"Sawamura-sensei!"
Yamada Aki's excited voice came through the phone. "Your work is absolutely amazing! Especially the story! I've been an editor for years, but I've never seen anyone capture the feeling of sadness so beautifully—so heartbreakingly!"
Hearing the editor's unabashed praise, Eriri felt a rush of pure joy surge through her chest.
"Do you have time tomorrow? I'd like to discuss the contract and future serialization with you!"
"Yes! I do!" Eriri answered so quickly that she almost shouted.
After hanging up, she burst into Seiji Fujiwara's study like an overexcited puppy.
"We did it, Seiji! The editor said they want to sign us tomorrow!" She waved her phone, her face glowing with delight.
"Oh, really."
Seiji leaned back in his chair, reacting as casually as if she'd just commented on the weather. "Then congratulations."
With both the Naoki Prize and the Edogawa Ranpo Prize under his belt, the thought of debuting as a manga writer didn't exactly thrill him. Besides, Anohana really was a solid piece of work.
If the serialization meeting didn't pass it, that would only mean the magazine itself was hopeless.
"What do you mean, 'congratulations to you'? It's us!" Eriri protested, puffing out her cheeks. "You're coming with me to sign the contract tomorrow!"
Seiji didn't even look up. "Who said I was going?"
"Eh?" Her smile froze.
"I don't plan to appear in public," Seiji said flatly. "All external affairs are your responsibility. I'll just provide the names and storyboards from behind the scenes."
"W-Why?" Eriri couldn't wrap her head around it.
"If I show up, the name 'Fujiwara-sensei' will overshadow everything. It wouldn't just be a simple manga debut anymore." He gave her a look like she was missing the obvious. "You really think readers hold newcomers and established authors to the same standard?"
"Uh, I guess not…" Eriri scratched her cheek awkwardly.
She'd almost forgotten—this idiot was that Fujiwara, the prodigy who'd already won both the Naoki and Edogawa Ranpo Prizes while still young.
But honestly, who could blame her?
This guy spent all day goofing off, his head filled with nothing but dirty thoughts!
Just thinking about it made her glare at him again—but afraid he'd get back at her, she quickly turned tail and ran off.
Seiji sighed. "...What's wrong with her?"
The next day, Eriri headed to GIGACOMIC's editorial department alone.
The signing went smoothly. Yamada Aki treated her with genuine enthusiasm and respect, and the contract terms were far better than what most newcomers received.
When Yamada learned that Anohana was a collaborative work, eight out of every ten compliments she gave were directed toward the mysterious story writer who never showed his face.
"Sawamura-sensei, your art is wonderful—you've brought the other author's characters perfectly to life!"
Eriri smiled politely the entire time, though she couldn't help feeling a little resigned inside.
It felt like she was a stand-in accepting someone else's award. All the glory belonged to the absent partner, while she was merely the assistant praised for "polishing the trophy until it shone."
Still, this was her first real step into the professional world.
Keep going, Eriri! she cheered herself on silently.
When she got home, she handed the signed contract to Seiji, her tone just a little sour. "Everything went fine. The editor was really disappointed she couldn't meet the story author—you were the star of the conversation."
Seiji flipped through the papers casually. "Well, of course. When it comes to storytelling, I've never lost."
Eriri was left speechless by his sheer lack of humility.
A few days later, the manga was brought to GIGACOMIC's monthly serialization meeting.
Faced with a work that excelled in story, layout, and final art alike, the editors had almost no disagreements.
"There's practically nothing wrong with it."
"This is really a debut work?"
"The emotion's so raw—I'm a grown man and it made me cry."
"I vote yes for serialization!"
In the end, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day passed unanimously, earning its spot as a new series!
As soon as the meeting ended, Yamada Aki called Eriri right away.
"It passed! Teacher, it passed unanimously!" Yamada's voice trembled with excitement. "Your manga will appear as the opening color spread in GIGACOMIC two weeks from now!"
"R-Really?!" Eriri nearly jumped out of her chair, the joy washing away every trace of anxiety she'd felt before.
"It's true!" Yamada laughed, her tone shifting to business again. "By the way, we just need to confirm one last thing—the pen name. Will you be using your real name or a new alias? We'll need it for promotion and layout."
"Hmm… pen name, huh…"
Eriri thought for a moment. She definitely couldn't use Eiri Kashiwagi—she didn't want her doujin circle reputation following her into the professional world. Using her real name didn't feel private enough either.
"I'll use a new one," she decided. Remembering Seiji's advice to just make something up, she said, "Let's go with… Izumi Ei."
"Izumi Ei…" Yamada repeated softly, then exclaimed, "That's a wonderful name! It's clear and bright—perfectly matches your gorgeous art and Anohana's tone!"
"Thanks," Eriri laughed.
They chatted a bit longer before ending the call.
Eriri sat still for a moment, whispering the name under her breath—"Izumi Ei."
From now on, that would be the name that marked the beginning of her career as a professional manga artist.
Her grip tightened around her phone. Her feelings were a mix of excitement, anticipation… and something bittersweet she couldn't quite name.
Taking a deep breath, she shook off the daze and hurried to the living room.
"The serialization passed!" she shouted at Seiji, who was lounging on the sofa. "Anohana will officially start in the issue after next!"
Seiji didn't even lift his head. "Got it."
His lazy, indifferent response made her feel like she'd just punched a pillow.
"Can't you at least look a little happy?!"
Before her little fist could land, his hand shot out and caught her wrist easily.
With a mischievous smile, he pulled her into his arms and whispered against her ear, "Of course I'm happy. And to celebrate our first success together… it's about time we expanded our horizons again, don't you think?"
"Eh?!"
