Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

Two days after talking to Hasumi Kanoko, Kato Yusuke focused on the studio.

Although his current financial situation is relatively comfortable, a certain problem has to be faced.

That is, as the "Chainsaw Man" comic is coming to an end, he will also lose his largest source of income.

This is a very real problem.

After all, his main income basically comes from manuscript fees and royalties. Once the comic is completed, the manuscript fees will naturally be gone, and the same is true for royalties.

The current single volume of "Chainsaw Man" has been released to its sixth volume, and there are still five volumes left to complete. All will be available before the end of March.

In other words, his income will drop sharply in more than a month.

If you don't want to face the situation of being unable to make ends meet, then it is undoubtedly an urgent matter for the studio to generate income as soon as possible.

In view of this, Kato Yusuke has gained a bit more urgency recently.

However, he did not show it in front of everyone, but silently increased his workload.

The first people to feel the pressure were Sagara Mayu and Hashima Dekai.

As the studio's second original artist, in addition to providing Eri Kiyohara, the two also serve as assistants to Kato Yusuke.

As the latter began to explode, their workload also increased. The comic work that was supposed to be completed one by one within a week was now assigned in one fell swoop.

In fact, Yusuke Kato, who had his hands free, not only did not rest, but continued to draw the original painting of the game.

Compared with Yinglili who could only draw a few original paintings a day, he easily doubled his output.

In this way, not only Mayu Sagara and Dekai Hashima successfully put on the mask of pain and had to face the difficult task of Seijihara, but even Eiri was dumbfounded.

Said it before.

What the second original painting needs to do is not complicated. To put it bluntly, it is a hard job.

To summarize simply, when drawing the first original painting, we usually only draw the outline and movements of the characters, and other parts such as clothes, face, hair, etc. will be omitted.

At this time, a second original painting is needed to perfect the details and refine the characters according to the settings of the script.

The technical content here is not high, it’s just about picking out the details.

Such a system has already formed a complete system in the animation and game industries.

The main purpose is to allow those painters who are good at painting to have more time and energy to paint more original paintings.

Of course, there are also many painters who are being squeezed by their superiors and are actually working on the first original painting and the second original painting at the same time, but that is another matter.

Back to business.

As the saying goes, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes.

When these two people have too much work, anyone will feel devastated.

No matter how fast Mayu Sagara and Dekai Hashima worked, even if their wrists ached from drawing pictures, they could not match the speed of Yusuke Kato.

Often they have just finished clearing one picture, and when they raise their heads and want to take a break, they will find that there are already two or three more pictures on the table without even realizing it.

Because Namishima Dekai is far away in Nagoya, the feeling is not intuitive. At most, he was shocked when he logged in to the mailbox to check the work schedule.

But for Mayu Sagara, who spends every day in the studio, the pressure is nothing short of overwhelming.

She felt as if she had suddenly become a worker on an assembly line, facing endless screws every day, and her originally happy life suddenly became dark.

As a last resort, Ying Lili later joined Qing Eryuan's work.

With the joint efforts of the three girls, they were able to catch up with a certain animal.

This situation lasted for a week.

Kato Yusuke took the time to go to the Immortal River and formally submitted the remaining manga manuscripts to the editorial department, marking the end of "Chainsaw Man".

According to the serialization speed of "Boy Undead", it can be completed in the first week of February.

On the studio side, all of Nagisa Furukawa's CGs and part of Anzu Fujibayashi's CGs were also announced as completed.

Thanks to this, the progress of the original painting has also skyrocketed.

On Hui's schedule, the art department's work progress, which was originally like squeezing out toothpaste, suddenly began to increase at an exaggerated speed.

In the end, it easily exceeded the progress of the script, second only to the programming department who was far ahead. The results were amazing.

——The price is that the three painter girls are miserable and exhausted physically and mentally from this devilish work.

When we got to the back, even the others were alarmed.

In the end, it was Kanoko Hasumi who came forward to calm down the extremely angry person.

"Kato-kun, it's about time you stopped, right?"

The person involved persuaded me earnestly:

"Sorry to interrupt you like this, but our current state is no longer suitable for us to continue working. Can we consider taking a break first?"

After this reminder, Kato Yusuke came back from his selfless state and looked around belatedly.

What caught his eyes were faces that were mixed with fatigue and trouble.

One of Sagara Mayu and Eiri was lying on the table, and the other was leaning on a chair. Their bodies exuded a gray-white color as if their souls were out of body, as if they were burned out.

