So they will listen to no one? Interesting.
Zack, are you...
Enter not into the cave, and the snake shall laugh.
I, too, am quite stubborn.
We just freed you from the phaseys, and you're not at full strength!
You can't go in alone.
There's an unverified rumor going around
that there may be a whole horde of enemies waiting to ambush us.
If the kappa picks at the water wheel, it remains docile.
However...
The Senate won't stay quiet about this.
If those old geezers insist on shutting themselves away...
I shall tell them myself!
OUR FIRST OFFLINE MEETUP
It's really difficult to come up with your own group name, isn't it?
ARTIST HAIMI (KUKUMI URESHINO)
Ms. Makuwa, you don't have to agonize over it so much.
I'm actually struggling with the layout.
CREATOR DENGEKI MELON (YURI MAKUWA)
The two are working together to create a fan manga for Uron Mirage.
I'm sorry, Ms. Makuwa.
It's all because I can't create a proper manga layout
That's okay, I've been wanting to challenge myself with paneling.
Plus I think it'd be difficult to make a manga out of that short story.
Paneling is when
you place borders, simply drawn characters, and dialogue on a manga page.
Dengeki Melon's role is to prepare the story all the way to paneling it out.
But to think I would get stuck here...
This situation is definitely, "If the kappa picks at the water wheel, it remains docile."
Yeah, I totally get it.
It reminds me of Zack's line in chapter 127 when he says, "I'll tell them myself!"
But you've been posting short stories more frequently on Chitter these days.
SS: SHORT STORY
And you've gained new followers.
I can write those easily because they're quick one-scene stories.
But when it comes to writing a full-length story, I suddenly can't write anymore.
It's not enough just to have feelings of wanting to tell something.
I feel like there's a component
that's akin to a secret ingredient that I need in order to pull the reader in.
I feel so close to grasping it.
But everything's just out of reach. Just like how U.M. is!
I'm sorry, but can I get a little bit more time?
I'd like to have time to think on my own.
Of course, there's still lots of time until the event.
In the meantime, I'll be working on improving my art.
Here, take a look at this.
Oh, it's Madara!
That's pretty unusual for you to draw him when you're an Utsu x Obo fan.
Yep. It was a request from a new friend I made on Chitter.
I see.
Wait, what? You made a new friend on Chitter?
I did! They reply to my posts a lot.
Their name is "Catch Me in the Limelight." We really get along well.
Wow, I see, while I was struggling with the layout, huh? Wow, sounds like fun.
I see. Wait, did you post that you were taking illustration requests?
We've been DMing each other.
I see, so you get along well enough to directly take requests, huh?
We've hit it off so well that we'll be meeting in person very soon.
Whoa, what?
You're meeting up? In person?
Yes, we're having an offline meetup.
Are you going to be okay? Do you know about this person?
She's a high school girl, just like me.
If you're worried, would you like to see our DMs?
This is definitely old guy speech!
Okay, wait, wait! This is an old g... Um, are you sure this is a high school girl?
Yes, she's a high school girl.
Such confident, yet innocent eyes!
She uses tons of emojis, gets excited easily, and talks about herself a lot.
That's definitely an old guy!
Even her username "Catch Me in the Limelight" is really cute.
No, that reeks of old man as well.
And she says she really wants to meet up with me.
See, that's definitely a red flag!
You can't! That's most likely a man in his 50s!
You shouldn't be so quick to meet with people you find online!
What? But it's so horrible to be suspicious without knowing anything.
Limelight is a good person!
You can't underestimate otakus like this.
It's dangerous to bring your internet relationships into real life.
We're also otakus and this is technically an offline meetup!
That's true.
But I'm a teacher.
It's our duty to protect our students!
That's what I'll tell myself,
and now rummage through this Catch Me in the Limelight's account.
Besides U.M., this person posts about golf and Go.
This picture... Is that their reflection in the golf club?
There it is! It's an old guy after all.
Ugh, I can't believe she got tricked like this by an old guy.
What should I do? Should I stop her from going?
No. "Enter not into the cave, and the snake shall laugh." For this...
"I shall tell them myself!"
I know what the person looks like.
I can also prove that I'm a teacher.
Haimi looks nervous.
Oh? Was that a, "I'm just about here" message?
Where? Are they here? If it's that old guy, I'll tell him off.
"Don't you dare touch my student!"
There he is! I'll catch that Limelight!
Excuse me!
Nice to meet you!
- I'm Haimi. - I'm Catch Me in the Limelight.
What? This is Limelight?
What an extremely beautiful girl.
