Chapter 116: I Like Miss Makima!

Chapter 116: I Like Miss Makima!

The production of the *Edgerunners* anime gradually picked up pace. Lin Qingshan only briefly reviewed the progress before providing a few songs to be used as the soundtrack. Afterward, he felt reassured and refrained from further involvement, leaving the work to the professional team at Trigger Animation.

Lin Qingshan continued working on the drafts for *Chainsaw Man* and *Fire Punch*, occasionally helping Wang Weijie and his team resolve optimization issues in *Cyberpunk 2077*.

Life gradually returned to a calm routine.

The second chapter of *Chainsaw Man* was released, revealing the name of the female lead—Makima—to the fans. The name was a bit strange but still acceptable. At the same time, Denji outright confessed that he liked Makima, further solidifying in the fans' minds that Makima was indeed the main heroine. However, unlike typical heroines, she genuinely treated Denji like a dog.

But when Denji asked, "What kind of guy does Miss Makima like?" she responded in a way that felt straight out of a sci-fi movie: "Someone like you, Denji."

Sweet! So sweet! Yet, it was also incredibly surreal.

At their first encounter, Makima already said she liked Denji. This was no longer just sci-fi—it was pure myth.

However, fans didn't mind. After all, it's a manga. If it's a bit fantastical, so be it—they enjoy reading it.

After reading this part, Gu Qianli covered her flushed face with her hand. As expected, Den... No, Qingshan must like her. And Qingshan should have realized by now that she likes him too. Otherwise, why would he write such a scene? But even though Gu Qianli believed her current thoughts, she still felt... a bit timid.

It's still too early. Maybe later... Maybe later...

Or... Maybe wait for Lin Qingshan to make the first move.

Gu Qianli thought with a twinkle in her eyes.

...

"Congratulations to *Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners* for winning the Golden Award at this year's Manga World Newcomer Awards!" Yang Dahai announced loudly at the ceremony. "Please welcome the author of *Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners*, Mr. Qingshan, to the stage to accept the award."

Yang Shuzhun sat in the audience, clapping along with the industry professionals around him. In a corner where no one noticed, he watched as Lin Qingshan, with a polite smile, walked up to the stage basked in light and admiration, and received the award symbolizing the title of "Newcomer King" from Yang Dahai's hands.

A mix of emotions swirled in his heart—envy, jealousy, and... a bit of bitterness.

If only... he could be the one receiving that award.

But, this time, the winner was not him.

Of the four works that competed in last year's Manga Newcomer Awards, one was cut short due to poor performance, while the other three finished their serialization. *Edgerunners* was naturally one of them, as it had taken over the weekly slot previously held by *The Gods Cannot Open*, so its serialization ended earlier. Following that, Yang Shuzhun's *Psychic Sorcerer* and another work also concluded their serialization recently after switching to weekly releases.

Yang Shuzhun felt a bit disheartened, but... he had to admit that, for now, he couldn't compare to Lin Qingshan. The genius who created *Edgerunners* was beyond his reach.

Perhaps he was slightly better than ordinary people, but when faced with such a true genius, he could only fade into the background, feeling insignificant and self-pitying.

"But..." A surge of determination welled up within Yang Shuzhun. "I won't lose again. I'll prove that I'm the monster destined to roar across the world!"

He felt that his gaze at that moment must have resembled that of a lion! His upcoming masterpiece *God Clan* was bound to be a great success!

[Translator: sauron]

On the stage, Lin Qingshan was unaware of Yang Shuzhun's thoughts. He simply accepted the award, gave a short speech, and then stepped down to share his joy with Itou Ayumi and Gu Qianli, who had accompanied him.

Yang Shuzhun, seeing Lin Qingshan and Gu Qianli chatting and laughing, felt a pang of envy once again. Lin Qingshan had such a beautiful girlfriend...

But... once he became famous, beautiful girls would like him too.

After awarding Yang Shuzhun and the other newcomer with their consolation prizes, this year's Newcomer Awards came to an end. However, next year's Newcomer Awards were already underway. The four newcomer manga artists who witnessed Lin Qingshan's success were all full of hope, hoping to follow in his footsteps and achieve fame with just one manga.

...

The success of *Edgerunners* and Lin Qingshan becoming the Newcomer King were just minor events. At this point, the award and the title of Newcomer King held little significance for *Edgerunners* and Lin Qingshan. Instead, the Manga Newcomer Awards needed *Edgerunners* and Lin Qingshan to prove their credibility.

*Chainsaw Man* continued its serialization, and in the meantime, Yang Shuzhun, who won the silver award, also began his second serialization in the manga magazine—*God Clan*.

In the third chapter of *Chainsaw Man*, a character who would later become very popular in the series—Aki Hayakawa—was introduced.

However... Denji and Aki's first encounter was far from friendly. Since Aki also liked Miss Makima, he took an immediate dislike to Denji. Plus, Denji initially behaved like a bit of a delinquent, which Aki, who was more serious, couldn't stand.

So, when Makima assigned Denji to Aki's team, Aki took Denji to a secluded alley and gave him a harsh beating. After beating Denji, Aki lit a cigarette, flicked the butt onto Denji, and coldly said, "Quit. If you show up tomorrow, I'll beat you again."

However, just when Aki thought he had settled things with Denji...

*Bam—!*

To the fans' shock, Denji hit Aki with a low blow from behind! Denji's knee slammed into Aki's groin, a pain that every man could feel just by watching.

This was the weak spot of all men, and not even a battle-hardened Devil Hunter like Aki could withstand it. He crumpled to the ground in agony.

But Denji, showing no mercy, said, "Senpai, you really are a kind person..."

"But!"

"When I fight a man, I always aim for the groin!"

He continued to strike Aki in the groin over and over, fighting in a completely dirty, thug-like manner—targeting the lower body.

Aki barely managed to stand, and the two continued to brawl.

Little did they know, they would soon become very close friends...

(End of Chapter)