Became a Manga Artist

It was a bright, exceptionally sunny Monday. As always, Aoki Junichi went to work at the convenience store, where he immediately noticed the new issue of Shinsei Monthly had arrived. He'd been working at the convenience store for over a month now, a steady rhythm established in his new life.

The repetitive tasks—stocking shelves, cleaning, assisting customers—had gradually become a familiar backdrop to his increasingly demanding schedule as a burgeoning mangaka. He moved with a quiet efficiency, his body lean and agile from the physical labor, yet his mind was often miles away, sketching new panels or refining dialogue for his next chapter.

Still, the mundane work provided a welcome respite, a chance for his brain to disengage from the intense creative demands. During his rare quiet moments, he'd find himself practicing some comics in his spare time, or, more often, devouring the latest comic magazines. Today, he was engrossed in a romance comic, its glossy pages reflecting the sunlight.

"It looks good, doesn't it?" Mika-san chuckled, her voice warm and friendly as she came over, wiping down the counter. She took out a comic magazine from a display rack, her eyes sparkling. "Is this 'The Twilight of Love' a masterpiece of one of the Eight Kings, Mr. Takagi Ruoyu? I remember reading it back then, I cried so much! It's truly beautiful. I like this work so much."

Aoki Junichi nodded, a genuine appreciation in his eyes. "It's really good, Mika-san. The character development is subtle, and the emotional arc is incredibly satisfying." He genuinely admired the cultural level of this world. The sheer volume and quality of works, especially in the manga industry, were astounding. Indeed, the bigger the market, the more good works emerged, pushing creative boundaries. "However," he thought, a familiar flicker of his unique advantage igniting, "I'm a man with another world's culture. That knowledge base, those decades of narrative evolution, still benefit me immensely." His System was a cheat code, yes, but his past life was the ultimate wellspring of inspiration, providing endless ways to twist tropes, subvert expectations, and introduce fresh perspectives.

Mika-san then turned to the older gentleman meticulously organizing the magazine rack.

"Uncle Tanaka, I remember you also read comics, don't you?"

Uncle Tanaka, usually a man of few words, offered a rare, small smile. "I'm not interested in romance comics, Mika-san. I prefer fighting comics. That kind of punching to the flesh, the raw power and determination… that's a man's romance, don't you agree, Aoki-kun?" He looked at Aoki Junichi, a twinkle in his eye.

Aoki Junichi grinned. "Absolutely, Uncle Tanaka. Nothing beats a good showdown." It was true. Comics were widely disseminated in this world, crossing all age groups and demographics. They weren't just for young people to read; adults and even the elderly found enjoyment and meaning in them. It was a cultural bedrock, ingrained deep into society.

Suddenly, Mika-san winced, clutching her stomach. "Aoki-kun, my stomach hurts a bit. I need to go to the toilet. Please help me take a look here."

"No problem, Mika-san. Go ahead."

With Mika-san occupied, Aoki Junichi smoothly stepped into her role at the cashier, a task he was becoming increasingly adept at. He moved with the quiet confidence of someone who had done this in another life, albeit with different currency and products. He stood at the cashier's seat, waiting silently, the rhythmic hum of the refrigerators and the soft background music filling the momentary lull.

The familiar chime of the door, a cheerful "ding bell," sounded, and Aoki Junichi instantly adopted his professional customer service smile. "Welcome!" he greeted, his voice clear and polite.

But at that moment, what he saw made his smile falter, barely perceptible. Standing before him, Browse the snack aisle, was an old acquaintance—Hayashi Mikami! It was truly a narrow road for enemies, or perhaps, a cruel twist of fate in this small suburban town.

Hayashi Mikami also looked at Aoki Junichi in open amazement. He had just come here by chance, wanting to buy a comic he'd heard about. He hadn't expected to see Aoki Junichi here, working in a convenience store. The surprise quickly morphed into a smug, superior smirk.

