While waiting for Shiori's reply, Pokémon's production progressed smoothly.
One night, Alice brought Tomato and a man to Takumi's house.
"His name is Hiroshi Kawakami, and he's a mystery writer."
Alice introduced Takumi to the man, who was about 30 years old, thin, and sallow-skinned. From his appearance, Takumi deduced that he used to stay up late and that his family was not very wealthy. But although the clothes he wore were worn, they were very carefully ironed. 'Perhaps he had a very good, supportive wife.'
"Hello." Takumi extended his hand.
"Hello, Mirai-sensei."
The man had heard about Takumi's age on the way, so he barely maintained a firm gaze. He bent at the waist, shook Takumi's hand reservedly, and said, "I'm just a low-ranking writer. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."
The opportunity he mentioned was, naturally, to serialize Detective Conan.
Takumi needed two factors to get rid of this manga. One was the manga itself, and that Tomato could take charge of it. The second was the plot of the mystery case. Tomato didn't think about these contents, so he could only look for other people.
After greeting each other, Aika invited Hiroshi Kawakami and Tomoko to sit down, and Alice took the opportunity to tell Takumi about Hiroshi Kawakami's situation.
Hiroshi Kawakami is a mystery writer who writes articles, not a novelist. The mystery market in Japan is not large, but there are many writers, and many of them live a miserable life. The cases invented by Hiroshi Kawakami are excellent, but he is not someone capable of writing novels. He has never published a book, but he has advised many novelists.
Both novels and manga are technical products, and not only those who can imagine stories can perform well.
Takumi understands this, and Alice helped him find the right person, but the specific level cannot be judged from the information.
He sat down to chat with Hiroshi Kawakami and examined his reasoning. As for the result, Alice did not disappoint Takumi. Hiroshi Kawakami has meticulous thinking like silk and possesses all the characteristics of a mystery writer. He is also a fan of Detective Conan and has some understanding of manga.
"Okay, no problem."
After chatting for an hour and asking Hiroshi Kawakami to invent a case on the spot and then explain the resolution process, Takumi nodded with satisfaction: "Let's talk about remuneration."
As soon as he said this, Hiroshi Kawakami's expression turned nervous, and the sleepy Tomato also perked up.
"The trial period is one month, 4,000 yen per image, with monthly payments. After the trial period, you will take over my position. As for the remuneration for the images, I will pay you 1% of the book's royalties in the future. How about this remuneration?"
This was the remuneration Takumi casually thought of.
"4,000 yen, 1% royalties!"
The seemingly small remuneration shocked Tomato.
He remembered that when the first two Detective Conan books were published, Mirai-sensei could earn 20,000,000 yen each. His royalties were 10%, and 1% was 2,000,000 yen... If Tomato and Hiroshi Kawakami took over this work, they would sell at least 5 books a year, and they could earn 10,000,000 yen for every five books! 5,000,000 yen per person!
This figure made Tomato very happy, as it generated more money than the manga he published.
And Hiroshi Kawakami was so excited he wanted to faint.
4,000 yen per image, about 20 images a week, that is, 80,000 yen, Hiroshi Kawakami can earn 40,000 yen, which is 160,000 yen a month. He has been a mystery writer for so many years, and this royalty is still out of his reach.
"With this money, I'll have a stable job, I won't have to work hard everywhere, and my wife won't suffer."
Hiroshi Kawakami felt bitterness in his heart and almost cried.
'He's a writer with no future. His wife has never enjoyed a good life since marrying him.' This job, with a monthly salary of 160,000 yen, is enough to radically change their lives.
And besides, there's a 1% royalty. Hiroshi Kawakami once calculated the market value of Detective Conan and knows what that 1% means.
"I can buy a house in Osaka in a year, and it's fully paid off!"
Hiroshi Kawakami seemed to glimpse a completely new future. He and his wife wouldn't have to rent houses everywhere, but could buy their own suite, and their children wouldn't be looked down upon at school.
Hiroshi Kawakami and Tomoko looked at each other and saw surprise in their eyes.
"Okay, okay, we agree!"
The two nodded at Takumi, their faces flushed and emotion overflowing.
Takumi felt a little uncomfortable under their gaze. In fact, he was the one who received the most profitable reward. He earned 8,000 yen per drawing, double that of Tomoko and Hiroshi Kawakami. Royalties, on the other hand, were nine times higher than 10,000,000 yen... There was very little workload, and the remaining time was spent drawing other manga, and the profits would not be worse than those of Detective Conan.
But even if Hiroshi Kawakami and Tomato knew, they wouldn't care. Detective Conan was a manga created by Takumi, and they could only constantly thank him.
"Thank you, thank you, Mirai-sensei."
"I will work hard, I will certainly work hard!"
The two thirty-somethings were very excited. Hiroshi Kawakami had decided to buy a cake on the way home to celebrate with his wife. He knew that the Detective Conan model could continue and that there would be no problems for 10 or 20 years. He had a formal job, more stable than others.
It was great. Mirai-sensei was like his second father!
Hiroshi Kawakami kept thanking him and cried as he left. He got into the elevator like a small child.
After Tomoko and Hiroshi Kawakami left, Alice breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, Takumi, it's settled." She said to Takumi: "Where do you want to put the studio? Your house seems a little crowded...".
"It's okay, add another table to the studio."
Takumi smiled. With three assistants now, the family could still afford it. If there was one more person, he would have to consider moving. Renting a studio outside was inconvenient, and he didn't want to hand over the manga immediately.
Without a transition and guidance period, Hiroshi Kawakami couldn't adapt to Detective Conan's style.
"Okay, I'll buy you some equipment." Alice wrote it down in a notebook and then asked, "Do you want to announce this matter in the magazine tonight?"
Takumi frowned slightly.
If this matter became public, it would have some impact, but if it didn't, it wouldn't remain hidden in the future.
Takumi couldn't just write a few manga. He would hire many people to help him in the future. This model is a bit like a studio, but it is necessary; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to draw some manga in his lifetime...
However, people have limited energy, and he can't hide it even if he wants to. As the number of manga increases, readers cannot overlook the help of others.
Takumi analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of announcing now and in the future.
"Announce now."
He made a decision. 'Although it will have an impact, the impact of saying it now is less than saying it later.'
"No problem," Alice nodded. She wasn't too worried. Professional mangaka usually have assistants. Hiroshi Kawakami can be considered Mirai-sensei's assistant. The main plot is still in Mirai-sensei's hands. No problem.
However, unexpected things happen. Takumi and Alice's decision collided with an unexpected event.
- - - -
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