"Thank you for your continued support!"
"O-of course! Thank you for all your work, Gege-sensei!"
[+5 SP]
I waved goodbye to the incredibly excited young man who was cosplaying Michelangelo as one of the event staff escorted him toward the exit. I adjusted the cardboard Mechamaru helmet over my head and greeted the next person in line.
"I-I-I'm a huge fan of yours, Gege-sensei!" The young girl with the features of a praying mantis said as she held out volume 1 of my TMNT series. "C-could you please sign this?"
"Absolutely. What's your name, kid?" I said as I grabbed the book from her.
[+5 SP]
"It's Ike M-Makoto!"
"Well, Ike. Thank you for enjoying and supporting my work." I said, my voice laced with appreciation. "I can't wait for you to see the upcoming movie. We all poured our hearts into it."
"I will! I absolutely will!"
I waved goodbye as Makoto was guided off. Looking over to the left, I saw an extremely long line of excited fans waiting patiently to be next. A large majority of them were cosplaying characters from both of my TMNT and DBZ series.
There were even some individuals cosplaying characters from my other book series if the survival outfits, wizards' capes, and various space costumes were anything to go off by.
Why was I currently at a significant signing event held within an expensive venue dedicated to just this event? According to my editor, Asuka, my first public appearance was all to promote and generate hype for the upcoming TMNT movie. By extension, all the hype around the movie would also boost its manga sales.
Seeing as how my series had passed 55 million units sold last month, the campaign is doing exactly that.
The movie was set to take place after the TV anime series ended in a couple of weeks. While I wasn't that interested in continuing the story after I finished it in my manga, my editor and NAPPA's president made some excellent points about why I should do it.
The movie was intended to be a send-off to the ninja brothers and a love letter to the fans. At that point, I agreed to do the movie and wrote the story.
And thus, here I was, signing book after book as I met hundreds of my fans. A large movie poster hung behind me while my editor and staff sold books and merchandise off to the side. Although I would have preferred to be training or messing around with my friends, the steady number of points I received from each interaction made this event worthwhile.
The extra money from the event was also nice.
"Gege-sensei." the next person in line said as he stepped in front of the table I sat on. "I'm a big fan of all your works. Could you give me the honor of signing my book?"
I turned to him and saw that he looked somewhat familiar. He had a reptile-like appearance, with bright green scales for skin and a face shaped like that of a lizard. His hair was a desaturated pinkish purple in color, and it was relatively long and swept backward. He was dressed in a black hoodie with his hood over his head, and a red ninja mask covered his eyes.
Oh shit, it's your boi, Spinner!
"Sure thing," I said and accepted the very last volume for TMNT. "What's your name?"
[+10 SP]
"Ah, it's... Iguchi Shūichi," Shūichi said as he rubbed the side of his head with an embarrassed blush. "I just want to say that your series means a lot to me! When I bought the weekly Jump, I couldn't help but be super immersed in the story! It was as if I was right there. I felt... seen."
"I see. I'm happy to hear that, Iguchi." I signed his book and added a quick drawing of the four brothers, much to his delight. "I'm glad you connected with my story like that. I wanted to show the world that Heteromorphs could also be amazing heroes. I believe that anyone, no matter what they look like, could be heroic and a role model."
[+20 SP]
Shūichi's eyes grew wide as I returned his book to him with a nod of my cardboard head.
"Are... you like us too?" Shūichi asked with a hopeful tone. "Is that why you're hiding your appearance."
Let's see what to say. I could lie and rack in the points, or I could be honest. What to do...
"Would it make you feel better if I was or not?" I asked as I leaned on the table. Shūichi looked momentarily taken aback. "I'm not blind to what you're getting at, Iguchi. But I think you need to remember what I was trying to convey in my story. Remember, it doesn't matter what others may say or do to you; what matters is..."
[+50 SP]
"Doing what's right." Shūichi finished one of the quotes Leonardo said often in my book. A slight look of acceptance on his face. "Yes... you're right, Gege-sensei. I'm sorry for being too forward."
"It's okay, Iguchi. Really." I said and held out my fist for a classic fist bump, surprising Shūichi. "Go on, don't leave me hanging."
"R-right!"
[+70 SP]
Shūichi smiled widely and bumped my fist. He was then guided away by one of the event staff, a large smile on his face as he held his book tightly. I waved goodbye at him and then turned to the next person in line.
Unfortunately, everyone else wanted a fist bump as well after seeing me give one to Shūichi.
Ah, shit.
x x x
[General POV]
The cold night air cut through the alley as Bubaigawara Jin, or Twice, stumbled forward, pain radiating from his leg where the long metal shard had bitten into him.
Jin was dressed in a black and gray bodysuit that covered his body completely, along with gray boots. The upper half of his signature mask was gray with white eye sockets, while the lower half covering his mouth was black. Jin also sported red and green wristbands where he stored his measuring tapes.
Each step sent fresh waves of agony shooting through his body, but he couldn't afford to stop. Behind him, several pairs of footsteps echoed a relentless pursuit that drove him to push past his limits.
"Get the hell back here, you masked Bastard!"
"You're not getting away, not ever!"
"Says you! They're gonna catch us!" Jin yelled against his best judgment.
'Tonight's job was not supposed to end like this!' Jin thought as he ran.
When Jin heard that the famous group, The Vanishing Blades, was searching for a new member, he eagerly seized the opportunity to join them. Becoming part of this successful criminal organization, known for its impressive success rate, would provide him with a steady stream of income from their operations.
