“Huh? I thought you were seriously angry. You really are amazing… But Monjirou-kun isn’t some pathetic shut-in. To me, he’s like a hero I look up to. And I still haven’t thanked you… for that tremendous Light magic? It was amazing… all those enemies just wiped out.”
“Fufufufu! My valor… I wish Husband could have seen it too! Mustering the thoughts and strength of Husband’s loyal friends to entrust victory! Truly a classic! At this rate, maybe I’ll draw a work with Husband as the protagonist!”
“Oh, stop it! A manga with myself as the protagonist… Does that mean it’ll naturally have R18 developments too?”
“Of course! Who do you think I am? Well, the version for general release will be the all-ages version, and the R18 version will be for Husband’s enjoyment! What do you say? If you want, I could even design your ideal girl!”
“What can I say… As always, you understand me perfectly… My answer is, with pleasure! That’s all there is to it.”
It’s a bit complicated, but to have my favorite writer draw a work with me as the protagonist.
That’s the ultimate honor for a devoted reader! And not just that, but my ideal girl, designed by Monmonzaki-sensei himself!
Maybe that girl from past manga, or that girl designed by Monmonzaki-sensei for that game… Or perhaps, a completely original heroine with all sorts of demands! My imagination is really getting a workout…
“Impressive, as always, Husband… Judging by your reaction, you must be agonizing over which girl to choose right now, right? It’s fine… just make any request you have. Perhaps a girl who’s absolutely impossible in reality, in a dream-like situation… in my creative world, anything is possible!”
“…Hmph, you truly are Monjirou-kun! C-Could we perhaps discuss the details a bit more carefully? I might have a few selfish requests…”
“Of course! I am your friend and confidant, after all!”
“So, with that said… let’s put this conversation on hold for now. You understand why, right?”
I glanced at Lady Seleneis, and our eyes met.
Somehow, we’ve gotten completely caught up in an internal discussion with Monjirou-kun.
I feel like it’s a bit much to be so engrossed in such a risqué conversation.
If it were Aage, I’d likely be met with a furious shout of “Disgusting!” and a swift iron fist.
But surprisingly, she smiles at me as if to say, “I understand, don’t worry about it.”
“…It’s alright! Lady Seleneis has a generous heart. She understands what we’re talking about… right?”
“Hahaha, I don’t mind being left out of the loop. I’ll pretend I don’t understand anything you’re saying. I can tell you two are close, no need to say it. It’s not bad, is it… Childhood friends, allies?”
“Hahaha! Perhaps you’re seeing the bond of male friendship between Husband and I and feeling satisfied?”
“Fufun, you understand perfectly. Monjirou-sensei, a… Oh, that book, can you pass it along to me next time! I don’t think it’s fair for you to only spoil Raterum.”
“Haha! Leave it to me!”
What can I say… His title, “Man Loved by Goddesses,” isn’t just for show!
Even though he claims to be bad with women in the real world, Monmonzaki-sensei has quite a few female fans in this world, and lately, I often see him being asked for autographs when he walks down the street.
His latest work, “Seven Knight Heroes,” a steamy shonen manga featuring only male characters, is a massive hit here… and its influence is apparently the reason.
I read it too, and it was incredibly fun.
Monjirou-sensei is also top-tier when it comes to drawing hot-blooded manga!
His work “Dragon Shooter,” drawn under the pen name “Fire☆Men,” was even adapted into an anime and sold incredibly well…
However, not only “Dragon Shooter” but also many other masterpieces were abruptly canceled due to Monjirou-kun’s disappearance.
I wasn’t the only one disappointed to be unable to read the continuations…
While famous writers took over as ghostwriters, or assistants continued the series, and the publishers tried their best, the art style was different, the quality dropped noticeably. The story development, forced to connect the dots, became a mess, the characters’ personalities subtly changed, and it was met with overwhelmingly negative reception.
Well… it was an impossible task for ordinary talents to succeed a genius. In the end, most of the works were canceled with “Our battle continues!” endings… a truly regretful tale.
“…As expected, you are a man worthy of respect… Truly, Monjirou-kun! Lady Seleneis, as an introduction, I recommend “Seven Knight Heroes,” which is explosively popular in this world.”
“Ah, I know that one. Raterum showed it to me. He said it was his top recommendation, and it was super interesting…! Is there any chance I could read the continuation right now?”
“Hehehe, please look forward to next week’s ‘spoiling time.’ Even a Goddess won’t compromise on that!”
“Mhm, mhm, using time until the very last moment to maximize quality. That’s Monmonzaki quality! Truly a genius! Truly Monjirou-kun!”
“You flatter me too much. Husband, you say it’s too much praise… you’re gonna make me blush.”
“No, no, with Monjirou-kun’s diverse talents, what else could I feel but respect?”
“No, no, I also have immense respect for Husband. You became that strong through sheer effort, and your speech just now was magnificent. You were like a King, so cool! A truly growing protagonist! So cool!”
“R-Really? Hearing you praise me like that, Monjirou-kun, makes me feel rather embarrassed…”
Hmm, I was just giving that speech earlier with the sole intention of fulfilling my role, but hearing Monjirou-kun say it was magnificent makes me blush.
More than that, I’m incredibly happy! To be recognized and praised by a genius, there are few greater honors.
“Well, well, you should just proudly accept it. Ah, right! To tell you the truth, I’m planning to graduate from being a cheat character myself and aim to be an effort-based character! Starting today, I’m going to begin my pre-sleep muscle training! I wanted to ask Husband about the effort-based approach, but starting with 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats… would something like that be good?”
