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I just want to quietly draw manga Chapter 256
🕑 Added 2025-07-31 20:48:10 +0000 UTCAs Haruki was drawing Fullmetal Alchemist, he kept thinking about how to gain more points from the system. To get those points, he needed mo
As Haruki was drawing Fullmetal Alchemist, he kept thinking about how to gain more points from the system. To get those points, he needed more people to read or watch his content. The system had already provided him with all the content of Fullmetal Alchemist, but after getting mugged by the system when claiming JoJo and Rurouni Kenshin, he realized that if he was aiming for top-tier manga, he’d have to spend world points. Those points increased each year, but compared to the value of those high-profile titles, it still wasn’t nearly enough. He needed a better way to earn more.
While working, he had Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s opening playing from the system—he had access to all its content, both anime and manga. The opening was so good, it sparked an idea.
“Why not create an opening song for the manga itself?”
He stopped drawing and grabbed his phone.
“Hey, Haruka, are you at the publishing house? I’ve got an idea for promoting the manga—it could really bring in more readers. If you're not busy, I can come by so we can discuss it with the editor-in-chief.”
One hour later
Haruki arrived at the publishing house. As he stepped through the front entrance, he realized something.
Haruka’s been my editor for over two years… and I’ve never even seen her office.
He walked up to the reception desk. “Hi, can you show me where Editor Sato’s office is? I have an appointment.”
The receptionist looked up at the sound of his voice—and froze.
Wait… is that…? That’s Mizushiro… no—it’s Muzishiro!
Internally, she was freaking out. But managing to stay composed, she gave him a quick nod. “Second floor, to the right.”
“Thank you,” Haruki said, heading upstairs.
The moment he was out of sight, the receptionist jumped out of her chair, nearly squealing.
I can’t believe that was Muzishiro! I forgot to ask for an autograph!
Haruki reached Haruka’s office and knocked.
“May I come in?” he asked.
“Come in,” came her voice from inside.
He stepped in and took a seat as Haruka gestured toward the chair.
“So, Haruki,” she began, “you said you had a promotional idea? I haven’t really seen you take an interest in the publishing side before—it’s usually all manga, anime, and nothing else. What changed?”
“Well,” Haruki said, “I’ve hit a kind of plateau in terms of gaining new fans. So I thought—what if we created a new way to attract attention? These days, anime openings play a huge role in building hype. Some opening songs are more popular than the anime themselves. So… why not do the same for manga?”
“For the past few years,” he continued, “anime productions have been putting real effort into OPs. They go viral, they trend, and they bring in viewers. I think we could replicate that effect.”
Haruka leaned back, arms crossed. “It’s a good idea, but also an expensive one. Usually, openings are part of an anime package. Creating one just for a manga is rare. That said, we are allocating resources for your series, since it’s expected to take over the position Initial D will leave behind. So there is a budget. But with such a short time frame, is it even doable?”
“Don’t worry. Leave the creative part to me. After I shared my new manga idea, a friend of mine got inspired and already wrote a song. I’ve storyboarded the whole sequence—we just need an animation team to bring it to life.”
Haruki paused, then added, “If a studio locks in, we can finish production in a month. By that time, Fullmetal Alchemist will have three chapters serialized, which will give us strong momentum for the launch and publicity.”
Haruka narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “This has never been done before. I’ll have to ask the editor-in-chief. Do you want to pitch the idea yourself?”
Haruki thought for a moment. “Yeah. I’ll go with you.”
They headed down the hall together and entered the editor-in-chief’s office.
“Editor-in-Chief,” Haruka began, “Muzishiro has a promotional idea for the new manga.”
Amane looked up. “Let’s hear it.”
So now you care about promotion, she thought internally. Why put us in this position to begin with, where we’re scrambling to push a launch under pressure?
Haruki laid out the concept—creating an anime-style opening to promote the manga directly. As he explained it, the logic started to click in Amane’s mind.
It makes sense. We pour all this energy into anime to drive manga sales, but that process takes time. By the time Initial D gets its anime, Mizushiro’s already ending the manga. All the hype ends up driving volume sales, not magazine readership—and magazine sales are what determine the strength of the publishing house.
If we create an opening like an anime’s to gain publicity, we can attract anime fans and guide them toward the manga. However, this strategy only works for flagship titles. Producing an opening for a manga is challenging since there’s no existing footage to reference—everything must be created from scratch.
Still, it wasn’t a bad idea. Risky, but not without merit.
“You don’t have to worry about the music or the storyboard,” Haruki said. “I have everything ready. All we need is a solid animation team.”
