Looking at the email from Rin, Akira found it somewhat amusing.
"Is the resentment really that deep?"
Judging by her reaction, the effect of his cliffhanger was indeed quite good.
After all, he had been an old cliffhanger pro in his previous life.
However, to Rin's likely disappointment, even if he wanted to fix this habit himself, Hisashi probably wouldn't allow it.
Because for web novels, serialized manga, and even any work that cannot be published all at once, the need for 'cliffhangers' is universal.
And for works updated every week like weekly serialized manga, the need for 'cliffhangers' is even stronger than in web novels.
So, even if Hisashi would curse as a reader when encountering such a situation, as an editor, he would still demand that Akira keep up the good work.
Ending his exchange with Rin, he temporarily put down his phone.
But just then, another call happened to came in; it was from Hisashi.
When the call connected, Hisashi's cheerful voice came through:
"Congratulations, Mochizuki-sensei! From today on, you are an officially debuting mangaka. And a serialized mangaka debuting directly in Shonen Jump at that!"
"Thank you. This is also thanks to Mr. Sasaki's help."
Akira responded with a smile.
"But the real beginning starts now, doesn't it?"
Hearing the other party say 'thanks to his help,' Hisashi couldn't help but give a slight, wry smile.
Compared to the typical interaction mode between an editor and a rookie author, the help he provided to Akira could only be described as truly limited.
Facing a genius mangaka, there was simply too little for him to worry about, but this kind of ease actually caused a bit of frustration.
Of course, if other editors knew what he was thinking right now, they would probably want to beat him to death.
Upon hearing the next part of the conversation, Hisashi immediately regained his composure and said seriously:
"Yes, since serialization has begun, you will have to face this most brutal battlefield next."
Even if he believed Akira would definitely become a pillar-level mangaka, and even if the editorial department was equally optimistic about Tsuna's potential, if the serialization failed to produce results, everything would be empty talk.
In Shonen Jump, where the reader is king, the only result that matters is the readers' votes—the absolutely unquestionable shōsei rankings.
"The shōsei rankings are generally tallied on the fourth day after the weekly issue is released, but before that, there is a flash report result. Do you want to know about it?"
As he spoke, Hisashi gave him a rough explanation.
The flash report results are compiled on the second day after the weekly issue's release, based only on the data from the first 100 survey questionnaires received, and they do not factor into the editorial department's final decisions.
After listening, Akira asked with some confusion:
"This ranking sounds like it's not very useful?"
"That is indeed the case."
Hisashi explained with a smile:
"It's just that some authors want to confirm their performance as soon as possible after the weekly issue is released so they can focus on their creative work with peace of mind. That's why we compile such a reference ranking."
"I see."
Akira nodded in realization.
So it was specifically used to coax children—no, to coax authors.
"Then I only need to know the shōsei results."
"Alright. Also..."
Hisashi nodded, then subconsciously started to say something, but immediately caught himself and changed his words helplessly:
"...No, it's nothing."
"What's wrong?"
Akira felt it was a bit strange, and Hisashi gave a wry smile:
"It's really nothing, I just habitually wanted to nag you for the manuscript."
"Oh."
He understood everything instantly and curled his lips into a smile.
"It looks like at least with me, Mr. Sasaki will have to get used to things."
The roles were completely reversed!
It had always been his job to remind authors to adapt to the intensity of updates as quickly as possible. Since when was it an author's turn to remind him instead?
However, with Akira, he could only helplessly agree:
"I understand."
There was no choice; who else could finish drawing an entire manga chapter in just two days?
He simply wasn't human!
After hanging up the call with Hisashi, Akira turned his attention back to the computer screen in front of him.
He was eagerly following the netizens' discussion about FSN.
The forum service provided by NIFTY-Serve was one of the largest online communities today, and the one he was following was a forum called 『SF·Fantasy』.
SF·Fantasy, or SF Forum for short, was the largest forum for discussing ACG-related content he had found while surfing the web recently.
At this time on the SF Forum, a thread titled "The quality of the new serialized manga in Shonen Jump seems very good" had quickly been pushed to the top position, equivalent to being the number one trending topic.
The first post in the thread was a long self-narration by the original poster—
"
Spoiler alert!
The new serialized manga is called "Fate/stay night." I'm posting this after reading it over a dozen times.
Let's start with the conclusion.
This is a new work with great potential, highly recommended!
First is the artwork. This Mochizuki-sensei's drawing skills are incredible, and the handling of every line is very clean.
The overall visuals look very comfortable. Even without looking at the plot, it's already a masterpiece!
Moreover, the art style of the female characters drawn by Mochizuki-sensei is very distinctive. They are not just beautiful, but their aura looks cool, clean, and sharp.
Especially the beautiful girl named Matou Shiori. I would be so grateful if she could whip me severely with a lash!
As for the plot, it's clear that Mochizuki-sensei is very ambitious. He buried many details and foreshadowing in the first chapter, and the ending part is especially sophisticated.
And although there's a lot of foreshadowing, it doesn't feel boring to read.
In particular, the opening with the burning city ruins and the battle between the two mysterious figures at the end are stunning entries.
I can't wait to see the next chapter.
In short, I highly recommend this new serialization. I think this might be another super-popular work!
That's all.
PS:
The paper in the main Shonen Jump magazine is really terrible; it completely wastes Mochizuki-sensei's art skills!
Looking forward to the release of the "Fate/stay night" tankobon!
"
You've got good eyes, kid!
But wait, did some weird content get mixed in the middle?
And the replies under this post were also very lively—
"The OP is a pervert, verified."
"Something strange seems to have been mixed in."
"Sorry, I prefer Tohsaka Rin."
"Jump's magazine paper is indeed bad, but that's also why it's cheap."
"Agreed, I also think this new serialization is very good."
"Agreed, Shiori's whip is the way to go."
"???"
"The author is so good at drawing beautiful girls!"
"The ending point is so agonizing, I really want to see the next chapter!"
"The story hasn't even truly unfolded yet, isn't this a bit of an exaggeration?"
...
...
The feeling of the future community is back!
Akira chuckled as he kept refreshing the post.
Even though the eras were different, netizens were always so talented, occasionally popping up with a comment that was either brilliant or bizarre. This feeling was like coming home.
And judging from the overall evaluation on the internet, FSN's first step went quite well.
This allowed him to feel a bit more at ease.
Meanwhile, in the reality that Akira couldn't see, countless others were just like the netizens, reading and discussing this newly serialized work.
A tiny butterfly had begun to flap its wings in this world.