Hmm? Isn’t that more like a warm-up?
No, with this scrawny body, 100 push-ups, sit-ups, and squats in sets… that’s probably going to be rough. I too struggled with about 20 push-ups at first…
But his spirit is admirable! If that’s the case, I should offer my own advice.
“It’s not bad. It’s a goal… You might struggle after ten or twenty reps at first, but don’t push yourself too hard. Even if ten reps are your limit, the next day, it’ll be eleven… then twelve… The important thing is to try to increase the number, even just a little… Daily effort is constant improvement… transcending yesterday’s self… that’s the important thing. Even I used to get exhausted after just a 5km run. Radcliffe would yell at me, ‘If you get tired this easily, you’ll just die on the battlefield!'”
“Hmm, I thought around a hundred would be easy… but perhaps it’s like that. Constant improvement, surpassing yesterday’s self… deep words. But yeah, a raw 5km run is tough… I live in a thirty-story luxury apartment building, and sometimes I’d use the stairs for health, but I always gave up around the third floor.”
Monjirou-kun’s raw weakness! Giving up after three floors of stairs? Even an elderly person would try a little harder.
But then again, being a manga artist isn’t a physically demanding job…
Incidentally, Monjirou-kun lived in a luxurious high-rise apartment by the Tama River. Even going to the convenience store involved taking a taxi, like a modern aristocrat, a true celebrity!
Despite everything, he was a monster, a bestselling manga artist… Monjirou-kun.
Monjirou-kun’s disappearance due to his transmigration to another world. As a result, the Japanese manga industry suffered a tremendous blow. Popular works in various manga magazines were abruptly canceled due to the author’s disappearance… It happened almost inevitably. It was a semi-public secret among fans that Monjirou-sensei used nearly a dozen pen names, venturing into and hitting it big in every genre, not just erotic manga. With his disappearance, the simultaneous hiatus of all those popular works became a major issue, and this astonishing fact was inevitably brought to light. Many manga fans were furious and wept over the loss of his immense talent. According to the official Japanese record provided by Ms. Kashima, it states: “Monjiro Sakazaki (28), while being questioned as a witness in a case of rape and assault at the Kawasaki Police Station, attempted to escape by breaking through the interrogation room window on the tenth night of his detention for assaulting an officer and obstructing official duties. He jumped from the sixth floor and has been missing ever since.” Ms. Kashima and the others were aware that he had transmigrated to this world, but from the police’s perspective, despite a situation that clearly suggested his death, no body was found, and his whereabouts remained unknown. Ms. Kashima and the others, being in a position superior to the police, decided not to interfere unnecessarily and observed the situation. The only record left with the police was shocking footage from the facility’s surveillance cameras showing a figure descending, emitting light, and disappearing just above the ground, along with witness testimonies from the duty officers. However, Ms. Kashima and the others exerted pressure, leading to the surveillance footage and testimonies being kept confidential… treated as if they never happened. The police were forced to provide an explanation within their scope of understanding… stating he went missing within the police station building. Their announcement was vague and evasive, inevitably leading to widespread scrutiny from the mass media and concerned citizens… It was, of course, to be expected. Initially, some idiot had committed a crime while imitating Monjirou-kun’s work, and he was summoned as a witness, but then accused of assaulting the investigating officer in a locked interrogation room, leading to unjust arrest and detention. Not only was that a major issue, but on top of that, the suspect disappeared from the police station? Such an absurd story could not be believed. Furthermore, Monjirou-kun had become a public figure due to the massive hiatus issue. The conflict between Monjirou-kun and the police was a well-known story, casually mentioned by him in interviews and afterwords. Rumors spread that he had died in custody and was being hidden, or that he had been secretly transferred and eliminated. Meanwhile, the police, the parties involved, offered only hesitant responses. Accusations of police overreach, human rights violations… cover-ups… As predicted, it exploded. It escalated into a major social issue, leading not only to the dismissal of many police officials, including the investigating officer and the police chief, but unprecedentedly, even the National Police Agency Superintendent General lost his position. The investigating officer who framed him as a criminal had his detailed profile leaked online, his family was torn apart, his home was burned down by unknown assailants, and his beloved Mercedes was stolen, then thoroughly destroyed and found engulfed in flames. His subsequent employer, a major security company, faced constant phone calls, and he was promptly fired. He was then continuously exposed even after moving, realizing there was no safe haven left in Japan and even his life was in danger, so he fled to South America or somewhere similar. Later… he was caught up in a turf war with the local mafia and reportedly died. It’s a tragic end, to say the least. It’s clearly excessive, but it turns out this officer was a scumbag who, in the name of justice, had unjustly arrested and framed many people, was connected to the yakuza, and had enriched himself through bribes. It seems he wasn’t just caught in a turf war but was killed as a warning for standing out too much, as he was apparently living it up as a high-ranking member with the mafia’s protection in South America. In short, he was a thoroughly wicked individual… The word “karma” fits perfectly. Ironically, this incident marked the beginning of a slump for the manga industry, filled with mediocre works, and the police became very reluctant to get involved in regulations concerning the two-dimensional world, fearing that everyone would suffer misfortune if they did. As a result, regulations became quite lax. This is what is known as the “Monmonzaki Incident”… an outline of a major event that’s even on Wikipedia.
