Is It Wrong To Make A Divine Being An Assistant For My Manga? -CHISCARA-

Episode Three: Shopping Spree

Two weeks or so had passed since Scaramouche's arrival. Childe moved a second desk into their room for the two to work separately. There was no denying their room was cramped as all hell now. Childe chose a one-bedroom apartment, not expecting anyone else to live there but himself. With two desks, one bed, and one futon, there wasn't much room to walk, even though the room was on the larger side.

Scaramouche's desk faced away from Childes on the opposite wall, the two's backs turned from each other. Childe handed his sketch to Scaramouche, who touched it up and added minor details before scanning it into the computer. After Childe introduced him to digital inking, Scaramouche preferred the method more.

Scaramouche's work was as precise and pristine as ever, but an obvious fact plagued Childe's mind. Scaramouche was slowing down. He was still inhumanly quick at finishing a page, but not as fast as the first time he saw his power. Was Scaramouche's power weakening? His skill was still up to par, but could he no longer move at the same speed as before? Instead of taking mere minutes, it took around an hour.

Childe discouraged himself from bringing this observation to the boy's attention. It would likely cause a negative reaction from him. He also didn't know how Scaramouche's powers worked, considering he never gave an answer to any questions Childe might've hinted at asking. Scaramouche avoided talking about himself at all costs He didn't mind because the other was still assisting greatly, and being around Scaramouche was a pleasure in and of itself; Childe wouldn't have cared if the boy took days to finish his work.

This theory was promptly debunked when Scaramouche mentioned something about the story of Childe's manga. They were eating lunch after just finishing a chapter when Scaramouche asked,

"What exactly is your story about? I haven't worked on it since the beginning; I have no context."

Ah, so Scaramouche was taking his time trying to understand the story. That would explain his confused face when trying to understand the raw panels with Childe's scattered notes. Moving to a digital medium could've also explained his slower pace.

Childe did wonder if it was possible that Scaramouche's powers could decrease over time. He already mentioned that his physical form was altered, which meant he now required food and sleep, but he had no information about his powers; all he knew was that he could ink a page fast and diligently.

"If you're interested in my story, you can read my previous chapters. They sell the books in stores, but I still have a pdf file containing all the old issues."

And so Scaramouche spent that afternoon on the computer, going through and reading what Childe had done before he'd gotten there.

"Your linework is sloppy. And I can see a few straw marks from your sketches."

Childe couldn't disagree with the boy; the inking and detailing processes were always a weak spot for him. He wasn't horrible by any means but hell, anyone's work looked awful next to Scaramouches. If Childe indeed lacked skill, his story would've never been picked up by the magazine's company.

Scaramouche pointed to a slightly shaky line, the mistake of which wouldn't have been visible to the naked eye. "You aren't patient enough; your lines show haste, which makes sense, this was likely inked minutes before you were due to submit it."

Scaramouche sighed. "It's not bad though. Your drawing abilities exceed my expectations, and the story is entertaining enough."

"Thanks?" Even though Scaramouche's compliments were backhanded, he appreciated them nonetheless.

"That reminds me... Do you have any experience drawing on a larger scale than just cleaning up my sketches?"

Scaramouche scoffed. "Of course, I can draw. Do you seriously think I can only finish your chicken scratch and not draw anything original?"