Aoki Junichi's face stiffened slightly, his jaw clenching, but he maintained his professional facade. "Is there anything I can help you with today?" he asked, his voice neutral, devoid of the irritation simmering beneath the surface.

Hayashi Mikami leaned against the counter, affecting an air of casual superiority, his smile annoyingly bright. "So, Aoki-kun, is it? You haven't been around school much lately. I thought something terrible had happened at your house? I didn't expect you to be here, working as just a mere convenience store cashier. Quite the fall, wouldn't you say?"

Obviously only a junior high school student, are words already so poisonous? Aoki Junichi thought, a vein throbbing in his temple. The sheer arrogance of the boy, coupled with his condescending tone, was infuriating. Just wait until the exam, you little prick. I'm going to make sure you regret every single one of those words. He wanted to beat him up, badly, but not here. Beating him would undoubtedly cost him his job, and possibly his newly found stability. So he could only endure it, the fire in his heart intensifying with each mocking word.

"Is there anything you want to buy, or are you just here to waste my time?" Aoki Junichi asked, his smile strained but still in place.

Hayashi Mikami chuckled, then reached for a thick comic magazine. "I'm here to buy a 'Spring and Autumn Comics Magazine'."

"That'll be thirty-five yen," Aoki Junichi said, taking the magazine, scanning it, and handing it to him with an almost surgical precision. He took the money, the contact brief and cold.

"Ha ha." Hayashi Mikami didn't waste another word, and didn't prolong his sarcasm. Perhaps he was afraid that Aoki Junichi would actually snap and hit him, or perhaps he just felt he'd made his point. He paid the money and, with one last sneer, left the store.

"This kind of person is really annoying," Aoki Junichi muttered under his breath once he was gone, sighing. He straightened the items on the counter, his mind already shifting. "But when it comes to comics magazines, the new issue of Shinsei Monthly is here, and 'She and Her Cat' is in it. I wonder how popular it's going to be." He thought of this with genuine anticipation. He was truly looking forward to the results of the first serialization of his work, a story drawn by his own hand in this world, yet inspired by the culture of another.

As for Hayashi Mikami? After the exam, Aoki Junichi would definitely be trying to find a way to clean him up, to utterly crush his arrogant little spirit. He had a plan, a quiet, ruthless one that only the System knew about.

The convenience store hummed with the usual morning activity. Most of the customers were pedestrians or students buying bentos for breakfast. People also bought other, more popular comic magazines, because there were so many established titles in this world. Especially the magazines where the Eight Kings and Four Emperors were located; every week, their sales were legendary, often sold out of stock within hours of release. In contrast, Shinsei Monthly had not sold a single copy yet.

This is the difficulty of small magazines! Aoki Junichi sighed slightly, a feeling of genuine empathy for the struggling publication. It's also very tragic that there's no powerful cartoonist to attract popularity. He knew the challenge ahead for "She and Her Cat." It would need to fight tooth and nail for every reader.

Just then, the door chime announced a new customer. Akari Tanaka was an office worker who had just graduated from college and was currently working as an intern in an electronic technology company. Today, she followed her company's usual routine of stopping at the convenience store on the way to work. She lived alone, her parents still back in the countryside, a long train ride away. She was a very lazy girl in the mornings, never having enough time to sleep, so naturally she couldn't cook breakfast. But she was no longer the student she was, living on instant noodles. Therefore, now she would go to the convenience store on the way to the company to buy some bento.Like onigiri, bread, and coffee.

"Hey, is this udon rice ball new? It looks pretty good." Akari Tanaka couldn't help but picked one up, intrigued by the novel flavor combination. By the way, she also took a can of chilled milk. When she went to the cashier, she saw a very young mover, the same one who had helped her before. She remembered that he was newly recruited by the convenience store a few days ago, and he was quite handsome, with an oddly mature gaze for his age.

Then, she turned around and came to the place where the comics were placed.

