Aniverse:This Managaka is Black hearted

Black Mangaka 022: Award Announcement

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Shiina Mahiru, the new transfer student, was no longer "new." He had fully integrated into the class.

With a doll-like face, a gentle personality, and grades consistently in the top ten, Shiina had quickly become one of the most popular students at Toyosaki Academy.

Unsurprisingly, she earned the title of "Fourth Flower of Toyosaki Academy" in no time.

What did this title bring her?

Perhaps it meant that the boys in the class only dared to admire her from afar, too nervous to approach?

Was this hesitation just a common trait of adolescent boys—hesitating to engage with someone who seemed far out of their league?

Meanwhile, Nakahara Hiroshi's life remained largely unchanged.

Go to school, chat with the two girls seated next to him, and draw manga in the evenings.

The only difference now was Eriri's frequent interruptions.

Due to some financial constraints, this month had been challenging, but he managed to make it through.

June 7th, 19:48.

Seven days had passed since the second assessment list was announced.

Inside Hiroshi's modest apartment:

"Hey, you! Summer CM is just a little over a month away, right?!" Eriri's voice cut through the silence. "How much progress have you made? Five pages? Ten?"

"It's still over a month away. Why are you rushing me?" Hiroshi replied nonchalantly.

Eriri awkwardly averted her eyes, her face flushed. Then she shot back angrily, "This is crunch time! Don't say such annoying things!"

Hiroshi rolled his eyes. "By the way, you're not even participating in the Tezuka Award. Why do you care so much about it?"

"How could it not matter?! I'm a spiritual shareholder!" Eriri declared confidently.

"Besides, this event only happens twice a year. For aspiring mangaka, it's just as important as CM! These award-winning works are my learning goals!"

"Instead of focusing on other people's works, why not focus on meeting your own deadlines? At your speed, you'll burn out during serialization," Hiroshi shot back, smirking.

Pretending not to hear, Eriri continued, "I wonder if the 'Selected' award will be given this time."

"When was the last time it was awarded?" Hiroshi asked curiously.

"Eight years ago!" Eriri answered without hesitation, her tone brimming with pride over her knowledge of the competition.

Such precise details only confirmed how deeply Eriri cared about the Tezuka Award.

"That's so strict!" Hiroshi smacked his lips.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder: What kind of award would "Madoka" win?

Winning a serialization opportunity meant the work had already achieved something.

Would it be a "Selected," "Quasi-Selected," or even an "Excellent Work" award?

8:00 PM.

"Quick! Refresh the page!" Eriri urged, brimming with excitement.

Hiroshi, seemingly less enthusiastic than the non-participant beside him, sighed and refreshed the page.

He couldn't help but muse: Am I too indifferent, or is she just overly excited?

The page took a moment to load—likely due to a high volume of visitors.

"Shueisha is such a massive company. Why don't they invest in better website servers?" Eriri complained as if on autopilot.

"Well, this is the final evaluation. That magical girl series probably won't appear on the list again, right?"

Hiroshi couldn't help but tease, "How much do you hate 'Madoka'?"

"I don't hate it!" Eriri retorted seriously. "I just think a story like that, with no market potential, shouldn't even make it past the editors' review!"

"The Tezuka Award is a competition for story-driven works. Do magical girls even have logical, compelling stories?"

Hiroshi chuckled to himself. He couldn't speak for other magical girl stories, but his "Madoka" absolutely had logic and narrative depth.

It was a masterpiece—arguably one of the finest stories of his previous life.

Now, it was his creation.

"I think we might still see this work on the list," Hiroshi said confidently.

"Impossible!" Eriri rolled her eyes. Suddenly, her face lit up. "It's out! It's out!!"

Hiroshi quickly turned his attention back to the screen, his heart pounding.

As the page loaded, a line of bold, red text appeared on the screen.

"Is this real? Am I dreaming?!"

Eriri gasped, then winced.

"Why are you pinching me?!" she cried, glaring at Hiroshi with teary blue eyes.

"To see if you're dreaming," Hiroshi replied innocently.

"Why don't you pinch yourself?!"

"I'm not dumb. It won't hurt if I pinch myself."

Hiroshi's gaze returned to the screen, reading the bold red text:

"Selected: Magical Girl Madoka Magica – by Warrior of Love and Hope"

"It's actually the 'Selected' award!" Hiroshi exclaimed.

Eriri, still processing what she saw, muttered, "Yeah... I didn't expect this work to win 'Selected.'"

For a moment, silence filled the room as they both stared at the screen, realizing the significance of this achievement.

Hiroshi felt a rush of emotions.

The honor of receiving this award was immense, but the 1-million-yen prize felt even more real.

"No more living on instant noodles!" he cheered internally.

Eriri, now sprawled on the bed in an ungraceful pose, groaned.

"Why the long face?" Hiroshi teased. "Did a magical girl story winning 'Selected' shatter your faith?"

"No way!" Eriri sat up abruptly.

Her expression turned serious. "The 'Selected' award is decided by all the chief editors of Shueisha. No matter the genre, if a work wins this award, it must have merit."

Hiroshi couldn't help but smile at Eriri's sudden sincerity.

She continued, "The last Tezuka Award had a standout—'Crimson Sea.' Everyone thought it deserved 'Selected.' But Shueisha clarified it wasn't at that level yet.

If they wouldn't lower their standards for something like 'Crimson Sea,' there's no way they'd randomly hand out the award now.

So, congratulations, Warrior Your work truly earned this!"

Hiroshi was taken aback by her rare show of praise.

Perhaps, just this once, Eriri's words made their chaotic back-and-forth seem worth it.