I Got Isekai'd Into a Manga I Don't Know

"Wow… this is incredible."

I couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration at the array of dishes on the table.

British cuisine often gets a bad rap for being bland, but that doesn't mean British people can't cook. In fact, some of the world's top chefs are British. And from what I could see, Rika's mom was definitely one of the talented ones.

"Hehe, I put in some effort since we had a guest coming," Rika's mom said, puffing out her chest proudly.

Her mannerisms were practically identical to Rika's. Would Rika grow up to be like this too?

As we were about to start eating, Kishimoto-sensei hadn't come out of his room yet. Rika's mom asked us to wait a moment and headed toward the study in the living room.

"Honey! Come out already! The food's getting cold!"

The door opened, and out stepped a kind-looking man in his mid-forties. He seemed unassuming at first glance, but I knew exactly who he was. I'd seen his photos from magazine interviews while browsing online.

Mangaka, Kishimoto Musashi.

Real name, Kishimoto Sojiro.

Known as the "Manga God."

For over twenty years, he'd been a legend in the shonen manga industry, a true master.

Spotting me, Kishimoto-sensei looked surprised. "You must be Yuseong-kun? Just as I heard, you look like you stepped out of an '80s shonen manga."

"It's an honor to meet you, Kishimoto-sensei," I said, unable to hide my excitement and slipping into ultra-polite speech, more thrilled to meet my idol mangaka than just my friend's dad.

"Haha, no need to stand and talk. Sit, sit. My wife put a lot of effort into this meal since she heard you were coming."

"Oh, honey, stop it," Rika's mom teased.

The couple's affectionate banter showed how close they were. Once Kishimoto-sensei joined us at the table, we finally began lunch.

"Try this too," Rika's mom offered.

"Thank you," I replied.

The table was laden with Italian dishes adapted into a kappo-style presentation. It was a bit ironic—a British woman married in Japan making Italian food with a Japanese twist. Still, as I savored the lasagna she served, I was genuinely impressed. While I ate, Kishimoto-sensei, slicing an entrecôte steak, spoke up.

"Rika talks about you all the time at the dinner table, so I've been wanting to meet you. This is the first time she's ever openly talked about being close with a boy."

I swallowed my food and quickly clarified to avoid any misunderstanding. "Rika and I are just friends. On my first day after transferring, I helped her when she got lost on the subway, and that's how we became close."

Rika's mom, twirling pasta on her fork, chimed in. "I drive her to school in the mornings, so I didn't know, but she said you always help her get home in the evenings. That's why we invited you for lunch—to thank you."

"Haha… I see."

This was getting uncomfortable.

I'd come here thrilled to meet Kishimoto-sensei, but sitting with Rika's parents felt like being grilled in a job interview. Trying to hide my nervous voice, I focused on eating, but Rika, watching me, jumped in.

"Geez! Papa, Mama, how can you keep bombarding someone who's eating? He'll choke!"

The atmosphere shifted as Kishimoto-sensei's demeanor changed. "Oh, you're right. I was worried I went too far. It's just that you've never brought a boy over before, so I wondered if he had any bad intentions~"

"Ryu-chan's not like that!" Rika shot back.

Their father-daughter banter had a subtle undertone of checking me, but I could only laugh it off. After all, a dad being protective of his daughter around a male friend is a classic rom-com trope. If I had a daughter as pretty as Rika, I'd probably see every guy as a wolf too.

Thanks to Rika's timely intervention, the tense atmosphere loosened, and we finished the meal in a more relaxed mood.

After lunch, while we ate fruit Rika's mom had sliced for dessert, Kishimoto-sensei made an offer. "I heard from Rika that you're a fan. If you're up for it, want to check out my studio after this?"

"If I could, I'd love to!" I blurted out, unable to contain my excitement.

His expression softened compared to earlier, and he nodded. "You won't be disappointed. I've never shown my Tokyo studio to the media."

"Thank you, Sensei!"

To see the studio of the revered Kishimoto-sensei with my own eyes—as a fan of the Manga God, I could die happy.

---

Kishimoto Sojiro, now forty-five, is a wildly popular mangaka. Since debuting at twenty with an award-winning work, he's spent the last twenty-five years tirelessly creating shonen manga. His immense success gave him a keen eye for people, honed by years of dealing with those who approached him for his wealth.

When he first saw Kim Yuseong, the friend his daughter brought home, his initial impression was "huge." Though Sojiro wasn't short—having played basketball in middle school—Yuseong had an overwhelming presence, like he could subdue others just by standing there. Sojiro briefly wondered if he was some delinquent eyeing Rika's looks or his own status, but after talking over lunch, he realized that wasn't the case. Contrary to his appearance, Yuseong was surprisingly earnest.

Impressed that Rika, who inherited his knack for judging people, had chosen such a decent friend, Sojiro was taken aback when his wife spoke up.

"I drive her to school in the mornings, so I didn't know, but she said you always help her get home in the evenings. That's why we invited you for lunch—to thank you."

With his weekly serialization schedule keeping him between home and studio, Sojiro hadn't known about this. Hearing that Yuseong had been looking out for Rika in ways he hadn't noticed made him genuinely grateful.

He asked Yuseong a few more questions—about his parents, where he lived, how Rika was doing at school—standard questions for a daughter's friend. But Rika seemed to think otherwise.

"Geez! Papa, Mama, how can you keep bombarding someone who's eating? He'll choke!"

Her embarrassment was obvious. Sensitive to his wife and daughter's emotions, Sojiro quickly realized: Rika had feelings for this boy. His wife had likely noticed too, which explained her proactive involvement.

Feeling a mix of pride and bittersweetness that his daughter, who used to say she'd marry him when she grew up, was already bringing home a potential boyfriend, Sojiro wanted to be a good dad. Smiling, he said, "Oh, you're right. I was worried I went too far. It's just that you've never brought a boy over before, so I wondered if he had any bad intentions~"

"Ryu-chan's not like that!"

Seeing Rika defend Yuseong so fiercely, as if it were her own matter, was endearing. Smiling warmly at her youthful passion, Sojiro made an offer to the boy, who seemed oblivious to her feelings. "I heard from Rika that you're a fan. If you're up for it, want to check out my studio after this?"

The boy's face lit up noticeably. "If I could, I'd love to!"

His genuine excitement confirmed he wasn't just pretending to be a fan to win Rika's favor. Sojiro's expression softened. "You won't be disappointed. I've never shown my Tokyo studio to the media."

"Thank you, Sensei!"

Since it's come to this, Sojiro decided he'd help his romance-clueless daughter make some progress.