Andy and Fuko. There's something I'd like you two to investigate.
Aye! You can count on me, please!
I want you to check the legitimacy of a certain book.
A book?
There is a chance that the pages of the book in question hold...
...the past and future events of this world as penned by a certain Artifact.
Since Billy has rebelled, not even I know the route from here on out.
To clear these four Quests in this unfamiliar situation, that book will be paramount.
The past and future put down in...
...a book?
B-But, should we be handling such an important mission?
I would prefer if you both handle it, in fact.
Once you see it, the reason will be clear.
This is it.
The Union has taken a huge blow from Billy's betrayal.
Juiz gathers the bewildered members of the Roundtable,
and starts to speak the truth about this world and her own situation.
By God's hands, this world endlessly repeats destruction and reconstruction.
Juiz has been using an Artifact called Ark to experience these Loops over and over.
One other, Victor, has also been living within multiple Loops with his Undead ability.
Fuko sees an eternal solitude from the truth where he cannot die even at the world's end.
Juiz declares the only ways to escape the Rules are suicide or God-slaying,
and bows down in apology for hiding the truth and using all of her comrades.
However, the members of the Roundtable did not want an apology from her.
Under Juiz who wants to slay God and liberate the world from irrational rules,
the comrades unify once again.
And the item she pulls out as an undertaking for their comeback surprises Fuko.
Th-That's the book I use as my life's bible...
...the masterpiece by Anno Un-sensei, who holds the longest-running shojo manga record!
Known as You-Me!
Right.
And...
This is from Volume 20 of You-Me, the Space Soccer Club Invasion arc.
The Space Soccer Club is about to blow up the entire school, but the team captain's...
Spiral Shot of Justice!
...destroys all the goals and restores peace.
Doesn't this story sound familiar?
I'll just have to...
...negate that justice.
The aliens from the other day!
In addition...
The Rotten High School Melee arc in volumes 11 to 18 can look like a prediction of the Spoil battle.
We need to investigate.
Question, Boss!
Yes, Top?
Are you being for real? Uh, also, what's this You-Me thing?
Are you saying you don't know, Top?
You-Me is only the gold standard of long-running sci-fi shojo manga!
It's got battles, too, so even you can read it, Top.
There's 101 volumes in all!
101?
But no one knows anything beyond the manga.
There's no info about the author at all.
That is correct.
If You-Me was drawn with the Artifact G-Liner as I predict...
the objects drawn themselves are not affected by the addition of new Rules.
In other words, the raw manuscript doesn't fall under the language unification,
and will still be in Japanese.
Right.
The raw manuscript...
Andy, Fuko.
There are two things I want you to look into.
I want the status of the raw manuscript and intel on the author, Anno Un.
I'll leave the means up to you.
If those two are anywhere, it would be at the publisher.
But I doubt they'll show it to us just like that.
Which means...
So amazing...
...all we gotta do is whip up a killer manga and bring it to 'em, right?
- What? - What?
2020
DECEMBER 3RD
UNDEAD + UNLUCK
Pappy said you can use this room!
Thanks.
While I'm puttin' ya out, ya mind preparin' the stuff on this list?
Aye, aye!
Urgh... urrrgh...
What're ya stressing about?
This is impossible! Why am I the one making it?
I'm just a blissful connoisseur of fiction!
There's a huge difference between being a reader and a writer!
I'll handle wrappin' it up.
Huh?
Okay, Unigle.
Your basic manga pipeline looks somethin' like this.
Andy, you've made a manga before?
Not from scratch, no. But I dabbled a little when Tezuka was hypin' up the manga industry.
Tezu-
SELF-CENSORED
Composition, background art- I got all that covered.
But the base for it all.
Now that's a spot where the passion from your soul weighs in. Nobody can help you there.
But you're the one with the most shojo manga know-how.
So, ya just gotta dream up a boyfriend and situations with him that'd make your heart throb to death!
Can y'manage that, Fuko?
Yeah!
Well, you sure are takin' this in stride.
I was expectin' ya to get far more embarrassed than that.
I can't afford to do that! I don't want my shyness to cause any hangups.
And besides...
If You-Me really is a book of prophecies...
...then its pages just might hold the key to stopping Mr. Billy and his group.
Doing it for Tatiana, huh?
Of course that's one reason, but if I can do a good job on this manga...
...I think I'll be able to understand my own feelings better.
And if I can do that, then...
...I'll be able to summon even stronger strokes of unluck!
Right. That should be quite the treat.
Well?
I-I actually don't want you reading it too carefully in detail.
Sick. Wicked sick, in fact!
Gonna compose the storyboard now!
I'll have it done in an hour. Everyone get ready to draw!
Everyone?
Shk-ping!
Um, we're here. Per your request.
It's Mui! And Mico!
Um, if there's anything I can do to help-
Go pump some iron. Your power's too dangerous.
Roger...
Pan-Panda!
But a manga takes a lot of time to make!
Not an issue.
Mico! Get the gear I asked for.
Aye, aye, sir!
Gatch-ching!
Whoa! They're moving on their own!
With these brain wave-operated robot arms, we'll finish up six times as fast.
Brute force?
But I can't control them at all!
Yeah, I know. That's why I'm givin' ya an hour.
Get used to 'em.
You can't be serious!
APOLOGIES FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
Imagine looking down at yourself from above.
