Requested by Chizuru_Yukimaru
~
The sound of the tickling clock resounded on the room. Every time the minute hand past 12, I couldn't help but tremble. In front of where I was sitting was Konishi, and beside him was the design director of Tales series. He was checking the illustrations inside the two envelopes.
"And so, can someone explain this to me?" The director asked putting the papers on the table "So who draw what?"
"I draw the manga" Chiaki answered "I just forgot it in her room" she added and smiled to me "Right, (F/N)?"
"Then what do you mean by you completed this, (F/N)? And also you two were fighting to who would give the envelope of the game designs. I actually want to hear the truth here. So answer honestly" The director was so scary. However, I couldn't answer. Chiaki who was sitting next to me was pinching my hand. The director sighed and shook his head "For now, (L/N), I will not accept this design until I found out the truth. And you are suspended. We will call you when we found out the truth"
And for the 10 minutes that I was sitting inside that room, I didn't even utter any word.
"I'll leave now"
"Director, you should keep this one" Konishi said giving the envelope but the director shook his head
"No, I don't know who draw that, so I'll accept until I find out" he answered then left the room
"Thanks for the follow up, (F/N). Now thanks to you, there's a possibility that I will not get the job" I glared at her as tears were flowing on my cheeks. Unbelievable. "Konishi-san, let's go. Let's leave this girl here"
"I have a plan with her later, so I'll stay here" Konishi answered and sat next to me "You can go and leave us. I'll take care of her"
Chiaki left the room and I didn't hold up, I cried. Konishi was there patting my head, calming me down.
~~
I opened my eyes and I felt my head hurt. I again closed my eyes and I rolled to my left and felt the fluffy long pillow. It was so soft and fluffy. It also had a sweet smell. But, I again opened my eyes and squinted my eyes towards the side table.
Ahre?
Eh?
I sat down and the blanket rolled down. I blinked fast and roamed my eyes around the room.
"This is not my room" I mumbled. I looked at what I was wearing "this is not my clothes"
WAIT A MINUTE!
I immediately jumped out of bed but crouched down that instant. My head, it was really hurting.
Wait, what happened yesterday?
After crying, Konishi and I went to the steak house near his house.
Ah!
I ordered beer last night. Even though I couldn't handle alcohol, I ordered last night. But, but wait! I couldn't remember what happened after finishing one beer. What happened after?!
First of all, where am I?!
I stood up and saw a divider full of manga, and on top were figurines, gundam and anime figurines. I approached it and noticed that one level of the divider, all the volumes of my manga were there. Seeing the figurines, I somehow knew where I was.
I walked through the door and in the middle of the living room stood Konishi while talking to someone on the phone. He was wearing a white shirt and a gray sweat pants. On his other hand, he was holding a remote and he was changing channels, but it was muted
"Konishi" I called him and when he turned around he put his index finger on top of his lips. He was signaling me not to talk.
"Yes director. So you should reconsider it. Yes. Yes. Thank you very much. Well then." He put his phone on the center table and then gave me a big wide smile "Good afternoon"
"Afternoon?" I titled my head "Afternoon?"
"It's past 2 in the afternoon. I bought lunch. Do you want coffee or juice?" he asked as he headed to the kitchen.
I knew it. I got drunk last night. And somehow I gave trouble to the guy I like. Ah! SO EMBARRASSING!
I followed him and he told me to sit down. There was a pizza on the table and he told me to eat.
"Uhm, Konishi"
"Hmmm?"
I shyly asked "I got drunk last night, right?"
"Yeah, it was an amazing scene" he laughed putting a glass of juice in front of me "You were crying, complaining, shouting, and in the end, you were laughing"
I felt my face turned so red. I was so embarrassed. He went out of the kitchen but returned not long after. He was holding lots of papers
"You were also busy drawing while crying, complaining. You were really so busy last night. Doing lots of things one at a time" he explained then got a slice of pizza
"WAIT A MINUTE!" I shouted and he looked at me while chewing. "Did I say something last night?"
He nodded and then he finished eating first "You confessed everything last night"
"EH?!"
"That you are (pen name), then you did all those manga. Why your friend became (pen name)? Your reason why you couldn't refuse your friend. The debt of your parents left to you that Chiaki's parents paid. Even though you sold lots of copies for your work, it wasn't enough. Also, ah, no, I will not tell the other one. I'll let you say it when you are sober up"
I massaged my head since it was hurting so much. It hurts so much! I drank the juice and it was then Konishi continued
"Also, about your clothes. I promise, I didn't do anything. But I will be honest. I saw your undergarments."
"EH?!"
"There's an explanation. I didn't know where is your house, so I brought you here. Then when we were entering the house, you vomited. So I need to change your clothes. But I really didn't do anything. I changed your clothes with caution. Since you were so violent last night"
"Konishi, I didn't know what to say. Thank you and I'm sorry for the trouble" I was really embarrassed. My face so red. I wanted to jump on a hole. I didn't know what kind of humiliation is this! To think that these things would happen!
"Hahahaha!" He laughed so loud "Don't worry. It was fun so don't worry" he was laughing so loud that I felt more embarrassed "Ah, by the way, I talked to the director and you will go back to Bandai after a week"
"Did you tell him?"
