After all, as a regular high school student, he didn't own a suit suitable for formal events.
"Shouldn't I have been notified in advance about this?" he mused.
Was it that girl's forgetfulness, or was it something to do with company politics?
Knowing Otsuna Mihari's personality, it was most likely the former.
Upon entering the hall, he noticed quite a few people had already arrivedmen and women, all dressed very formally.
As Akifumi stepped in, the crowd gave him some surprised glances.
Whether they were shocked by how casually he was dressed for such an occasion or by his youthful appearance, he couldn't tell.
He didn't mind the attention, though.
As a man in his 30s mentally, who had weathered enough storms, he was long past caring about "dressing to impress."
The only reason he'd even thought of come was out of respect for the event itself.
But if he couldn't manage to go, that was just the way it was.
Taking a drink from one of the waiters, Akifumi casually scanned the room before walking over to Otsuna Mihari, the only familiar face in the crowd.
"Sorry," Otosuna Mihari apologized sheepishly when she saw his outfit.
So I was rightit was her forgetfulness again!
"Apologies are fine, but when are you going to make up for that big meal you owe me?" Akifumi teased.
With a pitiful expression, Otosuna Mihari replied, "1 million yen in prize money, plus royalties after the release of the volume... Do you really have the heart to spend the hard-earned blood and sweat of this little editor?"
"Of course..." Akifumi smirked in response to her expectant gaze. "I can't resist to spend it."
"What's more fun than using other people's money to fill your own stomach?" He said with a mischievous grin. "Let's call it leeching~"
"Is this guy... really a demon?!" Otsuna Mihari thought dramatically.
"Waaaah."
She could only silently mourn for her poor wallet at the obvious threat.
Soon, the clock struck 3 PM. After a series of formalities, over half an hour passed.
As a recipient of the Selection award, Akifumi was presented with the Tezuka Cup, a certificate, 1 million yen in prize money, and a commemorative plaquestandard awards for the occasion.
Of course, the prize money would take some time to be transferred.
As expected, there was also the obligatory photo op.
After all, he was a high school student and had been selected for an slection award after 8 years of Tezuka's legacy.
Plus, with his appearance, it would be a waste not to use it for promotional purposes.
'The photos will probably be released when the volume is launched, right?' Akifumi thought, feeling a little troubled.
'How am I going to explain this to Eriri later?'
He hadn't directly told her the truth for various reasons, and now that she would likely find out, she'd definitely be upset.
Originally, Akifumi thought winning a prize like this wouldn't draw much attention, so he never worried about familiar people finding out.
But now, things had turned out differently.
'I should probably give her a heads-up soon.'
Thinking about this, he casually asked Otosuna Mihari, "Is there is anything else? If not, I'll head out first."
Mihari sighed in resignation.
"These people are your peers, and you're not even going to talk to them before leaving?"
In Japan's industry, "peers" were a fixed network of connections.
While it seemed like a ceremony, it was actually a chance for authors to build relationships with each other.
"Talk?" Akifumi shrugged. "Look at their facesdo you think they want to talk to me?"
Suspicion, doubt, and discontent were written all over most of their faces.
Even though logic told them that Shueisha couldn't be rigging things, they simply couldn't accept a "magical girl" story by a newcomer who didn't even seem like an industry veteranhe looked too much like a student.
It was hard for them to put their pride aside and accept him.
It was the same with every other awardeeif they weren't as successful as others, it was just bad luck.
That's just how things were in the industry.
There were a few who didn't think much about it and were genuinely curious to connect with him.
But, as always, the "reading between line" culture in Japan made it difficult for them to break their usual patterns.
Otosuna Mihari glanced away, sighing.
"What about adding each other on Line?"
"Why not?" Akifumi replied. It was a good way to stay updated on news, after all.
"Well, I'm off then?"
"Go ahead, I'll review your manuscript ASAP. Hope there are no issues."
Once the manuscript was reviewed, they'd be able to move forward quickly with the volume release.
"Speaking of which... what happened with the manuscript I gave you last time? Why haven't I heard anything yet?"
Akifumi asked suspiciously. "Did you forget about it again?"
