"I, a Manga Artist, Reincarnated as a Lady-in-Waiting in a Weak Salon in the Heian Imperial Court, So I'll Draw BL Manga and Dominate... Probably." Chapter 3 [Entry for the 2024 Creative Awards, Manga Original Work Category]

Three
One day, someone came to visit me at Lady Amako's salon.
"Yes?"
"May I come in?"
"Please, do."
"Excuse me..."
A woman with sharp, almond-shaped eyes, a long aquiline nose pointing downward, a small, pursed mouth, and a slightly pointed chin entered, tossing her long, beautiful black hair.
"Ah..."
"Greetings, Hyogo Kijin."
"Y-yes... um."
"I apologize for the late introduction, my name is "Murasaki Shikibu."
"Oh, hello... wait, what!?"
I was so surprised I nearly rolled backward.
"...Are you alright?"
"Y-yes..."
I managed to regain my composure.
"You seem to know who I am, though I believe this is our first time meeting."
"W-well, of course I know you! You're the author of '"The Tale of Genji'!"
"You have read it?"
"Yes! '"In a certain reign, there was a lady, not of the highest rank, who was favored above all others among the many consorts and attendants.'..."
"Oh... that is the beginning of '"Kiritsubo'."
Murasaki Shikibu nodded happily. Yes, it is the opening of 'Kiritsubo,' the first chapter of the world's oldest novel, The Tale of Genji. It means In whose reign was it that there was a lady, not of the highest rank, who was favored above all others among the many consorts and attendants serving the Emperor.
"Just looking at this opening sentence, one can clearly see it is an excellent story...!"
"Isn't that... a bit of an exaggeration?"
Murasaki Shikibu looked slightly puzzled by my words.
"No, no matter how much I exaggerate, it's not enough!"
"Is that so?"
"Indeed it is!"
"Then... I would appreciate it if you could share your opinion on what makes it excellent."
Murasaki Shikibu asked.
"U-um... first of all, 'In whose reign was it,' this opening is extremely
unique!" "U-unique?"
"Yes, stories usually start with 'Once upon a time...' or 'Long ago...', which is
popular, but..." "Po-popular?"
"It hints that it is during the Emperor's reign. This gives the reader a strange feeling, wondering, 'Is this story connected to reality?'"
"Hmm..."
"In other words, it
accelerates immersion into the story, drawing you deep into the narrative...!" "Hmm, hmm..."
"To put it another way, it is
seamless...!" "Se-seamless?"
"It allows for a
smooth transition from reality to fiction!" "Re-reality? Fi-fiction? Smo-smooth?"
Murasaki Shikibu had been tilting her head several times, but I continued regardless.
"Next, 'among the many consorts and attendants'... this lets us know what the
situation in the court is!" "Si-situation?"
"Of course, it assumes you have some grasp of the court affairs of that time... no, of the current time, or rather, the background..."
"Ba-background?"
"That is a
very difficult thing, but..." "Ve-very difficult?"
"Once you grasp it, you can
understand it easily!" "Un-understand?"
Murasaki Shikibu was still tilting her head, but I continued regardless.
"Finally, 'not of the highest rank, who was favored above all others'... this tells us the
highs and lows of the hierarchy within the court for the heroine, Kiritsubo no Koi...!" "He-heroine? Hi-hierarchy? High-and-lows?"
"...This is my
opinion on why the opening of The Tale of Genji is brilliant...!" "O-opening? Bri-brilliant? O-opinion?"
"What do you think!?"
"...Um... your enthusiasm certainly came across..."
Murasaki Shikibu nodded, looking somewhat bewildered for some reason.
"It came across! My
passion!" "Pa-passion?"
"Well, it's not just this one sentence... ah, I can't recite the whole thing, so let me read it aloud!"
"Y-yes..."
I picked up the manuscript of 'Kiritsubo' from The Tale of Genji that was on the desk.
"'Those who had been proud from the beginning
looked down upon and envied her. The consorts of the same rank or
lower rank were even more uneasy. Perhaps because she was constantly stirring people's hearts and bearing their resentment in her daily service, she became very ill and often returned home feeling lonely
, but he thought of her as even more precious and pathetic, unable to restrain himself from the criticism of others, in a treatment that would become a precedent. The high-ranking nobles
and high priests also looked askance at it, and it was a dazzlingly favored position. Even in China
, such things were the cause of chaos and misfortune, and gradually, it became a source of trouble for people under heaven, and as the example of Yang Guifei was brought up, there were many awkward situations, but she served him, relying on his unparalleled kindness. Her father, the Major Counselor, had passed away, and her mother, the North Lady, was a person of good lineage, so she was not inferior to those who were currently flourishing in the world, but
because she had no prominent protector, when something happened, she still felt
helpless and lonely. Perhaps their bond from a previous life was deep, for a peerlessly beautiful jewel of a prince was born. He was impatient to see him, and when he had him brought quickly, it was a child of rare beauty
. The First Prince was born to the Right Minister's consort
, and was highly regarded as the undisputed heir, but he could not compare to this prince's radiance, so he held him in high regard, and
cherished this prince as his own private treasure beyond measure. From the beginning, she was not of a rank to serve the Emperor in the usual way. Her favor was very high, and she seemed like a noble lady, but because he was so attached to her, he would have her come first on occasions of court entertainment or whenever there was a reason, and sometimes he would let her stay overnight, and he kept her by his side so persistently, that she naturally appeared to be of a lower status, but after this prince was born, he

