The release date for Yūzai was still undecided.
A total of 100,000 copies of the first volume had already been printed. The copies brought back to the editorial department were meant for promotional giveaways and autographs.
At Tamura Nanako's desk, Su Yu was signing copies of Yūzai.
Fortunately, he used the pen name "Hane" (羽) as his manga artist alias. Signing even a hundred copies wasn't a big deal.
Hikigaya Komachi watched him sign and thought that Su Yu must have practiced calligraphy.
His "羽" character was written beautifully.
In less than half an hour, all 100 copies were signed.
"Thank you for your hard work, Su Yu-sensei," Satou Yumiko said as she brought over a cup of coffee.
"It wasn't hard at all—very easy. Once the volume officially releases, please send me a few copies. I'd like to give them to some people."
"No problem," Satou Yumiko nodded.
As Su Yu sipped his coffee, his gaze fell on a poster hanging on the wall.
After a moment of hesitation, he turned to Satou Yumiko.
"Do you need me to draw a poster?"
"You… you have time?" Satou Yumiko asked in surprise, glancing at Hikigaya Komachi.
Komachi was immersed in reading Yūzai's manga.
Although the volume hadn't been officially released yet, since she was brought here by Su Yu, Satou Yumiko figured it was fine.
"Komachi, I can draw an illustration from Yūzai for you. Do you want one?" Su Yu asked.
"Yes!" Komachi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Does the editorial department have drawing tools?" Su Yu turned to Satou Yumiko.
"Yes, we even have a designated room for artists. Some manga authors prefer to draw here."
Su Yu smirked.
A small enclosed room for manga artists… That sounded suspiciously like a prison cell.
A "Prison" for Artists?
A few minutes later, Su Yu stood at the doorway of a small room.
"Is this a jail cell?"
"Some artists can't focus at home. When deadlines approach, they come here to lock themselves in and work," Satou Yumiko explained with a smile.
"A nice place… for seclusion training." Su Yu remarked as he stepped inside.
"If you need anything, just call me," Satou Yumiko said before closing the door.
Inside, Su Yu looked at the drawing tools on the table and powered on the computer.
The poster design didn't need to be overly detailed—just like his usual manga illustrations.
After a brief moment of thought, he chose a scene under a sakura tree.
His drawing speed was fast.
In the illustration, four girls stood beneath the blooming cherry blossoms, gazing at the village scenery.
The petals floated gently in the wind—it was an aesthetic, captivating scene.
An hour later.
Su Yu finished the poster, saved it, and sent a copy to his phone.
Noticing a printer nearby, he printed a physical copy, signed his pen name, and walked out.
An Excited Editor
The moment he opened the door, he saw Tamura Nanako standing there.
"Su Yu-sensei, is the illustration done?" she asked eagerly.
"It's done. The rest is up to you," Su Yu handed her the poster.
"Thank you!"
Nanako glanced at the drawing and was instantly impressed.
Su Yu noticed her expression and said casually, "Print a copy for yourself—I'll sign it."
"Really?! Thank you, Su Yu-sensei!" Tamura Nanako's eyes lit up.
She hurried inside, saved the file to her email, then printed a personal copy before deleting the file from the computer.
Since multiple manga authors used this room, the editorial team always checked and saved necessary files while deleting the rest.
For authors who stayed long-term, the room was cleaned thoroughly after their departure.
Komachi's Treasure
Hikigaya Komachi carefully stored her signed illustration.
Meanwhile, after Su Yu signed Tamura Nanako's copy, she uploaded a photo of it to his official account.
She also announced that Yūzai's first volume would soon be released.
The poster's official version would also be available for sale.
Satou Yumiko had already decided to print 10,000 copies, setting a higher price—but she believed it wouldn't be enough to meet demand.
Other Yūzaimerchandise, such as miniature dolls of Koharu, would start production after the manga's release.
Su Yu didn't need to design any additional merchandise. The manga itself already depicted adorable characters, making it easy to recreate them as figurines.
With various merch items on the horizon, Yūzai's revenue was bound to increase further.
Although it wouldn't match the profits of Future Manga Publishing, Su Yu was personally invested in the series' success.
As his favorite anime, he wanted Yūzai to be loved by this world.
Satou Yumiko chatted with Su Yu for a while—mostly about Yūzai.
The editorial team had high expectations for the manga and was eager to see its performance.
During the conversation, Su Yu learned that Future Manga Publishing also had an online store.
Though they handled manga sales, other companies were responsible for merchandise production.
Before Yūzai's release, the online store would open pre-orders to determine the print quantity.
The top-selling series on the store's charts were shōnen battle manga.
Satou Yumiko believed Yūzai had a chance to break into the top five.
The best-selling manga had achieved 100,000 pre-orders within 24 hours, while the second place had only 80,000, a significant gap.
However, that was two years ago—the site's traffic had now surpassed a million visitors.
While Yūzai might not immediately enter the bestseller rankings, its 24-hour pre-order numbers could still make a strong impact.
Su Yu glanced at the sales data.
The lowest-ranking manga on the chart had monthly sales of 100,000 copies, while the highest exceeded a million.
While some fans bought multiple copies, from a publisher's perspective, that wasn't a problem at all.
An Unexpected Announcement
"Ring, ring!"
Suddenly, Satou Yumiko's phone rang.
She hesitated before picking it up.
The moment she heard the caller's words, she shot up from her seat in shock.
"Is… is this real?!"
Su Yu glanced at her in confusion.
What could be so surprising?
Satou Yumiko, realizing Su Yu was watching, opened her mouth but hesitated to explain.
After listening for a while, she ended the call—but her expression remained odd.
She turned to Su Yu, looking both excited and bewildered.
"Su Yu-sensei… Yūzai… has been selected as an official art textbook."
"…Huh?"
Su Yu was stunned.
A manga being chosen as a teaching material?!
"The person on the phone also asked if you'd be willing to give a lecture…" Satou Yumiko added.
"I refuse." Su Yu rejected it immediately.
"Understood, I'll decline on your behalf. In that case… we'll increase the print run to 300,000 copies."
"Handle it however you like. If anyone asks about me, just say I don't want to be disturbed."
Su Yu got up, already guessing why Yūzai had been chosen as a textbook.
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X