1. "Are you alright with these plot twists?"
2. "Can we drop this character?"
3. "Well, if it's to keep the story going, I guess we have to."
4. "Well, the readers don't like her, so I guess we have to."
5. How many times did I end up compromising?
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1. Enough that, little by little, I stopped feeling anything at all.
2. "Morn-ing!"
3. "Good morning."
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1. "'sup!"
2. "Alright, fine, I'll get back to R&D."
3. "Ehh... what do Sales need?"
4. "Ah!"
5. She bounces back as fast as ever.
6. "Why, though?"
7. "Sure am, thank you!"
8. "You look like you're in a good mood."
1. "Yeah, but all work and no play, yada yada!"
2. "I'm story-boarding."
3. "You gotta get out there sometimes~"
4. "You free this weekend?"
5. "Well, the offer's on the table."
6. "Huh?"
7. "I like you."
2. Is she suggesting a date?
3. I'm reading too much into this.
4. "You don't come here often, right?"
5. "Stay close by, friendo."
1. TL Note: Here Shimizu's talking about 'tokuten', special pack-in bonuses that various shops offer with different volumes of manga. Akashi's clearly a fan, since volume 1 had 6 different store tokuten, equalling about 15 pages of content... - TL.
2. "Aaah, this store does the best bonus content..."
4. "Oh, no. I'm so happy for you."
5. "Hyped up"
6. "we can go somewhere you can work on your drafts next."
7. "Man, how're you managing to be so calm?"
8. "So, how's the drawing going?"
9. "Hmmm..."
10. But when I'm on my own turf, I know I can keep calm! Nice one, me!
11. If we're alone in her room again, who knows what might happen...
1. "I envy you, and how little you care about your readers."
2. "You just gotta artistically vomit it out, y'know? Like boom! Indulge yourself."
3. "Something's just not quite right..."
4. "How so?"
5. "With commercially published manga, popularity matters."
6. "Speaking as an author."
7. "Well, yes, I'm talking in terms of ideals here, but..."
8. "But if you get hung up on trying to please everyone, it never ends, right?"
9. "You have to make something lots of people like while trying to maintain your sense of self."
10. "It's not a very easy thing to do."
1. "I imagine that probably showed itself in my work, too."
2. "I wasn't able to reach that ideal, so I gave up."
3. "So I'm wondering how I can actually achieve it."
4. "You worry a lot, you know that?"
5. "Hmm."
2. "Oh, and also, someone pulled out of the work trip. Please come instead."
3. "Eh!? No way!"
4. "Hopefully it gets less humid soon, at least."
5. "It's getting warm lately, huh."
6. "You little...!!"
7. "Whyever not? You're going to leave a poor maiden by herself on a 'sex tour'?"
8. "Eehh..."
9. "Say what you want, but I have faith in the moral character of my boys!"
1. "Okay~"
2. "I'd be very happy if you came, Shimizu-san!"
3. "But if you really want me to, maybe I'll think it over!"
4. I'm well versed...
5. "You're too damn good at sweet-talking me!"
1. "I'm being honest, though."
2. "When I'm happy, and when I'm weird,"
3. "and when I get hurt by the most trivial things, and when I want to hurt you back--"
4. "I feel things when I'm with you, Shimizu-san."
1. "Don't do this to me..."
1. "What's this."
2. "I might get really busy again soon, see."
3. "Hm."
4. "So imagine her as a Proxy Shimizu, and keep her by your side!"
5. "C'mon. Just one thing won't hurt."
6. "Eeeh... I try to keep my room as free of clutter as possible, though."
1. "See! Matchies!"
2. "Oh... wow."
3. "You know, if this is meant to be a proxy you, maybe I'll start using it as a stress toy."
4. "Don't bully her!!"
5. "Do your best with your manga."
6. "cross counter!!"
7. "I will."
1. "You gotta prepare yourself, I guess, to put yourself out there like that."
2. "...I've been thinking about the other night again, and when I came out to you, and, uh..."
3. "You might hurt yourself in the process,"
4. "you might leave the other person feeling really weird about all of it."
5. "That's why you gotta prepare."
6. "And things might not turn out how you want them to."
1. "But I'm still glad I said it."
1. "So I really hope"
2. "you get that closure, too."
3. I'm still not sure
4. if there's an answer out there.
5. After all that fear and worrying,
1. There's someone who I want to tell this story to.
2. No more compromises, no trying to ignore it.
1. "Have a good evening!"
2. "...and the new girl from sales?"
3. "Shimizu-san?"
1. The Guardian's Gaze
2. "Oh, no, just thinking how rare it is to see Shimizu-san talking to another woman. Surprising, even."
3. "I guess she's grown up a little, huh?"
4. "Oh, hey, you need us R&D nerds for something?"
1. "You really are busy lately."
2. "Mae-kawa..."
3. "Mm, lotta people relying on me... I try to turn them down, but..."
4. "Yes."
5. "Are you going home?"
6. "not tempted then?"
7. "Oh, huh."
8. "I'm eating with the rest of management, actually."
9. "You want to go and get lunch together tomorrow?"
1. "...did I make you angry again?"
2. "No, I'm fine. Have a good evening."
3. "Aah, Maekawa!"
4. "Wait a sec!"
1. "Ah!"
2. "Hey!"
3. "Mae-kawa!"
4. She's fast!
5. "O-okay!"
6. "You've got all that work on your plate! Get back to your desk!"