(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)
Haruki took the stack of sketches from Sora and started flipping through them right away.
Sora, already comfortable in his apartment after many prior visits, helped herself to a paper cup and some tea leaves from his kitchen. Soon, she returned with three steaming cups.
"Here, Kotone—tea's up!"
"Thank you, Miss Aizawa." Kotone accepted the cup with both hands, though her eyes never left Haruki.
To be honest, she didn't know much about him at all.
About a month ago, she had fainted from hypoglycemia and was carried to the infirmary by Haruki—that was their only real interaction. Later, a few students from his class showed up to ask how she was doing, which was when she started hearing bits and pieces about him.
Orphaned. Withdrawn. Barely talked to anyone. Loner.
That was the Haruki Yuuki she'd heard about.
And yet, even after trying to find a way to repay his kindness for weeks, she'd never expected that it would be through this.
When Sora asked if she wanted to help "Mizushiro-sensei" as an assistant, Kotone hadn't realized until today just who that was.
The quiet, reserved boy her classmates barely noticed… was already a manga artist. And not just any artist—someone whose The Garden of Words had topped the popularity rankings in Inkbolt.
Compared to her own experience—her last serialized manga had been axed after just a few chapters due to poor reception—Haruki's success was worlds ahead.
"…This is really impressive," Haruki finally said, closing her portfolio. His expression had completely changed—from skeptical to genuinely impressed.
While he didn't focus too much on her story structure or panel flow—after all, she was applying to be an assistant—he paid close attention to her technique.
The way she handled backgrounds, linework, screen tones, layout—it was on another level.
Even with the drawing technique he'd gotten from the system, Haruki had to admit, Kotone's raw skill in illustration was likely better than his.
To be honest, she was overqualified to be someone's assistant.
If she wanted to earn money, she could just draw a short fan manga and sell it at conventions—she'd probably do better than assisting someone else.
But Haruki, of course, didn't say that out loud.
"You're really good, Kotone-san."
He smiled. "I know Miss Aizawa probably already told you why I need help—I'm working on a new three-part manga for submission next Friday, and I really need an assistant."
"So I wanted to ask... now that we've met, would you be willing to help me out for a while?"
If she'd known Mizushiro-sensei was a guy, she probably wouldn't have even come. A sixteen-year-old girl working late hours with an unfamiliar man—no matter how pure her intentions, there were risks.
But... if that man was Haruki...
She remembered what he'd said to her that day when he carried her to the infirmary. Her faint voice thanking him, saying she would repay the favor someday.
And his simple response: "If the chance comes, you can."
Kotone glanced down at the floor, then nodded.
"Wait, really?" Haruki blinked.
"Ha! You should be thanking me, Haruki," Sora grinned. "You've got a serious talent on your team now."
With that settled, they could finally focus on the important part—making sure the next manga submission would be finished on time and up to standard.
"Alright then, Haruki-sensei," Kotone said matter-of-factly, already shifting gears. "Can I take a look at the completed manuscript and the name drafts for the story?"
"Oh! Right—just a sec!" Haruki hurried to his desk and returned with the manuscript pages.
"Though… about the name…" He scratched the back of his head. "I don't really have one."
"You don't… have a name?" Kotone blinked. Even Sora raised an eyebrow.
She knew Haruki tended to skip the name step and draw straight from his imagination—but no name at all?
Normally, the name includes the layout, pacing, frame sizes, character positions—without it, an assistant would have no guide to follow.
"I get it," Haruki said quickly. "There'll be one tomorrow. I promise."
For him, it was just a matter of sketching out the storyboards from the original manga stored in his head. Compared to drawing full manuscripts, name drafts were easy.
"Alright… I'll wait." Kotone nodded.
Then she glanced down at the manuscript in her hands.
Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance.
Her expression shifted.
Just from the title and the heavy, dramatic tone of the opening page, she could already tell—this was nothing like the soft, emotional romance of The Garden of Words.
About ten minutes later, Kotone finally snapped out of it.
She'd been staring at the final page in silence, her teeth gently pressing into her lower lip.
There was no dramatic twist. No explosive reveal. The chapter had simply… ended.
And yet, as she sat there with the manuscript in her lap, she couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her chest—the quiet frustration of wanting more, and realizing there wasn't more. Not yet.
The art was stunning, sure—but that wasn't what left her breathless.
Even with such a short story, Haruki had pulled her into another time, another world. In just a few pages, she was walking the streets of Meiji-era Japan, completely drawn into the quiet strength and buried sorrow of a young man named Kenshin.
This wasn't just talent—it was storytelling.
Kotone knew none of her past works had ever sparked this kind of anticipation, this quiet urgency to know what happened next.
And that frustrated her.
They were classmates. He'd started drawing even later than she did.
And yet, his debut was already a hit.
And this—this new work—felt like it had the potential to surpass The Garden of Words entirely.
Kotone's grip on the manuscript tightened slightly.
She didn't hate him. But she couldn't ignore the gap between them—the difference in raw talent, in vision, in execution.
And for the first time in a long while… she felt the sting of envy.