Moritaka Mashiro slouched at his desk, chin on his arm. His right hand, which clutched the nib pen, was drawing invisible circles in the air.
Saturday.
The editor would be coming in the next morning to pick up the final pages. Then the chapter would be sent off to print for Monday's Jump.
It's early morning. I guess I can doze a bit before—
"Hey. Mashiro. What are you doing?" Kaya looked over at his desk, clearly irritated at his progress. Or lack of.
"Yeah yeah. I'm working." He sat straighter and inked the rest of the panel. Kaya's stare bored into his skull. Geh. On the other side of the room, Takagi was kneeling next to the row of assistants, trying to help with the inking. The young man looked up and smiled apologetically but shrugged. They exchanged weary glances, as they were in the same boat.
The reason for Kaya's mood? Takagi had gone drinking with Iwase and a few other classmates just last night. Mashiro had been invited, but he had a date with Azuki.
He sighed dreamily. Azuki… it'd been two months already since he had proposed to her. Now that their careers were really hitting it off, they saw each other every day.
"Quit living in your fantasies, you perv."
"Got it! Sheesh."
It's not that I can't sympathize with you, but ugh. Takagi, you jerk. Why did you meet up with Iwase without telling Kaya first?! You know she gets jealous easily!
His eyes wandered over to the calendar hanging on the wall under the clock. It was mid-December already. In two weeks, Jump would be on break, and he'd have time to get something for Azuki. He was impatient. The more he thought about Azuki's cheerful smile, the more he wanted to meet her.
I'm done.
He leaned back into the cushioned chair and stretched harder than he had stretched before.
"Here's the other page," one of his assistants said, and dropped in on his desk. He yawned and nodded, but didn't bother to look.
"Where are you going?" Takagi looked up briefly and adjusted his black-framed glasses. Kaya on the other hand, was about to follow up with another accusation.
"Out for a walk!" Mashiro didn't even finish putting his arm through the jacket sleeve hole as he pulled the door shut. He felt terrible, but there was really no way he could focus in that atmosphere. If they were short on time he could always pull an all-nighter.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stepped outside into the cold air.
"Yo. Moritaka."
Mashiro started, a little startled to be recognized in the middle of the Shueisha subway station. The voice was oddly familiar, but also strangely unpleasant. He glanced around, but shook his head, squared his shoulders, and kept walking, this time at a slightly faster pace.
"Moritaka!"
Who in the world is following me…
He looked behind him quickly to confirm his suspicions.
Nanamine Toru. Mashiro slowed as the former walked closer.
Nanamine. He looked the same as ever, with his reddish colored hair and smartly tailored jacket.
Mashiro stopped altogether. Steam clouded his view as he opened his mouth. "Ah, h-hey, Nanamine-kun. I uh, haven't seen you in a while…" he really hadn't seen him in half a year, ever since Nanamine was kicked out of Jump. He assumed a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head. "How's it going…?"
"Hmph." Nanamine walked beside him. "I haven't seen you in so long, and you totally ignore me when we meet. How rude of you."
YOU'RE the rude one. You didn't even address me with a –san, let alone my last name. But Mashiro kept his thoughts to himself.
"Where're you headed? Why don't you treat me to a drink?"
"I'm busy actually," Mashiro muttered.
"Oh yeah, isn't your manuscript due tomorrow? What're you doing outside? Meeting up with Azuki?" Nanamine said, smirking a little.
"I'm going on a walk," he answered dryly. "Anyway, what do you need me for?"
"Well, I want to let you know that I have totally given up on manga."
Mashiro looked at him doubtfully. Nanamine rushed on. "See, that last time we competed against each other was the last shot I had. I made a bet with my father that I'd win. Since I didn't, he's making me take over the family business. I was just playing with you anyway. Not like I needed to make a living. My talents are needed elsewhere in the world—"
Mashiro grabbed him by the collar. "You're giving up just like that? Did you forget everything in the last year?" His knuckles were white as they pressed against the fabric. "I know you're serious about manga! You can do better than this! You have to!" He had no idea why he was so annoyed by Nanamine's decision. It might have been for the better that Nanamine had given up. Even so, Mashiro felt like the young genius had a lot of wasted potential.
The red-head was now waving his hands frantically with a surprised look in his eyes. "Woah there, Mashiro- Senpai, let's calm down and talk it over elsewhere, OK?" He assumed the same polite smile he wore way back on his first day at Jump, the day he had deceived everyone. Mashiro relaxed his grip. Nanamine's eyes were looking around warily.
"Woah, look at that red-head. He's kinda cute. D'you think he's rich or something?"
"Yeah, but why's he arguing with that poor-looking guy? Wait, he looks kinda familiar. He's…" But Mashiro dragged Nanamine by the arm, away from the curious onlookers.
The two stopped at the bridge. Nanamine sat down on a bench, but Mashiro leaned over the railing and faced the river. He was not in the mood for compromise.
They stayed that way for a full minute. Nanamine finally ventured a middle ground.