"I did. I have no other choice. I am your fan, really. But to think that someone was receiving the achievements that supposed to be yours, I just couldn't sit in and be quiet. Because they thought she was the one drawing them, they accepted her. So the director said just be honest with him. Please, I'm begging, be honest to your own feelings. Just be honest to yourself. As your sincere reader, I at least want you to be known by other people. You work hard for all those manga, you deserve to get the credits"
"So it's all done if I become honest to myself? I can stop being her shadow now?" I asked and I felt tears welling up "Finally?"
"Somehow you are happy to hear that"
"I am!" I honestly answered "I even sent my work as mine, but they rejected me and told me that it was a copy style of (pen name). That (pen name) is me!" I laughed then wiped my tears "I think being honest is not that bad"
"It is a good thing of course. Hahaha! Well, since you are done with the serialization, right? Why don't we start a new one? A shounen style? I'll help you and prove that it's yours"
"Huh?"
As such, while eating he was telling me plots of what to do on my next manga. Not a shoujo manga, but a shounen manga. We didn't have any schedule, and we only did planning. I also drew the main characters.
And for some reason, I was so excited that I again stayed for another night in his place.
~
A week had past, and somehow, the whole week, we finished making three chapters. We were so excited. I thought we were just planning, but it turned out to this. I stayed in Konishi's place most of the time.
And now, I was standing in front of the design director and Chiaki was beside me. On the director's table, my envelopes were there.
"So (L/N)"
"Y-yes"
"Anything to say?" he said getting the designs out of the envelope
"Yes. Everything, it was me who drew it" I honestly said and noticed Chiaki looking at me with wide eyes open "(Pen name), it is me. But there's circumstance that Chiaki needed to act as me. But it was happening for years now. The game designs too, there were all illustrated by me. Also, about the manga series, I hope you will not say this to anyone." I bowed down then I looked at Chiaki's eyes and honestly told her "I will stop drawing shoujo manga for you. The ongoing series will be the last one."
"Are you for real, (F/N)?" Chiaki chuckled in disbelief
"I am since a sincere reader of my work pleaded to tell the truth. I'll start from the start. Not as (Pen name), but as (L/N) (F/N), and I will make myself known for the works I will do. If director will still accept me to be one of the game designer, I will do my best to do my work, as a mangaka and a game designer"
The director sighed and chuckled "Well, I can't promise that the Shueisha will not know about this. But they will surely keep quiet but after the series, undoubtedly, they will not accept any shoujo manga from (pen name)." He looked at me and his face was so serious "You'll keep your work here, don't worry. We just want to be certain if it is really you who made those designs. It's up to you if you really want to become a mangaka, but I hope you do your best on your work here"
"Thank you very much!" I bowed down
"So I'm here for nothing?" Chiaki shook her head
"I called you since we want to tell you that your application as a game designer is rejected. Also, here" he gave a papers to her "The debt of (L/N)'s parents, they were all paid. So I hope you stop pretending to be her and be honest."
As such, Chiaki grabbed her bag and just walked out of the office. I looked at the director and he was smiling at me "Eh, there's still, eh?"
"A certain sincere reader paid it. That reader said that the payment will be paid eventually" he flipped the designs and then again looked at me "By the way, the Shueisha will surely call you sometime this week"
"Eh?"
"They received your shounen manga. Do your best (L/N) (F/N)"
"Thank you very much!"
As I walked out of the office, I took a deep breath and somehow a heavy weight on my shoulder was lifted up. Shueisha will not accept from (pen name), but they will accept from (L/N) (F/N). I need to do my best from now on.
Wait before that!
I contacted Konishi and luckily he was still in Bandai. I told him to meet me in the third floor meeting room since I was so excited to tell him what happened.
I was standing in front of the door and he was waving at me with big wide smile "(L/N)!"
I ran towards him and hugged him. Somehow my feelings towards him overflow. The feelings of gratitude and the feeling as a woman.
"Eh, (L/N)?"
"Thank you very much!" I said tightening my embrace. It was then he returned the hug, as his arms wrapped around me I felt warmth "A very heavy weight on my shoulder was lifted up because of you. I become honest to myself, to the director and to Chiaki."
"Isn't that a good thing?" I nodded and he laughed. His laughed echoed on the hallway "Should we go celebrate then? Ah, but I have a schedule today"
It was then my phone rang and it was from Shueisha. I answered the call and they wanted to see me and talk to me. They wanted to publish the manga we were working on the weekly shounen jump magazine.
"You were the one who sent the manuscript to them, right? Also, the one who paid the remaining balance?"
"Hahaha, you found out? Well, as a sincere reader of our works, I want you to be known by other people. So make this manga a very big hit, and that will be the payment. So do your best, okay?"
"Thank you very much. Well then, I need to go there. Then let's hang out on your next day off, then I will say it to you" I turned around and started walking while humming
"Say what?" he curiously shouted
"That I love you Konishi Katsuyuki!" I shouted back and turned at him and grinned. I waved at him and immediately went towards the exit stairs. I could just hear him shouting at me, telling me to stop. But the confession would wait for later on.
Since from now on, I would do my best on my new work since not far on the future, I have my beloved sincere reader on my side.
~The Reader is Konishi Katsuyuki Part 2~Fin~
~To Be Continued~Treatment for Aoi Shouta Part 1~