The Yahoo forums were buzzing with discussions about Ichiro Fujima.
[Why is someone with only an elementary school education able to publish a book?]
[Probably because he's too simple-minded to know better. Lol.]
[The Death Note situation is really serious. How can something like that appear in a shonen manga? It needs to be boycotted!]
[Because of Fujima's recommendation, I went and read Death Note. It's actually really good. I have to thank him, otherwise I would've missed it entirely.]
1997 was the early stage of internet development in Japan, and the majority of people posting on forums were male.
Fujima's words didn't trigger the negative reaction he was hoping for. If anything, the online crowd was happy to see him get cursed.
Kyoko Ikeda's expression grew uglier and uglier as she stared at her computer screen.
How to describe her?
She was a severe lookist. Even if a man was a murderer, she could comfortably fawn over him from behind a screen.
As long as he was handsome, nothing else mattered.
"Mom."
She walked out of her room and gave a wildly exaggerated account of what had happened.
She simply left out Fujima's criminal history and painted him as a talented young writer being attacked by the internet.
"That's unacceptable." Mrs. Ikeda frowned. "Promoting ideas about curses in a publication aimed at young people will corrupt children."
She was the PTA president of Kamiyama High School. Without wasting any time, she discussed the matter with other parents, teachers, and school staff. They ultimately decided to file a formal complaint and protest with the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department.
This kind of thing was happening in households all over the city.
Some parents had only read the reposted headlines and hadn't even looked at Death Note, yet they were already calling Jump's offices to scream at the editors.
The notoriety of Death Note had skyrocketed far beyond what it had during the Akamaru Jump run. It had reached the point of being a household name.
...
Meanwhile, the Fujin home was calm and peaceful.
Kai even brought some of the apple jam over to visit his neighbor, Rin Tsukasa.
"This is jam my little sister made. It's nothing special, but please accept it."
"Thank you so much. Please, come in for a drink."
Tsukasa's house looked a bit worn down, and the hallway floorboards creaked underfoot.
She was the only one home, along with a black cat.
She looked a little lonely.
Kai at least had Yuta to keep him company in Tokyo.
When he'd first gotten back, Yuta had been a wreck, terrified that Kai's career was going to implode before it even started.
Under Kai's reassurance, he'd calmed down.
Having someone worry about you was a warm thing.
Tsukasa, on the other hand, was far more solitary.
Kai noticed a plate of snacks and a teacup sitting in the hallway.
Before he'd arrived, Tsukasa had been here alone, eating snacks and sipping tea by herself.
They hadn't been chatting long when Kai's phone rang.
Heishi told him that he and Kazuhiko Torishima were planning to come by to discuss the serialization contract and asked if it was a good time. Kai had no choice but to excuse himself.
He needed to get home first to tidy up and prepare something for the guests.
"Please wait a moment." Tsukasa stopped him before he could leave. She went to the kitchen, brought out a dessert, wrapped it up neatly, and handed it to Kai. "This is red bean jelly I made yesterday. Please take it."
After thanking her, Kai accepted it with both hands and, with Tsukasa seeing him off at the door, headed back to his own house.
...
About two hours later, Kazuhiko Torishima arrived.
He was carrying an armload of items: fruit, drinks, and tea leaves.
"Editor-in-Chief Torishima, this is too much."
Kai stepped forward to greet him, while Yuta stood off to the side looking visibly nervous.
He'd heard of Torishima for years. The man was a key figure at Shueisha who had poured enormous effort into creating and promoting manga IPs. Yuta hadn't expected to be meeting him in person today.
'Kai's really made something of himself.'
Heishi shook out his hands. He'd lugged the gifts the entire way, but the moment they reached Kai's front door, Torishima had snatched them out of his arms.
"Please, come in." Kai opened the door and stepped aside.
"Thank you." Torishima nodded and walked in first.
"I assume Heishi has told you why I'm here today."
Settling onto the living room sofa, Torishima glanced at Heishi and then turned to Kai.
Heishi nodded, confirming he'd briefed Kai in advance.
"Yes," Kai replied. "Editor Heishi said you were coming to sign a contract."
He spoke quickly and got straight to the point.
"Please, take a look."
Torishima took the file from Heishi and passed it to Kai.
Kai read through the terms carefully until he hit a number. "Twelve million yen!"
He was taken aback.
"The annual contract fee for a typical newcomer is usually between six and eight million yen, and it increases over time. But for real talent, we offer more." Seeing Kai's reaction, Torishima smiled. "Fujin, is there anything you're unhappy with?"
"No, not at all." Kai shook his head.
The contract stated that for the duration of the annual contract, he could only work for Shueisha. He couldn't devote his energy to anything else.
Furthermore, whether he had new ideas or not, he could not collaborate with any other manga publication.
Whether a contracted manga artist serialized or sat idle was Shueisha's call.
Unless he received explicit approval and support from Shueisha.
Kai had no objections to any of this.
After all, weekly manga was already grueling enough. Where would he find the time or energy to juggle something on the side?
The whole point of Jump's annual contract system was to let the manga artist go all-in on the weekly schedule.
And in exchange, Shueisha would shield the artist from outside interference.
With that thought, Kai signed his name without hesitation.
Torishima nodded with satisfaction.
The contract was in triplicate. Heishi kept two copies. One stayed with Kai.
"The most important thing is done." Torishima relaxed, leaning back into the sofa and stretching out. "Next is the Fujima situation."
He flicked his fingers, looking completely unbothered.
"Kai, don't pay attention to the noise. Just draw Death Note well. I'll take care of everything else."
Kai nodded.
Even if he wanted to do something, there was nothing he could do.
Getting into a public argument with Fujima would only play into the man's hands.
He should focus on the manga. The better Death Note performed, the more resources Jump would invest in it.
By the time Death Note became a pillar of Weekly Shonen Jump, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to force it off the magazine.
"Good. I'm glad you see it that way."
People in their early twenties were all stubborn, full of that fearless energy.
There were plenty of cases where an argument online escalated into a real-world confrontation, sometimes with fatal consequences.
That was part of why Torishima had come in person. He wanted to see Kai's attitude with his own eyes and make sure the young man understood where Shueisha stood.
"On May 26th, in the 23rd issue of Weekly Shonen Jump, Death Note will officially begin serialization."
"I'm giving Death Note a lead color page, so make sure you have the color draft ready in advance."
After finishing, Torishima stood up and took a bite of the red bean jelly on the plate.
"This is delicious."
He narrowed his eyes.
_______________________
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