Chapter 26: 94 More to Go!
Kaoru sat at his desk, spinning his pen between his fingers, deep in thought.
His sixth manga.
His brain had been cycling through a million different ideas, but nothing stuck. He needed something fresh, something that would shake the manga world to its core!
His eyes flicked to his whiteboard, where he'd written down all his previous works:
1. Blades of Eternity – Shonen battle manga.
2. Shadow Empress Ragnarok – Dark fantasy with overpowered characters.
3. Azure Nightfall Chronicles – Sci-fi cyberpunk fantasy action.
4. Petals Beneath the Moonlight – Romance, drama.
5. ??? – ???
Kaoru tapped the end of his pen against his chin. "Hmmm…"
A romance manga was technically an option again… but then he grimaced, shaking his head violently.
"Nah! I'd be terrible at romance! I'm neva doing that again!"
Aya, who had been quietly sipping tea beside him, nearly choked. "You already wrote one."
Kaoru dramatically pointed a finger in the air. "And it was a one-time thing! Never again shall I walk the accursed path of romance! It is a world far too complex for a mere mortal such as myself!"
Aya rolled her eyes. "Translation: You're scared you'll suck at it."
Kaoru crossed his arms. "Tch. As if! I just don't feel like writing romance."
Aya smirked. "Sure."
Kaoru turned back to his whiteboard, trying to ignore her teasing.
---
Scene 1 Action!: Brainstorming Chaos!
(Kaoru's braincells went down.) From Narrator.
Kaoru started pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself.
"What if… a detective story? No, that's too much research… Maybe a magical girl series? Wait, no, I'd probably make it too dark… Oh! A mecha story! Wait, do I even know how to draw mechas?"
Aya sighed, watching him spiral into madness.
"You're literally overthinking it."
Kaoru spun around. "Of course I'm overthinking it! This is my sixth manga! It has to be special! It has to be different! It has to be-"
Aya threw a crumpled piece of paper at his face. "Just... write something!!!"
Kaoru groaned, rubbing his forehead. "You don't get it, Aya… This is art! You don't rush art!"
Aya raised an eyebrow. "Says the guy who once wrote an entire volume of Blades of Eternity in two days while hyped on energy drinks."
Kaoru coughed. "That… was different."
Aya smirked. "Was it?"
---
Scene 2 Action!: Master of Accidental Romance.
While Kaoru continued his internal battle, Aya absentmindedly flipped through the pages of Petals Beneath the Moonlight.
"You know, this wasn't actually bad." she admitted.
Kaoru blinked. "Huh?"
She held up the book. "This. Your romance manga."
Kaoru stared at it like it was a cursed object. "That thing?"
Even though Kaoru unknowingly made the manga based on him and Aya. (Narrator)
"Yes, that thing." Aya leaned back. "It actually had good emotional depth, well developed characters… and the romance was decent."
Kaoru scratched his cheek. "I-I mean… I guess it turned out okay…"
Aya smirked. "Tch. And yet here you are, refusing to try another one."
Kaoru pouted. "It's not that simple! I just romance is weird, okay? People catch feelings, say dumb stuff, do dumb things, and suddenly they're writing poetry at 3 AM about their crush's hair or something!"
Aya chuckled. "Sounds like you have experience."
Kaoru immediately turned red. "D-DON'T ASSUME THINGS!"
Aya tilted her head. "So there was someone?"
Kaoru turned even redder. "l-I didn't say that!"
Aya smirked. "Interesting."
Kaoru groaned. "This is why I stick to action and fantasy…"
Aya rolled her eyes. "Coward."
Kaoru twitched. "O-oi! Who are you calling a coward?!"
Aya took a slow sip of her tea. "You."
Kaoru slumped onto the table, defeated. "Romance is hard..."
Aya leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand. "It's only hard if you overthink it."
Kaoru peeked at her. "…Is that your way of telling me to just write another romance manga?"
Aya smirked. "Maybe."
Kaoru groaned again. "WHY IS EVERYONE FORCING ME INTO ROMANCE?!"
---
Scene 3 Action!: Naoki & Kaede's 'Brilliant' Suggestions.
At some point, Naoki and Kaede entered Kaoru's apartment, bringing snacks because they sensed his creative struggle.
Kaede chomped on some chips. "Dude, just write an isekai again."
Kaoru shook his head. "I already did one. Azure Nightfall Chronicles."
Naoki adjusted his glasses. "How about horror?"
Kaoru deadpanned. "You know I can't write horror. I'd just end up making the ghosts hot."
Aya choked on her drink. "What?"
Kaoru crossed his arms. "What? It's a thing! People like that kind of stuff."
Kaede snorted. "Big bro got a point."
Naoki sighed. "Okay, how about a comedy manga?"
Kaoru blinked. "Huh."
Aya narrowed her eyes. "You're already living in one."
Kaoru ignored her. "Comedy… is an option…"
Kaede grinned. "Yeah! You could just write about yourself! Call it The Life adventures of a Genius Mangaka!"
Kaoru groaned. "No way. I'd get canceled."
Aya smirked. "Tempting."
Naoki sighed. "Then maybe just… write whatever feels right?"
Kaoru blinked.
"…Whatever feels right?"
Naoki nodded. "Yeah. You're overcomplicating it. Just go with what you enjoy."
Kaoru sat back, staring at his whiteboard. Maybe… Maybe Naoki was onto something. "He isn't." (Narrator)
---
Scene 4 Action!: A New Idea Sparks…
Later that night, as everyone had left, Kaoru sat alone at his desk, staring at a blank sheet of paper.
His mind swirled with ideas.
Fantasy? Sci-fi? A mix of both?
…Or something entirely new?
He picked up his pen.
For the first time in hours, he stopped thinking and just started writing.
No overthinking. No second-guessing.
Just… creating.
He didn't know if it would be his next masterpiece, but something about it felt right.
And as he wrote, he couldn't help but smirk.
"94 more to go, huh?"
This was going to be one hell of a journey.
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End of Chapter twenty six.