And for a couple of months, it was working out exactly like he hoped. Their crimes or heists were successful, and their profits were considerable. With more money in his pockets, Jin could now improve his apartment. He was now able to buy a fancy new TV and games for himself and his dear friend, Souta, to play on whenever the two hung out at his home.
With more money, Jin was capable of going out to have fun with his friend and to be the one who buys them food. After all, what good was money if not used to have fun with one's friends?
After all, Jin valued his friends over everything.
Jin would do anything to avoid being alone anymore.
This was why he pushed himself to do more dangerous jobs with a large payout with The Vanishing Blades group despite what he normally would do, which were more straightforward and small-time jobs.
But why exactly was Jin running away? The reason was that The Vanishing Blades's newest hit ended in disaster. They were under the impression that tonight's job was a simple heist. However, when they arrived at the location, they quickly found out they were set up by one of their members.
After fighting for his life with everything he had, Jin was able to somehow escape, leaving the rest of his criminal group for dead. A fact that Jin didn't mind due to them treating him like a freak.
They didn't care for him at all; it was just his skills they were interested in.
It hurt him at first. But Jin quickly got over it. In the end, he already had a real friend. And that was enough for him.
"Where'd he go?! Find him!"
Despite escaping the trap, three powerful quirk users were now chasing after him.
Jin glanced back, his heart pounding as he saw his pursuers quickly gaining on him. Panic surged through him, forcing him to sprint, even as he felt his blood seeping through the makeshift bandage on his thigh while hot, burning pain pulsed from his sliced-up arm and the open wound on his back.
Jin's mind raced. He had to find a way out, a place to hide!
"Maybe we can dig a hole and hide inside? No way, let's find a box and ship ourselves off to Canada!" Twice muttered as he looked around wildly.
He darted around a corner, each movement a battle against the pain threatening to overtake him. The walls of the narrow alley closed in, but he knew he had to keep moving. There was no choice; the darkness behind him was far more dangerous than the darkness ahead.
With a desperate edge, Twice spotted an open door to a nearby building—if only he could reach it in time. He pushed himself harder, the adrenaline flooding his system, drowning out the agony from his cuts. Shadows swirled as he plunged into the doorway, praying it would be enough to keep his pursuers at bay.
Landing on a telephone poll a few ways away was a black crow. Seeing an injured Jin enter a building with a large number of persuaders after him, it quickly released a loud caw. Alerting its fellow brethren.
x x x
[Shimizu Souta POV]
The warm glow of the restaurant enveloped me and Asuka as we settled into a cozy corner table, a flickering candle casting dancing shadows on our faces. The clatter of cutlery and the soft hum of conversation created a comforting backdrop as we perused the menu.
"I think I'm going to go with the Yakitori," Asuka said, looking up with a smile. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight. "It sounds incredible."
I nodded as I leaned back in my comfortable chair. My wrist and back are sore from the hundreds of signatures and pictures I've taken. "Hmm, that does look good. Let's see... what's the most expensive thing they got here."
[+5 SP]
"Oi, you're not doing this to me again." Asuka pointed at me with an annoyed expression. "I know I said I would pay, but please be considerate of my wallet."
"I'll take that under advisement."
After the waitress arrived, we went ahead and placed our orders. The two of us talked about today's events and the profit numbers from today's sales and tickets. From there, we moved on to talk about the upcoming movie.
When our food arrived, the aroma filled the air, enhancing our hunger. "Wow, this looks amazing!" Asuka exclaimed, her mouth watering at the sight of her Yakitori.
I nodded as I watched our server place my order of Gyūdon in front of me. I felt my stomach growl eagerly as the two of us gave thanks before digging in.
Just as I was about to place some food in my mouth, I saw one of my crows fly down in front of the restaurant's glass windows. It was Crow Miwa.
(B-Boss! Twice is in danger!) Crow Miwa said in a panic, her wings spread out, catching curious looks from the pedestrians walking on the streets. (Hurry! He's in terrible shape!)
"Sorry, Asuka. I have to go."
[+5 SP]
Without wasting any time, I stood up and threw down some money on the table. Before she could utter a word, I ran out of the restaurant in a flash. Shoving and pushing those aside as I did.
"Damn, kid, watch it!"
"Hey!"
"The youth these days! No respect!"
[+5 SP]
[+5 SP]
[+5 SP]
Running outside, I dashed around the corner into a cramped alleyway and jumped along its walls to reach the rooftops.
Once out in the open air, I summoned Nue and hopped onto its back. As I landed on my Shikigami's back, Crow Miwa landed on my shoulder and told me where Jin was located while Jello, in his miniature form, materialized behind me.
"Let's go, Nue!"
-
AN:
I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter!
Quick update! I've come to the decision that from now on, all of the bonus chapters I release will now be uploaded once a day after my current PS requirements are met. This way, you all will have a new chapter each day throughout the week. This new update schedule should help you all so you're not starved for content until the new cycle starts.
Example:
(BC #00) = Bonus Chapter
Sunday - Free Chapter
Monday - 400 PS (BC #1)
Tuesday - 800 PS (BC #2)
Wednesday - 1200 PS (BC #3)
Thursday - 1600 PS (BC #4)
Friday - 2000 PS (BC #5)
Saturday- 2500 PS (BC #6)
If a PS requirement isn't met, then there won't be a new update the following day. But going off how you all enjoy breaking my windows with your stones, that shouldn't be a problem.
This new update schedule should give me more time to write and stock up on new chapters for you all. As of right now, I have up to chapter 45 written.
Now that all the boring updates are done, I hope you all leave plenty of comments for me to read through.
Until next time!