Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

Completely out of sorts, Watanabe Shizuo looked bewildered as he faced the utterly dejected Takei Toshiki.

"What exactly happened?" He sat down in front of Takei Toshiki and asked with a serious expression.

Takei Toshiki scanned the room, found no one else, took a deep breath, and then explained the whole story clearly.

"Oikawa-sensei has decided to end 'Doraemon for Kids'."

These few words sent a chill down Watanabe Shizuo's spine. His eyes widened, a kaleidoscope of images flashed through his mind, and he felt dizzy.

At the height of his career, why did Oikawa choose to leave Sunday?

This was something Watanabe Shizuo could never have imagined.

Where can you find a cartoonist who is so free and willful?

He had been an editor for decades and had never heard of it.

Now that Oikawa has left, what will happen to Sunday?

The positive momentum will be interrupted, and the company's prospects will suddenly become bleak. Forget about increasing the issuance volume; even not reducing it to the previous 65 would be a good thing.

Covering his forehead, Watanabe Shizuo managed to regain his composure: "How could he think that? Why did he have to end Doraemon?"

Takei Toshiki glanced at him, his eyes full of disdain, and did not answer.

Watanabe Shizuo said incredulously, "You mean it's all because I didn't value him that Oikawa-sensei chose to end Doraemon? It's all my fault?"

It's the norm in the industry for newcomers to gain experience and achieve results before receiving better treatment.

Increase royalties, provide generous signing bonuses, promote the work, publish a standalone book...

He was just a step too late.

There may have been some disdain for newcomers and a stubborn refusal to admit defeat, but Shizuo Watanabe felt that he had fulfilled his responsibilities as editor-in-chief.

There was no suppression or fault-finding.

"No contract fee was paid, royalties didn't increase, the collected volumes are still out of the works, and Oikawa-sensei's bonuses haven't been paid even after a year of serialization... He made great contributions to 'Sunday,' yet his treatment is no different from that of manga artists ranked at the bottom." Takei Toshiki listed Watanabe Shizuo's faults with a calm expression. "Editor-in-chief, you've probably forgotten all of this yourself."

"Then why didn't you tell me!"

"I've said it before, but you just don't want to hear it."

Toshiki Takei was exhausted and too tired to explain anymore.

Now that things have come to this, what's the point of explaining things clearly?

A mistake has been made.

Watanabe Shizuo's facial muscles twitched; he suddenly remembered these things.

Takei Toshiki, who repeatedly sought out Oikawa Ni's benefits, and himself, who always ignored him.

Under the slander from the foot of the mountain, I lost my judgment as editor-in-chief.

“What have I done?” he groaned.

Silence fell over the room.

After a long pause, Watanabe Shizuo asked with a hint of hope, "Didn't you try to persuade Oikawa-sensei to change his mind?"

“I tried everything I could, but he was unmoved, and…” Takei Toshiki looked around the editorial office and memorized the environment.

This is the company he has worked for for more than a decade, and he should be very familiar with it, but now it feels somewhat unfamiliar.

"He has already partnered with others to establish a publishing house."

Examples include the stories of Osamu Tezuka and Sanpei Shirato.

This shows that Oikawa can't turn back, and Weekly Shonen Sunday can't mend the rift between them.

Watanabe Shizuo, however, was somewhat unwilling: "Wait a moment."

He closed his eyes and began to think. After half an hour, he said to Toshiki Takei, "Alright, let's set off together."

"Where to go?"

"Oikawa Studio."

……

On this joyous day, the editor-in-chief disappeared, which made Yamashita very anxious.

He pretended to be busy with work to fill the void in his heart.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Yamashita instinctively looked over, only to find Watanabe Shizuo's face.

The two stared at each other. Watanabe Shizuo, who had been staring blankly, suddenly became sharp-eyed. His gaze was fixed on Yamashita, his eyelids half-closed. Although he did not show any signs of annoyance, the coldness he exuded sent chills down Yamashita's spine.

"Wait for me to come back."

Watanabe Shizuo spoke calmly.

……

He was leaving Shogakukan, but Fushimikawa didn't need to change his studio address.

He and Maki Fujiwara were still students, so they could seek support from the school for their business venture.

Thanks to Maki Fujiwara's efforts, they obtained office space with three years of rent-free and property management fee-free accommodation, requiring only a small amount of water and electricity fees.

