Professional manga artist, part-time high school student!
Rei's expression was odd as he looked at Miyu's outstretched hand. But since she didn't seem to mind, he certainly wouldn't either. He took her hand and said softly, "Rei Kirishima."
"But Miyu, when you say you're a professional manga artist, do you mean—" Rei began.
"Have you already had a manga serialized in a magazine?"
"Oh, you're quite perceptive."
Miyu finally saw Rei grasp the point, and a modest smile she had long prepared appeared on her face.
"I started serializing manga in Sakura Weekly when I was thirteen. To date, I've published two short stories and one medium-length work. Currently, the third most popular manga series in Sakura Weekly, Tale of Sorrow, is my creation."
Tale of Sorrow?
Rei's expression went blank. That title...
You wouldn't happen to be NisiOisin reincarnated to write a sequel, would you? Rei thought to himself.
But he knew about Sakura Weekly.
In the Japanese manga industry, there were currently six major manga publishing houses.
Each of these six giants published a weekly magazine that sold over ten million copies across Japan and neighboring countries.
In Japan's massive manga market, with its massive population, beyond the six juggernauts and their nationally and internationally distributed magazines, there existed a vast array of second, third, and fourth-tier manga magazines, each boasting sales ranging from tens of thousands to over a million copies.
Sakura Weekly was a popular manga magazine in the Tokyo metropolitan area and surrounding prefectures. It belonged to the Hoshimori Publishing Group, the same parent company as one of the six major manga magazines.
Of course, Sakura Weekly was nowhere near the scale of Hoshimori Publishing IC. It served as a third-tier platform for serialized works by manga artists who had signed with the Hoshimori Publishing Group but whose work didn't meet the quality standards for Hoshimori Publishing IC.
It might sound rather ordinary.
But in reality, for an artist to get their work signed and published, even in a third or fourth-tier magazine, meant they were already among the elite of amateur manga enthusiasts.
It was like the national soccer team: everyone criticizes them for being mediocre, questioning whether they even reach fourth-tier professional standards globally. Yet, if Rei were to step onto the field, he'd likely still be outmatched.
Especially considering Miyu's age...
At fifteen, with three serialized works under her belt, she could already be considered a manga prodigy.
Oda, Kishimoto, and other legendary mangaka from her previous life were still complete amateurs at that age.
"Oh, impressive," Rei complimented.
Miyu's eyes narrowed.
She could tell Rei had no idea about her manga, Tale of Sorrow, and had only heard of Sakura Weekly magazine.
After all, it was just a "niche" manga magazine with a weekly circulation of a few hundred thousand copies, and most of its serialized works were romance-focused stories aimed at young girls.
It was perfectly normal for a boy like Rei not to have read it.
Still, a pang of disappointment lingered in her heart.
No one at school knew about Miyu's identity as a mangaka. She couldn't connect with the ordinary readers who mindlessly criticized her work, complaining about the poor art and weak plot.
Today, she had impulsively revealed her secret to Rei, a fellow manga artist with exceptional skill and obvious dedication to the craft. She had simply wanted to share her passion for manga with someone who understood.
Yet he didn't even know her work.
Suppressing her negative emotions, Miyu suddenly had an intriguing idea.
Hmm...
Though I'd only skimmed a few pages of the 5 Centimeters Per Second manga, it seemed to be a romance story.
Maybe I should...
"Rei-kun, your manga seems to have quite a few pages already," Miyu said, turning to Rei.
"Yeah, I've drawn over a hundred pages. At this rate, I should finish it in the next two or three days," Rei replied.
"Have you considered publishing it?" Miyu asked with a smile.
"Of course I've thought about it," Rei said.
"I'm not even going to bother with the top six magazines for now. They almost never accept submissions from complete newcomers. But the other magazines... I don't know how to choose."
Don't let those stories about "complete newcomer manga artists" appearing in JUP Weekly fool you—it's all nonsense.
In reality, those artists likely debuted years earlier under different pen names, won awards in newcomer manga competitions, serialized obscure works in lesser-known magazines, and built connections with industry professionals and editors. Only then did they get the chance to switch pen names and serialize a manga in JUP.
Even Oda, who started serializing One Piece at 22, had already won second place in the Tezuka Award at 17.
After five years of development, during which he published several award-winning short stories, how could he suddenly produce a masterpiece like One Piece?
The same holds true in Japan.
No matter how good Rei's submitted manga might be, it's nearly impossible for a complete amateur to get published. Editors rarely bother to review such submissions, and even if they do, the editorial board would reject it outright during the serialization meeting.
If he wants to serialize his manga on a major platform in the future, he first needs to gain experience and recognition by publishing in second-, third-, or even fourth-tier manga magazines. Building connections within the industry is also essential to even qualify for submission to the Six Major Manga Magazines.
