Chapter 98: The Veteran Comic Artist

Takashi Sarudo was hunched over his digital drawing tablet, sketching and erasing, erasing and sketching again. No matter what he did, he simply couldn’t draw what he envisioned.

After half an hour of this stalemate, he decided to look through his past works for inspiration.

But the more he looked, the more unsettled he became.

What was this storyline?

He distinctly remembered not drawing it this way.

What was going on?

The manga he had once known so well had transformed into something utterly different. It was as if the characters had come to life, escaping entirely from his control.

“No, this can’t be,” Sarudo murmured, setting the manga aside.

He picked up his phone, ready to contact the exorcist once more.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang.

Startled, Sarudo rushed to the entrance.

Standing outside was a high school student, still in uniform.

“Hello, I’m here from the Exorcists’ Association,” the visitor said through the peephole.

Sarudo opened the door.

“Good evening. My name is Qiao Qiao, an exorcist from the Shinjuku branch of the Exorcists’ Association,” the young man introduced himself, handing over a business card and showing his credentials.

“I—I didn’t expect you to be a high schooler,” Sarudo said, wiping the sweat from his brow, suddenly feeling a bit intimidated.

“I’ve already looked over the file, Mr. Sarudo. From what I understand, you’re saying your manga has been tampered with?” Qiao Qiao glanced around. It was a typical Japanese-style apartment, the same kind his classmate Saito’s cousin rented.

The living room and bedroom were combined; at night, the bedding had to be laid out again. For a manga artist, it was indeed a bit cramped.

In one corner of the living room was a desk lit by a lamp, with a computer and a drawing tablet on top.

One wall was lined with a bookshelf packed full of manga.

The opposite wall was plastered with several promotional posters. The girls depicted were undeniably cute, but their outfits were revealing. Some even stuck their tongues out, their expressions intoxicating. Others featured outright inappropriate scenes for children.

Yes.

The file Qiao Qiao had received was clear.

Mr. Takashi Sarudo was an adult manga artist.

This term didn’t merely refer to the fact that Mr. Sarudo was of age—though, of course, he was. Rather, he specialized in drawing explicit manga, featuring themes of [censored] and [censored].

He wasn’t just dabbling in fan works; his comics were serialized in legitimate adult magazines. For example, Sarudo’s work regularly appeared in “Quick O Heaven,” a magazine Qiao Qiao sometimes used for academic study.

Unlike many artists who favored short stories, Sarudo’s manga were often plot-driven, divided into several arcs. His recent hit, “The Editorial Department Series,” told blush-inducing stories about the relationships between editors and authors at an adult magazine.

His works brimmed with all manner of heavy themes—N[censored]R, [censored] corruption plots, and plenty of inside jokes referencing real-life manga artists. This series had already reached its sixth installment and was quite popular online.

Qiao Qiao thought Sarudo’s figure drawing was excellent. Many manga artists, chasing shock value, exaggerated certain body parts to the point of tastelessness or depicted outlandish poses no real person could achieve. Sarudo, on the other hand, was refreshingly proper—his lines carried a classical, academic quality, reminiscent of neoclassical sculpture.

“Wait, master, have you read my manga?” After a few moments of conversation, Sarudo sensed something was off. This high schooler seemed oddly well-versed in adult comics.

“I’ve studied them as reference materials,” Qiao Qiao replied, his spiritual energy rising by half a standard unit, though he left the rest unsaid.

Reference materials?

Was that the kind of “reference materials” I think it is? Sarudo sized up Qiao Qiao from head to toe.

Kids these days sure mature early.

Maybe my next manga should have a high school protagonist.

With that thought, he continued, “You might not believe this, but these recent manga—I didn’t actually draw them.”

...

The first entry in “The Editorial Department Series” was titled “Longing for Editor Sato.”

The plot was simple: Sato, an editor from “Quick O Heaven,” visits an author’s home to collect a manuscript. The artist is struggling with creative block. Sato suggests trying things out in practice to spark inspiration. After a round of passionate action, the manuscript is finally completed.

However, the intensity of their “battle” was so extreme that it sparked controversy, which only fueled the series’ popularity.

“No, that’s not how it was at all,” Sarudo shook his head.

“My original story was just a normal tale of gathering material and searching for inspiration. The characters’ interactions were entirely ordinary, with none of those extreme elements.”

“And what about the dark [censored] plot in ‘The Wicked [censored] Editor Yamada’?”

“Yes, that too. I started out writing a pure romance, but somehow it turned into something twisted, with N[censored]R themes thrown in.”

Sarudo was clearly troubled.

To be honest, he’d only entered the adult manga world by chance. His original ambition was to become a painter, but after a series of setbacks, he ended up working as an assistant to a manga artist.

Once he experienced the allure of manga, he tried submitting to “Weekly Shonen JUMP” for three years straight, but failed each time.

Then, an editor noticed his skill at drawing the human form and suggested he try adult manga instead.

To his surprise, he became an overnight sensation.

Sarudo himself actually preferred mild, wholesome love stories. His early works revolved around childhood sweethearts and newlywed couples. Thanks to his superb academic draftsmanship, he won last year’s Best Newcomer Award.

The Editorial Department Series was originally meant to be a pure romance about editors and authors, but something went wrong.

Each time he finished an installment, the story would change overnight. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t fix it. And each time, the plot veered further into darker territory.

The first time, with the deadline looming, Sarudo had no choice but to submit the altered story—and it was met with wild acclaim.

He tried everything over the following issues, but he simply couldn’t stop his manga from spiraling ever further into the extreme.

His work’s popularity only deepened his inner conflict, pulling him farther from his original intentions. The contradiction tormented him.

In the end, he heeded a friend’s advice and called in an exorcist—to see if he might be possessed by a vengeful spirit.

After hearing Sarudo’s story, Qiao Qiao fell into thought.

He looked over at Sarudo’s computer desk. There was indeed a trace of sinister energy clinging to the drawing tablet.

But Sarudo himself showed no sign of possession.

Originally, when reviewing the case file, Qiao Qiao had assumed Takashi Sarudo was possessed by a vengeful spirit, which was driving him to create subversive stories.

But now, it seemed—

Could it be that his characters had truly come to life?