Mihari rolled her eyes, annoyed.
"No news means there's no problem. If I had forgotten, do you think you'd be here winning this award?"
"Well, thank you, Otosuna-san!" Akifumi smiled.
"Mhm." Otosuna Mihari crossed her arms, proudly humming in response.
[031] Top-tier Treatment!
"Really, the youth now days is to be feared with!"
Putting down the manuscript in his hands, Torishima Kazu couldn't help but express his admiration from the heart.
He rubbed his eyes, which were a little sore, and after closing them for a moment to rest, he opened them again and gave a somewhat apologetic smile to the person sitting across from him, Minano Matome.
"Sorry to keep you waiting so long, I feel guilty about making you, a younger person, spend your time on this."
Minano blinked, clearly confused.
"Aren't we working? Why would the editor-in-chief say it's a waste of time?"
Torishima gave a helpless smile, then waved his hand lightly.
"Well, you're too direct sometimes."
"So, what did the editor-in-chief think after reviewing it?"
"It's fantastic." Torishima paused, then added, "It could even be called perfect!"
"The speed of creation, and the quality it maintains... I have to say, this is what youth is all about."
"Physique, energy, mental capacity... I'm genuinely envious of this kid's vitality!"
Minano paused, then asked thoughtfully:
"Is there a chance that this kid is just a monster?"
"Does it have nothing to do with the factors you mentioned?"
Torishima froze for a moment, then gave her a resentful look.
"Mina-chan, could you give an old guy like me some face? Isn't it a bit too much to crush my feelings like that?"
"I don't think so. As for your feelings... I'll think about it."
Torishima sighed in exasperation, but didn't press further on the matter.
He then asked, "So when can we expect the cover and color pages for the volume from Akifumi-sensei?"
"Akifumi-sensei said he'll bring them by tomorrow afternoon."
"??"
Torishima fell silent, nodding to himself. "I see."
"Considering that Akifumi-sensei can create six chapters a month by himself, it's completely reasonable for him to complete a few color pages in a day."
'Reasonable? Ha! That's a joke!'
One color page requires more effort than several black-and-white ones combined!
And with the cover and contenthe'll need almost four color pages in total!
This workload is almost equivalent to creating an entire chapter!
What a little monster!
After the initial astonishment, Torishima's face lit up with a bright smile.
"To think that Shueisha has found such a treasure!"
Creative ideas that are wildly imaginative, an incredibly fast pace of work, and not even twenty years old!
If this talent can keep going and only put in half the effort he's showing now, Shueisha could rest easy for the next 30 years.
Feeling elated, Torishima couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness this little monster ended up with us."
If he went to another publisher, they'd have a headache.
Students' pocket money doesn't change, and if they buy works from other publishers, they won't have the extra cash to buy from others.
That's the nature of competition between publishing houses!
As for working part-time to support the things you love... that's still rare.
Not something to count on regularly.
With his thoughts collected, Torishima spoke again.
"Since Akifumi-sensei works so fast, we need to speed things up on our end too!"
"Let's get the final product for the volume out as quickly as possible!"
"There are still some decisions that require your input, though."
"Oh?"
"The original manuscript provided by Akifumi-sensei is 230 pages. Using the standard 32-page format for volumes won't work well."
[TL Note how the hell someone draw 230 pages of manga in couple of month??]
Shueisha's standard weekly release are typically 32 pages, and they hover around 180 pages per volume, which is the most common in the market.
The price is usually around 410 yen including tax.
As for whether the paper size affects the comic itself, the answer is no.
In Japan, authors use B4-sized 135g manga paper, so regardless of whether it's 16, 32, or 36 pages, it's all about proportional scaling.
Torishima smiled casually, speaking without a care.
"Let's switch to a larger 32-page format."
"Given the added content, raising the price to 600 yen or so is reasonable, right?"
Minano silently handed him a pen.
Minano, not amused, and said, "I know you're just trying to make me do everything, you old man."
He quickly wrote out a detailed arrangement on the paper, then stamped it with the editor-in-chief's seal.
"Thank you, editor-in-chief."
Without hesitation, Minano took the pen and paper from him, lowered her head, and looked it over.
