Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 156, Section 31: "His and Her Story in Tokyo (4)"

People don't get together for no reason.

This sentence suddenly popped into my mind.

No, it's not sudden at all. Masumi had been thinking about this the whole time while walking with Asami in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

Recalling her first meeting with the three people at the coffee shop, Mami was the only one who was the most enthusiastic towards her.

At first, Masumi thought it was just her personality, but after getting closer and spending more time with her, she felt that it was more than that.

Whether it was easing the tense atmosphere between herself and Kamishiro, intentionally or unintentionally revealing Kamishiro's past to him, or trying to eliminate the grudge between herself and her father.

Her actions and the kindness she showed went far beyond the scope of being overly familiar.

"Masumi-kun is indeed very perceptive."

Asami's smile was languid, with a slightly tipsy, drunken quality in the dim light.

"However, this just means that Masumi-kun has actually been secretly watching me all along."

"If I don't remember, are you planning to keep it from me forever?" Masumi asked.

"It's too much to say you hid it, Masumi-kun didn't recognize me." Mami protested, dissatisfied. "I've been waiting for Masumi-kun to find out on his own."

What if I can't remember?

"Unfortunately, there are no 'what ifs' in this world. From the moment you brought me here, that possibility ceased to exist."

She turned her gaze to the stage not far away, intending to say the words in a normal tone, but they sounded quite emotional.

"How nostalgic! Three years ago at this time, I was sitting on this very bench, listening to Masumi-kun's singing."

"Speaking of which, would you say that Masumi-kun and I are old friends reunited?" Mami said half-jokingly.

"Maybe so, but actually I don't really have much of that feeling."

Masumi thought for a moment and said, "I had a similar feeling when I saw you again in Kusatsu."

"Hey, but we've only been apart for less than a week," Mami said teasingly. "Is Masumi-kun being too attached to me?"

"When I first met Masumi-kun, I thought you were a very serious and earnest person."

"Was that the impression I left on you back then?"

"Yes, and she has a lot of backbone. Even though the official performance was tonight and the tickets weren't sold out yet, she refused without hesitation when I offered to buy all the tickets." Mami smiled with her eyes narrowed.

"Regarding that matter, I actually regretted it a little after we broke up."

"What do you regret?"

Mami, unaware of what was going on, turned her head to the side.

"I regret not accepting that money."

"I lied to you back then. Actually, there weren't 5 tickets left, but 15. I only said that to save face, and in the end, we didn't sell any," Masumi said self-deprecatingly.

"Wait a minute! Masumi-kun." Mami quickly stopped him, dumbfounded, "Don't ruin the beautiful memories of our first meeting."

“I thought it was pretty much ruined by now.” Masumi shrugged. “After all, we’ve lived together for so long, it’s easy to dispel some of those one-sided impressions.”

Upon hearing this, Mami gave a gentle smile.

"That's right."

"Hearing what Masumi-kun said, it's not such a bad thing after all."

Masumi shook her head. "What is it then?"

"After all, only fans need to keep their distance from their idols to avoid disillusionment with their image due to getting too close."

"I won't be satisfied with just being a fan of Masumi-kun."

Asami smiled slightly, her gaze falling quietly on the band singing on the stage, her delicate fingers gently stroking the smooth surface of the bench.

Masumi also looked at her own side; the wood grain was very vibrant, and she could almost smell the wood varnish, so it had probably been repainted.

Buzz—the cell phone in my pocket vibrated.

He opened the email, glanced at the contents, and suddenly called out Mami's name.

"Asami?"

The words left unsaid.

Masumi looked up and saw Mami's momentary stunned expression, her gently swaying bangs casting shadows on her face.

"Hey Mami, are you even listening?"

"Oh? Sorry, I was thinking about something else."

Mami subconsciously apologized to Masumi, who sighed helplessly.

"The editor just sent me an address and told us to go there to find her."

"Huh, you've already reached a conclusion?" Mami's eyes widened in surprise, then she asked, "So, are we going back to Shinazugawa Bookstore?"

"No, the editorial department has already closed for the day."

Where are we going?

"Kashiwa City."

◇

Kashiwa City is located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture, across the Tone River from Ibaraki Prefecture, and is about 30 kilometers from Tokyo.

When Masumi and Asami arrived, it was already seven o'clock in the evening. The autumn colors were deep, and the night was cold with heavy dew.

