May quickly reached its latter half, and the weather gradually began to heat up.
Inside the Manga Research Club, Tsushima Kagami, Sayuri, and the others had changed into their summer short-sleeved uniforms. Amidst the noise of a desk fan—sourced from who knows where, blowing air that wasn't particularly cool and mixed with the rattling of old mechanics—Sayuri finished drawing her final line and let out a loud shout.
"It's finished!"
After roaring, she tossed her manuscript and dip pen aside, ran to the electric fan, and squatted down. Disregarding her image, she loosened her uniform's ribbon, unbuttoned the top three buttons of her shirt, and went "Wah, wah, wah" right into the fan.
"Sayuri, don't block all the wind by yourself," Machida Sonoko complained, looking a bit flushed and agitated. She wiped at beads of sweat that didn't exist yet but felt like they were about to seep out, annoyed at Sayuri for hogging the fan.
"Just a little bit longer~"
Kosaka Akane reached out, grabbed a bottle of hydrating mist from the table, and began spraying it continuously over her own face.
"Akane-senpai, give me some too." Tsushima Kagami looked up at Kosaka Akane.
Kosaka Akane smiled and turned the spray toward Tsushima Kagami.
Feeling the fine mist land on his face, bringing instant coolness, Tsushima Kagami signaled to Kosaka Akane that it was enough. Once she stopped, he put down the pen in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and stretched.
"If only we had air conditioning."
Unfortunately, although Private Ousai High School was well-funded and every classroom was equipped with air conditioning, spare classrooms like this one, used for student club activities, were not fitted with it.
Hearing Tsushima Kagami's words, Machida Sonoko gave a helpless smile.
"Starting next month, Kagami-kun will also get to experience what we call the 'Eight Scorching Hells'. This is the path all the seniors of the Manga Research Club have walked."
Tsushima Kagami picked up a stack of useless draft paper and started fanning himself.
"Then can we buy an AC unit at our own expense and install it in the classroom?" Kosaka Akane asked with a smile.
"We thought about that too, but the school doesn't allow students to privately install such high-power appliances."
Just as Tsushima Kagami felt a bit disappointed, Sayuri stood up, buttoned her shirt back up, and spoke.
"Kagami-kun, you can't say things like that. 'Senior Desk Fan' will cry, you know."
"Senior Desk Fan?"
Sayuri nodded and pointed to the old desktop fan.
"Our Manga Research Club is a club with a long history; it existed even before the merger of the three schools. This 'Senior Desk Fan' is a partner left behind for the juniors by those Manga Research Club seniors from before the merger."
So it was a veteran.
"Therefore, 'Senior Desk Fan' must continue to accompany the new juniors as they grow together."
Just as Sayuri finished proudly recounting the heritage of this "Senior Desk Fan," the fan—which had been making slight rattling sounds while oscillating—suddenly shifted into a sharp, ear-piercing screech.
The members of the Manga Research Club all covered their ears. Sayuri, covering her ears with one hand, repeatedly slapped "Senior Desk Fan" with the other.
"Are you okay, 'Senior Desk Fan'? Is it time to take you apart for some cleaning and maintenance?"
"I think 'Senior Desk Fan' is saying it wants to retire and enjoy its old age," Tsushima Kagami said somewhat unbearably, looking at the senior whose patina was already well-worn.
Under Sayuri's continuous slapping, Machida Sonoko and Kosaka Akane also stopped their pens; it seemed their work was completely finished.
"Finally done. Now we can start preparing our book for the Summer CM."
As Kosaka Akane spoke, she took a stack of manuscripts out of her school bag. Tsushima Kagami leaned over to take a look.
"Is this the masterpiece of Akane-senpai and Sonoko-senpai?"
"That's right. The plot was written by Sonoko, and the character designs were created by the two of us together. Now we're ready to draw the storyboards."
Kosaka Akane flipped through them one by one for Tsushima Kagami, the expression on her face quite proud.
Machida Sonoko also asked with a smile, "How is it, Kagami-kun? Is there any improvement?"
Tsushima Kagami nodded in praise. "Indeed, there's a huge improvement."
