then how about we take a break for a while? It's perfect timing to do

it now. Everyone should take a break after finishing some part of their work.”

“Oookay.”

“Oh, yes. Let's have a tea break with the cake Nozomi-chan brought us. Is

everyone okay with coffee instead of black tea?” Yoshino said as he wiped the tip of his

pen, put it down, and quickly, but making sure not to spill, closed the ink jar. This was

the appropriate time to take a break. Work effectiveness would increase that way.

“I'll make coffee.”

Without waiting for an answer, Yanase got up, and Yoshino called after him.

“Thanks for that. There are new flavors on that shelf, so use your favorite.”

“Mhm, okay.”

After Yanase looked at the coffee beans, he began to drip the coffee beans in the

usual manner. Yanase wasn't thinking of Yoshino and the others as he did this. He was

picky about coffee (actually, picky about all food in general), so he didn't want to let

Yoshino and the other assistants to get in his way. When he was busy, he made do with

instant coffee and take-out food for meals, but when he had time, he cooked his meals.

As Yanase passed around the cups of freshly made coffee, he inadvertently spoke.

“Ah, that reminds me. I started working as a temp for Ijuin-sensei.”

“Ijuin-sensei? Do you mean the Ijuin Kyo?”

“Yeah. That Ijuin-sensei.”

“Eh-!? Seriously?” Yoshino inadvertently exclaimed, because he was so

surprised. Ijuin Kyo was Yoshino's favorite author who wrote “The☆Kan”. He was a

popular manga artist who had his books serialized with many publishers. But a rumor

went around from his assistants that because he was so busy, working for him was quite

“cruel”. A manga artist's crunch time could more or less be called tremendous, but to call

it cruel was too much. What kind of hell lay before you once you entered that place?

“Yup. His assistants asked me to. It seems that the assistants got into a fight or

something and the ones who worked as regulars quit. Right now, only one newbie, who

can't seem to draw backgrounds, is left.”

“Wow! That's terrible… It'll be hard to find immediate assistants.”

In a sense, it was hard to look for assistants who were specialists in a particular

technique and who had extra time in their schedule. It was probably especially virtually

impossible to find a type of person whom a picky author such as Ijuin approved of.

There are two types of assistants: The first type is in the process of becoming a

professional manga artist, polishing and studying their techniques. They are the types

who help out the already professional manga artists. The other type is called professional

assistants who make their living doing assistant jobs as their specialty. This was Yanase's

case. One way to find assistants is to put up a recruitment announcement in the magazine

you publish and on your official homepage. With this, you have a chance of recruiting an

assistant. Other assistants can be found through people you know, and the editor will ask

them if they would like to contribute to help. But there was not enough time for that right

now. After lurking around and using personal connections, talk of Yanase must have

come up.

“After they searched everywhere, they came to me. They said I don't have to sign

with them, so I went there to give it a try this month.”

“Ohhh. I see. Ah, but that's really good!”

“Jealous?” Yanase smiled proudly at Yoshino, who was in agony.

“Of course I'm jealous! I want to be his assistant too! I want to see his new

manuscript for ‘The☆Kan’!!”

“What's there for you to do, Chiaki? You need to draw your own manuscript.”

But Yoshino did not back down even though Yanase had a very good point.

“Th- then, get him to sign one of his comics for me!”

He had been half-joking when he said he wanted to go work for Ijuin as an

assistant, but him being a fan and wanting Ijuin's signature was true. One time, Ijuin had

a book signing, but Yoshino had to give up on going because the place was kind of far

away, and the time conflicted with his schedule. When the signing had been in Tokyo,

Yoshino had gone behind Hatori's back and stood in line there.

“Don't be crazy. I want it myself, but I can't ask something like that. Even if I'm

just temporarily working there, I'm still going there to work.”

“That's true…”

Yanase was being reasonable. Even Yoshino himself would probably think badly

of an assistant who had just started working for him and then suddenly asked for an

autograph. It wasn't like Yoshino wouldn't be happy if that assistant said she was his fan,

but when he called up assistants, it meant the deadline was fast approaching and a lot of

work had to be done.

“Hatori…would kill you if you ask him to do that. Why don't you try asking the

editor-in-chief?”

“That's impossible. He would refuse to do it…”

Yoshino couldn't ask such a bold request. For starters, he felt it would be a small

problem for his image if people found out that the delicate and shy, shoujo manga artist

“Yoshikawa Chiharu” liked a big-boned shounen manga artist.

“Then give up.”

“Damn it… Ijuin-sensei, won't you come to a signing one more time? To Tokyo,

no, even Nagoya would be fine. I'll find time to go there.”

