"I got it. This is a powerful opponent, and I'll do my best, "Seiji responded.
"It's good that you understand."
After that, the two of them parted ways. Saki returned to the editing department, while Seiji returned home.
After returning home, he returned the drawing to Little Shi and explained the situation to her.
Shika had a complex expression when she learned that it had developed into a duel against the artist that she had commissioned.
"I'm sorry, Brother Seiji, because of my willfulness …"
"What are you saying? I promised you, and this isn't just your wish, it's also something that I want to do. "Seiji smiled." I'll do my best to win. "
"… Good luck, Brother."
"Yep!"
Seiji immediately prepared to draw.
Faced with an empty drawing paper, he began to think about how he should draw it.
The main character and antagonist's battle scene should be a scene of the main character and antagonist holding weapons or fighting against each other.
Characters, clothing, actions, weapons, expressions, background … Seiji carefully thought about it.
A while later.
Although he had come up with a rather detailed idea, he still felt that it wasn't enough.
Right, he should add the female lead into the picture!
His "adopted younger sister" was only a bystander in this battle. Logically speaking, it was fine not to include her in the picture, or in order to not affect his "adopted older brother" and antagonist, it would be correct not to include her.
But Seiji wanted to include her in the picture and make it seem like she wasn't just a bystander, in order to match the suspense at the end.
The male lead and antagonist were the main focus of the picture, so he couldn't make the female lead overly eye-catching. He should draw her in a way that no one would notice at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they would feel that something was off.
At any rate, the female lead's position in the entire picture was an additional element that would add more mystery without affecting the main focus.
Seiji thought hard about how he should include her in the picture and thought about it for a long while.
After finally coming up with an idea, he picked up a paintbrush and began drawing on the paper.
…
Noon.
After lunch, Seiji continued drawing.
At this moment, he received a phone call.
It was Peach-sensei!
"I heard about your situation from Saki … do you need my help?" the manga author asked.
"If I ask Peach-sensei for help, it feels like I'm cheating." Seiji smiled. "But this is a competition. You should make good use of the power you can. That's the right thing to do."
"So, Teacher, can you take a look at my drawing and give me some advice?"
"I'd love to." Mayuzumi smiled.
Therefore, Seiji took a picture of the drawing with his phone and sent it to the other party.
"Not bad, Haruta-kun … When did you start learning how to paint?"
Mayuzumi praised and asked after seeing the photos.
"Since about two months ago, I've been practicing every day when I get home …" The youth on the other side of the phone answered.
The manga author couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"Two months … You've only been practicing by yourself. You haven't gone to the drawing classroom or had anyone teach you?"
"Yes."
Dai was shocked.
Just by studying on his own for two months, he was able to draw such a high level of painting!?
Her mind was in turmoil and she was momentarily speechless.
"Teacher, what's wrong?" Seiji felt strange.
"Haruta-kun … come be a mangaka!" Mayuzumi blurted out.
"Eh?"
"Eh?" Mayuzumi only realized what she'd said after she said it. She then organized her thoughts.
"Haruta-kun, you can write such an excellent story, and you can also draw such amazing art. You can definitely become an amazing mangaka … even more amazing than me!" She told him sincerely.
Seiji was rendered speechless.
"I'm glad to hear that, Teacher … but I'm still not good enough to draw manga," he responded.
"You're so talented. As long as you study for a while, you should be able to do it," Mayuzumi told him seriously.
"I don't want to draw manga for the time being. I just want to win the competition and draw the illustrations for my own novel." Seiji looked up at the ceiling. "I'll draw in the future. I like manga, and I want to create something of my own as well! "
"I'm really looking forward to reading Haruta-kun's manga. I hope that I won't have to wait too long." Mayuzumi chuckled.
"It won't be long."
Right now, he was focusing on his novel. 'Manga … I'll seriously consider it after my drawing ability improves to a sufficient level.' That was Seiji's plan.
He then changed the topic back to illustration and asked for Mayuzumi's opinion.
Mayuzumi gave him some detailed suggestions for improvement. Seiji noted them down and then asked about the areas he didn't understand.
The two of them talked for quite a long time.
By the time they ended their conversation, Seiji felt that his understanding of illustration had improved to a whole new level. He was sincerely grateful for Peach-sensei's guidance.
He continued to work hard at drawing.
…
There was still half an hour before the deadline.
Tanaka Shengli brought his finished illustration to the coffee shop where they agreed to meet.
He ordered a cup of coffee without any sugar or milk. He simply took a sip and allowed the strong bitterness to stimulate his spirit.
He was feeling quite nervous.
It was as if he was about to meet the editor with a new manga draft.
It wasn't like he would be able to get his manga published if he won the competition. It was just a light novel illustration job. Why was he so nervous? Tanaka Shengli sighed inwardly.
He was confident in his ability to draw. Although he was unable to draw any more intricate due to time constraints, it was already quite good.
He wondered how Seiji was doing …
Tanaka felt an indescribable feeling in his heart as he recalled the look in Seiji's eyes.
If he had to describe it, perhaps it was envy? He was envious that Seiji was able to reveal such a gaze and show such determination.
He wasn't that old, but compared to Seiji, he felt that he was already old.
Tanaka Shengli sipped his coffee and waited in silence with his complex thoughts.
Ten minutes later, he saw the young author and the beautiful editor walk into the coffee shop together.
Tanaka waved his hand in greeting as he watched them walk over.
"My apologies for making you wait so long, Demon Soldier Sensei."
"It's nothing … I only waited for a few minutes, Shore Sensei."
Seiji and Saki sat down across from him. The server came over and ordered a cup of coffee for each of them.
"To be honest, I'm quite nervous right now."
Tanaka suddenly had the urge to say something as he looked at Seiji, so he spoke up.
"It's as if I'm about to show my manga draft to an editor … even though this is just a light novel illustration job."
"No … I shouldn't say that. Sorry, I was a little too arrogant just now.
What I meant was that I didn't expect myself to be so serious about this job. "
Tanaka chuckled.
His smile seemed to contain a complex meaning.
"I like your story, but I have to fight against you. Even I find this situation strange.
I shouldn't have done this. A competition or something … now that I think about it, I was being reckless. I should have believed in your ability after seeing your drawing and quit.
But I suggested a competition … just what was I thinking at that moment? I don't even understand it myself. "
Seiji looked at him.
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