Only after enough practice could Lin Yu finally trace and draw something he was even remotely satisfied with.
And if every single chapter required that level of effort, then the workload was already stacking up fast.
Especially now, with his day job at the sushi shop, the hours he could actually dedicate to drawing were painfully limited. That meant Lin Yu had to make use of every spare minute.
Under the dim glow of the lamp, he sat quietly in his cramped little room, eyes fixed on the page in front of him, pen flying across the paper with relentless focus.
…
Morning gradually broke across the sky.
Lin Yu stirred under his thin blanket and cracked open groggy eyes. The flimsy bedding wasn't cutting it anymore—the chill in the air made the second half of the night feel like a battle between sleep and survival.
He'd worked on his manuscript until around midnight before finally calling it a night. But thanks to the cold, it felt like he'd only half-slept at best.
Might as well get up. He wasn't getting back to sleep anyway.
After a quick rinse, he stood before his tiny wardrobe—which really only had one choice—and sighed. In the end, he put on the same formal outfit he'd been wearing for days.
I really need to buy some clothes today, he resolved. If this keeps up, I'll end up looking like a homeless guy.
Technically, he had one more outfit—a pair of pajamas. But there was no way he was stepping outside in that.
Outside, Lin Yu inhaled the brisk autumn air and tried to shake off the morning drowsiness. Then he jogged off down the street.
This was it. The morning runs he'd been talking about for days—finally starting for real.
In most areas of life, Lin Yu prided himself on being the type who could make detailed plans and stick to them like clockwork. But when it came to physical exercise... he tended to let himself slide.
He hadn't even planned to jog today. He was just going to stay bundled up or maybe draw a few pages before work.
But then…
He'd caught a glimpse of the system panel, and what he saw nearly made him drop the pen.
[Strongest Manga System]
Host: Lin Yu
Age: 21
Physical Fitness: 7 (Average adult: 10)
Current Work: Inuyasha
Reputation Points: 25
Shop | ...
Everything else was about the same—except for two things: the addition of Inuyasha, and the minor bump in reputation points.
But what had him reeling was the drop in physical fitness. He remembered clearly that when he first arrived in this world and activated the system, the number there had been 8.
And now? Down to 7.
Figures. I just said yesterday that health was most important, and now this?!
Panic bubbled up. No way this was from just a couple late nights or skipped meals.
Truth was, this body—his new one—was still carrying the burden of a past life spent chained to an office desk. These last few days had just been the final straw.
It sounded dramatic, sure, but the logic checked out.
He didn't know what would happen if that number hit zero—would he die? Collapse into a pile of scrap? But one thing was certain:
He wasn't going to find out.
So even if he hated it, even if every cell in his body screamed at him to stay under the blanket, he forced himself to get up, get dressed, and jog his butt outside.
After all, it'd be the height of irony to die of poor health right when his manga career was just beginning. What a joke that would be—an embarrassment to transmigrators everywhere.
After about 7–8 minutes of jogging, Lin Yu could feel his lungs burning and his legs starting to ache. He had no choice but to slow down.
There was no sense pushing too hard and wrecking himself even more.
I wonder when Yuurou-sha will finally get Inuyasha scheduled for publication... he mused while catching his breath. Once it's out and gains some popularity, I can finally draw the lottery again.
If he could pull some kind of superhuman bloodline or power… well, then he could live like a rockstar and still be fine.
No more wheezing like this.
Just as he was about to turn back, a familiar voice called out behind him.
"Lin-kun?"
Since arriving in this world, Lin Yu could count the people he knew on one hand. And the only one who ever called him Lin-kun...
He turned around and, sure enough, there she was.
Nanako.
She was jogging toward him in a soft pink tracksuit, waving with a bright smile. Her forehead glistened with sweat, cheeks flushed with the healthy red of exercise.
"You out for a morning run too, Nanako?" he asked.
She came to a stop in front of him, breathing a little heavily but still smiling.
"Mmhm. I didn't expect to run into you, though."
She tilted her head and gave him a playful look, her gaze pausing for a second on the dark circles under his eyes.
At first glance, Lin Yu might've come across as the gloomy, brooding type—clean clothes or not. So it genuinely surprised her to see him out jogging like this.
Still, she didn't mind the company.
They slowed their pace and walked side by side, chatting casually.
"Do you live around here, Nanako?" Lin Yu asked. Most people chose jogging routes close to home, just like him.
"More or less. I haven't exercised in a while, so I decided to run a little farther than usual today."
Nanako had that warm, graceful aura that made even silence feel comfortable. Being alone with her didn't feel awkward or forced.
"But you're the real surprise, Lin-kun," she teased, her tone light and playful.
"You mean I look like the shut-in type?" Lin Yu asked with a grin, glancing at his own reflection in a nearby window.
Okay, maybe he looked a little like a shut-in. But he definitely wasn't one! Just... bad at sports.
Nanako giggled, her eyes curving like crescents. "Well, that was my first impression, yeah. But after talking to you, you're actually more outgoing than I expected."
Lin Yu rubbed the dark bags under his eyes, sighing internally.
Great. His reputation was already taking hits—thanks, insomnia.