Hey, guys! I've come back with a new one~ I'm hoping this one will go well. And don't worry; the others are being worked on right now!
My name is Kagamine Rin. Simply put, I'm a manga artist. This has been my job for about a year, somewhere a couple of weeks after I graduated from college. I really love my job, and it makes me happy to know that I have fans.
I'm meeting with my editor, Mikuo, today for editing my rough storyboard for Secret Admirer (it's not real!) The editor usually manages my time, calls from time to time about my progress, and obviously edits the dialogue, panels, or something so that the manga flows easier.
We met at a café that was in the city. I showed him my storyboard and he commented on it while making marks on mistakes or changes with a bold, red marker. Mikuo became my editor when I was about a month into my job. Both of us were still a bit new to the business, so we got along well after a couple of months of being overly formal to each other.
"Oh, Rin-san?" he said, getting to the final pages. "There's a book store around here called Yuzuru Book Store. All the manga books you've written sell really well there. Within this month, they've sold 48 copies of all the books in the SA series in total.
"W-wha—? For real?" I shook my head quickly. I was getting too excited. I straightened up again.
He laughed. "Yeah, so how about we visit them and thank the manager for selling our books?"
"Y-yeah, that would be great."
And so we did. After our meeting, both of us went to Yuzuru Book Store. Mikuo and I approached a man who looked like they worked at the store.
The man turned around and smiled at us. He had blonde hair with messy bangs and a little hair tied tightly in the back. "Hello, sir, ma'am. How may I help you?"
"Hello, but my name is Hatsune Mikuo and we're from Voca Publishing. Is it possible to see the manager?"
The man had a grin on his face and his cerulean eyes were on me. He flashed me smile before looking back at Mikuo. "I apologize, sir, but he left earlier. If you'd like, I can relay it to him." He pulled out a business card from his chest pocket. "My name is Kagamine Len. I'm in charge of this store's manga section." He held it in front of me which I took from him.
"Oh, great! This is Kagamine Rin, a manga artist. I'm her editor. See, our manga has been selling a lot in this store specifically. We'd like to thank you for selling our manga." Mikuo nudged me a little.
I knew what he was trying to tell me and I took out a business card of my own from my bag. I held it out to him. "My name is Kagamine Rin. It's so nice to meet you." I looked up at Len, who oddly gave me a smile as he took it. However, this smile was a little forced unlike the last one. I could see that he was sad, no matter how much he tried to hide behind his smile.
"It's not a problem, sir. You don't have to thank us. After all, it's you who makes the manga good. I simply recommend it to our customers and promote it."
"Y-yes," I began, "whenever someone promotes our merchandise, it helps us a bunch. So… thank you very much, Kagamine-kun."
He smiled sweetly. "If that's the case, then I'm happy to be of help to you. I've read Secret Admirer, Kagamine-san, and I really am a big fan. I can't wait for another volume."
"O-Oh, thank you…"
That series was actually based on something that happened to me in college. Back then, I had a secret admirer who left me small presents, flowers and notes in places I often went to. I found my presents at my desk and I even found notes in books that I borrowed from the library. It always made my day better to see a note. By the time I was in my final year, he was still my secret admirer.
It felt unreal, and it was.
This admirer was probably someone playing a trick on me. Simple as that. Being how I made it into a manga, I obviously had to think of what that admirer (if he were real) would be like and how it'd be if I found out.
Mikuo and I excused us to go home, but I went to another café instead. It was already late at night, and there weren't that many people there. I sat at a window chair and ordered some tea.
I looked down at the business card I placed neatly in my sketch book. Len really was good looking. He was any girl's ideal guy, but he wasn't mine. His smile looked too fake. He's just too positive for me.
Well, there's no time for that. I took out the storyboard and read through the red marks, noting in my sketchbook for myself. I looked out the window and saw rain pouring.
"Sir, would you like a towel?"
"Oh, thank you very much!"
W-wait, isn't that—
"Kagamine-san?" At the entrance, I saw Len receiving a towel and drenched from head to toe. When the towel was in his hands, he approached the table I was at as I closed my sketchbook. "I-I didn't expect to see you here."
"Same here. Are you okay, Kagamine-kun?"
"Totally! Just a bit wet is all! Is it okay to sit with you?" I told him okay and he took the seat across from me. He tossed his hair around with the towel. "Are you doing work?" he asked, looking at my pack of papers.
"O-oh… yeah, it's for Secret Admirer. Mikuo-san and I had a meeting before we went to the bookstore. I haven't had time to read most of it."
"It's so late and you're working this hard? A lot of work is put into manga, huh?"
"I gotta work hard, right? Besides, whenever I think of it I get really excited to draw a new page."
"You do? Why?"
I couldn't hold back and told him everything. "Don't tell anyone, but I had a secret admirer when I was in college. This is a place to easily vent my thoughts."
"Did you find him?"
"No, it was probably just some guys messing with me. Being how nerdy I was, messing with me was so irresi—"
"You weren't nerdy, Kagamine-san!"
His sudden outburst shocked me, as if his voice was the clapping thunder outside. "K-kagamine-kun?"
"You were never nerdy," he muttered, ignoring me and looking at me sternly. "You were confessed to almost every month. A bunch of boys crushed on you. You always told them that you weren't ready for a relationship."
"J-just a second, Kagamine-kun!"
He looked at the table in slight anger and regret. "I was the nerd getting picked on. They gave me false hopes and made fun of my baby face, girly body and milk bottle glasses." He looked at me again with that sad look. "You may not know me, but I know you, Kagamine-san."
"I-I got that already!" I exclaimed quickly. "B-but… how exactly do you know me? We went to the same college; I can tell, but…"
He inhaled, exhaled, and quietly said, "Kagamine-san, I was your secret admirer. I was in love with you, and I still am to this day."
… I'm sorry, but what?
Well, I tried. I will go away now. I may come back. Well enjoy your lives everyone~