Her whole body stiffened.
"N-No way! Absolutely not!" she stammered, struggling frantically.
That was her biggest weakness!
The last time he'd experimented, it had left her trembling and lightheaded, as if her soul had left her body.
There was no way she was going through that again!
But it was useless.
With effortless strength, Seiji scooped her up and carried her away, ignoring her protests as the door shut behind them.
Hours later, soft sobs and muffled cries echoed from the bedroom.
This "celebration" lasted longer than any before.
Though Eriri cried out several times, she somehow endured more than last time—progress, in its own twisted way.
Seiji brushed his fingers through her sweat-dampened blonde hair, satisfied. "Not bad. You're improving. Looks like my lessons are paying off."
Face buried in the pillow, Eriri pouted miserably, screaming inwardly:
I'd rather not make that kind of progress! Someone please stop this jerk from getting any ideas!
Two weeks later, the latest issue of Monthly GIGACOMIC hit the stands.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day made its debut with a stunning opening color spread.
Early that morning, Eriri slipped into a bookstore and bought several copies.
Back home, she locked herself in her studio and flipped through her pages again and again, overwhelmed with pride.
And the market response was even more explosive than she'd imagined.
The day the magazine released, forums across the internet lit up with excitement.
"This new GIGA series looks amazing!"
"Who are these 'Izumi Ei' people?! Both the art and the writing are top-tier!"
"There's no info on 'Izumi Ei' anywhere! Total newcomers?!"
"Super rookies! Terrifying!"
"The art's gorgeous, and the story's insane! Are we sure it's not some veteran under a pseudonym?"
A week later, the popularity poll results came in.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day crushed every other series, taking the number one spot in GIGA's reader rankings by a landslide.
The result stunned everyone.
A brand-new duo, Izumi Ei, had won first place without any prior promotion.
Yamada Aki's phone nearly exploded from the calls—editors, artists, assistants, everyone wanted to know who these mysterious newcomers were.
But per Eriri's request, Yamada just laughed and deflected their questions.
Meanwhile, in a small apartment that doubled as a studio, two boys stared silently at the latest issue of GIGACOMIC.
Mashiro Moritaka and Takagi Akito—the duo known professionally as Ashirogi Muto.
"Hey, Saikō," Akito adjusted his glasses seriously. "You done reading?"
"...Yeah." Mashiro rubbed his forehead. "I'm done."
"What do you think?"
"It's strong," Mashiro said gravely.
"'Strong' doesn't even cut it…" Akito flipped back to the first page of Anohana, still shaken. "This duo's terrifying. Especially the one handling the story and layouts."
"Yeah," Mashiro agreed, pointing to one of the pages. "The art's top-tier, sure—but it's the composition that brings it to life. Look here: no big conflicts, just everyday conversation, yet it pulls your emotions along completely. That lazy summer mood, the quiet tension underneath—it's incredible! There's no way a rookie pulled this off. Who is this story writer?"
Akito shook his head in awe. "A total mystery. But whoever they are, they're a monster. Turning ordinary life into something more gripping than a battle manga…"
They exchanged glances, both seeing the same emotion in each other's eyes—respect, and a hint of fear.
"Damn it…" Akito groaned, running a hand through his hair. "So many geniuses in this world! We can't fall behind!"
"Yeah!" Mashiro clenched his pen again, fire rekindled in his eyes. "We'll just have to work even harder!"
Praise from all corners flooded in like a rising tide.
Every day, Eriri found more discussions online about Anohana and Izumi Ei.
She even made a secret alt account just to lurk on forums, giggling whenever fans raved about "the artist's stunning style" or "the writer's godlike storytelling."
But as time passed, she noticed something that made her heart sink.
Once the initial excitement over the mysterious duo faded, every in-depth analysis, every serious discussion—all of it inevitably shifted toward the story writer.
"The art of Izumi Ei is pure beauty, but it's the story and layout that give that beauty a soul."
"This is the perfect collaboration! The artist's hand is divine, but the writer is the god who gives that hand purpose."
"I'm starting to think the artist exists solely as a vessel to express the writer's vision."
Vessel.
That word pierced her like a needle.
She knew comparing herself to a monster like Seiji Fujiwara was pointless—but seeing those comments still stung.
If things kept going like this…
Would she forever be the one under him—creatively and… otherwise?
"Damn it," she muttered, baring her little fang and biting her lip in frustration. "When will it finally be my turn to be on top?!"
As Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day continued serialization, its popularity exploded after chapter three.
At her editor's suggestion, Eriri opened an official "Izumi Ei" account.
The moment it went live, the comments flooded in:
"Please, no more heartbreak—I'm out of tears!"
"Are you sure you two are new manga artists?!"
"Begging you for a happy ending!"
Messages spread like wildfire, and the manga dominated reader polls for three straight weeks.
Eriri secretly watched everything from home, laughing whenever she saw someone complaining about being emotionally wrecked.
Other people's pain was always the sweetest joy.
Then—her phone rang.
"Miss Yamada?" Eriri answered immediately.
"It's me! Do you have a moment?!"
Yamada's voice trembled with excitement, the sounds of cheering and chatter from the editorial office audible in the background.
"Yes, I do. What's going on?" Eriri tried to sound calm and professional, but the smile tugging at her lips and the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her delight.
"First of all, congratulations, Izumi-sensei!" Yamada nearly tripped over her own words. "Anohana has ranked first for three consecutive issues—it's a nationwide sensation!"
"No one dares underestimate you as a newcomer anymore."
"Haha, I still have a lot to learn, Miss Yamada." Eriri replied modestly, though her heart was practically dancing.
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You can read up to chapter 110 on patreon.com/NiaXD.