Shiyu sat next to him at some point. The computer screen in front of him was filled with dense text. He was yawning while typing on the keyboard.

Not far away, Hui Zheng brought refreshing canned coffee to Eiri and Mayu, looking at them with worry in their eyes.

The sight in front of him shocked Kato Yusuke, and he immediately stood up and announced:

"Sorry, everyone, we have the next week off. Everyone, please go rest. I'm going to use the bathroom."

He walked out of the office as he spoke, then quickly went to the bathroom, turned on the faucet and washed his face.

The cold tap water is slapped on the face, and the coolness penetrates into the skin through the pores, bringing a refreshing feeling.

Kato Yusuke looked at himself in the mirror and felt that his extremely active brain still showed no sign of calming down, as if he was still immersed in the previous state.

He couldn't explain why, but he felt that he was in very good condition, as if he had reached his peak.

An unknown feeling reminded him that his [Painting] skills seemed to be about to be upgraded.

It seems that I have completely blocked out the interference from the outside world and just focused on the world of painting. I feel as if I have been possessed by an evil spirit.

If Hasumi Kanoko hadn't just forcefully woken him up, he might have continued painting.

Can skills be upgraded by painting a lot?

With this doubt, he returned to the art department's office.

Kato Yusuke originally wanted to verify his conjecture through practice, but the sight in front of him made him give up this plan.

The office that was bustling just now has become deserted.

For some reason, Shiyu was sitting at his work station with his eyes closed and gently massaging his eyebrows with one hand.

Kato Yusuke paused for a moment, then walked up and sat down on the swivel chair next to him.

"Senior Shiyu, what are you doing?"

The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked at him with a pair of wine-red eyes.

"Nothing, I'm just waiting for you here."

"wait for me……?"

"Hmm, Kano-chan took the others to the lounge upstairs. I thought you might not be able to figure out the situation when you came back, so I didn't go up."

Kato Yusuke couldn't help but feel embarrassed, "...I'm sorry for causing trouble to you."

"There's nothing to apologize for..."

Shiyu shook his head slightly, leaned back against the back of the chair, put his two black stocking thighs on top of his legs, and changed into a more comfortable sitting position.

"Compared with this, what is your state during this time?"

Through the slightly lifted skirt, you can vaguely see a hint of pure white under the hazy black fabric.

Kato Yusuke's eyelids twitched slightly, and then he looked away calmly.

"Well... I feel like I've hit a bottleneck."

"bottleneck……?"

Shiyu was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, "Are you saying that your painting skills are about to improve?"

"That may not be accurate. Maybe it's just my imagination, but that's pretty much it."

"So that's it...that's why you fell into that state of being possessed by an evil spirit?"

"Maybe." Kato Yusuke smiled bitterly and touched his nose, "I'm sorry for causing trouble to everyone..."

"Nothing like that~ Shouldn't I say this is a good thing?"

"...Having said that, I seem to have affected everyone."

A smile spread on Shiyu's face, and he gently poked his forehead with a slender index finger.

"You are so cute and stupid. In fact, if you had said this earlier, everyone would have understood."

"can you?"

Kato Yusuke said casually, reaching out to grab her hand and hold it in his hand.

"Of course, don't you believe me~?"

Quite naturally, Shiyu gently held his finger with her backhand and raised the corners of her mouth briskly.

"Have you seen the state I'm in when I'm creating, right? Although everyone's performance is different, your way of forgetting about food and sleep should be considered one of them."

Kato Yusuke pondered for a moment, and then said thoughtfully:

"Speaking of which, I remember that my senior sister seemed to be talking to herself when she was creating, making weird laughter, shaking her legs so much that even the table would shake..."

"——You don't need to remember that embarrassing thing so clearly!"

Shiyu interrupted him with some embarrassment, her cheeks turning slightly red.

Kato Yusuke couldn't help but smile, and suddenly felt that her shy look was very cute.

"You misunderstood. In fact, I think seniors like that are very cute. I didn't mean to laugh at you."

He said, taking her hand, lowering his head and kissing the soft back of her hand gently.

The girl was stunned for a moment, and her body felt sluggish for a moment. Then she deliberately touched his thigh with the toe of her shoe and asked with a straight face.

"……what you do?"

"Um?"

"I don't think I asked you to kiss me."

"?"

Kato Yusuke turned his face in confusion and asked in confusion: "...Isn't it possible?"

