[213] Not Treating Us Like Brothers? Now You’re Keeping Secrets From Us!
"Alright, alright, I'm going now... I almost finished here, just wait for me for a bit!"
Akifumi sighed, a hint of helplessness on his face as he hung up the phone call from Eriri.
"This time, it's taking unusually long."
Muttering to himself, he quickly brushed off the thought.
Eriri and Mahiru had only started acting strange last year.
They'd been through countless situations over the years without trouble—surely, this wouldn't be any different.
With their level of caution, it wasn't his place to worry about them.
Rather than waste time overthinking, it was better to finish up the task at hand.
His eyes flicked back to the screen. He meticulously checked the packed file three more times.
Once he was sure everything was in order, he took a deep breath and clicked the send button.
"Damn it, I've been in this industry for a year now. I should be a veteran at this point. So why do I still feel this weird nervousness?"
Akifumi chuckled at himself, shaking off the unease.
Although he had written scripts before, this was the first time he was submitting one for a competition.
It was like reliving the moment he first submitted a manuscript to Shueisha a year ago.
Even though he knew his work was good, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
But with 128 available spots, surely his writing wasn't bad enough to miss out on all of them, right?
With that thought, he finally managed to relax.
Still, he wasn't going to spend the entire day working—today was a special occasion.
After all, it had been 18 years since he arrived in this world!
"Time sure flies."
A hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes as he changed into casual clothes for going out.
Even if he wanted to stay home, the girls wouldn't allow it—not on a day like this.
"They even said they had a surprise planned. I wonder what it is."
Recalling how Mahiru and Eriri blushed and averted their eyes a few days ago, Akifumi had a strange feeling about it. His anticipation grew.
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Meanwhile, somewhere else…
"What a waste of a weekend."
Tanaka sighed as he fiddled with his phone, bored out of his mind.
His thoughts drifted back to two, three, even four months ago.
Sure, his wallet had been suffering back then—so much so that he had to work several part-time jobs just to stay afloat. But those were still enjoyable times!
Now? His favorite mangaka was only releasing one volume per month. The painfully slow pace made him scoff.
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"And to think we trusted you, you damn bastard! How did your updates become so short and weak all of a sudden!?"
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Readers were like men—always falling for the next pretty girl they saw.
But for other mangaka were even worse, only releasing one chapter a week! It was like they were scraping words out from between their teeth!
After getting used to Akifumi's feast-like releases—several volumes at once—how could he go back to nibbling on breadcrumbs?
"It's not even enough to make me take my pants off!"
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Suddenly, a message popped up in the "Love & Hope Enthusiasts" chat group.
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"Damn! Sensei is stirring up trouble again!!"
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Tanaka's eyes sharpened. At the sight of the words "stirring up trouble," he didn't feel fear—he felt excitement!
Everyone knew that if a celebrity got involved in "trouble," they were probably doomed.
But if it was the old thief? There were only three possibilities:
New work!
New work!!
NEW WORK!!!
His heart pounded, his hands trembled.
Rather than rely on hearsay, he had to see it with his own eyes!
But…
"Nothing!?"
Tanaka blinked in confusion at his screen.
The SNS account "Warrior of Love and Hope" still had its latest post from late May—the one promoting Akame.
Everyone knew that whenever the old thief stirred up trouble, he would post about it. No updates meant one thing—
He wasn't stirring up anything!
Tanaka's anger skyrocketed.
His weekend was already miserable, and now some liar was messing with him? Unacceptable!
Back in the chat, more messages flooded in.
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"No update, and you say sensei is up to something?"
"Do you think lying about this is funny?"
"Admin, I suggest kicking this guy out!"
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Tanaka's fury cooled down at the sight of the mob's reaction.
"Glad to see everyone's on the same page."
Still, it wouldn't feel right if he didn't join in.
Just as he was about to send his own elegant and refined criticism, the so-called liar sent another message.
Attached was a screenshot. Below it was a caption.
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Screenshot: Title - "CLANNAD," Author - Warrior of Love and Hope
"Guys, I swear I'm not making this up!! Just look at the author's name! With how famous the old thief is, who else would dare impersonate him?!"
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!!
Could it be…!?
Tanaka was stunned.
Without hesitation, he deleted the message he had been typing and immediately sent a new one.
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"Where did you see this?! When?!"
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The chat exploded.
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"Did I wake up too fast? Is this real?!"
"Unforgivable! Sensei, how dare you keep this from us?!"
"Link! NOW! Don't make me beg!!"
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[Admin has enabled slow mode.]
Admin: "Calm down, everyone! You're spamming too fast! Let the guy speak!"
"Now that I've silenced everyone, tell us everything!"
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A minute passed.
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Admin: "??"
"WHERE DID HE GO!?"
"Damn it, say something already!!"
"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! I'M ABOUT TO SHAVE MY HEAD RIGHT HERE!"
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Another minute passed.
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Admin: "Big bro, please! Just tell us!"**
"I was too loud earlier, I'm sorry! Forgive me, I beg you!"
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Tanaka stared at the messages, frustration building.
Everyone was desperate for information, which was understandable.
But…
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"At least unmute him first, you idiot admin!!"
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