Chapter 276 - 276: You are Vanilla, you are Chocolate!

On the last day of October, the sky over Tokyo darkened early.

Once night fell completely, it would be Halloween.

During the day, the shopping streets of Shibuya, Harajuku, and Omotesando had already been overtaken by Halloween decorations.

All kinds of Halloween decorations had been set up outside the shopfronts along the commercial streets.

Carved pumpkin lanterns grinned with crooked mouths, warm yellow light spilling from within; paper bats hung upside down beneath awnings, and black spiderwebs stretched from one corner of a shop window to the other.

Convenience stores had even rolled out Halloween-limited pumpkin pudding and purple devil cakes; the clerks by the registers wore cheap witch hats, brims sitting crookedly on their foreheads.

Street vendors pushed carts selling pumpkin-flavored crepes and hot cocoa; even the sauce bottles on the takoyaki stands were plastered with ghost stickers.

Every so often a cluster of schoolgirls in uniform would pass by, squealing with excitement at the outlandish wigs and cat-ear headbands in the shop windows.

And at the entrances and lobbies of the major chain bookstores, huge posters hung in the most prominent spots.

At the center of the posters was a black-and-white photo of Tsushima Kagami, his face turned slightly aside, gazing calmly into the distance. Beside it was printed the cover of the original Japanese edition of Snow Country, along with a line of gilded French text.

"Prix Goncourt 1999."

Below that ran a smaller line of text.

"The first time in the history of Japanese literature to win the Prix Goncourt — sales in Europe and America have surpassed one million copies."

Beyond that, the major bookstore chains were plastered with still more posters.

[Congratulations! Snow Country shortlisted for France's Prix Goncourt!]

[European and American sales surpass one million copies! A new era for Japanese literature!]

This wasn't just the first time modern Japanese literature had achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success abroad — it had become a genuine cultural phenomenon.

From the day the news reached Japan that Snow Country had made the Prix Goncourt's final shortlist, every major TV news program, every newspaper's culture section, even the morning variety shows, had been talking about nothing else.

Critics took turns dissecting the appeal of Tsushima Kagami's prose, while readers snapped up the already-published hardcover edition in a frenzy, dragging even his older works back up the sales charts.

Meanwhile, in the Manga Research Club's activity room —

Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko had no classes that day and had come straight to the club room in the afternoon.

But they weren't drawing, nor were they chattering away as usual about the latest manga plots.

Instead, both of them lay slumped over the table, faces buried in their crossed arms, looking for all the world like two dried fish washed up on the shore.

Every so often Machida Sonoko would roll over and let out a sigh at the ceiling.

Kosaka Akane had gone even further, pulling her jacket off and draping it over her head, curling herself into a tight ball.

Tsushima Kagami sat beside Sayuri, sketching a few guide lines in pencil on her practice exam.

Sayuri chewed on her pen cap, tilted her head as she studied it, and then let out a sudden "Ah!" of realization before scribbling calculations rapidly across her scratch paper.

"That's it, that's it — I got it this time!"

Sayuri raised the paper triumphantly, like she was waving a victory flag.

Tsushima Kagami nodded, though his gaze kept drifting toward the two "corpses" nearby.

He finally set down his pencil, got up, and walked over to Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko, leaning against the edge of the table.

"Akane, Sonoko."

"What's going on today? You came in and just collapsed onto the table without a word."

Neither of them reacted.

Curious, Sayuri set down her practice test and came over too.

She started poking at Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko.

"That's right, why aren't you two drawing today?"

"Slacking off is no good — I'm working hard here, you know."

Kosaka Akane's shoulders twitched, and she poked her head out from between them.

Machida Sonoko slowly lifted her head, revealing a face that screamed of having lost all will to live.

The dark circles under their eyes were even deeper than the last time he'd seen them, faint red veins threading through the whites.

Their long hair, once so carefully styled, was now a tangled mess.

They looked less like college girls now and more like a pair of homeless drifters.

"Our Lost Child…"

Kosaka Akane's voice drifted out from beneath her jacket, hollow and distant.

"Today…"

Machida Sonoko picked up where she'd left off, her voice hoarse and thick with frustration.

"It's been axed — completely cancelled!" the two of them wailed together, voices cracking with tears.

The clubroom fell silent for a moment.

Tsushima Kagami's eyes widened slightly, while Sayuri simply dropped her pencil onto the table.

"...?!"

Sayuri was the first to recover, her voice jumping several notches.

"Axed?!"

"Our ranking in the reader survey dropped out of the top ten recently."

Machida Sonoko gave a bitter laugh as she sat up straight, rubbing the back of her neck.

