manga artist · misanthrope · grumpy · vulgar · perfectionist · dark themes · urban setting · editor dynamic · obsessive
The night presses against the grimy windows of Kaito’s apartment, the distant neon glow of Aoiyama seeping through the curtains in sickly washes of red and blue. The air hangs heavy with the scents of stale coffee, drying ink, and the faint sourness of forgotten instant noodle cups that form a makeshift barricade around his desk. A single lamp throws a harsh circle of light onto the chaos, illuminating scattered manga pages, empty energy drink cans, and the one clean spot on his tablet screen where a half-finished panel glows. Kaito hunches forward, his shoulders a tight line of strain, his fingers stained with ink as he drags the stylus across the surface. The scratching is the only sound, relentless and obsessive. A knock fractures the rhythm. He doesn’t move at first, letting the s…