In April, the neon lights of Tokyo City illuminated the urban skyline.
Misaki's red sports car sped along the road, Rei sitting quietly in the passenger seat.
"When did you come up with the idea for a new work?"
After the fan meeting, on the way to drop Rei home, Misaki finally couldn't hold back and asked.
Normally, after completing a manga, an author might disappear for a year or two without producing anything new. Misaki had never expected Rei to announce news about a new project at the conclusion fan meeting of Hikaru no Go.
"Probably… one or two months ago," Rei paused, then smiled.
Actually… it was four days ago.
Rei couldn't control when the detailed memories of anime from his previous life would surface, but he had gradually noticed a pattern. After finishing a work, he would start thinking about what to create next. As those thoughts accumulated, memories from his previous life would more easily resurface in his dreams at night.
"Two months…" Misaki fell silent.
Rei had just completed a masterpiece like Hikaru no Go. The market's expectations for his next work would be unimaginably high. Any minor flaw would be magnified endlessly. From her perspective, two months was far too short.
But what Rei had already said at the fan meeting couldn't be taken back.
Besides, Rei never allowed others to interfere with his creative decisions. Knowing his personality, even if she advised him to prepare longer, he would most likely ignore her.
After thinking it over, and considering that Rei had already completed three manga series in less than two years, and that the new work would only begin serialization after the college entrance exam, she decided not to dwell on it and went straight to the key question.
"What kind of manga is the new work? Is it still… a sports competition series?" Misaki asked.
"Hm… it's a hot-blooded battle manga," Rei said. "But not only that. Actually, besides this one, I also have another battle-type work in mind."
Hearing this, Misaki immediately slowed down on the overpass.
She pondered for a moment, then turned the steering wheel, exited the overpass, and drove straight toward a nearby café.
"Editor Misaki, what is this?"
"Since you've already said that much, we need to sit down and talk properly," Misaki said.
They took seats inside the café. Rei, not particularly interested in drinks, ordered a hand-brewed coffee. Misaki, on the other hand, ordered several desserts, cake, pudding, and more.
"Two works?" she asked while eating. "You already have clear concepts for both?"
"Yes."
"And… have you decided on their titles?"
"Hunter × Hunter."
"And One-Punch Man."
In truth, Rei's memories of anime from his previous life often surfaced through dreams. Sometimes, he would dream of several works in a single night.
Four days ago, he had recalled both of these at once.
Both were super-popular works from his previous life. Since he remembered them, there was no way Rei would let either go.
But that also brought up an awkward issue.
Neither of these works had an ending in Rei's memory.
Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of Hunter × Hunter, went on another long hiatus after the Chimera Ant Arc. Until Rei transmigrated, there was still no sign of the series ever concluding.
One-Punch Man was similar. The original author ONE's extremely slow update pace, combined with Murata Yusuke's endless revisions and redraws in the remake version, meant the series also showed no hope of finishing anytime soon.
But would Rei give up on these works just because they lacked definitive endings?
Of course not.
In fact, many legendary works are remembered precisely because their endings are ambiguous or unfinished. Hunter × Hunter never ending might even be a blessing, if it ended poorly, like Yu Yu Hakusho, its reputation could suffer. Leaving it open allows fans to believe the protagonist is always continuing his journey.
Besides, Hikaru no Go itself already had an open ending. Rei felt no psychological pressure about doing the same again.
Hunter × Hunter could end at the Chimera Ant Arc, just like the anime, leaving room for imagination.
As for One-Punch Man, it was even easier.
Some manga, One Piece, Naruto, Attack on Titan, set a clear ultimate goal from the start. Ending before the protagonist achieves that goal would inevitably be labeled a bad ending.
But One-Punch Man was different.
Saitama simply drifts through life, punching monsters when they appear, taking a kelp monster home to make soup, or worrying about supermarket discounts when nothing happens. Rei could easily end the story after the Monster Association arc, leaving it open-ended without any sense of incompleteness.
After Rei briefly explained the concepts and highlights of Hunter × Hunter and One-Punch Man, he casually added—
"So… would it be possible to serialize both at the same time in Dream Comic?"
Misaki immediately shook her head.
"That idea is far too naive. This is a matter of fairness. If we make an exception for you, what do you think other manga artists will feel?"
"If everyone did that, authors would start rushing new manuscripts while their current works were still ongoing, desperately trying to secure better positions. The entire serialization system would collapse."
Rei thought for a moment, then said calmly, "But I'm confident that both works will become popular."
"I believe you," Misaki said after a long pause, sighing softly.
"But the upper management of the Group won't agree to it."
"And because of the contract you signed with the Hoshimori Group, during the specified contract period, your manga can only be submitted to Hoshimori," Misaki continued.