Amane nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll contact a studio and see if this is viable. In the meantime, prepare the storyboard and finalize the music. But don’t get your hopes up. If the animation doesn’t meet standards, we’re not releasing it. A bad OP will do more harm than good.”
“You can go now—I have calls to make.”
After leaving the office, Haruki wasted no time. he and Hayato immediately began work on rough sketches and visual references. The character designs were already locked in, so the focus was just layout and motion. Haruki and Hayato worked through the night without sleep.
The next afternoon, Haruka called.
“Hey, Haruki. The animation studio is confirmed. How long do you need to complete the storyboard?”
“I’ve already finished half of it, along with the character sheets. Animation can start on that right away. I’ll hand over the rest within the week. The music is also done—we’re good to go.”
Haruka came by to pick up the materials.
After handing them off, Haruki finally collapsed into bed and slept through the entire day.
Thank god I hired a new assistant, he thought. And a good one. Quick learner—already understands what the story needs in the drawings. Workload’s finally a little lighter.
But the pace didn’t slow down.
Day after day, Haruki barely had time to breathe. He was juggling three manga projects, overseeing two anime productions, and supervising an opening song. Said out loud, it sounded absurd. Who could possibly manage all that?
Yet somehow, he was doing it.
I need a break after Natsume and Initial D wrap up, he told himself.
Meanwhile, for Initial D readers, the story was building toward its most dramatic arc yet.
The manga had always ridden on adrenaline and grit—underground racing, rivalries, and the tension of mountain passes. But ever since Takumi’s showdown with Ryosuke Takahashi, perceptive fans had begun to notice a tonal shift.
Takumi’s win had felt… different. There was no celebration, no sense of triumph. The story pivoted.
With the arrival of the Emperor team, especially the imposing figure of Kyoichi, the narrative darkened. Takumi may have won his last race, but only barely. On a technical level, his AE86 had been pushed to its absolute limits. If the course hadn’t been Mt. Akina, his home ground, he might not have won at all.
Kyoichi saw it too. After Keiichi's defeat, he challenged Takumi directly on Mt. Akagi.
For longtime readers, something felt off. It wasn’t just the pacing. There was a looming inevitability in the air—Takumi was going to lose.
The foreshadowing was subtle but effective. Conversations with his father, introspective narration, and Kyoichi's calm confidence all pointed to a breaking point ahead.
And then Haruki dropped the hammer.
Natsuki, Takumi’s longtime love interest, who had never exactly been well-liked by fans, had always walked a blurred line in the story. Her involvement with an older “male,” while ambiguous, had long made readers uneasy. But until now, it hadn’t taken center stage.
Right before the Akagi race, Takumi receives an anonymous note.
It tells him exactly where Natsuki is—and who she’s with.
Still unsure, Takumi drives out to the hotel listed in the note.
And there she is.
Natsuki, stepping out of a luxury car with a middle-aged man, holding hands. The implication is clear.
Haruki rendered that scene with painful restraint. A full-page panel: Takumi staring from across the street, barely visible behind the windshield. His expression—a mix of disbelief, anger, and quiet heartbreak—hit harder than anything before.
Even the fans who had long joked about the “Cuck Takumi” storyline felt their hearts drop.
For the first time, it was clear: Takumi truly cared about her.
Reeling from what he saw, Takumi almost skipped the race altogether. But then, with nowhere else to place the weight in his chest, he turned his car around and drove to Akagi.
The race that followed was harrowing.
He was unfamiliar with the course. Keiichi’s car outclassed the AE86 in almost every spec. But Takumi, running on raw emotion, pushed his car harder than he ever had before.
As always, Haruki knew how to play with expectations.
There were glimpses of hope—moments where Takumi edged closer, took tighter corners, clawed back distance. But Keiichi was methodical. Calm. Relentless.
“This isn’t a race,” Keiichi said before the start. “It’s a lesson.”
Under different circumstances, readers might have rolled their eyes at that line. But now, it didn’t feel cringe.
And then, the AE86’s engine blew out on the final turn.
It wasn’t just a mechanical failure—it was the culmination of everything. Takumi’s personal life was crumbling, and now the machine he’d poured his soul into had finally given out.
In the span of a single night, he’d lost both his emotional anchor and his racing edge.
[author :- Sorry for the delay! I had already finished the full chapter, but while listening to music as I wrote, a new idea came to me. So I had a little time to write this part. If you spot any inconsistencies, please let me know. What do you think of the idea?]
Comments
Sloth
Thank you, it was a great chapter with lots of character and plot development.
benhurt rivera
Thanks
Sondre - Asumodeus
excellent chapter and great pacing. Keep going like this
