Makoto was a high school student who likes reading webtoons as a hobby despite my own parents telling me that this is a stupid hobby claiming that I should instead be into something meaningful like sports or music.
He was interested in that but not fully passionate with these types of interest that my classmates are interested in
He managed to get them off his back by working hard on his school work so they would not focus on what he is doing and instead focus on this reputation he has established
He likes music but not making them since he was bad at this as for sports, back in middle school that many clubs wanted him to join but he turned them down for the sake of pursuing his own interest in my free time.
He was currenly reading a well known webtoon that is known for being popular with the girl demographic.
He is a simple reader and prefers that remains so he is not one to discrimanate for the sake of reading a great and well thoughout plot today.
He grew so tired and decided to take a nap at his desk but he forgot that he left his phone on.
"Hey that webtoon you were reading?"
Huh
"Is that my life as the villainess in a novel world?!"
There was an unwanted visitor.
"What the who even are you!?.....Shizuka?"
I let out a confused look on my face.
Shizuka is a well known critically acclaimed artist on the internet and that same very same Shizuka was quitely observing him intrigued by him and the webtoon he was reading.
"So tell me now why is the great Makoto reading a webtoon huh?"
"What?"
"Especially since you are also an author that is not gaining any readers lately now a days."
Shizuka then made a look and then whispered something to him.
"Meet me at the cafe tomorrow on our weekend and if you do not go I shall expose you Makoto or shall I call you.....Kento."
Shizuka then made an expression he never saw before....Shizuka was well known to have a cold exterior or rather you may know her as a kuudere. She is not one to show many expression often and yet she is looking at me and smiling at me not a try hard smile but a dark smile of someone blackmailing me without any threats.....actually how is that possible.
Makoto sat in a cafe drinking coffee feeling irritated and angry as he was forced to sit in that one place.
"So tell me now why have you invited me to this cafe on a Saturday morning now Shizuka-san?"
"Why to discuss manga, manhwas, and manhuas with you of course dear Kento....what did you think...that we would only discuss manga....we should not forget about Korean and Chinese mangas as well honestly"
"Why?"
"Why you ask well you have been making a manga lately or rather you made a webtoon and posted it under the name Kento."
"What made you so sure about me being Kento."
"Ohhhh honestly I knew since the moment I first laid my eyes on you dear Makoto."
"What?"
"So now let's get to business....tell me why you had the main character became the very thing he hated from the start, and why you made his parents so pathetic."
Later that night he was in his bed where he remembered the moment their friendship began on the first day.
During that time him and Shizuka both battled with wits, retorts, and insults which ended with Makoto standing up abrutly and walked away from where he sat Shizuka watched as the retreating figure of Makoto gets smaller and distant.
Shizuka gently held the handle of her tea cup and brought the tip of the cup to her lips.
She sipped her tea quietly then gently brought the cup down on the saucer then looked back at the direction Makoto went off.
"Idiot."
Shizuka after finishing stood up and went home.
"Sigh....all I wanted to say to him was to not expect too much....he is just bringing disappointment into his life."
Shizuka mumbled with a neutral look and headed off to her home where she continued to do her work.
She was disappointed with his defensive attitude and closed off way of thinking but she was also disappointed that she was unable to hear more about the plots he made.
He sat on his desk then opened his laptop the bright screen illuminating the dark room he is at.
He kept forcing himself to write and draw the next chapter of his monthly manhwa which is an isekai in which a guy is transported into another world where he ends up being the dark lord and is tasked with ruling the world.
"Ugh another failed attempt..."
Makoto grumbled as he sat on his desk and was complaining as he kept going.
Eventually he lost all motivation and sat down on his bed....at that moment he began to think back to Shizuka and how well she was correct.
She was correct about the criticisms but well he refused to let someone else change his story after all he wants to be the sole writer and illustrator of this one manhwa that is over 100+ chapters and went on for about a year.
He went to school on a Monday and he went up to Shizuka as she was talking to her friends.
"I am sorry for what happened okay."
"Eh?"
"I want to apologize for what happened okay I messed up bad."
"Hey wait now stop Makoto-kun."
"No way I will not stop until you forgi....."
"Look around you idiot."
Shizuka was blushing hard looking irritated.
I looked around and noticed our classmates and her friends whispering to each other.
The common topics that were discussed were either envy for me being close to her, some of them wondering and constructing interesting romantic ideas to explain the out of context apologies I spout out, or how Shizuka has gotten more cuter since she is being more expressive now."
We had lunch later and.....
"I am very sorry about that..."
Tch! you are such an idiot! how dare you approach me and make me feel....nevermind! anyways....you could have waited a better time than a while ago?....now my friends will not stop bugging about our relationship now....."
"I am sorry about that too but I want to apolgize about what happened at the cafe because....honestly I want to hear again what you said about my own work.....I want to improve!"
"Okay fine let me....hey wait did you post three new chapters?!"
"Uhhhh yeah is that bad?"
"No just that what well....."
She then stared at her phone screen and mumbled.
"This will be a fun read indeed."
She read it for a few minutes laughing and looking serious.....after she finished she cleared her voice and then....they began now.
"I doubt that this will work."
"What? why? Shizuka?"
"Because...your main character is a mess...."
"What do you mean a mess? Let me begin at the first act of the series. Everything he is doing is to get revenge on the people who betrayed him correct!"
"Yes but you made the main character more worse than those that betrayed him."
"How?"
They were talking again now....at first they were yelling but Makoto apologized profusely for raising his voice but.....Shizuka said with a calm and comforting expression.
"Do not apologize and let's try to not raise our voices this time....anyways it is normal you are defensive and sensitive to criticism after all it shows you cared....but just try to lay off the insults to my works huh!"
"Yes okay then Shizuka-san."
They kept on talking now about the topic of his work
"Well for starters he stole from his allies."
"So what huh."
"He commited treason, that doesn't make him any less shameful than the ones who betrayed him."
"This is a decision of mine to help the readers to relate to the main character."
Shizuka just got home and felt satisfied with their otaku talk although.....
"Shizuka sorry again I just doesn't accept criticism from other people because i had no support from any adults when I told them about my work.....lately they just keep bringing me down you know the usual insults."
Shizuka listened with a calm expression just accepting anything at face value Makoto assumed that she would say something blunt and insensitive so he prepared himself for the worst but then she smiled at him
"We are human we make mistakes no work is perfect you can not please every one.....you need to accept some criticism from those that care about what you do...just listen okay you do not need to do this to prove your worth do not use literature as a way to gain fame...you never know okay we do art not for fame but for the sense of pleasure in making something..... Makoto..."
That look on her face made me blush.
Shizuka then looked at him with a smirk as she rest her head on her hands as if inspecting and observing me as if I were something interesting to her.