Okay, thanks Dad.
Your dad?
Yeah, he insisted on coming with me.
I see.
I'm so embarrassed!
And this is such a cute scene where two beautiful girls get all moe.
I was so excited to meet you today!
I'm such a terrible person for suspecting her just because of the way she writes!
Haimi, have you been well? I'm so happy to meet you.
I want to be cured by the cute Haimi today. Haha, jk.
Does she talk like an old guy, too?
Do you think the way I talk is strange?
Her face and voice are beautiful, but the way she talks hopelessly doesn't match.
I'm an H.S. girl who likes golf and Go.
So I became good friends with my dad's friends,
and by talking to them through LINE my speech became like this.
Is old guy speech contagious?
Next time I wanna have a sleepover party with you.
Maybe things will get steamy at the bathhouse!
My brain's gonna bug out.
This cute airhead just sounds so greasy and terrible.
Wait, just now...
A hint for my manga!
There's a gap... Misunderstanding each other...
Major big feels?!
A scene is revealing itself to me!
Ms. Makuwa?
Y-You're Dengeki Melon?
Teacher and student? Working together?
Information overload.
Ms. Makuwa, I'd already been talking to Limelight through a voice call app.
I think I forgot to mention that part.
I'm sorry to have made you worry. But I'm happy you came here.
I-I was just doing what any normal teacher would, and...
No, I was probably a little bit jealous.
I was afraid that Ureshino... No, that Haimi would be taken from me. But...
Seeing both of your happy faces filled me with joy, too.
It's such a wonderful thing to have a friend who shares your hobby.
But that's still pretty shocking.
A teacher and a student? That's just like that manga "Fishing Nut's Diary."
That's true.
But that was an office worker and his CEO.
Oh yeah, I had a great idea regarding your group name.
How's this one? Ta-da!
The "Fave Artist" part is kinda embarrassing, though.
I do like the play on words.
Then how about we write it in katakana and... How's this one?
Yeah!
FAVE FANART FILE
I'll register for the event with this!
"I'm glad I got another chance."
"White hair... Oboro became a Whitenling?"
"That's no surprise. His older brother is one, too."
"After going through so much, it's like, finally, you know?"
SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED.
LET'S MEET AT OUR USUAL PLACE.
I can't believe this.
FAVE ARTIST FILE: CREATIVE SURGE
I was suspicious of it, too.
And we'd just finished paneling out our doujinshi, too.
But now they officially reveal that Oboro has a big brother?
Ms. Makuwa?
- Please calm down. - How can I stay calm?
I DON'T HAVE ANY SIBLINGS, SO... THAT'S A PROBLEM I SADLY WON'T HAVE.
The premise for the story I wrote is that Oboro is an only child.
If he has an older brother, then it's not consistent!
But to discard our rough draft that we paneled out and everything...
I think it'll be okay if we move forward with this rough draft.
When creating fan art, there are people with many different opinions.
There are people who say it's okay to stray from the official setting, and that's fine, too.
But I can't. For me...
the official setting is like a bible.
Canon purists.
This type of otaku loyally protects the original work's setting.
Instead of tweaking the character,
they prefer to stick to the original work as if they were enjoying an extension.
I will not stray from the official works! We look for a crevice!
We drown with imagination in those crevices that're not shown! We allow ourselves to do so!
I understand, Ms. Makuwa!
And so, after rereading it, I noticed something.
In volume seven, that phrase...
Even my parents don't expect much from me.
Do you think this could be hinting that he has an older brother?
Utakata was foreshadowing that!
Oh my goodness!
For my error of not realizing that until now, I shall take punishment.
Besides that...
If Oboro's older brother is a Whitenling,
then that means he's a Feint, right?
That's right.
He hasn't even appeared yet, and he's already got these strong character vibes.
Twitch...
Fwomph.
Twitch, twitch, twitch...
Bam!
I think I can draw up some new rough drafts.
ONE WEEK LATER
This is really great!
Wait, hold on now. Can you give me some time?
My words! I can't seem to say any words! I'll DM you later!
[I'LL DM YOU LATER] WHEN YOU HAVE TOO MUCH TO SAY AND WOULD PREFER TO TYPE IT OUT LATER WHEN YOU HAVE TIME
When I think that your drawings will fill these pages,
it's definitely like, "sake barrel entering the wrestling ring."
The only problem now is the scheduling.
The deadline for the printing is three weeks away.
So that means I have to complete one and a half pages a day.
I've drawn three pages in one day before, so I think we'll make it!
An amateur's naive expectations!
