Chapter 149: It Seems Someone Was Forgotten
Looking at Eriri, who was earnestly pleading with him, Kaede said with a happy smile, "Why do you hate green peppers so much, Eriri? They're a really tasty vegetable."
"I just don't like the taste!"
"Hmm~~ Alright then. But you can't be picky about any other vegetables, understood?"
"Hehe, as long as there are no green peppers, I'm fine!"
Seeing Kaede agree, Eriri was overjoyed.
For breakfast, the two of them simply bought two rice balls and milk from a convenience store along the way to tide them over, planning to find a place for a big meal at noon.
"As for Jump, many bookstores big and small carry it, but to gauge the reaction of the long-time fans on release day, we definitely need to go to a larger bookstore."
Eriri said this after they left the convenience store.
While they were in the store just now, she had seen a few copies of the newly stocked Jump, but none of the other customers besides them had bought one, and there was no discussion about the new manga here.
Kaede nodded in agreement. "The big bookstore nearby is two stops away. It's always very popular, so let's go there."
Finishing their breakfast on the way, the two took the train directly to the destination bookstore.
This store not only sold various manga magazines and tankobons, light novel, and even some anime and games. It could be said to be the most comprehensive store for merchandise in the area.
When they arrived, the bookstore was already open. Kaede and Eriri saw many people arriving right on time, quickly buying Jump inside, and then starting to flip through it right next to the store without going far.
Kaede and Eriri exchanged a glance and walked straight into the store.
The spot where the Jump weekly magazine was originally placed was already empty—the dozen or so copies that had just been put out were all gone. The remaining customers were going directly to the register to pay and pick up their copies.
Kaede and Eriri naturally lined up behind the queue, paid, and received their copy of Jump.
Looking at the Jump magazine in Kaede's hand, Eriri excitedly said, "Kaede-kun! Let's find somewhere to read it!"
"Hmm... I don't know if any cafes are open yet at this hour. Let's just walk around nearby for a bit."
"Okay!"
The two left the bookstore and saw people gathered in small groups nearby. Besides the new chapter of One Piece, the main topic of discussion was the two newly serialized manga in the magazine.
"Hey, did you guys see it? It really is the collaborative serialization between Kashiwagi Eri and Kurenai Momiji!"
"I saw it, I saw it. There's no way to mistake this art style. But is the'Second Generation' thing they mentioned on Twitter before actually true?"
"Tch, do you think anyone believes that? It's obviously just an excuse for her to go mainstream. Didn't some analysis online say Kashiwagi Eri is underage? But instead of discussing that, we should read the manga! This first chapter has some substance to it!"
"The plot hasn't developed much yet, but it definitely makes you want to keep reading. Did you guys check out the other one? chainsaw man. The protagonist becomes a Devil Hunter to pay off debt, and man, that first chapter is brutal!"
"It doesn't feel like a typical Jump style manga. Is it a dark hero type? The audience for this kind of manga won't be broad, will it? A lot of people don't like depressing plot developments."
"Heh, who cares? I really like it."
"I prefer Nurarihyon no Mago. I feel like the world-building, once it expands, will be more interesting than chainsaw man. And given Kurenai Momiji's personality, he probably has the outline written out for dozens of chapters already, so we don't have to worry about the plot collapsing."
Kaede and Eriri gradually walked away, both smiling as they listened to the discussions behind them.
"Kaede-kun, it looks like people are already praising our manga!"
"Isn't that obvious? You should look at whose script it is."
"Hmph, you should say it's all thanks to my drawing skills!"
Eriri said, refusing to back down.
Hearing Eriri's words, Kaede said with an amused smile, "Oh~~ Is that so? Then who was it who actually failed the first time she submitted her work? Wasn't she supposed to have amazing drawing skills?"
"Ugh!!!"
Eriri, whose sore spot had been poked, glared at Kaede, snatched the Jump magazine from his hand, and started flipping through it herself.
There was no need to rush to read their own manga. Eriri mainly wanted to see the other newly serialized manga the readers were discussing: chainsaw man.
With Kaede watching over her the whole way, Eriri naturally didn't have to worry about running into a utility pole or anything, and she leisurely finished reading the first serialized chapter.
Closing the magazine, Eriri let out a breath and said, "It truly lives up to its dark style. The first chapter gave me quite a shock. No one who gets serialized in Jump is simple."
Kaede hadn't seen the whole thing, only glancing at it while Eriri was reading, but he could still make out some of the manga's content.
"Mhm, I'll read it from the beginning later. Didn't Editor Iba say before that this manga poses a bit of a threat to us? However, due to its subject matter, climbing the rankings might be difficult. It depends on the skill of the mangaka himself."
...The two of them were quite lucky; they soon found a newly opened cafe.
Going inside and ordering two coffees, Kaede took the Jump magazine and started reading the first chapter of chainsaw man.
The protagonist of the story was truly miserable. He had to become a dangerous Devil Hunter to pay off his debt and was even cruelly set up. If his Devil partner hadn't transformed into a heart to resurrect him, he would have died right there.
But... half-human, half-devil? It's a bit similar to the half-yokai of the nurarihyon. That's interesting.
"It's certainly a good manga. I just don't know how the story will unfold after this. Will he just keep fighting devils? The specific main storyline and the design of the battle power levels are still unknown."
"Hehe, don't you feel like you've gained another manga worth following?"
Nodding, Kaede smiled and said, "Although it's very good, I won't be voting for this manga. I can buy a tankobon to support it when it comes out."
Every copy of Jump comes with a voting slip that readers can fill out and mail to the Jump headquarters, counting as a vote of support for their favorite manga.
Of course, the voting slip in this particular copy of Jump wouldn't be used.
Taking back the Jump magazine, flipping through the serialization of Nurarihyon no Mago, and looking at the protagonist on the cover, Eriri happily said, "I'm going to take a picture and send it to Mom! Oh, right, Kaede-kun, should you talk to Editor Nakajima over at Fushikawa? He seems to be quite supportive of you."
"Editor Nakajima, huh... uh..."
Kaede suddenly froze, looking out the window, his expression turning a bit strange. "Eriri, I just realized, we seem to have forgotten someone."
"Huh? Who?"
"Someone… quite troublesome."
Eriri listened and turned her head in the direction of Kaede's gaze, only to see a long-haired, black-clad girl standing outside the window, smiling and waving at them.