"Clear the way, clear the way!"
The conductor pushed a cart full of snacks and walked with difficulty through the crowded train car.
"This job is really hard..."
Shiori looked at his retreating back, turned around, and said to Takumi, who was next to her: "Thanks for accompanying me on the train back home."
"No need." Takumi, flipping through a magazine, replied in a light tone.
Originally, he was going to take the high-speed train back to Saitama, but Shiori didn't have a ticket. The high-speed train had just opened, and supply was scarce. It was no longer possible to buy a high-speed train ticket for that day, so they had to take the regular train.
Japan's railway transport still has a three-year transition period. Within three years, the regular train service will be completely discontinued and converted to a high-speed line.
However, the train has one drawback: it's very crowded. Although the high-speed train diverts the crowd, there are still many people standing in each car. The air floating in the car was very bland and smelled of sweat.
This smell made Takumi frown.
"Is the magazine interesting?"
At that moment, Shiori approached and leaned in, almost touching Takumi.
"Kanto Daily? Takumi, how could you read this!" Shiori was surprised to see the magazine's title. She knew the relationship between Kanto Manga and Hinotori Publishing, and she couldn't help but ask: "Aren't they competitors?"
"Yes." Takumi nodded, distanced himself a little from Shiori, and replied: "I want to study this manga."
During the day, upon leaving Osaka, Takumi and Genji had a conversation. The most discussed topic was Kanto Daily. This manga magazine was Hinotori Publishing's biggest enemy. Both wanted to take advantage of Pokémon's broadcast next year for Weekly Shōnen and Weekly Shōjo Manga to recover from Kanto Manga Company's suppression.
For this reason, Takumi wanted to study Kanto Daily to see if there was any essence he could extract to improve the quality of Hinotori Publishing's manga.
"I see." Shiori nodded. She looked at him for a moment and soon lost interest: "I told you, Takumi, what will you do when you return to Saitama?"
Takumi should have a lot of free time during the New Year. Shiori was happy to think that they could see each other often in the future, but Takumi's answer disappointed her.
"I have something to do." Takumi calmly replied: "I need to prepare a new manga."
"A new manga? Haven't you already published two?"
Shiori's eyes widened a little, somewhat disbelieving.
"Yes, but I have an assistant." Takumi replied: "I can start a third manga."
To increase sales of Hinotori's magazines, the first choice is Mirai-sensei. Every time he launches a new manga, it causes a sensation. Genji suggested that Takumi prepare a new manuscript during the New Year.
Detective Conan was handed over to Tomato and Sakura as assistants for Inuyasha. If another assistant was hired, it wasn't impossible to add a new series.
"What kind of manga do you want to draw?"
Shiori frowned. Takumi thought about it. He didn't know what to answer, so he said:
"Probably a manga with a light touch and a simple story...".
He didn't make up his mind. His temporary idea was to find a simple plot so he could hand it over to his assistant later. In addition, he had limited energy. During the New Year, he had to prepare not only a manga, but also a theme or idea with open copyright.
This was Takumi's own plan. The Gundam and Magical Girl series boosted magazine sales during the first two months and proved that Hinotori's original mangaka were not as bad as imagined. If given the right themes, they could draw many interesting manga.
Takumi believed he could have certain expectations, using simple and interesting themes to guide and improve the ability of other mangaka, and thus improve the quality of Weekly Shōnen and Weekly Shōjo Manga.
After a night's journey, Takumi and Shiori got off the train in the early morning of February 11th.
As soon as they left the stuffy train car, they were greeted by the cold morning mist.
"It's very cold at home..."
Shiori couldn't help but pull her collar tighter: "Takumi, are we going back to the prefecture by bus now?"
"No, you go back; I'm going to Higashimachi." Takumi shook his head and said: "My family doesn't have a house in the prefecture. My grandmother lives in Higashimachi. I might live there for a while."
"At your grandmother's house?" Shiori asked, her face downcast. 'Higashimachi is more than 20 kilometers from the prefecture. It wouldn't be very troublesome to see Takumi in the future:' "Will you spend the New Year there?"
"Not necessarily." Takumi smiled and said: "There aren't many rooms there. Maybe there won't be anywhere for me to stay, so maybe I'll go back to the prefecture and stay in a hotel."
Shiori's face instantly brightened, but she soon remembered that Takumi came from a single-parent family, and her gaze clouded over a little. 'Takumi didn't seem very happy returning to Saitama. According to Saitama Prefecture's popular customs and traditions, he had no father, and his mother's relatives might not want him.'
'Perhaps that's why Takumi developed his current personality. He lacked paternal love and had to be strong on his own.'
Shiori had an impulse: she wanted Takumi to go home with her and spend the New Year together. But before she could say anything, Takumi moved ahead to say goodbye:
"I'm leaving first. Call me if you need anything."
He turned and left. Shiori didn't know whether to run and stop him, but she hadn't explained it to her family yet, so it wasn't easy to just bring someone home.
"Dad... I don't know if he'll accept Takumi."
Shiori started to worry about those things.
Takumi took a bus back to Higashimachi and saw Aika as soon as he got off.
"Takumi!"
Aika exclaimed, nervous. "Why did you take the train and worry your mother all night?!"
She was no longer angry.
Takumi explained a few things to Aika and then they walked together to his grandmother's house. His grandparents hadn't seen Takumi in a long time, and they held his hand and chatted all morning, with great enthusiasm.
But at noon, several uncles came to visit with their children, and the two elders immediately focused on their grandchildren. Aika was not happy with the situation, but she said nothing. Takumi was even more used to it and was good at studying, so his uncles and aunts were very enthusiastic about him, which was very unusual. Aika did not reveal her life in Osaka, so there were no more problems.
At night, his grandparents wanted their grandchildren to stay, and Aika simply took Takumi back to the prefectural capital to find a hotel.
Takumi was happy; he wanted to spend the New Year peacefully, and he could also paint at the hotel.
Everything in this prefectural capital is still the same as when he left half a year ago. Few people know Mirai-sensei. He doesn't like going out and doesn't attend alumni gatherings.
Taking advantage of this time, Takumi thought about his new manga and themes. Before deciding on the new manga, he thought of two excellent themes:
"Touhou Fantasy Township" and the expanded license of Pokémon manga. Which should he choose?
- - - -
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