Aimi: A Sweet Deal Like This?!
Seeing Aimi's excitement over her manga, Kotomi felt happy but didn't hesitate to turn down her request to read Chapter 2 ahead of time.
"Sorry, it's not drawn yet."
In reality, Chapter 2 was already finished, and Chapter 3 was well underway. By this time next week, she'd likely start on Chapter 4 of Chainsaw Man. Once she finished Chapter 5, Kotomi planned to take a week off from drawing to rest and catch up on her games.
Letting Aimi read ahead wasn't impossible, but Kotomi relished seeing readers eagerly waiting each week, longing for the next chapter.
That thrill of seeing readers desperate for the update—that was one of the main reasons Kotomi chose to walk the path of a creator.
"Ah…" Aimi's face fell as she heard Chapter 2 wasn't ready, and then she asked cautiously, "W-well, when are you going to start drawing Chapter 2? I really want to read it soon…"
"Well, you know, every manga artist has good and bad days. Some days, I'll be on fire, pumping out page after page. Other times, inspiration dries up, and I just end up staring at my tablet all day with nothing to show for it."
"So, uh… what's your 'artistic state' right now?"
"A desert," Kotomi said, feigning exhaustion. "I'm just not feeling it right now. Even thinking about drawing makes me feel worn out."
Desperate to see Chapter 2, Aimi's eyes widened as she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
At her sister's words, Kotomi's lips curled up slightly. She lifted a foot onto Aimi's lap, its thin white stocking giving off a soft, pure glow. Her eyes narrowing in playful mischief, Kotomi said, "My feet are so sore… When something feels off, I lose all my creative drive. But if you were to give me a little foot massage, maybe it'd come back?"
Kotomi only meant to tease Aimi, but to her surprise, Aimi held her foot gently, her voice brimming with excitement. "A sweet deal like this?!"
…???
Kotomi's mind filled with question marks—wait, what?
"Um… well, that'd be nice," Kotomi stammered, her cheeks flushing. Lately, it seemed like the slightest thing could make her blush, though she didn't know why. She wasn't usually like this.
With her cheeks slightly pink and her clear eyes shimmering shyly, Kotomi attempted to pull her foot back. But Aimi held on, leaving her feeling weak as her sister's fingers kneaded her foot tenderly.
Kotomi was growing embarrassed, and Aimi's own heart was pounding furiously. If they were in the bedroom instead of the living room, Aimi wasn't sure she could hold back her growing desire.
If Kotomi knew Aimi's thoughts, she'd probably break out in a cold sweat, wondering why she'd ever dared to "play with fire."
But Aimi pressed on, watching the soft, plush feeling of her sister's stockinged foot as her fingers pressed in and released.
After a few minutes, Aimi spoke, her voice a bit intense.
"Kotomi…"
"Call me 'Onee-chan' properly. What is it?"
"Can I sleep in your room tonight?"
"No way!"
Kotomi blushed harder, rejecting the idea immediately.
Though she hadn't realized it before, she now sensed Aimi's intentions, and she wasn't about to play along. She wasn't some innocent fool who wouldn't recognize the signs.
"Oh, come on, it's just one little wish," Aimi protested, pouting. "Don't you trust me even that much?"
"Before you say that, maybe wipe the drool from your mouth—it's about to drip!"
Taking advantage of the moment, Kotomi managed to slip her foot out of Aimi's grasp.
Close call!
She reminded herself to be cautious and avoid "playing with fire"—especially in front of Aimi.
Curled up on one corner of the couch, Kotomi refused to give in, no matter how much Aimi tried to sweet-talk her.
Seeing this, Aimi stopped pressing. She knew there was no point in pushing right now. Patience was key—she'd wait until the time was right to catch her big fish and savor every part of it.
When dinner was ready, Akina opened the sliding door between the kitchen and living room, calling out to her daughters.
"Dinner's ready. Dad has to work late, so he'll be staying at the office. We don't need to wait; wash your hands and come eat."
"Got it," the sisters replied.
Noticing a copy of Weekly Shonen Jump on the coffee table, Akina picked it up and asked, "A manga magazine? Kotomi, is this the one with your series? Weekly Shonen Jump… I remember your dad used to love reading it back in college."
"Yep! I just got it from the bookstore. I did the cover illustration, too. When you open it, the first manga is Chainsaw Man, my work."
"Wow! That's amazing! I'll have to read it carefully later. But first, let's focus on dinner—no distractions."
A few minutes later—
Bang!
Akina smacked her chopsticks on the table, her face brimming with excitement as she looked at Kotomi.
"Kotomi, where's Chapter 2? I need to read it right now!"
Despite her previous instructions about focusing on dinner, Akina had read Chainsaw Man during the meal, and now she was hooked, eager to see the next chapter.
"I haven't drawn it yet!"
"Oh, that's unacceptable! With so many readers waiting for the next chapter, you need to step it up as a manga artist! Should I ask for a week off for you to stay home and just work on Chainsaw Man?"
"Mom, come on—I have exams tomorrow!"
"Well, then, should we wait until the exams are over?"
"There's no need! I can draw one chapter a week just fine after school!"
"A chapter a week? Can't you push yourself and do two?" Akina asked, only half-joking.
Aimi chimed in as well, "I think Onee-chan could manage six chapters a week."
"Do you both think I'm some kind of mutant spider? I don't have eight hands…"
"Well, transforming into Spider-Woman wouldn't be so bad! How about I go catch a spider to bite you and see if it works?" Akina joked, pretending to be serious.
"No way!"
