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

"The Tezuka Award results will be announced in early June, but the final results will be out in late May. Can we talk about the formal contract for 'K-On!' then?"

Although Hiroki Goto wanted to keep Kaze Sekiya at Shueisha, he couldn't just set conditions for him.

The reason why "Grand Blue" was able to sign a contract with a veteran comic artist is because the quality of this comic is indeed very high. Its paneling, pacing, and art style are all in the top tier of youth comics.

With the added support of "Spirited Away" and a letter of recommendation from Hayao Miyazaki, this contract is secure.

But K-On! is different; four-panel comics have always been on the periphery of the Japanese comic industry's ecosystem.

The newcomer award doesn't consider four-panel comics, the serialization lineup rarely leaves room for four-panel comics, and the sales ceiling for collected volumes is several orders of magnitude lower than that of shonen and seinen comics.

The fact that it was even brought up for discussion at the serialization meeting was already the highest level of treatment that Hiroki Goto could offer.

Guan Gu Feng nodded, knowing that Goto Hiroki's authority was not unlimited.

We'll have to wait for the Tezuka Award results. With the boost from "Spirited Away's" ranking, Hiroki Goto will have a completely different confidence when discussing "K-On!" at the serialization meeting.

Moreover, he is not short of money at present.

The royalties from the four books have already exceeded 200 million yen. The sales revenue from the Nintendo Game Boy will have to wait a while, but it is estimated to be more than the combined royalties from all the books.

He has accumulated enough initial capital, and with his foresight, it will be easy for him to make enough money in the future financial market to live comfortably for several lifetimes.

If all else fails, consider the classic match: the 14 World Cup semi-final, where Germany beat Brazil 7-1.

"Okay, no problem."

Hiroki Goto closed his notebook, stood up, straightened his suit jacket, and suddenly spoke.

"Then I'll treat Mr. Guan to a meal. There's a restaurant nearby that grills excellent cod."

"what?"

"This is an old tradition in the industry," Hiroki Goto explained with a smile. "The editor treats the manga artist in charge to their first meal, which is a sign that the collaboration will go smoothly in the future. It's lunchtime now, and Mr. Sekiya must be hungry too."

"Well... thank you very much, Editor-in-Chief Goto."

Silver cod is indeed very delicious.

After finishing the meal, Hiroki Goto muttered something about "we hit it off immediately" and said he would see Kaze Sekiya off.

Guan Gufeng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and quickly refused to leave.

After Sekiya Kaze left, Goto Hiroki and Akiyama Masaru walked back to the headquarters building together.

Hiroki Goto stood with his hands in his suit pockets, walking at a leisurely pace. Akiyama was walking beside him, his mind racing, calculating how many forms he would need to fill out to go through the legal process at the Ministry of Justice.

"Akiyama."

"Um?"

"We need to work closely with Professor Guan Gu's works in the future."

Akiyama paused, his steps slowing slightly. "Goto-senpai, wasn't Sekiya-sensei your direct contact?"

"Sekiya-sensei found you first." Goto Hiroki turned around and looked at Akiyama Masashi. "I wouldn't stoop so low as to steal your manga artist. With Sekiya-sensei's help, you should have no problem getting the vice editor-in-chief position next time."

"Teacher Guan Gu is not like those newcomers who need your guidance. As long as Teacher Guan Gu works with you for a few more years, no one will make things difficult for you because of your seniority in the future."

"This..." Akiyama hesitated.

"You brat, what are you hesitating for?" Goto Hiroki said with a laugh, patting the back of his head.

"I'm busy enough as I am now. Besides, at my age, how much higher can I go? Editor-in-chief? The editor-in-chief is in meetings with the board of directors every day and doesn't even have time to look at the manuscripts."

"How high is high enough? I'm already satisfied with being the editor-in-chief. The best part of this job is being able to calmly watch all kinds of new people emerge."

……

Back in the office, Hiroki Goto went to do other things, while Masaru Akiyama returned to his workstation, which was covered with sticky notes.

Follow up on the storyboard, confirm the printing, and pick up the manuscript from the bookstore...

Just as he was about to meet with several of his cartoonists who were behind on their deadlines, someone patted him on the shoulder.

He looked up and saw Kazuyuki Yamamoto standing next to his workstation, holding a steaming cup of coffee, with the gold Shueisha logo pinned to his shirt collar.

Her hair was neatly combed back with hair gel, a stark contrast to Akiyama's hair, which was being tousled by Hiroki Goto.

"Where did you go for lunch? I was just about to call you for lunch..." Yamamoto Kazuyuki said casually, but his eyes quickly swept over the contract on Akiyama's desk that hadn't yet been put into the drawer, only noticing the words "Azure Sea".

He continued with a laugh, "Then you turned around and you were gone."

"I'll treat a teacher to dinner." Akiyama Masashi said without looking up, flipping the contract face down on the table.

"Oh? Which teacher is it? What does it depict? Which publication is it signed for?" Yamamoto Kazuyuki leaned against the partition at Akiyama Masaru's workstation, asking as if it were the most ordinary casual conversation between colleagues.

"Yamamoto, the 'Deputy' Editor-in-Chief." Akiyama looked up. "I'm busy. The contracts are confidential; you know the rules."

Yamamoto Kazuyuki's smile froze for a moment, then he waved his hand in a gesture of surrender: "Alright, alright, it's my fault for not being as skilled as you." His tone was light. "Then you go ahead and get busy, let's have dinner together another day."

Kazuyuki Yamamoto turned and walked away, his eyes revealing disdain as he rounded the corner of the corridor.

Akiyama watched the departing figure and shook his head.

Kazuyuki Yamamoto and he were promoted to full-time positions in the same period, but unlike him, Kazuyuki Yamamoto's focus was not on manga.

He spent most of his energy on interpersonal relationships, flattering his superiors, ingratiating himself with his peers, and serving several of his successful cartoonists. He presented himself as a nice guy to his colleagues.

In the recent election for deputy editor-in-chief, Yamamoto Kazuyuki was promoted, but his position was marked as "temporary".

If the performance target is not met within the specified time, the title will be taken back.

After that, Yamamoto Kazuyuki would visit his workstation every few days, using the guise of "concern" to subtly probe his intentions.

At first, he didn't realize it and even bought the other person coffee once.

Later, when Hiroki Goto reminded him, he realized that several of the manga artists who had won newcomer awards had been poached from him.

They were all taken away by Yamamoto Kazuyuki shortly after the review meeting, with the excuse that "the other party is more willing to work with me".

Different road non-phase plan.

He could understand Yamamoto's behavior; in this industry, everyone wants good performance and everyone wants to climb the ladder.

But understanding doesn't mean forgiveness; just be more mindful.

……

On the other side, Sekiya Kaze stood at the entrance of the Kadokawa Shoten headquarters building.

He was already very familiar with this building, but every time he came here he had a new feeling.

Shueisha's headquarters resembled a meticulously operated publishing factory, with mountains of manuscript boxes everywhere and editors scurrying down the corridors.

Kadokawa Bookstore is more like a quiet art museum, with gray marble floors in the lobby downstairs and movie posters hanging on the left wall.

Kadokawa Shoten, editor-in-chief's office.