Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

Eri lowered her head, blushing, and took the pencil that Hideaki handed her. "I'm getting off here too."

"Oh, really... Hey! Kid, hand over that white eraser next to your left leg!"

Xiuming spoke to the high school student sitting on the carriage floor, leaning against the blue seat, covering his nose to stop the bleeding. His voice rose several decibels, startling even the passengers sitting in the seats.

The driver tilted his head to look in the rearview mirror but didn't start the tram.

The young man handed over the eraser with trembling hands.

Xiuming snatched it away, glared at him and bared his teeth, "If you ever play the pervert on the train again, I'll beat you up every time I see you, and see how many teeth you'll have left!"

Hideaki and Eri jumped off the train first, and then followed her, slowly getting off the train as well.

The watch indicates it's 11:35.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange First Division building is hidden in a network of alleys within a 300-meter radius of Kayabacho subway station. It cannot be seen from the platform. Since I've already decided to learn some manga creation skills, there's no need to go through the alleys to find that building.

After all, based on the intelligence obtained from locking down the entire logistics distribution center, commercial buildings, streets, and other buildings, locking down this securities building might only yield garbage intelligence such as someone jumping off a building or someone crashing their head into the doorway.

Compared to that, choosing this female cartoonist with a dream is more reliable. Most part-time creators are driven by genuine passion; as for soliciting positive reviews to gain skills, that depends on their persuasive skills.

Hideaki completely ignored the polite question about taking Eri home, keeping a safe distance of an arm's length from her and controlling his pace, trailing her by half a foot to determine the direction she was going and to slow her down.

This is what you call tacit understanding; they naturally came together.

"Ms. Makimura, have you watched Dragon Ball lately?" Hideaki asked, trying to appeal to her interests by bringing up a popular topic.

Her manga sketches are full of fight scenes. Since she likes action-packed battle themes, her first choice is the globally popular "Dragon Ball".

Two months ago, the Dragon Ball manga reached the point where Krillin was attacked by the Great Demon King Frieza, and a protagonist named Goku, nicknamed Kakarot, was so enraged that he was transformed into a golden legend and cruelly whipped the Great Demon King.

"I've seen it, it's really amazing."

Eri was still replaying Hideaki's words on the train when he praised her work.

I'm so excited, inspiration is flowing in! I'll draw those three kicks from the tram earlier, they were so cool.

"It's truly amazing, practically a milestone. Judging from the fan response and the hype, the subsequent storyline will definitely continue this style, with constant transformations and battles. Have you ever wondered why it's so exciting?"

“This…” Eri paused, “Is it because Akira Toriyama’s idea is too good?”

"It's a technique, a setup. Before Goku's transformation, Akira Toriyama portrayed Frieza so well, almost showcasing his terror and oppressiveness from every angle, making people despair. Under this despair, Vegeta progressively reveals the legend of the Super Saiyan, leaving people with hope while also highlighting from different angles how difficult the Super Saiyan transformation is, playing with the fans' emotions in a very creative way."

"Ah...that seems to be the case." Listening to Hideaki's explanation, Eri felt a new inspiration for her work. Chatting with him was simply wonderful!

Recalling the three kicks Hideaki delivered on the train, it was too fast, without any build-up. They should have first fully demonstrated the power, despicable nature, and evil of the three villains, instilling camaraderie among the fans. How should that be done? Rape the female lead, and then... uh...

Eri suddenly stopped, her face flushed and contorted with embarrassment, looking as if she had eaten shit.

"What's wrong?" Xiuming also stopped in his tracks.

"Hmm... Because of your reminder, I suddenly realized that I could add some foreshadowing to my work, although it's a bit hard to accept."

"Really? Can you tell me about it? Although I'm not familiar with comic creation, I've read a lot and have some insights. I can be your fan and give you timely feedback on my viewing experience."

"Thank you for your support, but I would like to confirm the direction again, as it is a bit difficult to talk about, and I am really sorry."

"Sure, we really look forward to the release of your work, hoping it will dethrone Dragon Ball and take the top spot on the bestseller list!"

