*Chapter 9: I Will Be Crowned King*

Still unable to find a chance to leave, Yūzuru Namikaze touched her wrist while hiding in the closet.

It was a special non-glowing watch, and the open-faced dial reminded her that it was already 2 AM.

After what felt like an eternity, Oda Shingo stood up and stretched outside the closet.

"Third storyboard complete. Once you get the hang of it, the efficiency really improves!"

He looked at the time with satisfaction, pleased with his productivity.

"It needs to be weightier if I want Youtsuru to join!"

Oda Shingo took a sip of water and buried himself in his work again.

He’s working this hard... just to get me to join the creative team? Yūzuru Namikaze was astonished.

Her mind flashed back to the time she tried to join a manga club.

Back then, she accidentally overheard a conversation between some senior members of the club.

[We can’t let someone so gloomy join the club.]

[Just thinking about her creepy stare gives me chills!]

[And those legs of hers are way too long. Ugh, either way, I’m not on board!]

No one wanted her to join, so she decided to draw on her own. That was the resolve Youtsuru had made back then.

As dawn broke, the atmosphere shifted.

"28 pages, 17 pages, 23 pages. Hmm, the storyboards for three chapters are done!" Oda Shingo muttered to himself, still quite pleased with his efficiency.

"Ah, it’s already 6 AM. Take care, gotta set the alarm and get up by noon!"

Oda Shingo quickly freshened up and collapsed into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Youtsuru patiently waited for a while. After confirming it was safe, she silently slipped out of the closet.

This madman worked through the night! In the pale morning light, she stared at the storyboard pages on the desk, dazed.

He drew 68 pages of storyboards in one night?!

And he did all of this... just to get me to join the team?

One Punch Man?

She flipped through the pages, realizing that these storyboards were already highly polished.

Even the dialogue was mostly done, making it easy for an illustrator to develop the story.

This meant that a lead artist could take these straight to the lightbox and start drawing right away!

She had assumed he was rushing to show her something unfinished, but the detail was on another level.

Yūzuru Namikaze could hardly believe it.

The detailed storyboard drafts were enough to enjoy the story, and as she continued flipping through, she became absorbed.

The Vaccine Monster appeared, and the main character was bald?

A Crab Monster, and a kid with a butt-like chin?

A muscle-bound giant, and another one-punch knockout?

The protagonist who couldn’t kill a mosquito, and the underground dwellers retreating? Yūzuru Namikaze almost burst out laughing.

She lost track of time until she realized she had reached the last page.

C’mon, wake up and keep drawing!

She turned back, her eyes full of anticipation as she looked at the sleeping Oda Shingo.

Hmph, men—

Just then, Oda Shingo rolled over in his sleep.

Yūzuru Namikaze was so startled that she hurried back into the closet.

After a long pause and seeing no further movement from Oda, she cautiously came out again.

I really want to read it again. Reluctantly, she neatly organized the storyboards before tiptoeing out.

Closing the door silently behind her, she took a moment to gather her thoughts.

Rejected by the manga club, now someone actually wants me as their lead artist?

Oda Shingo wants me to co-create a manga?

To complete that thrilling storyline I just read?!

Her breath quickened unconsciously, and Yūzuru Namikaze felt as if she were in a dream.

Leaping across rooftops with her arms stretched back like wings, she moved swiftly through the city.

This morning’s breeze no longer felt cold, but instead carried a hint of warmth.

Yūzuru Namikaze brushed her bangs aside and slowly raised her eyes toward the rising sun.

The golden light cast a hazy glow on her long eyelashes.

After being in Tokyo for so long, it was the first time she realized:

Sunshine could be this bright and warm...

...

At noon, Oda Shingo woke up to the sound of his alarm.

Japanese people are used to staying up late, so waking up late in the morning isn’t unusual.

Many companies don’t even start work until after 11, especially in the entertainment industry. Greeting someone with "Good morning" at noon wasn’t strange at all.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Oda Shingo immediately began to freshen up.

After a bit of stretching, he had a simple breakfast of rice balls.

"Time to review the storyboards." He began reviewing his work while eating.

The challenge with rough storyboards is the constant revisions.

But Oda Shingo had an advantage.

Being a reincarnated soul, he already had the completed works from his previous world in his mind. All he had to do was review them with the eye of an experienced anime producer.

ONE’s original work was already of high quality, and Yusuke Murata’s improvements were impressive too. The One Punch Man storyboards were top-notch. Although Murata later altered ONE’s storyline, which was a mistake.

However, as a serialized work, tight deadlines always lead to some imperfections.

Oda Shingo made a few tweaks and was generally satisfied.

"When will the lead artist arrive? I’m kinda excited." Oda thought of the system-recommended partner, Yūzuru Namikaze.

Checking the system, he noticed that the teammate recommendation meter was at 2/3.

"System, can I still recommend two more?" Oda asked excitedly in his mind.

He was eager to see what other talented teammates would join him.

[The host still has two recommendation opportunities.]

"Then recommend another one for me," he asked the system.

[No.]

"..." Although Oda wasn’t angry at the system’s refusal, the way it said “no” felt oddly familiar.

It was just like when the system had first introduced itself as the Tokyo Love Life System, and he’d coldly rejected it. The feeling was eerily similar...

[With the host’s current status, there are no suitable teammates to recommend.]

"Smooth talker," Oda chuckled. "In truth, there are plenty of capable people, but no one with the skills and willingness to join me yet, huh?"

The system remained silent.

It was unclear whether it lacked human-like traits or simply agreed by default.

Maybe this thing really is just AI, Oda thought, but he didn’t push the matter further, changing the topic to other questions.

The system didn’t respond to any of them.

"Not talking to me?" Oda shrugged.

No big deal. His life’s struggles, with or without the system, were just appetizers.

True success in life came from his own hard work.

In his previous life, he had earned numerous honors in the anime world, but he hadn’t reached the very top.

What a regret. Oda longed to feel what it was like to stand at the pinnacle.

Unfortunately, before achieving that goal, he had died young.

Now reborn, although he started as a lowly manga artist and couldn’t yet become a top anime producer, Oda Shingo found the challenge exhilarating.

Compared to the distinctively unique manga market, Japan’s anime industry was far more competitive, and in some ways, more suited to his talents.

"Not that I plan to sell out…" Oda smirked at himself.

Starting from the bottom as a manga artist, he would release one jaw-dropping work after another, until the name “Oda Shingo” struck fear into the hearts of every other anime creator, like an NPC standing helpless before the Demon Lord!

In this parallel world, Oda Shingo would become synonymous with the anime industry’s ultimate villain!

"I will be crowned king!"

Oda Shingo stuffed the last rice ball into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it forcefully before diving back into his drawings.

(End of Chapter)