"We were still in the top eight two months ago. Then it just… kept sliding."

Tsushima Kagami said nothing.

Usually, whenever Tsushima Kagami was tutoring Sayuri at the club,

Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko would come by to work on their pages whenever they had no classes.

Back then, he'd assumed the serialization was going smoothly.

How had it suddenly gotten axed?

"What happened?"

Tsushima Kagami asked.

He pulled over a chair and sat down, settling into a posture of serious attentiveness.

Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko exchanged a glance.

Kosaka Akane tilted her chin toward Machida Sonoko, silently telling her to explain.

Machida Sonoko sighed, as if trying to breathe out two months' worth of exhaustion all at once.

"Akane and I… I guess… we just got carried away with the drawing."

She crossed her arms on the table and stared down at her nails.

"The outline we'd agreed on at the start — we never really stuck to it.

Partway through the serialization, I suddenly thought it'd be really cool if the heroine turned dark.

Akane agreed, so we changed it.

Then we couldn't find our way back after the dark turn, so we forced in a new character to save the story…

After that the plot spiraled further out of control. We planted seven or eight setups and never paid off a single one.

Readers found it fresh at first, but eventually they had no idea what we were even drawing anymore."

"We saw the comments readers left on the survey too."

Kosaka Akane finally pulled off her jacket, revealing a face just as haggard.

"It's gotten boring, I can't tell what's happening anymore, it was better before…

Last week Editor Oonishi called.

He said, 'Pacing a weekly serialization really is hard to manage — why not consider a graceful ending?'"

Tsushima Kagami and Sayuri both realized at once.

"'A graceful ending' is just the polite way of saying 'axed.'

Today was the final chapter."

"We turned in the manuscript and came straight here."

Tsushima Kagami fell silent.

Honestly, he hadn't seen this coming.

Shueisha had a particular reader-survey system in place.

Every issue of Weekly Shonen came bundled with a reader survey, and the results were tallied across all the serialized works.

Then the lowest-ranked titles were eliminated.

If a series stayed near the bottom for several weeks running with no sign of improvement,

it would be asked to wrap up early, freeing its precious publishing slot for a new series with more potential.

Two months ago, Lost Child had still been holding steady in the top ten of the survey.

It wasn't a top-tier hit, but for two rookies serializing in a weekly magazine for the first time, it was an impressive result.

Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko's art was solid, their storyboards had real flair — their only real weakness was controlling the plot.

Because the subject matter was unusual, even Editor Oonishi was encountering this kind of material for the first time.

So he hadn't been able to offer much useful direction.

Usually it had been Tsushima Kagami who looked things over in his spare time and gave them notes.

But lately he'd been pouring all his energy into tutoring Sayuri and the others.

He hadn't checked the magazine in a long while.

He hadn't expected that Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko would just let themselves run wild and draw their way straight into cancellation.

But on second thought, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

He looked at the sunken hollows under their eyes, at skin that clearly hadn't been cared for in far too long.

These two had been living with their days and nights flipped for the sake of the weekly serialization — and not just for a day or two.

Skipping classes, barely sleeping, their skin getting worse and worse, the circles under their eyes growing darker by the week.

"Akane, Sonoko."

Tsushima Kagami said.

"Don't let it get you down. Getting axed is something almost every weekly serialization author goes through sooner or later.

Why not take this chance to really review what happened and figure out exactly where things went wrong?

Once Sayuri and I graduate and have some free time, let's create a new story together."

Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko both lifted their heads at once.

"Kagami!"

"Have you already thought up another great premise? Or a story? Tell us, tell us!"

Tsushima Kagami laughed.

It was a gentle smile, but with a hint of slyness to it.

"Secret."

"I'll tell you once Sayuri and I graduate. Right now your top priority isn't drawing manga."

He stood up, looking down at the two senpai, and pointed at their faces.

"Get some proper rest."

"Just look at those dark circles and that skin — keep this up and no amount of luxury cosmetics or skincare will bring back your natural good looks."

Kosaka Akane instinctively touched her own cheek.

Machida Sonoko quickly pulled the small mirror she always carried out of her bag.

Kosaka Akane leaned in to look too.

Both their expressions instantly twisted like they'd just bitten into a raw green pepper.

"Ahh…"

They both let out a dying groan.

"I'm never doing a weekly serialization again!"

Kosaka Akane slumped over the table, saying it weakly.

"It's basically a death sentence."

"Yeah."

Machida Sonoko snapped the mirror shut and tossed it back into her bag.

Her tone carried both the relief of a survivor and lingering resentment.

"Weekly Shonen Jump is basically hell!"