"Thank you for your trust, I will work hard..."

Eri was wailing in her heart. Even if it could be serialized in a magazine and adapted into a film or television series, it could only be a hentai anime. No, absolutely not. I have dignity.

But considering my current situation—rent, utilities, and gas bills already overdue, credit card payments several days late, and over a dozen manga submissions rejected each time—taking a part-time job at a sex shop was a desperate and impulsive decision. But as I approach the final step, I can't let go of my dignity, so I'm forced to work as a cashier at a front desk earning only 3000 yen a day.

But every time I see the ever-increasing interest rates handed to me by Manager Ezaki, I feel an urge to leave the hotel; it's utterly hopeless.

Why not draw her as the female lead and submit her to the adult anime section... No, no, if it gets exposed, she'll definitely kill me... Besides, she's so evil, she's definitely a villain, how can she be qualified to be a cute female lead?

Because of Eri's complicated emotional journey, she unconsciously slowed down her pace.

Seeing that she seemed preoccupied and lost in thought, Xiuming decided not to bother her with any more topics, since he was just stalling for time and this was better.

There are five minutes left until the deadline, and the street we are currently on is a famous financial district, full of companies and no apartments.

The main road is only 10 meters wide, and both sides are crowded with Showa-style concrete buildings. Among them, a post office and a branch of a Swiss bank in Tokyo are particularly eye-catching.

A drunk man in a black suit slumped in a phone booth outside a bank. The yellow receiver was still swaying. The drunk man mumbled and sobbed, "I need to borrow another 500 million yen from my mother..."

In the shadows where the lights don't reach, headhunters from brothels are diligently recruiting.

"Sir, the hourly wage for hostesses is 5000 yen, which is higher than your daily wage, right? Would you like to introduce your girlfriend for part-time work? I'll give you a commission..."

When Xiuming looked over, he also called out softly, seemingly holding up a small pink card in his hand.

Xiuming ignored him. In another month, he wouldn't have to work so hard anymore. Many bankrupt middle-aged women and recent female graduates would beg him for a job where he could make money while lying down.

Eri appears to be one of the recent graduates.

"Is this...Miss Makimura?"

As Hideaki and Eri, who had her head down, walked side by side under the illuminated sign with orange background and white lettering that read "Nomura Securities," the headhunter suddenly stepped out of the shadows and stood under an illuminated sign covered by a green cloth. His black baseball cap was covered by a layer of green light, obscuring his face, but his tone seemed to be filled with surprise and a trembling voice of heartache.

Eri's ears twitched, she turned to look at him, then turned back, "No!"

"Miss Makimura, didn't you say you didn't accept clients?"

Eri blushed and shouted, "I don't have any right now! I hate you all, don't talk to me anymore!"

"Is this guy on crutches your boyfriend? Then, what about me? I'm truly sincere towards you..."

"Get away from me! I hate you!"

If it weren't for his constant demands for repayment, I wouldn't have been able to take his little card and walk into that bubble bath shop. Now I don't even dare to quit my job, for fear of being killed by the evil Ezaki. So I've drawn this guy into an adult anime as a victim.

Eri swung her bag and strode away.

The brief delay was just in time, and Xiuming took two quick steps, locking his gaze on her.

[Over the next 12 hours, Eri will have a constant stream of creative inspiration.]

Over the next 12 hours, Eri will be harassed by her suitors.

Over the next 12 hours, Eri will be worrying about rent, utilities, gas, and breakfast money.

Xiuming followed her out of the financial street, across the foul-smelling river, and into a low-rise residential area.

The dim streetlights illuminated the rugged paths and the network of alleyways.

Eri walked to a black wooden door, suddenly stopped, turned around and asked, "Mr. Yamanaka, do you live here too?"

“I live in Shinjuku Ward. Since you are a manga artist, I couldn’t help but want to chat with you a bit more.”

"Ah! Is...is that so?" Eri took a small step back. "Thank you. It's so late, and I'm home now..."

