The girls around her let out a chorus of gasps. "Wow~ Is Kushida helping Ayanokoji with his manga?"
"That's amazing!"
"Kushida is so cute!"
"Is Horikita the Great Demon King going to take up the challenge?"
Horikita's brows knitted together so tightly they could have held two bowls of pus. "Is this the kind of help you need? Is this the kind of contrived, disgusting stuff you want to draw?"
Kushida immediately covered her face and ran behind Tsukishima. "Tsukishima Marshal, Kushida Private has been taken down by Horikita the Great Demon King~"
Tsukishima immediately shielded her. "Horikita the Great Demon King really is as strong as ever! Damn it, Kushida Private, run! Go replenish your energy first. I'll come find you!"
"No, I can't leave Tsukishima Marshal behind!"
Kushida slipped her hand into one of the girls' hands, then leaned forward, looking like she was ready to live or die alongside her. But she inched backward all the while, as if the girl were dragging her away.
Tsukishima looked at Horikita, then swept his gaze over the people watching them. Ayanokoji had somehow disappeared into the crowd. "So, Horikita the Great Demon King, should we go replenish our energy first?"
The two walked along in silence for a while. At some point, Ayanokoji, Horikita's Back Spirit, had appeared behind them again.
"So, Horikita, can you do what Kushida can?"
"You have terrible taste. You want to draw contrived, disgusting, shameless garbage like some terminally chuunibyou manga with no artistic value?"
"Yeah. What's wrong with that? Isn't that what the popular, classic battle manga are like? And Kushida is even willing to act out the roles."
"If that's all you need, then I really can't do it. But maybe I can introduce you to manga with more artistic merit and depth."
"From a manga perspective, 'more artistic merit' means readers won't understand what you're trying to express. 'More depth' means directly depicting cruel social cases that aren't representative of ordinary life. Simply put, one leaves you confused, and the other makes you feel miserable. I don't like either."
Tsukishima paused. "And there's something I don't get. Your grades are pretty good, so why are you so stubborn? I've told you again and again: I don't want to get involved, I'm not interested in getting involved, and I don't have time to get involved in what happens to Yamauchi and the others. Why do you keep coming to me?"
"Are you trying to get back at me? Because I blackmailed your brother? That's pretty normal at this school. Why hold a grudge for so long?"
Horikita's expression stiffened for a moment.
"Besides, Ayanokoji is right there beside you. He's on good terms with Yamauchi and the others, and he's a Score Control God. Why not have him do it? Why hassle me, a guy who draws manga?"
Ayanokoji made a sound like it had been filled with an inert gas. "I'm not good at giving guidance..."
"Wow~ There's a first time for everything. Look, everyone's living for the first time, and we're all doing just fine, aren't we?"
Tsukishima glanced at the security camera on the streetlight, then slung an arm around Ayanokoji's shoulder. "Look, no one's born a saint. We all stumble our way forward. 'I'm not good at it' isn't a valid excuse."
Of course, there were things people really weren't good at. But what did that have to do with Tsukishima? He just had a habit of messing with people.
The May sunshine was warm and pleasant, and the three of them slowly wandered to the cafeteria.
Tsukishima clapped his hands. "All right, let's part ways here. Goodbye forever."
Then he hummed a tune as he walked away.
Horikita didn't look too happy. Ayanokoji watched Tsukishima's retreating figure. "It's over, Horikita. What now?"
Horikita was getting angry too. I'm a prodigy, and the only person I've ever bowed to is my brother. I lowered my head to you and did everything you asked. What gives you the right to reject me with one excuse after another? Who do you think you are?
"Forget about him. Sudo and the others are the most important thing right now."
Just then, Hirata brought the three Sudo and his friends over to Horikita. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Horikita, we're here to apologize to you..."
The study session started up again.
[Kushida]: Sudo's such a gorilla. Why can't he learn to stop banging on the desk? [Kushida]: Hirata's a real Superman. He got Sudo to settle down with just a look. Did he beat him up or something? [Tsukishima]: Well, he is Hirata Superman. [Kushida]: Those two bastards, Yamauchi and Ike, are staring at me again. I'll give you 50,000 points if you beat them up for me. How about it? [Tsukishima]: Deal!
The next day, Tsukishima deliberately stayed behind a little longer and "happened" to run into Yamauchi and Ike.
They had huge dark circles under their eyes and were yawning as they headed to class.
Tsukishima carried his bag and held a phone to his ear. "Senpai, I really can't. I don't know anyone in Class C..."
"Besides, that girl in Class C is pretty and has a great figure, but..."
He walked quickly, but his words slipped into Yamauchi's ears like the wind.
That afternoon, the two of them were cornered.
Apparently, they'd been lurking by the Class C classroom door, looking shifty, and Ryuen Kakeru, the ruler of Class C, had assumed they were there to gather intelligence.
So he took them somewhere without cameras and dealt with them.
The two of them didn't report it. They just said they'd fallen by accident.
[Kushida]: Wow, I was joking! Why'd you actually do it? Can I pay you the points a little later? I've got my eye on a necklace... [Tsukishima]: Twisted Kushida Cthulhu Award.jpg
50,000 personal points received
Tsukishima snorted. "Nice try. You think you can get out of paying me?"
He put away his phone and looked at the drawing in his hand, nodding in satisfaction.
It had been half a month since Horikita had cornered him. Nothing had happened during that time, so he could focus on improving his drawing.
Manga Club.
Yamada looked at Tsukishima's drawing and nodded in satisfaction. "You've got a real knack for drawing, Tsukishima. It hasn't even been that long, and you've already figured out how to draw the human body. It took me more than two months when I started."
Tsukishima smiled. "I've always liked drawing. I used to draw landscapes, too, so I had some experience."
Yamada nodded and didn't bring up his talent again. "You can try drawing manga now. Don't worry about the story yet. First, get a handle on paneling and shot sizes—where to use a close-up, where to use a medium close-up..."
"How to convey information in limited space without making the page feel crowded..."
"Besides reading the books I recommended, you should also look at popular manga often. Color manga and black-and-white manga have their differences..."
Tsukishima nodded, recalling all the doujinshi he'd seen in his previous life, and couldn't help humming.
"Come on, world of doujinshi! Get ready to welcome your god!"
Before you continue