Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 153, Section 28: "His and Her Story in Tokyo (1)"

"Directly adapted into comics?"

Ms. Machida paused slightly.

“I’m very sorry to make such a presumptuous and impolite request.” Masumi leaned forward slightly apologetically. “But as far as I know, Shinazugawa Bunko has a precedent for this.”

“That’s true.” Ms. Machida nodded.

"Not long ago, Shinazugawa Fantastic Bunko was in charge of the manga adaptation of the web novel 'Game Hunter,' but the situation is different from that of Mr. Miyazawa."

"Although this is the first time the author of 'Game Hunter' has ventured into light novel writing, he has been active in the bishoujo game industry for many years before this, and his scriptwriting skills are obvious to all. He also has no shortage of illustrators who work well with him in the industry."

“This is an advantage that many newcomers don’t have,” Ms. Machida explained slowly and deliberately.

She had already made her meaning very clear, but she didn't want to be too direct and embarrass Masumi.

Light novels are works that combine text and illustrations. Because of this, web novels that stand out based on pure text are often of excellent quality.

However, adapting text into comics is far more complex than adapting it into paperback. If you rush into adapting it into comics, you may end up making things worse and losing the advantages of the original text.

"As an editor, I consider myself one of the people who understands the charm of light novels the most. Although the manga market is several times larger than the light novel market, not all light novels are suitable for being adapted into manga."

"It would be better to wait until we've built up a certain level of popularity and have the resources to experiment before attempting a manga adaptation. This would give us more flexibility, and it's a strategy adopted by most light novel works."

"If I were to be Mr. Miyazawa's editor, I would guarantee to do my best to manage the paperback edition of this book and try to find a suitable manga artist to be in charge of adapting this novel into a manga."

After saying her last sentence, Machida Sonoko stared straight into Masumi's eyes.

"I hope Mr. Miyazawa will seriously consider what I have said."

Unlike her previous businesslike attitude, Ms. Machida now seemed very humane as she spoke these words.

Masumi was deeply moved by her earnest and responsible attitude.

The editor had already tried to persuade her so gently, and it would be too unreasonable for her to continue to be stubborn. But after hesitating for a moment, Masumi decided to take the plunge and took the comic book out of her bag on the chair.

"Ms. Machida, may I please take a look at the manuscript I brought?"

"Of course, that's part of my job."

Ms. Machida nodded, folded the cuffs of her suit jacket over her wrists, and took the manuscript from Masumi with both hands.

It's a comic book called "Late Summer, Swaying, a Figure Like a Cut Indigo Plant".

"Is this the work of a manga artist that Mr. Miyazawa knows?" she asked.

"Yes, she's a very talented manga artist," Masumi replied frankly.

“I see.” Ms. Machida nodded slightly. “If there is a manga artist with whom you have a good relationship and work well together, then the manga adaptation process will go very smoothly.”

"In my opinion, the most important prerequisite is to be able to understand and convey the original author's creative ideas well."

After speaking, she carefully admired the comic book in front of her and fell silent.

Masumi glanced at Mami without making a sound, noticing her flushed cheeks, her tightly clenched palms damp with sweat, and her nails digging deep into her skin.

"..."

Perhaps due to her job as an editor, Ms. Machida reads manuscripts very quickly.

After a while, she let out a soft breath, raised her head, and indicated to the two that she had finished reading.

Mami immediately adopted a serious expression and subconsciously gripped Masumi's arm tightly.

Even though it wasn't the first time I'd had my manuscript reviewed by an editor, my heart was still pounding with anxiety, as if it were about to jump out of my chest.

It's probably because this involves more than just her.

"Yes, the painting is exquisite, and the characters' expressions are very lifelike."

Ms. Machida gave her evaluation.

The soft whispers shook Mami's eardrums, making her feel weak in the limbs, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

But this was not enough to settle things. The two held their breath with serious expressions, waiting for Ms. Machida's final decision.

“Ms. Seno.” Ms. Machida turned to Asami and asked in a calm and gentle voice, “This manga is perhaps written by you?”

"Yes."

Seno took a deep breath, appearing somewhat cautious, "Because I'm currently just a doujinshi artist, my skills aren't very refined yet, so..."

"That's not the case."

Ms. Machida smiled and shook her head, abandoning her serious editorial expression, and said in a gentle tone:

"I was shocked to hear that Ms. Seno was a newcomer who had not even entered the industry. In my opinion, this manga is already of excellent quality."

