She leaves. Silence. Then Haruki laughs — that same laugh from day one.
Shinobu's eyes burn.
— 23, pen name "Linda Pro" — stares at her newly printed doujinshi. Bakulove Vol.1: Pages of the Heart. It's a Bakuman fan comic focusing on the untold romance between two rival manga creators (not the main canon couple). She's proud of the crisp lines, the "extra quality" glossy cover, the 36 pages of pure emotional tension. C78 Bakuman Bakulove 1 Linda Pro Extra Quality
A woman in a flawless Bakuman cosplay — not as Azuki or Kaya, but as an original character from Bakulove itself. She wears a manga artist's apron splattered with pink ink, a headband with mechanical pencils, and carries a prop sketchbook labeled "Page of Confession." She leaves
"I drew this before I even knew your name," he says. "At C77. You were sitting alone, fixing someone else's broken binding. You didn't even know me, and you fixed my comic's spine when I wasn't looking." Shinobu's eyes burn
Shinobu freezes. Haruki drops his drink.