thought of him in a special way, and if things went well, this prince might become the Crown Prince, the First Prince's mother suspected. She had entered the court before others, and her favor was unparalleled, and since she had princesses, she found this lady's presence troublesome and felt sorry for her. While relying on his noble protection, many people looked down on her and sought her flaws, and she herself was weak and frail, so she suffered from unexpected worries
. Her quarters were in the Kiritsubo pavilion
.'" "..." I had recited The Tale of Genji sonorously in front of Murasaki Shikibu...! How presumptuous of me...! Besides, I can even read the cursive script unique to classical literature fluently. Man, reincarnation is really convenient.

By the way, I'll skip the translation. To summarize, the heroine, Kiritsubo no Koi, is greatly favored by the Emperor and becomes the target of jealousy from those around her. She gives birth to a prince of great beauty (the protagonist, Hikaru Genji!), and while the Emperor cherishes her even more, the eyes of those around her become even harsher, and her worries increase... that's about it. That was a huge summary. I put down the manuscript and turned back to Murasaki Shikibu. "...A-anyway!" "Y-yes..." "I want to set this text to grand music and have it scroll as an opening crawl in yellow text on a black screen!!" "Mu-music? O-opening, cra-crawl?"
"That's how magnificent the text is!"
"Th-thank you very much..."
Murasaki Shikibu bowed her head. "Ah! Please, raise your head!" "...I would also like to share my thoughts, albeit briefly..." Murasaki Shikibu raised her head. "?" "That manga you released just recently was very interesting." "Oh, ah..." "
Capturing various aspects of human life from the perspective of a dog and a cat, and having them talk about this and that...

From the perspective of a dog or cat, everything about humans must seem mysterious. It was also good that each story was short and concise."
"Th-thank you very much..."
"However..."
"However?"
"I thought I would like to see a longer story as well."
"Oh, is that so..."
I held the back of my head. Murasaki Shikibu added.
"It's just the selfish opinion of a reader."
"...Actually" "Actually?" "I am thinking of introducing a rabbit, a fox, and a raccoon dog

as well."
"! Oh, that is..."
"That's what I'm thinking, but it's quite difficult."
"...You can do it."
"Eh..."
"If you are someone who can draw this much manga in a short period, you can surely do it. The results commensurate with your efforts will surely be brought forth..."
"D-do you think so?"
"Yes, I am looking forward to the rabbit, the fox, and the raccoon dog..."
"!" Murasaki Shikibu smiled at me. "Well then, I shall take my leave for today..." "Yes..." "Let's talk again. Excuse me..."
Murasaki Shikibu left the room.
"...Alright!"
I picked up my brush and faced the blank paper.