"Hello, I'm Ōhara Nanako. We'll be working together from now on. If you ever have questions, feel free to ask me."
Hearing that name, Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. He couldn't help but recall a character from a classic anime he'd watched in his past life.
The girl in front of him really did resemble that character—bright eyes, pearly white teeth, the kind of beauty you'd call an actual anime heroine.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lin Yu. I look forward to working with you," Lin Yu replied with a polite smile, playing along with local customs. He didn't read too much into it—it was probably just a coincidence.
But Nanako, on the other hand, seemed a bit curious about his name.
"Judging from your name, are you... Chinese?"
"Yeah. My parents moved here with me a while back."
After exchanging names, Lin Yu followed Nanako's lead and got started with his new job at the small sushi restaurant.
Though calling it "busy" might've been a stretch. The tasks were simple enough—count plates after customers left, wipe down tables, clean the floors. All the technical stuff was handled by the owner.
After a modest staff meal at the restaurant, Lin Yu dove into his shift. The work might've been easy, but it was far from relaxing.
The place was packed. Customers came and went nonstop—especially tired salarymen looking to eat and drink their stress away. Lin Yu barely got a break. He felt like a human spinning top, constantly in motion.
And when Nanako clocked out and left, the pace only got more intense.
It wasn't until the last customer finally left that Lin Yu could breathe again.
The quiet moments were truly peaceful—but when things got busy, it was a complete storm.
By the end of his six-hour shift, Lin Yu had earned 4,200 yen. Not exactly a windfall, but enough to keep him going for a bit longer.
As he walked out of the restaurant, his whole body felt like it was floating.
It wasn't that his stamina was worse than a girl's—it was just that he hadn't eaten properly. Instant noodles and one free meal didn't exactly count as a balanced diet. Add in poor sleep, and his fatigue was completely understandable.
Heading home, Lin Yu didn't even spare a thought for the manuscript he'd meant to mail. Right now, all he wanted was to crash in bed and sleep like the dead.
The next morning, Lin Yu got up early. He grabbed the manuscript he'd forgotten to send yesterday, along with some drawing tools. After a decent breakfast—because yes, nutrition mattered—he headed back to the sushi shop.
Nanako was already there, cleaning the place and getting it ready for the day.
"Good morning, Lin-kun."
"Morning, Miss Ōhara."
Lin Yu changed into his uniform, and together they tidied up the restaurant in no time.
Taking advantage of the lull before customers arrived, Lin Yu pulled out his tools and began working on some manga panels on A4 paper.
He filled in screen tones and added blacks and whites with smooth, practiced motions.
Compared to how he was in the beginning, Lin Yu had clearly leveled up.
He planned to mail out the first chapter tonight, but during the day, he could use his downtime to prep a few extra pages—just in case.
During these quiet hours, even the boss didn't care if he drew manga at work. Things were pretty chill without customers around.
Nanako, who had been glancing over curiously, finally spoke up once Lin Yu paused to stretch his fingers.
"Lin-kun, are you a manga artist?"
Her voice snapped Lin Yu out of his thoughts.
"Not officially—let's just say I'm doing it for love, not money."
He said it lightly, but it was the harsh truth of the industry.
In an economy this bleak, only a tiny fraction of manga artists ever got noticed by publishers. Most were either complete failures or on their way there.
Manga was a form of entertainment, a luxury for when people had time and money. In times like these, the bar was higher than ever. Works that might've passed a few years ago were now just paper for the trash bin.
Most manga artists lived like Lin Yu's predecessor—struggling just to survive.
Nanako chuckled softly, but her eyes lingered on Lin Yu's unfinished pages, clearly impressed.
Even though Lin Yu was technically a beginner, the system's enhancements gave him a serious edge. His drawing speed alone was far above average.
But what really caught Nanako's attention… was the story.
"Lin-kun, this might be a bit sudden, but… can I take a look at your manga?"
Lin Yu smiled and handed over the manuscript.
It was just a small favor between coworkers—and honestly, Lin Yu was curious to see how girls in this world would react to Inuyasha. He had faith in the story, but getting early feedback never hurt.
The manuscript was just the first chapter—only a few pages long. It didn't take long to read through.
But as Nanako flipped through the pages, her eyes sparkled with awe.
A shrine maiden and a demon—that wasn't unfamiliar to someone who grew up in Japan.
But when those classic elements were combined with time travel, it created a concept that shook Nanako to her core.
A modern-day girl travels hundreds of years into the past?
Nanako had never encountered such a bizarre yet captivating idea before. And once the thought took root in her mind, it bloomed wildly.
A person from the modern world—thrown into the war-torn Sengoku era. What kind of clash would that bring with the world of demons?
The possibilities exploded in her mind, leaving her heart pounding with excitement.
Lin Yu, watching her face light up as she read, smiled.
Just from Nanako's reaction, he could tell—
Inuyasha was going to shake this world.
If she got to see more of the later story, Lin Yu knew she'd be even more hooked.
A lonely shrine maiden, isolated by fate.
A half-demon rejected by both humans and demons alike.
Different on the surface, yet bound by shared solitude and sorrow.
It was this very connection that would keep their story alive.
Minutes passed, and Nanako was still flipping back and forth through the same few pages.
"Miss Ōhara, what do you—"
Just as Lin Yu was about to ask for her thoughts, Nanako snapped out of her manga-induced trance.