"Hiss~ Why does it feel colder here than in Tokyo?"

The sound of high heels clicking on the asphalt road is especially loud on a dark night.

Masumi noticed Mami's shivering and stamping feet in fear of the cold.

"Just bear with it a little longer, the editor's place is just ahead."

"Ah."

Miss Mami nodded listlessly.

"By the way, is the editor's income very low? How come Ms. Machida lives in such a remote place?"

Far from the old town of Kashiwa Station, the surrounding area is quiet, with detached houses scattered among the rice fields, and the desolation is comparable to that of Shimodera-cho in Kusatsu.

The two walked side by side through the dim night scene.

"The editor I'm meeting this time isn't Ms. Machida."

Asami was taken aback: "Not Ms. Machida? Then who is it?"

"She's an editor named Ayano Iida, who works in the manga division of Shinazugawa Bunko."

"comics?"

"Masumi-kun... what's going on?"

Unable to hide her confusion, Mami looked up at him.

"Simply put, the editor gave me two options."

Masumi explained, "We will publish the paperback edition step by step. I can appoint the illustrator for the first volume, and then we will consider the sales figures for the rest."

"Where's the other one?"

A swallowing sound came from the other end of the air.

"An interview opportunity."

"An interview opportunity..."

After a moment of silence, Mami's voice became noticeably lower, and she spoke again with a sigh.

"For me?"

"No."

Masumi denied without thinking.

"It's the two of us."

"With Coffee Bro as the original author and Ryujinin Michiyo as the illustrator, and the manga being serialized on the Shinazugawa Bunko website, the editorial department is willing to give such a combination an interview opportunity."

"Although it's not in Shinazugawa's weekly manga, I still think it's a valuable opportunity."

"...That's it."

Asami murmured each word slowly, lowering her eyes and remaining silent for a long time—a silence that made people uneasy.

Will this result make her efforts worthwhile? Masumi looked down at Mami's face, trying to discern her feelings, but due to the darkness, he couldn't see Mami's features. He desperately wanted to know what kind of expression she had right now.

"...This should be the place."

Following the address provided in the email, Masumi saw a house with the name "Iida" on it. In front of her was an ordinary detached house with a typical style, and a yellow Mazda car was parked in front of it.

Editor Ms. Iida lives here.

As the doorbell rang, Mami's heart skipped a beat.

A dozen seconds later, the door opened, and a woman with short brown hair peeked out from behind it.

"Ah, you've come! Please come in."

She seems to be a very warm person.

"excuse me."

Masumi and the stiff-bodied Asami stepped into the entryway, neatly arranged their shoes in the corner, and followed her into the living room.

"I'm so sorry to have troubled you to come so late," Ms. Iida said apologetically.

"It's okay, we don't have anything else to do in Tokyo anyway."

"Yes, I was worried that you wouldn't be able to stay in Tokyo for too long, so I contacted Mr. Miyazawa at this time. But I still feel bad for making you two come to such a remote place."

Have you had dinner yet?

"I ate at Yoshinoya in Kashiwa Station."

The two sat down in the living room, and the sound of the sofa deflated could be heard.

"Oh, I was worried you'd come on an empty stomach."

"If you don't mind, please try this pudding."

Ms. Iida placed two servings of caramel milk tea pudding on the coffee table.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, this pudding is very popular in Bai City. You need to have some sweets to have the energy to talk about work."

As she spoke, she scooped up a mouthful of pudding and put it in her mouth, then pressed her cheeks, revealing a satisfied, smiling expression.

Masumi also picked up a spoon, cut off a small piece, and felt the sweetness of the pudding spread on her tongue.

Mami, standing beside them, seemed completely oblivious to their presence, her slender fingers gripping the hem of her skirt tightly. Noticing her unease, Ms. Iida softly asked:
"Does Ms. Seno feel uncomfortable?"

"No such thing."

Mami straightened her back and quickly shook her head.

"Don't be so tense," Ms. Iida chuckled. "This isn't the editorial department, so you can relax a bit."

"Let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to the issue of the manga serialization."

Ms. Iida suddenly got to the point, leaving Mami momentarily at a loss for words. She stared at her, puzzled, and asked:
"Comic strip serialization? Isn't that an interview?"

Her voice trembled slightly and sounded somewhat awkward.

"An interview?" Ms. Iida paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "That's certainly one way to put it."

