Hirune-sensei is quite famous, you know. He also made his commercial debut in COMIC Kairakuten back in 2019.
One of Hirune-sensei's characteristics is his use of hatching—a fundamental sketching technique—to create a three-dimensional effect of light and shadow. Whether it's the characters or the background, he uses a massive amount of dense hatching. Although it's called a sketch style, it's actually closer to pen-and-ink or copperplate etching styles.
Initially, Kagami was astounded by the use of hatching in Hirune-sensei's works and often copied them afterward. Beyond that, the art style that screams "NTR" at a glance (in a double sense), the ultra-wide-angle fisheye lens perspective, and the stark contrast between the beast-like physiques of the male leads and the delicate female leads created a strong and exaggerated visual tension.
When it came to combat scenes, the impact was maxed out—even more Intense! Domineering! And Exhilarating! than the hot-blooded battle manga from Shueisha!
However, regarding Yayoi Hiiragi, he actually preferred the cross-eyed look of the heroines in his works; it was very dopey and cute. Hirune-sensei's works, rather than being a guide to blasting off, were actually more like a carnival of pure technical showing-off.
At the same time, the flaws were obvious. Although Hirune-sensei's hatching was neat and not messy, the actual images were almost dominated by lines. The characters and backgrounds often blended together, lacking visual guidance, which made it difficult to find the focal point or see the characters clearly. This was also why many readers and viewers complained that the images felt cluttered, not clean enough, and made it impossible to focus.
Coupled with the inhuman impact and exaggerated tension during battles, this was one of the reasons the "usability" was greatly discounted.
However, Hirune-sensei must have noticed these issues as well. In his later works, the hatching significantly decreased, the negative space in the backgrounds increased, and the light-and-dark contrast of the female lead's silhouette became more distinct. His understanding and application of hatching became more mature, and the lines and images became simpler and cleaner. It basically allowed one to focus attention on the female lead, and the usability increased mainly as well.
As for the genre, well, although Hirune-sensei's art style is very "NTR," he actually originally drew Pure Love themes. As for why I say "originally," it's because he later betrayed the Pure Love Warriors and not only started drawing NTR but also group sports.
Is the end of a Pure Love Warrior inevitably becoming a Minotaur? I don't want that kind of thing!
Tsushima Kagami thought about these random things while entranced in drawing on the paper. With the passage of time and the scratching sound of the pencil tip, the image of a girl emerged on the paper, gradually becoming full and three-dimensional.
What Tsushima Kagami was drawing was exactly the image of Hiiragi-senpai from Hirune-sensei's new work, Hiiragi-senpai Sniff Sniff Sniff Nonstop. Among Hirune-sensei's many heroines, he liked Hiiragi-senpai's character design the best. Hiiragi-senpai's charming, upward-slanting sanpaku eyes and those thick lips drawn with a semi-realistic touch—you wouldn't be able to handle it either if you saw it!
At this moment, Tsushima Kagami hadn't noticed that the three girls who were chattering before had gone silent. The only sound remaining in the entire Manga Research Club was heavy breathing.
When the character was completely finished, Tsushima Kagami stopped his pen, only to realize that the three girls were staring at him with burning gazes.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
He saw Sawamura Sayuri snatch the drawing paper from the table and start discussing it with Machida Sonoko beside her.
Meanwhile, Kosaka Akane, who was a bit introverted and shy with strangers, seemed to have turned into a different person. Completely losing the reserved distance of a wealthy young lady she had before, she grasped Tsushima Kagami's hands in her own. Her eyes were so scorching hot they seemed as if they would melt Tsushima Kagami, and her entire aura had suddenly changed completely.
"Yukinoshita-junior."
"Apologies, I was being rude. It should be Yukinoshita-sama!"
"I beg you! Please instruct us!"
Sama, which is the "SAMA" everyone often hears in Japanese anime and dramas, translates to something like "Lord" or "Lady." It usually refers to an honorific used by a subordinate toward a superior and is considered the highest level of honorific. Above that, there is only Tono, which appears only in written language.
For a wealthy young lady senior to suddenly switch from calling him "Junior" to Sama was just like when your boss usually calls you "Little Wang," but after you decide to stop pretending, the address suddenly changes to "Sir." The offensive and defensive positions had switched.
Machida Sonoko also walked up to Tsushima Kagami: "I didn't expect Yukinoshita-junior to possess such talent. This drawing method and technique definitely don't lose out to those works in commercial magazines."
"No, it should be completely surpassing the level of current commercial magazines. I've never seen such exquisite craftsmanship."
