Great Mangaka

In the park, under the streetlamp.

"Why do you always look at me like that?"

Takumi asked uncomfortably, twisting his scarf.

"Rina said you're weird." Alice looked him up and down: "What's so weird about you?"

"Am I weird?"

Takumi, stunned, smiled bitterly: "She suddenly hugged me, and I got scared and pushed her away. What's so weird about that?"

Alice also saw it and pondered: "Can I hug you?"

"Okay." Takumi generously opened his arms: "Come on!"

Alice smiled slightly, leaned in, and hugged him. She was very tall, and hugging him made her feel like a brother and sister.

"That's right." Takumi hugged her back.

Alice was startled, her heart pounded, and she immediately let go of him: "Forget it, forget it, I was wrong."

She pulled away from Takumi, looking at him in a panic. He looked normal, but with a smile in his eyes.

"You won..."

Alice said angrily. 'Takumi was, without a doubt, a charming boy. If you got too close to him, it could be harmful to women. You had to be more careful in the future.'

"Let's go back."

After the meeting with Rina, Alice believed there would be no problem. As she suspected, sales of Five Centimeters Per Second showed no signs of decline. Mirai-sensei and his manga received a lot of attention. More and more people noticed him, and television stations also sent him invitations to participate in their programs.

Hinotori Publishing intensified its advertising non-stop, and the employees were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

However, in that prosperous era, news broadcast by NHK changed the world.

"According to our broadcaster, on December 23rd, Kanto Manga Company was founded in Yanaka. Next week, Kanto Daily manga magazine will be launched, to be sold in major bookstores nationwide from Monday to Friday. Kanto Manga Company has reached an agreement with Tatsuryū Publishing. Tatsuryū's Manga Department was acquired by Kanto for 30,000,000 yen."

"Kanto Manga Company announced its cooperation with local television channels, Kira Kira Animation Studio, and other animation companies... It is reported that 90% of the first batch of manga graduates from Tokyo University opted to join Kanto and the corresponding animation production companies for internships..."

"Some experts commented that the founding of Kanto Manga Company will advance the maturity of Japan's manga and animation industries by ten years."

Overnight, with this news, the Japanese manga industry underwent a radical change.

All media and television channels focused on the newly founded Kanto Manga Company, and Mirai-sensei and his manga, obviously, became supporting roles. No one came to marvel at his sales.

A few days later, Tsukimoto Genji hastily called Takumi to talk, and an unexpected person was present: Shuji, editor-in-chief of Tatsuryū Novel.

The three were sitting in an elegant tea room, each with a different expression.

"The manga industry has been reactivated, and capitalists are starting to look for gold." Shuji spoke first, saying: "Tatsuryū Publishing abandoned the manga department. It's inevitable. I believe Tsukimoto-san knows the reason."

Takumi looked at Tsukimoto Genji curiously.

"Yes." Tsukimoto Genji nodded and then asked Takumi: "Have you heard of Kanto Bookstore?"

"Kanto Bookstore...".

Takumi had read in textbooks that Kanto Bookstore was a national bookstore chain similar to Kinokuniya Bookstore. It covered all of Japan and even had branches in remote towns.

"Could it be that Kanto Bookstore itself opened Kanto Manga?"

"You could say that." Tsukimoto Genji nodded and explained: "The capitalist behind Kanto Bookstore is a major shareholder of Tatsuryū Publishing. This time Tatsuryū abandoned the manga department, and it must be for this reason."

"That's right."

Shuji admitted: "After all, our company's status as a novelist is mainly based on Kanto Bookstore's channel advantage. This time, with the founding of Kanto Manga, it's natural for them to snatch the manga department from us."

As editor-in-chief of Tatsuryū Novel, Shuji keeps a secret. Kanto and Tatsuryū have signed a mutually beneficial cooperation agreement. Tatsuryū's novels can enjoy very high original royalties by being transferred to Kanto Manga, which is basically the same as the original manga department.

The income doesn't differ much, and it can save trouble and effort, so Tatsuryū simply abandoned the manga department.

"Kanto Bookstore, that powerful?"

Takumi asked, a little surprised. He had never been to that bookstore.

"Impressive, and with solid capital." Tsukimoto Genji drank tea and slowly said: "Kanto Bookstore is rooted in the community. Its sales are the sum of all other bookstores. Almost 40% of readers across Japan usually go to Kanto to buy books."

"Mirai-sensei, of course, you don't see it in Osaka, because there are all kinds of bookstores here." Shuji looked at Takumi and continued Tsukimoto Genji's words with a smile: "In prefectural cities, there are fewer bookstores and incomplete categories. Hinotori Publishing's main channel relies on private bookstores, which cannot be compared at all with Kanto."

"Kanto hadn't ventured into the manga business before. This time they created a new company and don't even need advertising. Those manga magazines can appear in major bookstores nationwide and won't fall behind. It's easy to surpass their sales."

Shuji's words were serious, and Takumi was puzzled again.

"Kanto is such a good channel, why can't we sell manga through Kanto?"

"I'm also curious about this question." Shuji looked at Tsukimoto Genji with a smile and said: "Before, capitalists had no interest in manga, but now, is it impossible that they haven't looked for you?"

Tsukimoto Genji nodded and said: "3% of Hinotori's shares, that's their request."

This sentence made Takumi understand that he wanted to keep most of Hinotori Publishing's shares. If Tsukimoto Genji agreed to give up another 3%, the old man wouldn't have much left. 'If it were Takumi, he wouldn't agree.'

"Tsukimoto-san, sometimes it's better to be generous."

Shuji didn't know the story. He shook his head and said: "Joining Kanto has more advantages than disadvantages. You can't compete with them in terms of funds, channels, advertising, and public opinion. Even the quality of their mangaka is inferior to yours."

"Of course..."

Shuji paused and smiled at Takumi. "This does not include Mirai-sensei."

He looked at the time and stood up.

"I'm going to get ready for work. You should think about it carefully."

Shuji picked up his briefcase and left the tea room. Before leaving, he paused and turned to add: "It suits me to speak frankly about some things. The manga industry is about to become a red ocean and fiercely competitive. The capitalists behind Kanto Manga are definitely not just Kanto Bookstore, and Kanto Bookstore also sells manga from other places. Their power to manipulate public opinion is very strong."

"Hinotori Publishing has little chance of winning, Mirai-sensei, Tatsuryū Publishing will always open its doors to you."

Shuji bowed slightly and turned to leave.

The great trend of the manga industry has arrived. Hinotori Publishing can only rely on Mirai-sensei's manga. 'Can his manga change the fate of a company?'

"It's simply a fantasy!"

Not to mention Mirai-sensei's current serialization of two manga. He doesn't have time to prepare a third. Even if he does, 'what can a manga do?'

- - - -

Big News!

Thanks for reading! Your support this week on both Webnovel and Patreon has been incredible.

As a result, this week we'll have 4 daily chapters on Webnovel and 8 daily chapters for paid Patreon subscribers.

Also, if we can reach 20 paid subscribers a month, the base number of daily chapters will permanently increase to 3 on Webnovel and 6 on Patreon! Your support on Patreon is key to making this happen!