"I never minded that this guy makes so much money drawing manga, but now that I see how good-looking he is, I feel nothing but pure jealousy!"
The sheer volume of comments exploded just from a glimpse of Akifumi's face, taking everyone by surprise.
Meanwhile, other livestreams were also bustling with activity, though none could quite match Akifumi's in popularity.
After all, every contestant who had made it through the preliminaries had at least some fanbase. There were a few complete newcomers, but they were fewer than ten in total.
When fans saw the fully stocked room provided for the contestants, complete with notebooks, tablets, laptops, a blackboard, drinks, snacks, and even cigarettes and alcoholthey couldn't help but laugh at Akifumi's reaction.
"The organizers really thought of everything! If it weren't for the fact that they have to write scripts, this would be my dream room!"
"Wait, are the cigarettes and alcohol real? Isn't Akifumi still a high school student?!"
"For other contestants, these are considerate additions, but for Akifumi, isn't this a little too much?"
"I'm kinda curious to see if he'll actually try using any of them."
"Elsewhere, as the competition neared its official start, the host, Kanae, was interviewing the panel of judges."
"The match is about to begin! Do any of you have contestants you're particularly interested in?"
As the panelists turned their attention to him, judge Nojima Shinji smiled and said, "I have my eye on contestants #42 and #56."
"Their approach to the preliminary theme was unique, and their thought process was quite refreshing. However"
"However?"
"However, if I had to pick my top choice, it would be contestant #13."
Before Kanae could even react, the other two judges interjected.
"Nojima-sensei, that's not fair!"
"Exactly! I wanted to choose contestant #13 too!"
Kanae blinked in surprise. "Wait, you all think so highly of contestant #13?!"
Nojima chuckled. "Well, he did rank first in the preliminaries."
Realization dawned on Kanae. "Oh! So contestant #13 was the top-ranked entry from the prelims? No wonder everyone's paying attention to him!"
"I personally loved his submission, CLANNAD." The only female judge, Kitagawa, added,
"At first, we only had the script outline, and I was concerned about whether it could develop into a proper story. But after reading the first volume, I was completely won over. It was everything I ever hoped CLANNAD would be."
Judge Yukawa nodded.
"I've read several of contestant #13's manga. Each one is unique, with a distinct message."
"A contestant like him won't be restricted by any single genre. In a competition with assigned themes, I believe he'll have a strong advantage."
"He'll surprise us!"
Kanae grinned. "It sounds like you all have high expectations for contestant #13."
"Well, he's already famous in the manga industry. Even we old-timers have to admithis creativity is incredible."
"There are still a few minutes before the match begins. Why don't we switch the feed to Room #13 and see what he's up to?"
"Great idea!"
"I'm curious to see how he's using his preparation time."
The main screen switched to the live feed of Room #13, instantly bombarding viewers with a flood of excited comments.
Kanae glanced at the screen and looked slightly embarrassed before quickly addressing the audience.
"Ahem. Everyone, as we all know, when crafting scripts, writers often use different methods to spark inspiration."
"To ensure their creative freedom, the competition organizers provided a variety of materials and amenities in the rooms."
"However, we overlooked the fact that some contestants are underage."
"We'll make sure to remove those items from Room #13 immediately. We absolutely did not intend to tempt him into using them!"
Hearing Kanae's quick and decisive explanation, the livestream chat erupted in laughter.
"Kanae is in full damage control mode!"
"LOL, I bet the organizers never expected to have a contestant this young!"
"Wait a minute, now that I think about it, isn't he the youngest contestant in the history of this competition?!"
"Damn! This guy really is something else!"
"Look! He's making his move!"
On-screen, Akifumi was now actively working. He first searched for reference materials, then wrote two large words on the blackboard: Forensics and 7K.
"Forensics? 7K? What does that mean? Is this his chosen theme?!"
[229] Finished Concept?
While some fans speculated about his choice, others fixated on a different concern.
"Wait, isn't it against the rules to start researching and planning before the official start time?!"
