Tsukishima sighed inwardly. What a shame—he hadn't managed to earn those 250,000 points.
After a brief moment of regret, he went back to memorizing vocabulary.
He had to admit, this new brain of his was incredibly useful. He only had to look over an English word a few times before he could remember it almost perfectly. It was like he had a cheat code.
Who would've thought that someone who'd only just managed to pass English in his previous life could now memorize vocabulary? Heh. This was great.
The day passed quickly. Tsukishima followed the handful of students trickling out of the classroom. After Horikita finished speaking, Yamauchi and the others had led a group of students off to skip class and go to karaoke.
Before they left, they'd even tried to drag Tsukishima along, saying they wanted to start some kind of brotherhood. They certainly had plenty of energy.
He pulled out his phone and sent a message to the Archangel.
[Tsukishima]: Your Holiness, the Archangel, does our school have a Manga Club?
Ichinose replied in an instant.
[Ichinose]: Of course! Are you thinking of joining the Manga Club, Tsukishima? Also, please stop calling me the Archangel. It's so embarrassing.
[Tsukishima]: This is a necessary stage of personal growth.
[Ichinose]: I'd rather grow up in a healthy way... But I know where the Manga Club is. Would you like me to take you there?
[Tsukishima]: No need. I can go by myself. Class A and Class C are probably still looking for the person feeding you information. I'd rather not get bothered.
[Ichinose]: I would never give them your name, Tsukishima! (Manga Club location)
[Tsukishima]: As expected of Your Holiness, the Archangel. Once I finish drawing my doujinshi, you'll be the first to see it.
[Ichinose]: Huh?? Doujinshi?? What doujinshi?
[Ichinose]: Please answer me!! Tsukishima!!
Joining a club was something he'd planned to do for a long time.
He really did want to draw doujinshi!
He wanted to turn all kinds of people into all kinds of sexy characters!
The Manga Club.
Tsukishima knocked on the door and entered the clubroom after getting permission.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Yuto Tsukishima, a first-year student. I was hoping to take a look around the Manga Club."
He said he was just looking around, but really, he wanted to see what the club did and join if he liked it.
The clubroom was more spacious than he'd expected. Several long tables had been pushed together, piled high with manuscript paper, ink, screentone sheets, and all sorts of reference materials. A few fairly polished manga pages were pinned to the walls, and there was a scanner and a computer in the corner.
Three people sat by the window, each absorbed in drawing.
A bespectacled third-year boy looked up and stood with a warm smile.
"Welcome, welcome! I'm Chiba Yamada, the club president. Third year."
He asked a younger student beside him to pour Tsukishima a glass of water.
"Our Manga Club is different from those at other schools. We focus more on creating manga." Yamada pushed up his glasses. "At some schools, the Manga Club is really more of a fan club. Everyone discusses manga plots together and has a good time reading manga."
"But here, we systematically teach manga techniques and storytelling. We encourage our members to create manga in any form."
Any form included doujinshi, right?
"Club members are expected to submit their work to different publishers, such as Jump," Yamada continued. "Of course, it's not mandatory. But if a submission is accepted, you'll receive a substantial number of points as a reward, and a professional editor will meet with you one-on-one."
He paused, then smiled.
"It can be pretty demanding."
Tsukishima's eyes lit up slightly.
You got points if your submission was accepted?
And guidance from a professional editor?
"Um..." he began. "Are there any restrictions on the subject matter?"
Yamada thought it over. "As long as it's original manga, there are no restrictions on the subject matter. Of course, it can't violate the school rules or society's standards of decency."
Tsukishima fell silent.
It couldn't violate the school rules or society's standards of decency...
Then doujinshi was definitely out.
What a shame.
But he wasn't too disappointed. He could earn points through official submissions and make money selling doujinshi privately. He needed both legs to walk, after all.
"I'd like to join," he said.
Yamada's eyes lit up. "That's great! We finally have a new member!"
He led Tsukishima inside and showed him around the club's facilities.
"This is the creation area. Everyone has their own seat. Over there is the reference section, with all kinds of manga magazines and art books. You can use the computer and scanner whenever you like. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me."
Looking at the manuscript paper and screentone sheets, Tsukishima felt good.
"How many members does the club have right now?"
Yamada sighed.
"Uh... counting you, there are... seven."
Tsukishima: "..."
"The third-year girl has been preparing for her entrance exams lately, so she hardly ever comes in. The second-year girl drops by to draw now and then." Yamada scratched his head. "Most of the time, it's just me and two others."
"And, well, this school... keeps you pretty busy... in all sorts of ways..."
Got it. They were all caught up in scheming against each other and had no time to study, right?
"Sounds great," he said. "I like quiet."
Yamada found Tsukishima a seat by the window.
"The light's good here. It's a nice place to draw."
Tsukishima sat down and looked out the window. He had a perfect view of one of the benches on campus—the one where he'd often sat before.
"By the way, have you drawn any manga before?" Yamada sat down beside him and asked curiously.
"I've drawn a few... rough sketches." Tsukishima thought for a moment. "I've never finished a full one."
"That's fine. Take your time." Yamada patted him on the shoulder. "When I joined the club, I hadn't even drawn a rough sketch."
He pointed to the bookcase beside them.
"Those are creative notes and storyboards left behind by former members. Feel free to look through them."
Tsukishima nodded.
"Thanks, Yamada."
"Don't call me the club president. Just call me Yamada." Yamada waved a hand. "By the way, what kind of manga are you planning to draw?"
Tsukishima was silent for a second.
"...A hot-blooded shonen manga."
Yamada nodded. "Not bad, not bad. You've got ambition! Work hard on it, and when you're done, you can try submitting it!"
Tsukishima kept a straight face.
He hadn't lied. It really was a "hot-blooded shonen manga."
It was just that the "passion" between the protagonist and the heroine might be a little different.
For the next few days, Tsukishima headed to the Manga Club after school.
His main goal was to learn different manga techniques and how to write stories.
The club president personally taught manga techniques: paneling, composition, character design, linework, sound effects, dialogue...
As for storytelling, Tsukishima learned by reading. The clubroom had plenty of popular manga, and after reading each day, he had to put together an outline and a detailed plot.
"Generally speaking, when you first start creating, you rely on imitation. Take a classic hot-blooded shonen manga, for example: the protagonist's personality, abilities, goals, and so on."
"At first, don't worry about making your characters and story feel layered. Start with the most stereotypical ideas."
"Then expand the characters' personalities, along with the actions and psychological descriptions that follow from those personalities..."
Before you continue