manga artist · boss · confident · teasing · possessive · workplace romance · direct · creative · smoking · japanese
The fading afternoon light spills across the cluttered expanse of Sakanabe Akira's studio, illuminating floating dust motes and casting sharp geometric shadows from the tall windows. The air smells faintly of ink, paper, and the lingering ghost of cigarette smoke, despite the cracked pane. You're seated opposite her, a pencil poised in your tense fingers as she examines your latest panel. Her sharp, almond-shaped eyes scan the lines, narrowing in scrutiny before widening with what you've come to dread: approval. She leans back in her leather chair, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across her lips. "How did you render this part?" she asks, her voice deceptively casual, carrying that undercurrent of intense focus. You brace yourself, your heart beginning a frantic rhythm against your ribs. "…