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"Ugh… I've been drawing superhero comics nonstop lately. I'm getting so sick of them," Ethan groaned, slumping over his desk.
"That's just you getting tired of your own work," Saitama replied, rolling his eyes. "Superhero comics are still super popular right now. Hey, Genos, this Iron Man guy kind of reminds me of you. Except, you know, he wears armor—while you are the armor."
"No, Saitama-sensei," Genos said stiffly. "We're completely different. And honestly, I don't like Tony Stark's personality. He's too frivolous."
"Really? I kinda like him," Saitama said, flipping a page. "Sure, he's a bit of a playboy, but that's part of the charm."
"I actually admire Batman more," Genos continued. "They're both rich and rely on technology, but their personalities couldn't be more different."
At this point, both Saitama and Genos had become diehard fans of Ethan's manga. They bought every volume he released—well, Genos paid for them. Saitama's wallet was as empty as his shiny head.
Watching the two of them argue over a comic, trading opinions, then breaking into laughter when they agreed, Ethan suddenly felt a spark of inspiration.His eyes lit up.
"I've got it! I just came up with a great idea for my next manga!" he said, jumping up. "You two keep reading—I'm heading back to draw!"
"Mm-hm, sure. Go for it," Saitama mumbled, already buried back in the pages.
Back home, Ethan tossed a stack of fresh white paper onto his desk. He twirled his pencil between his fingers, grinned, and began sketching furiously, humming as he drew.
"The pencil moves across the paper, the story takes shape…" he sang under his breath, smiling.
The characters he drew? Naturally, they were based on Saitama and Genos.
He wasn't sure why, but whenever he saw the two of them together, something about their chemistry just clicked. Before he knew it, he was pouring that dynamic straight into a new story.
"A fateful encounter…"
Ethan decided to leave himself out of this one—better that way. The story began with a strange disaster: a swarm of mosquitoes led by a monster known as the Mosquito Girl. Amid the chaos, the bald hero and the cyborg met for the first time.
He tweaked the details a bit for drama. Like, say, adding a slight blush to Genos's face when he saw Saitama's completely unclothed form for the first time.(Technically accurate, but artistic license makes everything better.)
After defeating Mosquito Girl and repairing his body, Genos went looking for Saitama again, determined to become his disciple and learn the secret to true strength.From then on, they lived under the same roof. Each casual glance, every small interaction, carried a certain… charge.
The more Ethan drew, the more excited he got. He rarely felt this kind of creative passion. By the time dawn's first light crept through his window, he was still drawing.
Sunlight spilled over the finished pages spread across his desk. Ethan blinked, realizing he'd pulled an all-nighter. He gathered the stack of pages proudly and rushed straight to the publisher. He couldn't wait to get it serialized.
The editors were a bit stunned—this was definitely a different direction for him—but the female editors blushed furiously as they flipped through the manuscript. A few even trembled with excitement.The decision came quickly: the series would be published.
Thrilled, Ethan went home.
"Eh? Ethan, what were you doing out so early?" Saitama asked, surprised. Normally, Ethan slept in till nine or ten. It was barely eight now.
"Heh, remember how I said I got inspired yesterday? I stayed up all night drawing a new manga and submitted it this morning. They already approved it for serialization!"
"Whoa, that fast? You didn't even show it to us first?"
"Sorry, but you'll see it in next week's issue."
Time flew by, and a week later, Ethan sat at home flipping through the new manga magazine. His heart raced as he saw his work in print—"The Bald Guy and the Cyborg: Chapter 1 – A Fateful Encounter."
"Hey, Ethan," Saitama said, peering over his shoulder. "Didn't expect your new manga to be based on me and Genos, huh?"😖😖
"Yes, Ethan," Genos added. "But… something about this comic feels a little off."😮
He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but after reading just the first three chapters, Genos already felt uneasy. Especially whenever Saitama's casual gaze happened to linger on him for a second too long.
"..."
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