Chapter 24: The Ultimate Goal: 100 Mangas Before Retirement!
Kaoru slammed his hands on the table, eyes burning with the fire of a thousand chuunibyo suns. His cape (which he had definitely bought after the karaoke session) swayed dramatically behind him as he declared:
"I, Kaoru Kagami no, Erebus Kyrielight, shall create 100 mangas before my inevitable retirement!"
Aya, who was quietly sipping tea, paused mid-sip and stared at him. "A hundred? Seriously?"
Kaede leaned forward, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Wait, wait, wait! What's so special about the last one?"
Kaoru raised a finger toward the ceiling as if channeling divine wisdom. "The final manga… will be a masterpiece. A story that transcends time, space, and reality itself!!"
Naoki adjusted his glasses. "uhmm.. you know That sounds… kind of impossible."
Kaoru scoffed. "Impossible? No such word exists in my dictionary. And if it did, I'd tear that page out!"
Aya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you even have enough ideas for 100 mangas?"
Kaoru flashed a confident grin. "Of course. I have ideas that could fill the Akashic Records themselves! Behold-" He dramatically pulled out a notebook titled Kaoru's Super Ultra Genius Manga Ideas Vol. IX.
Kaede's eyes widened. "Wait, Volume Nine?!"
Takeshi, who had just arrived with Emi in tow, raised an eyebrow. "Should we be concerned?"
Emi, as usual, chewed her bubblegum in silence, observing the chaos with an air of complete disinterest.
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Scene 1 Action!: Kaoru's "Genius" Manga Ideas!
Kaoru flipped through the notebook, his eyes gleaming. "Alright, get ready to witness brilliance."
Aya rolled her eyes. "Here we go…"
Kaoru cleared his throat. "Idea #37: Revenge of the Mecha Maidens! An elite squad of android maids fights to reclaim their lost honor after being falsely accused of breaking the Galactic Teapot Treaty."
Kaede gasped, Then.. she screamed her lungs out. (Literally) "That… actually sounds.. SOO COOLLL AND CUTE!!! OMFGG!! AHH!!"
Aya frowned. "How is that even remotely realistic?"
Kaoru shrugged. "It's called suspension of disbelief, Aya. Look it up."
Naoki tilted his head. "What about a romance series? You know, something grounded and heartwarming?"
Kaoru laughed. "Grounded? Please. I already have one of those Petals Beneath the Moonlight is my ultimate romance series. But…" He leaned closer, voice dropping into a dramatic whisper. "My final manga will combine every genre. Romance, action, mystery, isekai, time travel, chuunibyo energy-"
Aya smacked his head with a rolled-up manuscript. "Stop saying 'chuunibyo energy' like it's a literary device."
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SCENE 2 ACTION!!: Romantic Failures (Again..)
As Kaoru rambled on about his grand ambitions, Aya found herself watching him not in the usual way, but with a flicker of something else. "I'm going to kill this idiot.."
He was so passionate when he talked about his dreams. So… dedicated.
And yet, so completely and utterly dense.
Kaoru grinned, flipping to another page. "Idea #82: The Tsundere Detective Chronicles! A cold-hearted detective who blushes every time she interrogates a suspect."
Aya sighed. "You based that on me, didn't you?"
Kaoru blinked. "What? No way! The Tsundere Detective is way colder than you."
Aya scowled. "I'm literally sitting right here."
Kaede giggled. "Big bro, you're really clueless."
Kaoru crossed his arms. "Nonsense! I am hyper-aware of my surroundings."
Takeshi smirked, leaning back in his seat. "Right. Which is why you've accidentally friendzoned Aya about fifty times now."
Kaoru blinked, confused. "Friendzoned? What are you talking about? Aya and I are friends. That's why it's called a friendship!"
Aya twitched. "I'm going to seriously throw you out the window."
Emi, who had been silent this whole time, exhaled through her nose. "How do you guys put up with this every day?"
Kaede shrugged. "We're used to it."
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Scene 4 Action!: Emi Strikes Back!
Takeshi, feeling bold, nudged Emi's side. "So, how's the greatest girlfriend ever doing?"
Emi turned her cold gaze toward him. (She was blushing inside.) "You still owe me f-for.. giving me that figure in that arcade..."
Takeshi chuckled nervously. "Right, right. I'll make it up to you."
Kaoru snickered. "Man, Takeshi, I didn't think you'd turn into the whipped protagonist of a rom-com."
Takeshi grinned. "Jealous?"
Kaoru stood up dramatically. "Jealous?! Ha! I am Erebus Kyrielight, the architect of worlds! Who needs a romantic partner when I have 100 manga to create?!"
Aya muttered under her breath, "You're going to die alone."
"Soo we ain't gonna talk about everyone spied on both emi and takeshi's date..? Definitely not me, Hmph." (Narrator)
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Scene 5 Action!: Kaoru's Insane Motivation RAHHH!!
Kaede clapped her hands. "So.. Big bro, how far are you from your goal?"
Kaoru puffed out his chest. "With Petals Beneath the Moonlight, I've officially completed four. That means I only have… ninety-six to go!"
Aya sighed. "You're going to burn out before you reach twenty."
Kaoru pointed at her dramatically. "Nonsense! My power only grows stronger! I will write through every obstacle no, through destiny itself!"
Naoki smiled softly. "I think it's kind of inspiring."
Takeshi chuckled. "Inspiring or insane? Hard to tell."
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Scene 6 Action! The Gang's Day Out & Absolute Chaos!
Eventually, Kaoru decided to celebrate his "100 manga" ambition with a group trip to the local shopping district.
Kaede bounced around from store to store, dragging Naoki along to look at anime figures. Emi, despite her usual aloofness, made Takeshi carry all her shopping bags.
Aya tried (and failed) to convince Kaoru not to buy yet another black trench coat.
"It's for my brand, Aya.." Kaoru insisted.
Aya glared. "You're already wearing one!"
"Pretty plwaseee~~"
"No."
A Small, Quiet Moment..
At one point, while the others were distracted by a claw machine, Kaoru and Aya found themselves alone at a café table.
Aya glanced at him. "So… do you actually plan on reaching 100 mangas?"
Kaoru grinned. "Of course. It's not just about the number it's about leaving something behind. A legacy."
Aya hesitated. "And the last one… will it really be that special?"
Kaoru's smile softened. "Yeah. The last one will be a story no one ever forgets."
For a brief moment, the chuunibyo act slipped. Aya saw not the over-the-top idiot, but the real Kaoru the guy who poured everything he had into his stories.
She opened her mouth to say something… but Kaoru, as always, ruined it.
"Maybe it'll be about a editor who falls in love with a genius mangaka!"
Aya grabbed her iced coffee. "I'm pouring this on your head."
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Scene 7 Action!: The Spy Observers Return!
As the sun set and the group reunited, Kaoru stretched his arms wide. "And thus begins my journey to 100 masterpieces!"
Takeshi smirked. "I give you two years before you crash and burn."
Kaoru pointed dramatically. "You underestimate my power!"
Kaede giggled. "This is going to be fun to watch."
Emi simply rolled her eyes, popping another bubble with her gum.
And from the shadows..
(Narrator) sighed.
"Oh great, another hundred chapters of this f**king chaos…" this is why we mute the narrator.
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End of Chapter Twenty-four.