My girlfriend is Saiki Kusunoki

So, the winner today is our Mr. Naoto!

Naoto: It sounds like someone is talking about me. Is it just my imagination?

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Vampire Clan's Aftermath and the Genius Comic Book Boy

Recently, the storyline of vampires has sparked heated discussions in the comic book world.

For no other reason than that everyone felt that Naoto, as a manga artist, was far too free.

If you only read the first two chapters of Vampire Clan, you might think that this manga is a typical light novel story where the second male lead helps the female lead find her father and then they defeat the villain together.

However, what makes Vampire Clan so outstanding is that this comic doesn't follow the usual formula at all.

Just when everyone thought that the male protagonist, Ye Ren, would become a magician by some opportunity and then help the female protagonist, Li Luo Ai—the male protagonist sent a letter.

That's right, it was sent. After the heroine Liloai absorbed all her blood, it was sent, and this scene was witnessed by the male protagonist's best friend, the Gray One. What's going to happen now? Liloai is suddenly seen as a villain.

Then, the male protagonist inexplicably became a vampire, and the only vampire in the last few hundred years.

Good heavens, the Greys have joined the Church, and the protagonist has become a vampire.

It suddenly turned into a love-hate relationship.

But so far, everything has been going smoothly.

But what happens next—

The male lead's older sister, his only family member, was incredibly cute and charming, and had an extraordinary on-screen chemistry with the second male lead. However, not long after, she was killed by the second male lead.

When they saw this, not only the readers, but also the industry leaders were completely bewildered.

You're a popular female character, and you just got killed off like that? Are you out of your mind?

However, this move also successfully resonated with readers—the sad scene of the protagonist's sister's death brought tears to many eyes.

However, the vampires then provided the main characters with a power-up – the highly popular human wizard, Destroyer Ronne.

The group of elite nuns from the cult, who were easily defeated at the very beginning, even possessed a sinister aura. Furthermore, when they learned that the protagonist, Nightblade, wanted to learn magic, they even made human modification a condition for it.

This character, who is both righteous and evil, has also received high praise from readers.

As the main characters outwit and outmaneuver the Destroyer Ron, the mysteries surrounding the magic of this world and the identity of the Destroyer Ron gradually unfold.

As Liloie's father's fellow apprentice, his identity is shrouded in mystery, and it is highly likely that he is not human at all.

However, Teacher Ai Ou never revealed this point back then, so it's anyone's guess how long it will take to find out Long Yin's true identity.

What interests everyone most is that the magic in this world has so many limitations.

Language and materials are both indispensable. Even each spell can only be used once a day; after use, the spell will be forgotten.

Even the amount of magic that can be recorded in a day is limited.

However, despite these many restrictions, its power is also extremely strong, with each spell comparable to a forbidden incantation, leaving readers thoroughly entertained.

That's why Bloodline has always been number one in popularity in JUMP. In the manga world, Naoto can truly be considered a top-tier manga artist.

Therefore, the JUMP editorial department is also working urgently on the Bloodline manga, and every editor is very much looking forward to seeing how far this high school student manga artist can go.

That day, Naoto was having dinner at Nanko's house. Nanko's mother warmly served a table full of delicious dishes to entertain Naoto, making Naoto feel quite embarrassed.

Just as Naoto was about to savor Nanako's mother's cooking, Nanako's father suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, right, Naoto, come with me to the editorial office tomorrow. The editor-in-chief seems to want to talk to you about something."

"To the editorial department? Why?"

Naoto was very puzzled when he heard what Nanko's father said.

After all, comic book authors generally don't go to the editorial department unless there's something important going on; otherwise, the editor is responsible for the author's affairs.

"Could it be related to the collected volumes?"

As for the reason why the editor-in-chief called him, this is the only thing Naoto can think of right now. It seems like there's nothing else that could have alarmed the editor-in-chief.

"Hmm, I think the editor-in-chief probably has more to do than just this."

"Eh?"

"Because I heard that Professor Akira and the others were also called over. I think it must be because of that person."

"that person?"

Seeing how mysterious Qi Mu's father was, Naoto couldn't help but become curious as well.

"Ah, Naoto, you don't know this yet? It's this one."

"this?"

Naoto was stunned when he saw the news in the newspaper handed to him by Nanko's father.

"The youngest Tezuka Award winner in history, Eiji Niizuma? The birth of a genius manga artist—can he defeat ONE and Muto Ashirogi to become the new king of manga? What is this?"

Straight people who saw this news were full of questions. Why were they suddenly being cared about when they hadn't done anything right?

"Eiji Niizuma, the winner of this year's Tezuka Award. A very talented manga artist. The editor-in-chief wants to invite him to serialize his manga in Weekly Shonen Jump. I guess the reason he's asking you to come over is because of this."

"Tezuka Prize, huh? That's a really impressive guy."

Upon hearing this, Naoto couldn't help but become curious. Speaking of Eiji Niizuma, he felt like he'd heard of him somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place him.