After an hour of drawing in her room, Kotomi put down her stylus, saved her progress, and shut down her computer to get some sleep. Ever since she started making manga and writing novels, she noticed that she rarely played computer games anymore. Even when she had some extra time, her first thought wasn't to open Steam; more often, after finishing a chapter or page, she just wanted to lie on her bed and relax.
"Are there any fun new games lately?"
Lying on her bed, she scrolled through the Steam forums on her phone.
On Steam's forums, all kinds of game discussions could be found, with gamers often debating over everything from game quality to genre superiority. Sometimes, she'd open a thread just to watch people argue, occasionally tossing in a comment to stir the pot.
Every month, a well-known user called [GiveMeMyRefund] posted a summary thread covering every new game release that month. No matter the genre, they'd list each game's title, price, recommendation level, and Steam sale details. Because the summaries were thorough and consistently updated, [GiveMeMyRefund] had become quite influential on the forum, with every monthly post getting featured and even pulling in enough views to earn them ad revenue.
Their follower count was well over 980,000—likely to break a million by the end of the year.
Kotomi enjoyed reading these summary posts. Though it didn't seem like any new games were particularly exciting this September, she made a mental note: "[GiveMeMyRefund] is a top figure on Steam's forum. Once I start making games, I'll reach out for some promotional work and have them advertise my game there."
Having decided, Kotomi saved the contact email listed in their profile.
Even though she wasn't sure when she'd be starting Type-Moon Boundary, it didn't hurt to prepare. After all, even the best things need the right audience to appreciate them.
Once that was done, Kotomi saw it was getting late, so she turned off her phone, slipped out of her clothes, and, with a quick flick of the light switch, drifted off to sleep.
Half an hour later—
Once Kotomi had fallen asleep, Aimi quietly opened the door and tiptoed inside.
She moved with practiced skill.
…
Early the next morning, Kotomi was jolted awake by her phone alarm. Groaning, she hit the snooze button.
Her phone's alarm sound, much like the one on iPhones, always seemed to send a jolt straight to her heart.
"Why don't I own an iPhone? Because its alarm sound is terrifyingly heart-stopping!"
"This alarm is murder on the heart; I'm changing it as soon as I get up."
Getting up reluctantly, Kotomi rubbed her eyes, planning to get out of bed, when she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
She massaged it, her brows furrowing. "My chest feels so sore, and I'm exhausted all over. Weird, I went to bed so early last night."
Seeing that it was only 6:30, she decided to lie down for another half hour.
She still wasn't sure why she'd woken up feeling sore and tired, but she was ready for a nap. After all, who can resist a cozy, early-morning doze?
Kotomi couldn't. Besides, she loved the idea of lying back down to the sound of rain on a gray, rainy morning—nothing better than snuggling back into bed, listening to the soft patter outside.
Nice.
So relaxing!
This was exactly why whenever the forecast called for rain, she'd always set her alarm early, just for that chance to snuggle back in and drift off with the rain as her lullaby.
Though today wasn't a rainy day, a short morning nap still sounded amazing.
After thirty minutes of blissful snoozing, Kotomi finally forced herself out of bed. After breakfast, she slipped on her shoes and headed off to school.
Today was the final day of exams. Once today was over, her monthly exams would be officially finished.
As for her scores… she was confident, not worried at all.
The only exam result Kotomi was actually worried about wasn't hers—it was Yui's.
As her "tutor," Kotomi naturally cared about Yui's scores.
After all, Yui was her student.
"Grades come out Thursday. Ugh, I'm nervous… I may have unlocked an enhanced learning ability, but apparently, I'm still anxious over Yui's test scores," Kotomi muttered to herself with a sigh.
Opening the door, she saw no surprise—today as well, Megumi Kato was standing under the streetlamp across the road, waiting for her.
But today, there were no cats in sight.
Usually, the neighborhood cats would gather around Megumi for the fish snacks she'd bring, but today, not a single one had shown up.
Could they have found a new spot?
"Morning, Megumi!" Kotomi called out as she approached.
"I read your manga. It's so interesting; I can't wait to see what happens next," Megumi said with a soft smile.
"Ehehe, then look forward to next Monday's Weekly Shonen Jump!"
Kotomi grinned. Nothing was more satisfying than knowing her work was being enjoyed.
"Do I really have to wait till next Monday?" Megumi dragged out her words, clearly eager to see Chapter 2. "Now I understand why, at the end of every episode, people flood the comments with 'see you in seven centuries.'"
"Seven centuries, huh? If people could say that after reading Chainsaw Man, that'd be amazing."
As soon as Kotomi finished speaking, Megumi shouted, "See you in seven centuries!"
Then she turned to Kotomi with a playful smile and said, "Now, you officially have your first reader who's said it. Make sure to remember that."
Kotomi blushed, her voice barely a whisper as she replied, "Th-thank you."
Megumi teased, "As a fan, I'm really looking forward to it, so please, sensei, respond to your fans' wishes soon. I want to read Chapter 2."
"All right, all right! I'll start the new file when I get home today."
Megumi's smile grew, but then her eyes caught something on Kotomi's neck. "Hold on a sec," she said.
Kotomi stopped as Megumi reached over and pulled a long, black hair off the back of her neck.
"You had a strand of black hair on the back of your neck. It looks just like Aimi's," Megumi remarked as she let it fall to the ground.
"Oh, I must have picked it up when I hugged Aimi yesterday," Kotomi replied, unconcerned. Aimi loved hanging around in her room, so finding her hair there didn't surprise her at all.
"Is that so~? Your relationship with your sister is enviably close," Megumi said, giving Kotomi a glance and a knowing smile.
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