Friday 5 June 2000
ZAGE Tower 51 Floor in the night.
Zaboru was inside ZAGE Tower as usual, working late into the night. Right now, he was focused on something different from his usual tasks, sitting at his drawing desk with full concentration. From the look of it, he was working on a new manga. Sheets of paper were scattered neatly around him, some already filled with detailed sketches, others still blank, waiting for his ideas to take shape. Meanwhile, his wife Ayumi sat nearby, casually playing with her ZGBA, quietly accompanying him without disturbing his flow. The room was calm, filled only with the soft scratching of pen against paper and the faint sounds from Ayumi's game.
As for their children, they were currently staying at the Renkonan household with their grandmother and aunt, as Keiko and Sanika wanted to spend time playing with them.
Then Ayumi glanced toward him and spoke. "So, Zabo… the Zankoku band is disbanded now, right? Do you already have a plan for your new band? And what was the name again?"
Zaboru smiled slightly but didn't stop drawing. "Well, the name is Zaraki. For now, it's just me, Kingo, and Masashi… but we'll look for two more members soon."
He suddenly paused, lifting his pen slightly as if a thought crossed his mind. A small grin appeared on his face. "Heh… Ayumi, want to be our lead singer?"
Ayumi blinked in surprise.
"You actually sing really well, you know. After all, you performed 'Hoshi no Arika' for the ending of ZAGE's Trails in the Sky, right?"
Ayumi blushed immediately. "No! I don't want it! Zabo, I'm not that good. I'm not even half as good as Miki, your former singer, so no!" she said quickly, almost defensively. Still, her curiosity took over as she stepped closer to Zaboru's desk and looked at what he had been drawing. There were already a lot of pages, some fully finished, some neatly arranged, and others already digitized. It was far more than she expected.
She leaned in slightly, her eyes moving from one page to another, clearly intrigued. Zaboru had been working on this manga often, especially after finishing his usual work, and from what she knew, he had been doing this consistently for the past two or three months. Seeing it all gathered like this made the scale of it feel real.
Honestly, his drawing speed was unbelievable. Not just fast, but clean and detailed, as if each stroke had already been decided before it even touched the paper. It wasn't just effort. It felt like instinct.
"Zabo… I honestly can't understand how your drawing speed can be this fast and still look this good. And the story too… is everything already inside your head? Sometimes I wonder… are you even human?" Ayumi said, half amazed, half serious as she looked at the pages.
Zaboru chuckled and stretched his body slightly, rolling his shoulders before answering. "Yeah, the story is already in my head. Every part of it… beginning to end." He paused, then smirked, his eyes shifting toward Ayumi with a more playful intensity. "And no… I'm not human, Ayumi."
He leaned closer this time, close enough for her to feel his presence, his voice lowering into something softer, more deliberate. "I'm a beast that will 'eat' you."
Ayumi's face flushed instantly, but instead of backing away, she held his gaze. There was a brief pause, her breath catching slightly before she answered, quieter than before. "Well… I wouldn't mind being 'eaten,' though."
For a moment, neither of them moved. The air between them shifted, heavier, warmer, like something unspoken was building beneath the surface.
Zaboru smiles then kisses her lips quickly Then Zaboru lets out a laugh, leaning back again. "Hahaha… later, Ayumi I will "eat" you hehehe." His tone was casual, but his eyes lingered on her for just a second longer, as if he hadn't completely let it go.
He tapped his pen lightly against the desk, regaining his usual rhythm. "Anyway… you're really curious, aren't you?""
He tapped his pen lightly against the desk. "I'll give you credit though. You actually held yourself back from asking what manga I'm making this whole time. That's not easy, especially for you."
Ayumi nodded, a small smile forming as she leaned a bit closer to his desk. "I respect you, Zabo. I don't want to bother you… but if you feel like telling me, I won't say no. Hehehe… I'm really curious, after all. And from what I can see, this new manga of yours has some really unique character designs. Some of them don't even look human, right?" Her eyes lingered on the pages, clearly trying to piece things together on her own, but holding back just enough out of consideration for him.
Zaboru chuckled softly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye while still holding his pen. "Respect me? Or is it because I scolded you before for always poking around my work?" His tone was teasing, but there was a hint of truth behind it, like he knew exactly how hard it was for her to stay quiet.
Ayumi puffed her cheeks slightly, crossing her arms in a small, playful protest. "Meanie…" she muttered, though there was no real annoyance in her voice. She shifted her weight and leaned in again, unable to resist, her curiosity still very much alive despite her attempt to act restrained.
Zaboru leaned back in his chair and said, "Anyway, for the design… I want to ask you something, Ayumi. How much do you know about yokai?" Ayumi paused, thinking for a moment as she tried to recall. "Yokai…? I think I know some, but not a lot. Hmm… ah, yes, my favorite is Gyokuto. It's said that a rabbit uses a pounding mortar to make mochi on the moon, and that always caught my interest… you know I love rabbits." She smiled slightly, then added, "Other than that, I know a few famous yokai, but honestly, my knowledge isn't that deep."
