"Sensei, you accepted my commission and worked hard on drawing for Brother Monogatari. We're quite grateful that you finished an illustration so quickly." Saki lifted her head and looked directly at Tanaka.
"It's rude of me to say my next request, but …"
"Allow me to say it, Editor Yoshizawa," Seiji spoke up.
"Demon Soldier Sensei, I've come here to ask you to give up on drawing for Brother Monogatari."
Tanaka widened his eyes upon hearing this.
"Give up …"
"Yes, please give up on this commission. And Sensei, I'll pay you for the illustration that you've already finished … No, I'll pay you for all the unfinished illustration as well. "
"… Why?"
"Because I want to draw the illustration for this story myself," Seiji told him honestly.
A moment of silence fell between them.
"You want to draw the illustration for your own story … if you have the ability to do so, why did you send me a commission?" Tanaka furrowed his eyebrows.
"Because I didn't have such an intention before yesterday," Seiji explained.
"The story 'Brother Monogatari' wasn't actually created by me alone. Instead, it was a collaboration between me and another person.
And yesterday, during the Winter Snow Festival, I gave that person a drawing of the main male and female characters of Brother Monogatari that I drew.
After that person saw the drawing I gave him, he felt that I could definitely draw the illustration for Brother Monogatari, and he wanted me to do so.
I agreed, and this morning, I contacted Editor Yoshizawa and made my request.
Editor Yoshizawa said that this request would be rude to the artist who had already accepted the commission and was currently working hard on drawing, which is you, Demon Soldier Sensei.
But I persisted, and even showed my drawing to Editor Yoshizawa, which allowed her to acknowledge my level of drawing.
In the end, all I needed to do was to have you, Demon Soldier Sensei, give up on this job, and that's why I'm here. "
Tanaka felt an indescribable feeling in his heart after hearing Seiji's words.
Being able to draw for Brother Monogatari was a rare stroke of luck, and he wanted to do his best … but he never expected to hear such a request.
Asking an artist to draw but then unilaterally canceling the commission was considered incredibly rude in the industry, and it wouldn't sound good if word got out. But if both parties agreed to cancel the commission, there wouldn't be any problems.
Tanaka knew that he had the upper hand. Right now, he could complain, put on an unyielding attitude, and demand more from the other party … but that wasn't what he wanted.
He wanted to draw for Brother Monogatari! Because he really liked this novel.
Of course, one of the reasons was that he predicted that Brother Monogatari would sell like hotcakes. Still, the main reason was because he liked it.
This novel made him excited and inspired. He recalled the joy and passion of painting, so he wanted to do a good job.
After a moment of silence, Tanaka slowly spoke.
"I like the novel 'Brother Monogatari,' and would like to draw some illustrations for it."
"Even if the novel was written by you and your drawing was approved by the editor, I haven't seen it, so I'm not sure if your drawing is worthy of this novel."
"Please show me your painting. If I think it's not good enough, then … I won't give up."
When he said this, he was very nervous.
Who knew how long it had been since Tanaka displayed such a confrontational attitude.
He didn't have much drive in the first place, and after years of failure and setbacks, it was almost gone.
However, this novel helped him regain some of his passion, and some of his drive from the past came back, but it was used to resist the author of this novel.
'I'm so sorry …' Tanaka thought to himself.
Seiji looked at Tanaka for a while, then took out his own drawing and placed it on the table.
"This is the drawing I drew."
Tanaka looked at the drawing on the table.
In the drawing, a beautiful girl and a handsome boy were about to hold hands. It was obvious at a glance that they were the male and female protagonists of Brother Monogatari.
The entire drawing wasn't a scene from the novel, but it perfectly matched the novel's atmosphere or style. The characters were clearly drawn, and their expressions and actions were vivid. The drawing was incredibly detailed.
Tanaka inwardly sighed as he looked at it carefully.
This level of drawing was definitely more than enough to be used as an illustration for a light novel. And compared to the illustration he drew for Brother Monogatari … although he didn't want to admit it, this drawing was indeed superior!
"Excellent drawing."
He spoke softly after a long moment of silence.
"Compared to the illustration I drew, this drawing is better."
But, this drawing doesn't depict a scene from the novel, so it's difficult to directly compare it to my illustration.
You drew this drawing very well, but can you also draw an illustration that matches the novel's content? "
"I can." Seiji spoke in a resolute tone. "No matter what scene it is from the novel, I can draw it perfectly."
Tanaka could feel Seiji's willpower as he exchanged glances with him.
Seiji's gaze, expression, and aura … caused his heart to tremble.
'Is this fine?
Is this fine? '
For a moment, he wanted to acknowledge Seiji and accept his request to give up on this job, but the next moment, he questioned himself. 'Is it fine to end things like this?'
Tanaka didn't understand why he was questioning himself like this.
But he went along with his desire to not end things like this, and blurted out …
"Let's have a competition!
Use the same scene from the novel and draw an illustration within a limited time to compare.
If your drawing is better, I'll accept your request, and you won't have to pay me anything. But if my drawing is better, I'll continue doing this job. "
Seiji looked directly at Seiji.
This ordinary-looking, brown-haired man who wore half-rimmed glasses and had dark circles under his eyes suddenly gave off an imposing aura.
This was the aura of a duelist … whoops, the aura of an artist's dignity.
"Alright," Seiji agreed.
'I'll accept this duel!'
"Which scene would you like to draw? Demon Soldier Sensei. "
"I'll leave it to you, Shore Sensei."
"Then … draw the climax, where the male protagonist fights against the antagonist."
"Please tell me which part of the story you want to draw."
The two of them decided on what they wanted to draw, and then decided on the deadline, as well as where they would meet.
Before the deadline, they had to arrive at the agreed upon location to display their drawings and compare them. If they exceeded the deadline, they would lose.
After agreeing, Seiji and Saki said goodbye and left.
"Harano, Demon Soldier Sensei has previously published a short manga in the 'Hot-blooded Shōnen' manga magazine."
The female editor spoke up after they left Demon Soldier Sensei's home.
"He's always been aiming for a manga series. Although he hasn't succeeded yet, his drawing quality and speed are both excellent, and he's the best at light novel illustration."
Hot-blooded Shōnen Manga magazine was one of the most widely circulated manga magazines in Sakura Island. Any character that had their work published in this magazine, even if it was just a short story, would be looked up to by ordinary artists.
As for Seiji … he couldn't even be considered an artist, because he had never published any artwork before. He wasn't even an illustrator on an illustration website! He could only be described as an art enthusiast.
From an industry perspective, the difference between him and Sharp Demon Soldier was like the difference between a beggar and the middle class.
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