Once upon a time,
there was an alien, a cyborg,
an ammonite, the Kumamoto Castle, a Shiba dog,
a sea monkey, and a bok choy,
and they all lived together.
Doggy & Scramble
Natsume-san.
Murakami-senpai.
What are you writing today?
I'm working on the novel I've been writing.
Oh, you said it's due soon, right?
For the lit club's mini-magazine.
No, I finished that already.
This is a novel I've been writing for a long time.
For a long time?
Yes.
Since elementary school.
That long ago?
What type of story is it?
Well, simply put, an alien, a cyborg,
an ammonite, the Kumamoto Castle, a Shiba dog,
a sea monkey, and a bok choy all work together to save the world.
Huh?
Bok choy?
It falls into the space opera genre.
It's an action adventure story that makes the blood race and the flesh dance.
Right.
But I have writer's block.
I have up until the climax written,
but I'm not sure how to end it.
I see.
I work on it now and then, but I haven't gotten far.
And you've been working on it since elementary school?
That's right.
I've rewritten it plenty of times,
so the story keeps changing, but...
I see.
I know, Natsume-san.
If you wouldn't mind, may I read your story?
Read this?
Yes.
Maybe I could help you come up with ideas for how to continue it.
That's true.
Would you take a look at it, then?
Once upon a time,
there was an alien, a cyborg,
an ammonite, the Kumamoto Castle, a Shiba dog,
a sea monkey, and a bok choy, and they all lived together.
Why?
Why did this have to happen?!
If something isn't done, Earth will be destroyed!
Why did you keep quiet about that until now?!
What should we do, Kumamoto Castle?
Asking me won't do any good.
I know. Maybe Bok Choy knows something.
Uh, so the Kumamoto Castle can speak Japanese?
Yes, since he is a Japanese castle.
But the alien can't?
The alien speaks in alien language.
Also, when he came to Earth,
he began learning the standard language, Esperanto.
I see.
Also, the bok choy is a really pretty girl.
What is this, ruff?!
Why is everyone just sitting here, ruff?!
If we don't hurry, Bok Choy will be in danger!
Quiet down a bit.
You keep screaming like that,
and people will think your owner didn't train you, Baby.
What was that?!
Try saying that again, ruff!
Who's this monkey wearing the goggles?
That's the sea monkey.
Aren't sea monkeys a type of plankton?
When I started writing this,
I thought that sea monkeys were monkeys that lived in the sea.
Oh...
This is good.
Natsume-san, this is really good!
Oh, uh, thanks.
You should be more proud.
This really is good.
Um...
I've rewritten it so many times,
I'm not quite sure if it's even good to other people anymore.
It's good. I guarantee it.
Reading it was very exciting.
So what happens to Bok Choy after that?
I was thinking of having her die protecting the alien.
She's going to die?!
Hmm... Maybe not.
Wh-Which is it?
I... haven't decided yet, I guess?
I see.
I really want to know what happens.
When are you going to finish this?
At my current pace,
I might never finish.
What?!
Well, whatever happens, happens.
Writing is an adventure in exploration.
Ryunosuke Akutagawa said that after you've done whatever you can,
you can only rely on heaven for the rest.
I see.
Fumio-san?
Why do you look so glum?
Oh, Chloe-san.
Did something badly happen?
"Something bad," you mean?
I was wondering how it ended.
Ended?
Natsume-san is writing a novel,
and it was really interesting,
so I wanted to know how it ended.
Oh! I love novels, too!
I want to read it, too!
Want to read it?
I borrowed it.
What happens to Bok Choy?!
Apparently, she might die.
She also might not die.
Which one?
Natsume-san doesn't know yet, either.
I want to know.
Me, too.
Let me borrow this.
Huh?
This is so good.
It's wasted if everyone else doesn't read it!
Hey, wait!
That was so touching!
What happens?! I want to know!
What is this?
It's really good!
What happens to Bok Choy?!
Huh?
