Mob Heroine - Interlude 1

Interlude 1 - Cancellation is Painful for Everyone
[???’s POV]

A woman let out a small sigh.

It contained pain tinged with resignation, disappointment, and pessimism.

On a certain day, she was having a meeting over a video call on her computer when the person on the other end delivered a piece of news that made her heart ache terribly.

“...I am truly sorry. It ended up with such an unfortunate outcome.”

The other party’s apology had a tone that conveyed that they, too, understood how she felt. Hearing the heavy apology, she swallowed the sigh that was just about to escape her lips.

“No, I’m the one who should apologize. I just wasn’t good enough.”

It wasn’t the other party’s fault at all. If anything, it was her own lack of ability that led to this outcome.

They were both hurting, in their own ways. Even so, the man on the other end of the call had to report the outcome properly, because that was his responsibility.

“Nekoneko-sensei, you have more than enough talent. It's just… this one wasn't meant to be... The editorial department deeply regrets that the sales of the first volume were not very favorable. We truly believe it’s a work that deserved to sell much better.”

Nekoneko-sensei. 

The fluffy, unserious pen name felt completely out of place in such a heavy moment, that she couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh at the thought.

She thought to herself that maybe she should have chosen a more ordinary pen name. Realizing she was just trying to seek escapism from that thought, she couldn't hold it back this time and let out a deep sigh.

Then, the man on the other end, who was the manga’s editor in charge, Ando, spoke again, this time more firmly.

“We have decided to cancel ‘I’m So Done With Rom-Coms (sob)’ after the second volume. Since the series will end with the next volume, let's start preparing how to end the story.”

Yes, that's what this was. A meeting between a manga artist and her editor. The topic of discussion was the news that the author, Nekoneko, and her current serialized manga, were facing cancellation.

“That said, there’s still a chance sales could recover significantly with the second volume. The situation is tough right now, but... if we push more promotions on social media and attract more readers, there’s a possibility we can keep the series going. Let’s do our best toward that goal.”

Ando’s words of encouragement made Nekoneko let out a small laugh. Of course, not because she was happy. Her smile was tinged with irony.

All editors always said things like that. She knew that there were indeed cases where a series managed to recover from the brink of cancellation. But in most cases, a series' fate was decided by the initial sales of its first volume.

She knew her manga was 99.9% doomed to be cancelled. Still, she was an adult, she knew that saying such things aloud wouldn’t change a thing. So instead, she just suppressed her emotions, replying in a flat and mechanical tone.

“Yes. I suppose so.”

"...I do have one suggestion, though."

"A suggestion?"

At that moment, she felt the flow of the conversation suddenly change. She had been feeling depressed by the reality of her manga being cancelled, but what Ando said next made her pause and think for a second.

“How about changing the story a little? Right now, it feels like it lacks originality. I think it would be good if you show off more of what makes you unique, as your pen name suggests, Nekoneko-sensei. I’d really appreciate it if you’d consider it.”

In other words, he was suggesting they revamp the manga. However, his words didn’t sit entirely right with her.

(Weren’t you the one who told me not to make it too quirky, and to keep it as a simple, straightforward romcom?)

Nekoneko was a manga artist who'd landed the series based on her reputation for having fantastic art. She was well-known for her ability to draw cute heroines, so they'd deliberately decided to keep the premise and the romcom elements simple. That was the entire understanding she'd been working under. As a result, it had turned into a mediocre, cliché-ridden rehash, and a forgettable work without a single shred of originality.

"I will think about it."

And with that, the call ended. Even after hanging up, she didn’t stand up from her chair. She just sat there, lost in thought.

(Should I… keep going in the same direction, just to prove that it was the editor’s bad advice that caused this?)

She could just be stubborn and stick to the current approach. That way, she could say she was only following orders and push the blame onto the editor. But if she did that, the manga would be guaranteed to get cancelled.

(Or maybe... I should try doing it the way I want instead?)

…Deep down, there was something she truly wanted to draw more of. Rather than a generic romcom with a cookie-cutter protagonist and slightly cute, cliché heroines, she actually liked the mob heroine more.

(Maybe I should make Mobuko-chan the main heroine instead...)

On impulse, she picked up her smartphone and looked up a certain social media account. She wasn’t searching for her own, but one belonging to a rare, devoted fan. The account name was “Sales Rep A.” Whenever she was having a hard time or felt down, she would look at this account’s posts to cheer herself up. But lately, even looking at Sales Rep A’s page no longer made her smile.

(Maybe... Sales Rep A will post something again soon.)

The reason was that this account hadn't posted anything in three months—.