Anime Crossover: Becoming Mangaka in Anime World

"Huh, me?"

Shiina Mahiru snapped out of her thoughts and, after receiving a confirming glance from Kato, she spoke up: "Well, I'll probably just stay at home, I guess?"

As she said this, she subtly glanced at Akifumi, who was busy looking at something on his phone.

Kato noticed this little exchange, of course.

........

At the school gate:

"Alright, see you on Saturday then!"

"Bye, Kato!"

Akifumi Mugiho and Shiina Mahiru waved goodbye to Kato.

"See you Saturday," Kato nodded at them before disappearing into the crowd.

"Shiina-san, you're not going to the karaoke with them?"

Unlike Akifumi and Kato, who were practically loners, Shiina Mahiru was still pretty popular in class—even with the rumors about her and Akifumi dating.

Just moments ago, after their teacher announced the end of class, several girls had invited her to hang out.

But Shiina had politely declined, and those girls had even shot Akifumi a knowing smile.

It didn't take a genius to figure out they thought Shiina's refusal was because of her 'boyfriend.'

"I'm really sorry, Akifumi-kun," Shiina suddenly said.

Akifumi looked at her, puzzled. "Why are you apologizing?"

"It's because of me that everyone's misunderstanding you, and it's also my fault for insisting on making meals for you. So-"

"So what?"

Akifumi reached out and ruffled her silky hair, messing it up without a care.

"Stop overthinking things, alright? Sure, you were the one who pushed for it, but if I really didn't want to, I wouldn't have agreed to it."

"Besides, looking back, I'm really glad you were so persistent back then!"

"Thanks to you, I'm practically turning into a lazy bum! And your cooking? If I had to go without it now, I'll starve to death!"

Shiina's eyes shimmered with emotion, but she couldn't help laughing.

"Starving to death? That's such an exaggeration!"

Akifumi looked at her seriously.

"I'm being completely honest! If anything, you're the one underestimating how amazing your cooking is. And as for those rumors…"

"Anyone who believes baseless gossip like that isn't someone I'd care about anyway. So just relax, okay?"

He gave her head a gentle pat, as if testing the quality of a melon.

"Actually, I should be thanking you, Shiina-san."

"Thanking me?" Shiina blinked in confusion, too distracted to even react to the head pat.

"Think about it. With you as my 'shield,' most girls wouldn't dare confess to me."

"And only someone as brave and beautiful as you would even try. You're doing me a huge favor!"

"Akifumi-kun, you're so sneaky," Shiina pouted, giving him a playful glare.

"You always know just what to say."

"Huh? Wasn't I just stating the facts?" Akifumi feigned innocence.

"You were not! You're being sneaky, sneaky, sneaky!"

"Now you're just being unreasonable," Akifumi sighed, shaking his head.

As they chatted and laughed, they eventually reached the subway station.

"Well, I'll leave this to you, Shiina-san," Akifumi said, handing her his backpack.

Shiina waved it off. "It's just a backpack. I'm not that delicate, you know."

Since he had plans to meet up with his editor for dinner in Chiyoda later that evening, he decided not to go home first.

After saying goodbye to Shiina, Akifumi boarded the subway.

Even though both his school and the restaurant were in Chiyoda, that didn't mean they were close by.

......

Later that evening, at 6:30 PM:

The three of them were seated at their reserved table, led by a waiter.

"It's not some fancy restaurant, are you disappointed, Akifumi-sensei?" teased Mihari.

Akifumi chuckled.

"What even counts as fancy? Those overpriced restaurants that scream 'luxury'? If that's the case, couldn't I just throw money at them? Do I look like I'm short on cash?"

"It's these small, unassuming places that often hold the real treasures. That's what I call a true feast."

With his eight-figure bank account (even in yen), indulging in good food was no big deal.

But Mihari, who had brought it up, suddenly felt a pang of regret.

"Ugh, you rich people are the worst! I should've picked a fancier place!"

This was on the company's money, after all! She could've gone all out!

But no, she'd gone with this cozy little sukiyaki place.

Sure, it was delicious, but she could only afford to come here every week on her own salary!

"Next time, I'm not making this mistake again!"

Watching their banter, Minano Matome couldn't help but smile.

"I've heard so much about Akifumi-sensei. I expected someone more… absorbed in their creative world. I didn't think you'd be this witty."

Akifumi grinned, "Just be honest 'Editor-in-Chief' and say that I'm an otaku. I don't mind."

Minano laughed.

"In that case, don't call me 'Editor-in-Chief.' Just call me Minano."

"Then why are you still calling me 'sensei'?"

The two of them shared a laugh.

"Alright then, I'll call you Akifumi-kun."

Mihari blinked, feeling a bit left out.

Wait, how did they get so familiar so quickly? Am I the third wheel here? To hide her awkwardness, she took a sip of water.

"Minano-san, thank you so much for your support. I should've been the one treating you tonight, but instead, you're the one paying."

Minano shook her head.

"If we don't take care of our talented authors, how can we expect to keep them? It's a mutual benefit, Akifumi-kun. No need to be so formal."

While that was true, not everyone acted on it.

Company policies were one thing, but a good leader made all the difference.

Akifumi decided to let it go, silently vowing to remember her kindness.

"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony anymore. Let's get to the main topic of the day, shall we?"

The discussion turned to the anime adaptation of Madoka Magica and its merchandise plans.