"No, worse than hell. At least in hell you don't have to turn in a manuscript every single week.

And you don't have to play mind games with the reader survey either."

Kosaka Akane added.

"And you don't have your editor calling every week to nag you about deadlines."

"And you don't have to sleep three nights straight in the club room just to make a deadline."

"Enough, stop — I'm going to have nightmares."

The two of them volleyed back and forth, but the gloom from earlier had drained out of their voices.

It seemed the two of them had been thoroughly disillusioned with the whole idea of being professional manga artists at Shueisha.

Sayuri had been listening quietly the whole time; now she suddenly clapped her hands.

"Oh right! Isn't tonight Halloween?"

Her eyes lit up.

"Senpai, want to go out together tonight?"

"…Oh, it really is Halloween."

Kosaka Akane blinked.

"We completely forgot."

Machida Sonoko wore the same dazed expression.

Sayuri was already getting excited, gesturing with both hands.

"The streets must be super lively! There'll be cosplayers everywhere — going out could help you relax too!"

She suddenly turned to Tsushima Kagami, the corner of her mouth curling into a suggestive smile.

"There must be tons of pretty girls going out tonight in really skimpy cosplay outfits, right?"

"Bunny girls, catgirls, and those succubi with so little fabric it's basically nothing at all…"

Her tone turned syrupy sweet as she kept elbowing Tsushima Kagami.

"You'd love that, right, Kagami? Want to go together?"

Tsushima Kagami's expression didn't change, but his right hand was already rising, landing precisely on top of Sayuri's head.

He gave it a light rap — not too hard, not too soft.

"Ow!"

Sayuri clutched her head, yelping theatrically.

"Why'd you hit my head! I'll get dumber!"

"You're plenty dumb enough already."

Tsushima Kagami said, expression unchanged.

"Did you finish the practice exam?"

"How can a student your age still be thinking about going out to play? How much time is left before the exam?"

Sayuri pouted, pulled a stack of papers covered in answers off the table, and gave them a rustling shake.

"I finished them! Look — three sets of math, two of English, one of Japanese, all done!"

"I even put in an extra hour today compared to usual!"

Tsushima Kagami took the stack and flipped through it. Before he could say anything,

Kosaka Akane suddenly seemed to remember something, turning and digging through her canvas bag stuffed with drawing supplies and manuscript paper until she pulled out a clear plastic folder.

"Here."

She handed the folder to Sayuri.

"These are the actual Keio written exam and interview questions from the past few years — I got them for you.

Sayuri took the folder, her eyes going wide as saucers.

Inside was a thick stack of A4 paper, densely printed with questions and handwritten notes.

Right after, Machida Sonoko pulled an even thicker folder from her bag and handed it to Tsushima Kagami.

"Give these to Yukinoshita Shizuku and Nayotake and the rest.

These cover the humanities exam questions for Waseda, Keio, and Sophia, plus a few science ones too.

Your study group should be able to use these."

Tsushima Kagami nodded and said a solemn "thank you."

Then he looked down at Sayuri, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Well, look at that — new questions to do."

"Do a set tonight when you get home. I'll check it tomorrow."

"How could you!"

Sayuri's voice stretched out into a whine.

"Don't you two want to go out and have fun? It's Halloween! It only comes once a year!"

Kosaka Akane and Machida Sonoko exchanged a look and both burst out laughing.

Their smiles carried the exhaustion of finally being freed, and the satisfaction of finally being able to rest.

"We only just finished rushing out the final chapter yesterday.

Kosaka Akane stretched, her spine crackling in a rapid series of pops.

We turned in the manuscript this morning and came straight here. Once we head back, we're catching up on sleep."

"It's been forever since we've slept properly."

Machida Sonoko stretched too.

The two of them stood up and started packing their things.

Kosaka Akane threw her jacket back on, while Machida Sonoko tucked her scattered pens back into her pen case one by one.

Before leaving, the two of them turned to Sayuri together, wearing smiles both indulgent and stern.

"No slacking off, Sayuri."

Sayuri hugged the folder of practice questions to her chest, curling up in her chair.

Her expression slowly shifted from anguish to complete resignation.

"Fine… happy Halloween, then, senpai…"

"Happy Halloween, Sayuri."

Only Tsushima Kagami and Sayuri remained in the club room.

Sayuri slumped over the table, burying her face in the stack of practice papers, like an ostrich shoving its head into the sand.

Tsushima Kagami glanced at her but said nothing.

He simply swept the eraser shavings scattered across the table into the trash bin, then began packing up his own bag.

A few minutes later, he stood up as well.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the subway station."

