Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

"Is this Tezuka-sensei? I really like your Astro Boy series, could you please sign it for me?"

'Here we go again. This is something creators can't avoid,' Osamu Tezuka sighed inwardly, but still managed a smile when he turned around.

"Of course, I'd love to."

The other person was a college student wearing glasses, and he also had a work name tag hanging on his chest.

"May your studies be successful and your work go smoothly. To..." Osamu Tezuka paused as he wrote, and the college student quickly replied.

“Utsunomiya, my name is Utsunomiya Shoji.”

"That's a really nice name." Osamu Tezuka finished signing and returned the Astro Boy manga to the other person.

"That's fine."

"Thank you so much."

Utsunomiya bowed and left, carrying the Astro Boy toy.

……

"Huh? That's Utsunomiya-senpai, right?" Fushimikawa, who was holding "The Little Match Girl," brushed past a person with a slightly flushed face who was holding "Astro Boy."

"A beaming smile, tinged with a hint of shyness—is that the expression Utsunomiya-senpai would ever show? How disgusting."

Fushimi Kawa shook his head slightly, feeling like he had encountered a ghost.

"Tezuka-sensei," he said, waving as he looked ahead, then quickly walked over. "You're here too."

Osamu Tezuka nodded. At yesterday's CM Comic Con, the group he brought all lingered around Fushimikawa, which made him, who was used to being the center of attention, feel a bit depressed, so he started browsing the convention.

Before I knew it, I had started to like the atmosphere here, so I came back the next day.

"What are you holding in your hand?" Osamu Tezuka glanced at "The Little Match Girl," paused for a moment, then smiled. "It looks a bit like my style. Which of my fans drew this? It looks pretty good."

He was trying to save face for himself.

Regardless of the circumstances, when it comes to fan base, he's number one, far surpassing a mere upstart like Oikawa.

“Ah, this was drawn by a high school student named Katsuhiro Otomo,” Fushimikawa said with a smile. “He is very talented, and his drawing is quite good.”

"Oh?" The genius radar went off, and thinking that he might be just another tool, Osamu Tezuka's eyes lit up. "Take me to him, I want to buy one of his manga to read."

Fushimikawa nodded: "Of course, no problem."

……

When the two arrived at Katsuhiro Otomo's stall, he had already started packing his luggage.

“What bad luck,” Osamu Tezuka shook his head. “It seems I’m too late.”

He made a sound first to attract Katsuhiro Otomo's attention.

She imagined being praised by this high school student and shining in front of Fushimikawa to make up for the frustration of being ignored yesterday.

He was somewhat smug.

Osamu Tezuka stood with his hands on his hips, ready to avenge his previous defeat.

To his surprise, Katsuhiro Otomo looked at the two of them, but his gaze ignored him and went straight to Fushimikawa.

"Mr. Oikawa, it's great to see you again! Thank you so much for what you did earlier." His voice was full of surprise, as if he had met his idol.

"Actually, I've been too embarrassed to say this before, but your 'Confession' is so amazing. There's so much I can learn from it. Human anatomy, perspective and shadow, muscle dynamics... there's just too much to count."

"Huh?" Osamu Tezuka was taken aback. He looked at Fushimikawa, 'This isn't what you said?'

Fushimikawa coughed lightly: "Otomo-kun, this is actually Tezuka..."

“When I think of Tezuka, I think of Osamu Tezuka,” Katsuhiro Otomo said, unusually excited. “Actually, I’ve always really liked his Astro Boy; I was fascinated by the mechanical structure. But after watching Confessions, I realized that Astro Boy lacked expressiveness.”

"After all, this is a work from twenty years ago, so it's normal for it to be outdated. I have to keep up with the times."

His words were full of emotion.

Osamu Tezuka, however, seemed to have been struck by lightning.

"Outdated... Am I outdated?"

Chapter Sixty-Two: My Good Looks Have Been Discovered by the World

Osamu Tezuka looked dejected and dejected.

Fushimikawa couldn't very well introduce him to Katsuhiro Otomo, otherwise it would be awkward for both of them.

So he quickly changed the subject.