She liked to read comics very much. This was the only consolation for her tired, often monotonous work every day. She quickly chose a very popular shojo magazine, its cover depicting a brightly smiling girl and a handsome boy. At this moment, her gaze drifted to a miscellaneous magazine called 'Shinsei Monthly'. She had once read this magazine ages ago, and there was a comic that she had liked very much on it, but she hadn't bought it for a long time after that series ended. Today, she suddenly had a whim and wanted to see if there were any new comics she was interested in. Her fingers, almost on autopilot, reached out and took one.

After the bill was settled by the quiet young cashier, she started to head back, a brisk walk to the company.

---

Back at the company, Akari Tanaka started work early in the morning, plunging into the endless stream of tasks.

"Akari, please bring this document over to Mr. Yamamoto."

"Okay!"

"Akari, could you make three copies of this document for the morning meeting?"

"Okay!"

Newcomers were always busy and tired. The intern's life was a ceaseless cycle of errands, paperwork, and endless "okays."

Soon, near noon, she finally had some time of her own. Her shoulders ached, and her eyes felt gritty from staring at the computer screen. She was too tired to even think about lunch for a moment. Then, with a sigh of weary contentment, she picked up the 'Shinsei Monthly' magazine she'd bought earlier and settled back in her chair, hoping for a brief escape. She frowned slightly as she flipped through the first few pages.

"Why is the storyline so old-fashioned?" she muttered, a tiny spark of frustration in her voice. "And it didn't even look good before, which is why I gradually stopped buying it, right? Can't this magazine rectify itself? It feels like they're living in the past." Akari Tanaka complained, feeling a pang of heartache for the precious rest time she had wasted on these uninspired pages.

She flipped through the pages hastily, her thumb brushing past generic romance and formulaic fantasy. Her gaze finally landed on the last section, where the results of 'Shinsei's New Talent Awards' were announced. She saw "Dark Heart" listed. After reading its brief synopsis, she couldn't help but nod slowly.

"This is quite interesting. 'There is a kind heart in the ugly appearance, and there is a dark heart in the kind appearance.' It's not bad. Very clever." However, she wasn't too fond of this kind of comics that satirized society, even though it was quite well-executed. It wasn't suitable for her, not for finding comfort after a long day. Of course, in her opinion, this was much better than the long, meandering stories she'd just flipped past.

She then looked down the list, "Love and the Like," a kind of shojo anime similar to popular teenage girl stories. "This is even more old-fashioned, although the painter is good. Predictable." She sighed, ready to close the magazine.

But then, her eyes caught something at the very end of the awards section, a small, unassuming entry: "She and Her Cat" by April Breeze.

A short quote accompanied it, drawing her in: "In a distant and unknown place, I have been looking for her traces. The reason I look for her is because she is also looking for me. The hearts of the two are always separated by a certain distance."

"This article is not bad, it's quite interesting," Akari Tanaka murmured, liking the poetic sentence very much. Intrigued, she turned to the actual comic, her fingers tracing the title.

The story unfolded. Jūketsu was a cat that was brought home by Yukine's mother on a rainy day. The two of them were not so good at first. As a child, Yukine often felt jealous, feeling neglected. But as time went by, she slowly accepted Jūketsu, the cat becoming an undeniable part of her life. When she left home and went out to work on her own, she had to take Jūketsu with her. At first, a friend accompanied her to rent a house, but after the friend left, only she and Jūketsu remained.

The art, though simple, conveyed a profound sense of quietude and intimacy. It was the little details that caught her eye – the way Jūketsu would stretch across Yukine's lap, the subtle shift in Yukine's expression from loneliness to gentle affection.

Yukine's work was not smooth, and her life felt in a mess. She hadn't been in touch with her family for a long time. She had nothing but Jūketsu now. Every night when it was quiet, she always stroked Jūketsu's soft fur, which would make her feel very at ease, a fragile sense of peace in her solitary world.

