Started as a comics editor

Chapter 188 What’s going on?
Actually, after reading last week's update and hearing my daughter's advice...

Guan Fang already knew deep down that she was just being stubborn...

Even if the plot of Chainsaw Man really falls apart this week, the level of discussion will not necessarily be low.

After all, the comic has already become popular.

If the plot had fallen apart before the Lunar New Year, it would have been fine, but now that it has, the level of discussion is still higher than that of the already concluded "Nightfall".

We really need to avoid it.

The publicity for that joint event will probably have to wait until next month.

Next month, let's not even talk about Avalon's reaction.

She herself will earn less.

She understands all these principles.

But... she just wasn't willing to give up.

She didn't know where this resentment came from. Perhaps it was because she heard her daughter say that the third-rate painter was also a girl, perhaps it was because of her own competitive nature, or perhaps it was because Chasing Stars was also running an online reading website, and she didn't want ANF's comics section to rise up with "Chainsaw Man".

In short.

She just wouldn't give in.

after all.

Are those third-rate painters really that amazing?

The anime series "Fate/Zero" created the cash cow that is FGO.

It seems that "Chainsaw Man" can attract a huge number of fans and boost the entire ANF comics section.
I heard he's still very young, how could it be so outrageous?

The most talented female comic artist should be my own daughter!

Is she really that good at painting?

Can this unconventional plot really avoid making mistakes?
She doesn't believe it.

With this thought.

Guan Fang opened episode 27 of "Chainsaw Man".

then.

She saw in this episode the almost divine punishment-like power and oppressive feeling that Machima displayed.

The moment of resurrection.

Machima had the two waiting demon hunters prepare thirty death row inmates and found the highest shrine in the area. She made the inmates kneel on the ground and blindfolded them.

Meanwhile, the assassins, having won a resounding victory, began moving Denji's severed upper body into the car.

But as they did this, as they carried it, one of the assassins started sweating and said he felt strange.

Then, before his companions could react, he was crushed by an invisible force in the next instant, turning into... a pool of blood.

Without warning.

It then turned into blood.

The assassins, who had been unstoppable just moments before, were visibly panicked, not even knowing what had happened.

The camera then shifts back to the shrine.

Machima made a gesture, squatted down, and calmly and quietly asked the blindfolded death row inmate to read out a name.

Then, Machima seemed to be exercising some kind of authority, moving her hands together.

Over there, another assassin, his entire body twisted and exploded like a pretzel, turning into a pool of blood!
Machima remained expressionless as always.

then.

carry on.

One blindfolded death row inmate after another fell, and one killer after another exploded into blood.

A highly impactful image comes into view.

The character of Machima underwent a complete reversal of her image within just one episode.

till the end.

Machima acted as if she had done something insignificant.

"..."

Guan Fang was stunned for a moment before clicking on the next chapter.

Next episode.

Little Red makes her appearance.

This timid and cowardly girl from the previous chapter shines brightly in this chapter because of the death of her companion.

The plot tension... is truly unbeatable.

The stark contrast left Guan Fang feeling somewhat dizzy.

at last.

I've finished watching this episode too.

The plot didn't fall apart.

Not only did it not collapse, it was even more spectacular.

Guan Fang knew very well that if she felt this way, then the readers who had been following the story all along must feel even more so.

This can be seen from the number of comments in the comment section.

Just before I clicked on it.

Guan Fang also checked the number of comments in the comment section; in less than half an hour, it had increased by three thousand...

Three thousand.

obviously.

These three thousand comments were all added because of the two latest episodes.

It is possible to understand the readers' feelings at this moment.

"..."

Guan Fang fell completely silent as she watched the number of comments continue to rise.

After a while.

She finally let out a breath and opened the 'Third-Rate Painter's' profile page.

Tang Yao's portrait was drawn randomly; it was a dog.

Guan Fang stared blankly at the 'third-rate teacher's' profile picture.

She's so strange! Where did this female cartoonist come from?!
My daughter's talent is undeniable! A woman has single-handedly dominated the male-oriented comic book genre! But why does this person seem to draw even better than my daughter?!
How did they even come up with that kind of plot?!

By chance?

It must be a coincidence!
She thought to herself, unwilling to give up, and subconsciously clicked on the "Third-rate Teacher" section.

then.

Startled slightly.

"...A long farewell?"

Guan Fang stared at the new work in the "Third-Rate Painter" section, slightly taken aback, then exclaimed incredulously, "A newly released one? Updating a long novel while also having time to update other works? Are you crazy?!"

She was genuinely shocked, and then clicked on it instinctively.

This is a short story.

So there aren't many pages, only 30 pages.

When Guan Fang saw the page number, she subconsciously started reading...

The protagonist of this story is a girl named Riko... Riko lost her mother at a young age and was raised by her father with great difficulty. Therefore, Riko's greatest fear is her father's death.

From a young age, she would cry incessantly because she dreamed of her father's death, but her father would always tease her by saying that he was a superhero and would never die.

Even so, the shadow of her father's death always lingered in Riko's heart, impossible to shake off.

As she grew older, Riko reached the age to get married, and she and her husband held a wedding ceremony.

The marriage was forced upon the husband despite pressure from his family, so after marrying into the family, Li Zi always felt that she couldn't integrate into her husband's family. Although her parents-in-law were very cheerful, they always had a cold face towards her.

Their attitude is very strange.

Only her husband's sister liked her.

