Thank you very much for another wonderful year in 2025!
As was the case for his previous birthday, I was not able to prepare anything special for Hajime this time either 🥲, so instead I am sharing a compilation of the Hajime illustrations I drew this year. Unfortunately, there were fewer than I expected, so I included some femHajime artwork that was not originally meant to be part of this collection... 😅
I believe there are also some pieces mixed in that even those who regularly check this blog may not have seen before. Some of them are illustrations from my comics that have not yet been published, and one of my goals for the beginning of next year is to work on those comics and release them as early as possible.
Next year, 2x2 will be released, so I hope I will have many opportunities to draw him. Thank you again for your continued support, and I look forward to the coming year! 🌟
Thank you again to everyone who sent me birthday gifts and messages! Sorry it’s so late, but here’s a thank-you picture I made.
This time, I spent some time thinking about what kind of thank-you picture I should make. To my surprise, so many people had drawn illustrations for me that I decided to create a piece based on those artworks. I chose a composition where many Makotos, Hajimes, and other elements from your drawings burst out of a gift box.
Some parts are a mix of multiple works, so I’d like to explain which sections are inspired by which creators below. (Since it’s quite long, I’ve folded the list.)
Ahhhh... I'm so relieved I managed to post the manga on June 30th, just in time. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please check the following post first:
To be honest, I thought I'd finish it with plenty of time to spare, but that definitely didn’t happen. 😅
Originally, I just wanted to draw a simple scene where Yuma makes mini-ramen and feeds it to a sick Makoto. But the story ended up being longer than I initially planned. I may have crammed in a few too many elements, but since it was a special occasion, I decided to indulge myself a little.
I've drawn Yuma a few times before, but this was the first time I depicted him as “Number One.” While working on this, I tried to consciously portray Number One, rather than just Yuma, so I hope that distinction came through.
It's a bit unclear how intelligent he's supposed to be exactly, but in my interpretation, his brilliance is primarily in solving mysteries. When it comes to human emotions, he’s not the best at reading them, and he’s a bit awkward in social situations. So even though Makoto told him not to come, Yuma shows up anyway and insists on taking care of him—because that's the only way he really knows how to reach out.
On Makoto’s side, I imagine he’s happy that Yuma is looking after him. But since there’s no way someone like Number One could actually have that much free time, I think he ends up more worried about whether Yuma should really be spending his time like this, even more than he's happy about the visit.
So while Yuma is worried about Makoto (partly using it as an excuse just to see him), Makoto is also worrying about Yuma. In the end, they realize they were both just worried about each other all along.
Honestly, as with everything I draw, I’m never quite sure if I managed to express what I intended. Still, I’m glad I had the chance to draw these two in a post-game setting for the 2nd anniversary. I imagine there are still countless unresolved mysteries ahead of Yuma, but I like to think that the bond he’s built with Makoto will one day become a powerful force that helps him through it all.
Thank you so much for reading! 💖
クレーンゲームと幸運 | Lucky Claw セリフ無し狛日漫画(若干のクロスオーバーを含みます) A wordless komahina manga featuring a subtle crossover. Costume design by Akakura (赤倉).
Thanks for reading! You can find the commentary post for this manga here.
Kirigiriso English Game Patch
Kirigiriso (Kirigiri Sou) now has a English Patch Courtesy of ItsMagick, using our Translation PDF!
