SZS 205 V2

Chapter 205: "Come, Cross the Line!"

Page 1.

>Welcome
>What'll it be?

>A highball

box: The case of Mr. "O," of magazine "MS" from company "K"


Page 2.

>You seem to be doing well enough for yourself these days
>But you say you were a handful as a child?

>That's right
>I made my parents cry on more than one occasion

>I was going through a delinquent phase at the time, you see

>But there are some people
>Who operate on an entirely different level

>Sorry to intrude
>But do you mind telling me the story?

>Ah

>It was during middle school...


Page 3.

>I started acting like a delinquent on the first day of school
>Because I didn't want to get picked on

>That's so bad!

>That middle-length uniform is badass!

>FOUR sleeve buttons?! That's so sick!

>Badass! Badass!

>That shiny lining is so cool, dude!

>Those high-waisted pants! You're gonna be strongest in the school district!

>That was the extent of our childish imaginations
>But it went much, much deeper than we ever realized

>I could have predicted the long jacket, but...

>So badass, dude!


Page 4.

>Wh-
>White uniform!

>The hell you think you're doing!?

>Bring it!

>It was like
>He had surpassed all of us without even trying

>It must have been quite the shock

>It was a shock, alright
>I'd only ever seen something like that in anime or manga before

bottom of page: Like I had instantly been demoted to an underling


Page 5.

>Certainly,
>There are some people who can put things into "overdrive" almost effortlessly

>It's true
>I might have just been acting like I could do whatever I wanted, but...

box: The case of "former" dirty gag manga artist "K"

>That joke will never fly!
>It's way too low-brow!

>You can't write something like this!

>How about this, then?

>Mm, maybe...
>Not! Absolutely not!

handwritten bubble: Just in the tankobon, then

>I bragged that my jokes
>Pushed the boundaries further than anyone's...

>But there was someone who crossed over those boundaries like they were nothing


Page 6.

below top panel: Like I had instantly been demoted to an underling

>You were more or less an underling from the start, though

>That's even legal to write?

>I want to hear more
>About these men who transcend the standard boundaries so easily

>Come!
>Cross the line!

box: The case of Mr. "M" of record company "K"

>I was once involved
>In a rather shady method of selling CDs and DVDs


Page 7.

>What if we sold three versions with different covers?

whiteboard: Gift Bundles: CD-sized calendar, love letter bundle, raw photos, handshake event

>We'd never get away with that

>And we could sell different gift bundles at different stores!

>That's excessive no matter how you look at it!

sign on right: Each CD comes with 1 random poster, collect all 44 for a free concert invitation!
around portrait: photo album, fanbook, Shinoda Mariko
sign on stand: Comes with tickets for a concert 7 years from now, ¥50,000
stickers: Raw Photos Enclosed, 200 in Total
far left edge: Hug Event

>It was like
>There was a whole new level I didn't even know about...

box: The case of middle school girl "S"

>Will you listen to mine too?

>At the movie theater...

>Hey, you're supposed to turn your phone off!

>It's fine, I have it set to vibrate

>But people can still hear when it-

>RING

>Hello? Yeah, I'm in a movie
>Nah, I can't even tell what it's about

>She answered it?!

>It was like she was flying high above me...

>I see

>There are many people in this world
>Who will soar effortlessly past you while you struggle on the ground!


Page 8.

>While you're arguing with your parents about naming your child something a little unusual
>A relative who named hers something totally ridiculous comes over!

handwritten bubbles: "There's no way" "Be more open-minded!" "I'd like you to meet Pazoo"
screen: Unusual Names, Luna

>While you're still nervous about having taken pocket change from your parent's wallet
>Your friend shows up with ¥10,000 that he took like it was nothing!

handwritten bubble: "50 yen? No way!"

>While you're still trying to figure out how frank you can be while drinking with your superiors
>One of the other new guys snatches the manager's wig and starts throwing it around!

>People who can take things into overdrive so easily have left me in despair!

list:
-People who do crazy stuff on webcam for attention
-A couple making out on the train suddenly takes it to the next level, despite the complaints from other passengers
-While debating whether or not he could ever date Kuroki Hitomi, Tom reveals he's not even into MILFs
-While you're conflicted over whether or not it's okay to dump the leftover soup from your oden into into the gutter, a high school girl just

leaves hers sitting in front of the store
-While you wonder whether or not it's okay to light sparklers on your veranda, you look over and notice your neighbors barbecuing on theirs
-You take too much food at a buffet and are guiltily wondering if you'll be able to finish it all when you notice a woman stealthily stuffing

her leftovers into some tupperware
-During a discussion about how to revitalize the rural prefectures, someone starts talking about aliens
-While competing to see how little skin-colored fabric you can get away with in your cosplays, somebody in a Gunbuster cosplay shows up with

none at all

>Can I tell you my story as well?

>Go ahead

>Back in elementary school, there was a hill in front of the school building...

>We would have contests to see from how far up the hill
>We could jump from

>If I jumped from here it would break the record by 20cm!

>You can't!
>2 meters is too high! You'd die!

>I'm gonna do it!
>I'm gonna do it!

box: But as I looked up at the school building...

>Hm?


Page 9.

box: From the 3rd story

>I had been completely outdone
>We never played that game again

>Mm
>Hmm?

>May I share as well?

>There was a time when I often studied for exams at family restaurants
>I thought that staying any longer than two hours would be too much, but...

>Eh

>She's drawing manga!


Page 10.

>I felt I had been surpassed so easily...

>Mm
>Hmm?

>Will you listen to me too?

>We used to have pretend swordfights a lot as kids

>The things we used as swords kept getting more and more dangerous

>No rulers allowed!

>Recorders are the limit!!

handwritten: cardboard harisen!

>I had been surpassed in a single stroke...

>Mm
>Hmm?

>Can I tell you a story from my middle school days?

>Like that guy earlier, I thought I was a delinquent
>Although the era was a bit different

>I thought a short jacket would show how badass I was, but...

>No way!
>That's too short!

>He had leapt above and beyond me like it was nothing

Page 11.

>Mm
>Hmm?

>I don't think
>That person was trying to be a delinquent, though...

>There are often people
>Who can surpass you quite effortlessly

>Though there aren't any like that in my life, thankfully

>Hasn't the number of people with unusual pets increased recently?

>I wonder if any of them ever take things to the next level
>As they compete over who has the strangest pet

>Do you have any strange pets, Abiru-chan?

>I started keeping a new one last week
>But it's not a particularly rare animal

>It's an animal you all know quite well

>I'm home~

>Abiru, I don't approve of this new pet of yours!
>It's too dangerous!!

>It's fine

Page 12.

>I'm going to
>Make your food now, okay?

>Why are you doing this?

>Because you got caught in a trap in the mountains
>I'm just taking care of you until you get better

>Sensei, let's play swordfighting!

>Why not?

>But there was someone there who operated on another level

Page 13.

>Go on! Go and be free!

>Go!

>What am I, Rascal?