Shiyu didn't say anything, just looked at him with squinted eyes, "...then what?"

"What then?"

When Kato Yusuke asked this question, Shiyu's expression suddenly changed and he pinched the back of his hand hard.

"It hurts, senior, what are you doing??"

"You courageous man, this is all you have to offer!"

The girl said with an angry look on her face, and there was a hint of gnashing of teeth in her voice.

Before Yusuke Kato could react...

"I'm going upstairs, please stay by yourself."

——The other party shook off his hand in disgust, then strode outside with a sullen face.

Kato Yusuke's brows furrowed and relaxed, and he couldn't understand the situation for a moment. But immediately, he remembered his conversation with Hasumi Kanoko.

He was startled for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

"No way?"

This was his first thought.

"This is a studio."

This was his second thought.

…

Five minutes later.

Kato Yusuke walked up to the second floor hesitantly.

In the lounge, the aroma of tea fills the air.

Megumi, who was holding a tea set in his hand, went between the water bar and the sofa, serving drinks to everyone, while Kanoko Hasumi brought various snacks.

Shiyu, Eiriri, and Sagara Mayu were sitting on the sofa, looking a little more energetic than before.

But in fact, all three of them had quite obvious dark circles on their faces.

The main reason is that a week of continuous liver damage is really unbearable for them. Not only did Eiri and Mayu become weak at drawing, but Shiyu also turned on the all-night mode for the first time in a long time in order to catch up with the progress.

No matter where it is placed, the progress of the script will always be faster than the original painting. This is a very simple reason.

Kato Yusuke looked at the tired faces of the girls and felt sorry.

He originally thought that he would be punished verbally, but Shiyu took the initiative to help him explain his previous situation.

All the girls who heard the explanation were stunned.

But immediately, Yinglili showed an understanding expression.

"What, it turned out to be just a seizure? Isn't that kind of disorder a common habit for creators?"

Going crazy...

Kato Yusuke chewed on this word.

If you think about it carefully, this description does not seem to be an exaggeration.

"Sawamura...?"

As if he didn't expect to hear such an answer, Shiyu said in surprise: "Did you take the wrong medicine today? You can actually say such free and easy words."

“That’s what it is—!

When creating, the creator needs to separate himself from the outside world, immerse himself in impossible delusions, and devote all his energy to creating. It is not surprising even if the content of the imagination is slightly leaked. "

"Just... that's right! After all, we creators are gods when we create, and it is inevitable that we will become arrogant. If the world does not go according to our own wishes, it is natural for us to get angry."

As if she resonated with Yinglili's words, Shiyu kept nodding her head, her expression seeming to reveal the meaning of "I am a god."

Faced with her attitude, Yinglili nodded in agreement.

"That's why we can dominate and conquer the world. Painters use colors, writers use words. These are our weapons."

Unconsciously, the room became quiet.

Everyone focused on the two chuunibyou gods.

"You are right, Sawamura. Maybe that is a bit contrary to common sense for ordinary people, but I don't think so at all when I write. If I really want to care, it is this world that makes me feel strange."

"I see!"

Yinglili became excited.

"But there are people in the world who don't understand our hard work. They only find faults with other people's paintings, and they also think highly of themselves and despise their works. There are so many of them... Wow!"

"Really, for those kind of imbeciles... I also want to destroy them." Shiyu said with great agreement.

"Actually, I have prepared several ways to eliminate them in my mind."

"Sawamura, do you prefer physical erasure or social erasure?"

"Hey, I usually start from the social aspect, and I have already thought of several ways to force people into desperation."

“How much influence do you have online?”

"The super hacker function in my head is very powerful. Do you want to show it to you?"

——Crack.

"Okay, that's it for you two."

Hasumi Kanoko gave a light high-five and hit both of them on the head.

""it hurts! ""

Shiyu and Yinglili unanimously held their heads and screamed.

"Even if it was a joke, you guys went too far. Kato-san and Sagara-san were both frightened. You can't cause trouble to others, right?"

As Hasumi Kanoko spoke, she pointed to the side.

Megumi and Sagara Mayumasa stood next to Kato Yusuke, one on the left and one on the right, trembling like two puppies, looking frightened.

Shiyu and Eirili exchanged glances with each other, then lowered their heads angrily to apologize.

"...I'm really sorry. ""

Everyone, look at me, and I'll look at you.

As if they were amused by the inexplicable congeniality between the two, everyone laughed at the same time.

…

Thanks to [Tired Heart] for the reward.