Chapter 247: The Hiatus Manga
Kaede returned home at six in the evening.
"I'm home~~"
"Welcome back!" Eriri, who was stewing soup, heard the door open and immediately rushed over. "How did the discussion go? Are you going?"
Pinching Eriri's cheek, Kaede spoke with a helpless smile, "Do you really want me to go on the show that badly?"
"Hehe~~" Eriri tilted her head up and said happily, "Of course! That way your popularity can soar even higher, right? And judging by your expression, I assume you agreed?"
"That's right, I agreed. But I'm sticking to my original idea: I won't show my face. I'll wear a mask for the show."
"Aww! Why would you do that?"
Leading Eriri into the house and setting down his schoolbag, Kaede said, "Of course, this is the only way. If my appearance is exposed, isn't there a very high chance that you, Eriri, will also be exposed?"
"Uh..."
Eriri really hadn't considered that. Before, she had only focused on Kaede going on the show, but now that she thought about it... "It seems that's true."
Eriri immediately showed an embarrassed expression, shaking her twin tails as she said, "I completely forgot about that."
"I think you just wanted to go to the venue and have fun, right?"
"Hehehe~~~~"
Having been exposed by Kaede, Eriri's cheeks flushed slightly, and she showed a sweet, playful smile.
Shaking his head with a smile, Kaede went to his room to change clothes, helped Eriri finish preparing the last bit of dinner, and they began to eat.
Taking a sip of soup, Eriri asked, "Kaede-kun, how many times will you be going on the show?"
"It should be twice: once for a radio broadcast, and once for an online live stream."
Kaede replied, "It's currently scheduled for the end of October, where I'll appear as a guest. The official website will release a guest announcement half a month in advance. I just don't know if my appearance will help boost the show's popularity."
"Of course it will! Kaede-kun, you're a bestselling light novel author today; how could your popularity be low?" Eriri declared confidently. "Moreover, since the anime started airing, the online approval rating has remained above ninety-five percent. That alone proves the anime's launch was a success. The only pity is that you won't appear in person; otherwise, the popularity would definitely be even higher."
If he appeared in person, even if the boost wasn't ridiculously high, it would certainly be much greater than not appearing in person. But there was no helping it. Besides Kaede's own temporary reluctance, he also had to consider Eriri's situation.
Alas, why did this girl have to draw *that* instead of something else, resulting in the current situation?
Fortunately, they still had the excuse of being students. Once they graduated from high school, if Kaede was invited onto a show then, he wouldn't have to worry so much.
Speaking of the anime's promotional show, the topic of voice actors naturally came up. Eriri asked curiously, "Kaede-kun, will the voice actors hosting the show be the main cast members?"
"Yes, the main four cast members: Jun Fukushima, Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi, and Ai Kayano." Kaede nodded. "The show features the main cast rotating in pairs to host. I don't know which two people will be hosting when it's my turn."
"Mmm~~~ That sounds interesting!" Eriri said happily. "I definitely want to go then, too! Is that okay, Kaede-kun?"
"It's fine. I asked them at the Bunko; bringing a family member is no problem."
"That's great!"
Eriri cheered happily and picked up a chicken wing, putting it into her mouth.
After dinner, the two began to work.
Pushing up the glasses she had put on, Eriri asked, "Kaede-kun, Editor Izumi called me this afternoon while I was on my way back from grocery shopping. He said Jump will be holding a party at the end of the year and inviting all their currently serialized manga artists to attend. I already agreed to go."
"That's good. It's nice to meet more peers in the industry."
Kaede said with a smile, "I imagine those parties aren't too serious. Everyone just eats, drinks, chats, and then the publisher's boss and Editor-in-Chief come up to give a speech or something."
"Hehe, Editor Izumi told me the same thing."
Eriri's hands didn't stop as she quickly drew the characters, saying, "There definitely won't be a shortage of delicious food there. Oh, right, I wonder if all the Jump manga artists will attend? I really want to ask Yoshihiro Togashi when he's going to update!"
"Uh... that's hard to say."
Hearing that name, Kaede couldn't help but laugh. "If I recall correctly, his last update was back in January, right? It's almost been another year now."
"Exactly! Ten months!" Eriri said, looking depressed. "Hunter x Hunter is so good, why won't he update it? Is it really due to health reasons?"
"I think that's most likely the reason," Kaede said, slowing down his own pace slightly. "I heard that during the later stages of *YuYu Hakusho*'s serialization, he was just like us, drawing everything himself. But fortunately, we have two people. That method of creation was what ruined his health. It's not just him, either; many manga artists suffer from chronic illnesses accumulated over time. That's why I want you, Eriri, to pay attention to your health, after all, we're still very young."
"Mhm, I know."
It wasn't that Eriri didn't appreciate Kaede's concern, but sometimes when she got into the mood to play, she would want to keep going for a while and accidentally stay up late.
Thinking about it, she recalled quite a few manga currently on hiatus. "Speaking of which, I remember *Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor* hasn't been updated in a long time either, right? Longer than Togashi's *Hunter* hiatus?"
"Three years, I think, if I remember correctly." Kaede looked up and recalled. "I watched the anime when I was a kid. Now I check, and the manga still hasn't progressed much. I estimate that Yoshiki Takaya is getting older, and his passion for drawing might have dwindled. Plus, since it was originally a monthly serialization, the desire to update is even lower, and he's not short on money anyway."
"Now that you mention it, there really are quite a few manga on hiatus because the author feels like it. Hehe, I definitely won't become like that. At the very least, I must successfully complete my debut work!"
"You can rest assured about that."
Kaede pulled out the outline he had prepared, glanced at it, and said, "Even if we occasionally release two chapters consecutively, the current volume of two hundred chapters won't be finished without spending two or three years on it."
"Two or three years..."
Eriri immediately put down her pen and began counting on her fingers. "Hmm... If everything goes smoothly, maybe we can finish right around high school graduation? Then I can start creating a new work in college! Wait, no, I shouldn't rush to think about a new work. I should focus on drawing first."
Seeing Eriri immediately re-immerse herself in work, Kaede nodded in satisfaction and continued to refine the storyboard he was working on.