"Right, right, right!"
"And this... this unique art style, it must be NTR, right!"
"Let's draw doujinshi together."
"With Kagami-kun's addition, 'rouge en rouge' might just become a legendary circle that sells over ten thousand copies at the doujin convention!"
Sawamura Sayuri put down the drawing paper in her hand and looked at Tsushima Kagami with a flushed face full of excitement.
"No, it is Pure Love!"
Tsushima Kagami corrected Sawamura Sayuri's mistake while extracting his hands from Kosaka Akane's soft palms. Looking at the expectant eyes of the three girls, he said with a face full of regret, "Sorry. Making up the numbers for the club is fine, but as for guiding everyone's art skills or creating together, I'm afraid I don't have that kind of time."
"Eh? Do you have other matters?"
"Yes, actually I am still writing a novel, and I might have to work a part-time job later, so I basically have no time to stay at the club."
Hearing this, Machida Sonoko suddenly asked happily, "Junior is also writing a novel? Is it the recently popular Light Novel genre?"
"Actually, I've been writing Light Novels recently too, it's just that I submitted to Fujimi Fantasia Bunko several times but failed to get passed."
"Ah, well, sorry Senior, what I write is Pure Literature."
When the words "Pure Literature" were spoken, Machida Sonoko and the other two stood frozen on the spot, their eyes looking at him as if he were an old relic. What era was this? There was actually someone writing Pure Literature, and a high school student at that? Leaving aside how difficult it is to write Pure Literature, in this present time where ACG culture is rising, does anyone really still read that stuff?
"Is Yukinoshita-sama having some financial difficulties recently?"
"Senior, it's better if you just call me by my name or 'Junior'."
Tsushima Kagami looked at Kosaka Akane, who had asked the question, and nodded.
The three of them smiled deviously.
"In that case, we have a pretty good job we can introduce to you, you know."
What? Did they want to make me succumb to their financial offensive and humiliatingly walk the path of Mama-katsu—living off a sugar mommy?
Subsequently, he saw the three of them pick up the COMIC Kairakuten that Sawamura Sayuri had tossed aside earlier.
"Kagami-kun (Junior), make your debut in a commercial magazine!"
"With your art style and skills, debuting in COMIC Kairakuten can be said to be an effortless task. And who knows, you might even win the Newcomer King Award that no one has ever won before!"
Naruhodo—I see. So it instantly changed from a doujin debut to a commercial magazine debut?
Tsushima Kagami thought about it; it wasn't a bad idea.
Although the proceeds from doujinshi sales would all be his own, there were basically only opportunities to sell them during large doujin conventions, and the volume sold wouldn't be very high. Being able to sell a few thousand copies at once would make one a very impressive circle artist. After all, e-commerce channels like DLsite and DMM where one could sell doujinshi online hadn't appeared yet.
On the other hand, although commercial magazines only offered meager manuscript fees calculated by the page before a compiled volume was released—and even if a volume was released, one could only get 6-10% in royalties provided the sales were decent—magazines like COMIC Kairakuten sold hundreds of thousands of copies every month. This would actually be beneficial for Tsushima Kagami to obtain Pure Love Points faster.
"How about it, Yukinoshita-junior? As long as you are willing, we can introduce an editor directly to you, and we can even help you get higher manuscript fees and publishing royalties."
Tsushima Kagami pretended to hesitate repeatedly. "But... but I simply don't have the time to complete that many pages of manuscript all by myself, and I simply can't afford to hire assistants either."
"Kagami-kun is being too polite. Since we recommended it, of course, we must take responsibility. Let us become your assistants."
"But... but even if I get the manuscript fee, I currently can't afford everyone's assistant fees."
"What silly things are you saying? By staying by Kagami-kun's side as assistants, we can also learn many new drawing techniques. If anything, we are the ones taking advantage; we should be paying you tuition fees!"
After Sawamura Sayuri finished speaking, Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko also nodded in agreement.
Alright! They took the bait. Tsushima Kagami had planned from the beginning to let the three girls work for white... give them a chance to be guided by him.
"Then... then I'll be troubling Sayuri and the two Seniors."
"You're already calling Sayuri by her name, so please call us by our names too."
"Well then, Sayuri, Akane-senpai, and Sonoko-senpai. Please treat me well from now on."
The three girls also bowed happily together. "Please treat us well too, Yukinoshita-sensei!"
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Hiiragi-senpai Sniff Sniff Sniff Nonstop / Sweet Fragrance
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