We want to read the rest.
I can't stop thinking about how it ends.
I can turn it into a manga for you!
What about Bok Choy? What about Bok Choy?!
That's what happened.
Right.
We came here to get you worked down to write the rest.
You mean "worked up."
Yeah, but...
I've been working on this for years, and it's still not done.
I don't know if I can just finish it like that.
I see.
I know why you can't finish it.
Hm?
You're missing something essential as a writer.
Something essential?
What's that?
Something you must have to finish a work.
That is...
Deadline
A deadline!
If I don't have a deadline, I just keep goofing off and never finish my manga.
But if I don't, it won't be ready in time for the expo.
When it gets to that point, I feel motivated,
and I finish it off.
I see.
That makes sense.
I always finish my cosplay outfits early
before it's time to fit them.
I guess it's like summer homework.
That's why you just need to set a deadline
and finish before then.
That's a great idea.
So, when do we set the deadline?
I want to read the ending now.
How about tomorrow?
Not possible.
What about next week, then?
It might take longer than that.
The week after next?
I'm not sure...
What about the week after that?
That'd be hard...
Then, next month?
We have finals, so...
What about next year?
I'm not sure about that...
I can't wait that long!
If it's hard to finish it all at once,
then why not try setting smaller deadlines, and go from there?
Like a weekly publication?
It might be easier to do small bits weekly.
Natsume-san, how does that sound?
Yeah, I'll do my best.
Really?!
Yes, I want to finish it, too.
Well then, the sooner, the better.
We're looking forward to it.
Girl Friend BETA.
Um,
are you guys waiting for me to finish writing?
Murakami-senpai...
Hm? Where's Natsume-san?
Oh, she isn't here yet?
The novel's supposed to be due today.
I thought I'd be able to read the rest...
This isn't good.
Did she run away?
What?
Authors who can't make their deadlines
run away from their editors all the time.
What?
That's terrible.
What should we do?
The thing an editor should do when this happens...
is find her, of course!
That sounds like a lot of trouble.
I would have finished it a long time ago if it were that simple.
Yeah.
Is it that hard to write, though?
You finish your stuff for the school newspaper
and your romance novels really fast.
Yeah, because one's more a hobby of mine,
and the newspaper has a deadline.
But aren't you writing that as a hobby,
and don't you have a deadline now, too?
Let me read it.
No.
Why?
I don't want you telling me you want to read the rest of it, too.
It's that good, then?
Not so much good...
I just like writing it.
Huh...
Oh!
I found you, Natsume-san.
It's time to write the ending!
Natsume-san, you haven't written the ending to the novel yet, have you?
I just don't have any idea what to do.
Indeed...
We have no other choice.
We'll just have to help you get ideas, then.
Help?
We need to find people to help.
We'll get ideas that way.
Can we even do that?
It's important not to rush.
Huh?
The Heroes Who Seem Strong But Aren't, Except Maybe a Little Mahiro Natsume
We need to go around asking people
who know about the characters in this story.
I get it.
We all belong to a lot of different clubs.
I bet there are people who are knowledgeable about this stuff.
So we ask those people, and get ideas.
The characters are...
Let's split up and ask people!
Right!
Aliens?
I know a lot about science fiction movies.
That's great!
So, about the alien in this story...
According to the description,
this seems like a large-nosed grey.
Not a reptilian, right?
Doesn't seem like a Nordic, either.
I am an android, yes,
but I am not a cyborg.
Are androids and cyborgs different?
Yes, they are.
They're as different as crab pilaf and imitation crab.
That's great.
You're basically the same, then.
Look at this.
Huh?
I know a lot about ammonites.
Also, I know about trilobites and nautiluses, too.
Really? That's great.
What about sea monkeys?
I know about them.
The brine shrimp, like Artemia, that you keep in aquariums, right?
They're creatures in the Chirocephalidae family,
Anostraca order, subclass Sarsostraca, right?
Not those sea monkeys.
