Chapter 18: 17

Indeed, what is important for people is communication.

Since I started talking, her watchful eyes have clearly relaxed.

This is not my assumption.

The evidence of this is that each passing day, even when she follows me to the bathroom or for a bath, she does not bring her knife.

No, to be precise, even though she only pretends to have a knife, she hides it so poorly that it’s obvious she doesn’t have one.

I don’t know whether this is a sign of carelessness due to familiarity, a sign of trust in me, or both.

‘Don’t tell me, it could be a trap to see how I’d react.’

I’m even wary of that, but anyway, the life-threatening fear that I had in the first few days is fading.

‘Then, the problem at hand is this. After all, drawing gag manga doesn’t happen overnight…..’

I think about it while staring at the drawing tablet.

I’ve been stuck with the name of my new work since the very beginning.

Gag manga is different in every way from the manga I’ve drawn up to now.

In terms of characterisation, simply depicting beautiful men and women in a normal way does not make for a gag.

On the other hand, it is not appropriate in this day and age to focus on characters that are blatantly ugly.

As a result, it is necessary to deform ordinary people and give them a subtly 『removed』 atmosphere, but it is very difficult to draw this intentionally.

If the frame layout is done in the same way as in ordinary manga, the pacing would become monotonous and boring.

Sometimes I have to be creative, for example, I have to go outside the borders or boldly create a page with full margins.

I’ve always drawn in a rather theoretical way, so it’s a constant process of trial and error for me.

‘Painful and gruelling. But it’s just as much fun.’

It is a bit similar to the feeling I had when I was drawing frantically in order to enter a newcomer’s prize.

I should probably consider it a blessing that I am able to regain this feeling.

Kon, Kon,Kon.

“Yes?”

I answer the knock from my door.

“I brewed you an iced tea. Heat stroke, it’s dangerous.”

“Aa,yea. Thank you.”

I put down my pen and turn towards her.

She comes towards me with a glass in each hand.

“It’s a bit hot and humid today, although it’s not full-blown summer yet.”

“…..Doing well?”

She says and sits down opposite of me, giving me a peeking look.

“No, I’m not sure, to be honest. I’m trying to work on a new name, but it’s quite difficult.”

I slurp down the glass of iced tea, about a third of it and stop.

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The cool aroma and the coldness of the tea feels good on my throat.

It’s pathetic, but it’s progress just to be able to speak up and be vulnerable.

When things are really tough, I don’t even want to touch on the subject.

“…….。……. If you like, you can use me for a story.”

I stare at the melting ice in my glass for a while, but eventually open my mouth as if determined to do so.

“Hahahaha! About Konata? That’s impossible.”

I can’t help but laugh at that off-the-mark remark.

The situation now is more of a horror story than a gag.

It’s a different genre.

Non-fiction may be possible, but a 『story』 about a mangaka who is locked up by a high school girl is so unrealistic that it’s bound to be discredited.

In the first place, if I were to make a story about us and the manga were to accidentally sell out, it would be she herself who would be in trouble.

“If you were to be chased by a weekly journalist or TV crew with the title 『That hit manga had a real-life model! What would she do?』, what are you going to do?

“That’s so.”

She says bluntly and takes a sip of her iced tea.

Gokugokugokugokugoku.

Her throat won’t stop drinking.

“Um, is it possible that you are mad?　Sorry, sorry. What I’m drawing now is a ridiculous gag manga, so a real JK is not a joke. But thank you for thinking so hard for me.”

I bow my head.

“………….”

She stops drinking her iced tea so suddenly.

It seems that her mood changes.

‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve laughed.’

I suddenly realised it.

I haven’t been able to smile for a long time now, since before I was locked up here.

I’m trying to draw a gag comic that makes readers laugh, and this is exactly what I’m doing.

‘Thanks for making me remember the feeling of 『laughing』, I feel like I was able to grasp the sense of gag. Like a gag manga, where someone suddenly says something out of the blue.’

Communication with people is important.

It’s also a change of pace and a chance to get ideas.

“I’m not going to make a story about this one but thanks to you I’m going to be able to proceed with the name.”

Smile

[微笑む Hohoemu]

“?”

Konata tilts her head curiously.

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