Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

Why?

Baihe Shizhi asked.

"Because all the money was spent on paperwork for the sales outlets."

Hoshino Rin answered, and Shirakawa Shiori went into the kitchen and reheated the leftover hamburger steaks from the evening.

When the hamburger steak was served, Hoshino Rin was still standing next to the drawing table.

Her eyes were fixed on the double-page spread drawn by Yuma Kamiya, not moving for even a second.

"Let's eat first."

Shiori Shirakawa placed the plate on the low table, and Rin Hoshino walked towards it.

He then sat down and picked up the chopsticks.

His eyes were fixed on the hamburger steak on the plate.

Under the light, the sauce shimmered with the unique sheen of teriyaki.

She opened her mouth and took a bite, swallowing the hamburger patty whole.

The chewing motion suddenly stopped.

"What is this?"

She asked, "Hamburger steak?"

Shiori Shirakawa replied.

"I've eaten at seven burger steak restaurants in Tokyo, and none of them tasted like this."

She took another bite and continued, "The sweetness of the sauce, the lean-to-fat ratio of the meat, and this onion—how well should the onion be cooked to achieve this translucent state in the steak? Is it caramelization? Or was some kind of special wine used?"

"It's just ordinary cooking wine."

Shiori Shirakawa felt a little smug when she was asked that question.

  

"Kamiya-kun said my hamburger patties are number one in the full-course meal category."

Hoshino Rin put down her chopsticks, then turned to Kamiya Yuuma and asked, "Master, how was this ranking determined? Is there a scoring standard? Or is it just personal taste?"

"Eat your food."

"Yes, Master," said Yuuma Kamiya.

Hoshino Rin responded and took another bite.

Then, he buried his entire face deep into the plate.

They finished the remaining hamburger steak extremely quickly.

When she put down her chopsticks, you could see that there was still sauce residue on the corner of her mouth.

"My teacher's wife cooks really well."

Hoshino Rin said, upon hearing this.

Shiori Shirakawa's face flushed red, and she stammered, "W-what did you call me?"

"Master's wife,"

Hoshino Rin's expression was very serious.

"The master's wife is called 'shiniang' in Chinese. Although you two are not married, Editor Onodera said that you live together, share a kitchen, and use mugs of the same color. According to common sense in human society, this is only one piece of paper away from marriage."

Shiori Shirakawa's ears were bright red, and she involuntarily reached out her hand.

Touching the strawberry pattern on her apron, she said somewhat shyly, "From now on, you can call me senior."

"Senior Master's wife?"

Hoshino Rin asked, "Just call me senpai!"

Shiori Shirakawa emphasized, "Yes, the hamburger patties you made were delicious."

As Hoshino Rin spoke, she picked up a plate and then walked towards the kitchen, intending to wash it.

After washing up, she returned to her room and put her mask back on.

Then I sat down at the small table in the corner that I had prepared as a spare.

He asked, "Master, may I begin practicing now?"

"What do you want to practice?"

"Kamiya Yuuma asked."

"The standing posture of the undead soldiers who are being controlled. After seeing your drawing, I know where the difference lies. It's not perspective or skeletal structure, but the understanding of the state of 'being controlled'. I have never drawn a character who is forcibly controlled. I don't know how to draw that feeling of 'not wanting to obey but being unable to resist'."

She opened her sketchbook and continued.

"But when I saw the soldiers you drew just now, it suddenly reminded me of when I was in the third year of junior high school. I was called to the office by my homeroom teacher and scolded for two hours because I refused to participate in club activities. He made me stand there, not allowed to move, not allowed to speak, and not allowed to look out the window. I just stood there, and when I came out two hours later, my legs were numb. If that feeling is like that..."

She looked up, and her eyes above the mask appeared exceptionally bright and clear.

"I think I can draw it."

Kamiya Yuma looked at her without saying anything, and after a while said, "Draw it."

Hoshino Rin lowered her head, and the tip of her pen fell onto the paper.

Shiori Shirakawa held two cups of freshly brewed tea in her hands.

She placed one of the cups on Yuma Kamiya's drawing table.

She also placed another cup on Hoshino Rin's small table.

Hoshino Rin didn't look up; she had already started drawing.

On Monday morning, Yuma Kamiya was at his drawing table.

At this moment, he was concentrating on drawing the details of the magic circle in the seventh episode.

In the living room, the television was playing a program, and the sound of an NHK news anchor speaking could be heard coming from it.

"That sound wasn't the usual upbeat tone," the anchor said.

"Today, the Nikkei average stock price plummeted by more than 3,000 points during trading, marking the largest single-day drop since 1943. The Ministry of Finance held an emergency press conference, stating that it will closely monitor market developments."

Kamiya Yuma's pen stopped in mid-air.

He walked into the living room, where the television screen showed a chaotic scene in the Tokyo Stock Exchange trading hall.

Everyone looked up, their eyes fixed intently on the electronic screen.

The announcer's voice continued to come through.

"Data just released by the Real Estate Research Institute shows that commercial land prices in Tokyo have fallen by 15 percent compared to last month, and several financial institutions have announced tightening of real estate loan approvals."

The camera cuts to Ginza, where pedestrians on the street look hurried.

You could feel that silence even through the screen.

"Furthermore, Mitsubishi Estate announced today that it is temporarily suspending its plans for additional investment in Rockefeller Center in the United States, to which US media commented..."

Shiori Shirakawa came out of the kitchen, clutching a spatula tightly in her hand, and asked, "Did you drop it?"

"It fell."

Kamiya Yuma said that Shirakawa Shiori was silent for a moment, then turned around and went back to the kitchen to continue making tamagoyaki.

The spatula collided with the frying pan, making a sound.

Yuma Kamiya returned to his drawing table and sat down.

As he picked up the dip pen, he glanced out the window.

Shiori Shirakawa bit her lip.

500,000 yen is not a small amount.

However, she was indeed able to come up with that amount of savings.

She was about to speak.

Kamiya Yuma's voice came from the side.

"This money cannot be lent."

Kenichi Shirakawa turned to look at the young man.

"Who are you?"

"Yuma Kamiya. He lives with Shiori."

Kenichi Shirakawa was stunned.

Shiori Shirakawa blushed.

"I'm not saying I won't help." Yuma Kamiya sat down across from him at the low table.

"But Mr. Shirakawa, have you calculated how much your monthly mortgage payment is?"

Kenichi Shirakawa stated a number.

"How many months will the severance pay last?"

"...three months."

"What about three months from now? Are you sure the market will improve within three months?"