After the club session ended, Tsushima Kagami walked Sayuri to the nearest subway station.

He watched her back disappear through the ticket gate.

Then he turned and headed home alone.

His place was about seventeen or eighteen minutes on foot from the station.

Tonight the streets looked nothing like usual.

Crowds of young people in all sorts of outlandish Halloween costumes had gathered along the streets.

Passing an intersection, he saw two girls dressed as little devils, red horns perched on their heads, holding convenience-store beer as they giggled and took selfies.

A girl in a maid outfit ran past him, skirt flaring, a boy chasing after her with a camcorder raised.

As Tsushima Kagami walked on, his mind was elsewhere entirely.

What kind of cosplay outfit would suit Yukinoshita Shizuku?

Her skin was pale, her air cool and aloof — white would suit her beautifully.

A white rabbit? No, too sweet.

A white catgirl… that wasn't out of the question either.

Or a shiromuku, a white wedding kimono? A white wedding dress?

Ah, that wasn't really within the bounds of Halloween anymore.

He shook his head, feeling faintly ridiculous.

The whole walk home from the station, his head had been filled with nothing but these pointless thoughts.

It wasn't until he reached his own front door that his mind finally settled.

He pulled out his keys and opened the door.

Out of habit, "I'm home" was already on his lips, but before he could say it,

a pair of overlapping voices, sweet and melodic, reached his ears —

"Welcome home, Master~"

"Would you like dinner first, or a bath first, or…"

Tsushima Kagami froze mid-motion.

Still bent over changing his shoes, he slowly raised his head.

Under the entryway's warm light, Yukinoshita Shizuku and Nayotake knelt on cushions at the edge of the entrance floor.

They were both wearing… catgirl cosplay outfits.

More precisely, catgirl outfits mixed with gothic and maid elements.

Less like a costume, honestly, and more like lingerie.

Yukinoshita Shizuku's was mostly white, accented with pink.

Nayotake's was black, accented with purple.

The tops clung tightly, tracing the curves of their bodies.

Heart-shaped cutouts sat at the chest, as if straining to squeeze out the treasure packed inside some enormous chest.

The skirts were so short they barely covered the tops of their thighs, and a long tail was tied at the small of each back.

The white tail's tip carried a touch of pale gray; the black tail was pitch-black all over.

Both swayed gently as the two leaned slightly forward.

Cat-ear headbands sat atop their heads, the white and black ears stuffed with pink cotton.

Fuzzy cuffs wrapped their wrists, and ribbons with little bells were tied around their necks.

As the white catgirl, Yukinoshita Shizuku, her white ears tilted slightly, wore a smile that was elegant and composed.

Her kneeling posture was textbook-perfect, straight out of a tea ceremony classroom, hands folded properly on her thighs.

But that short skirt couldn't hide much of anything — pale knees and a stretch of thigh above them were laid bare in the light, right in front of Tsushima Kagami.

The black catgirl, Nayotake, kept her head lowered, her bangs hiding most of her face.

But they couldn't hide the crimson flush spreading from her ears down her neck.

Her fingers clutched at the hem of the skirt over her knees, the black tail drooping to the floor, its tip trembling faintly.

Tsushima Kagami looked on for a moment.

Then, without a word, he closed the door.

He opened it again with his key.

The two catgirls were still there, kneeling in the entryway.

"Trick or treat!"

"You two…"

"What's all this?"

Yukinoshita Shizuku lifted her head, the smile in her eyes deepening.

She tilted her head just enough for her white cat ears to tip along with it.

"Halloween cosplay.

Nayotake and I talked it over for a long time and decided catgirls suited us best. Don't you like it?"

Tsushima Kagami pulled his gaze away from her, looking to Nayotake instead.

The tips of Nayotake's ears were flushed so red they looked ready to bleed.

She finally lifted her face a little, but her gaze only dared to rest on Tsushima Kagami's shoelaces.

Her lips parted slightly, then closed again.

After a few tries, she finally managed to force out a single line, barely audible.

"Um… punish me…"

Her voice was as small as a cat's mewl.

Tsushima Kagami took a deep breath.

Well then, he wouldn't bother playing the gentleman tonight.

He shut the door properly behind him and stepped into the entryway.

He looked at the two of them with a smile, then pointed at Yukinoshita Shizuku.

"Tonight you're Vanilla."

"Yes, Master~"

"And you're Chocolate!"

Tsushima Kagami turned to look at Nayotake.

"Please allow me to serve you, Master~"

Wuhu — and we have liftoff!

____

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🔥 New history: DanMachi: Inheriting the Legacy of Alternate Versions — posted on The_Mikudayo