Cardfight!! Vanguard G: Z World

#62.5: Zak's Christmas

"Yahoo! The holidays are here!" Zak cheered, spinning around in his chair with his hands in the air like he just don't care. "I can finally take a break from writing Circumstances! Ah man, my fingers really hurt..."

He got out of his seat and wobbled over to the mini-fridge in his cramped room, where he opened it and took a can of coffee out. Opening it, he started to empty the entire can into his mouth.

"Nothing beats a hard-earned coffee after a good day's worth of work." Zak nodded, rubbing his tired eyes and wandering over to his curtains. He opened it, and a blinding ray of light pierced his eyes. "Ah shit, how long did I stay up for? I started writing in the afternoon, and now it's morning?! Editor-kun's gonna kill me if I can't make it to the studio by noon!"

Scrambling to his desk, Zak poured over his loose pens, sheets of paper, crushed cans and food wrappers to find his phone buried beneath it all. Turning it on, Zak checked the time with a grin on his face.

"Ahaha... it's 6am! I have plenty of time! I won't be beat just yet! Except by my bladder since I really gotta go..." Zak sniffled.

After taking a wonderful trip to the bathroom to freshen himself up, Zak began cleaning his unbelievably messy room. Despite being a neat-freak and loving things that are in an orderly fashion, after becoming an author, the hectic life of writing constantly to polish his craft has overtaken time dedicated to keeping his room clean. After finishing his work, he always takes time to clean around his apartment.

After finishing that, he logs back onto his computer to check over his business emails. A lot of them are usually about offers from companies to do interviews, make special promotions using Circumstances, or other various things Zak isn't interested in.

Finally, he check his work emails that are from his editor and artist. As usual, his editor is reminding him about the book, and his artist is showing him the final drawings of what Zak requested for the art.

As Circumstances has received a manga adaption recently, Zak is in contact with the manga artist and is helping him to make a good adaption. Other emails include the anime directors thanks, since the Circumstances anime has finished this season, and congratulations from the committee behind it.

Zak relaxed, fist-pumping over the prospect of the money he's bound to receive by the end of the month, but more importantly, the Christmas break so he can take some time off to visit his sister who is coming home to Japan after taking a culinary school abroad in France, where Masaru is, coincidentally, also working at the moment.

As Christmas time approaches, everyone decides that the best place to hold their gathering is at Zak's apartment. But first, he has to make a trip to this editor and submit the newest volume of Circumstances, ready for the January release.

"Good work as usual, Tashimare." Zak's editor said.

"Oh please, Amatsuyu. Just call me Zak. If it weren't for you, I'd never publish Circumstances as a series."

"I have lots of respect for you, so calling you in such a familiar basis feels wrong. Your work has become of the company's best sellers!"

"If we were that distant, I'd call you by your last name. But I'm not, am I?"

"Well, I suppose you're not wrong..."

"Exactly. Say, does your family want to come over to ours for Christmas?"

"Oh, I'd love to meet your family!"

"Same here. Anyways, thanks for working hard for me as usual."

"Same to you do. Good job this past month, you've really made headlines."

It was now Christmas Day. In Zak's apartment, many people gathered. Izanoku, his sister, Masaru, his sister's boyfriend, Makoto, his sister's boyfriend's big brother, Amatsuyu, his editor, and Amatsuyu's wife, Sakuya and Amatsuyu's daughter, Shizuka.