However, if the other person can win the Tezuka Award, they must be a very talented person.

Speaking of the Tezuka Award, its status in the manga world is similar to that of the Seinen Prize for traditional artwork, and in terms of popularity, it is even more prestigious.

This award, established by Shueisha to commemorate Osamu Tezuka, the "God of Manga," has been held twice a year since 71. Those who receive this award are all industry leaders.

Naoto had considered participating in the Tezuka Award before, but when he submitted his work, there was still a long time before the award ceremony. After the serialization started, Naoto didn't have time to think about it anymore.

So I didn't pay any attention to it.

I didn't expect there to be such a powerful guy this time. If this guy comes to Jump, things will get interesting.

"By the way, this is that person's painting. Although some parts still seem quite rough, like you, they have already developed their own system in terms of painting skills. And the imaginative plot is also a plus."

Naoto glanced at the painting as he took it from Nanko's father.

Just as Nanzi's father said, the painting has already developed its own style, and the storyline is also very exciting, especially considering that the other party is only 15 years old.

"Interesting. Let me meet this rising star in the comic book world."

At this moment, Naoto put down his painting, and a fierce fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.

Chapter 24: First Meeting with Ashirogi Muto

The next day——

Naoto accompanied Nanako's father to the JUMP editorial department of Shueisha.

The last time I came here, I was still an unknown new comic book artist.

But this time, he arrived as a popular author in Jump. Naturally, my feelings about coming here now are different.

If I had to put it into words, the feeling right now is similar to going for an interview at a prestigious university and then going to see the counselor after successfully getting into the university.

As soon as he entered, Naoto saw Akito and Moritaka sitting upright in their chairs, like well-behaved boys, waiting for the editor-in-chief.

The two were somewhat terrified, completely unaware of why the editor-in-chief had summoned them.

It's like you're at school and suddenly you're told the head of your grade needs to see you. The worst part is they don't tell you what it's about, which is a bit scary, especially since the two of them have started serializing their work, but it's not very popular and could be canceled at any moment. The two are terrified; the editor-in-chief called them in because of the cancellation issue.

"Oh! You guys have already arrived. I thought I was the first one here."

"you are?"

Upon seeing the two, Naoto immediately came over to greet them, but it was clear that Moritaka and Akito didn't recognize him at all. After all, the only time they had met was during their last submission, and at that time, neither of them had noticed the other's presence.

"Oh, I forgot you don't know me yet. My name is Naoto Yamashita, and my pen name is ONE. Nice to meet you."

"ONE?! Could it be that ONE-sensei?!"

Upon learning Naoto's identity, the two immediately stood up from the sofa.

Although the two have always regarded ONE, who tops the Jump popularity charts, as their rival.

Every time the popularity rankings come out, they also compete with the straight people.

However, when the two of them actually met Naoto in person, they showed him exceptional respect.

Meanwhile, the two were also observing this man, who was hailed as the most talented manga artist in Japan in recent years.

Although he was 16 years old, older than them, upon closer inspection, he didn't look older than the other two. When the three of them stood together, they looked more like peers.

However, what's more striking about Zhi Ren is a kind of confidence, the confidence of a successful person. Coupled with his gentle, sunny smile and handsome features, it's easy for him to win people's favor.

"Yes, if I remember correctly, I saw the two of you in the editorial department last time. At that time, Gao Di even bumped into me."

"Ah! It was that time! So the person from that time was actually ONE-sensei!"

At this moment, Moritaka and Akito gradually remembered what happened that day. It was rather embarrassing that everyone else remembered them, while they had absolutely no recollection of it.

"Haha, it's okay, it's normal that you two don't remember me. Besides, there's no need to call me 'teacher,' it's kind of embarrassing. Just call me Zhiren."

After hearing Naoto's words, Moritaka and Akito's affection for Naoto immediately skyrocketed.

Who wouldn't like someone who's down-to-earth, capable, and kind? Plus, the three of them were all close in age, so they quickly started chatting.

"Oh, no, we'll just call you Zhiren-ge. Speaking of which, we're also fans of the vampire clan! Zhiren-ge's comics are really interesting."

"That's such a coincidence! Every time Jump releases a new manga, the one I pay the most attention to is the two of you doing it."

"Really? That's great!"

To receive praise from the most talented manga artist of the moment, Naoto Yamashita, Moritaka and Akito were incredibly excited, and they immediately exchanged contact information with him.

"By the way, was Zhiren also brought in by the editor-in-chief? What exactly is it about this time?"

Since the editor-in-chief, Naoto, has been invited, it's highly likely that it's not a serialized story or anything like that. So what could it be about?

"Well, I'm not really sure about that, but I heard it might be because of the Tezuka Award winner this year. I heard the editor-in-chief invited him to draw manga in Jump."

"The Tezuka Award?! Could it be that Tezuka Award?!"

"Aside from that award held by Shueisha, there shouldn't be any other award called the Tezuka Award."