*Chapter 10: Dozens of Storyboards in One Night, That's the Demon King!*

On the other side, at Tokyo University of the Arts.

Yūzuru Namikaze was feeling restless during class.

Last night, she hadn’t slept at all because Oda Shingo went overboard. Uh, he went overboard drawing storyboards, and she was stuck in the closet, unable to come out.

But her unease wasn’t because of that.

The professor droned on about the history of the world, as if reciting scriptures: “After surviving the Honnoji Incident, Oda Nobunaga launched an overwhelming counterattack against Akechi Mitsuhide…”

Yūzuru Namikaze couldn’t focus at all. Her mind was filled with Oda Shingo's storyboard comics.

What happens next in the story? Will the bald guy be recognized for his strength? Will some bizarre characters appear? Will he still defeat them with just one punch?

That wasn’t even the main issue. Yūzuru Namikaze realized she couldn’t stop thinking about how to refine those storyboards.

Scenes from the light table kept flashing through her mind, with the storyboard drafts placed below as she meticulously sketched each frame with her G-pen, bringing her ideas to life…

The tension-filled images would come to perfection under her pen!

Each unique character would spring to life under her brush!

How many readers would be captivated by the plot and characters when they saw this manga?

Just thinking about it was exciting!

Yūzuru Namikaze stood up, ready to leave the classroom with her book.

“That student over there…” The professor’s gaze fell on her.

“Ah.” Yūzuru Namikaze suddenly realized her unconscious action and quickly sat back down.

Leaving class early was something Japanese universities took seriously, as it was considered disruptive to the learning environment.

In Japanese culture, anything that disturbed others was seen as the worst thing you could do.

Her classmates whispered amongst themselves.

“Isn’t that Yūzuru Namikaze?”

“Yeah, she’s pretty, but she’s always acting weird.”

“Totally, she’s so cold and creepy. Definitely strange.”

“I heard she broke a guy’s bones back in high school.”

“What? That dangerous?”

She was already sitting alone, and now the girl next to her scooted further away.

Feeling the strange stares of her classmates, Yūzuru Namikaze buried her head in her book, enduring until class was over.

Lunch didn’t seem to have much flavor either.

The afternoon class, though, was related to manga.

“In the manga industry, there’s a saying: the storyboard sets the skeleton, and the main artist adds the flesh,” the teacher explained the basics of manga creation. “Storyboards may look rough, but they’re considered the backbone of manga and are crucial to its overall quality.”

Yūzuru Namikaze seized the chance to ask, “Excuse me, teacher, is it possible for someone to draw over a dozen storyboards in one night?”

Many students looked at her in surprise.

Not because she asked a question, but because, in their minds, Yūzuru Namikaze was always so cold and silent.

She was somewhat famous in her grade, with striking looks and a great figure. Many had noticed her long ago, but her strange demeanor made her seem unapproachable.

Especially after an accidental injury incident, malicious rumors worsened her reputation among her peers.

Any boy brave enough to talk to her would soon be scared off by her icy gaze.

“Over a dozen storyboards in one night?” The teacher adjusted his glasses with a smile. “Did you ask that correctly?”

Some students chuckled softly.

Uh, I did get it wrong. It wasn’t over a dozen, it was dozens, Yūzuru Namikaze thought to herself.

Oda Shingo had completed 68 storyboard drafts in one night, and they were high-quality!

I didn’t think it was possible either, so I toned it down to just over a dozen.

The teacher continued, “If a manga artist were to plan that, they’d be aiming for the impossible.”

The class burst into laughter.

It was a Japanese proverb, meaning something like aiming for the impossible without self-awareness.

Yūzuru Namikaze’s face flushed red.

“Anyone aspiring to be a manga artist shouldn’t overestimate themselves,” the teacher said sternly. “Drawing ten storyboards a day is already considered prolific.”

One curious student asked, “Are there any famous manga artists who are particularly prolific?”

“Anyone drawing more than twenty a day is a genius,” the teacher said, admiration in his voice. “In the manga world right now, a well-known young genius is Kosuke Andotsuki, famous for producing 28 storyboards a day, the fastest artist in the industry.”

Yūzuru Namikaze couldn’t help but ask, “What if someone did even more?”

The teacher was momentarily stunned. “You mean just scribbling?”

“No, no, I mean, what if someone drew over sixty storyboards in one night, and they were high quality,” Yūzuru Namikaze thought back to the miracle she had witnessed the previous night.

The teacher dismissed it casually. “Heh, that would be the Demon King!”

Laughter erupted again.

A male student snickered, “Dozens of storyboards in one night? Must be the Demon King!”

The sarcastic tone made the surrounding girls groan.

But Yūzuru Namikaze wasn’t embarrassed anymore.

On the contrary, she sat there, lost in thought…

The afternoon seemed to drag on.

Finally, when class ended, Yūzuru Namikaze felt like she had been granted a pardon and quickly ran back to her place.

Then, she changed into more formal clothing.

She even pulled out the makeup kit she had rarely used and awkwardly applied a little makeup in front of the mirror.

This was something she had noticed other women doing since moving to Tokyo.

Women in Tokyo always wore makeup to work.

“This feels weird…” Yūzuru Namikaze sighed at her reflection.

If she had worn makeup yesterday, wouldn’t she have left a scent of powder in Oda Shingo’s room? That would’ve been a dead giveaway.

As someone raised as a ninja, she was very particular about personal odors.

Feeling nervous, Yūzuru Namikaze headed to Oda Shingo’s apartment.

On the way, she couldn’t help but mutter under her breath.

“The Demon King?”

I’ve been shunned by classmates…

I couldn’t even get into a manga studio…

My webcomic gets ridiculed…

Do I really have a chance to be the lead artist under the Manga Demon King?

Yūzuru Namikaze gazed nervously at the run-down apartment building in the sunset and swallowed hard.

Just as the sun was about to set.

Oda Shingo heard a polite, gentle knock at the door.

He opened it to see Yūzuru Namikaze standing straight and stiff in formal attire.

Oda Shingo was momentarily stunned.

Her delicate but cool features, long and slender legs, and the young girl standing in the last rays of sunlight caught his eye.

It was a beauty he hadn’t noticed in his previous life.

But only for a moment—he quickly collected himself.

“Welcome, Yūzuru. You’ve come,” Oda Shingo smiled.

He noticed something odd in her gaze—was that respect?

“Oda-Senpai, I, Yūzuru Namikaze, have come as you requested.” Yūzuru Namikaze gave a deep ninety-degree bow, her voice serious. “Please allow me to be your lead artist. I’m counting on you!”

(End of Chapter)s