*THE NEXT DAY*
*SETSUNA'S ROOM - NAKAGAWA RESIDENCE - CITY BAY TOKYO TOWERS - ODAIBA - TOKYO*
AKI: "Morning, Setsuna."
SETSUNA: "Good morning. Sorry for making you come on your day off."
AKI: "It's fine. I asked you to let me help, after all. So, how's the draft going?"
SETSUNA: "I'm inking it right now."
AKI: "Wow. Can I take a quick look at it?"
SETSUNA: "Sure, here."
Setsuna presented her paper to me. On it was detailed illustrations that wouldn't look out of place in even the biggest weekly comics.
AKI: "Whoa, this is amazing! It's a real manga!"
SETSUNA: *Chuckle* "I had the same reaction when I started inking.
I was like, 'It really looks like a real manga!'"
AKI: "You're making great use of that manga freebie you got."
SETSUNA: "I read through the instructions that came along with it over and over again!
But there are some things that don't quite go the way they're described when you actually try and do it for real.
Like getting ink smudges on your hand and making the paper all dirty..."
AKI: "But you get used to it, right?"
SETSUNA: "Exactly! Even if you're clumsy when first performing some dance choreography, you get better by practicing it over and over.
And it's the same with this, so I'll just work hard at it!"
AKI: "Right! Well then, what should I help with? I think I could fill in the blacks and do any erasing."
SETSUNA: "Yes, I would really appreciate that."
AKI: "I'll give it my best. But first, I have something from Kasumi and the others."
SETSUNA: "Huh? What is it?"
AKI: "Here, supplies! Eye drops from Ayu, bread rolls from Kasumi, manga guides from Yu, drinks from Rina, and beef jerky from Lanzhu.
And there's plenty more where that came from!"
SETSUNA: "Those girls...!"
AKI: "They're all looking forward to seeing your work."
SETSUNA: "Now I'm even more fired up!
I'm going to blast through these pages!"