Kana quickly clarified, "Although the match hasn't started yet, as long as contestants don't communicate with outsiders, they are free to use their time as they wish. There's nothing against the rules here."
With that reassurance, viewers shifted their focus back to Akifumi's creative process, now eagerly anticipating what kind of story he would craft.
"By the way, aren't forensic doctors still considered doctors?"
"Of course! Although the profession of forensic medicine isn't highly valued, it is still categorized as a type of doctor!"
"So, does Warrior of Love and Hope-sensei plan to write about forensic medicine? And what's with the '7K' mentioned later? Is that the salary?!"
"I don't know."
".."
Kanae glanced at the discussions in the comments and couldn't help but ask, "What do you all think about contestant #13's approach to the theme?"
Shinji Nojima thought for a moment before answering, "Doctors are a special group. They can be broadly divided into internal and external specialties, and within those, there are many sub-categories."
"Forensic doctors are still doctors, but they are very different from regular ones."
"While doctors treat patients to help them recover, forensic doctors deal with... the dead! They are completely opposites!"
"That said, when contestant #13 chose to approach the theme from a forensic perspective, they already stepped outside the conventional way of thinking."
"No matter what kind of story is presented, I'm really looking forward to it!"
"Maybe other contestants will also take a forensic angle?"
Kanae seemed puzzled by Nojima's high praise.
Kitagawa, the other judge, smiled and explained, "For creators, once a prompt is fixed, we tend to think along the lines of what's expected from that theme."
"Especially when time is tight."
"If someone can, in such a short period, break out of the usual cognitive barriers and approach things from a completely different angle, that's a remarkable skill!"
"If it were me, after seeing the theme of 'doctor,' I wouldn't immediately think of the unconventional forensic perspective. Instead, I'd focus on creating a romantic story about love, exploring health and the importance of life."
Kanae's eyes lit up as she realized, "So, this kind of leap in logic and thought is rare and valuable for a scriptwriter, right?"
"Exactly." Kitagawa nodded with a smile, "With experience, one can become a decent screenwriter, but to become a top-tier one, it requires more than just experience."
"So, what about the '7K' written by contestant #13? Could it really refer to their salary, like some commenters said?"
Yukawa, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "That's actually a simple summary of the forensic profession."
"It's described with seven K's: dangerous, dirty, tough, strict regulations... these seven aspects are all represented by 'K,' so it's called 7K."
Kanae couldn't help but admire, "As expected of Yukawa-sensei, you even know about this kind of knowledge."
Yukawa smiled calmly and, without a word, put his phone back into his pocket.
As the competition hadn't officially started yet, and the other contestants weren't in the creative process yet, it was only natural that everyone's focus shifted to contestant #13's live stream, where they had already started writing.
In the meantime, Akifumi's hand began to move again.
"The role of a doctor: to give patients hope, help them regain health, and allow them to fully experience the beauty of the world."
"But forensic doctorswho deal with the deadwhat is the meaning of their profession?"
As Akifumi quickly wrote this on the blackboard, everyone's thoughts were immediately stirred.
Yes.
If a doctor's purpose is to heal the living, then what's the purpose of a forensic doctor, a profession dealing with the dead?
When most people think of forensic medicine, their first impression is typically a crime scene.
But is the existence of this unique, death-facing profession really that shallow?
What other scenarios would forensic doctors appear in?
Everyone instinctively pondered.
After a minute of deep thought, Akifumi wrote another line on the board.
"A forensic doctor exists for the future!"
"If a doctor exists for the present of their patients, then a forensic doctor exists for the future of humanity!"
Seeing this line on the blackboard, many viewers felt a chill run down their spine while an intense curiosity and excitement bubbled up within them.
Curiosity about how a forensic doctor's profession could be tied to the future;
Excitement about what kind of captivating story would unfold before them.
After a brief pause, Kanae was the first to come to her senses and couldn't help but exclaim,
"Truly deserving of the praise from the three judgesthis concept is amazing!"
Even someone who isn't a professional scriptwriter can tell whether a story is good or not!
