"As for Akifumi-sensei's new work..."
Minano thought for a moment, then said, "You should ask him about what has he's been thinking about the plot moving forward form now."
"And please I told him not to rush on the ending. If we can't get him a serialization opportunity, let's see how he handles it in his new work."
While it sounded like she was complaining, it was clear she was actually worried about him.
Mihari nodded, "Understood."
"If Akifumi-sensei is confident enough with this work, I'll make sure to help him secure a serialization opportunity in the meeting."
"Alright."
Mihari seemed to take this casually at first, but then her eyes widened in shock.
"A serialization opportunity!?"
"Do you mean...?"
"I think this new story has a lot of potential."
Minano smiled. She paused, and then added, "Yes, I really like this work."
[052] [100 PS] "Monthly Sales of 'Magical Girl Madoka' Shock the Editors!!"
After leaving the office of Editor-in-Chief Minano, Otosuna Mihari found herself surrounded by question marks.
"Something's off, something's off..." She muttered to herself as she returned to her desk.
No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't understand why Minano would prefer "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" over "Madoka Magica".
That's right.
She was giving more importance to the other work!
After reading the entire plot of Madoka Magica, understanding the deep meanings the author had carefully planted from the beginning, and feeling the shock from it, Minano still clearly expressed her fondness for the other piece.
Just thinking about it made Mihari realize the hidden meaning behind those words.
'Did I miss something? Did I overlook some hidden brilliance of this piece?'
With this in mind, she took the manuscript of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day from her drawer and started reading it carefully.
The first 20 pages weren't many, and even after reading them with intense focus, it didn't take her more than 10 minutes.
'Hmm... it feels like they're just introducing the story and the characters?'
Aside from that, if she had to get into details, it was mainly about the protagonist's attitude toward the female lead and the indifference of the other characters.
"Let me read it again!"
This time, Mihari was determined to not miss a single panel!
After a while...
"Ugh!"
When she noticed a certain panel, it felt as though an electric shock ran through her body, leaving her with goosebumps.
In the image, the protagonist walks up to a glass cabinet with bowls inside, but in the reflection of the glass, only the protagonist appears!
The girl walking alongside himwho seemed to be the female leadwas nowhere to be seen.
"I get it now!"
In that moment, everything in the previous chapters that had bothered her made sense!
"No wonder Editor Minano would praise this work so highly."
From the first 20 pages, it was clear that this was a modern, coming-of-age, school-based story.
But in a setting where everyone was just an ordinary human, the sudden appearance of such a peculiar element made her excited to see where the story would go.
"Ugh! This foreshadowing is berried so deep! What if no one else catches it?!"
She muttered, feeling more frustrated with herself for not realizing the oddity soonerher anger was more about her failure as an editor than anything else!
But could she really be blamed?
Who would have thought that in a story about ordinary daily life, the female lead wasn't even human, but a ghost who had already died?
If it had been a different genre, she would've figured it out right away!
'Though, with such a beginning, the ending is bound to be tragic, right?'
After all, a dead person can't come back to life.
Even though manga often bends logic for fun or storytelling purposes, there are some basic ruleslike how death is permanent.
'Never mind. Why am I even thinking about this?'
Mihari shook her head.
As an editor, she had to do her job without getting too emotional.
She waited until after school and then waited another hour before calling Akifumi-sensei.
"Sorry for making you wait, Akifumi-sensei."
"No problem." Akifumi responded nonchalantly.
"Shueisha doesn't work only with me. and It's not like I'm in a rush."
"Enough small talk. So what's the situation now?"
"The completion request for Madoka Magica has been approved by Editor Minano."
At these words, Akifumi let out a relieved sigh.
He had been worried about the possibility of rejection.
Even though, if the publisher hadn't agreed, he could have insisted, and the manga would eventually have concluded.
However, that would have caused tension between him and the editors, and he didn't want that.
"Now, how about the new work I submitted?"
"Editor Minano wants to know if you have a complete plan for the upcoming story."
"Well, when we start a story, we usually think about the ending first, right?"