"Thank you for your recognition, Ms. Machida."

Asami was flattered, while Masumi silently stared at her bright red ears.

She then asked tentatively, "So, regarding the manga adaptation of Masumi-kun's light novel, I wonder if I'm capable of handling it..."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Seno."

Although she was reluctant to see her hopes dashed, Ms. Machida, out of a sense of duty as an editor, politely declined the offer with a tone of regret.
"The process of adapting a light novel into a manga is different from creating an original manga from scratch."

"What I just said was only the optimistic part. The comic adaptation project needs to be discussed by the entire editorial department, not decided by me alone, so I can't be sure if it will be approved."

"It's alright, thank you, Ms. Machida." Asami was a little surprised, but not entirely.

Despite being mentally prepared, it was still difficult to remain calm when the cold reality unfolded again.

As if sensing Mami's feelings, Masumi tightly grasped Mami's limp wrist, feeling the cool, sweaty touch against her skin.

Mami turned her head and glanced at him, then silently shook her head.

"but……"

It seems that Ms. Machida's words indicate a turning point.

"If Ms. Seno is in charge of the illustrations for 'The Brave Squad is Full of Spy', I think she is fully capable of the task, and I can make the final decision myself."

“Illustrations…” Masumi hesitated for a moment.

“That’s right. Actually, there’s no need to be too fixated on making it into a comic book. As I said before, the two of you can start by collaborating on illustrations for paperback books to accumulate creative experience.”

"What do you think, Mr. Miyazawa and Ms. Seno?"

At this point, Ms. Machida paused, looked at the two of them, and waited for their reply.

Masumi subconsciously met Asami's gaze. Her beautiful coffee-colored eyes were like the surface of Lake Biwa, swaying uncertainly in the wind, and her drooping eyebrows reflected her timidity.

The silence lasted a while before he finally spoke, saying, "I'm sorry, Ms. Machida."

"I'd like to give it a try anyway. Could you please help me submit it to the editorial department?"

"I understand."

Ms. Machida gently gripped the manuscript paper. "Then please leave this comic here for now. I will submit it to the editorial department for processing. The process won't take too long. I wonder if you two could stay in Tokyo for a while? I will let you know by phone as soon as I have any news."

"Okay, I know."

Masumi nodded, then sincerely thanked her, "Thank you so much, Ms. Machida. You've really gone to a lot of trouble today."

He stood up from his chair and bowed respectfully, a gesture that Mami readily imitated.

"No, after all, this is my job."

Ms. Machida also stood up and bowed slightly.

After exchanging contact information with the editor, the two left Shinazugawa Bookstore and wandered aimlessly through the streets of Tokyo.

When she arrived, Mami was full of energy and excited about her first visit to Shinazugawa Fantastic Bunko. However, after leaving the editorial department, she remained silent and listless.

Masumi, concerned, broke the silence and asked, "Seno... Asami, are you alright?"

Mami nodded weakly, too exhausted to say anything else.

Masumi sighed quietly; this didn't seem like anything was wrong at all. A gust of autumn wind blew by, and Mami tightened her coat, shrinking into herself like a child—her appearance was truly worrying.

"Let's find a place to rest," Masumi suggested.

"Ah."

Mami forced a sound out of her throat.

There was a coffee shop on the street corner. After crossing the street, the two pushed open the door and went inside.

"——Welcome!"

The warm-toned round wooden table and the casually designed sofa should have been a relaxing space, but Mami's shoulders were tense and she looked nervous.

Masumi picked up the menu. "What would you like to eat?"

"...Just like Masumi-kun." She finally managed to utter a complete sentence.

"If you put it that way, I can order whatever I want."

"Ah."

Mami nodded nonchalantly.

After a while...

"Masumi-kun..."

Instead of reacting with a heavy heart, Mami stared blankly, her expression one of utter disbelief.

In front of her was an extra-large fruit parfait, the clear glass filled with fruit and the fresh cream ice cream piled high like a snow mountain. Just looking at it made one's teeth ache and one's stomach hurt.

“Something extraordinary has been served.”

“It’s this shop’s specialty, a giant fruit parfait for 20,000 yen,” Masumi said with a smile, resting her chin on her hand.

Are you planning to waste food on purpose?

