In the morning, several editors from Weekly Shōnen observed the closed conference room and discussed the matter.
"Who is that person? Why is the editor-in-chief entertaining him?"
The editorial department has a rule prohibiting outsiders from entering and leaving at will, but the editor-in-chief, Kurosawa, brought two people in early in the morning and took one of the teenagers to the conference room for a secret talk. This aroused the curiosity of all the editors.
"Maybe he's a relative of the editor-in-chief."
Someone replied like that, but others immediately objected: "Don't talk nonsense, the editor-in-chief has always been clear on public and private matters, and he wouldn't do something like that."
"Since he's not a relative, he can only be a mangaka."
"No, he only looks 16 or 17. How can there be such a young mangaka?!"
"Ask Sun-san, who went out with the editor-in-chief, and you'll know."
"Sun-san, come here!"
The editors looked at Sun-san. The young editor was preparing his briefcase and replied, "That boy is the author of Detective Conan. I have to go collect manuscripts and don't want to talk to you anymore."
He didn't postpone Tomato's pickup date. In addition to his daily duties, the manga editor must also act as the artist's agent. Tomato is the best-selling professional mangaka under Sun-san's direction. Compared to young Takumi, Sun-san undoubtedly cared more about him.
However, upon hearing Detective Conan, the other editors immediately remembered the new manga praised by the editor-in-chief a while ago...
"That kid is the original author?!"
"So young..."
The editorial department was furious.
"Sun-san, isn't that the genius you discovered? Why didn't he go to the conference room?"
The editors' gazes focused on Sun-san. Sun-san touched his head, confused: "I don't know. Forget it. I won't tell you. I have to go get manuscripts!"
He grabbed his briefcase and left the editorial office.
The editorial office fell silent, and after a long while, a booing sound was heard.
"Is he a fool?"
A manga editor's performance is linked to the mangaka they are responsible for. Generally, new mangaka are handled according to the rule that whoever discovers the manga will be the editor in charge. As editor-in-chief, Kurosawa will not be the editor in charge, so everyone thought that Detective Conan had fallen into Sun-san's hands.
However, did this idiot not care at all?
"You don't want him, I do," many editors became enthusiastic. Detective Conan is a manga with potential. If it's popular, the editor in charge will undoubtedly be rewarded. But how to convince Kurosawa!
Unaware that the people outside already considered him a coveted commodity, in the conference room, Takumi explained the subsequent story of Detective Conan.
"Very good."
Kurosawa nodded repeatedly. He was worried that Takumi's talent wouldn't last long, but after listening to the explanation, he felt that his worries seemed unnecessary.
Then he explained the manuscript fee and talked about royalties.
"If a single volume is published, royalties for newcomers are usually 5%, and we can increase them to 10% for you." Kurosawa sat opposite him and said: "This is the highest share in the industry. We hope to use it in exchange for your promise to give our company priority in manga within ten years."
"Priority?"
Takumi frowned. 'Was this promise intended to tie him to Hinotori Publishing?' He didn't like it.
"It's just priority under the same conditions. If someone pays more than us, you can choose freely." Kurosawa smiled and explained: "I want to include it in the contract. It's a mutually beneficial agreement."
Takumi was stunned. 'This is what fantasies mean. This editor-in-chief is truly bold. He's willing to throw such a big bait for the unknown Takumi.' Takumi had no reason to refuse.
"Okay."
After discussing everything, Aika accompanied Takumi to prepare for signing the contract.
But before signing it, Aika suddenly hesitated. She had heard many celebrity rumors. Although mangaka are different from celebrities, Takumi is still young. 'Will he be able to maintain a peaceful life after his debut?'
"Aika-san, please rest assured. We can sign a confidentiality agreement."
Kurosawa was well prepared. He signed a confidentiality agreement: "Our company will strictly keep Takumi's identity and age confidential and will never leak it."
With this contract, Aika helped Takumi sign the formal contract with peace of mind. From that moment on, Takumi became a true professional mangaka. His remuneration was 4,000 yen per page, and royalties for single volumes were 10%. That is, for every single volume sold for 300 yen, Takumi could receive 30 yen.
Takumi overcame several obstacles at once. 'He didn't know how difficult it was for other artists to become professional mangaka!'
"The manuscript will be published in the magazine in a few weeks. Please prepare the next plot in advance." After Kurosawa signed the contract, he smiled at the mother and son and said, "Let us know when you move, and we'll send someone to help you."
Aika was surprised to hear this: "Moving? To which house?"
"Of course, we're moving to Osaka." Kurosawa looked at her, somewhat surprised: "Is Takumi going to work in Saitama Prefecture? That's too far. It's not safe to send all the works by mail. The key is that there's no editor-in-chief to assist him, and it's also complicated to hire an assistant."
Manga are different from novels. They are simple at first glance, but in reality, they are intense work. A manuscript must go through many stages, such as text, storyboards, and drafts. One panel requires at least dozens of drawings. The editor's guidance and the assistant's help are very important for professional mangaka.
"But we've never considered moving!" Aika exclaimed, panicking: "I don't have a job here, and he doesn't have a family registration to go to school. Moving is simply unrealistic!"
Although Takumi's salary is high, Aika worries that he won't be able to find other opportunities in the future, so she wants him to continue studying.
"Aika-san, I don't think he needs to go to high school." However, Kurosawa didn't believe it. He frowned and said, "It's not that he necessarily has Takumi's talent after graduating from university. Going to school is a waste of time for him. It would be better for him to dedicate himself to manga!"
"Mangaka rely heavily on talent. Aika-san, you should believe in Takumi. There are definitely no more than 50 people capable of drawing Detective Conan right now, and they are all professional mangaka in their thirties and forties."
Kurosawa spoke a great truth, without even considering the potential represented by the last image. The level of mangaka in this world is generally low, and they are not as good as Takumi, who studied for a long time in his previous life. However, Aika still refused to give in. She was traditional by nature and firmly believed that "learning is the best way out," and insisted on not letting Takumi drop out of school.
Just as they were arguing, Aika's cell phone rang.
"You answer first."
Kurosawa gestured, and Aika answered: "Hello?"
"Ishida-sensei, yes... I'm Takumi's mother, what's wrong?"
"What? The high school entrance exam results? I didn't see them, they came out today!... 725! Are you sure you didn't misstate it?"
Kurosawa was surprised to see Aika's face turning redder and redder, and her voice trembling.
"Okay, okay, yes, no problem, I will definitely notify him!"
After hanging up the phone, she hugged Takumi despite Kurosawa's presence: "Takumi, you really got 725 points on the high school entrance exam! 25 points away from the maximum score, second in the prefecture!"
Takumi was stunned. '725 points? How could it be more than he expected?'
Kurosawa stood up: "I'm sorry, Aika-san, I'd better retract that."
"...If Takumi's grades are that good, then he can continue going to school." A glimmer flashed in his eyes and he said: "But he's coming to Osaka, we can help him with family registration and school."