New Manga Club President

Just like the day prior, the library was empty and desolate. Aside from a few goody-two-shoes students studying as if midterms weren't months away, the solace of this quiet room was something many people who attended Shishigami High School came to enjoy. It was something of a sanctuary for people such as the pretty faced Tanaka Shina. Despite having a club room of her own to indulge in her otaku fantasies, she much preferred the school library's manga section in hopes of discovering a hidden shoujo gem. She could hear whispers from eager students echoing through the library walls.

"Dude, that's Tan-Tan!"

"You're right! She's manga genius!"

"Have you read her current series with Kuromoto? Did you know, he used to go to school here?!"

Tan-Tan approached the rowdy bunch, cutely placing her finger over her lips and winking at the first-year students.
"Please keep your voices down in this building. I don't want the library committee kicking you out. If you want to talk about manga, feel free to join my manga club."

Tan-Tan walked the halls of Shishigami High School, waving and making small talk with her peers; mostly regarding upcoming events for her current series.

"Is Mika going to do it?!"

"Tan-Tan, how did you find inspiration for Ninagawa Charlotte?! She's such a mysterious character!"

"That womanizer character, he's based on Tetsunori-sensei, right?!"

Tan-Tan was being swarmed by talkative groups, unsure of how to escape. She couldn't keep up with the rapid fire paparazzi. A strong, masculine hand grabbed hers, dragging her away from the chaotic atmosphere.
"Makoto-kun!"

Meguro Makoto led her into the club room, locking the door behind them.
"You've become... quite popular... Shina..."

"Hehe, I suppose I have. I didn't expect Makeinu no Tōboe to have such a strong fanbase. It feels kind of nice to have people praising me rather than bullying me."
Tan-Tan rubbed her neck sheepishly, clearly enjoying the praise from her peers.

"I swear... if you keep spoiling content... Kuromoto-sensei is going to get upset..."
Makoto took a seat, already working on applying screen tone to Nishi's manga. He had become something of an unpaid assistant to Nishi, despite rarely ever seeing the boy after his graduation.

"Nishi should be paying you for your work, Makoto-kun. I'm going to have a serious talk with him when I get home!"
Tan-Tan's eyebrow twitched as she watched Makoto work so diligently for free.

"I consider it... training... like an internship..."
Makoto smiled, feeling fortunate to still have a connection to his senpai even after graduating.
"How is it... living with Kuromoto-sensei?.."

"Living with Nishi is like living in a pigsty. He's messy, lazy, and worst of all, he keeps bringing those girls over when I'm not home!"
Tan-Tan tapped her foot angrily, imagining scenarios that definitely weren't happening.

"Shina... you know those are just... his assistants..."
Makoto covered his mouth to suppress a giggle. He knew all too well how jealous Tan-Tan had become in the past month.

"Manga assistants shouldn't be so pretty! They should all wear ugly glasses and have pimples on their faces!"
Tan-Tan slammed her fist into the desk.

"That's cruel... Shina... I'm quite fond of... girls with glasses..."
Makoto shifted awkwardly, pretending to focus on his work rather than Tan-Tan's insulting assumption.

There was a soft knock at the door of the manga club room, followed by a timid, feminine voice.
"Um, hello? My friends and I would like to apply!"

Tan-Tan immediately darted to the door, flinging it open with unrivaled force.
"You want to apply for the manga club?!"

Before her stood a small group. One of them, a female first-year student with thick glasses and a messy bun. Another was a tall, male second-year student who was almost as gloomy as the one who just graduated. The last was a much smaller female third-year student whom Tan-Tan recognized from her class.
"Whoa! Makoto-kun, look at this! We have a whole army lining up to join!"

Makoto's eyes immediately locked with the girl wearing glasses. He had just openly expressed his interest in girls wearing glasses before Tan-Tan opened the door, and he was praying to God that she hadn't heard. He muttered quietly to himself.
"Romance... is about to plague the manga club..."

"Ahem, welcome to the manga club! My name is Tanaka Shina, pen name, Tan-Tan. If you think you have what it takes to join my club, you'll need to prove yourself! Now, tell me your favorite manga."
Tan-Tan took a seat in Nishi's old chair, propping her chin in her palm as she listened to the new applicant's gush about their favorite series. She felt proud of herself, like a real club president.
"Excellent choices... now, how many of you have applied screen tone before?"

To her surprise, nobody raised their hand. She gave them a cocky smirk, standing up to hand them a few bundles of screen tone, and each of them a freshly sharpened utility knife.
"I want nothing less than perfection! Our old club president would never stand for half-assed work. If you want to be on Kuromoto Nishi's level, you'll need to apply yourself! Now, who wants to create a manga?!"

