Whether a manga is truly good is often clear from its very first chapter.
Works like Reborn!, slow at the start but explosive later, are rare exceptions. Most successful titles shine from chapter one all the way to their peak.
Of course, many of those giants still collapse near the end, because sustaining brilliance is the hardest challenge in the entire industry.
But Hikaru no Go?
That was a masterpiece that stayed captivating from the opening page to its final moment.
In Rei's previous life, fans constantly begged the author to continue it. Not because it was incomplete, but because it ended too soon.
Misaki and Rika, standing here now, could clearly feel why.
Earlier, both had worried whether a Go manga could be readable at all. Especially Rika, as a pro player, she initially wanted to reject this task outright.
"I spend all day fighting on the Go board. Why would I come home and read manga where the characters are… also playing Go?"
To her, that sounded like double punishment.
But now, after finishing the first chapter, she lifted her eyes from the manuscript, breath slightly quickened.
"Rei, what happens next? What's the next part of the story?"
It surprised even herself how eagerly the question left her mouth.
She had no idea what the actual match between Sai and Akira looked like. Rei hadn't drawn a single proper diagram, only blank pages representing unseen moves.
But through their dialogue and tension alone, she knew: Sai won by two points.
Akira was shaken. And the pressure from being a world champion's son, she understood that perfectly.
In real life, teenage prodigies existed everywhere in the Go world.Talents who became pros at thirteen, then crushed hardworking players like her without effort.
So when she read Akira's scenes, her mind instinctively replaced him with every smug little genius she'd ever faced.
Rei took a breath and began explaining the upcoming plot.
The moment Misaki saw his expression, her worry eased. He wasn't uncertain, he was confident.
And as Rei described the threads ahead, a fated rivalry. A thousand-year-old Go master chasing "The Hand of God." Two boys growing, colliding, inspiring each other.
Misaki felt her editor instincts spark to life.
The market was unpredictable, sure. No one could forecast what the public would love or hate.
But one rule never changed: A manga only needs one thing, to be genuinely interesting.
And Hikaru no Go, even with its niche theme, was overwhelmingly interesting.
Rika finally sat back, eyes gleaming.
"I get it now, Rei. Don't worry, I already know how to structure the match between Sai and Akira."
She tapped her phone lightly.
"For Akira's first game as a 1-dan pro, there are tons of real match records in the association. I'll find a few good ones and modify them."
She smiled, a real smile, not her earlier polite professional one.
"You said Hikaru will crush Akira again in chapter two, right? Then draw the next draft quickly."
She leaned forward. "I'll help you design the second game too."
"Oh, got it!" Rei straightened up immediately.
"Let's exchange contacts," Rika added.
"We'll need to talk often from now on."
Misaki blinked.
Just minutes ago, these two were strangers. Now they were talking like old colleagues, united by pure enthusiasm.
She had thought Rika was the cool, aloof type. But it seemed that when something truly interested her, she could be surprisingly warm.
Rei pulled out another folder.
"By the way, Rika-sensei, my plot outline is nearly complete. Given the pacing, this series should run for at least a full year."
"Later on, the manga will involve the pro-exam arc, and the matches after the protagonist becomes a professional player. I can look up the basics online, but, for the real details, I'll need to consult you. I hope you won't mind me bothering you. And of course, I'll pay your remuneration on time."
The alternate-Japan version of Hikaru no Go that Rei intended to draw was based on the manga from his previous life, merged with pieces from the live-action adaptation.
But the Go environment in this world wasn't identical, and for everything from terminology to handling of pro rankings, he needed someone within the industry.
That was why he had sought out Rika, not only for the game records, but also for the background realism of the world.
"Remuneration, huh?" Rika perked up at that, pushing up her glasses lightly.
She had wandered through many twists and turns in her Go career, but her personality was refreshingly straightforward.
"A high school manga artist affording professional consulting fees? I heard from my uncle the amount wasn't small. Are you sure your manuscript payments can even keep up…?"
She had been prepared to say: 'the story is fun, so I might lower the price a little… consider it a contribution to promoting Go.'
But Rei didn't even let her finish.
"It's fine."
He thought she was worried he couldn't pay, so he explained directly.
"My first manga sold over a million. Tonight already has two volumes coming. The numbers aren't public yet, but anyone in the industry can estimate it, my total royalties should be around sixty million yen by now.
So paying your consulting fee won't be a problem."
Rika's expression froze.
Sixty… sixty million?
Her face warmed slightly.
Only world-level tournament champions or prodigies with massive sponsorships saw that kind of money.
Her own income, match appearance fees, a modest salary from the Go association, some private students, wasn't bad, but nowhere near that.
She had been worried he couldn't afford it. Turns out she was the one who couldn't relate financially.
The discount she planned to offer died on the spot.
'Manga artists are absurdly rich…'
And now that she'd met a rich high-school boy, she should probably charge him the full amount, maybe even a little extra.
Rei didn't notice the shift in her expression, only feeling relieved when she didn't object.
Good. Anything solvable with money wasn't truly a problem.
And if Hikaru no Go exploded the way it had in his previous life, then consulting fees were nothing but loose change.
After they discussed a few remaining details, Rei and Rika left the Yukishiro house separately.
December had already arrived.
With only one month left before the January serialization window that Misaki had warned him about, Rei had no time to waste.
He needed to push out the next chapters as quickly as possible if he wanted to seize the opportunity.