Faced with Mashiro Shiina's expectant gaze, Izumi Kotomi hesitated for a mont before speaking.
"I've finished reading your manga."
"And your thoughts?" Mashiro asked eagerly, her anticipation plain for all to see.
If Kotomi gave her a polite complint, it might boost Mashiro's confidence and make her happy. But Kotomi didn't want to do that. If Mashiro didn't face and fix her shortcomings, her journey as a manga artist might end here.
Bitter dicine is hard to swallow.
"It was incredibly boring."
Kotomi didn't sugarcoat it at all. She bluntly expressed her first thought after finishing Mashiro's manga, without any embellishnt.
"Was it really that boring?" The excitent in Mashiro's eyes dimd slightly, showing a hint of disappointnt.
"Yes, very boring and dull. While it might sound rude, my only thought after finishing the manga was: how could a manga with such amazing artwork have such a boring plot?" Kotomi bluntly said as she placed the neatly organized manuscript back on the desk, returning it to Mashiro.
"I thought I'd hear a much longer review from you, Kotomi." Mashiro's tone was dejected, though it didn't differ much from her usual voice. Still, it carried a clear sense of disappointnt and loss.
She was undoubtedly hurt by Kotomi's blunt words.
"Sorry," Kotomi shook her head. "Even if I were to force myself to stretch my review, it's impossible to turn sothing that can be said in one sentence into ten. Your manga only has two strengths: the artwork is great, and the paneling is interesting."
"The plot was really that boring?"
"Yes, very boring. Are you planning to continue this manga with a second volu?" Kotomi asked.
"Yes, I've already started drawing it. I want to finish the story," Mashiro whispered, then quietly sighed.
The two of them stayed in silence for a while. Then, Mashiro raised her head, looking at Kotomi.
"Kotomi, are you trying to tell to give up on manga?"
Even if Kotomi told her to quit drawing manga, Mashiro wouldn't hold a grudge. She had heard plenty of people tell her to give up already.
One more wouldn't matter.
"Nope. From the very beginning, I've never thought of telling you to stop creating manga. Never," Kotomi said directly.
"Huh?! But didn't you just say my manga was boring?" Mashiro looked at her in disbelief, her orange-red eyes wide, perfectly reflecting her emotional turmoil.
"It was boring, yes. But now that you know that, why don't you try to improve in your next work? Try to make your next manga's story more interesting and captivating," Kotomi said with a light laugh.
With very few exceptions, no one is born a genius in storytelling.
Everyone has to work hard, bit by bit, improving and refining their ideas to make their creations more compelling.
Writing novels works this way, and so does drawing manga.
Very few people start at the top.
"Then, does that an I can continue drawing the second volu of this manga?"
"If you want to, go ahead. Finish the story," Kotomi encouraged her.
"But the plot might still be kind of boring."
"Then do your best to make it not so boring in the next volu."
Mashiro pursed her lips slightly and said, "Kotomi, your words are different from theirs…"
"Huh?"
"When my family found out I wanted to draw manga, they didn't even bother looking at it. They just told to give up and focus on painting. So when you were willing to read my manga, I was really happy. Even though I felt a bit disappointed after hearing your review," Mashiro said softly.
Kotomi could understand why Mashiro's family wanted her to give up manga.
Right now, Mashiro's manga skills only showcased her drawing ability but lacked in plot developnt. The story was unbearably dull. Even if she submitted it to a manga publisher, the editor would likely advise her to give up on manga and consider becoming an illustrator instead.
Rather than letting Mashiro waste her energy on manga, they probably wanted her to focus entirely on painting—where she could reach new heights and create her own legacy.
"If I had a daughter with imnse artistic talent, I might initially advise her to give up manga too. But if she truly loved creating manga, I would support her. If my child had the passion and I could be her support, I'd let her pursue her dream of creating manga. Even if she fails, it's okay. She can always rethink her path afterward," Kotomi shared her perspective with Mashiro.
Mashiro tilted her head slightly, adorably, and asked, "Do you already have a daughter, Kotomi? With whom?"
"Not at all! I was just speaking hypothetically!" Kotomi quickly clarified.
Mashiro's thought process was a bit too quirky!
However, compared to before, Mashiro's expression had softened.
She perked up and said, "When I finish the second volu, Kotomi, will you still be my first reader? It might still be a little boring, but I'll try my best to make the plot more interesting!"
"I'll always be willing."
Kotomi had originally thought that Mashiro would be too disheartened to draw for a while after hearing her feedback, but she only felt down for a mont before bouncing back.
Of course, Kotomi's earlier encouragent played a big part. If she hadn't said what she did, Mashiro might have stayed down for several days.
As Kotomi turned around, she was t with a pitiful gaze from Yui Yuigahama.
No need to ask—I get it, I get it.
"Here, take my howork. Class is about to start, so hurry up and copy it."
"Thank you so much, Kotomi!" Yui grabbed the howork and began copying furiously.
Her pen moved so fast it almost left afterimages!
Kotomi had thought Yui would need to borrow a few minutes of class ti to finish copying.
To her surprise, Yui had finished copying the howork calmly with a minute to spare before class.
—Practice makes perfect.
"Isn't the last class this afternoon a study period? Kotomi, could you lend your howork then too? I want to finish it before school ends so I don't have to worry about it tonight!"
"Even if we didn't have a study period, you never worry about howork at night anyway," Kotomi replied.
However, the conversation reminded Kotomi that today was Tuesday.
The tutoring schedule they'd arranged yesterday—wasn't it supposed to start this afternoon?
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