Over time, he completely forgot about the whole situation.
Unexpectedly, today when Nanako came over, she saw those things.
The miko outfit wasn't too bad, but that bandeau... that was a bit awkward...
"Lin-kun's preferences seem... a bit... special?" Nanako said with a slight blush, after thinking for a while for a more appropriate word, as she looked at Lin Yu's awkward expression.
Seeing Nanako like this, Lin Yu never expected that a type of social embarrassment he had never experienced in his past life would actually be something he would face in this one.
He wanted to explain, but there wasn't much to say.
Just as the atmosphere became a bit tense, Lin Yu had a sudden thought and grabbed the drawing manuscript in his hands.
"Special?"
"You mean that miko outfit?"
"I specifically went to find someone to buy it because I'm not very familiar with shrine miko culture, and since I had to draw Kikyo..."
Lin Yu tried to explain calmly. After all, this was related to his reputation.
He didn't want to end up with a label of someone into cosplay or something similar in his friends' minds.
Hearing Lin Yu's words, Nanako paused for a moment, then nodded as if everything made sense.
Now that she thought about it, Lin Yu wasn't an entirely Neon-born person, he had come from another place as a child. It was normal that he wasn't familiar with shrine miko culture.
Given how down on his luck Lin Yu was back then, he probably didn't have access to the internet to research this, so resorting to buying a prop for reference made sense.
This kind of thing was common for novelists and manga artists.
Her father, Ohara Shirou, sometimes even went to a location to get first-hand knowledge just to understand a scene better.
"Sorry, Lin-kun, I thought..."
Nanako said, embarrassed, turning her face away.
Lin Yu nodded calmly, signaling that it was okay.
At times like this, as long as he wasn't embarrassed, the one who felt awkward was the other person.
Lin Yu was well-versed in this.
"No worries, Nanako, if you like it, you can have the miko outfit. It should count as Inuyasha's first merchandise."
Lin Yu smiled and quickly moved the topic along, handing over the drawing manuscript.
Nanako took the manuscript, her expression changing slightly, showing interest.
"Can I really have it?"
"Yeah, of course. Kikyo is already drawn, so this miko outfit has already served its purpose."
Lin Yu, counting on Nanako not knowing the full story, spoke without hesitation.
But then he thought, if Nanako wore the miko outfit, it would probably look really good on her.
Compared to Lin Yu's past life where online shopping was so convenient, in this time period in Neon, special outfits like this weren't easy to buy.
They weren't found in regular stores, and even in shrines, you'd rarely see miko outfits unless it was during a big festival.
Although it wasn't anything particularly rare, it still had great appeal for Nanako, who was a big fan of Inuyasha.
After all, Kikyo, her favorite character, wore that miko outfit and was so heroic in her archery battles against demons—it left a deep impression on her.
"Thank you, Lin-kun. By the way, what was it that you wanted me to discuss with the editorial department?" Nanako asked.
After getting past the awkward moment with the miko outfit, the atmosphere returned to its usual lighthearted tone.
After Nanako reviewed the drawing manuscript, Lin Yu clarified his thoughts with her, and they made plans to meet up with Kanda Tori-nin in a couple of days.
That evening, everything ended on a positive note.
Watching Nanako leave happily with the miko outfit, Lin Yu couldn't help but smile.
"Hello, Lin-kun, we've just arrived downstairs. You can come out now."
Lin Yu, still absorbed in his drawing manuscript, was brought back to his senses when he received Nanako's call.
He had agreed to meet up with them tonight.
After quickly organizing the drawings, he changed his clothes and rushed out the door.
There, standing at the entrance, were Nanako and Kanda Tori-nin.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting. I was so focused on the manuscript that I lost track of time..." Lin Yu apologized.
"It's no problem, we just got here too."
Nanako smiled warmly, and Kanda Tori-nin waved it off.
"It's okay, don't worry about it."
The group laughed and chatted as they walked towards the commercial street.
Having spent nearly half a month inside, Lin Yu felt like he was stepping out into a whole new world.
"Lin-kun, about what you mentioned last time, I talked to the editorial department," Nanako said.
"They said they'll wait until the third chapter is finished and see how it does before deciding. So, you might have to wait a little longer."
The last time Nanako came to get the manuscript, Lin Yu had suggested updating two chapters a week, or possibly more.
Nanako had dutifully brought it up with the editorial department.
However, adjusting the schedule for a hugely successful weekly magazine was a complicated task.
If they increased the length of Inuyasha, it would mean cutting back on other manga.
This was something that had to be considered, and for a manga artist, even completing one chapter a week was already a rush.
Pushing for two chapters a week while maintaining quality was still a point of doubt for the editorial department.
After all, Lin Yu was a solo manga artist, not part of a whole team.
Moreover, with Inuyasha's current success, rushing to meet quantity demands at the cost of quality would be a huge risk for the magazine.
Inuyasha had become a rising star, bringing fresh life to the Weekly Shonen Jump.
In today's era, it was a rare gem. The editorial department was understandably cautious about Lin Yu's proposal.
They wanted to observe his work speed and quality before making a final decision.
Lin Yu nodded, not feeling disappointed. If he were in the editorial department's shoes, he would make the same choice.
This also showed how much they valued Inuyasha.
"It's fine, I understand the editorial department's position. Thanks for taking the trouble, Nanako."
"Being your editor, this is no trouble at all, Lin-kun. Don't be so polite."
As they walked, Lin Yu gestured to a café up ahead.
"It's still early. How about we stop in for a drink?"
As they were talking, they passed by a bookstore on the side of the street. Nanako smiled and said,
"Let's save the café for later. Don't you want to see how popular your manga is?"