Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

Guan Gufeng didn't speak; of course he knew about those two magazines.

These two arch-rivals have been vying for the top spot in the youth comics market since their inception, with their editors often fighting tooth and nail over signing new talent.

"Furthermore," Hiroki Goto pushed his open notebook forward, "you can choose between a long-term or short-term contract, as long as you agree, with the same treatment."

"The price is 10,000 yen per page of the original manuscript, and 10% of the royalties will be paid for subsequent volumes."

Akiyama, who was taking notes, almost broke the pen in his hand.

He had worked in the editorial department for four years and had never heard of any new author getting a starting price of 10,000 yen and a 10% royalty on their first novel.

Hiroki Goto's words represent the iron rice bowl that every manga artist strives for their entire life: serialization.

Short-term contracts, also known as pre-contractual contracts, are usually for one year, while long-term contracts start at three years.

Compared to short-term contracts, long-term contracts offer various bonuses and revenue sharing. Moreover, regardless of the performance or if the project is canceled by the editorial department, the next project will be given priority in the serialization meeting and will receive special attention from the editorial department.

Short-term contracts offer lower bonuses and lack the benefits of long-term contracts, but they offer more freedom.

A price of 10,000 yen per page, plus the 10% royalty that only veteran manga artists receive, is already a very good deal.

"Editor-in-Chief Goto." Guan Gufeng took out a stack of manuscripts from his bag. "Please don't get excited. Take a look at my comic and we can discuss it further."

Hiroki Goto was taken aback, then realized he might have been a bit too enthusiastic. He coughed and took the manuscript from Kaze Sekiya with both hands.

"Then I'll take a look at your work first."

Hiroki Goto turned to the first page and looked at the cover.

The art style is exquisite and beautiful, but the theme of diving is quite rare.

Just as he saw Kitahara Iori's imagined future encounter, he pushed open the door.

Next page.

Completely naked, all naked men.

Hiroki Goto's smile froze, his eyes fixed on the page. After a long while, his hand trembled slightly as he turned to the next page.

He thought the atmosphere would return to normal, but when the senior and junior had a heartwarming conversation, the atmosphere suddenly changed again.

"Pfft!" Akiyama couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Hiroki Goto's lips twitched, but he continued watching until Iori Kitahara was in class wearing only a pair of underwear.

Hiroki Goto's fingers lingered on the corner of the page for a long time before he finally let out a breath.

"Teacher Guan Gu."

He looked at Guan Gufeng, and all the professional smiles on his face vanished.

Instead, he wore an extremely complex expression, the kind of expression a comic book editor with thirty years of experience would show to a comic book artist who had created a new type of work he had never seen before.

"You're a genius, and," he paused, "you're also a freak."

"We at Shueisha want this long novel."

……

Guan Gufeng ultimately decided to sign a short-term contract of one year, which would give him more freedom. Otherwise, a long-term contract of three years or more would mean that he could not draw comics for other publishers during the contract period.

One cannot put all their eggs in one basket and tie themselves to a long-term contract with a publishing house, whether it is Shueisha or Kodansha; it is not worthwhile.

Goto Hiroki watched him sign his name, but didn't say much.

Hiroki Goto leaned back in his chair, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke again, his tone hesitant and carefully considered.

"Mr. Sekiya, I heard from Mr. Miyazaki that you have another long-form novel in the works? Would you be willing to share your ideas for this work?"

Guan Gu Feng was taken aback for a moment; of course he knew that Miyazaki Hayao had written a letter of recommendation.

But he didn't expect that Miyazaki Hayao would even include details like "there are two more feature films" in the script.

This isn't a letter of recommendation; it's clearly a betrayal, as if they're afraid of not selling him out completely enough.

But then I thought about it again, and it wasn't a big deal. Shueisha would find out about K-On! sooner or later.

He originally planned to discuss it after the Tezuka Prize results were announced, but now that Hiroki Goto has brought it up, it saves him the trouble of making another trip next time.

"The other one might be a bit different from what you, Editor-in-Chief Goto, were expecting," Sekiya Kaze said slowly. "I doubt Shueisha would want it."

"How could that be?" Hiroki Goto sat upright, his tone confident. "Don't worry, Mr. Sekiya, there's no manga that Shueisha can't accept."

"Bikinis, gore, social satire—as long as the quality is there, we have the corresponding platform for serialization."

"...Then please take a look first before you decide."

Guan Gu Feng reached into the bag again, and Goto Hiroki stared at the briefcase, his pupils dilating involuntarily.

He had just pulled the original manuscript of "Grand Blue" out of this bag, and he didn't want to experience that again.

But his professional editorial instincts led him to accept the new manuscript, though with a greater degree of caution than before.

"Light-sounding girl".

The cover features a girl with short brown hair, her bangs pinned back with a hair clip, playing a guitar and holding a guitar in her arms.

Hiroki Goto's smile froze again.

He glanced at Guan Gufeng, slowly lowered his head, and turned to the first page.

He hadn't been this careful while reading comics in a long time; he was genuinely afraid that the next page would feature a bizarre scene that would cause his heart and lungs to stop.

But it wasn't until he finished reading it that he realized the whole manga was strangely normal; it was just an ordinary four-panel comic about the daily life of the Light Music Club.

A lighthearted story about a high school girl drinking tea, eating snacks, and occasionally rehearsing.

Hiroki Goto turned to the last page, then back to the cover to check the title again, before closing the manuscript.

He raised his head and looked at Guan Gufeng with an extremely complicated expression, remaining silent for a long time.

Guan Gu Feng felt uneasy under his gaze and spoke up.

"Editor-in-Chief Goto, what kind of look is that? It's kind of creepy."

Hiroki Goto continued to stare at him, his mind racing with comparative analysis.

The same artist drew one scene where Kitahara Iori is standing naked in front of Kotegawa Chisa, holding a beer mug.

On one side, four high school girls in school uniforms were sitting around a table eating cake and drinking black tea.

This person possesses both worlds simultaneously.

"Teacher Guan Gu."

"Um?"

"As long as you guarantee... guarantee me that K-On! won't suddenly have those... bizarre scenes like Grand Blue. I'll handle the serialization meeting."

Guan Gufeng was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by Goto Hiroki's serious expression.

"I promise."

"Alright then." Hiroki Goto's professional smile returned.

He placed the manuscript of "K-On!" on the coffee table, stacking it side by side with the manuscripts of "Spirited Away" and "Grand Blue".

Three original manuscripts, by the same person, on the same morning.

Hiroki Goto felt it was a bit unreal, so he reached out and aligned the edges of the manuscript paper to confirm that they were indeed there.

"Our Shueisha doesn't only produce shonen manga. We also have a shoujo magazine called 'RIBON,' where Momoko Sakura's 'Chibi Maruko-chan' is serialized."

"Moreover, since 'RIBON' is a monthly publication, the pressure to submit articles is much less."

Guan Gufeng thought for a moment and nodded. There was indeed enough time, and it would be more convenient to resolve many issues at once.

Hiroki Goto smiled broadly and quickly jotted down a few lines in his notebook.