"Aoyama-kun~"
As soon as the door swung open, Akane was standing there with a bright, elegant smile.
Aoyama, however, immediately felt a cold shiver race down his spine. It wasn't just him; even Pochita seemed to sense a predatory aura radiating from the beautiful young woman. The little orange "puppy" immediately fluffed up his fur and slunk into the corner of the hallway, refusing to even let out a single bark.
But then, Akane shifted her gaze to the side.
"Ayumi-san, you're here early to help out again, I see," she said, her smile widening into something more genuine as she addressed the editor.
Ayumi Ito was standing in the kitchen doorway, holding a heavy earthenware soup pot. "Yes! I figured I should help the Sensei however I could..."
She set the pot down on the stove and gave Akane a polite nod. Over the past few weeks, the two women had become surprisingly close. Ayumi even had Akane's private cell phone number, a privilege even Akane's roommates and the elite students at MIT were still dreaming of.
"Heh... well, since everyone is here, let's eat! I just need to finish the Fried Eggplant Boxes!"
Aoyama, sensing that the "Dangerous Aura" was beginning to dissipate, decided to retreat into the safety of the kitchen. "The Shadow-Beef Salad is already on the table! Akane, if you're hungry, why don't you start there?"
Without waiting for a response, he vanished into the steam and the sizzling sound of the stove.
He knew it was just a temporary reprieve. 'Escape might be shameful, but it's definitely effective,' Aoyama thought as he focused on the golden-brown crust of the eggplants.
Akane watched him go, a helpless sigh escaping her lips. She turned back to Ayumi. "Well, let's watch some TV and chat while he finishes up. We can all eat together once the main course is ready."
"Alright. I don't think I can be much help in the kitchen anyway," Ayumi agreed.
The two women sat down on the living room sofa. The apartment was dominated by a high-end plasma TV,an expensive purchase that Aoyama had justified as a "necessary tool" for his gaming research.
The screen was currently showing a popular live-action adaptation of a manga called Little Demon's Kiss. It was a classic "shoujo" romance, a story about a wealthy, genius high school boy falling for a clumsy but kind-hearted girl.
In this parallel world where manga culture was even more ubiquitous than in his previous life, live-action adaptations were a massive industry. However, due to the technical limitations of the era, the industry was still heavily focused on rom-coms, sports dramas, and high school "fighting" series.
"This series is everywhere lately," Ayumi remarked. "I heard it's currently the #1 show in the ratings."
The original manga was a cornerstone of Lady Bloom, another magazine under the Manga World umbrella. While Manga World GoGo was focused on "shonen" and "seinen" action (the equivalent of Weekly Shonen Jump), Lady Bloom was dedicated to the dreams and heartbreaks of young women.
"It's fine, I suppose... but it feels a bit... dated," Akane said, shaking her head.
Ayumi looked at her with interest. "So, you prefer the more... intense... stories? Like Aoyama-sensei's Edgerunners?"
"I do. I really enjoy his work. But I also follow Force Verdict, Curse King, Time Zero, and God of the Dust," Akane admitted.
The truth was, Akane was an omnivorous reader. She'd read Little Demon's Kiss,she just enjoyed the thrill of the more "masculine" battle series more lately.
"Those are all incredible titles," Ayumi said. "But the Sensei is catching up fast. Did you see the rankings? He just hit #4! Everyone in the office was stunned."
Usually, the top eight spots in the reader surveys were occupied by "Old Demons",veteran artists who had spent decades building up a loyal fanbase. It was almost unheard of for a newcomer to break into the top five with their first series.
Even someone like Tsuruki Junsei (ItchyMouse) was considered a prodigy for consistently hitting the #10 spot.
But Aoyama had shattered every "standard" the industry had. Not only did he hit the top ten immediately, but he had rocketed to #4 in less than six months.
And with the release of the "Cyberpsychotic" Chapter 23, Ayumi knew the rankings would only climb higher. (As of this conversation, Ayumi didn't yet know that Edgerunners had officially claimed the #3 spot).
In the eyes of the editors, Hayashi Aoyama wasn't just a "rising star." He was a monster. A once-in-a-century genius whose logic was as unfathomable as it was brilliant.
"He really is special," Akane said, a faint smile touching her lips. "Especially this latest chapter... it was... breathtaking."
Her voice faltered for a second. "Ayumi-san, have you read the final draft of Chapter 23 yet?"
"I have... Maine and Dorio's exit. Honestly... it was handled with such maturity that I didn't even feel the 'pain' as much as I expected. It just felt... right."
Akane blinked in surprise. "You felt... 'alright'?"
She looked at the editor with wide, disbelieving eyes. "You didn't find the scene where Maine tells David to run... devastating?"
Ayumi thought about it. "I suppose... it was a little sad. But as an editor, I also see it as a necessary step for the story. It's the 'logic' of the narrative."
She gave Akane a small, self-deprecating shrug. "Perhaps it's just my job. Most editors and authors develop a sort of... professional numbness... to their own work. It's like if you're watching someone else's child misbehave: you're annoyed immediately.
But if it's your own child, you just see it as 'spirit.' You're too close to it to be perfectly objective."
Akane nodded slowly as the realization set in. 'So that's why...'
She thought about Aoyama. To him, these characters weren't idols to be worshipped or victims to be mourned. They were people he lived with every day in his mind. Perhaps that was why he could be so "cruel" to them, because he knew that their deaths were the only way to make their lives truly meaningful.
At that moment, Aoyama emerged from the kitchen carrying a platter of sizzling, golden eggplant boxes.
"Alright! Dinner's served! Come and get it!"
"Hooray!"
Ayumi and Akane joined him at the table. Aoyama had been bracing himself for a reprimand from Akane about the "trauma" he'd just inflicted on the world.
But as they sat down, Akane didn't say a word about the manga. instead, she and Ayumi spent the entire meal chatting about school, their favorite movies, and the best places to find vintage fashion in The Metropolis.
Aoyama, for his part, sat there in a state of terminal confusion. 'Wait... she's not mad? She's not even going to bring up the wasteland?!'
He looked at his two companions, who were laughing and enjoying the eggplant boxes, and he realized that once again, his expectations of "normal human behavior" had been entirely incorrect.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]