Once you get the hang of it, the rest is a piece of cake.
Oh, Tatiana!
Time for training, Fuko!
Fuko.
Tatiana, thank you for giving me the drill!
Of course I did. We're friends.
Thanks to you, I can move these around now!
Mm... I want to help out with this manga, too.
You'll have less space to work with, but...
You're more than welcome aboard! Let's work together!
The storyboard's done!
That was fast!
Pan-Panda!
THE SWORD AND ZEN AS ONE
I'll assist.
Appreciate it.
When you said it was a book of prophecies, I went back and re-read You-Me again...
But there was nothing in it that suggested Mr. Billy's betrayal or our current set of quests.
Instead there were these awkward gaps.
The closer I got to the climax, the more apparent the plot holes became.
Even back when I was reading each chapter as it came out, I'd often wonder if I somehow skipped a part.
In other words... you believe the author intentionally left parts out?
That's my guess.
We need to confirm that aspect of this as well.
Which frame do you want me to help next-
Hmm?
Pan-Panda!
HERE LIES CHIKARA
DECEMBER 5TH
TOKYO-JINBOCHO
You really going in there alone?
Y-Yeah.
I think it'd be better if I went in with you-
No, you see, um...
Let's just say, you don't look the part of a shojo manga artist.
Huh?
And you know, our goal here is to win credibility, so yeah.
I'm really sorry! Just wait out here for me!
Whoa... wow...
Hello there. Sorry for the wait. You're a first-timer, right?
Oh, yes.
All right. Then let's see what you've got!
"Undead Plus Unluck", huh?
Oh, the "plus" is silent!
Aah, okay.
How long did this take you?
Huh? Well, let's see...
I don't know the standard, and I can't say it only took a day, either.
A-About a week.
A week? You drew this in a week?
Yes!
OFF TODAY-PLEASE DON'T LOOK FOR ME I only said that to make a good impression! Manga artists of the world, forgive me!
The composition is awfully refined... All this at just 18, huh?
That's the part Andy handled!
The character art is also pretty good.
Whuh?
Of course, unlike your composition, your line work and designs don't cut it at all.
Your art style is too old school.
And it seems to lack design sense.
NO TASTE IN DESIGN!
But it has charm. I can, well... feel it.
Huh?
I can feel you really love the hero of this story.
Did you base him on someone?
Hah, of course you wouldn't have a zombie boyfriend!
Right... if someone like that existed, I'd wind up falling for them.
So do you want to submit this to the contest? I think it'll place great.
Oh! Yes, please do!
Um... actually, I have a request, if you don't mind.
Now it makes sense.
Once you said you're a You-Me fan, it all clicked.
That manga is a unique one, too, with its heavy use of sci-fi elements.
Normally this isn't allowed, but it's a special treat.
Th-Then, you're really showing me the raw manuscripts?
Sure! Nowadays, we're all about digital manuscripts. So chances like this are pretty rare.
You ought to see the power an analog manuscript holds.
Now, let's see...
Huh?
Well, that's odd. What's this writing?
TO YOU, FROM ME
Andy! It's in Japanese!
Yeah.
That seals it.
You-Me is definitely a book of prophecy, Fuko.
Um... You-Me has some rejected storylines, right?
How do you know that?
Huh? Oh, well, y'see...
Anno-sensei has always excelled at story structure!
So some awkward progression in the later parts of the story stood out-I mean...
Don't get me wrong, it stayed great till the end, but...
That's right! So you could tell! We shelved three arcs!
Three?
The Kohei's Betrayal arc.
UNBREAKABLE The Four Kings of the Four Season's arc.
And the Ando's Past arc.
Both of you, get in contact with Anno Un immediately!
They intentionally left out details about the future! I want those details and why they were withheld!
Under most likely hasn't caught on to this intel.
We'll seize it for ourselves and gain the upperhand!
I can dispatch other members if necessary! I'll leave it to Andy to decide if he wants more members!
B-But we don't even know where Anno-sensei is.
Hello, Anno-sensei? It's me, Tahioka.
I know you prefer to stay silent, so I'll cut to the point.
The first matter is that the manuscripts you have stored here might have been replaced.
The other is that we need you to judge this month's contest.
U-Um...
For the first matter, I'll give you a report after we've done some more investigating.
As for the second, are you available to judge?
Um... would it be possible to speak with them?
Huh?
I can't do such a thing-
Huh?
Thank you very much.
Hello, Anno-sensei.
Nice to meet you. My name is Fuko Izumo.
Would you mind reading my manga? I would appreciate it very much if you did.
If it's too far for your convenience, I don't mind coming to you.
You're wasting your breath. Anno-sensei doesn't speak to others.
I've never even seen them before.
Is it any good?
If it's an interesting read, then I'll meet with you.
In five hours, come to the bench at Stanley Park in Canada.
Both of you together.
Th-That's the first time I've heard their voice.
MEMORIES OF FUKO IZUMO INSIDE OF SHUEISHA HEADQUARTERS,
17:00
ERASED.
TO BE CONTINUED
PREVIEW
An autumn forest where red leaves fall... that is the crossroads of fate.
The unlucky girl and the undead man finally reach this location.
ANNO UN Next episode of Undead Unluck, Episode 20-Anno Un.
In search of the greatest death ever.