Starting as a Manga Editor

Chapter 176: New Year

While the readers were blowing up,Tang Yao was being dragged out of her room by her little sister, about to start cleaning the apartment.

After all, the New Year was almost here.Even though the sisters didn’t have many fond memories of their hometown—thanks to their garbage parents—and even felt a bit repulsed by the idea of “home,”some of the traditions they picked up in childhood still stuck.

What to eat during which holiday, what to do on certain days—those habits didn’t fade with time. If anything, they only got more deeply ingrained.

At least, that was true for Tang Xun.Otherwise, she wouldn’t have insisted on dragging Tang Yao out of bed, all while mumbling something about “sweeping out the bad luck.”

“Xun, we just moved into this place. How dirty can it be?”Tang Yao stumbled groggily out of the room, one strap of her camisole slipping off her shoulder, exposing porcelain-like skin. Her silky long hair was a mess, a few strands stuck to her cheek, and she looked completely out of it.

“It’s tradition… it’s to sweep away the bad luck from this year. We have to do it. And it's already past noon—how are you still not awake?”Tang Xun turned back to look at her sleepy older sister.

Maybe because they’d been living together so long, Tang Yao had let go of many of her former hang-ups.Even her clothing habits had changed a lot.

She used to sleep in super modest pajamas that covered her head to toe.But now? She’d loosened up.

She wore a light white camisole—thin straps highlighting her bare, delicate shoulders, the fabric clinging to her smooth curves.On the bottom, she had on short shorts that hugged her firm, toned hips, and her long, slender legs were glowing faintly under the lights.

Probably because it was finally holiday time.Tang Yao was completely relaxed. The outfit looked great, sure—But in the dead of winter, it looked cold.

Good thing Tang Xun had turned on the heater before waking her.Otherwise, Tang Yao would’ve been freezing.

“Jie… wake up.”Tang Xun spaced out for a moment, but snapped back to reality when she noticed her sister standing there with her eyes shut again, clearly ready to fall back asleep. She sighed, stepped closer, and pulled her sister’s strap back up to cover her soft, pale skin.

But halfway through adjusting—She noticed something.

Her gaze flicked to the soft, uncovered skin beneath her hand.Her ears turned red.Then she looked at her swaying, half-asleep sister.

Holiday mode, huh?She used to insist on sleeping fully dressed.

“I’m awake…”Tang Yao, still unaware of her current state, responded automatically.

But maybe because of the warmth so close to her,Her body responded more honestly.

She leaned forward and hugged the slim figure in front of her.

Tang Xun instinctively struggled a bit.

“Just let me nap for a sec… just a little…”Tang Yao’s arms slid under Tang Xun’s armpits, locking her into a tight embrace.

“….”Tang Xun gave up, wrapping her arms around her sister in return and resting her chin on Tang Yao’s shoulder.

Can’t deny it.It was warm.

As they pressed against each other—Tang Xun sniffed gently, catching a faint scent coming from her sister.She hugged her tighter.

Tang Yao never used perfume—just body wash during showers, and occasionally some lotion that Tang Xun would forcibly apply for her.

But she always had this naturally sweet scent.Kind of like milk.

Tang Xun loved it.

Thinking that,Seeing her sister so unwilling to wake up,She shifted her position a bit, leaning closer to Tang Yao’s elegant neck and sniffing again.

She was genuinely curious—

Where on her sister’s body did that scent come from strongest? Still half-asleep,Tang Yao didn’t notice, nor did she mind.

But with their curves pressed together,And Tang Xun constantly shifting, squirming in her arms—

The sensation slowly roused Tang Yao from her sleepy fog.

Something… felt off.

“Xun, what are you wriggling around for?”Tang Yao finally opened her eyes and mumbled.

Tang Xun stiffened slightly, then replied, “…You wouldn’t wake up. I’m trying to clean.”

As she spoke,Her warm breath blew softly against Tang Yao’s neck.

Tang Yao shivered, her body jolting. She quickly let go. “I’m awake!”

Tang Xun didn’t hold on either.She hadn’t hugged her sister for fun anyway…And honestly, the whole “sniff test” thing was kind of childish. She didn’t want her sister to know.

