Inside the Manga Research Club activity room, Sayuri, Kosaka Akane, and Machida Sonoko were already seated in their respective spots. Tsushima Kagami was the last to walk in.
"Good afternoon."
He smiled and nodded to the three of them.
"Good afternoon, Kagami-kun!" Sayuri responded immediately, her voice crisp and clear.
Machida Sonoko also looked up, revealing a bright and hearty smile.
Kosaka Akane, however, appeared somewhat absent-minded. She only gave a soft "Un," her gaze fixed on the blank manuscript paper before her, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a pencil.
Today's main task was to complete the final touches on the color pages for the manga tankobon, and then begin discussing and preparing new content for the next monthly issue.
Just then, Sayuri finally finished the last bit of coloring on her work. She put down her pen and stretched lazily.
"Phew—finally done! What are we drawing for the next issue?"
While rubbing her slightly sore wrist, she naturally looked toward Tsushima Kagami beside her.
Tsushima Kagami also looked up and smiled at Sayuri. "I feel like I have a clue. I was just preparing to discuss it with everyone."
Hearing Tsushima Kagami say this, Sayuri immediately became interested. "Eh? Tell us quickly, what kind of content is it?"
Machida Sonoko also stopped her work of applying screentones, looking at Tsushima Kagami with interest.
Just as Tsushima Kagami was preparing to speak, Kosaka Akane suddenly stood up.
The movement was somewhat abrupt; the chair legs scraped against the floor, emitting a sharp screech.
The eyes of the other three turned to her in unison.
The excitement remaining on Sayuri's face turned into a trace of confusion. "What's wrong, Kosaka-senpai?"
Machida Sonoko also joked, "Do you need to go to the toilet before we even start?"
"No... that's not it."
Kosaka Akane's cheeks flushed slightly, but that touch of redness was immediately replaced by anxiety.
She ignored Machida Sonoko's teasing, her gaze fixed straight on Tsushima Kagami, her lips slightly pursed.
Tsushima Kagami could also see that Kosaka Akane obviously had something she wanted to say to him, so he asked, "Akane-senpai, if you have something to say, just say it directly. No need to be apprehensive."
Kosaka Akane nodded. "The 'Master of Dassai-ya' and The Setting Sun on the Shinchosha shortlist yesterday... those are your works, right, Kagami-kun?"
"Yes, what about it?" Tsushima Kagami admitted frankly.
"Oh my, I forgot. I wanted to ask about that too," Sayuri interjected from the side.
Machida Sonoko also said with a smile, "It seems Kagami-kun is very suited to walking the path of Pure Literature."
"To think you're about to become a formal Pure Literature writer before even graduating high school."
"I haven't successfully won the award yet," Tsushima Kagami said humbly, then looked back at Kosaka Akane.
"So, does Senpai have any questions?"
Kosaka Akane became a little dejected again as she spoke. "It's nothing much, it's just..."
"It's just that I feel like keeping you, Junior Kagami, tied to our Manga Research Club... isn't it wasting your talent in Pure Literature?"
"Actually, my grandfather, who is a Professor of Literature at the University of Tokyo, made a special trip to the Shinchosha editorial department yesterday just to read your The Setting Sun."
"After he came back, he kept praising your work non-stop. It was the first time I've ever seen him praise an author and a work like that."
"Of course, I didn't reveal to him that I actually knew the Master of Dassai-ya was you."
"So I was thinking, wouldn't it be better if Junior Kagami spent more time specializing in Pure Literature?"
"After all, to be able to write such a work, you must love Pure Literature very much, right?"
"I see." Tsushima Kagami nodded. Just as he was about to say something, Sayuri interjected again.
"Are you saying, Senpai, that you want Kagami-kun to quit the Manga Research Club?"
"Wuaa, I don't want that kind of thing!"
"Everyone finally became such good friends."
"Hey, Kagami-kun has been having fun creating with everyone during this time too, right?"
"Have you forgotten that we agreed a while ago to participate in Comiket together?"
"How can he quit at a time like this?"
Seeing the slightly agitated Sayuri, Machida Sonoko stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder, comforting her. "Alright, Sayuri, let's listen to Kagami-kun finish speaking first."
Once Sayuri had calmed down and the three of them looked at him again, Tsushima Kagami finally spoke. "I have no intention of quitting the Manga Research Club, you know."
"Re... really?" Sayuri asked Tsushima Kagami with pleasant surprise.
"Of course it's true. We agreed to participate in Comiket together, after all." Tsushima Kagami responded with a smile.
"Yay!" Sayuri jumped up happily.
At this moment, Kosaka Akane still spoke worriedly, "But..."
"No buts. The time spent in the Manga Research Club does not hinder my writing."
Tsushima Kagami interrupted Kosaka Akane.
"Rather, writing is sometimes a very boring thing. If I didn't have everyone from the Manga Research Club by my side, I might not have been able to persist."
Machida Sonoko nodded in agreement. "I heard that writers of Pure Literature mostly have withdrawn, autistic personalities, and they all love to commit suicide too."
"Especially the great literary masters—the higher their achievements, the higher the suicide rate."
Kosaka Akane also recalled those great literary figures in history; indeed, one by one, they all loved to commit suicide. "Tr... true."
"Kagami-kun, you absolutely can't learn that! If you have any troubles, you must tell everyone. We will definitely help solve them together," Sayuri said worriedly.
"Aiya, alright, alright. Anyway, I won't quit, it won't affect my writing, and I certainly won't run off to commit suicide."
"So everyone doesn't need to worry about this matter anymore."
Hearing Tsushima Kagami say this, the three finally set their minds at ease. Among them, Kosaka Akane also rejoiced that Tsushima Kagami ultimately stayed in the Manga Research Club.
"So, let's continue discussing the previous matter," Tsushima Kagami reminded them.
"Ah, the content of the next work!" Sayuri answered immediately.
Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko also looked at Tsushima Kagami with curiosity.
Tsushima Kagami's gaze swept across the desktop. In the center of the table, a deck of poker cards was scattered—a small prop the four of them occasionally used to play a few hands to relax during work breaks.
He casually picked up a white eraser near his hand, used for modifying sketches, and weighed it in his palm.
Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly, as if taking aim, and his gaze landed on the scattered poker cards.
The next moment, Tsushima Kagami tossed the eraser lightly. The eraser traced a short arc.
The eyes of Sayuri, Kosaka Akane, and Machida Sonoko moved along with the thrown eraser.
Finally, they saw the eraser land accurately and unmistakably on a [Joker] card.
"For this time's content, I plan to draw BSS."
____
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