Jūketsu would also look at her tenderly, his large eyes filled with an unspoken understanding.

"I don't understand her words, but I understand her thoughts. I live in my world, and she lives in her thoughts, so the moment when our time intersects is more precious to me than anything." The monologue from Jūketsu's perspective was simple yet profound, encapsulating the deep, unspoken bond.

The atmosphere of the comics is very romantic, in a gentle, melancholic way. One cat and one person, slowly intertwining in life, navigating their quiet world together. Akari Tanaka originally thought that they would go on forever, a timeless companionship. But she overlooked one crucial thing, a heartbreaking truth often forgotten amidst the comfort of pets: the life span of a cat is vastly different from that of a human being. Yes, twenty-year-old Jūketsu was already an old cat, his movements slower, his purrs softer, his eyes a little cloudier.

In the ending, Jūketsu died because of his longevity, simply fading away. Her dearest Jūketsu disappeared, leaving Yukine in a silence deeper than ever before.

The ending was incredibly sad, and the fragmented narrative, like beautiful prose, slowly narrated this warm and heart-wrenching story. It was a series of vignettes, brief glimpses into a life shared, culminating in an inevitable, painful separation.

This short comic with less than four chapters came to an end. Akari Tanaka came back to her senses. Unconsciously, tears ran down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes, tracing paths down to her chin. For a moment, she felt like her body was not her own, lost in the raw emotion of the story. When she regained control of her body, the physical tears had long disappeared, but there were undeniable tears in her heart, a deep ache in her chest.

In her mind and heart, she was profoundly saddened by this story, the quiet beauty of it resonating with her own unspoken loneliness.

"It's a bit abusive," was her only thought now, a wry, choked-up murmur.

At this time, she felt that this manga was truly beautiful, a masterpiece of quiet emotion. She thought of the cats she'd grown up with in the countryside, as well as her parents and grandmother who still lived there, their faces so clear in her mind's eye.

She couldn't help but have the overwhelming idea of returning home, of seeking the familiar warmth and comfort of her family. She picked up her mobile phone and, without a second thought, went to the bathroom to call her mother.

"Hi Akari, why did you remember to call me during working hours?" Akari Tanaka heard the familiar, loving voice of her mother, and the repressed bitterness of her exhausting internship these days, the silent tears she'd held back, could not help but threaten to spill over. But she forcibly suppressed it. She didn't want to worry her mother.

"Mom, I just miss you. Can't I call you just because I miss you?" she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Haha, yes, Akari, you certainly can. Listen, if you ever feel it's too hard, take a day off and come back for a day. Mom will make you your favorite curry rice." Her mother's voice was full of gentle concern.

"Well, I see." Akari Tanaka suddenly felt a desperate need to ask about him. "Mom, how is Maro?"

Maro was a big, old tabby cat, a cherished member of their family raised in the countryside.

"Alas, Maro is already very old among cats. He lazily basks in the sun every day, and doesn't want to move at all. Except you, Maro treats everyone like this. He misses you, you know." Her mother's voice was tinged with a familiar, bittersweet affection.

Akari Tanaka wanted to say something, to tell her mother how much she missed them all, how much she missed Maro, how much this simple comic had touched her. But in the end, she hesitated for a moment and didn't speak the words, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Mom, on my next day off, I'll go back."

"Then I'll be waiting for you, dear. I won't disturb you at work anymore. Just concentrate on your work. Don't let the leaders see you on the phone. It's not good for your career."

"Okay, Mom. Love you."

Akari Tanaka returned to her seat, feeling a little lighter, a renewed sense of purpose. She looked at the manga again, at the author's pseudonym, April Breeze, and the corner of her mouth pursed slightly in a grateful smile.

"Mr. April Breeze," she murmured softly to the silent pages, "this is truly a warm and sentimental story. Thank you. Thank you for making me cry, and thank you for reminding me of home."

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