Chapter 51: I won't ask anymore.
The readers were too real, so Izumi Chihiro had no choice but to close the comment section.
The quality of this volume hadn't improved, and the writing style was as usual. Although it still received good reviews, there was no real highlight because fans were already quite familiar with this style.
However, Sagiri's performance was outstanding.
Although she wasn't skilled in drawing action scenes, she had gained some experience in portraying beautiful characters in static poses.
The public's reaction this time also indirectly proved this point.
"Sagiri, you did great!"
During breakfast, Izumi Chihiro brought up the matter and praised his sister profusely.
"It seems I finally helped Ni-san..."
Sagiri's smile became even brighter, both charming and innocently cute.
"Of course, Sagiri's efforts are no less than yours, Chihiro. She deserves this improvement."
Mrs. Izumi gently ruffled her daughter's hair, also offering encouragement.
Sagiri thoroughly enjoyed it.
This was the result she had always hoped for, and now it was showing some small success.
She painted whenever she had time, reduced her beloved anime-watching time, and even pondered during class... Such sacrifices finally paid off!
...
On a long bench in the train, the two were sitting together.
"Chihiro, you're not thinking of ending it, are you?"
The blonde twin-tailed girl asked.
"Eriri, you figured it out?"
He slightly tilted his head.
"What kind of question is that? Do you really take me for a fool? As a seasoned creator, can't I even understand such a simple plot!"
Eriri showed a proud look.
It was as if she was asking: Are you looking down on me, Eriri?
"Yes, the upcoming Infinity Castle arc will be the ending. It's probably only two volumes, and I don't plan to drag it out."
Izumi Chihiro gave his answer.
"Is that so? Finishing it so soon feels a bit regrettable... But, it has nothing to do with me anyway! If you want to end it early, then end it early! I just fear you'll regret it when your next new work immediately flops."
Eriri crossed her arms and pouted.
She acted as if she didn't care, but in reality, she felt it was a pity from all aspects.
Although it was spoken in anger, her concerns were actually quite valid.
Sometimes, creating a popular work requires not only inherent skill but also a certain amount of luck.
You might write a good work, but your next one might not be as good, or even become a laughingstock.
[So-and-so, his new work flopped again!]
This is especially true for authors who want to change their style.
Therefore, many famous authors usually only have one or two famous works, with other works just making up the numbers. So, to make money, they tend to milk the successful works.
For example, romance works can have multiple routes written, because in many works, besides the main heroine, the defeated candidates are also very popular.
It's perfectly reasonable to make money for some minor, insignificant reputation, isn't it?
"A new work is too early, it will probably take another four or five months. I haven't thought that far yet; right now, I just want to properly finish demon slayer."
Izumi Chihiro replied while recalling in his mind.
In the original work of his previous life, the ending was actually not very good. Kibutsuji Muzan, as the Demon King, lacked unique characteristics, and his attack methods were weak, far less impactful than those of Upper Rank One and Upper Rank Two.
Although, this actually always aligned with Kibutsuji Muzan's personal setting—he was just a piece of human trash who only cared about surviving and had no regard for dignity.
Of course, if this ending is compared to those works from memory where the middle-to-late stages completely fell apart and were disgusting, then there's definitely no problem.
In that era, people had already realized that a work being able to end normally was already quite remarkable; a slightly less satisfying experience was just that.
However, for Izumi Chihiro, such avoidable problems could still be resolved.
There's no need to change Kibutsuji Muzan's personality; villains don't necessarily need charisma, nor do they need to appear profound.
After all, in the setting, he's just a 'medical dispute patient' who got lucky and became the progenitor of demons, so his flaws are perfectly understandable.
The most important thing is the battle narrative; he needs to redesign the entire battle process between Kibutsuji Muzan and the Demon Slayer Corps…
He gradually fell into deep thought.
"We've arrived! Chihiro, what are you thinking about so intently?"
Eriri, with a handbag in one hand, patted his shoulder vigorously with the other and boasted, "If I weren't here, you'd probably be late today because you missed your stop."
"Thank you for the reminder, Eriri. You really helped me out a lot today."
Izumi Chihiro snapped back to reality, stood up, and thanked her.
"What's there to thank me for?"
Eriri raised an eyebrow, hinting at something with her rhetorical question.
"How about this, after school this afternoon, I'll treat you to a bubble tea."
He offered tentatively.
"Bubble tea? Do you think I can't afford it? And we're already in our second year, still drinking bubble tea… Chihiro, are you trying to coax a child?"
Eriri said with a flippant tone.
"Just tell me if you want it or not."
Izumi Chihiro's expression became serious.
"It's not like it's impossible… That bubble tea shop just got new flavors, so we can try them."
Eriri's expression was quite 'reluctant'.
…
After school that afternoon.
The two agreed on a time, took the same train, and after arriving at their stop, went to a bubble tea shop they were both familiar with.
After he paid for two new bubble teas, they walked towards the street where Detective Slope was located.
"Hoo…"
Eriri took a sip from her straw, the fragrant bubble tea hitting her taste buds, making her show a satisfied expression.
Indeed, bubble tea bought by someone else tastes even better.
"By the way, Chihiro, how much in manuscript fees do you have now?"
She suddenly thought of this and turned to ask.
"I'm not sure."
Izumi Chihiro shook his head.
Because he didn't use money much, he wasn't aware of how much he had saved.
"Then how many copies have you sold already?"
Eriri's eyes lit up, and she continued to ask.
"Let me see, probably around five hundred thousand copies already…"
He hesitated for a moment.
"Gulp… Ah."
The girl felt a pang in her chest.
"What's wrong, Eriri?"
He asked with a puzzled expression.
"Nothing, nothing, maybe I got sand in my eye."
Eriri was on the verge of tears.
It's already that much? How many doujinshi do I have to sell to catch up!
Is this the advantage of being in the mainstream?
Being a doujinshi artist is really too hard…
Forget it, I won't ask about sales anymore; it only hurts me!