An assistant muttered with admiration as she watched the conversation between

Yoshino and Yanase.

“Sensei really likes “The☆Kan”, doesn't he?”

“But it's so interesting! I definitely can't draw like that!!”

“I'd be surprised if you drew that kind of manga, sensei. Every artist has their own

style.”

“When you put it that way, you may be right. You can't always have fun when

you draw.”

Yoshino would read any type of manga. But he was a shoujo manga artist, and

thought the world he created in his comics was the most accurate representation of

shoujo. He wasn't good at drawing other genre and that was precisely why he was

attracted to those other genre of comics.

“Well, the least I can do is tell you about my adventures over there, so look

forward to it as you do your own work.”

“Uwa! I can't wait!”

Yanase's words urged Yoshino to work, and he was glad that he worked unusually

fast on his manuscript.

* * * *

“Good work~”

“Good work. Let's do well again tomorrow.”

“Okay~ But sensei, please complete all your assignments too.”

“Ha ha…I'll try…”

Hearing these stern words, Yoshino forced a smile and saw off the assistants as

they went home. The only one left out of the assistants was Yanase.

Is now a good time to talk about the trip…?

He wanted to suggest that they should include Hatori with them but he was

nervous to say this because he felt like the atmosphere between them today was

extremely awkward. Watching Yanase's complexion, Yoshino nervously began to speak.

“He- hey, Yuu. About the trip…”

“Yeah, when will we go? If Ijuin-sensei has some stuff for me to do, it would be

impossible to go soon, but if we go the month after next month I think I will ask him to

let me off.”

“Tha- that's not what I mean. Umm…I think we have to invite Tori with us after

all. I feel really bad about what happened last time, so…”

“Which time? That crunch time you almost died in?” Yanase asked with a cold

tone of voice; his gaze steady on Yoshino.

“Um…that too, but about the trip, as well…”

Even though Yoshino apologized to Yanase about the trip again right now,

Yanase gave him a cold look.

“Chiaki, do you know what I was angry about?”

“What about…? That I suddenly left that night, right?”

He couldn't think of any other reason, but the fact that Yanase had deliberately

asked him such a question meant that there was something else that had made Yanase

unhappy.

“I'm not angry ‘that you suddenly left’, it pisses me off that you ‘put Hatori before

yourself.’”

“H- how do you know about Hatori…?”

At that time, he had excused himself by saying that he was “going to his parent's

house”, and flew out of the hotel, so how did Yanase find out that he had gone to Hatori's

place?

“How can I not know? It always shows on your face.”

“Urgh…!”

“It also makes me angry when I'm being lied to. But I'm not gonna say any more.

I don't like talking on and on about things that already happened.”

“S- sorry……”

As Yoshino apologized, he couldn't quite understand why Yanase would be this

annoyed. But it seemed that Yanase did not want to talk about it any more, so he didn't

pursue the question any further. He desperately searched for another topic to talk about.

I feel like there was something I had to say to Yuu…Oh!

As his eyes aimlessness traveled around the room, he suddenly remembered it.

“O- oh yeah! Sa~y, Yuu, how do you feel about Nozomi-chan?”

“Nozomi? That really puny girl? What do you mean by ‘how?’”

Yoshino brought up the topic of the assistant Nozomi, who liked Yanase, and

watched Yanase's reaction, but didn't see any particular sign that Yanase cared.

“She's a rather cute, stylish, nice girl, and cooks well, don't you think?”

“So? What are you trying to say?”

“I'm saying Nozomi-chan likes you!” Yoshino told him the truth, and Yanase

began to look irritated, but gave Yoshino an unexpected reply.

“I know.”

“What? You know?!…Huh!? She already confessed!?”

Yoshino's eyes widened at Yanase's words. So Yanase was calm around Nozomi

after knowing her feelings? If Yoshino were in Yanase's place he would tremble and act

unnatural, but this is Yanase we're talking about.

“She didn't.”

“Th- then you heard it from some other girl…?”

“No, not really. But I could just tell somehow.”

“Really? …So it was that obvious…”

Perhaps Yoshino was slower than he had thought, because he completely hadn't

noticed it. Yoshino was amazed with himself, so then Yanase urged him to get to the

point.

“And? What about it?”

“You don't have a girlfriend right now, right, Yuu? I think maybe you two should

date.”

The moment he said that, Yanase violently put the cup he had been holding back

in the saucer. Yoshino jumped in spite of himself because of the harsh clinking sound.

“W- what…?”

