For a comic to be serialized, it first had to pass the serialization meeting held by the editorial department.
The author was required to complete the storyboards for the first three chapters, which would then be reviewed by the editors to determine whether the work possessed sufficient commercial value.
Generally, the results fell into three categories: accepted, rejected, or pending.
Satoru had already begun drawing the first three chapters of Death Note before the Tezuka Award results were even announced. He wanted to push forward toward serialization as quickly as possible.
"Quite confident." Yoshihisa thought.
With no further comment, he picked up the storyboard for the serialized version of Death Note and began flipping through it. Almost immediately, surprise appeared in his eyes.
"Such progress in just three weeks?"
He could clearly see it. Satoru's storyboarding ability had improved by a noticeable margin.
The opening scene showed the protagonist, Light Yagami, discovering the Death Note. He picked it up, slipped it into his backpack, and took it home. The entire sequence was conveyed in just two panels, yet the movements were fluid and the information dense, leaving nothing unclear.
Compared to Satoru's earlier short version of Death Note, this presentation was on an entirely different level.
Even the panel layouts varied from page to page, giving Yoshihisa a strong sense of rhythm and progression as he continued reading.
He glanced up at Satoru, his heart quietly stirring.
"Such an exaggerated growth rate… perhaps he could surpass Oda-kun, the one favored by Editor Sasaki…"
Suppressing the excitement rising in his chest, Yoshihisa adjusted his glasses and returned his attention to the storyboard.
Tired of life in the Shinigami world, Ryuk deliberately dropped a Death Note into the human realm.
At the same time, Light Yagami, a high school student who had grown bored of his ordinary life, discovered the notebook.
After testing its power and encountering Ryuk, who came searching for it, Light became convinced that the Death Note was real. From that moment on, he resolved to use its power to eliminate criminals, create a crime-free world, and ultimately become the god of a new era.
"This is exactly what I wanted!"
Yoshihisa couldn't help slamming his fist against the table as he stood up.
Originally, Yoshihisa had envisioned Death Note as a story where the protagonist was a detective, someone who investigated a series of mysterious deaths to uncover the truth behind the notebook.
But Satoru had taken it a step further.
He made the protagonist an anti-hero. No—A villain.
"Yes… a Jump protagonist can also be a villain."
That was precisely the charm of Death Note.
"Sharper, bolder, and far more interesting than other manga," Yoshihisa said with a grin.
The title of the first episode was "Boring."
In other words, Light Yagami used the Death Note out of sheer boredom.
For his first test, he deliberately chose someone insignificant, with no connection to himself. It could be a thug, a delinquent, or a murderer. Over the span of just five days, Light wrote countless names into the Death Note, proving its power and his own existence.
"Light Yagami would rather be a god who rules the world than a hero who saves it," Yoshihisa murmured. "That's exactly the kind of protagonist Death Note needs."
He let out a quiet sigh.
Once again, Satoru had given him the feeling of discovering a hidden treasure.
"Just keep drawing like this," Yoshihisa said. "I won't give you advice. I don't want to mislead you. You've already gone beyond the traditional framework of Jump. I shouldn't be the one restraining you."
"Yes." Satoru nodded. He carefully placed the evaluation sheet into his pocket and packed up the storyboard.
Before he left, Yoshihisa asked for his bank account details, explaining that the prize money from the Tezuka Award would be transferred directly.
After Satoru exited the room, Yoshihisa quietly closed the door behind him. The moment the latch clicked shut, he could no longer contain himself.
"Yes!"
He clenched his fist and cheered in the empty reception room, his voice echoing against the walls.
"With Satoru… with Death Note…" Yoshihisa laughed breathlessly. "I-I'll be promoted to a group leader soon, right?"
"Ha ha… marvelous!"
Just as he was reveling in his excitement, a knock sounded at the door.
Yoshihisa froze. He immediately straightened his clothes and cleared his throat.
"Please come in."
The door opened, and Kazuhiko Torishima, the editor-in-chief of Jump, stepped inside.
His gaze swept over Yoshihisa from head to toe, lingering for a moment before he spoke.
"You're quite energetic," Torishima said. "I could hear you making noise all the way down the hallway."
"I'm sorry, Editor-in-Chief," Yoshihisa said quickly. "I got a little carried away."
"Hm." Torishima just nodded. "It seems Satoru is quite to your liking."
"Yes," Yoshihisa replied without hesitation. "He brought the storyboard for the first chapter of Death Note. It's a very beautiful story."
Torishima fell silent for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "Come to the editorial office later, and tell me about it in detail."
As he spoke, he slipped one hand into his pocket and gestured toward the glitter scattered across the floor with the other.
"And clean these up. Don't cause trouble for others." With that, he turned and left.
Yoshihisa bowed deeply toward Torishima's retreating figure. "Yes, Editor-in-Chief."
He remained bent forward for several seconds. Only after the sound of footsteps completely faded did he straighten up, letting out a slow breath.
"It seems the editor-in-chief really values Satoru…" he muttered to himself. "He's paying special attention to him."
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a shadow appeared at the doorway. Torishima had returned, poking his head back into the room.
Yoshihisa stiffened.
Torishima seemed unconcerned by his reaction. "I've been thinking about publishing Death Note as a short story in Akamaru Jump. It would be a waste to let it exist only as a Tezuka Award entry."