Great Mangaka

Genji's cake was ready the next afternoon.

It was one meter wide and 15 meters long. Twelve chefs took 20 hours to make it, and the total price exceeded 2,000,000 yen.

Takumi initially thought the cake would be approximately a person's height, but he hadn't expected Genji to prepare such a terrifying giant. They delivered it by truck and placed it at the company's entrance, unable to get it inside.

Desperate, Takumi gathered all the employees for an outdoor cake banquet. In the end, they couldn't finish it all, and onlookers joined in.

"Next time, I won't order something like this again..."

After the banquet, everyone seemed very excited; only Takumi was exhausted.

The cake incident soon appeared in the Osaka Daily. The article said that Hinotori Publishing celebrated it collectively. No one knew it was a reward from Genji to Takumi; otherwise, the media would have exaggerated its boasting.

This week, Weekly Shōnen and Weekly Shōjo Manga remained popular. Thanks to the influence of NHK news, the first-day sales of both magazines broke historical records, and local sales in Osaka surpassed those of Kanto Daily.

Of course, regarding national sales, although Hinotori Publishing has progressed a lot, there is still an insurmountable gap with Kanto.

Despite this, Takumi still feels that Hinotori Publishing is in good shape. The flourishing work environment reassures him, and this week's work has gone smoothly.

However, after everything was going well, when he woke up on Friday, he received a call that gave him a severe headache.

"I'll come to your house this afternoon"

said Shiori on the phone. The problematic girl was going on vacation.

Takumi didn't want to see Shiori. He found it difficult to deal with her. But it was difficult to deal with her, yet he still had to deal with her. He had to think of a way to restrict her actions. And this method emerged when he saw Alice during the day.

"Alice, how about you stay at my house during your vacation?" Takumi asked proactively.

Alice was stunned for a moment: "Why?"

"Nothing" Takumi excused himself: "I just want you to keep my mother company".

"Keep Aika company? Isn't Shiori going there during the holidays?" Alice seemed apologetic: "I don't have time this week. There are some things at home...".

"At home?". Takumi's eyes gleamed with surprise, and then he said: "I'm sorry, just ignore what I said. You should spend time with your family

during the holidays". He remembered that Alice was busy all day. Her work sometimes exceeded an editor's duties, and Takumi used her as a secretary.

This situation was not good. Takumi thought it would be better to find an assistant who could take turns. Alice is Genji's daughter and is married. It's not good to always ask for her help. 'What if there's a family dispute?'

But besides Alice, is there anyone else who can help him?

Takumi was a little distressed. He had no idea about assistants at work, but he had a way to deal with Shiori. He called the mangaka's assistant that day. Then he asked the driver to go to Osaka's N.º 1 High School before leaving work.

In the afternoon, Shiori took the bus to Sakura Garden Community. She entered Takumi's house excitedly, but she was completely stunned upon entering.

"Shiori, what are you doing here right now?"

Two roommates were sitting in the living room greeting her, while Takumi calmly drank tea on one side. Shiori was stunned for a long time before her face swelled with anger. Takumi's trick was powerful enough. He invited two roommates to come, so that Shiori couldn't get too close to him.

But she didn't give up and soon thought of other tricks.

"Takumi, I remember you don't have work tonight. Come with me to the cinema; there's still a lot of money left on the membership card".

After dinner, Shiori invited Takumi. Takumi looked at the time and smiled back: "Go with your roommate; I have work tonight".

Less than half an hour after he finished speaking, Tomato and Sakura approached.

"Mirai-sensei, let's draw".

"I brought a midnight snack; you can eat it when you're tired from work...".

Upon seeing the mangaka enter, Shiori looked at Takumi with resentment, but she knew how important he was. If Takumi had to work, she would never bother him.

"Let's go to the cinema!"

She left with her two roommates. Takumi saw them off, thinking that Shiori was still a little immature. In the end, he was the best.

Takumi didn't have to work at all. Next week's manga were already finished long ago. This time, he called three assistants to prepare the manga's serialization for the following week. They could do it or not.

He painted at home with his assistants.

"Tomato, when is your wedding with Sakura?"

Takumi suddenly asked while drawing slowly.

"...Cough, cough...".

Their faces turned red. Sakura lowered her head and painted without saying a word. Tomato asked embarrassed: "How did Mirai-sensei know about this?"

Takumi smiled: "It's very widespread in the company".

"Then... no wonder, they say everything...". Tomato touched his head and smiled bitterly: "We haven't made a concrete decision yet. We wanted to tell you after we had made it".

