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"This question makes it so hard for me to deal with!" Renz thinks. The plot you've written, it's just completely illogical!
"Can you tell me what the idea behind your manga is?" Renz decides that before anything else, he needs to understand what Mashiro Shiina is thinking.
"Love," Mashiro states without a hint of hesitation.
"Couldn't it be battle?" Renz asks, his tone serious. "The current market seems to favor battle manga more, doesn't it?"
"I don't understand what battle means," Mashiro confesses truthfully.
And I don't think you understand love either, I reckon... The plot structure and ideas in this manga are utterly fantastical. Without rhyme or reason, the sister-in-law's husband suddenly falls for the female protagonist, and his inner monologues are all 'strange words.' Then, just as suddenly, they fall in love, completely disregarding ethics and morality. The moment Renz reads this part, he knows: Erina must never see this manga.
"And my editor told me that if I want to draw good manga, it's best to draw content close to daily life," Mashiro Shiina recounts in full detail. "She also said my art style is quite good and very suitable for drawing youth slice-of-life manga, so I tried drawing it."
Good heavens. Renz thinks, The root of all evil has been found. He makes a mental note: I'll find Mashiro Shiina's editor and have a heart-to-heart talk when I get the chance.
However, Mashiro Shiina's art style is indeed not well-suited for battle-style manga. But the idea of having Mashiro Shiina draw youth slice-of-life is equally absurd. Can Mashiro Shiina even comprehend what "youth slice-of-life" means? Can she understand "love"? At least, the current Mashiro Shiina certainly cannot. Her editor truly had the nerve to propose such a "creative" idea.
Is he living a few versions ahead of the rest of us?
"How about... drawing some sports-related themes? It doesn't need to be battle," Renz considers. Battle is hard to draw, and Mashiro can't do it. She doesn't understand youth slice-of-life, so a compromise might be best.
"Sports-related?" Mashiro Shiina's tone expresses confusion, yet her voice is as calm and flat as falling willow catkins.
"Like tennis or basketball," Renz explains, trying to simplify. "After understanding the general rules, you can add plot based on your character designs and, if appropriate, give the protagonist a 'cheat' ability."
As soon as he finishes speaking, Mashiro Shiina shakes her head again, "Tennis and basketball, I can't understand the rules, and they feel tiring."
Alright. Renz admits that such things are indeed not typically what girls are drawn to. When it comes to themes, one should always draw what they genuinely like. If Mashiro Shiina doesn't like it, there's nothing he can do.
"However, I really like the food my brother-in-law makes," Mashiro Shiina pauses, her eyes subtly brightening, as if she's just hit upon a brilliant idea. "How about I draw a manga about food?"
Food? That's not a bad idea at all. Renz has a solid foundation of knowledge in that area; any questions Mashiro Shiina might have about food, he can answer. Thank goodness, it's finally not a romance-oriented manga. Renz breathes a sigh of relief, feeling as if a knife has been removed from his neck.
"Alright, Mashiro, let's not talk about the manga for now. There's something else I want to ask you," Renz says, his expression turning serious. "Due to certain external factors, the relationship between your cousin and me is not yet ready to be revealed to the public."
"My cousin already told me about this," Mashiro Shiina says in an unruffled tone. "Although I don't understand what it means, it seems to just mean it's a secret."
"Yes, please, Mashiro, help us both keep it a secret," Renz says, bowing slightly.
"Okay," Mashiro nods, then turns and walks towards her bedroom. Her inspiration for a food-themed manga has arrived, and now she wants to go to her room and start creating. Mashiro Shiina returns to her room without another word. Over the past few days of living together, Renz has more or less come to understand Mashiro Shiina's thoughts; it's not that Mashiro Shiina has any malicious intent, she simply doesn't know how to end a conversation and then go about her own business. This makes Mashiro Shiina seem a bit distant and unfeeling.
Renz glances at the time. It's almost time for bed. He returns to his own bedroom, planning to scroll on his phone for a bit before resting. Lying in bed, he suddenly notices a friend request on LINE from ten minutes ago.
The verification message reads: "'I'm interested in your cooking. I'm Azami Nakamura. Interested in chatting?'"
What in the world? Who is Azami Nakamura? He doesn't recognize the name. Seeing the format, which looks like a scam, he decides to reject it first. How did this person get his LINE account? Strange.
Renz's vigilance is quite high. The current Renz isn't the future Renz; he has almost no connections in Tokyo. Receiving a friend request from an unknown name out of the blue, for safety's sake, he definitely rejects it. Besides, if someone's interested in his cooking, they should come eat a bowl of ramen in person and boost his sales. What's the point of talking on LINE?
Three minutes after clicking "reject," Renz suddenly remembers something. His father-in-law, Azami Nakiri, apparently married into the Nakiri family, and his name before that was indeed Azami Nakamura. But it's been so long, his memory is somewhat fragmented, and he couldn't quite recall it at first glance. It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?
But what does his father-in-law mean by adding him on LINE for no reason? Never mind. Given that he's not yet Erina's husband, adding him as a friend definitely implies ulterior motives. If it doesn't work the first time, he'll surely try again. If it fails again, he might come looking for him in person. Renz isn't in a hurry; he'll play along and test the waters. Giving his father-in-law the cold shoulder for a bit is perfectly fine.
Meanwhile, in his secluded villa, Azami Nakiri frowns. He obtained the other party's LINE account from a friend he knows, who got the personal information from the "God's Tongue Evaluation" program, essentially using his connections to get his hands on it.
However, the thing Azami Nakiri least expected was to be rejected. He had specifically used the name he used in the North American culinary world, and anyone in the culinary world, if they're familiar with renowned chefs from various regions, should recognize that name. After all, the name Azami Nakiri has disappeared from Japan's culinary scene for over a decade, due to the intentional and unintentional actions of his father-in-law, Director-General Senzaemon Nakiri. Knowing that simply stating "Azami Nakiri" might not be recognized, he used the name Azami Nakamura. Who would have thought it would turn out this way?
Perhaps, the other party is merely a simple food enthusiast and isn't overly involved in the culinary world, so they don't really know well-known figures within the culinary sphere? It makes sense. Such a laughable person who makes commoner's cuisine probably doesn't know what the pinnacle of the culinary world looks like, does he? No advanced aesthetic sense at all, no wonder.
Azami Nakiri doesn't attempt to contact the other party on LINE again. There's no need. His initiating the friend request was already a gesture of condescension. If the other party is so unresponsive, Azami Nakiri truly wouldn't bother to negotiate again, if not for the fact that he needs him as a stepping stone.
He'll visit his restaurant tomorrow. He'll use his noble culinary philosophy and his status as a master in the culinary world to make him wholeheartedly accept.
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