He was surprised at how suddenly dangerous the atmosphere had become. On top

of that, the words coming out of Yanase's tight-lipped mouth held anger.

“You really are slow.”

“Eh?”

“I like that about you, but right now it annoys me. You don't know why Hatori

pisses me off, do you?”

Yoshino just tilted his head to one side, not understanding why Yanase was so

obviously acting unhappy. He had a feeling they were going to get into a fight, but did

not have a clear reason as to why.

Yoshino had a puzzled look on his face and Yanase was giving him a look of

disbelief as he carelessly said, “Cause, I like you, okay?”

“………Hah?”

“I like you, Chiaki.”

Even though Yanase repeated it, Yoshino didn't comprehend it right away. His

mind had gone blank and he couldn't think straight.

“You like me…?”

“Yeah. But let me tell you this, not as a friend or a person. I like you as a lover.”

“……….”

He thought that perhaps this was some kind of bad joke, but Yanase had a very

serious look on his face. He remembered this possibility of Yanase liking him. Back then

he had brushed it off, but could it be that he had been right?

“……I want to make sure of one thing, though.”

“What?”

“Do you really not like Hatori?” Yoshino asked, still confused.

“Didn't I already tell you that I don't? Why are you so obsessed with that idea?”

Yanase replied to him unpleasantly.

“Ca- cause……”

“Cause what?”

“Because I accidentally saw you and Hatori kissing on that rainy day one time!”

It was awkward to confess what he had seen, but he was left with no other choice

but to be honest. After Yoshino quickly blurted that out, Yanase looked puzzled.

“Kissing? With him? Me?”

“Y- you see, you two were talking about something behind the Marukawa

building and then weren't you doing that…?”

Thinking that perhaps Yanase had forgotten, Yoshino tried his best to explain. It

seemed that Yanase remembered what had happened that time but gave out an

exasperated sigh.

“Yeah, we were just arguing about you, Chiaki. Hatori grabbed me by the collar,

so it must have looked that way.”

“Oh, so that's what it was……”

“Chiaki, seriously, don't imagine such disgusting things. It gives me goose

bumps,” Yanase said and rolled up his sleeve. He really did have goose bumps on his

arm. One of Yoshino's questions was solved, but then another question popped into his

head. Since Yanase said he liked men, it meant he was aware of the “roles”.

“He- hey, Yuu, are you a seme or a uke?”

Even Yoshino had to admit that this was an obscene question to ask upfront.

Yanase sneered, “Manga has too much of a bad influence on you. If you're gonna

ask that, ask if I'm the cat or the dog. ……But anyway, doesn't it gross you out that I told

you I like you?” Yanase said with a smile. which held a tinge of self-ridicule. Yoshino

quickly waved his hand in denial.

“Eh? No, not really. It doesn't gross me out……”

“You don't have to pretend. Tell me your honest opinion.”

“I'm not pretending! In fact, I like you, Yuu and…”

His eyes shifting back and forth, Yoshino searched for words, but when his eyes

landed on the sliding glass door, his gaze locked with Hatori's. It appeared that Hatori

was standing on the other side of the glass door.

W-why now…? Oh yeah, he said he was gonna come pick up the cover of the

manuscript…

Hatori entered the room, dropped some provisions he was holding in front of

Yoshino, put the finished cover of the manuscript into a file folder and turned on his heel

to go.

“I'll take care of this. I'll come pick up the monochrome part of the manuscript

the day after tomorrow.”

“Eh? Eh? Eh?!”

Without giving Yoshino time to stop him, Hatori quickly left. Yoshino felt

flustered because he could not keep up with the situation around him, and then Yanase

asked him straight out, “Does it mean I can take your ‘like’ to be the same as mine?”

“Eh? Ah! No…! How to say this…I think of you as a dear friend, Yuu. I've never

thought about having any romantic feelings or anything like that towards you

before…Oh!”

As Yoshino talked, he realized that Hatori had left angrily because he probably

had misunderstood what Yoshino meant when he said he “likes” Yuu.

…This is seriously bad.

If Hatori misunderstood like Yoshino thought he did, it meant that Yoshino was

being suspected of cheating. While Yoshino thought deeply about this, Yanase began to

get ready to leave.

“If you've never thought about it, then think about it. I'll give you some time.

Your head is probably full with the manuscript right now anyway. I'm gonna go now. See

you tomorrow, then.”

Yanase left. Acting as usual after confessing was not something Yoshino thought

Yanase would do.

“…Wh- what the hell!?”

Left all alone, Yoshino yelled out his irritation towards the door from which

Yanase left a moment ago.