'These are the top people in the company!'
Then she gazed at them with admiration.
'I wonder when I'll be in their seat at a meeting.'
While lost in her thoughts, she quickly distributed the documents to the respective editors and was about to leave.
"Mihari, you stay."
"Huh?" Mihari was startled when Minano suddenly called her name in front of all these big shots.
Pointing at herself, she asked, "Me?"
"You're handling Akifumi-sensei work. This meeting is about him, so you should stay and listen."
"Oka-okay," Mihari nervously nodded.
She could feel the eyes of the big names in the roomsome curious, some examining, some indifferent, and some neutralmaking her feel more anxious than ever.
The other two workers who'd been called in earlier gave her envious glances as they left. Just standing here and getting noticed by these top executives was a big deal!
Unfortunately, Mihari was too nervous to pay attention to any of this.
She stiffly stood behind Minano like a bodyguard, trying to stay still.
The room didn't react to her presence. If the chief editor didn't speak, no one dared to make a move.
"Let's see what kind of surprise this work that wants to end will bring us," said Torishima.
Everyone's attention shifted to the documents in their hands.
Soon, the room grew quiet, except for the sound of pages turning.
Mihari finally let out a sigh of relief.
She glanced around at the meeting room and stole a quick look at the editors, including the ones she rarely saw, and the chief editor, who she'd barely met in person.
Perhaps her gaze was too obvious, as the elderly man suddenly looked up and met her eyes.
Shocked, Mihari froze, completely at a loss for words.
Fortunately, the elderly man didn't make things hard for her and smiled warmly before turning his attention back to the documents.
Mihari, relieved, thought to herself, 'The chief editor is surprisingly kind.'
Though she had this thought, she quickly focused again on the task at hand.
But when she saw the thick stack of papers in their hands, her mouth twitched.
'How long am I going to stand here?' she silently complained.
Time passed slowly.
Half an hour, an hour, an hour and a half...
"Ah."
With a sigh, the silence in the room was broken.
Having already stood so long, Mihari had snuck out several times under the pretense of going to the bathroom.
She now looked relieved.
She was back to her neutral expression, moving her hands and feet silently.
The editors, who had finished reading, quietly discussed the plot with their colleagues.
More noise filled the room.
A few minutes later.
"Cough, cough."
At the old man's subtle reminder, the room quieted down again.
"Looks like everyone's finished," said Torishima.
"Anyone want to share their thoughts?"
The response was complete silence.
After a short wait, when no one seemed willing to speak, the elderly man continued:
"I'll speak then."
"The ending doesn't need too much explanation or commentary."
"One words: Perfect."
"Magical girls symbolize miracles, but in this story, the greater the miracle, the greater the price."
"Madoka sacrifices herself for the magical girl's miracle."
"All the foreshadowing laid out earlier was resolved effectively in the later chapters."
"Even Akifumi-sensei pen name, 'The Warrior of Love and Hope', it made us truly feel the love and hope."
"But that love and hope... might have been a bit too heavy."
Torishima chuckled lightly.
Unfortunately, the story's end was too perfect, and even they, the professionals, couldn't manage a smile at this point.
"What struck me most was that at the ending he even threw the fans a small treat."
"Though it wasn't too sweet, it was incredibly satisfying!"
Torishima, with a look of nostalgia, seemed to be recalling the deep friendships of his past self.
"Everyone!"
Torishima raised his voice.
"Sure, with Akemi Homura's time ability, she could create alternate timelines and add more plots to the existing story."
"With Akifumi-sensei skills, fans would definitely accept it, and they'd be excited for it."
"But!!"
Torishima emphasized his point.
"How do you think we should refuse a talented, young man who is just following his dream?!"
Many in the room showed signs of guilt.
Torishima softened his tone:
"Money, fame... that's all important to us adults."
"But he's not like us. He's just a kid!"
"These dirty things are not his concern, and he doesn't need to worry about them."
"With a pure heart, he should create the most genuine work possible! Climb even higher!"
"I believe this is his dream!"
"We old folks shouldn't just try to protect his dream; we shouldn't block him either."
"Let's believe this kid can go further!"
