Great Mangaka

Kanto Manga Company acted quickly. Hiroshi Kawakami asked the cartoonist to go, and he arrived at noon.

Tokyo isn't far from Osaka. It only takes an hour by high-speed train. Sun-san picked up Aika at the train station. She's a cartoonist who just turned 20. She wears normal clothes, looks attractive, and conveys confidence in her eyes.

"Minister, why have you come in person?" Aika asked, surprised to see Sun-san appear at the ticket counter.

"Get in the car first, and we'll chat as we go." Sun-san led the young cartoonist to the car. After instructing the driver to drive, he turned around and explained, "First, we'll have lunch, and then we'll visit Duke Anthony."

"Duke Anthony?" Aika asked, a little excited, straightening her body, and eagerly inquired, "Will he really let me draw the sequel to 'The Detective Sherlock'?"

The sequel to "The Detective Sherlock" is something every cartoonist yearns for. If someone manages to draw it, their reputation will be immediately solidified. Just because of Duke Anthony's reputation, the work could appear in the Tōkai Daily newspaper.

This sequel has never been published. It's different from the original The Detective Sherlock. After years of copyrighted adaptations, the novelty for readers has disappeared. Even if it becomes a manga, it won't cause a big sensation.

Nobody knows what's written in The Detective Sherlock sequel, the protagonist's age, if he's been replaced; all of this is a secret. Once the sequel is published, after forty years, it will inevitably cause a buying frenzy among generations of readers.

"I can't guarantee it. No one knows what Duke Anthony is thinking. I'll give you some advice when we have dinner." Sun-san explained to Aika why he had gone to greet her. He was worried that Aika would miss her chance if she didn't perform well in front of Anthony. So he gave her some private lessons in advance.

The tutoring focused on conversation taboos, Anthony's hobbies, and some polite phrases. Sun-san had never met Anthony, but Hiroshi Kawakami had told him that the Duke was easy to get along with, so there wasn't much to consider.

After lunch, he took Aika to visit the hotel where Anthony was staying.

"Welcome...", Anne opened the door for them. Under the watchful eyes of the white-clad bodyguards, Sun-san and Anthony greeted and shook hands, and then he introduced Aika: "She is the most outstanding artist in our company. She hasn't debuted, but her painting skill is not inferior to Takumi's."

Sun-san directly used the words "the most outstanding" to praise Aika.

"Oh?" he asked. Anthony's eyes lit up, and he looked at Aika with interest: "Is your painting skill comparable to Takumi's?"

"If it's just about painting..." Aika straightened her chest: "I won't lose to Takumi-sensei."

She seemed confident. Anthony asked Anne to bring paper and pencil and asked Aika to do it at that moment: "Draw this room."

Aika nodded. She observed the room for a while and drew it entirely in just ten seconds; it was very well finished.

Anthony reached out and touched the paper, which was slightly warm. Imagine Aika's speed.

And the drawing was also excellent. The entire room was drawn in a cartoonish style, without losing any detail. Even the people in the room were drawn, and each looked real. Anthony could even see their facial expressions.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed. This painting was truly wonderful. Aika could memorize everything in the room and draw it quickly at a glance after observing it for a while. Her strength was impressive.

And the works she drew were very beautiful, certainly not inferior to Takumi's, if Takumi hadn't used those astonishing images.

Anthony was amazed: "You Japanese have incredible talent!"

He was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected there to be a cartoonist who could compete with Takumi, and she was just a cartoonist from one company. There are several similar manga companies in other regions of Japan, and perhaps there are more young talents who haven't appeared yet.

"You are very kind." Sun-san was naturally pleased to hear Anthony's praise. He explained, "Aika has been learning to paint since she was a child. She has a good pictorial foundation. She switched to manga five years ago and has only just now reached this level."

Relatively speaking, Sun-san still thinks Takumi is incredible, but he is a person without professional training. Besides, painting skill is the foundation of a cartoonist, and it cannot represent their true strength. Whether Aika can compare to Takumi depends on the content of her manga.

Anthony greatly admired Aika, but in the subsequent conversation, he didn't mention the sequel to "The Detective Sherlock." Just as Sun-san couldn't help but bring it up, Anthony suddenly asked, "Have you found Takumi?"

He was more interested in the matter. Sun-san was stunned and shook his head: "I haven't received any news. Please wait, I'll call and ask."

Sun-san went out to ask, but the secretary gave him an unexpected answer: Takumi wasn't in Osaka!

Half an hour later, the secretary arrived at the hotel, accompanied by a blonde woman, Alice.

"What country are you from?" Anthony asked curiously upon seeing Alice for the first time.

"I am Japanese by birth."

Alice stood in front of the elderly Duke and bowed her head to answer, extremely nervous. The development of the situation surprised her. After Saber's identity became known, there was little social response, and Alice considered the matter closed.

'Who would have thought that even before starting work that morning, the original author of "The Detective Sherlock" would suddenly appear? He not only met the requirements to be an enemy of Takumi, but he was also a British Duke, which made him very susceptible. Saber had no way to explain herself when she met him.'

"Japanese?" Anthony looked at Alice unexpectedly, but then frowned and asked, "Did Takumi leave Osaka?"

Takumi left Osaka now, and the timing was too coincidental, which raised suspicions.

"Yes, Takumi-sensei and his mother left Osaka at eight this morning," Alice replied cautiously. She felt very fortunate that Takumi decided to take a vacation and leave yesterday, and Anthony had appeared today.

If Kanto Manga Company had notified Hinotori Publishing a few hours earlier, Takumi wouldn't have been able to leave. But now... Alice hopes he can go as far as possible.

"Have you confirmed it?" Sun-san looked at the secretary; he still didn't quite believe it.

"He can't be wrong, I confirmed it at noon." The secretary nodded, somewhat embarrassed: "Takumi-sensei took the eight A.M. flight to Tokyo."

"What is he doing in Tokyo?"

Anthony was surprised.

"Takumi-sensei went to collect popular songs." Alice explained, "He said he was going to Tokyo to see the cherry blossoms. Now is cherry blossom season in Tokyo."

Every year, from mid-March to mid-April, this is cherry blossom season in Tokyo, and everyone knows about it.

Anthony knows the beauty of cherry blossoms and can accept Alice's explanation. When he read Takumi's manga two days ago, the cherry blossoms in "Five Centimeters Per Second" made a strong impression on Anthony. He believed Takumi liked cherry blossoms, and only someone like him could draw them so well.

"What a coincidence!" Anthony felt a little regretful. He and Takumi had just crossed paths: "When will he be back?"

This question made Alice's heart pound. In fact, Takumi was going for a stroll in Tokyo and would return in three days. But Anthony appeared in Osaka, and Alice didn't want him to come back so soon.

"Two weeks later...".

So she replied like that.

"Two weeks?" Anthony frowned. It wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either. He looked at Aika, thinking she too must be prepared. If she wanted to publish a manga, two weeks would be perfect for preparation.

"When Takumi comes back, ask him to come see me."

Finally, Anthony made a decision. He didn't ask Takumi to come back immediately.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief as she left the hotel. Without much thought, she turned around and ran to Osaka's N.º 1 High School. She called Shiori, who was in class.

"Takumi has gone to Tokyo. Osaka is in trouble. I'm worried he'll come back if he finds out! Have you finished your homework? What? No?... Then finish it all night. I'll get you a plane ticket. Go to Tokyo so Takumi stays stable!"

If Takumi returns to Osaka in two weeks and meets Anthony, it is very likely that "Fate/Stay Night" will be forced to abort.

Alice doesn't want him to work so long without getting results.

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