Nishi's cellphone rang to life, interrupting his intense workload. He let out an audible grunt, shouting into the microphone.
"I'm almost done with my manuscript, Sato-san!"

"Who the hell is Sato-san? Nishi, you're overworking yourself again."
The voice on the other end was Sakai Akinari, clearly frustrated at having been yelled at.

"Whoa, Aki! Sorry, man, I've been up to my neck in manuscript papers."
Nishi set his G-pen down, focusing his full attention on his friend calling from Tokyo.

"All good, I was just checking on you. Minami is worried about you."
Akinari's voice was muffled by the hustle and bustle of Tokyo's busy streets. Nishi could pick up the faint shouting of Minami in the background.

"Tell her I'm fine. You better have a good reason for interrupting my work."
Nishi smirked, although Akinari couldn't see him. He sounded upset, but was secretly relieved to hear the familiar voices.

"Chill out, man! Minami said she was reading J-Fantasy and noticed you made characters that resemble us in your manga. She was crying her eyes out saying how much she missed you and Tanaka-san."
Akinari let out a chuckle, dodging playful slaps from his girlfriend on the other end of the phone.

"Put her on, I want to tease her a bit."
Nishi leaned back in his chair, noticing the irritated looks on his assistants faces as he spoke loudly.

"Hello?! Nishi?! I miss you so much! I can't stop crying! Tokyo is scary!"
Minami wailed over the phone, sounding more cute than scared.

"Hey, Minami. Did you hear? If you ever find yourself at Sendagaya Tunnel, you'll be possessed by all sorts of wicked ghosts!"
Nishi cackled upon hearing her shriek.

"Stop it! I'm already having a panic attack from the number of people here, now you're telling me Tokyo has ghost sightings?! You're so mean!"
Minami's crying was almost deafening, causing Nishi to step outside for a much needed break from his manga.

"Sorry, sorry. You're just so fun to tease. Make sure Aki is eating proper meals, okay? I love you guys too much to watch you get fat."
Nishi looked down at the quiet streets of Hokkaido from his apartment, wondering how it would feel to be in a cramped city like Tokyo.

"Okay, Nishi. I'll make sure Aki and I eat natto every day. I love you too, please come visit soon."
Minami giggled softly over the phone.

"Natto? Gross! I just meant don't be buying convenience store junk every night. I'll plan a trip out there when Tan-Tan has a break from school, okay?"
Nishi could see the familiar silver haired girl approaching from afar, already waving at him like they were a married couple.

"Bye, Nishi. Give Tan-Tan extra kisses for me!"
Minami hung up the phone, leaving Nishi and Tan-Tan to start their sleepless night.

"Welcome home, Tan-Tan. How was school?"

"It was wonderful! The manga club got three new members today! They all want to make their own manga together and follow in your footsteps. They said something like 'We can't let a Korean boy become Japan's number one!' or something."
Tan-Tan kicked her shoes off, immediately plopping into Nishi's lap on his chair.

Nishi let out a loud chuckle, stroking Tan-Tan's flowing hair with gentle precision.
"Well, we have a lot of work to do. Better start a coffee pot, because it's going to be another all-nighter!"

The setting sun cast a warm glow on apartment 303, illuminating the Akihabara store-style living room with an orange hue. The two had found themselves pursuing their childhood dreams, grinding away for the sake of their many fans. Tan-Tan thought back on the time she met Nishi, the half Korean manga expert, sifting through her piles of shoujo manga in the school library. Soon, these two would be married, turning their wildest fantasies into reality. Who knows where life will take them next? Perhaps, they will write a manga about it.

Romance Plagues The Manga Club ~ Fin
The End.

Story: Blunk
Cover Art: Azelmhmm

"Mommy, why isn't Daddy getting ready to go to the park? He promised he would, today!"

"Don't worry, sweetie. Daddy will still take you to the park. He's finishing up another story."

"But, Daddy is always writing stories! I want to play on the swings!"

"You heard her, Nishi. Put the G-pen down and come push your daughter on the swings."

"Just one more page, Tan-Tan. I promise I'll play with you soon, Natsuki.

"Now, Nishi. Don't make me rip up your manuscript!"

"Okay, okay! Come on, Natsuki, let's go play."

"Yay! Daddy, Mommy, do you think we will see Nagisa at the park?!"

"You mean, uncle Aki and auntie Minami's kid? Why don't we give them a call? I suppose it would be nice to have a chat with them. Right, Tan-Tan?"

"I'll call Minami-chan right away!"