Since the Six Major Manga Magazines are out of reach, Rei is now faced with hundreds of second-, third-, and fourth-tier manga magazines on the market.
He lacks connections to the editorial staff of these magazines, and as a student, personally submitting his work would be time-consuming and inconvenient. The waiting period for rejection would also be a significant waste of time. To be honest, he's been struggling with this decision for days.
"Then how about this?" Miyu suggested with a gentle smile.
"Why don't you submit your work to my manga editor and see if you can get serialized in Sakura Weekly like me?"
"Huh? Sakura Weekly? Isn't that a shōjo manga magazine?" Rei's expression froze.
"That's just a stereotype," Miyu said with a smile. "Who told you Sakura Weekly was exclusively for shōjo manga? It's more accurately described as a romance manga magazine. They publish plenty of romance manga aimed at young adults too."
"I haven't read 5 Centimeters Per Second, but from the art style and snippets of the story I've seen, it definitely seems like a romance work, right?"
"Yeah, that's right," Rei nodded after a pause.
"And the male lead is drawn quite handsomely, isn't he? Especially the female lead—she's really cute," Miyu added.
"That's also true," Rei agreed.
"So why can't you submit it to Sakura Weekly?"
Ugh...
Rei couldn't come up with a good counterargument.
"But Sakura Weekly mostly publishes romance stories that are beautiful, gentle, and full of cheerful vibes, right? 5 Centimeters Per Second..." Rei trailed off, his face twisting into a strange expression.
"Wait, does someone die in your 5 Centimeters Per Second?" Miyu asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"No, it's just that the ending is quite bittersweet."
"Then it's not a tragedy! What are you worried about? Romance stories often have bittersweet elements. Can you even name a romance work that's completely happy and without any regrets?"
But I can't think of a single emotional work that's entirely regretful and completely devoid of joy! Rei mentally ranted.
"Besides, it's just an attempt. It might not even get published, so there's no need to worry so much," Miyu said.
Of course, her real motive was simply that submitting her classmate's work to Sakura Weekly would be amusing.
Rei, you claim to know nothing about my work?
If your manga gets serialized in this magazine, you'll inevitably start following Sakura Weekly. And then you'll naturally notice my work too, right?
Then, week after week, you'll see your popularity ranking consistently below my "Tale of Sorrow." That'll finally make you realize how amazing I am, won't it?
And if your submission gets rejected? Even better! That'll only further prove my superiority as a manga artist of our age.
After all this elaborate maneuvering, Miyu was ultimately just indulging a bit of a manga artist's vanity in front of her peer, Rei.
Rei gazed into Miyu's clear, bright eyes, which were filled with anticipation. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded slightly.
True, there's nothing to lose.
Although he felt uneasy about this sudden offer of help from a classmate he'd only just met, Rei couldn't bring himself to suspect any malicious intent from a high school girl.
Maybe she's just happier now that she's found someone at school who also loves drawing manga.
"Alright, then. Please give my editor a few pointers, Miyu-san."
"Then you'll need to speed up your drawing progress. From what I know, several short manga series in Sakura Weekly are ending in the next two weeks, leaving several serialization slots open. Good luck!" Miyu raised her fist and smiled encouragingly at Rei.
"Oh, oh!" Rei quickly mirrored her gesture.
Just then, the afternoon bell rang, and Miyu hurriedly packed up her things and headed toward the classroom.
"That's settled, then! I'll call my editor tonight to let them know!"
Rei stood for a moment, lost in thought, before finally packing up his things and heading back to class.
He had trouble making decisions, so since Miyu had helped him choose, he wouldn't dwell on it any further.
"Sakura Weekly, huh?" Rei murmured softly.
The afternoon passed quickly, and soon it was time to go home. Rei returned to his house alone. The lunchtime drawing session had been just a way to save time; the real work on his manga would begin tonight.
Tonight, Rei felt his mind was exceptionally clear, his focus razor-sharp.
When he reached the final scenes of 5 Centimeters Per Second, he drew them in one seamless stroke.
By the time he realized what he'd done, he saw before him a man turning away with a faint smile, his expression radiating a sense of release.
The lines were simple, yet the character's emotions seemed to emanate from his smile and gaze.
At least, Rei felt another pang of heartache when he saw it. The image's expressive power was overwhelming.
"Did I draw this?" Rei asked, stunned.
The skill and emotional depth of the drawing far surpassed anything he had achieved in his previous life as a struggling manga artist.
Moreover, he had completed this page at least twice as fast as usual.
Drawing quickly was understandable, but the expressive power of the scene—that was something else entirely, a matter of innate talent.
Could the soul fusion have granted him such a boost in artistic aptitude?
_______________________
T/N— I don't know why the other guy didn't bother translating the name of one of the Six Manga Companies when it was in the Raws. Nevertheless give me a bit time since keeping the terms same is what's a bit of a hassle.