This is a monkey that lives in the sea.
Huh?
Thanks for getting all of this together, but...
I feel like there's more people now.
I want to know what happens so badly, I can't study.
I'm psyched now. You've gotta do something!
Please write the ending.
You let them read it, didn't you?
Well, we needed to so we could get their help.
Yeah, so please!
Et tu, Tsugumi?
But this is pretty impressive.
Huh?
There are so many people here who want to read your story.
I thought it was a weird novel at first,
but as I was reading it,
it was so interesting,
I just got engrossed in it.
It's incredible that you were able to write a novel this good, Natsume-san.
Natsume-san?
If my readers think so highly of me,
I guess I'm going to have to write it.
Then...
Can I use this research you got for me?
Sure!
Natsume-san.
It's almost time to close the library.
Is it that late?
Can I stay just a little bit longer?
I want to finish this one part.
That's fine.
Thank you.
But are you sure you should push yourself so hard?
I have tons of fun when I work on this novel.
I forget what time it is and just get absorbed.
I see.
So it isn't stressful at all.
It's a lot of work,
but it isn't painful for me.
When I write, I get stuck, tripped up,
and I backtrack a lot,
but when the alien and Bok Choy cry and laugh together,
I feel like I want to know how it ends, too.
That's why I have a lot of fun doing this.
But...
But I wonder why I couldn't write it until now...
Before they realized it,
they all found themselves working towards one goal.
They all wanted one thing:
they wanted to protect this small,
but precious world.
And they all felt strongly about it.
This is wonderful!
It's a masterpiece.
I've never read a novel this fun before!
She got me!
I didn't expect this ending.
I'm so happy...
I'm so happy for Bok Choy.
That was a great novel, Natsume-san.
I'd love to reread this over and over.
I wouldn't go that far...
I started crying when I thought the alien was going to die.
I cried there, too.
I felt bad that the cyborg was going to be left all alone.
And then it's really cool how the ammonite kicks butt after that.
Yeah.
Who would have thought the ammonite would come to save the day?
Isn't it great that everyone loved it so much?
Y-Yeah...
I guess so.
Natsume-san?
It's over...
Huh?
The novel's done...
Natsume-san...
I realized why I couldn't write the ending until now.
I didn't want to leave this story.
I love this story.
I love Bok Choy and the others.
I wanted to continue playing around in their world.
I didn't want to let it end.
Natsume-san...
That's why I couldn't finish it.
But I'm sure this was for the best.
Huh?
If I didn't finish it,
and left everyone hanging,
I'd feel bad for Bok Choy and the rest.
Thank you, everyone.
Thank you for helping me write this wonderful ending.
I'm sure Bok Choy and the rest are happy, too.
The Heroes Who Seem Strong But Aren't, Except Maybe a Little Mahiro Natsume
Chloe-san...
Fumio-san...
Everyone, are you...
Well, you know...
Everyone...
You guys were late today.
Natsume-san?
The Heroes Who Seem Strong But Aren't, Except They Got Stronger Mahiro Natsume
Here. Could you read this?
What is it?
"Once upon a time,
there was an alien, a cyborg,
an ammonite, the Kumamoto Castle, a Shiba dog,
a sea monkey, and bok choy, and they all lived together.
After a fierce battle, they protected the Earth,
and peace returned to the world,
but that was only the start of a larger battle."
Natsume-san, is this...
Is it the continuation to the novel?
I guess the story wasn't over.
Bok Choy and the others said they aren't done having fun,
so I decided to have fun with them a little longer.
Natsume-san!
Everyone, that was only the prologue.
They're about to have an even greater adventure together.
So please help me come up with ideas for the rest.
What?
Preview
Welcome!
Oh, Kokomi-chan.
Sasahara-senpai, I'd like a refreshing drink, please.
I have something cute and tasty that'll be perfect.
Episode 8: On the Other Side of the Cream Soda
Next time: On the Other Side of the Cream Soda.