"You bought comics too? Let me see what they are."

He took the bag from Osamu Tezuka's hand, took out the manga, and started reading.

"So it's...it's...a fan-made comic of Bambi, hahaha."

After chuckling awkwardly twice, Fushimikawa put "Bambi" back, then whistled and looked to the side as if nothing had happened.

In the comic, the anthropomorphic deer struck various poses, leaving him parched. He could only marvel at the master's extraordinary taste, unlike that of ordinary people.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Katsuhiro Otomo was confused, while Fushimikawa pretended to be looking at the scenery.

And what about Osamu Tezuka? He stood there forlornly, his heart dead, his whole being seemingly turned to ashes.

He not only lost his fans, but also had his hobbies exposed, making him feel like he wanted to die.

……

"Hey! Oikawa-sensei is here!"

"He's even more handsome in person than in the news photos."

"Please take a picture with us."

Several girls dressed in their finest attire walked over, breaking the awkward silence.

Looking at them, Fushimikawa frowned and asked, "News? Which news article has a report about me?"

“Weekly Bunshun,” a girl said, “has a report on you, Mr. Oikawa, in the cross-disciplinary feature article. The pictures are very large so that we can see them clearly.”

"Yes."

The girls were playfully bickering and laughing together.

Fushimikawa asked, "Did you bring Weekly Bunshun with you?"

“Hmm,” someone nodded, took a neatly folded newspaper out of their bag, and carefully handed it to Fushimi Kawa. “Don’t wrinkle it, and remember to return it to me later.”

"I know."

Fushimikawa nodded, opened the newspaper, and found that there was no crease where the photo should have been; his handsome picture was hanging there in a bright light. He sighed slightly.

The fact that he's very handsome can no longer be hidden.

How annoying!

I hope no idol fans will bother me.

Finally, he started paying attention to the content.

This is a report from Weekly Bunshun, and surprisingly, it's all very serious, not gossip at all.

"The past, present, and future of comics."

"At CM Comic Con, I noticed a scene where veteran manga artists were asking questions of manga artist Oikawa Ji in the center of the crowd."

They all had their moments of glory and contributed significantly to the development of comics as they are today. Yet, they remain humble and eager to learn, always striving to keep up with the times.

This is a new form of comic book created by Oikawa Ji, the author of "Confessions". It takes the foundation of gekiga (dramatic comics) to a higher level and is more easily accepted by readers.

I noticed that among the onlookers, there were many young people with hopeful expressions, eager to join the circle of cartoonists.

I wonder which of them will become the Oikawa Ji of the future. I feel gratified that comics continue to flourish in our country, with many young people loving the industry, dedicating themselves like Oikawa Ji, and inspiring more successors like their predecessors.

After watching it, Fushimikawa felt a little better; at least he wasn't being made fun of.

This article still has positive aspects.

However, yesterday's content was published today. Weekly Bunshun really values ​​itself.

Fushimikawa looked up and saw several girls staring at him with bright eyes and sweet smiles on their lips.

"She looks even more charming when she's thinking seriously."

“I want to have his child.”

"Ahem," Fushimikawa coughed heavily, handing the newspaper back to its original owner. "Who among you has a camera? Let's take a group photo."

"Me! Me! Me!"

A girl stood up excitedly, raising her hand.

After that, Fushimikawa cooperated with the girls to take more photos.

It wasn't until 10 minutes later that they calmed down their frenzied excitement and left.

When he had some free time, Fushimikawa noticed that Osamu Tezuka had disappeared.

"They ran away? That's normal, I would have run too."

……

Meanwhile, at the "Japan Manga Convention" event, Yamashita's face was gloomy.

"It's this late, why are there still only these people?"

Compared to yesterday, the number of visitors to the Japan Manga Convention has decreased by at least 30%.

Yesterday it was packed with people, but today it's much less crowded.

Even the number of doujinshi authors has decreased.

This was entirely a business accident.

Although it has little to do with him, without creators, where can he find talented newcomers?

"Editor Yamashita, would you like to see my comic?" someone asked, rubbing their hands together beside him.