Society fears that young people don’t want to be literary godfathers

For Mochizuki and Takegami Kasumi, starting a serialization on "Shounen Jump" is not only a great start, but also a major event that must be taken seriously——

Because he took this matter very seriously, when the bell rang for the end of get out of class, the young man immediately picked up his bag and left. He walked quickly to the gate of Momoyama Garden Comic Club, which was covered with Two-dimensional posters.

After taking a moment to catch his breath and stroking his slightly curly short hair, Mochizuki held his breath and gently knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

"......OK."

With a "clang", the door was pushed open.

The white stream of light outside the window and the slight heating of the air conditioner blew away the chaotic thoughts in Wangyue Li's mind.

The young man's eyes were also overexposed from dark to bright.

Of course, in just a blink of an eye, the blurry and dazzling afterimage turned into a refreshing and comfortable appearance.

The comic club in Momoyama Garden still has a quiet and peaceful atmosphere as usual.

The walls are covered with posters of classic TV shows, a wall of figurines, a mahogany bookcase filled with comics and light novels, a leather sofa that will still be supple and comfortable even if it has been there for another ten years, nothing has changed at all, just looking at it makes you feel... It makes people feel at ease, as if they have gone home.

"...You're here."

Kasumi Takegami, who was sitting on the sofa, flipping through manga manuscripts and writing and drawing on his hands, also raised his head slightly at this moment:

"Wangyue, sit down."

"......OK."

Responding slightly awkwardly, Mochizuki put down his bag and stood opposite Takegami Kasumi.

So serious... Sure enough, when encountering comics, Xiao Chengzi will switch to serious mode, and his usually lazy dog ​​eyes will become sharp, right?

Looking at the energetic young president in front of him, Mochizuki couldn't help but feel so emotional.

"...Okay, the revision is almost finished."

Kasumi Takegami, who was still reviewing the character drawings and manga manuscripts given to her by Tsukiri, didn't even raise her head, but her voice was as gentle as ever:

"Are you thirsty, Mochizuki-san? Our comic club has a small refrigerator. If you want to drink Coke or juice, you're welcome."

"Uh... no need, I brought my own Calpis."

Gently shaking the drink in his hand, the boy's voice sounded slightly embarrassed:

"Um...I suddenly remembered something. Mr. Takegami, aren't there club activities today? If you want to talk to me about the new work "Chainsaw Man" today, I'm afraid you won't be able to do it as soon as possible. Finished--"

"It's okay, I gave them the day off - we can stay as long as we want tonight."

"Is that so..."

"Of course~"

Putting down the brush gently, the girl who finally finished the work at hand stretched slightly, her expression looking quite calm:

"Phew, it's finally done——"

"Let's take a look. I've added richer details to the landscape paintings on the first few pages of the first episode, and I've also refined some of the characters. It should look a lot more pleasing to the eye... Let's take a look. ?”

"...Um, okay, okay."

Somewhat unexpectedly, when he came to visit, he could actually see the little teacher with dog eyes refining his manuscript. Mochizuki's expression also showed a faint surprise.

When he took the manuscript and saw clearly the young teacher's astonishingly detailed paintings, for a moment, the boy's pupils trembled slightly.

The painting density is so high... The realistic background painting, detailed descriptions, and refined digital protagonists all reflect the girl's high-intensity painting skills and seriousness.

"...How about it? It should be okay, right?"

Gently holding his chin and looking at Mochizuki's dull expression, Takegami Kasumi spread out the character drawing and began to speak seriously:

"Let's talk about the character designs I changed first... First of all, Denji, I changed the eyes in the first draft to be smaller and thinner, and the teeth were changed into shark teeth. This may better highlight the background. For the protagonist’s animality and uniqueness.”

"Qiu... I felt that he looked a bit too rigid, so I added earrings to him and also changed his facial lines to be smoother, so that he might look more handsome, more masculine and more charming. Be lovable.”

"Finally, there's Makima... I think the original version of the character was too ordinary. Every glance and smile gave her the look of a gentle big sister, without the hollow and scary feeling—— So I changed the arc of the smile and deepened the color of Helix’s hollow eyes. This might better highlight the evil and terrifying feeling..."

"...Indeed."

Due to technical reasons, Mochizuki, who was unable to express the soul of the original "Chainsaw Man" well, also nodded lightly at this moment:

"Thank you Teacher Takegami. This change of taste is indeed a lot right."

"That's right~"

After receiving praise from Mochizuki, a faint smile appeared on the corner of the dog-eyed teacher's mouth:

"It's okay, this is the job of an assistant - don't worry anyway, I can tell you if there are any small improvements that can be made. Mochizuki-san just needs to feel free to go to C."

“…..Let me go for it.”

Nodding slightly, Mochizuki's expression showed no particular change:

"Okay, the storyboards for the first episode are almost complete - since the comic club has a collective break today, I'll stay a little longer and draw with Mr. Takegami."

"...that's exactly what I meant."

Snapping his fingers, a bright smile appeared on the corner of the dog-eyed little president's mouth:

"The days until the deadline for manuscript submission are getting shorter and shorter recently. We have to seize some time and finish the manuscript quickly - this can be regarded as an early adaptation to the intensity of work at the official serialization level."

"......All right."

I originally thought I was just here to talk about the general direction of Chainsaw Man, but instead I came in half-consciously and was forced to work overtime. Although Mochizuki was a little surprised, he understood it quite well——

After all, it was a comic series with a lot of stakes, so the boy who was forced to go to work didn't say much. He just stayed with Takegami Kasumi and worked silently at his desk.

