Vol 1 Chapter 6 – Doujinshi

I’m reading a fan magazine.

It’s a doujinshi published by the “Contemporary Culture Club.”

They said they wanted me to understand their club activities.

My assessment—to put it bluntly—is that they’re insanely good.

President Takahashi is on another level, but the other senpais also have skills that are hard to believe belong to high school students.

They might even be better than your average, half-baked art school student.

I mean, these girls apparently spend every single day in the club room just drawing manga.

Segawa-senpai, Toudou-senpai, and Takakura-senpai are all just focused on their display tablets, drawing away.

Apparently, their submission deadline for the doujinshi is right on top of them.

I want to talk to them and become friends, but they seem seriously busy, so I’m holding back for now.

That’s why I’m talking with President Takahashi, who’s already finished her work and has free time.

“Takahashi-senpai—actually, now that I’ve joined the club, I should call you President Takahashi from now on. You can draw, too, huh?”

“I’m actually a little confident in my skills, you know. We’re all aiming to become professional manga artists.”

A little confident? She’s insanely good.

I’ve never drawn a picture in my life—strictly speaking, I tried once, but gave up immediately.

Right, I just didn’t have the perseverance.

Though the biggest factor was that I didn’t have any friends who drew.

“Anyway, you’re pretty understanding about doujinshi activities, Kajiwara-kun. Oh, wait, you said you were an otaku, so I guess it’s fine. I’m aware that some of the stuff we draw is pretty edgy.”

“It’s no problem at all.”

Most of what the president and the others draw is suggestive, just shy of being R-18.

There’s a lot of skin, and you can see various fetishisms scattered throughout.

President Takahashi, for instance, seems to have a thing for men’s hands.

At the same time, their work is filled with love for the source material.

It follows the basic principles of doujinshi activities—dealing with “what-if” scenarios, parodies, and parallel universes—so honestly, I don’t understand what she means by “edgy.”

I tilted my head as I spoke.

“You really like men’s hands, don’t you, President?”

“Ugh, you noticed?”

Of course I noticed; the depiction of hands is abnormally skillful.

It’s on par with the Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer.

She must have practiced an incredible amount.

“What do you think of my hands?”

From too much strength training, the skin has hardened and they’re pretty rugged.

The president might not like them.

I held out my palm.

“I like them.”

She answered without a moment’s hesitation.

It doesn’t feel bad to be praised.

I have little to offer in return, but.

“Would you like to hold it? I’m terribly sorry to offer a hand like mine.”

“Ooh? Are you sure?”

“I hope it can serve as a reference for your work, President.”

President Takahashi timidly took my hand in both of hers.

Her hands were the very definition of feminine and soft.

And man, her hands are tiny.

“Whoa, it’s the first time I’ve ever held a guy’s hand, but it’s so rugged. If you punched my bob-cut head with this, I think I’d die in one hit.”

“There’s no way I’d ever punch you, President, not unless the sky fell, but yeah, you’d probably die.”

I have trained enough to be able to knock away an attacker trying to stab me in the gut.

Getting stabbed in the stomach is a major trauma for me.

Not that I was stabbed by a woman or anything; I was just the victim of a robbery.

I hate crime.

“Whoa. It’s so big.”

The president was comparing the size, pressing her own tiny palm against mine.

It’s not that I harbor any romantic feelings for the president.

It would be disrespectful for someone like me to feel that way about her.

But being in contact like this makes me a little conscious of the fact that the president is a girl.

It’s a bit embarrassing.

“Is that enough?”

“Yeah, sorry. I almost want to sketch it, though.”

“If that’s what you want to do, I’ll oblige. It’s not like I can draw.”

As long as it’s not a nude model, I’m fine with it.

I’m too embarrassed to get naked, but if it’s for the president, I don’t mind being a sketch model.

“Ooh, you’re enthusiastic. But if you’re going to do that, you should try making some doujinshi too, Kajiwara-kun.”