Akifumi chuckled and added, "But, if that answer doesn't satisfy Editor Minano, tell her that I've already mapped out the entire story, and as long as I get the serialization, I can guarantee that I'll deliver a new original page every week!"
Hearing this, Mihari couldn't help but smirk.
'You stupidl!'
Who even does that!?
Everyone brings their original story drafts to get feedback from the editor, then revises them according to the editor's suggestions before submitting them for approval.
Then it goes through discussions, approval, and eventually works its way through the publishing process.
But Akifumi-sensei just want to go off the rails!
There were so many things she wanted to complain about, but she couldn't get them all out in one breath.
But when the words were about to come out, she changed her mind.
"No problem. I'll pass your message to Editor Minano!"
"Thanks."
Mihari nodded in satisfaction, even though she knew it was just a polite phrase. To her, it was a sign of submission!
"By the way, we've also helped you get verified on SNS. Your account details are aixxxxx and 16xxxx. Remember to note them down."
The account and password were simple.
Mihari Otosuna just repeated them once, and he had them memorized.
"Do you need me to repeat them?"
"No, I've got it."
[TL Note Did this guy just memorize username and password first try???]
"Good. Make sure to log in and greet everyone. You can also share your plans for the future."
"Got it."
They exchanged a few more words and hung up.
After the call ended, Akifumi sighed.
"Looks like this rare vacation is over once I go back today."
Even though Mihari didn't say it, Editor Minano asking about his plans was a clear sign of trouble.
While he wasn't short on money, drawing Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day was a huge challenge and an opportunity he couldn't miss.
No matter the outcome, it would bring great benefits to him.
He couldn't let anyone's expectations down either!
Afterward, Akifumi immediately logged into the SNS account Mihari had just shared with him.
To his surprise, the new account already had a few hundred followers and several comments.
"Is this really the SNS of the 'Warrior of Love and Hope'? The account was created just half an hour ago?"
"Idiot, didn't you see the verified badge next to the name? It's definitely real!"
"Finally found the teacher's SNS! Even though Madoka Magica has a lot of heart-wrenching moments, I still love it!! I'll always support you!!"
The comments were overwhelmingly friendly and supportive.
"See? This is what true fans say!"
Just as Akifumi was about to type a response, one comment stood out:
"Sensei, when will the second volume be released? My wallet is already waiting!"
After reading the comment, Akifumi couldn't help but laugh.
[053] Shueisha's Support! "Madoka Magica" Decides to End!!
"WHAT 'Madoka Magica' is ending?! Is that true?!"
"This is complete nonsense! Editor-in-Chief, why didn't you stop the author?!"
"Right now, 'Madoka Magica' is on the rise. To end it so soon doesn't the author know how hard it is to create a big hit? And as the editor-in-chief, don't you know this?!"
"Exactly, we can't end it now!!"
"If it ends like this, the author will regret it later!"
"As editors, we need to offer more advice to our authors!"
Once the situation was clear, the editors quickly began to speak up in concern.
When an editor-in-chief is in charge of a breakout hit, it's bound to have a significant impact on them, but it also brings a lot of benefits!
Just the fact that it boosts Shueisha's reputation is enough for them to set aside any objections.
The higher the reputation, the more new readers it attracts.
A powerful example of this is that, since the release of Madoka Magica's latest volume, Weekly Shonen Jump's sales have increased by 2% in the past two weeks!
Don't underestimate that 2%. For Shueisha's current size, even a 0.5% increase would mean a substantial boost.
Also, it's important to note that loyal Weekly Jump fans don't always buy every issue; sales tend to stay consistent on average, with minor fluctuations.
So, when we factor in this, the actual sales increase could be much higher than 2%.
As for how we're so sure that this increase is from the new readers...
You really think Shueisha conducts surveys just for fun? The feedback from Madoka Magica revealed that 60% of readers are women!
When the staff first counted the data, they even had to double-check, as they couldn't believe it.
Weekly Shonen Jump, as its name suggests, mostly targets male readers. Although there are female fans, they only make up about 20% of the total.