With Torishima's final words, the room fell into silence, everyone thinking deeply about what was said.
The ultimate question, it seemed, wasn't whether Madoka Magica should end...
"Besides Madoka Magica ending, Akifumi-sensei has also provided a new project proposal." Minano said so casually.
"I believe it has great potential and is fully qualified to be serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump!"
Torishima: ??
Everyone: ???
There was a brief moment of stunned silence.
All the editors, who had been discussing the end of Madoka Magica, now turned their attention to the proposal that had just been mentioned.
"This... this is a big surprise," Torishima said, blinking in disbelief.
"I wasn't expecting this at all," another editor added, clearly caught off guard.
Everyone in the room exchanged glances, trying to process what had just been presented.
Akifumi-sensei new project was an unexpected turn, especially given the overwhelming focus on Madoka Magica's conclusion.
"I'll take a look at this new project," Torishima said, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"But let's focus on the agenda for now. We can go over this next time."
And with that, the meeting, which had been focused on one of the most significant decisions in the company's recent history, took another unexpected turn.
The editors, still processing the news of Akifumi-sensei new work, quickly refocused on the remaining items in the agenda, each carrying a quiet sense of anticipation.
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally! Just a heads-up, there will be new advanced chapters every week in there! And thank you so much for reading!
[055] Otosuna Mihari is Tired
It's 11:30 PM.
If it were last week, when I wasn't drawing, Akifumi would have probably already been asleep by now.
But today, after getting such an obvious hint from Mihari, he felt like he had to put in a little more effort.
'Another 20 minutes of drawing, and then I'll rest.'
Akifumi stood up to stretch and yawn.
Just as he was about to sit back down, his phone suddenly rang.
The caller: Otosuna Mihari.
He picked up.
"Akifumi-sensei..."
The weak voice, like a whisper coming from the TV, startled Akifumi so much that he nearly dropped his phone.
"A-are you okay?"
"No... I'm just... soo... hungry."
"Well, if you're hungry, then you should eat something first. No need to force yourself to call me first."
"If you didn't get the information first, you will think it was my fault."
"..."
A brief silence from the other side, then the little editor finally spoke in a voice full of resentment:
"I'm so hungry, and it's all because of you!"
??
"Because of me?"
Akifumi blinked and hesitated before asking, "What do you mean?"
"I'm too hungry... can't -explain it in detail."
"Then make it short."
"It's because of you, Akifumi-sensei. The company meeting that supposed to end 3 hours ago just finished now because of your manga!"
"You mentioned last time that only the editor-in-chief can attend those meetings. What does it have to do with you, a small editor?"
Mihari was on the verge of tears: "Because I'm your editor, I was allowed to attend the meeting as an exception, thanks to Editor-in-Chief Minano!"
Akifumi remembered the meeting usually started at 6 PM.
It was now 11:32 PM, meaning it lasted for a whole five and a half hours!?
Is this what being a corporate slave is?
"Ugh, that's rough!"
Mihari, full of expectation, said, "If you really think I'm unlucky, could you delete that email from last time?"
"Huh? I already expressed my sympathy for you, but why should I give you more benefits?"
"!!"
"It's still unfair!!"
Not continuing with the small talk, Akifumi said, "You must've called for something important, right?"
"Exactly!"
As they spoke,
Mihari's voice had gained a lot more energy than when the call first started.
The little editor, excited, said: "Congratulations, Akifumi-sensei!"
"The new project proposal has been approved!"
Although Akifumi had already prepared for this news when he heard it in the afternoon, he was still surprised by how quickly things moved!
His calm heart couldn't help but stir with excitement.
"I understand, please thank Editor-in-Chief Minano for me."
"??"
Mihari Otosuna's smile froze, and she sighed: "Akifumi-sensei, I'm your editor, remember?"
"I know."
Akifumi replied flatly: "But you're just a small editor. You won't be involved in this anyway, right?"
"You don't even need to think about it. It was all Editor-in-Chief Minano's work, and I must thank her."
Damn!
This is too much!
What's wrong with being a small editor? Doesn't that come with its own purpose? If I hadn't helped... well, no one would've been impacted.