Silence, silence, but there is no awkward atmosphere in the comic club - there is just silence that makes people feel inexplicably reassuring.

The brush strokes traveled across the paper. The boys and girls painted from morning to afternoon. With indomitable perseverance and youthful vitality, they kept their fighting spirit high until the end——

Weird.

.....About three hours of working on the manuscript passed, and the little president Gouyan began to doze off and fish in a drowsy way.

"...Hey, wake up."

Looking at the little teacher in front of him who was about to fall asleep, Mochizuki, who was still writing and drawing, shook Takegami Kasumi's shoulder quite speechlessly:

"Don't fall asleep... What time did you go to bed last night? Why are you so tired?"

"Gu... I went to bed at two in the morning."

Responding to Mochizuki's words slightly hazily, the dog-eyed girl rubbed her furry eyes and said with a flat mouth:

"I stayed up late last night for the first time in a long time, so I'm a little bit out of energy."

"So, why are you so late... Didn't I agree to go to bed early and get up early to be in good health? Takegami-sensei is so involved as an assistant, it's a lot of pressure for me."

"That's right, but what can I do about it...Originally, I wanted you to come to our house to work on the manuscript together, but as a result, you couldn't get through on the phone all day yesterday, so I just I just have to draw more and think about it more.”

"......Is this so?"

Mochizuki nodded in vague surprise, remembering that he and Kurihara Saki had sat on the artificial beach yesterday and chatted all day, Mochizuki's expression felt somewhat speechless.

Ever since, the silence turned into a faint embarrassment. The young man scratched his head in embarrassment, his expression showing a trace of reluctance.

"There were some things yesterday that made me unable to leave... I'm sorry."

"...There's no need to apologize. After all, I stayed up late mostly because I was checking my phone and chatting. It has nothing to do with you."

Gently patting the boy's shoulder, the puppy-eyed young president's expression actually showed a hint of exhaustion, and his eyes were much lazier than before - but when he looked at Mochizuki's somewhat embarrassed expression , the girl still gave a slight thumbs up and said:

"Okay, today's progress is pretty good. I've finished half of the painting so far, and we've reached the place where Denci was dismembered... It's almost six o'clock now, let's pack up and go home, right? Yawn. ....I'm going back to catch up on some sleep."

".......it is good."

Looking at Kasumi Takegami who looked tired, Mochizuki picked up her crossbody bag and walked out of the comic club with the dog-eyed teacher.

.......

At this moment, the winter rainbow glows.

The setting sun in the sky passes through the clouds.

Entering the clouds, thousands of mountains are overcast, and golden light shines from the edge of the clouds;

Izumo, the universe is bright, and the streets of Shanbai are bustling.

At six o'clock, the boys and girls walked out of the comic club at the same time and began to stroll along the campus paths.

Looking at the increasingly lively town in the distance, the dog-eyed girl's mood felt much better.

With so many thoughts in her heart, Kasumi Takegami gently held her chin, and her voice was full of clarity:

"...Speaking of which, "Chainsaw Man" will soon be serialized. This should be the first time that our comics have received so many people's attention and expectations, right?"

".......It is indeed the case."

Looking at Kasumi Takegami with her back to the setting sun and her feet on the pulley, her expression gradually becoming more energetic, Mochizuki nodded accordingly:

"It's the first time in my life that I've been serialized in a magazine...how should I put it, I'm a little excited when I think about it."

"Pfft, even though he is quite popular on the Internet, does Mochizuki-san still feel like this?"

"Of course, as the saying goes, you are still a teenager after being away for half your life. Moving forward with enthusiasm is my persistence. I hope I can continue to work hard with passion and expectations in the future."

"That's it~"

After listening to Mochizuki's somewhat meaningful and obviously old-fashioned words, the little teacher with dog eyes couldn't help but snort:

"Then, let's work hard together... I sincerely hope that "Chainsaw Man" will be a success."

"let's work hard together."

Gently bumping fists with Takegami Kasumi, the boy's mind became clearer.

But...he didn't even wait for him to turn his head and prepare to move on to the next topic.

The little president with dog eyes slowly spoke at this moment:

"...By the way, Mochizuki-san, there is one thing I haven't had time to ask you."

The pulley slowed down slightly, and the little teacher with dog eyes stopped beside the boy.

"......What's going on?"

Pushing his blue enchantress, Mochizuki raised his head:

"Is it about the chainsaw man?"

"Um... yeah."

A moment of silence.

Kasumi Takegami scratched her little head, her slightly curly short hair rolled up in the wind:

"Just...although I am just an assistant and don't particularly care about other things - but if I think about it carefully, I still care a little about who our editor is."

"...our editor?"

"Yeah--just, I know someone who works as an editor on Shonen Jump, and I was suddenly curious whether he would be the one to lead our serialization."

"So this is ah........"

Gently stroking his chin, the boy's eyes turned slightly:

"Well, if I remember correctly, it seems to be the man named Takegami Tomosuke."

"...?"

"....Teacher Takegami, what's this expression?"

"No, it's okay..."

Patting his head gently, the little teacher with dog eyes always felt that something was unexpected, and waved his hand, almost slipping off the pulley:

"It turns out it's really him... I asked why I was so happy when he called me recently. It turns out this is really the case..."

"Hey, I thought it was a coincidence. Is Editor Takegami some kind of relative of Mr. Takegami?"

"Of course...he is my dad."

"?"

This time, it was Mochizuki's turn to be silent.

The expression of the little president with dog eyes also changed slightly at this moment.