"How could that be? I was just thinking that eating some sweets would make me feel better."

Masumi tried to justify herself while handing the metal spoon to Mami, saying, "If we don't eat it soon, it'll melt. Let's finish it together."

"Such a large portion, how could two people possibly finish it?" Mami frowned.

"Don't say discouraging things before you've even started," Masumi shook her head, smiling as if to reassure her. "It's okay, if you can't eat, I'm here for you. I've been having quite an appetite lately."

Mami snorted dismissively and lowered her unfocused pupils.

"Don't get food poisoning in Tokyo. You'll be stuck with a stomachache and no one will help you."

"Isn't this all I need? You wouldn't abandon me, would you?"

"Not always."

"Please don't be so heartless."

"That depends on Masumi-kun's performance."

They exchanged off-the-top jokes, and Mami felt a little relieved. The two then began to devour the oversized fruit parfait in front of them.

"It's nowhere near as good as the parfait that Rinne makes," Mami said.

"Although I agree, it's better not to say that since it's someone else's shop."

"Yeah, it would be terrible if we ran into a chef with a bad temper."

"You know that, yet you still say it?"

"But Masumi-kun is here."

Asami bit into the cherry in her mouth, the sweet and sour taste spreading in her mouth, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

The dark clouds dispersed, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating her delicate and pretty face.

"When will this game of pushing and shoving finally end?" Masumi asked with a wry smile.

“It was Masumi-kun who started it, so of course Masumi-kun should take full responsibility,” Mami said matter-of-factly.

“I understand.” Masumi nodded and smiled gently at Mami. “No matter what, I’m here for you.”

"..."

"All you do is spout fancy, cool-sounding words."

Asami turned her head away nonchalantly, but a faint blush crept onto her ears, and the ice cream in her spoon was almost melting.

"Speaking of which, that Ms. Machida is really patient."

"Yeah, I think so too."

They had made some bold statements at the beginning, and after trying for a long time, the two of them had barely managed to flatten the peak of the parfait. Masumi was already feeling a bit uncomfortable in her stomach.

The guy in front of me still acts like nothing happened. It seems the idea that girls have a separate stomach for desserts isn't just a rumor.

Completely oblivious to Masumi's gaze fixed on her lower abdomen, Mami put the spoon in her mouth, licked her lips, and continued speaking:

"A rookie web novel author and a rookie illustrator who have been rejected multiple times, both of them are so arrogant that they come to the editorial department and immediately want their works adapted into comics."

"Hearing you say that is indeed very rude." Masumi agreed wholeheartedly. "In any case, I must thank and apologize to Ms. Machida again later."

"That's not entirely true."

Asami tapped the table lightly with the handle of her spoon. "Ms. Machida also has a fondness for Masumi-kun's talent... Is that right? That's why she was willing to be tolerant of Masumi-kun and patiently receive us."

"After all, talented people can be willful."

Mami originally intended to say this in the same tone as usual, but it sounded very emotional.

After saying that, she gave a weak smile, her eyebrows drooping, and said self-deprecatingly, "It sounds like I'm jealous."

"That's not true," was a simple comforting remark, but Masumi couldn't easily say it.

“I said, Masumi-kun.”

She probably couldn't eat anymore. Asami put down her spoon, crossed her hands and rested her chin on them, sighed and said, "What are you going to do if my manga doesn't pass the editorial department's review?"

“I will take Ms. Machida’s suggestion and publish a paperback edition, with you providing the illustrations,” Masumi replied.

"Yeah."

Asami's fingertips slid along the inside of the parfait cup. "I thought Masumi-kun would be stubborn to the end, but hearing you say that makes me feel relieved."

"I don't want my situation to affect Masumi-kun's light novel."

“What’s this talk about impact?” Masumi shook her head, as if trying to reassure her. “Even without it being published as a paperback, my novels still have many readers on the ‘Let’s Become a Writer’ website.”

"Different."

"What's the difference."

Mami pouted, "It's just different."

Masumi glanced at Mami, who was reacting somewhat awkwardly, and put her arm on the table.

"Asami."

"Um, what's wrong?"

When her name was suddenly called, Mami blushed and her bent-over waist tensed up again.

She was the one who initially wanted to be called that, but now it seems she's less comfortable with it than Masumi.

"After we finish our parfait, come with me somewhere."

Masumi spoke with a mysterious smile.

(End of this chapter)