Mihari suddenly felt deflated.
Being with such an excellent author, she felt like she couldn't do anything useful, and always relying on Editor-in-Chief Minano for help.
"It's feels like... I'm just a burden!"
"Honestly, with such a great author, it should be up to the editor-in-chief, right?"
"I, a small editor, can't be of any use!"
Thinking about all this, and with midnight approaching and her stomach still empty, Mihari suddenly felt down.
"Hey."
Akifumi's voice came through the phone, bringing Mihari back to reality.
"I'm sorry.... I was just daydreaming a bit....."
Her voice had an unmistakable tinge of sadness.
"It seems you didn't catch what I said earlier, did you?"
Not noticing the change in mood, Akifumi sighed: "I'll say it again, and I need you to listen carefully."
"Not only should I thank Editor-in-Chief Minano, but I also need to make sure you thank others properly, understand?"
"Huh?"
"Don't act surprised. Do you really think that everyone can get the main character's treatment like you?"
"If I had a different editor-in-chief, they might've taken over the project as soon as they saw how well it was doing and handled everything themselves!"
"Of course, in the workplace, that's not wrong, and no one would blame them.
The only one hurt would be you, but that's just how it goes!"
The higher-ups in the industry represent the company's rules to some extent.
"So, you must realize how lucky you are to have met Editor-in-Chief Minano, right?"
"She's putting effort into training you, don't let her down, and work hard!"
Mihari paused, then a self-deprecating smile appeared on her face.
She really was... pathetic.
Getting so lost in her thoughts over such a small matter.
Just like Akifumi said, compared to others, she was already incredibly lucky!
She was working with such a great author...
Even though he always bullies her and has a weird personality, she'd seen how tough it was for other editors to deal with their authors.
Sometimes, their work was a mess, and they still argued about it, wanting to get it serialized, but ending up at the back of the queue, getting rushed at the deadline like they were in hell!
This guy doesn't need her to do anything, he finishes everything on his own.
Doesn't that feel like a free ride!?
And besides him, there's also such a wonderful editor-in-chief!
She was even taken along to today's important meeting, and was cared for in so many ways...
She couldn't disappoint Editor-in-Chief Minano's expectations!
She had to work hard to become a great editor!
One day, this guy would be the one calling her "Editor-in-Chief Mihari!"
With that thought in mind, Mihari smiled goofily, then puffed out her chest proudly: "Hmph! You think I need you to worry about me!?"
On the other end of the phone, Akifumi raised an eyebrow.
Typical of a tsundere blonde with twin-tails, huh?
Though this wasn't exactly twin-tails, more like two small braids, that tsundere tone was so vivid, Akifumi could almost picture her attitude.
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally! Just a heads-up, there will be new advanced chapters every week in there! And thank you so much for reading!
[056] Anohana is officially scheduled!
'Well, as long as she's cheered up...
After working with her for so long, he didn't want her to be crushed by the pressure and force him to change editors.
If that happened, wouldn't the 'dirt' he had on her be useless too?
"By the way, today's meeting must've been interesting. Tell me about it!"
"Ha! Are you a devil? I haven't even eaten a single bite of dinner yet!!"
Despite her complaints, the next second she started describing the situation.
"You don't know, when Editor-in-Chief Minano brought up your new work, the looks on everyone's faces... It was too funny!!"
"After discussing whether Madoka Magica should end or not, it was already past 9 PM, and everyone was tired and hungry."
"The editor-in-chief told us to finish the remaining topics of the meeting quickly so we could go home, but then Editor-in-Chief Minano dropped this bombshell!"
"Ha ha ha! It was too funny!!"
Tell me in detail if it's that funny then!
Akifumi, helpless, reminded: "You were part of the meeting to right?, didn't you also feel hungry at the time?"
"..."
Mihari, feeling frustrated, muttered: "Damn it."
"Don't remind me that now!!"
"So now it's my fault now?"
"Don't interrupt, listen to me."
"As you know, there are limited slots for serialization in Shonen Jump."
"Everyone's waiting their turn, and then suddenly someone jumps the queue. How can they not get upset?"