So she calmly let go and said, “Let’s clean then. Even just sweeping is fine.”

But halfway through, she noticed something odd about Tang Yao’s expression.“…What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.”Tang Yao shook her head hard, then turned toward her room. “I’m gonna change. It’s kinda cold.”

“…Don’t go crawling back into bed.”Tang Xun sounded resigned and moved to follow.

“I won’t, don’t worry. Just give me a sec.”Tang Yao quickly stopped her, then closed the door behind her.

Inside—She let out a long breath and gently tugged the strap off her shoulder.

Glancing down, her cheeks flushed.

“This damn body… why is it such a hassle…”

…

Soon,Tang Yao came out dressed in a white knit sweater and jeans, her slim, graceful figure accentuated beautifully.

“Alright, tell me—how are we cleaning this ‘bad luck’ away?”Tang Yao stood up straight, full of energy again. “Where’s this ‘bad luck’ hiding?”

Yeah, it had been a little awkward earlier,But she bounced back quickly. They lived together after all—her little sister had seen everything.

“Just dust the surfaces, sweep the floors. Let’s each clean our own room first, then do the rest of the house.”Tang Xun had taken the chance to tie up her hair into a neat, high ponytail—giving off a bright, youthful vibe.

“Got it.”Seeing her sister’s ponytail, Tang Yao gathered her own hair and tied it up the same way.

Soon,The sisters got to work.

To be honest, as Tang Yao had said, they’d only recently moved in.And Tang Xun was naturally tidy, so the place wasn’t dirty at all.

There weren’t even that many spots with a layer of dust.

So “cleaning” was more like a symbolic ritual.

Less than an hour later,They were done with the whole 100-square-meter apartment and back in the living room.

“Ah…”Even though there wasn’t much actual cleaning to do,All that bending over to wipe down tables was still tiring.

After washing her hands,Tang Yao flopped straight onto the couch, resting her head on her sister’s slender lap and letting out a long sigh.

Tang Xun didn’t say anything. She was holding her phone, browsing something.When she noticed her sister’s head on her legs, she just helped adjust her position so she wouldn’t roll off.

“Xun.”Tang Yao stared up at the ceiling and suddenly whispered, “The New Year’s almost here.”

“Yeah.”

Tang Xun replied softly. Tang Yao chuckled, “One year older again. How does it feel?”

“Not much, really.”Tang Xun said casually, “Same as every year… though this year’s a bit better. You made a lot of money.”

“Then shouldn’t you call me ‘big sis’ out of respect?”Tang Yao said proudly.

Tang Xun couldn’t see her face, but replied flatly, “Not happening.”

“You’re so ungrateful…”Tang Yao smiled, unfazed. She gazed at the ceiling a while longer, then slowly let the smile fade.

It was the New Year.She’d been here for over half a year now.

It was clear—There was no going back.

She’d grown used to this life.Used to this home.She had a tsundere little sister, a beautiful and gentle friend.

What would she become from now on?Tang Yao didn’t know.

But—It felt… good.

“…Jiejie.”Just as that thought passed through her mind, a soft, sticky voice called out.

She turned her gaze slightly.After saying she wouldn’t call her that,Tang Xun still blurted it out at the end.

“Just keep calling me that from now on.”Tang Yao smiled as she looked away from the ceiling. “Xun, being tsundere is out of style, you know.”

“Who’s tsundere!?”Tang Xun jolted and immediately snapped back, “I just thought you worked hard this year…”

“See? That’s exactly what a tsundere would say.”Tang Yao giggled, reaching out to poke her sister’s chest—she couldn’t help it, it was distracting.

…A soft, springy sensation met her fingertips.

Tang Yao froze, realizing what she’d just done.That had been entirely on reflex.

But Tang Xun didn’t react.She simply said, “Forget me—look at the online comments. Readers are exploding.”

“Huh?”Tang Yao looked confused. “What readers?”

“Chainsaw Man.”Tang Xun handed her the phone. “You updated Chapter 22, didn’t you? Don’t tell me you forgot?”

“….”Tang Yao blinked.She had forgotten.