While a story's quality can't solely be judged by its concept, like writing an essay, the more profound the idea, the more likely it is to score well, provided it stands up to reason!
However, when Kanae expressed her thoughts, the three judges furrowed their brows, remaining silent.
The strange atmosphere made Kanae feel like something was off.
She awkwardly asked, "Um, did I say something wrong?"
Nojima shook his head. "No, not at all."
But his tone remained serious.
"It's just that... with a theme this deep, is it really okay to establish such a significant concept in a competition like this?"
[230] Unnatural
"It's like writing an essay, the closer it aligns with the theme and the deeper its meaning, the higher the score."
"But there's another crucial factor that can't be ignored, time!"
"The more profound the message, the harder it is to express."
"If, due to time constraints, the final product ends up as an unfinished draft or fails to convey its intended meaning, what would the audience think?"
It would be like setting up high expectations only to leave them unfulfilled. The final score wouldn't be high.
Other works might be ordinary, but if they match the theme and achieve their goals, they may not score the highest, but they also wouldn't score too low.
Kanae nodded thoughtfully. "I see..."
"So, even if the core idea is impressive, if the story fails to depict forensic science as a profession for the future, Contestant #13 will lose a significant number of points. Is that what you mean?"
"Exactly."
Shinji Nojima nodded and sighed. "The competition only allows eight hours for scriptwriting. That might sound like a long time, but in reality, even a month, two months, or half a year might not be enough to produce a polished script."
"Eight hours... is way too short." With a sigh, Nojima fell silent.
Kitagawa then spoke up, "If this were any other situation and I saw Contestant #13's concept, I would be full of anticipation."
Yukawa chuckled, summing it up, "Well, he's young. If he didn't have at least this much adventurous spirit, wouldn't he just be like us old folks?"
"Huh? Who are you calling old!?"
"Ahem... My apologies, Kitagawa-sensei. I didn't mean it that way."
Hearing their discussion, the once-excited comment section in the live chat started to show concern.
"Now that I think about it, they have a point. Even a genius like Warrior of Love and Hope only has this much time, can he really express such a deep message?"
"Does he have to stir things up everywhere? Even in such an important competition, he insists on making things difficult for himself!"
"It's tough, but if the story does manage to convey this theme, even if it's incomplete, he could still rank in the top three!"
"You really think a deep theme can come across if the story isn't polished? This is exactly what the judges are worried about!!"
"..."
Kanae smiled wryly at the comments but was about to speak when the director's voice suddenly came through her earpiece.
Her expression turned serious.
"Everyone, ten minutes have passed! The competition officially begins now!"
"Let's switch the cameras and check on the other contestants!"
"Attention, contestants! The preparation period is over, and the competition is now officially underway!"
"You have eight hours to complete your script!"
"For the first six hours, there will be prompts provided every three hours. In the final hour and the last 30 minutes, there will be additional reminders."
"Of course, you can track the time yourselves and plan accordingly.
"Make good use of your time and create amazing stories!"
"Good luck!"
As the announcement echoed through the room, Akifumi snapped out of his thoughts.
"Has it already been ten minutes?"
Shaking his head, he refocused on the blackboard in front of him, staring at the scattered words he had written so far.
The reason he had only managed a few words in ten minutes was simplehe was struggling to decide where to begin.
Looking at the entire drama, there were plenty of compelling angles.
Mikoto, who cherished life deeply due to a traumatic childhood.
Nakado, the sharp-tongued and standoffish forensic expert.
Rokuro, who found himself at the Unnatural Investigation Lab for various reasons.
The Director, who worked tirelessly to hold the lab together.
The mysterious, yet effortlessly cool funeral directoreach character left a strong impression.
However, the story itself lacked a clear single narrative thread.
If anything, there were only two key storylines:
Nakado's eight-year-long investigation into the truth.
Rokuro's personal growth journey.
One overt, one subtle, both intertwined.
Among them, Akifumi's favorite character was undoubtedly Nakado.
At first glance, this man, with his silence, sarcasm, and complete disregard for his colleagues' feelings, was easy to dislike.