"Even if you were capable of serializing two works at the same time, the Group would still only approve one."
"If your creative drive is truly that strong, then instead of trying to serialize two manga simultaneously, it would be better to concentrate on a single work and serialize it at high intensity first. After that concludes, you can immediately move on to the next. That model is entirely feasible."
The Hoshimori Group would never allow a manga artist to serialize two titles simultaneously in Dream Comic.
However, they had never prohibited popular manga from publishing thirty, forty, or even more pages per week.
In creative industries, speed itself is a weapon. As long as quality is maintained, higher output naturally translates into stronger momentum and influence. Unfortunately, for ordinary manga artists, producing twenty-odd pages per week was already considered the absolute limit. Who would dare to push further?
A trace of disappointment flashed through Rei's eyes.
What Misaki said was completely reasonable. But for Rei, time was the one thing he could not afford to waste.
The works he had consumed in his previous life were constantly resurfacing in his mind. Who knew when memories of Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, or Bleach might all emerge at once?
Slow serialization would truly be a waste.
Then, after a brief pause, Rei suddenly thought of something.
"Editor Misaki… the contract I signed with Hoshimori doesn't prohibit me from doing other creative work, does it?"
Misaki nodded.
"That's correct. The restriction applies to submitting manga to other platforms within two years after Hikaru no Go ends. If you begin a new serialization in Dream Comic, the contract will be renegotiated.However, if you submit manga to another platform during this period, you would have to abandon the pen name 'Shirogane.'"
Her ears turned faintly red as she said this.
Part of the reason she had urged Rei to begin a new work within two years was precisely because of this clause. Even though she trusted him, two years was too long, anything could happen. She had no intention of letting Rei slip into another group's hands.
"Then submitting an original script directly to an anime production company should be fine, right?" Rei asked.
"How would an anime studio invest in an unproven original..."
Misaki stopped halfway through her sentence.
She suddenly realized what Rei was planning.
Wouldn't Rei understand that logic already?
He wasn't planning to pitch his script. He was planning to fund it himself.
"You're… planning to invest your own money and produce your work as an anime?" Misaki asked quietly, blinking.
If Rei was both the screenwriter and the investor, production companies wouldn't care much at all.
You provide the budget; they provide the labor. Even if the project turned out poorly, they would still complete it, after all, they were only being paid for production.
"You can pass my proposal to the editorial department," Rei said decisively.
"If Editor-in-Chief Han agrees, I'll serialize both works. If not, I'll submit Hunter × Hunter to the Dream Comic serialization meeting. As for One-Punch Man, I'll self-fund it and produce it as an anime."
Misaki was stunned.
She sat in silence for a long time, unsure how to respond.
Finally, she exhaled slowly.
"I'll relay your proposal, but don't hold your hopes too high."
"This approach aligns best with your personal interests, and I respect that. However… it will almost certainly make some of the Group's upper management unhappy."
"Unhappy?" Rei asked, puzzled.
"In Japan's manga industry, publishing groups tend to treat popular manga artists as company assets," Misaki explained.
"Not just Hoshimori, the other five major groups are the same. What they want most is for their artists to focus solely on serialization and continue generating value for the Group."
"They strongly dislike artists getting involved in copyright operations, commercial decisions, or development work. Especially if you become both an anime investor and a screenwriter. If your project fails, it's fine. But if it succeeds…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Rei understood perfectly.
If the anime flopped, it would only prove that Shirogane was nothing without the Dream Comic platform.
But if it became a hit, the Group's executives would be both threatened and resentful.
"Why should I care what they think?" Rei said calmly.
If he worried about everyone's opinions, how could he ever move forward?
He was cooperating with Hoshimori to become a great manga artist, not to become a senior employee obligated to manage others' emotions.
Misaki couldn't help laughing.
"Pfft…"
Despite being an editor at Hoshimori, her own mother had endured many unpleasant experiences working with the Group in the past. Rei's words, blunt as they were, gave her an odd sense of satisfaction.
"Alright," she said, meeting Rei's gaze.
"I understand your position."
"There's only one thing I want to say. In the entire history of Japan's manga industry, no one at seventeen has achieved what you have. In the future, when people talk about manga prodigies, your name will be impossible to ignore."
"But becoming a legend… that road is still long. Your next work is critical."
Rei nodded.
"I understand what you mean, Editor Misaki. I won't let anything interfere with my manga serialization."
Misaki smiled, stood up, and extended her hand.
"Then I'll look forward to the market performance of your next two works."
She said two works, but she knew very well that the Group would never approve simultaneous serialization.
Most likely, Hunter × Hunter would be serialized in Dream Comic.As for One-Punch Man, the title was crude, the length shorter, and even if it became an anime, its performance would probably never surpass Hunter × Hunter.
Rei stood up and shook her hand.
...
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