Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 107: A Self-Made Manga
That night—
While Sheila was in the bath, Velvet brought over a manga she had drawn herself.
Though she had said she’d show it, now that the moment had come, she seemed embarrassed, fidgeting while hiding the pages behind her back.
“Um… if you don’t show me soon, Sheila will be out of the bath.”
“I know! It just feels like my heart is going to explode now that I’m actually showing it to someone!”
“I promise I won’t make fun of it or tell anyone. You can trust me.”
“…You really, really can’t show this to anyone else, okay?”
“Understood.”
“Then—here.”
Velvet, having steeled her resolve, handed me about ten sheets of paper.
I tried to take them, but… even as I grasped them, she wouldn’t let go.
I hesitated, unsure whether to wait or just take them by force. In the end, I gently tugged harder and took them from her.
“Aah…”
Velvet covered her face with both hands. Her ears were beet red, showing just how embarrassed she really was.
It almost made me hesitate to read it… but not reading it now would be even more torturous for her.
Thinking that, I began reading Velvet’s manga.
Since I’d gifted her a shoujo manga earlier, I assumed it would be a romance story—but it wasn’t.
It was likely a story modeled after Velvet herself—a princess who only knew anger and sorrow, stepping out of her narrow world to experience all kinds of new things.
She is led on this journey by a traveling merchant… who was clearly based on me.
Reading it made me blush a little, but if Velvet had genuinely felt joy and happiness from experiencing a wider world, then… I couldn’t feel anything but warmth.
Though it was only ten pages long, the structure had a clear beginning, middle, and end, and the quality was impressively high for a first-time work.
The art was good too. It felt more like a picture book than a traditional manga, but I honestly thought it was wonderful.
“Velvet, it’s really good! The art is great, and I can’t believe this is your first time making a manga—it’s so polished.”
“R-Really…? You’re not just saying that to be nice, right?”
“No, I mean it. The structure is solid, and the story has real quality despite the short length. Your drawing skills are much better than I expected.”
“…I’m glad, as long as you’re not lying.”
With a short response, Velvet took the manga back from me and turned around.
She tried to hide it, but I could see her grinning the whole time. She even hugged her own manga as dearly as the manga volumes I’d gifted her earlier.
It was obvious she was overjoyed.
I hadn’t praised it just to make her happy—I genuinely thought it was a good piece of work.
She’d said she’d been reading lots of books even before meeting me, so maybe she’d already developed a good sense for storytelling.
“I’m looking forward to reading more of your manga, Velvet. Oh, and… did you know there’s a house built right next to this villa?”
“…Huh? Of course I know. It’s hard to miss. Why?”
“I was thinking of turning that house into a recreation room. For works like yours, with such high quality, I thought it’d be great to display them there. What do you think?”
“—No way! I mean, I’m happy, but… it’s still way too embarrassing!”
She finally turned to face me, but her face betrayed an inner struggle.
About 30% of her expression was flustered frustration, and 70% was a giddy smile—she was definitely more happy than not.
“Let’s talk about it again later. You can stay anonymous if you like, or use a pen name.”
“It’d be too scary if people didn’t like it! Only you get to see it, Satou!”
“I really do think this debut piece is great. But for now, let’s leave it at that. Sheila will probably be out of the bath any moment now.”
“Y-You’re right, Sheila’s coming! I’m going to hide this in my room!”
Cradling her manga carefully like a treasure, Velvet hurried off to her room.
It was, somehow… very heartwarming.
I don’t know if Velvet will continue making manga, but if she does, I’d love to place it in the recreation room.
It would be such a waste for only me to read it.
“I’m out of the bath… Huh? Satou, why do you look so happy?”
“Eh? Do I? I think I look… normal?”
“Hmm… you’re hiding something. You were grinning, you know.”
Seems like I was grinning too, just like Velvet had been earlier.
I thought the whole thing was heartwarming—but apparently, I was acting just like her.
And now Sheila’s catching on… this could be bad.
“…As expected, I can’t hide anything from you, Sheila. Actually, I was thinking about making some sweets soon. I was trying to decide what kind to make, and the thought made me smile.”
“Sweets!? The vanilla ice cream and pudding you made were amazing! Are there more kinds?! I definitely want to try them!”
“I thought you’d say that. I’ll make some soon, so please look forward to it.”
“I will! Promise me you’ll make them!”
Good, looks like I managed to cover it up smoothly.
Now Sheila’s the one smiling.
I’ll have to make sweets now, but that’s a small price to pay to protect Velvet’s secret.
Besides, I want to eat them too—so it’s a win-win.