Tsushima Kagami would usually look at the works the three of them had drawn before, but compared to this time, their drawing skills and techniques could be said to be advancing by leaps and bounds. Their art style was also constantly improving, becoming more and more eye-catching.
It seemed that working as assistants these past few times hadn't been in vain. Whenever Tsushima Kagami had free time, besides personally guiding them, he would let them try their hand at not just background art, but occasionally some simple main character illustrations. This was treatment they wouldn't dare dream of as assistants for other big artists.
"Sayuri, how are preparations for your manga going?"
After receiving Tsushima Kagami's praise, Machida Sonoko and Kosaka Akane asked about Sayuri's progress.
Sayuri, having finally fixed the Senior Fan after continuous percussion, clapped her hands and turned to look at the group.
"My storyboards are almost done."
Because Sayuri had thought up the plot and theme on the spot last time, and even drew the character design drafts directly, her progress was much faster.
"Kagami-kun, what about you? Have you decided on what plot to draw?"
After speaking, Sayuri looked curiously at Tsushima Kagami; Machida Sonoko and Kosaka Akane looked at him as well.
"I've already decided," Tsushima Kagami said. "By the way, I also happened to draw one of the most crucial storyboard pages when I had some free time. I'll show it to you."
Hearing that Tsushima Kagami had already drawn one page, and that it was a crucial storyboard, the three of them impatiently walked over to his side.
"Hurry, hurry, let us see!"
"Don't shake me, I'm getting it."
Tsushima Kagami fished another sheet of drawing paper out of his school bag. Sayuri moved to snatch it, but Machida Sonoko grabbed her arm. Then, Kosaka Akane smilingly took it and spread it out on the table.
Subsequently, the three of them huddled their heads together in the shape of a clover, staring at the manuscript in long silence.
"Why isn't anyone speaking?"
"Th-th-th-this..." Sayuri stammered for a long time without following up.
"It really is pure love," Machida Sonoko said with a face full of disbelief.
"I... I almost really wanted to fall in love," Kosaka Akane said, slapping her cheeks with both hands—cheeks that had flushed red at some point—trying to snap herself out of it.
"How is it?" Tsushima Kagami asked again.
The three of them looked at Tsushima Kagami in unison. Kosaka Akane spoke excitedly, "I think it would sell like crazy even in the section for women!"
"'rouge en rouge' is probably really going to sell over ten thousand copies this time!" Sayuri said, shaking Tsushima Kagami excitedly.
Normally, at doujin conventions, works aimed at women—whether in terms of audience size or sales figures—fell far short of those aimed at men. For a circle like "rouge en rouge" to sell over three thousand copies in the women's section and become one of the rare major circles was already unique.
But with Tsushima Kagami's addition this time, just from this single storyboard shot, they could conclude with absolute certainty that this was a subject that would appeal to both men and women. The three were already fantasizing about the scene at the doujin convention: not only long lines of girls but also many men rushing over upon hearing the news, begging the circle to print emergency copies and take pre-orders because it was about to sell out.
Actually, Tsushima Kagami had also conflicted over this for a long time back then; there were simply too many good things in the realm of Pure Love.
For example, the Taisho Era love story Shards of Glass by the God of Pure Love War, Tamabon-sensei; and the H-version of Toradora!, Stepping Stone Love.
For example, The Sister on the Brink of Marriage by Toriiza-sensei, about people destined to meet.
For example, Show Me Your Treasure Chest for 2,000 Yen by Oniben Katze-sensei, who tricks NTR fans into entering only to slay them with sweetness.
And the literary, aesthetic Just Like the Story We Weave by Nakani-sensei, the famous "Tatsuki Fujimoto" of the H-world.
These were all Pure Love stories pure to the extreme, without any weird Japanese kinks.
However, the moment he picked up the brush, Tsushima Kagami still unconsciously drew the "Great Nine-Panel Grid" from Takano Tomohiro-sensei's The Sweet Love of the Inorganic Girl first.
What makes it hard to hold back laughter is that this teacher had always been a God of NTR War. God knows what kind of stimulation he received to suddenly draw this masterpiece—a work that used a full 49 pages just for buildup before entering the main act, so extreme and so purely loving that it ascended to godhood.
So, Tsushima Kagami simply decided to draw this one for now.
____
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