Things won't go that smoothly.
That's strange. I haven't even finished half of what I scheduled.
Drawings won't come that easily.
Backgrounds are hard! Let's just make this part white, too.
It's really not that simple, so please be careful!
My predictions were way too optimistic!
I'll never finish this!
Whatever will you do? Fave Fanart File's first doujinshi!
URON MIRAGE
THE DAY OF THE DEADLINE
And then, the day of the deadline!
I finished!
I thought I was going to die.
My pen and heart were about to break.
Good job on finishing that up!
Peek.
I have 30 minutes left until the deadline to send it to the printers.
There are parts I wish I could fix, but I think this is plenty for a first attempt.
Okay, Ms. Makuwa.
Can you please check the pages that you haven't seen yet?
Uploading it to the cloud now...
Huh?
I'm sorry, can you send it over again?
It looks like it didn't save properly, so I can't open the file.
Got it.
Huh? Let's see here.
Ms. Makuwa.
Page 23 has vanished.
What? Vanished?
You mean like Eva's Unit-04? You don't have the original file?
Instead of copying the file over, I moved it.
The autosave file is from several days ago, too.
So... it no longer exists.
"Data Loss." It's a part of digital creation where you must exercise extreme caution.
Please be careful, as a few hours of labor can disappear in an instant.
Page 23! It has a very important scene.
WELL, I'M GONNA GO ON AHEAD.
I'm so sorry, because of me...
No, it's my fault for taking too long with the paneling.
Our first book...
It's over.
Not yet!
This is our first book together.
I don't want to give up yet!
Oh, Haimi...
Let's change the printing store.
This one's pricing isn't that different, and the deadline is 21:00,
so we have four more hours!
But Haimi, do you still have strength left to draw?
Honestly, I really didn't like how that page came out.
I'm glad I got another chance to draw.
M-Me, too. I'll rewrite the afterword.
I feel like it didn't have enough "me" in there.
Because it's a doujinshi, we have to give it our all.
So that our peers...
can feel glad that they bought it.
Everything sent at 20:55.
Fave Fanart File's first doujinshi,
"The Fading Heart is Ever Vague," has been sent!
I wouldn't have been able to do this if I was alone.
I definitely would've given up.
Me, too.
We did it because we were together.
Oh, that's right, I never read what you wrote for your afterword.
Oh, I'll send it to you now.
So much text! Wait, you wrote all this when we were both stressed out?
Huh? Is it weird? Hey, I'm getting embarrassed now.
No, this is the kind of excitement I like.
Oh come on, now.
My body and soul feel so much lighter now. I feel so satisfied.
Who cares if it doesn't sell?
Now I just can't wait for the event.
What?
You can't go tomorrow?
I'm so sorry, I suddenly have to take care of some work tomorrow morning.
I'll rush over there as soon as I'm done.
You'll be alone until then, but will you be okay?
I guess it can't be helped. I'll ask someone to help me out.
If you need help, leave it to me!
NICO JOINS THE BATTLE
Sorry to ask so suddenly.
FAVE ARTIST FILE: CRAZY EVENT ARC
No worries. I've never done this before, so I hope I can be useful.
Don't cause too much trouble, okay?
Hold on a second!
I mean, I did notice, but you're here, too, Morihito?
Of course, I'm her bodyguard.
Was it a bad idea for a guy to come to a women-centered event?
No, it's not a bad idea at all.
Sometimes you'll see guys selling the merchandise, too.
However, the booth in the inner aisle is only big enough for two people to stand.
I see. Then, I can just wander around the event.
Please don't go wandering around!
I'm sorry. But can you just lay low and become one with the wall?
This is a difficult mission.
By the way, you didn't bring the books?
The print shop should deliver the books directly to the booth.
Oh, there it is.
FAVE FANART FILE
Huh? Isn't this a bit much?
There's ten boxes!
That's strange! We only ordered 100 copies, but this looks like ten times that.
Ms. Makuwa is the one who ordered it.
Oh wow! You're going to sell this many copies?
No, not at all.
So ambitious!
THUMP THUMP THUMP
There must've been some mistake!
TEN BOXES HAVE BEEN DELIVERED HERE! CAN YOU DOUBLE-CHECK THE ORDER?
SUPER SORRY CHAI
Ms. Makuwa made a mistake on the order!
She casually sent me an apologetic sticker!
Umm, sorry, but can you please move your boxes?
I-I'm so sorry!
GREETING
Hope we sell lots today, Ms. Neighbor.
Yeah! Let's do our best.