"Erm, congrats on the thing with Azuki! To be honest, I was watching the TV when she won the voice actress poll for the PCP anime. Oh, how's that going?"
Mashiro let his question hang for a moment. He should have been amused by Nanamine's loss for words.
"Fine. The anime's just fine. We're thinking about starting another series. Because Nizuma Eiji-sensei will start his 'best manga in the world' soon, we have to make one that can beat him."
"Is that so…"
"Don't you feel anything at all?" Mashiro turned his head to face him. "Where did all your competitive spirit go? I thought you wanted to surpass us. Just call Kosugi-san, your editor. He's much more experienced than when you last saw him. He's matured a lot, and he's currently working with Iwase-san. With you talent in art and his suggestions, I'm sure the two of you can make a better team than before—"
"Kosugi. Heh. Forget that guy. In fact, Jump doesn't even want me. Don't lump me with him."
"Don't criticize your editor! He tried so hard for your sake—"
"Bah! Yadda yadda yadda. Cut the crap. I've heard it so many times already. Do you honestly think I can return to Jump? I'll only go back in shame. I'll have to put up doing things by the rules. That's just not my style, following those stupid rules. You don't know a thing about marketing. If you hadn't ruined my plans, I'd be running a pretty lucrative manga-making business right about now."
"Start over then. In Jump. We'll fight fairly."
"Ain't happenin'."
The two glared at each other. A bicyclist sped by. Mashiro straightened and pulled his jacket around him tighter. "Anyway, I bet you're just scared you can't beat Takagi and me. You know, you have the right to be. Our new series is gonna be another psychological-mystery. Even Hattori-san said it was better than anything we've made before."
He heard the bench creak as Nanamine leaned forward.
"I ain't falling fer yer tricks," he muttered. "I can take ya just fine."
Mashiro took his response as an optimistic sign.
"How about this: I'll play you in Shiritori. If you win, I'll admit defeat."
"Fine." He kicked a pebble toward Mashiro. "You start."
"Hmm. Sakura." Mashiro shifted his weight onto the other foot.
"Rajio."
"Onigiri!"
"Risu."
"Sumou!"
"Mo… mora!"
"What the heck is that!"
"Argh! Udon!"
"Forget it, you lost. Udon lost too." Mashiro chuckled and kicked the pebble back.
"Absolutely not. This doesn't even make any sense; since we're talking about manga, then we need to compete in something related," Nanamine said gruffly. He was no longer looking too cool.
This guy just doesn't know when to give up. "Stop being silly. We're competing so that I can get you to compete in drawing manga with us. The preliminary match can't be related."
"Peh." Nanmine was grinning.
"What?"
"Never knew you could get so verbally heated over such a small matter."
Mashiro stiffened. "This is not a trivial matter!" But he grumbled and stopped talking.
"Fine fine. Let's do this last bet and leave it to the gods to decide. I'll flip this coin." The boy (Mashiro still considered him a boy, as he himself was already in his mid-twenties and getting married) pulled out a 5 yen coin and held it up. "Heads, I win. Tails, you do."
"Fine."
"Hold on." Nanamine stopped. "By heads, is it the side with the picture or—"
"Just flip it already!" Mashiro was ready to leave. They'd been outside for half an hour already.
"Here goes." Nanamine flicked his thumb upward. Mashiro heard a clink as the shiny piece flew in the air.
He didn't even have time to pray.
As they watched, the coin stopped on its way down. Or more specifically, it was stopped by Takagi.
"H-Hey! What do you think you—"
"Yeah! Takagi! We were just in the middle of something impor—"
"What the hell are you two doing out here?" But Takagi grinned. "Nanamine, just take up Mashiro's challenge. Even I'm up for it. I heard your conversation," he said, answering the two's questioning glances.
Mashiro smiled. "Exactly! Kosugi-san'll be happy to have you again. I'll throw in a few words with the chief editor. C'mon, you can't let your talent go wasted, you said so yourself before."
A train rumbled in the distance. It was getting late. Mashiro thought he saw some white specks floating in the wind. Snow?
He glanced at his friend. Sorry Takagi.
It's OK, I needed to get away from Kaya for a moment too, his look said.
Nanamine scowled and pulled up his collar. "Urgh. You two are so persistent. If that's what you want, fine. But I'm not gonna put up with Kosugi's crap. If he speaks against me, I'm gonna leave permanently."
"Sure, sure," Mashiro assured him. "As long as our old rival's back."
Nanamine seemed a little taken aback by Ashirogi Muto's synchronized grins. He looked at the two suspiciously.
"Hmph. Well, don't think I'm gonna be friendly with you two again. From now on, we're rivals. No, we're not. I'm better than you. I'll take 1st in next week's rankings."
"Next week?"
"Of course. I'll whip up a manuscript with this great brain of mine in less than a week. You can count on it."
Mashiro shook his head as Nanamine walked away without a backward glance. He was incredulous. "How is he so full of himself?"
"Heh."
Mashiro looked up. "What're you laughing about?"
"Look here."
Takagi unclenched his mitten. On it lay Nanamine's 5 yen.
It was tails up.