Come to think of it…That chapter where Makima got gunned down—Yeah, that was scheduled for today.

Reader reactions—on point as expected?Tang Yao took the phone and glanced at the anime forum.

Despite the small text, she focused hard to read.

Sure enough,The readers were going off over the latest chapter:

【You bastard Third-Rate! What the hell are you doing!!! Is your insane plot not enough!? You’re just killing characters now!?】

【I’m losing it! What kind of development is this!! Everything was going so well—the Eternity Devil was beaten, the celebration dinner was wholesome, and we even got sweet moments between Denji and Makima! And then boom, random shooting!?】

【I don’t think it’s that simple. Makima’s too shady to be some innocent waifu. Can’t wait to see what comes next.】

【Her head’s got a hole in it. Ain’t no coming back from that!】

【Denji’s got a chainsaw sticking out of his head…】

【Revival? Aaaah! No matter what, Third-Rate scumbag, you better bring Makima back!】

【Guns… could this be related to the Gun Devil? I wanna see what happens next so bad! But next week’s a break!】

【Right! I’d be fine whether she lives or dies—I trust Third-Rate’s story instincts. But why stop now?! I finished the chapter and now I can’t focus on anything else! Just want the next update!】

【You villain! After New Year’s, you better run! Dropping this kind of twist!? The story’s ruined!】

【Yeah! I can’t accept this! I demand a rewrite!】

Yep.Everyone was fired up.

Some debating if Makima was really dead,Some ranting about the hiatus,Some cursing the author,Some crying about the plot “collapsing.”

It was a complete mess.

Tang Yao switched to ANF to check.

Since ANF didn’t have a mobile version yet and mobile optimization was still in progress,The text was even smaller.

But she endured the eye strain and skimmed the site anyway.

Sure enough—There was even more buzz here.

And not just from site users.Many outside readers had come over too.

Probably people who’d heard about Chainsaw Man through word-of-mouth but hadn’t checked it out due to school or work.

Now, right before the New Year, they heard the main heroine died, and swarmed in.

As a result,ANF’s traffic and the manga section were both way higher than usual.

Tang Yao noticed this and felt a twinge of regret.

If there had been more time, she could’ve put together some kind of anime-style New Year’s Festival event.Something like a “2D Spring Gala.”It probably would’ve converted a lot of these new visitors into users.

In her past life, Bilibili eventually phased out such events because the platform shifted direction.But before that, their New Year’s shows were huge for user growth.

Each year, unknown creators would break out, and standalone content would go viral.

But later…Well, trying to please both otakus and the mainstream crowd was hard.

From "Gala" to "Season," it was clear Bilibili chose the latter.

“All done.”Tang Yao shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

After all, she wasn’t going back.No point dwelling.

“…Aren’t you worried?”Tang Xun took back her phone and asked softly. She sounded concerned.

“Not at all.”Tang Yao sat up on the couch, tucked her knees under her, untied her slightly messy ponytail, shook out her silky hair, and said confidently, “Everything’s going according to Big Sis’s plan!”

“Even people saying the story’s collapsed?”Tang Xun looked at her. “They seem really upset…”

“That’s because they haven’t seen what comes next.”Tang Yao shook her head. “Once the New Year break’s over, all those people saying the story’s ruined will realize just how wrong they were. Makima isn’t that simple. Ever heard of the Control Devil?”

“….”Tang Xun looked lost.

Tang Yao smiled and jumped off the couch barefoot, then reached out to pull her up.

“If you don’t get it, don’t stress it. Just enjoy the holiday. Let your sister handle this stuff—you focus on school and being happy.”

“….”Tang Xun lowered her gaze,Noticing Tang Yao’s delicate, snowy-white feet.

She mumbled, “But…”

Before she could finish—Tang Yao stepped forward and scooped her up in a bridal carry.

“Xun, it’s the New Year. Stop thinking about all that nonsense. Now, come on, say it with me—Happy New Year!”

“….”Tang Xun clung to her sister’s shoulders, staring at her radiant smile, her confident glow…

And in that moment, she didn’t say anything more.

Just thought to herself:My sister is beautiful.

This scene—She probably wouldn’t forget it for the rest of her life.