“Me?”

“Yep, yep. Anyone can learn to draw if they have the perseverance to do 30 minutes of quick sketches every single day without fail. The important thing is the will to walk toward the sun. Or would you rather do illustrations? The ‘Contemporary Culture Club’ greatly welcomes all creative activities, be it manga, illustrations, or novels.”

Ahem, she said, puffing her chest out proudly.

The president is so cute when she does that.

“I’d be interested in trying novels or illustrations, but our skill levels are just too different. Compared to the massive amount of visual information in a manga, a novel is just an inferior product.”

“Now that’s just prejudice. Kajiwara-kun, you read light novels, you shouldn’t be so biased.”

Hmph, the president said, wagging her finger.

“It’s true that manga sells better than light novels. But that’s just because more people read manga. It doesn’t mean for a second that novels are a tier below manga!! Just because it has a lot of readers, does that automatically make it a masterpiece? Hamburgers and cola are the best-selling food and drink in the world, but does that mean they’re the most delicious things in the world to you?”

She seemed to have strong opinions on the subject of novels.

I listened in silence.

“Look, it’s fine that manga has become mainstream culture. I say that as someone who draws it. But we’re otaku. No matter what, we’re otaku. At a doujinshi convention, the buyers are also ‘general participants,’ they’re not customers. In that environment, you can’t let yourself feel inferior because of prejudice or petty insults like ‘illustrators are gods’ or ‘novelists have fewer social media followers’! All otaku are equal!!”

Bam, she declared it.

She’s really going to state it that definitively?

I clearly think that novels are below manga and not as mainstream.

But well, if President Takahashi says so, maybe it’s true.

There was something about her that made you believe.

“So with that said, you should make something too, Kajiwara-kun. I mean, look at Emma! She was able to draw manga this well after only starting illustrations a year ago.”

“No way!”

I was astonished.

The Contemporary Culture Club’s latest issue—though the club’s history is short, not even a year old.

Looking at that latest issue, Takakura-senpai’s art did not look like it was drawn by someone with only one year of experience.

In fact, she was the best one after President Takahashi.

“…In middle school, I was a consumer-only otaku who didn’t create anything. I am truly sorry.”

Takakura Emma-senpai apologized to some unseen entity.

We nerds do that sometimes, apologize to something that isn’t there.

Ah, this person is definitely the type who spent her middle school breaks pretending to be asleep with her face on her desk.

Even with her silky blonde hair and blue eyes.

Well, it’s not like Caucasians or black people are that rare these days anyway.

“You never know where or when something will just click! That’s why you should make something too, Kajiwara-kun!! If you make something, we’ll put it in the doujinshi!!”

President Takahashi shouted, full of energy.

Well, if she was going to go that far.

“In that case, I’ll try drawing an illustration. But I’m a total newbie, so I’m sure I’ll just be made fun of.”

I really don’t think I can keep up with this level.

“That’s what doujinshi is all about. It’s the taking part that counts.”

President Takahashi said it with finality.

That may be so, but this is an activity that affects the club’s survival.

At first, I had misunderstood and thought the Contemporary Culture Club received a budget, but it seems they don’t.

Their display tablets are all personally owned, and it seems all of the club’s operating expenses are covered by the profits from their doujinshi sales.

And reading their work, their skill is no joke.

They probably aren’t a “wall circle” since they don’t draw intensely erotic material, but their booklets are popular enough to earn money for the club budget.

“If you’re quick, we’ll get your illustration in next month’s issue.”

“Please don’t say that…”

As I felt the terror of President Takahashi’s pressure, I also felt the thrill of being involved in creating a doujinshi.

And a strange sense of elation.

“You’re really good at getting people fired up, President Takahashi.”

“That’s my only talent. It’s how I turned every single member of this club into an artist.”

The president said it so matter-of-factly.

I felt a sincere respect for her.