After a brief pause, she lifted her head, her face surprised, like a child.
"12% royalty? And the page rate for serialized work is now 30,000 yen per page!?"
Torishima nonchalantly said, "Isn't it normal to offer high treatment when you encounter such a gem?"
"But it's too bad, though. If the kid had more impressive results, I'd even risk my face and go ask the board members for an even higher royalty."
12% royalty was the highest he could offer directly; anything higher would require board approval.
"With this kind of treatment, the other authors will probably be jealous, right?"
"Jealous? Heh."
Torishima sneered, the warm and friendly old man disappearing, replaced by the air of an authority figure.
"I don't expect them to have the same kind of talent as Akifumi-sensei, but if they are even half good as him, I'd happily raise their pay too."
"The real question is, can they do that?"
The answer was obviously no.
Minano, unfazed by Torishima's shift in attitude, sighed a little helplessly.
"Although what you said is true, maybe you should still think about how the other authors might feel?"
"Do you think I'm getting senile?"
"Of course, I know that. but you already signing a confidentiality agreement to join this company."
Minano nodded.
"As long as the editor-in-chief isn't senile, that's good."
"..."
If you're going to talk, at least say something good!!
Despite Torishima's glare, Minano paid no mind.
She smiled slightly, "I'm sure Akifumi-sensei will be thrilled when he hears this news, right?"
"If he's not happy, I can't help it. This old man has done all he can."
That said, Torishima's face still showed a smile.
[032] Whos Not a Little Bit Confused?
"Is something wrong, Akifumi?"
"I'm sorry, sensei, but something came up, and I'll need to take the day off tomorrow."
"Is it because of the manga?"
On the other end of the line, Hiratsuka Shizuka's brow furrowed.
She hadn't received specific details, but given the timing of the call, the possibility seemed obvious.
She instinctively began thinking of how to calm the situation.
As an exceptionally "innocent" teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka took great pride in her students' successes.
After congratulating Akifumi that night, she opened the fridge, drank three cans of beer, and got so drunk she lost track of everything.
It wasn't until noon the next day that she found out about the controversy online surrounding The Madoka Magica.
After reading a few comments, she couldn't take it anymore and directly entered the fray herself.
Unfortunately, despite her impressive real-life abilities, online, she was just another weakling.
In no time, she was overwhelmed and, after losing a keyboard battle, could only rage at her screen helplessly.
She was torn over whether to call and comfort Akifumi.
In the end, it was Akifumi who called her first.
As for why she'd been debating for two days, well, don't focus on those details.
She hadn't passed out drunk again definitely not.
When Akifumi heard Hiratsuka's question, he didn't overthink it.
"Yeah, it's about the manga."
"Just as I thought."
Hiratsuka Shizuka paused, carefully choosing her words before speaking.
"Akifumi, don't let those online comments get you down!"
"You need to remember that being envied by others is a sign that you have talent. It's a special kind of recognition!"
"You're taking the day off tomorrow, right? No problem! Don't put too much pressure on yourself, just relax and recharge!"
Akifumi blinked, a little confused. Had Hiratsuka misunderstood something? And what was this "relax and recharge" talk? Was she drunk?
"I'm not sure what you mean, but my reason for taking the day off is just to work on the preparation for the single volume," Akifumi explained.
"Single volume!? Wait, you're planning to release a single volume before the serialization starts!?"
Hiratsuka's voice spiked as she nearly shouted into the phone.
"Hold on a second" She was caught off guard by this revelation.
It was a bold move. Was there something odd about it, or did it make perfect sense?
"Wait a minute! Do you have enough content to support a whole single volume already?"
"Don't worry about it, Sensei. I've been working hard these past couple of months. I have enough content for a single volume. There are just a few color illustrations left to finish, so I need tomorrow to get everything ready, and that way, the company can release the single volume quickly."
"Oh, I see"
Though Hiratsuka Shizuka now knew a little more about the manga industry, she wasn't exactly an expert, so when she heard this surprising news, she didn't react much beyond a simple acknowledgment.
"Well, good luck then! I believe in you! You've earned your spot with your own talent!"