Although neither of them is short of money, this is a great thing.

You can never have too much money when starting a business, and you should spend it wisely.

So the company's address is also near Waseda University, and it only takes 10 minutes to get there by bicycle from Fushimikawa.

Of course, the school's help is not free. Once they have succeeded in their businesses, they will need to give back to their alma mater through donations.

This can be considered a two-way transaction.

Using Waseda University's reputation and resources was a great help to the two of them, who were still students.

Thinking about all sorts of trivial matters, Fushimi Kawa was filled with excitement. He didn't feel a headache at all; on the contrary, he was eager to get started.

"This is my drawing of 'Detective Story,' teacher, please take a look."

Only Fushimikawa and Hirokane Kenji were in the studio.

Asano Yoshimasa accompanied Fujiwara Maki through various procedures.

Arima went to the editorial department of "Elementary School Fourth Grader" to take over the serialization of "Ikkyu the Clever".

Taking advantage of Fushimikawa's free time, he handed over the manuscript of the three chapters.

“Okay,” Fushimikawa nodded, looking at Hirokane Kenshi’s smile.

The content of "Detective Story" is quite good. Kenji Hirokane did not focus on drawing puzzle-solving content, which he was not good at, but instead used small cases to depict the helplessness of the lives of marginalized people in the city.

The backdrop is the hustle and bustle of a metropolis, while the content depicts the loneliness of someone who has migrated to the east.

Works imbued with genuine emotion and warmth.

Where do you plan to submit your work?

This is a comic that can be serialized in the main magazine.

“Of course it’s your magazine, teacher, although I don’t know its name yet,” Hirokane Kenji said decisively.

Fushimikawa was taken aback, and somewhat moved.

This is the culmination of Hirokane Kenshi's style; even if it doesn't become a blockbuster, it's definitely capable of serving as a mainstay of youth magazines.

He chose a publishing house that was still in its infancy and whose future seemed uncertain.

This trust left Fushimikawa speechless for a long time.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Wait a moment."

He stood up, moved by the experience, opened the door, and saw Watanabe Shizuo carrying a bag full of gifts.

Fushimikawa's smiling face involuntarily fell.

His good mood was completely gone.

“Mr. Oikawa, this is our second meeting, right? The first time was at the annual meeting,” Watanabe Shizuo squeezed into the studio and greeted Fushimikawa warmly. “As the editor-in-chief, I’m really sorry for neglecting you for so long.”

Takei Toshiki followed behind him, giving Fushimikawa an apologetic look.

Thinking about his future career in the manga industry, Fushimikawa didn't say anything excessive.

"No, no, why would the editor-in-chief need to visit a cartoonist? I should be the one going to you."

Despite being mocked, Watanabe Shizuo remained unfazed and chuckled, saying, "It's all the same, all the same."

He handed the gift to Fushimikawa, saying, "This is a vintage Daiginjo sake from Fushimikawa in Kyoto. It wasn't expensive, but I thought it would suit Oikawa-sensei well, so I bought it for you."

Kyoto Fushimi is a long-established brewery, and Daiginjo is a high-end grade of sake. It's also a cellar-aged sake, so its value is very high.

To give such an expensive gift to a younger generation, Watanabe Shizuo really went all out.

Fushimi sighed inwardly.

Fortunately, the former Watanabe Shizuo was aloof and did not treat scholars with such respect, otherwise he would have had a hard time leaving Shogakukan.

He gave Hirokane Kenshi a wink.

Hirokazu Kenji understood and stood up: "Please sit down, everyone. I'll go pour some tea."

He went to the kitchen, leaving only Fushimikawa, Toshiki Takei, and Shizuo Watanabe in the room.

“Mr. Watanabe, you don’t need to bother. I’ll just get straight to the point,” Fushimi said. “In any case, my mind is made up about leaving Shogakukan, and there’s no going back.”

He spoke with such certainty that Watanabe Shizuo turned pale.

He earnestly said, "Weekly Shonen Sunday will suffer a great loss without you. Please think about it again."

"Isn't it a joke to say these things now?" Fushimi Kawa shook his head slightly.

Chapter Seventy-Three: But I Refusal

Fushimikawa was getting annoyed by Watanabe Shizuo's persistent pestering.

He involuntarily uttered harsh words, hoping to end this unnecessary conversation as soon as possible.