“Let’s continue our chat for a while longer at the door,” Xiuming said, sliding to block the black wooden door. “There’s an old Chinese saying, ‘A thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend.’ We really clicked when we talked about comic creation. By the way, you mentioned you had some creative inspiration. Did I give it to you?”

"Ah, yes, that's it... It's so late..."

Hideaki's obvious act of blocking the door made Eri's heart skip a beat.

The pale white pole of the dim streetlamp was on the right, its top shade partially obscured by Xiuming's body, his face hidden in the shadows.

Its height, taller than my entire head, and its size, almost big enough to fit me inside, gave me the feeling that it might crush me into a meat patty at any moment.

She belatedly realized that the three kicks Xiuming made on the tram weren't to save her, but simply because the blond guy had provoked him.

After getting off the tram, she never expected to walk with him.

How did I end up at my own doorstep? Was I hypnotized? How terrifying…

Instinctively, she wanted to call for help from Shota, after all, the evil Ezaki had said that if she got off work late, someone would protect her on the road at night. And today, the person on duty to protect her was that annoying Shota.

"Could you give me a good review for the inspiration I just provided?"

Hideaki's sudden zero-frame start left Eri somewhat dazed, and she subconsciously asked, "Wh-what?"

“Actually, I also enjoy creating comics. Give me a good review to boost my confidence. You won’t refuse me, will you?” Xiuming said, taking a half-foot step forward.

"Oh, thank you for your positive review! Is that alright?"

[One good achievement achieved]

Eri almost simultaneously took a small half-step back, screaming inwardly: Ah! It's going to crush me! I'm going to die...

"Thank you for your kind words!" Xiuming said, unzipping the black briefcase containing 60,000 yen, rummaging through a stack of banknotes, and pulling out a 1000 yen note. "It's just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."

Eri's eyes widened, and she instinctively reached for it, but then stopped, tilting her head back to ask, "Is it really okay?"

I spent all of today's 3000 yen salary on drawing supplies and comic paper. With this 1000 yen, I'll have enough for breakfast tomorrow! Ahh! I want it so badly!

“Well… I won’t stand on ceremony,” Eri said, taking the banknotes, pressing her palms together and bowing deeply. “Thank you so much!”

Xiuming's eyebrows twitched, and he put his hand back into his briefcase pocket, gently fiddling with the banknotes with his index finger. There were no more 1000-dollar notes left, so he pulled out a 10000-dollar note with trembling hands.

"Working part-time in a place like that, if you can't go out, the daily wage must not be much, right? I completely understand the plight of us creators when we feel unappreciated. I once even struggled to afford rent. As my first confidant, please accept this as a token of my appreciation!"

"Huh? Then..." Eri's eyes hadn't left Hideaki ever since he unzipped his briefcase. "I... I really accepted it?"

"Please don't be shy, please accept this!" Xiuming seemed to be gritting his teeth.

Eri swallowed again unconsciously. Never mind! Never mind! He insisted on giving it to me, I didn't beg him for it. Anyway... anyway, he's much more generous than that guy Shota, who can't even afford breakfast.

As Eri reached for the banknote, Hideaki seemingly casually shifted his hand holding it, leaving Eri holding nothing and looking up in bewilderment.

Are you going to make unreasonable demands? 11,000 yen... seems...

"Please give me another positive review for helping you with your rent and utilities!"

Although I couldn't see Xiuming's face clearly, I could feel his eyes twitching. Was he heartbroken?

"I'll give you a good review!" Eri didn't dare to reach out and take it, so she could only hold up her hands and pray that he would put the money in her hands.

[Two good achievements achieved]

Xiuming's index finger and thumb, which were gripping the coin, were almost white, indicating that he had used a lot of force.

Eri held the money tightly, swallowing hard: "Got it! Got it! I won't have to eat coarse grains for the next week..."

Xiuming was fiddling with the banknotes again; in fact, there were only four 10000 yen notes left.

Eri instinctively held her breath, almost hearing her own heartbeat.

Do I need to pay more? They're all 10000 denomination bills, all of them!

"I'm a little thirsty, may I come inside for a glass of water?"

Xiuming suddenly zipped up his briefcase.