Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist.

Chapter 88 The Way of the King, Passionate and Resolute (Sixth Update!! Seeking First Subscription!!)

Natsume Akane was being pulled along by Aragaki Eri. The cold wind blew into the gaps in her scarf, but the hand holding hers was warm.

She watched the back of Eri Aragaki pulling her along as they ran, her thick cotton coat billowing in the wind, revealing the edge of her white sweater underneath.

Her steps followed the rhythm of Aragaki Eri. At first, she was stunned, her mind still replaying the scene of Aragaki Eri knocking three adult men away with three punches. She couldn't connect it to the Aragaki Eri she knew.

But as she ran, that initial shock slowly turned into a sense of relief. Eri Aragaki gripped her hand tightly, as if afraid she would get lost. This feeling of being held so tightly made her sense something else beyond the relief.

Later, as she looked at that figure from behind, she seemed to find something from a long time ago in her memories, and a smile slowly appeared on her face.

They ran so far, turning into several alleyways, that they could no longer see the street they had just been on.

When Eri Aragaki didn't hear any footsteps following her, she tentatively turned around to look. Behind her was an empty alley, with only the streetlights illuminating a few bicycles parked together.

Sure enough, no one was pursuing them.

She then stopped, bent over, and supported herself on her knees with both hands, catching her breath several times.

Her boxing skills have improved, but her physical fitness is still about the same as that of an average person.

"Axi, those guys are really bold—"

'

After catching her breath, Eri Aragaki said indignantly, "How dare so many people surround a girl like you in broad daylight? Should we call the police?"

""

Natsume Akane wasn't panting much. Standing next to her, watching Aragaki Eri gasp for breath, she couldn't help but reach out and pull her scarf down a bit to expose more of her neck so she could breathe better.

Hearing the words "call the police," she was both amused and exasperated, but still said, "Never mind, after all, I'm not in any real danger."

"That's true, then you really can't call the police that way."

Eri Aragaki paused for a moment, then straightened up and looked at her. "But be careful next time, Ayane. Oh, right! I think you should be able to buy pepper spray or stun guns or something around here now."

The more she thought about it, the better she felt it was. She herself was not afraid because she had boxing skills, but Natsume Akane, Takeda Ayane, and Erina were all powerless.

She decided to go online and check where she could buy pepper spray and stun guns when she got back, so she could equip several people with them and protect them from criminals in a pinch.

Natsume Akane looked at her serious expression helplessly, but still said, "I don't know, but pepper spray means protection against perverts."

She felt it was unnecessary, at least not for herself.

She felt that with her skills, she shouldn't be in any danger under normal circumstances, and she could handle today's situation even if Eri Aragaki hadn't come.

However, she didn't dislike the moment when Eri Aragaki rushed in and pulled her away.

She was also very curious about where Eri Aragaki got the strength to knock down an adult man with a single punch.

From middle school until now, she doesn't remember Aragaki Eri being such a girl with such strong martial spirit.

Although she wasn't very familiar with Eri Aragaki in the past.

"Yes, it's similar to a tear gas spray or a spray to cover the eyes."

Eri Aragaki nodded. "One spray and the other person can't open their eyes. I saw it online before."

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Natsume Akane tentatively asked, "By the way, Eri, what did you just do?"

Eri Aragaki immediately realized that her behavior just now was too different from her usual image, and quickly laughed it off, saying, "I guess I just have superhuman strength, hahaha."

Natsume Akane looked at her and smiled for several seconds, then looked away without asking any further questions.

Eri Aragaki quickly changed the subject, "Akane, why don't you have dinner with us tonight? Let's go back and buy some food together."

Natsume Akane tactfully replied, "Sure, I'd love to taste your cooking again, Eri."

"So, what would you like to eat tonight?"

"The pork stewed with bamboo shoots that I had the day before yesterday was delicious, I want to try it again!"

"That's called 'Yan Du Xian' (a type of stew), it's really delicious, and the bamboo shoots I bought last time are still available—"

The two walked and talked, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights.

Eri Aragaki was still pondering the matter of pepper spray and stun guns when Akane Natsume walked beside her, unbuttoning one button on her coat collar. She had been running too fast and was a little sweaty.

She looked at Eri Aragaki's profile, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes.

The following weekend, Eri Aragaki was also busy.

After getting up on Saturday morning, she washed her face, ate the breakfast Erina left on the table, and then went straight to her studio.

She immediately began drawing the storyboard drafts for the first episode of "Fog Hill of Five Elements" from her memory.

The setting and world view of "Fog Hill of Five Elements" are relatively simple.

The story mainly tells of how, in ancient times, monsters roamed freely and humans suffered greatly. But at this time, a mysterious Taoist priest intervened and bestowed the power of the Five Elements upon five major families, from whom five wielders were chosen.

The Five Envoys ultimately lived up to expectations, driving out and suppressing the demonic beast and banishing it to the Hidden Mist Mountain, where they set up a barrier and sealed it with the Giant Shield.

Meanwhile, deep within the Misty Mountains dwells the sacred beast Qilin, which voluntarily allowed itself to be sealed within the Giant Shield, using its own spiritual power to suppress demonic power. Only the Five Elements Clan can activate the shield.

The story begins with the protagonist, Wenren Yixuan, who is also the Fire Elementalist, attempting to forcibly break the seal and awaken the Qilin in order to save his mother. However, this alerts the other Five Elementalists, and a great battle ensues between the two sides atop the Misty Mountain.

In fact, purely from the perspective of the opening plot, "Fog Hill of Five Elements" is a very typical shonen manga opening.

Especially in terms of plot setting, there's the story of a hot-blooded young man who impulsively gets into trouble, then carries a destiny, protects his companions, and fights against demons and villains, etc.

The protagonist breaks a taboo due to his own selfish desires, triggering a series of chain reactions, and then embarks on a journey to make amends. This formula has been used countless times in JUMP-style shonen manga.

It's exactly the kind of manga plot that JUMP-style shonen manga loves: battles of power, destiny-driven growth, ensemble character development, and so on—every single element hits the mark perfectly.

Needless to say, the protagonist, Wenren Yixuan, is a typical hot-blooded, impulsive, and emotional teenage protagonist like Naruto, Kurosaki Ichigo, and Luffy.

From the very beginning, he disregards everything to save his mother, even if it means breaking the seal. This impulsiveness is tinged with selfishness, but it is precisely this selfishness that makes the character seem less like a saint and more like a living, breathing human being.

Even without a unique art style, this kind of setting is very suitable for serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump, but we haven't seen how popular it is yet, so we don't know how it will turn out.

But Eri Aragaki thinks it shouldn't be too bad. She's not aiming for a huge hit, but she thinks it should be able to get into the top ten in popularity, just like "Wu Song".