"I have already witnessed Mr. Miyazawa's creative talent and Ms. Seno's painting skills."

"After discussing with other colleagues in the editorial department, we believe that we can give talented newcomers a chance to try, so we proposed two options."

"Since you two have chosen to abandon publishing the paperback version and instead serialize it on the Shinazugawa Bunko manga website, as an editor, I believe it is essential to have a face-to-face meeting with the creators."

"So, does that mean we can directly serialize comics on the website?"

There was a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Of course it's not that simple, but as an editor, I will strictly oversee the entire process and provide guidance on the creative process. As for whether it can meet the standards for serialization, that depends on your efforts."

Mami glanced at Masumi without making a sound, while the latter was calmly enjoying her pudding.

“But my paintings aren’t mature enough…” she said hesitantly.

"…Indeed."

"Eh?"

Ms. Iida nodded, opened the manga that Mami had left in the editorial department, and pulled out one of the drawings.

"In today's fast-paced manga market, Ms. Seno's works lack appeal."

"Most readers nowadays lack patience. Popular comics on the market all throw out a juicy plot on the first page and give it an eye-catching title. Ms. Seno's works are too traditional and academic, and the traces of a fan artist are a bit too heavy. Such a style and pace are difficult to adapt to the commercial market."

"Yes, I noticed it too." Mami's face darkened, and she hesitated, "So..."

“So you’ve been trying to improve, right?” Ms. Iida finished the sentence for her.

She laid out several of Mami's drawings from different periods.

“Ms. Seno has already achieved results—although her creative style has hardly changed, her drawing skills have improved significantly. It seems that you have been practicing the basics diligently, which is very important. I like creators who are unwilling to stand still.”

"I was willing to give such a newcomer a chance because I saw Ms. Seno's hard work."

Her praise gave Mami a sense of satisfaction from being recognized, and she swallowed hard before saying, "You flatter me."

"I wonder if Ms. Asami has read the work 'Vegetable Flower Village'?" Ms. Iida suddenly asked.

“Of course I’ve seen it.” Asami nodded. “It’s Shiina-sensei’s debut work.”

"Wait, could it be that you are...?"

"That's right, I'm her comic book editor."

Before Asami could react to this dazzling name, Ms. Iida continued:
"Actually, Shiina-sensei's early manga works were also very bland and tasteless, with poor stories and unattractive plots; only the artwork was outstanding."

"It's similar to Ms. Seno's situation."

She smiled gently.

"How can I compare to Shiina-sensei?" Asami sighed.

"Ms. Seno."

Ms. Iida suddenly moved closer to Mami, looked intently into her eyes, and gestured for her to stop talking about the topic.

"Yes." Mami stopped the dejected words that were about to come out and straightened her back.

"Please don't be nervous. I'm not comparing you to Shiina-sensei. It's just that I see some similarities between you and her in you."

"Similar outlines?"

“That’s right.” Ms. Iida suddenly revealed a gossipy smile that seemed out of place for an editor. “Speaking of which, there’s also a female partner of the opposite sex who corresponds to Mr. Miyazawa’s position beside Shiina-sensei.”

"Is that partner also a light novel author?" Mami asked.

"No, but Shiina-sensei did learn manga through her relationship with this partner."

Asami's eyes widened in surprise, "Learning manga through romance..."

"It sounds like a comic book plot."

"That's it."

Ms. Iida placed the empty pudding bowl on the coffee table, looked directly at the two of them, her tone firm, and her eyes filled with ambition.

"Perhaps it is because of this experience that I think this manga must be done by Mr. Miyazawa and Ms. Seno together."

Ms. Iida closed the distance further, speaking in a seductive tone.

"Please rest assured, after guiding Shiina-sensei in her love life and career, I have extensive experience in this area."

She didn't give a definitive answer, saying, "Of course, as the saying goes, 'The master leads you to the door, but the practice is up to you.' Whether you achieve results depends on your efforts."

Mami was already drawn in by her words, her eyes flickering with hesitation.

"Isn't Mr. Miyazawa going to say something?"

Ms. Iida turned to Masumi, who had remained silent, and said meaningfully.

Mami slowly looked up at him.

"..."

After carefully selecting words in my mind.

Masumi gazed intently at the person before her, this woman named Seno Asami, and slowly began to speak:
"As a light novelist, I need you, and as a manga artist, you also need me."

"So...why don't you want to try it with me?"

(End of this chapter)