It seemed that, aside from morning runs, getting to bed early and waking up early also needed to become part of the routine.
Not for any noble reason—just from a physical standpoint alone, Lin Yu had to break those bad habits of irregular sleep.
The two jogged a bit more, circling back to the apartment where Lin Yu lived.
"So this is where Lin-kun lives now, huh? It's really close to my friend's house," said Nanako, standing at the base of the apartment building. She leaned slightly toward the neighboring building and pointed at a nameplate that read "Nohara," smiling brightly.
Hearing her say that, Lin Yu's curiosity was instantly piqued. He was just about to ask about the Nohara household and see if it matched what he remembered...
But before he could speak, there was a loud BANG! as a door slammed shut, followed by an even louder scolding voice.
"Shin-chan! You're going to miss the bus again! We're late!"
At that moment, a bicycle shot out from the neighboring house like a rocket.
A brown-haired woman, slightly slender in the cheeks and clearly furious, was pedaling furiously, the bike chain pulled taut like she was in a high-speed chase from an action movie.
On the back seat of the bike sat a child in a yellow kindergarten uniform and matching cap, eyes half-closed, still in a sleepy daze. His thick eyebrows and potato-shaped face were unmistakable.
Head drooping, the kid sat like a sack of potatoes—until, by chance, his sleepy eyes caught sight of Lin Yu and Nanako standing nearby.
Suddenly, his whole body jolted like he'd just downed an energy drink.
"Nanako neeee-chan~!" Shin-chan's face lit up with a cheeky grin, the corners of his mouth twitching upward in classic mischievous fashion. He waved like crazy while wiggling his butt slightly in excitement. "Ooh~ so early and already this happy to see you~ hehe~!"
Nanako laughed and waved back.
"Good morning, Shin-chan."
Hearing voices behind her, the woman on the bike hit the brakes hard, her tires screeching as she turned her head and gave a quick nod.
"Oh, it's you, Nanako! I'm rushing to take Shin-chan to school—come visit sometime, okay?"
And with that, the mother and son duo disappeared down the street at lightning speed.
It was just a bicycle. But somehow, it had the presence of a lone war general galloping across an ancient battlefield—completely over-the-top but weirdly fitting.
Watching them go, Lin Yu's inner suspicions were pretty much confirmed.
Looks like… he really had transmigrated into the world of Crayon Shin-chan.
"Sorry about that, Lin-kun," Nanako said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Mrs. Nohara was just in a rush."
Japan is a country that values manners, after all. Even if Mrs. Nohara had a valid reason for not greeting them, as her friend, Nanako still felt the need to apologize on her behalf.
"It's fine, really." Lin Yu smiled, waving it off casually. "They seem like a lively family, huh?"
Seeing Lin Yu didn't take it to heart, Nanako smiled as well.
"If there's a chance in the future, you should get to know the Nohara family. They're all really nice people... even if one of them's a bit much sometimes."
After bidding farewell to Nanako, Lin Yu returned to his apartment and took another shower.
What had started as a simple workout turned into a chance encounter with Nanako's "friend" — which turned out to be none other than the infamous Nohara family.
Though honestly, even if that hadn't happened, Lin Yu probably would've noticed something was off after a few days anyway.
Once he was cleaned up, Lin Yu grabbed his drawing tools and headed to the sushi shop.
Besides the lunch and dinner rush, the rest of the day was pretty slow—perfect for working part-time and practicing his manga panels.
He'd finished the first chapter, sure—but that was just the beginning. There was still a long road ahead.
Even with the system's help speeding things up, Lin Yu couldn't afford to slack.
Delaying a draft feels good for a moment. Rushing a deadline feels like dying in a fire.
As someone with goals and discipline, Lin Yu held himself to a strict standard.
By the time he arrived at the sushi shop, Nanako and Kanda Torinobu were already cleaning up.
He quickly changed into his uniform and joined them.
Once everything was spotless, he finally had some free time and sat down to start on Chapter 2.
"Lin-kun," Nanako said hesitantly as she saw him spread out his A4 paper. "The editorial team at Yuurou-sha is getting ready to publish Inuyasha. Will you be able to finish the next chapter in time?"
Nanako wasn't clueless. After working at the publishing company for so long, she understood what went into creating a manga.
For a solo manga artist, even if they worked nonstop, they might only get through two pages a day—if that. No assistants, no background help, no inking support—it was all on them.
That's why top-tier mangaka often had full teams with clearly divided roles to save time and energy.
But Lin Yu was a total newcomer. While his page rate wasn't bad, he was still far from being able to hire assistants.
So for now, everything had to be done by him—and while working a part-time job.
Nanako couldn't help but worry. Could he handle the workload physically? And more importantly, would Chapter 2 maintain its quality and make it in on time?
As his assigned editor, she felt responsible for reminding him of the stakes.
Once Inuyasha started running in Weekly Shonen Jump, it would be one chapter a week. If Lin Yu failed to deliver a draft on time… that could be a big problem—not just for him, but for the whole magazine.
"It should be fine," Lin Yu replied, picking up a pencil. "I'm working on Chapter 2 right now. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be done in a couple of days."
"A couple of days?" Nanako blinked, then looked visibly relieved.
"So you've already got a draft? Just doing cleanup now?"
"Draft?" Lin Yu glanced at the blank page in front of him, then at Nanako, who looked hopeful and expectant. He shook his head.
"Nope. Haven't started anything yet."
Nanako's eyes widened. Her brain couldn't process that.
One chapter usually meant ten-plus pages. At two pages a day, it would take a whole week at best—and that didn't even account for rewrites or failed drafts.
Even seasoned mangaka with full teams wouldn't dare promise a polished chapter in just two or three days.
And here was Lin Yu—working part-time—claiming he could get it all done solo?
Nanako could only stare.
Meanwhile, in the distance, if one listened closely, the faint echo of a familiar voice rang out.
"Oooh~ Mamaaa~ I forgot my lunch again~~"
Thud!Crash!
"SHIN-CHAN!!!"