What should I do, Nico?
Kuku, you're so busy.
Ensmallen!
I made nine boxes smaller.
Witch friend is the best friend!
So this is...
our first book!
That's a beautiful cover.
It has all your feelings packed into it, so it came out really nice.
You worked so hard.
Oh, what's wrong?
Oh, it's just... My heart feels so full.
I've never worked so hard in my life.
With Ms. Makuwa...
No, with my friend Dengeki Melon, we worked hard to make this book, and it makes me happy.
It's really great.
Especially these parts right here, where there's no dialogue filled in.
Yeah, that's... What?
There's no dialogue!
What? It was a mistake?
I definitely put words in there, so maybe it was set on a lower layer?
I couldn't check what I had typed out.
APOLOGY TANK
I don't need all these different apology stickers!
This is really important dialogue. I can't just leave it blank.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THE SETTING SUN'S LIGHT.
What should I do? Should I print it out at the convenience store, and glue it on?
Now? To all these hundreds of books? That'll be impossible!
Nico, what should I do?
You seem really stressed out.
I think I can print it using magic. Do you have anything that's black?
What? Something black?
I have this permanent marker.
Yes, this ink will do.
Stamprinter!
With your left hand, you absorb the source of the color,
and then copy the text with your right hand.
Then we can copy it over.
Witch friend is the best friend!
I'll be over there with Moi printing these out, so can you get the booth prepared?
I'm so glad Nico is here.
Hey there, Haimi!
Limelight!
TRADING BOOKS
My new volume.
Are you all set?
Not at all! I'm panicking right now.
You better hurry because there's people already lined up.
No way!
Well yeah, you have tens of thousands of followers,
and everyone was excited to see you challenge yourself and make a manga.
Excuse me!
I'm from Operations, and it'd be troublesome if you started a line here,
so let's have you move your booth.
O-Okay!
You moved from the inner aisle to the end of the aisle.
That's way too awesome.
URON MIRAGE
The event has begun!
I was really looking forward to this.
Thank you so much!
Haimi, you should advertise more!
The people who are reading our book...
are right in front of me.
Amazing! This is the best feeling ever!
And just like that, we sold 50 copies.
You know, I've been thinking about this. Moi, you look like Oboro.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THE SETTING SUN'S LIGHT.
Like your black eyes and spiky black hair.
What?!
Moi, your hair's snow white!
Why? Huh?
My left hand wasn't on the pen anymore, and instead was on Moi's hand this whole time.
Your color's all faded away.
Eh, it's fine.
A faded answer.
Nico, more copies please!
I'm sorry Moi, I'll turn it black later, okay?
Meh, that's okay.
H-He looks exactly like...
A Whitenling Oboro is selling books!
But it just came out in the manga.
Super looks like him, though.
Wait, which group is that?
- Oh, is it Haimi? - Wait, she had a book out?
- A collaboration with Dengeki Melon? - I gotta buy it!
I made it here faster than expected. Let's see, our booth is...
It's become a wall group that's employing a cosplayer salesman!
SOLD OUT
FAVE FANART FILE'S FIRST BOOK "THE FADING HEART IS EVER VAGUE" 1,000 COPIES SOLD OUT!
It was like a dream.
Um, I'm really sorry about everything. Because of my mistakes...
Don't worry, checking over each page is my responsibility, too.
But the mistake on the order form...
There was one problem after another, but it was an overall success!
Wakatsuki and Otogi, thank you for everything.
Naan a pirozhki-blem.
I was definitely happy when all our books sold out, but more than that...
I was happy about being able to interact with my peers.
It felt like everyone there at the event were my friends.
I thought that I wanted to experience it just once and then I would stop after that.
This is...
a registration form for the next event!
I heard that once you experience it, you won't be able to stop.
Now I understand what they meant.
Let's do it! There's a scene that I'd like to draw.
It's nice to have something you can dedicate yourself to.
Yeah, that's true.
It's not because of the setting sun's light.
The coffee that was used to turn his hair black was actually brown,
and he wanted to say that his hair actually turned brown, too.
But Morihito didn't want to ruin this wonderful moment,
so he decided to keep quiet.
Hey there my little viewers, good evening! It's me, Limelight.
Oh man, it's so hot every day, huh? Are you staying healthy and all?
I'm definitely going for some cold noodles today.
Take care of yourself and have good dreams, okay?
NEXT EPISODE MOI'S DENIM DEVOTION DATE WITH THE GUIDE
Maybe I should make more appearances in the show! Haha, jk.
All right, see ya'll next week! Later gators!