Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

Eri Aragaki thought for a moment and said, "How about next week?"

"Okay... then let's meet at the Shueisha editorial office at noon next Monday."

Sakurai Masaya thought for a moment, agreed on a time, and said, "The address is Hitotsubashi Building, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, the headquarters building of Shueisha. When you get there, just tell the receptionist you're looking for Sakurai Masaya from the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department."

"Okay, I've written it down."

Eri Aragaki said, "...I will be there on time next Monday at noon."

"Then it's settled."

Masaya Sakurai said, "We'll talk in detail when we meet. Congratulations again, Mr. No Pears."

Eri Aragaki replied with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Sakurai. See you next Monday."

See you next Monday.

Then the call ended.

Eri Aragaki stood there, holding her phone, stunned for several seconds.

Then a bright smile slowly spread across her face.

She turned around and saw the store manager and Ayane Takeda carrying goods in from the doorway.

Eri Aragaki took a deep breath and then excitedly shouted to them, "Manager, Ayane, I did it!!!"

Chapter Twelve: Youth Is Always Wasted

June arrived as scheduled.

The annual sweltering summer, the most grueling time of year for Earth Online players, has begun.

However, for Japanese high school students, this is also the beginning of what they call their dream.

Akita Prefectural Nigaho High School.

"Alright, that concludes today's lesson. get out of class dismissed!"

After the teacher announced the end of today's lesson from the podium, the students packed up their things and prepared to leave the classroom.

However, after class, no one was in a hurry to go home. Everyone was excited to head to various clubs to give their all and enjoy their youth.

Japan has a rich club culture, with all sorts of clubs and organizations.

Sports clubs include baseball, basketball, and soccer.

Art-related clubs include the Fine Arts Club, the Comics Club, and the Wind Instrument Club.

In recent years, supernatural and suspense sections have also become increasingly popular and have a considerable market.

In short, all kinds of clubs and organizations are available.

The students left the classroom in twos and threes, some carrying rackets, some carrying musical instruments, and some carrying drawing boards.

The corridor was filled with lively laughter and footsteps.

What a vibrant and lively scene of youth!

However... not everyone participates. There are also students who are not sociable and do not join any clubs for various reasons.

For example... vine trees.

Holding his briefcase, he stood by the window in the corridor, looking down at his enthusiastic classmates who radiated sunshine.

however……

In his eyes, those people were simply wasting their time and energy because they had nowhere to vent their frustrations.

He couldn't help but complain about their pointless efforts in various parts of the school.

Fujimoto Itsuki was considered a freak by his classmates and the people around him.

It wasn't because he was antisocial, but because everyone thought he seemed a little mentally unstable.

Sometimes he says he's not a vine tree, but a budding young boy.

Sometimes he would say that he was a bird that could fly.

His classmates thought he was a bit strange, and over time they stopped associating with him.

Fujimoto Itsuki didn't care about this.

He looked out the window at the people running off to club activities, muttering, "These guys are really wasting their ideals and their youth."

But he was different.

He had always been determined to become a cartoonist.

So, in that sense, shouldn't he have joined the school's art club, comics club, animation club, or similar clubs?

The school naturally has a comics club and an art club, and so on.

But in his view...

These guys... these so-called club-loving guys don't actually want to be manga artists.

They are completely different from him.

They were just using this as an excuse to get together and have fun.

Some people were reading comics in the clubroom, some were chatting, and some were eating snacks.

There are very few people who are truly serious about becoming a cartoonist.

Fujimoto Itsuki felt that these people were a disgrace to the name of the manga club.

Therefore, he felt that joining clubs and such was a complete waste of his ideals and youth.

If he wants to become a cartoonist, he can't do it this way.

Instead, you need to work hard yourself, practice your drawing skills, and learn from the ideas of cartoonists.

"It's boring."

Fujimoto Itsuki stuffed his textbook into his bag, stood up, and walked out of the classroom.

There were hardly any people left in the corridor; most had gone to the club activity room or the playground.

He went down the stairs, passed through the lobby on the first floor, and walked out of the teaching building through the main entrance.

The sunlight outside was glaring, and the temperature was much higher than indoors.

Fujimoto Itsuki narrowed his eyes and walked towards the school gate.

He lives not far from the school, about a 20-minute walk away.

We passed through a shopping street with various small shops on both sides.

There were vendors selling stationery, snacks, and bento boxes.

There's also a small bookstore with the latest issue of a comic book magazine displayed at the entrance.

Fujimoto Itsuki was walking home when the sun made his back feel hot.

He felt a little hot and his throat was dry.

There happened to be a convenience store in front of him, so he decided to go in and buy an ice pop.

Welcome!

This convenience store isn't big, but it has a pretty complete selection of items.

Fujimoto pushed open the glass door, and a blast of cold air hit him, making him feel much more comfortable.

He walked to the freezer, opened the door, and took out a soda-flavored popsicle.

"How much is it in total..."

Then he went to the cashier to pay and asked.

Various magazines and newspapers were displayed on the shelf next to the cashier.

Fujimoto glanced at it habitually.

Then his gaze stopped.

The latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump in June is on the shelf.

"That's right!"

He then remembered that today was Monday, the release date of Weekly Shonen Jump.

He reached out and picked up a book, then flipped through it.

The cover features the promotional slogan for this serialized work, along with a prominent label.

"Supplement to the 73rd Tezuka Award Selections"

When Fujimoto saw this label, he naturally knew about the Tezuka Award.

Tezuka Award.

That was the gateway for aspiring cartoonists.

It is held twice a year, and the winners are all selected newcomers.

Fujimoto Itsuki himself is also practicing drawing manga and has thought about submitting his work to the Tezuka Award one day.

Therefore, he has been paying close attention to news about the Tezuka Award.

"Let's add this Weekly Shonen Jump."

Without hesitation, he paid for the popsicle and the magazine together.

"Hello, in total..."

The cashier put the magazine and popsicles into a plastic bag and handed it to him.

Fujimoto took the bag and walked out of the convenience store.

He tore open the popsicle wrapper and ate it as he walked home.