Before continuing the story of our cowardly fetishist hero, our goddess Uzaki put on her best cosmic dress and transcended the boundaries of her universe to wage a battle against her worst enemy.
Bathing…
I mean.
Cancellation.
Like a shooting star, she descended into the universe of her great and beloved friend Minerva, the goddess of lemon.
"The world of Akira is always so noisy…" she said as she walked elegantly through the streets of Tokyo.
There, standing tall as if it were a great monster she had to defeat, rose one of the largest and most iconic buildings in all of Japan…
"No, not that one," said the omniscient narrator as the camera focused on Tokyo Tower.
"That one," he added.
The camera moved a few meters… revealing a massive publishing building in Akihabara.
"There, our all-powerful goddess prepares for a legendary battle against…"
Uzaki was nowhere to be seen on camera.
Our goddess of crumbs had put on a maid outfit and was in the main square of Akihabara.
"Photos for 500 yen!"
"I record videos saying Onii-chan or uwu for 1000 yen!"
"Come on, come on!"
A line of guys had gathered around her, while on the ground a cap collected the yen.
Uzaki looked directly at the camera.
"What? Don't judge me… I also deserve to have a coffee at StarkDeers. Deities eat too, you know?"
And after unnecessarily derailing the plot, and after our goddess satisfied her mundane needs with a caramel macchiato and some croissants…
Uzaki stared at the narrator.
"You don't have to tell my whole life, you know?" she said while taking a sip of her coffee.
"That's what I get paid for," the narrator replied. "Or rather… I haven't been paid for six months."
"We will not discuss salary matters at this moment, Mr. Narrator."
Someone who apparently hadn't seen a certain dinosaur movie decided to ignore her debt with the narrator and continued on her way, now truly heading to what she had come to do in this world…
The goddess, this time with a briefcase and her elegant dress, entered the Weekly Shonen Deity editorial building.
She stopped in the main hall and shouted theatrically with enthusiasm.
"Shonen Deity! Your star has arrived!"
No one paid her any attention.
They were used to seeing writers, mangakas, producers, or readers just as eccentric.
The receptionist glanced at her sideways while Uzaki looked at the board of "Weekly Best Sellers."
"Yes, I'll call you right away… the parody femboy is back… yeah, we'll talk later," the receptionist said before hanging up the phone.
Uzaki kept looking at the ranking.
#1 – Slime Isekai
#2 – Smartphone Isekai
#3 – The Albino Elf
#4 – Farm Tractor Isekai
And it kept going down…
Until it crossed a red line where it said "Lowest Sellers – Pending Cancellation."
#97 – The Ghost Who Kept Working
#98 – The Vengeful Printers
#99 – The King of Parodies
Last… comfortably.
"How is it possible that my manga is doing worse than that one about printers?!" she said indignantly. "They're literally printers that don't do anything!"
She approached the reception desk.
The young receptionist greeted her with a perfectly rehearsed professional smile.
"Welcome to Weekly Shonen Deity, the best weekly magazine in Japan. How may I help you?"
"I'm Uzaki, a professional mangaka and creator of the manga 'The King of Parodies.' I came to see Gold Pierce, the editor-in-chief."
"I see… do you have an appointment with Mr. Pierce?"
Uzaki adjusted her hair with confidence.
"Rising stars don't need appointments."
"No appointment…" the receptionist said, ignoring her as she began typing something on her computer.
After a few moments on the phone, the receptionist handed her an entry card.
"Mr. Pierce will receiving you in his office, 10th floor, right elevator," she said calmly.
"Thank you, dear!" Uzaki replied, taking the card as she walked toward the elevator.
The receptionist watched her leave.
She then remembered the pile of Uzaki's mangas that had been returned… because no one bought them.
They even used her volumes to fuel the building's boilers.
"How did someone with so little talent get into the magazine?"
"Without a doubt… a miracle."
And yes.
If you're wondering…
It was a miracle.
Uzaki begged and cried at Minerva's feet for three days and four nights straight so that her manga would be published in her world.
Poor Goddess Minerva, she only had two traits.
First: green hair that turned yellow depending on her mood. That's why she's called the goddess of lemon.
Second: infinite kindness.
Something the rest of the creator gods clearly didn't have.
God stuff.
*****************************************************************************
Mr. Pierce was sitting on his couch, watching a comedy show on TV while smoking a cigar.
The door burst open.
Uzaki entered like a small whirlwind.
"Oh… it's you…" he said, as if trying to remember her name.
"Uzaki. My name is Uzaki," she replied.
"Yeah, yeah… I think I remember you…"
Uzaki waved an envelope in front of him.
"I received this! They say they're going to cancel my manga!"
"Can I know why I'm being canceled? I'm a rising artist!"
The editor watched her for a few seconds.
"Now I remember you better."
He stood up slowly and walked toward a dusty corner.
There was a forgotten box there, filled with accumulated envelopes.
"Audience mail," the box said.
The editor blew the dust off and began to read.
"When are you going to remove that trash from the magazine?" he said, tossing the first card onto the table.
"The good thing is they put it at the end, so I don't have to see it by accident."
"The characters are flat, the plot is boring, and the protagonist is generic."
"There are no femboy slimes. 0/10."
"My eight-year-old nephew draws better… and he doesn't even know how to draw."
"If you want, I can keep going…" he added.
Each card was a dagger to Uzaki.
"Humans don't know how to appreciate true art!" she protested indignantly.
"Anyway…" the editor replied calmly. "At the end of the month, we'll stop publishing your manga."
Uzaki swallowed.
"Is there anything I can do to avoid it?"
The man slowly stood up and walked toward the window.
He looked at the streets of Akihabara filled with people.
"Times have changed, Uzaki… people don't get excited like they used to."
"They want to see femboys, tomboys, goth girls… buff men skiing with other buff men… you know, market stuff."
He sighed.
"For six months I published your scribbles because a friend from Osaka asked me to. He said it had been a sign in a dream."
Uzaki remained silent.
"But… maybe you can do something."
Our morally questionable goddess swallowed.
"I'll do anything… this manga is my life!"
"Anything?" the editor asked without taking his eyes off the streets of Akihabara.
Uzaki felt a chill run down her spine.
She knew nothing good could come from those words…