"But it will be soon". Hiroshi Kawakami, who was writing a manuscript, smiled and said: "Tomato said he was looking for a house a few days ago!".

"This... this...".

Tomato was speechless. Sakura interrupted: "It's okay, let's not talk about this. Mirai-sensei is still young..."

He looked at Tomato, who flinched.

"Yes, let's not talk about this!" Tomato's mind flashed, and he remembered something else: "Mirai-sensei, today I brought a manuscript and I want you to take a look at it".

He took a manuscript from his bag and carefully handed it to Takumi.

Takumi took it and read it. Now he is responsible for the review of Weekly Shōnen and Weekly Shōjo Manga. All new manga must be reviewed by the editorial department and handed over to him. Only with his approval can they be serialized.

Tomato's behavior bypassed the editorial process, but Takumi didn't take it seriously. He was interested in the manuscript's quality.

It's a very good manuscript. The theme is a phantom thief, and it's a perfect phantom thief. Since Kaito Kid's appearance in Detective Conan, the phantom thief character has appeared in some manga by Hinotori Publishing, and even in Kanto Manga.

However, there is still no boys' manga featuring a phantom thief. The one Tomato gave Takumi is one of them.

It's called "King of Thieves". The male protagonist was born into a family of thieves. He specializes in stealing illegal treasures to exchange them for money and help others. It's a story about stealing from the rich to help the poor. The content is old-fashioned, but the technique is excellent.

The thief's method of stealing is similar to magic, mysterious and elegant, in the style of Kaito Kid. It meets Takumi's requirements for Weekly Shōnen.

"The drawing technique is very good. Although the story is common, it's well executed, stable, and without exaggeration. It's good".

After reading the manuscript, Takumi looked through the collection of settings again and exclaimed: "The style of this manga is very cautious. You can see the effort. I didn't expect Mach to be so attentive one day".

His words surprised Tomato, who stood up: "Mirai-sensei, you really saw it!".

This manuscript is Mach's work, and it took him half a year to think about it. Tomato was also surprised to see it. He gave it to Takumi because he wanted to start with the work and gradually propose changes to him.

"I've already seen his manga and I was impressed by his drawing ability. And he draws better than you, how could I not notice?" Takumi put down the manuscript and smiled at Tomato. The first manga he studied after his debut was The Detective Sherlock. With his memory, it wasn't difficult for him to recognize Mach's drawing skill.

"Tell me, what happened?"

asked Takumi curiously. "I remember you used to be very hostile towards Mach. Why did you change your mind? And... Isn't Mach at the Kanto Manga Company? Why did he send me his work?"

Tomato didn't dare to hide it and quickly told Takumi about Mach's change and resignation.

After listening to the story, Takumi pondered for a moment and said: "Hinotori Publishing welcomes any mangaka".

"Tell him that, as long as he doesn't do the same thing again, I'll forgive him. I've approved this manga, but I still have to send it to the editorial department for review".

Takumi's statement was almost like forgiving Mach. In fact, he quietly cried and thanked him again and again.

"Thank you, thank you, Tomato, and... thank you, Mirai-sensei!"

After the call, Tomato, who was next to Sakura, breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back at the small courtyard, where the lights were still on.

"Literary artists always like to belittle themselves, but Mirai-sensei is an exception". Tomato shook his head and sighed: "His open-mindedness makes me feel inferior...".

"Although Mirai-sensei is young, it's comforting to be by his side". Sakura smiled and said: "The atmosphere around him seems to put all the mangaka at ease. There's less effort and they just strive to draw".

"You're right, I found the passion of my youth in Mirai-sensei". Tomato clenched his fists: "I want to continue being a mangaka and build the future with Mirai-sensei! Without a doubt, there will be thousands of companions around him, and it must be fantastic to work together".

"You're so kind...".

Hiroshi Kawakami, who was standing next to him, felt a little envious upon hearing this: "You guys can draw, but I can't. I envy you so much...".

Upon seeing this group of people struggling, he felt a flame in his heart. 'It would be great if he knew how to draw.'

"What are you talking about!" However, Tomato smiled and put his arm around Hiroshi Kawakami's shoulders: "You're with us too, you're a mangaka too!"

"Yes, Hiroshi, you're like Akito from Bakuman, writing stories and scripts for manga...". Sakura smiled and said: "You're a mangaka too...".

"As long as Mirai-sensei is still here, we will always be together".

Unknowingly, Takumi became their point of contact, and the three believed they would always be together.

But that night, an airplane suddenly appeared and flew from the far west towards Osaka.

It brought unknown variables.

- - - - - -

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