"I was so looking forward to you coming to clean out the closets!"
The phone rang. Ren picked it up, glanced at it, and answered.
"Hello, Chief Editor Takashi?"
However, there was silence for a while, and then Takashi's hoarse voice came: "Amamiya-sensei...".
"You really... made me suffer...".
Ren blinked and thought: 'Oh, Chief Editor Takashi, you've already finished reading "Fire Punch", haven't you?''What do you think of it?'
He eagerly awaited Takashi's reaction.
"Fire Punch" is a masterpiece that will undoubtedly be applauded. After seeing it, Takashi must have thought that "Fire Punch" is very good.
"It feels... not very good...", Takashi said in a weak voice.
"Huh?"
Ren didn't expect this. "Fire Punch"... Is it that low for Takashi?
"What's wrong with "Fire Punch"?" he asked even more curiously. Would Takashi have a different opinion?
"No... "Fire Punch" is a good work, but I'm not... very good," Takashi said in a trembling voice as he looked at the draft of "Fire Punch" in front of him.
That night, he planned to go to bed after reading the first part of "Fire Punch".
As a result... the more he read, the more he couldn't stop.
What "survive," what "people need not only food, but also hope to live," what "pain comes from knowing the world too well"...
It was too painful for him to read, but he still had to read it.
Just like the protagonist Agni, living is torment for him. He hopes to die, and Takashi, the spectator, also wishes to die.
But he just wants to keep living under the hope of "surviving."
Takashi is the same, although physically and mentally exhausted, and feels a constantly burning flame.
But he just wants to keep reading "Fire Punch". After reading "Fire Punch",
he felt lost again.
The more you understand this world, the more painful it is. After reading "Fire Punch",
Takashi became completely depressed.
And after reading "Fire Punch", he was sure of one thing:
Ren... was very dangerous!
His mental state drove him to create "Fire Punch". He definitely had a mental illness, as was said online! And it wasn't a common problem; it wasn't as simple as the cognitive impairment mentioned in the previous physical examination report.
If someone told the person who created the manga "Fire Punch" that he would commit suicide in an instant, Takashi would believe it.
"Huh?" Ren was a little surprised to hear Takashi's reply.
But he soon recalled the general reaction of ordinary readers after reading "Fire Punch" in his previous life.
But it didn't matter, it was normal.
"Don't worry, it's a normal reaction."
Although he thought it was normal, Ren gently comforted him: "Chief editor Takashi, go to sleep and you'll feel better."
"You'll feel better after sleeping?" Takashi asked with a bitter smile.
'Let's not talk about the problem of whether you can sleep or not, but "Fire Punch" has such a strong effect, how can you feel it's okay?'
"Amamiya-sensei, "Fire Punch"... is a very good work."
Takashi said somewhat tactfully: "But I think... it's too early for this kind of work to be a manga."
Yes, no matter what, Takashi agreed that "Fire Punch" was a good work.
'How could it be bad?'
It has transcended the limitations of manga and risen to the level of philosophy.
It's very good, but...
you draw it so well, and you plan to give it as a gift to manga fans...
have you considered how they feel?
"I think it's fine."
However, Ren smiled and said: "Everyone should love this work. It's the best gift for everyone."
"Amamiya-sensei...", Takashi kept trying to persuade him.
But Ren replied firmly: "No matter what, "Fire Punch" is the gift I want to give everyone, so if Chief editor Takashi and the manga world are unwilling to publish it, I can find other publishers to publish it at my own expense."
After hearing Ren's words, Takashi also took a deep breath.
In this case... he had no reason to persuade him.
After all, if he didn't help publish "Fire Punch", Ren would publish this manga at his own expense.
"Alright...", Takashi silently lamented the fans' loss.
But forget it, think that Ren's fans can watch "Fire Punch" like him and feel his pain.
That's good too, isn't it?
Anyway, he can't be suffering that much alone.
After finding this reason, Takashi's mind suddenly cleared.
On the other side, Hyperion Game Development.
"What have you been doing lately?" a furious voice came from the phone: "You're wasting money again, prodigal son! I shouldn't have let you start a business!"
Haruto Yamamoto pulled the phone away a bit to prevent his father's voice from deafening him.
"Dad, I'm doing something great!"
After his father, Kenji Yamamoto, finished scolding him, Haruto said helplessly: "Relax... this time I'll definitely succeed!"
He is very confident now; after all, "Cyberpunk 2077" is about to be completed, and it seems that the completion rate is very high! However, "Cyberpunk 2077" has not yet been officially released or achieved good results.
So his tone still sounds a little weak; the most important thing is...
To develop "Cyberpunk 2077", he spent all his small fortune and took two small research and development funds from home.
So he really has no confidence.
"Didn't you always say you would definitely succeed?"
Kenji Yamamoto snorted coldly and said: "I'm telling you, if you fail again this time, you'd better go home and inherit the hundreds of billions of yen of the group."
He did not forbid Haruto from having his own ideas.
But if Haruto failed too many times, he might as well go back to work for him.
"...Okay."
Haruto remained silent for a long time before finally saying.
"Hmph, you should take care of yourself outside."
Kenji Yamamoto didn't say much: "Don't mess around outside, you're not allowed to ruin your body, it's better to find a good girl."
Finally, he hung up the phone.
Haruto listened to this and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Still, he felt great affection, but now... it was time to test the results.
He didn't want to go home, inherit hundreds of billions of yen, and be a rich second-generation who eats and waits to die.
He wanted to be like his father... a first-generation rich man! Haruto left the office with great ambition and headed to the game development department, where Kenji Nakamura was.
"Kenji, how's the development of Cyberpunk 2077 going?" he asked, looking at Kenji Nakamura.
"It's already finished. There are no major problems in the testing phase," Kenji Nakamura replied.
"Now we can start preparing for publicity."
Haruto, expectantly, asked: "But, according to Silverhand, could it be related to the "Edgerunners" animation?"
"I wonder how the "Edgerunners" animation will turn out."
There are still three chapters left. I'll write them and publish them tonight. Something happened today that delayed the morning update.
Next up is Fire Punch, animation and game, let's pick up the pace!
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