Keep It Real

"Nishi-senpai, we're going to be late!"
Tan-Tan burst through the train door, her hand roughly pulling Nishi along as her small legs sprinted forward.

"It's your fault! You're the one who took two hours to pick out a dress!"
Nishi took the lead, scooping his girlfriend into his arms, bridal style. She let out a surprised squeak, instinctively gripping his shirt collar to steady herself. The two rushed through the quiet streets of Hokkaido, feeling grateful for the lack of Sunday traffic; even in the middle of April.

"Hurry, Nishi-senpai! It's almost 1:00 PM!"
Tan-Tan did little to ease his burden as she was being carried like a princess to their destination.

"Can't you see I'm trying?! Hang on, I'm going to sprint!"
He dashed around a corner, making a beeline toward the publishing office at the end of the street. They burst through the door, both panting heavily in their now wrinkled clothes. The dynamic duo stood eagerly before the reception desk, Nishi breaking the awkward silence with a loud voice.
"We're here to meet with Akibane-san!"

Everyone in the lobby froze, admiring the goofy couple; the small girl was completely wrapped around the tall man, like a child clinging to their father.

"C-certainly. May I have a name?"
The receptionist quickly averted her eyes as she picked up her landline phone. She was unsure of what to do in this first time situation.

Nishi set his girlfriend down, straightening his shirt and tie with flat hands.
"Kuromoto and Tanto."

"Of course, I'll inform Akibane that you're here. Kuromoto and... Tan...to?"
She looked puzzled by the intriguing pen name.

"Y-yes, Tanto."
Tan-Tan hid her blushing cheeks by looking to the ground.

Nishi took a seat in the lobby, feeling grateful for the soft cushioning of the padded leather chair, allowing him to rest his throbbing legs. He pulled his smartphone from his pocket, reviewing his notes from the night before. He had planned to ask Akibane-san about a few things regarding his manga; specifically the fact that he and Tan-Tan were still only in high school. The echoes of footsteps approaching in heavy boots made the pair of students gulp in anticipation.

Akibane stood before them, his luxurious suit was complemented by an Azurbön t-shirt underneath his blazer. The man had a perfectly shaven goatee on his chin and a pair of dark, almost gray eyes.
"Kuromoto and Tanto?"

Nishi shot to his feet, his body stiffening in an attempt to appear professional.
"Y-yes! I'm Kuromoto Nishi, sir!"

Tan-Tan mimicked his stiff posture, bowing her head low.
"I'm Tanaka Shina. Pen name, Tanto, sir!"

Akibane burst into a boisterous chuckle, his whole body shaking with laughter. He extended his large hand toward Nishi.
"Please, no need to be nervous. We're just here to discuss the success of your manga. Follow me."

Nishi followed closely behind Akibane, holding Tan-Tan's sweating palm with his own. Posters of popular manga series covered the white, corporate walls of the meeting room; Nishi and Tan-Tan recognized a few of their favorites as they took a seat across from Akibane. For the two manga club members, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife; for Akibane, he felt rather relaxed as he gathered a few papers and placed them on the desk.
"Kuromoto, Tanto, I have a proposal that I think you would be quite interested in."

Nishi nodded his head.
"Please, we would love to hear."

Akibane shifted in his seat, placing a cigarette between his chapped lips. He glanced up at Nishi, silently asking permission to smoke; to which Nishi nodded. The end of the tobacco stick was set ablaze, and the wafting smoke surrounded Akibane as if he were a mystic deity.
"As it stands, we have a strict policy against hiring high school students as full-time manga artists. Some corporate nonsense was mandated a couple of decades ago. Personally, I don't have a problem with it, but I would also like to keep my job."

Tan-Tan nodded her head, shyly looking away as she spoke with a slight stutter.
"We understand, Akibane-san."

"Good. Then, let's move on to my proposal. I would like to hire you two as a team to create a four panel gag manga for the end of every other magazine release. Until you two graduate from high school, we can't publish Makeinu no Tōboe, although I must commend you on how great the series is."
Akibane blew a cloud of smoke up at the lights above.

Nishi's face contorted into a frown, and he clenched his fists by his waist.
"Sir, with all due respect, why a gag manga?"

Tan-Tan noticed the shift in atmosphere and gently placed her small hand over Nishi's shaking fist. Akibane leaned closer, his eyes showing signs of gentleness.
"Because, four panel gag manga can be submitted by anybody, high school students or not. We understand it's not your area of expertise, but it would bring you a wider audience by the time you graduate. Plus, I may be able to pull some strings to have Makeinu no Tōboe's publishing date to be pushed up, if Tanaka-san here is willing to change her pen name, since everyone already knows Tanto is a high school student. Nishi is graduating in a year, yet Tanaka-san still has two more years left. Do you catch my drift? If I never come into contact with Tanaka-san under her new pen name, who's to say how old she really is?"
Akibane winked at Tan-Tan, boldly suggesting something highly illegal that could potentially end his career.

With wide eyes, Nishi and Tan-Tan looked at each other. They could see the contradiction in their eyes; hope and conflict. While Nishi felt that gag manga was an irritating idea, Tan-Tan found it rather exciting. She definitely wasn't thrilled by the idea of changing her pen name, as it held special sentimental value to her, but she was willing to change for the sake of her dream. Before Nishi could even open his mouth, Tan-Tan extended her small hand toward Akibane.
"We'll do it. I'll change my pen name, so that Nishi-senpai and I can make our dreams come true!"

Nishi looked at his girlfriend's face, studying her intentions before making a bold remark.
"Tan-Tan... but, gag manga? I don't have any experience with that!"

"It doesn't matter what kind of manga we have to start with, Nishi-senpai. This is our chance to live our biggest dreams!"
She furrowed her brow, trying her best to intimidate the stubborn boy into submission.

Nishi let out a sigh, shifting his frown into a gentle smile.
"Sure, let's do it. But you better make this gag manga hilarious."

Akibane shook their hands, his casual grin holding hidden feelings of respect for the young duo.
"I'll be in contact, Kuromoto. Please, don't hesitate to call me. As for you, little Tanto, come up with a new pen name before your first submission and we can talk business."

Nishi and Tan-Tan headed toward Nishi's house, holding hands as they chatted excitedly about the future. With Nishi being only one year away from graduating, the two could only count down the days until they would become full fledged manga artists. They stepped into his home and headed straight for the bedroom, eager to share some intimacy after a stressful evening.

Tan-Tan cuddled to Nishi's side, wrapping her slender arms around his waist.
"I could never have done this without you, Nishi-senpai. You're the reason I'm living such a fun life."

He rubbed her back in rhythmic circular motions, letting his head rest atop hers.
"Well, it's your story writing that's gotten us this far. But, why did you agree to change your pen name? Doesn't it hold special value to you?"

She let out a deep breath, mustering the courage to finally open up about her troubled past to her boyfriend.
"It does hold special value to me... But, it also carries a lot of malice and ill will. Are you sure you want to hear about it?"

Nishi tilted her chin up, locking eyes with the adorably vulnerable girl.
"Of course I do. You're my girlfriend, I want to know everything about you."

Tan-Tan got comfortable in Nishi's lap, leaning into his soft caresses. She took a long, deep breath.
"It started when I was seven years old."