That day, while Riko was strolling around her husband's mansion, she suddenly saw a white figure.

She was a little confused and called out.

The white, semi-transparent figure slowly turned its head.

Riko saw a face that looked like a boot leather... It was a ghost!

"A horror story? The cliché of accidentally stumbling into a scary family? So predictable! I told you it was just a coincidence..."

Guan Fang's expression became somewhat subtle upon seeing this, with a hint of disdain appearing on her face, but she still patiently continued reading.

Because of ghosts.

Riko screamed in fright and fell to the ground. Right next to her was her great-grandparents' room. Riko wanted to tell them that there was a ghost in the house, but when she looked closely, she found that the two old people were not physical entities either. Their faces were also somewhat transparent, but not as obvious as the ghost she had just seen.

Riko was terrified again.

That evening, Riko immediately told her husband about it.

Faced with his wife's questions, the husband told her about the situation at home. It turned out that these ghostly figures were... the remnants of his deceased family members.

The afterimages are images summoned by the longing of their clan. Although they do not exist physically, they can be touched and spoken to, but all of this is inseparable from their perception.

Even so, they still have to call upon their loved ones, because this can gradually soothe the wounds of losing them.

However, the afterimage will disappear over time, and that time will be... twenty years.

soon.

Riko also witnessed her husband's family summoning the afterimage once, and saw her elderly father at the funeral.

Riko, who was most afraid of her father's death, immediately begged her husband to make a portrait of her father after his death.

But the husband seemed somewhat troubled upon hearing this, because creating the fragment required the combined efforts of the entire clan, and it was impossible for him to complete it alone.

However, that night, her husband still conveyed Riko's request to his family.

However, this was met with opposition, on the grounds that summoning Riko's father was meaningless.

Riko was heartbroken after being rejected and hid in a corner to cry. Her husband's sister came to comfort her, which made her feel much better.

But then, Riko discovers that her husband's sister is also a ghost image.

The husband told Riko that his sister had actually died ten years ago.

"..."

Guan Fang didn't see the expected horror scene; instead, she was met with this kind of plot and fell silent.

Do you miss me?
She continued down.

In comics.

Time has passed, and Li Zi has been married for eight years. During these eight years, Li Zi has been trying her best to serve her parents-in-law, but the family is still indifferent to her.

The most devastating moment for her occurred eight years later when her husband cheated on her.

That evening, Riko confronted her husband, asking why he had cheated on her.

The husband told Riko very frankly that he would marry that female colleague, but he would not divorce her.

Hearing these comments full of flaws, Riko naturally wouldn't let it go.

The husband endured it all, but when his patience finally snapped, he flew into a rage, slapped Riko, and told her a cruel truth.

...She's already dead!
In fact, Riko died in a car accident the day before her engagement... Her loving husband begged his father to make a shroud image of Riko, but was refused. Unwilling to give up, the husband went to each member of the family to ask for permission, and finally obtained permission. Together, they made a shroud image of Riko.

After that, her husband married the remains of Riko's image and they have lived together ever since.

Li Zi's memorial tablet is now in her maternal family's cemetery.

"..."

Guan Fang slightly opened her mouth, and upon seeing this, she understood everything in an instant.

Why were Riko's in-laws always so cold to her? And why did her husband cheat on her?

Because Riko is just... a fleeting image.

Ten years have passed, and her husband has moved on.

Ready to embrace new love.

The pain gradually subsided and healed.

No one in this family needs her anymore.

Riko was stunned.

After finally accepting reality, she planned to quietly leave her husband's house.

Before leaving, she said goodbye to her sister-in-law, who had become very blurry in her memory. Perhaps, soon, her sister-in-law would disappear.

After saying goodbye to her sister-in-law, Riko embarked on her journey home. In ten years, Riko herself would also disappear. So, between her father and herself, who would leave this world first?
Riko felt it should be herself.

So she chose to go home and be with her father.

Arrived at the door of the house.

The elderly father was moving things at his doorstep when he saw his daughter suddenly appear and stood there dumbfounded.

Riko smiled and said, "Dad, I'm back."

"........."

Guan Fang stared blankly at the scene, seeing the female lead smile and say she was back.

Then... suddenly, tears streamed down her face.

She couldn't explain why, but when she saw the last scene, she just couldn't help herself.

Death, memory, family, and how to cope with loss...

Large tears streamed down her face.

Guan Fang sniffed, trying her best to hold back, but when she saw the last line, "I'm back," and the female lead's smiling face, she couldn't help but think of the difficult years after her divorce, the man she once deeply loved, her childhood self, and her father who was still alive at the time...

And also at this time.

"Mom! You saw this episode of Chainsaw Man, right?!"

Rumi suddenly pushed open the door and walked in, complaining, "About the collaboration..."

But he only got halfway through his sentence.

She saw her mother staring blankly, tears streaming down her face.

She was startled.

"..."

When Guan Fang saw her daughter, she seemed ashamed and immediately turned her head away.

Rumi quickly realized what was happening and rushed forward to hug her mother, asking, "What's wrong? What's wrong? What happened?"

Guan Fang didn't speak, but feeling the warmth of her daughter beside her, she couldn't hold back any longer and started sobbing.

"........."

Rumi looked at her mother, who had always maintained a strong, independent demeanor but was now sobbing, and then at the comic on the screen, completely bewildered.

What on earth is going on?
(End of this chapter)