Zaboru nodded slowly, considering her answer. "I see. The reason I'm asking is because my next manga is related to yokai. It's called Nurarihyon no Mago. The whole story revolves around yokai." Ayumi's eyes widened in recognition. "Nurarihyon…? Wait, I know that one. Isn't that the yokai that casually enters people's homes and acts like he owns the place and drinking tea there?"
Zaboru chuckled and nodded again. "Exactly. But there's more to him than that. He's also said to be the commander of the Hyakki Yagyou, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons." He tapped the desk lightly as he continued. "This story focuses on his grandson, someone who lives between two worlds… human and yokai. That contrast is what makes it interesting."
Ayumi leaned in a little more, clearly drawn in now. "So it's not just about yokai… it's about identity too?" she asked softly. Zaboru gave a small smile, clearly pleased. "Yeah. Power, heritage, and the struggle of accepting who you are. The yokai side isn't just for show… it shapes everything."
Zaboru then reached into his drawer and carefully pulled out a stack of pages. It was the first batch of Nurarihyon no Mago, neatly arranged, already looking like something ready to be published. He handed it toward Ayumi with a small smile. "Want to read it? This is still a prototype though. Right now it's only around fifteen chapters, but I'm planning to extend it to around fifty before compiling it into a full volume. After that… I'm not sure yet, maybe I'll continue it, maybe not," he said with a light laugh, as if the decision didn't weigh much on him.
Ayumi's eyes lit up instantly, all her earlier restraint disappearing. "Yes, I want it!" she said without hesitation, already reaching for the pages. Without wasting a second, she started flipping to the first page, her attention completely locked in.
The first image immediately caught her attention. It showed a handsome man with long hair swept sharply backward, giving him a wild yet elegant presence. Despite the exaggerated style, there was something undeniably majestic about him, something that made him stand out instantly.
"Whoa… is this the main character?" Ayumi asked, her voice filled with curiosity as she kept staring at the illustration.
Zaboru simply nodded, leaning back slightly. "Just read it. Don't ask too many questions yet," he replied casually, clearly wanting her to experience it without influence.
Ayumi nodded quickly, fully immersed now, and began reading from the very first page without another word.
Zaboru chuckled softly and continued drawing, he planned to finishing a couple more chapters with confident strokes. At this pace, the draft would be complete soon, and once refined, it would be ready for public release. To him, Nurarihyon no Mago had always been an underrated work in his previous life, something that never fully received the attention it deserved. That was part of the reason he wanted to bring it back properly in this world. He loved the concept: a story centered on yokai, but grounded in identity and legacy. The protagonist Nura Rikuo being one-quarter yokai added a unique tension, able to shift between human and yokai forms while also fusing with other yokai to borrow their abilities. That flexibility opened up creative combat and storytelling possibilities that felt fresh even in the future of his previous life..
What impressed Zaboru most was how well the series captured the essence of Nurarihyon himself. Known as "slippery" and nearly impossible to catch, his abilities leaned into evasion, deception, and subtle control rather than brute force. That identity translated beautifully into both character design and power system. Zaboru made sure to emphasize those elements in his version, refining the pacing and sharpening each encounter so the abilities felt clever, not just flashy. On top of that, the yokai designs were strong and memorable, blending elegance with eeriness in a way that gave each creature its own presence.
Zaboru wanted to recreate this manga, but since it wasn't meant to be a weekly serialization, he chose to make the story more compact and faster paced compared to Nurarihyon no Mago in his previous life. He carefully trimmed slower sections, tightened transitions, and ensured each chapter delivered a clear impact while preserving the core identity of the story. At the same time, he adopted the art style of Hiroshi Shiibashi, the original mangaka of Nurarihyon no Mago, because it perfectly captured the elegance and eerie presence of yokai. This marked a shift from his earlier work, Fate Stay Night, where he had used Yusuke Murata's art style for a sharper and more dynamic presentation. Even so, Zaboru personally felt Shiibashi's style suited this project far better, as it aligned with the tone and atmosphere he wanted to convey. For certain characters, he also considered blending in other stylistic elements when necessary, since he was not limited to a single approach. With his ability to replicate and adapt different art styles, he could refine each design to better match the role, personality, and presence of every character within the story.
As for the volume, the first thirty-five chapters would conclude the initial volume, giving the story a clear and satisfying stopping point. However, Zaboru had no immediate plans to continue with a second volume in the short term. Whether he would proceed further depended entirely on his interest and mood, or if he felt inspired to explore other manga projects instead. For him, drawing manga remained a side hobby rather than a main focus, something he worked on when he had time. Even so, with his Enlightenment Body and Deep Memory Dive abilities, his drawing speed and consistency were far beyond normal, allowing him to produce high-quality work in a fraction of the usual time. Because of that, despite treating it casually, the project still moved forward at an impressive pace. With the current progress, Nurarihyon no Mago was scheduled for release next month, and as expected, the publisher handling it would be Hakushensha, ensuring it reached a wide audience with proper distribution and promotion.
Zaboru also had plans to adapt this into his own game, which he would publish through his personal game development account, Zaborn, rather than under ZAGE. With that in mind, he continued working late into the night so that the manga of Nurarihyon no Mago could be done faster.
To be continue
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