Anime Crossover: Becoming Mangaka in Anime World

Eriri refrained from continuing the conversation and plopped onto the bed.

'Childhood friends, huh?' Shiina observed with a hint of envy.

It wasn't that she envied Eriri's carefree attitude about entering a guy's room—rather, it was the effortless and unguarded relationship they shared.

Eriri misunderstood Shiina's expression and assumed she was shy.

"Why are you staring at me? Come sit too!" she said warmly.

"Thanks."

Shiina smiled politely and sat beside her.

Her eyes wandered around the room, taking in the layout.

It had three main areas: the bed they were sitting on, a desk near the window, and the bookshelf where Akifumi stood.

The shelf was split into two sections: one filled with light novels and manga, and the other displaying various figurines.

Although the display was mostly full, it was still far from reaching the value of a "one-wall, one-apartment" kind of collection.

But Shiina wasn't paying attention to those details.

"Akifumi-kun room is surprisingly clean and tidy!"

The girl's natural desire to care for others kicked in.

Before Shiina could dwell on it, Akifumi returned with over ten sheets of manuscript paper in hand and sat down.

"What's this?"

Eriri took the stack, her eyes curious.

As she scanned the pages, her expression lit up.

"You've started drawing manga?!"

Shiina peeked at a few pages, intrigued.

"So this is manga? Using illustrations and dialogue to tell a story?"

"This is your work, Akifumi-kun? It's amazing!"

Though impressed, Shiina, being a manga outsider, chose to remain silent and simply listen.

Eriri's reaction, however, confused Akifumi.

The manuscript was for the third chapter of Anohana, a story any fan would recognize.

Wait—did this mean...

"You've never read it?" he asked, bewildered.

"Read what? This?"

Eriri rolled her eyes.

"You just showed it to me today! Of course, I haven't read it yet."

"You've really been dedicating yourself to drawing lately, huh?"

Had she been so focused on creating that she'd missed all the latest news online?

Knowing Eriri's personality, there was no way she would overlook her idol's latest work unless she'd been completely absorbed in her own project.

"Eh, eh."

"Wait, what?"

"Not only is Akifumi drawing manga, but Eriri is too?!"

Shiina eyes widened in disbelief, her gaze darting between the two.

Eriri tossed her hair proudly.

"Of course!"

Not that anyone was praising you, dummy!

Akifumi sighed, got up, and pulled a fresh issue of Weekly Shonen Jump from the bookshelf, handing it over.

"You actually got the latest issue?" Eriri's eyes sparkled with surprise.

"I went all over town after school and couldn't find it anywhere! Everyone kept saying it was sold out!" she grumbled.

"It's not even a new volume; why's it selling out so fast?"

"Here," Akifumi said casually.

Eriri snatched the magazine eagerly but froze midway.

"Wait a second—weren't you going to introduce me to that author? Why are we reading manga now!?"

At least she remembered her original goal.

Akifumi gave her a deadpan look.

"You're the only one who forgot."

"Flip to page 158."

"Huh? How's that gonna introduce me to an editor?" she muttered but obediently turned to the page.

What she saw made her jaw drop.

Mahiru blinked in confusion. "Hey... aren't these characters just like the ones from the sketches Akifumi showed us earlier?"

Eriri snapped out of her daze, her gaze fixating on the author's name printed beneath the title.

The Warrior of Love and Hope

"It's not just similar," she muttered.

"It's identical."

Mahiru gasped.

"So Akifumi's work is being serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump!?"

"That's amazing!!"

For most people, having their work serialized in a major publication was a monumental achievement.

But Eriri's voice was unexpectedly calm.

"Mahiru, this isn't just amazing."

"Eh? Then what is it?"

"Weekly Shonen Jump is the crown jewel of manga magazines under Shueisha!" Eriri's eyes gleamed with a passionate light.

"Over a decade ago, it set a record with more than 6.5 million copies sold!"

"For aspiring manga artists, getting serialized there is nothing short of a lifelong dream!!"

Her fervor was contagious, and Mahiru exclaimed in awe, "That's incredible!"

"Exactly! Just calling it amazing doesn't cut it—it's super, super, super, super incredible!!"

Akifumi couldn't help but quip, "Adding more 'super' won't make it sound any cooler."

"Pfft." Mahiru stifled a laugh.

"Akifumi-kun, you should be more considerate of girls' feelings in moments like this."

"YOU! Why didn't you tell me!"

Eriri suddenly exploded, throwing down the magazine and grabbing Akifumi by the collar. Her voice boomed, "Since when did you become this amazing?!"

"Two simultaneous serializations in Weekly Shonen Jump! That's unheard of!!"

"I can't believe it—my idol, the Warrior of Love and Hope, is actually my childhood friend?! Even a light novel wouldn't dare write something this absurd!! Have you been secretly laughing at me all this time?"

She mimicked a mock villainous laugh.

'Kukuku! Foolish Eriri! Little did you know your idol was right by your side!'

"Did it feel good basking in my admiration, huh?! Admit it!!"

Akifumi cleared his throat.

"I mean… being admired does feel kind of nice."

Mahiru's lips twitched at his honesty.

"Akifumi, maybe don't provoke her right now?"

Eriri, panting heavily, finally let go of his shirt and plopped back onto the bed.

"You're not going to punch me?" Akifumi raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I?" Eriri rolled her eyes.

"For keeping it a secret?"

She waved dismissively.

"I was mad at first, sure. But thinking about it... when Madoka Magica entered the Tezuka Awards, editors probably contacted you right after the results, right? You probably had to sign a confidentiality agreement."

"Wow, you really know your stuff."

Eriri huffed.

"You think I've been entering the Tezuka Awards for nothing?"

"But you could've told me the day the results were announced."

Akifumi shrugged.

"You had such a huge bias against magical girls back then. Wouldn't that have been like slapping you in the face?"

Recalling her past statements, Eriri's face turned crimson.

"Well… how was I supposed to know you were that talented? My reaction was totally normal!"

"Which is why I didn't say anything."

A brief silence fell before they both burst into laughter.

Akifumi grinned mischievously.

"So, Eriri, how does it feel to find out your idol was right by your side all along?"

"Don't ask me such a complicated question!" Eriri shot back.

"It's impossible to describe exactly how I felt—happy, excited, angry, frustrated… basically a mix of everything!"

"Bittersweet?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"And now?"

"Happy and excited!" Eriri declared confidently.

"With someone like you by my side, and my art skills will definitely get me serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump too!"

She flashed her trademark grin, showing off her little fang.

"You better not say no after causing me this much emotional trauma!"

Akifumi chuckled.

"Don't worry—I've already got it all planned out for you."

Eriri's eyes sparkled. "Really?!"

"But after finals. Finish your current work and get through exams first."

Deflated, Eriri waved her hand.

"Fine, fine. I'll do it."

Then she perked up again.

"But hey, imagine how jealous people would be if they found out the Warrior of Love and Hope was once my assistant!"

Akifumi rolled his eyes.

"What are even saying....."

Mahiru watched the scene with envy in her eyes.

Childhood friends are so wonderful… If only I had someone like Akifumi...

Her cheeks tinged with a soft blush.