The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 99: My Life Revolves Around Shunsuke

"Don't... it's coming in... it's entering my body!"

"Ugh... ahhh, ah—"

Bang!

The door to the room was suddenly flung open with great force.

Mashiro walked in with a completely blank expression.

"Mashiro, did you finish the manga?"

Shunsuke looked puzzled.

Based on Mashiro's usual habits, whenever she was immersed in drawing, not even Rikka's incessant murmuring—or even if Suzuna were to call out next to her—would catch her attention.

She would remain entirely lost in her own world.

"It's done. I wanted Shunsuke to take a look," Mashiro replied in an exceptionally calm tone, as though she hadn't just thrown the door open so dramatically.

"Alright." Shunsuke nodded, then turned to see Rikka reaching for her contact lenses again. Without hesitation, he smacked her hand away. "Not now."

"Shunsuke, who is she?"

"The Eye—"

Shunsuke gently knocked on Rikka's forehead, cutting her off. "Introduce yourself properly, now."

"...Rikka Takanashi."

"And this is Mashiro Shiina," Shunsuke explained, gesturing toward the stoic Mashiro. "Like me, she's a manga artist."

Rikka involuntarily shuddered under Mashiro's impassive gaze, feeling as though she were standing before an angry Holy Regulator.

"Ah! So you're also an enemy of the 'Invisible Boundary Line' Bureau, aren't you? You've deliberately stayed close to the Stellar Hunter just to ambush me! Darn it, I let my guard down!"

Rikka raised one hand to shield her forehead defensively while reaching under her skirt with the other.

"The Black Shield!"

A black umbrella with red ruffles unfolded with a dramatic whoosh, positioning itself between Rikka and Mashiro.

Shunsuke found himself inexplicably thinking it looked kind of cool.

The thought made him pause, and he lightly knocked Rikka on the head again.

No, no, this overly dramatic vibe was getting to him.

Just being around her for a bit was making him feel like he might succumb to her delusional tendencies.

"Eep!"

This time, perhaps he had used a little more force, as Rikka crouched down, clutching her head and letting out an adorable, animal-like whimper.

The sight made Shunsuke want—really want—to tease her further, just to see her cry.

He couldn't deny that the original work's Togashi Yuuta had a point when he liked to flick Rikka's forehead or pinch her cheeks.

It was just like how people are irresistibly drawn to squish their cute pets when they're being adorable.

Scientifically, this is called "cute aggression"—Rikka's overwhelming cuteness filled his brain with "Rikka is so cute" signals.

To balance it out and avoid emotional overload, his brain seemed to generate a counter-impulse: "I want to bully her a little."

Fortunately, this kind of "cute aggression" usually passed quickly.

Shunsuke turned his attention to Mashiro, giving her a reassuring hug to recharge his "Mashiro energy."

Then, addressing the still-pouting Rikka, he asked, "Rikka, why did you climb down from the balcony so late at night? What were you trying to do?"

"I was escaping the surveillance of the Holy Regulator from the 'Invisible Boundary Line' Bureau."

"And where exactly were you planning to escape to?"

"..."

Rikka fell silent.

The truth was, she didn't know either.

She was just aimlessly wandering, like a drifter with no destination.

Shunsuke gently patted her head. "I see. If you don't feel like staying at home, you can hang out here for a while. There are novels, manga, and Blu-rays. When you feel like going back, just head home."

"Thank you for having me."

Rikka nodded without hesitation.

Her brand of chuunibyou could easily be reframed as an unconventional form of extreme social confidence.

She had no qualms about accepting the offer.

At that moment, Shunsuke picked up the manuscript Mashiro was holding. Flipping through it, he noticed unfamiliar characters. "Is this… an original manga you created yourself, Mashiro?"

Mashiro nodded slowly. "Take a look, Shunsuke. Tell me how it is."

Her tone was as calm as ever, as if she didn't care whether Shunsuke's evaluation was good or bad.

However, having spent so much time with her, Shunsuke could sense her nervousness through the faint flicker of emotion in her pale pink eyes.

Mashiro's emotional fluctuations were much more intense when it came to her manga, but to outsiders, she appeared just as composed as usual.

As Shunsuke continued flipping through the manuscript, he was genuinely impressed.

She even found time to create an original manga?

He couldn't help but marvel.

As expected of Mashiro—her speed is almost like cheating.

However, the more he flipped through the manuscript, the more his expression turned into a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"The male protagonist is a troublemaker who can't do anything besides draw manga—he can't even wash his own clothes or put on his underwear properly. If no one takes care of him, he'd probably be doomed by the next day. Meanwhile, the female protagonist is an all-around perfectionist, skilled and capable in everything, practically the embodiment of every modern man's dream woman."

"And this ideal woman, moved by the male protagonist's passion and dreams under the guise of maternal instinct, invites him to live with her in her home, taking care of his daily needs. The household also includes a uselessly cute and lazy mom and a younger sister who's afraid the male lead will steal her big sister away... Mashiro-san, it seems you have a good understanding of your own self-image. But don't you feel a little embarrassed drawing it this way?"

Shunsuke pinched Mashiro's cute little nose with his fingers, drawing out his words as he gently wiggled her nose, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction.

"This is based on Ayano's and your advice—to draw inspiration from daily life," Mashiro responded in a muffled voice, not bothering to stop Shunsuke's mischievous fingers. "And right now, my life is all about you."

"You…" Shunsuke sighed, releasing her nose and pulling her into a gentle embrace. He stroked her silky, golden hair tenderly. "That confession… it's so touching I might actually cry, my adorable Mashiro."

Mashiro quietly leaned against his chest, remaining silent, like a delicate, life-sized doll.

"This is a solid effort," Shunsuke said after a moment.

"Judging by this opening, it has the potential to attract readers and keep them entertained. With some revisions, I think you have a good chance of making it into Shonen Jump's serialization meetings."

"However, the real challenge for romance manga lies in how the story develops later on. While this opening might be more exciting than Nisekoi, continuing the story in a compelling way will test your experience, creativity, and skills as an author. Don't get complacent."

"I'll just continue to use my life with Shunsuke as reference."

"Absolutely not!"

Shunsuke quickly shut down the idea.

If Mashiro modeled the female lead's behavior entirely on his own, even from Mashiro's perspective, the character would undoubtedly come across as a textbook manipulative sweetheart.

Readers would tear the series apart!

The kind of backlash that could get an author blacklisted for life!

Mashiro tilted her head up, her expression still blank, and stared silently at Shunsuke, her gaze seemingly filled with wordless reproach.

Feeling the pressure, Shunsuke turned his head away, pretending not to notice.

Meanwhile, in the studio on the other side of the room:

"I will become the god of the new world!"

—So cool!

Rikka's eyes lit up as she randomly flipped to a page in the manuscript and stumbled upon this line.

The sheer intensity of the chuunibyou-style declaration made her eyes sparkle with admiration.

—As expected, Shunsuke is one of us!

...

"So, for this serialization meeting, the final selected works are '...', 'XXXX', and Nisekoi."

In a small room within the Shonen Jump editorial office, the editor-in-chief announced the final decision.

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