Chương 142: Mashiro's Significant Progress
An hour later, the bath was finally over.
"Ah, so relaxing~ Onee-chan, let's bathe together again next time!" Izumi Aimi said contentedly as she dried her hair and got dressed before leaving the bathroom.
"Damn it... that little brat is getting more and more cheeky!" Kotomi Izumi muttered to herself, blushing as she stepped out of the bathtub and began blow-drying her hair. She grumbled in frustration, "Next time, there's no way I'm bathing with Aimi again!!!"
Just ten minutes earlier, Kotomi had already dried herself off with a towel and was about to leave the bath when Aimi mischievously pulled her back into the tub.
Once Kotomi finished drying her hair, she realized there was still an hour before dinner.
Returning to her room, Kotomi had no interest in writing novels or drawing manga today. All she wanted was to get a nice, long nap.
"But with only an hour until dinner, if I fall asleep now, I might not wake up in time. What can I do to kill an hour?"
Just as she was about to pick up her phone to play a game, Kotomi suddenly remembered the second volume of the manga manuscript Mashiro Shiina had given her after school today.
Judging by the nervous expression on Mashiro's face when she handed it over, it was clear she had put a lot of effort into the storyline for the second volume.
"I wonder if the story has improved compared to the first volume?"
Curious, Kotomi pulled the manuscript from her bag. Like the first volume, it was neatly bound, and each page was clearly numbered at the bottom.
The artwork remained just as perfect as before, with the same high-quality, skillful drawings.
Mashiro's art was flawless if you ignored the story. But could a comic without a good story really be considered a comic?
That didn't seem possible.
A comic tells its story through its visuals, just as a novel does through its words. The one thing a comic couldn't lack was a compelling plot.
Kotomi sat on her bed and began flipping through the pages. The second volume's story picked up right where the first volume left off.
Just as the female lead confessed to the male lead, fireworks lit up the sky. The sound of the fireworks completely drowned out her voice. Only then did she remember that today was the city's triannual fireworks festival.
Due to the noise from the fireworks, it seemed the male lead didn't hear her confession.
The female lead's first attempt to confess her feelings, unsurprisingly, and perhaps predictably, ended in failure.
"Using fireworks to interrupt a confession and create tension for the plot? This trope is pretty common. Still, there's something to be said for a traditional, straightforward plot," Kotomi muttered as she continued reading.
Because Kotomi had read many shoujo manga in the past, this type of plot didn't surprise her. In fact, she had already guessed this outcome at the end of the first volume.
The story continued with the female lead and male lead remaining friends, navigating their daily school life.
The narrative was peppered with lighthearted comedic scenes. It was hard to imagine the usually aloof and airheaded Mashiro coming up with comedic scenarios.
But surprisingly, these scenes, while not laugh-out-loud funny, had a sweet undertone that made Kotomi smile.
If the first volume had been so dull that it forced readers to focus solely on the art, the second volume at least kept them flipping the pages.
Compared to other top-tier shoujo manga, Mashiro's still had room for improvement, but it was a massive step up from the first volume. The progress she'd made was undeniable.
Not only had she maintained her exceptional artwork, but she had also clearly put considerable thought into the plot for the second volume.
The second volume concluded with the end of the characters' three years in high school, and on graduation day, the female lead confessed to the male lead once more.
This time, the usually mischievous and teasing male lead shyly revealed his true feelings.
It turned out that three years ago, when the fireworks had exploded in the sky, he had indeed heard her confession, despite pretending otherwise. He hadn't acknowledged it at the time because he couldn't believe that someone from a much wealthier background like the female lead could ever love someone like him.
He had grown up with her and had liked her for a long time.
But compared to her affluent family background, his was much more modest.
Caught between feelings of insecurity and disbelief, the male lead had pretended not to hear her confession. Now, three years later, when she confessed again, he was overwhelmed with emotion and decided to stop hiding his feelings.
"In fact, I heard your confession three years ago, the moment those fireworks filled the sky."
"Idiot..."
After confessing their feelings, the two leads hugged tightly.
At that moment, fireworks once again illuminated the sky—this time even more dazzling than the ones three years ago.
Under the fireworks, the couple embraced and kissed.
Under Mashiro Shiina's skilled hand, the scene was drawn with breathtaking beauty.
The image alone could be considered a masterpiece.
In the bottom left corner, the word "END" was written, signifying the conclusion of the main story.
However, flipping further, Kotomi found that Mashiro had also drawn three bonus chapters after the main story.
The extras included short stories about the couple in college, after graduating and meeting each other's families, and finally preparing for their wedding, followed by scenes of their marriage ceremony surrounded by friends and family. The last chapter showed the couple six years later, celebrating the birth of their child.
The second volume, including the bonus chapters, spanned 160 pages. Even without counting the extras, the second volume was significantly longer than the first.
After putting the manuscript back into her bag, Kotomi took a deep breath and said, "Mashiro's progress is incredible!"
Less than a week had passed since the first volume, yet there was already noticeable improvement in the second volume's story.
While it wasn't exactly groundbreaking, it was at least a solid, enjoyable shoujo manga compared to the first volume, which had been so lackluster that it was better to ignore the story and just admire the artwork.
The lighthearted romantic moments in the second volume were sweet, and the comedic elements earned genuine smiles.
The heartwarming, happy ending also left a pleasant, relaxing feeling.
If Kotomi were just a manga reader, after finishing the second volume, she would definitely keep an eye on future works by the manga artist "Mashiro."
After reading the first volume, Kotomi hadn't known what to say in terms of feedback.
But now, after finishing the second volume, she felt she could offer Mashiro some real insights.
The next morning.
Since she had gone to bed early the previous night, Kotomi didn't feel drowsy like the day before. She arrived at the classroom bright and early.
Mashiro Shiina, who had been anxious to hear Kotomi's thoughts on the second volume, also arrived early.
"I finished reading the second volume." Kotomi turned around and handed the manuscript back to Mashiro.
Accepting it with both hands, Mashiro couldn't hide the nervousness in her voice as she quietly asked, "So... how was the plot in the second volume?"
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