These women wouldn't all be fans of Madoka Magica.
So, it's clear that this surge in readership is coming from new readers brought in by the volume releases!
Considering how much new readership Madoka Magica has already generated with just its first volume, it's easy to imagine that, as long as the series continues, it'll draw in even more readers.
Even if only 50% of these new readers stay, it'll be a huge benefit for other authors too!
And for Shueisha, the gains will be even greater too!
For both professional and personal reasons, no one wants Madoka Magica to end.
Editor-in-Chief Minano, being in the same position, clearly understands the situation's risks and rewards.
But what sets her apart is that, while everyone else is focused on short-term gains, Minano is thinking about the future!
The success so far is due to the author's incredible work.
But if internal conflicts cause Akifumi-sensei to move to another publisher, wouldn't that be counterproductive?
Of course, these guys probably don't lack this awareness.
However, from their perspective, Madoka Magica is more valuable than the creator.
It's simple: if the author continues, Madoka Magica will keep bringing Shueisha new readers.
But if it ends, would the author be able to create another hit as big as Madoka Magica?
'The odds of that happening are probably low, right?'
No doubt, 90% of the people in the room are thinking that way.
Even if the author has potential, they're not willing to bet on their next work.
But...
'Don't put me in their category.'
Sure, continuing a series minimizes risks. But without taking risks, how can you expect rewards?
It's like how the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish.
So, Minano stays silent, her face expressionless.
"Silence."
Only when the elderly man sitting at the head of the table spoke did the room settle down.
Torishima pointed at the table with their fingers, their eyes deep, leaving it unclear what they were thinking.
"Minano, you say Akifumi has requested the ending for Madoka Magica, is that right?"
"Yes."
"You've seen the remaining content, right?"
Minano nodded and added, "I believe there's no better conclusion than this."
"You!" Torishima pointed at Minano, visibly angry.
The other editors held their composure but their eyes twinkled with excitement.
Finally! Minano, the editor they all thought was pampered, was finally going to get scolded by the chief editor!
"...Why did you forget to mention it to me when you had such a great thing?!"
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for the continuation of Madoka Magica? Ten days! Ten days!!"
"You have no idea how torturous those ten days were for me! Without Madoka Magica, I felt like ants were crawling on me!!"
"But you, just enjoying it on your own! You didn't think about me at all!!"
"If it weren't for this meeting today, would you have even told me?!"
Editors: ??
Was the chief editor scolding Minano?
Well, it seemed... different than they imagined?!
The room fell silent.
Minano, facing the chief editor's self-reproach, showed a hint of guilt.
"I'm sorry, Chief Editor."
[054] This Is What We Must Support!
Bang.
Torishima slammed the table angrily.
"What is so good about an apology?!"
"If just apologizing worked, why would we even need the police?!"
"Is this the time for you to be saying this nonsense, hurry up and bring me the latest volume?!"
"I'm sorry, I was wrong," Minano stood up from her seat.
After she left, Torishima finally put away his anger.
He calmly tapped the table.
"Everyone."
"Although Minano's handling of this issue was a bit questionable, whether a work should end or not still comes down to the story."
"If the story has reached its conclusion, then let it end."
"I trust Minano's judgment as an editor."
The others could tell from the chief editor's tone that he was signaling the end of the discussion, and someone tried to speak up to object.
"But..."
"Mm?"
The chief editor, usually friendly, now exuded an intimidating presence.
Under his imposing gaze, the one about to speak immediately quieted down.
Torishima returned his gaze and spoke plainly:
"I don't want to say this a second time."
"As for whether Akifumi-sensei work meets the criteria for a proper ending, let's judge after everyone has seen it, shall we?"
"Yes!"
"Sounds good."
"Let's take a look first."
Half an hour later, Mihari led a few employees into the room with a stack of thick documents to copy the manuscript and bring it to the meeting.
But when Mihari, who had been called in temporarily to join the meeting, saw the important figures seated around the room, she couldn't help but marvel.
