Satoru stared at the panel in front of him. Twenty minutes had passed, yet it was still blank.
He sighed and set his pen down.
Today was supposed to be important, but that was exactly why he couldn't focus. No matter how hard he tried to draw, his eyes kept drifting toward the landline sitting nearby like a ticking bomb.
"The results should be coming out any time now…" he whispered, checking the wall clock again.
4:30 PM.
Then the phone rang.
Satoru jolted up so fast his chair scraped the floor. He nearly tripped as he rushed forward, heart pounding hard enough to shake his ribs, and grabbed the receiver.
"Hello. This is Akiyama Satoru speaking."
"Satoru." Yoshihisa's voice came through the line, bright and amused. "I hope I didn't make you wait too long."
Satoru swallowed. "I stayed home the whole day. How's that for an answer?"
"Really?" Yoshihisa chuckled. "Then I guess I'll have to make it up to you with some great news."
Satoru's fingers tightened around the phone.
"Congratulations," Yoshihisa said. "Death Note was selected for second place."
For a moment, Satoru didn't breathe. He had expected good news the second he heard Yoshihisa's tone, but hearing the words out loud still made his heart slam against his chest.
"…Second place?"
"There weren't any first-place winners this year either!" Yoshihisa sounded even more excited. "So honestly, you could be considered the real winner."
The Tezuka Award had three ranks: shortlisted, selected, and honorable mention, representing first, second, and third place. It had been years since anyone won first place, so Satoru didn't feel disappointed at all.
If anything, he understood why.
He knew his weaknesses better than anyone. The one-shot he submitted wasn't a story he plagiarized completely. It was inspired by a larger plot, so mistakes were inevitable. Losing a few points was normal.
But none of that mattered right now.
Second place still meant one million yen, enough to improve his life and finally quit his job.
"Thank you…" Satoru said, voice hoarse. "Thank you, Editor Yoshihisa."
"What are you thanking me for?" Yoshihisa replied immediately. "I only submitted your work. This result is yours. It's because of your talent."
Satoru stood there, staring at the wall, letting the words sink in.
Talent.
No… he was an imposter.
Satoru knew that every manga he drew meant stealing the original creator's livelihood. But he didn't care as much as he should have. His empty stomach swallowed the guilt before it could rise too high.
I'll make it up for them in the future, he told himself.
"Listen," Yoshihisa continued, his tone turning firm. "Don't relax yet. This is only the beginning. Your next step is serialization."
"I understand."
"Good," Yoshihisa said. "Meet me at Shueisha tomorrow."
After the call ended, Satoru collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep almost instantly. The past few days had been exhausting. Between working, drawing, and studying, he'd only managed a few hours of sleep each night.
Now that he had finally secured some money, he allowed himself a proper rest.
***
The next morning, Satoru arrived at the Shueisha building early. He checked in at the front desk and told the staff who he was meeting. After a quick call, they guided him to a waiting room.
Meeting Room No. 1.
Less than five minutes later, the door opened.
Yoshihisa walked in with a document in his hand, looking like he was about to burst with excitement.
Satoru stood immediately. "Good morning, Yoshihisa."
"It's a great morning," Yoshihisa smiled and sat down across from him like it was his own office.
Satoru blinked and sat as well.
"Alright," Yoshihisa said, clapping his hands once. "Let's get straight to the point. First of all, congratulations on being selected! Ta-da!"
Before Satoru could react, Yoshihisa pulled a firework shell from his pocket.
Bang!
Glitter exploded into the air, scattering across the room. Sequins rained down onto the table, onto the floor, and onto Satoru's hair.
Satoru slowly brushed a piece off his shoulder. His lips twitched. "Ah… thank you…"
"Hm." Yoshihisa nodded with a straight face, as if he wasn't the one who had just detonated office fireworks. "After the celebration, all past glories must be put aside."
He slid a form across the table.
"This is the judges' comment sheet."
Satoru took it carefully and began reading. The Tezuka Award used a simple scoring system, with a maximum of five points per category.
His eyes moved across the page, then paused.
Both manga artists and editors had given Death Note's plot a perfect score.
"What an imaginative comic! How come I can't come up with a notebook that can kill people?" Yoshihiro Togashi lamented.
Satoru felt that Yoshihiro Togashi was merely giving him confidence. As a manga artist known for his rich imagination, Togashi wouldn't be so exaggerated.
In another year, Hunter x Hunter will begin serialization. Togashi's creation of the series has ushered in a new era for shonen manga.
Whether it's Nen abilities or the Hunter class, everything was a refreshing experience for Satoru.
More comments followed.
"What an interesting work." — Masanori Morita
"As expected. Newcomers' ideas are very interesting, which is exactly the purpose of the Tezuka Award." — Masakazu Katsura
In contrast to manga artists, the editors prioritized commercial value in their evaluation.
"Shinigami are attractive creatures, and it's really good that Kagami still has the ability to think independently. He possesses the qualities of a Jump protagonist, especially in the ending, where Kagami managed to keep a Death Note without the police's knowledge. Jump protagonists can be foolish, but they can never be ordinary, and you've grasped that." — Kazuhiko Torishima
This is the current editor-in-chief of Jump.
Satoru thought that the other party seemed to have high hopes for him.
Unlike the plot, the artwork scores were all between two and three points. Even with newcomer standards, the evaluation was still harsh.
"This is terrible. It's like seeing my past self."
"It's more interesting than a rigid manga. It feels like a beginner painter trying their best, but the details aren't there yet."
"You need to practice hard. You can't go far just by having a great storyline."
Some joked, and some urged.
Based on these remarks, the artists also offered suggestions. They recommended drawing methods and books they thought were very useful.
Satoru let out a quiet breath and set the sheet down.
Seeing his reaction, Yoshihisa asked carefully, "How are you feeling right now?"
"I'm a little happy," Satoru admitted, "but mostly disappointed. I feel like I didn't do well enough. My abilities are… too shallow."
"That's right," Yoshihisa nodded with a smile. "Although manga artists are professionals, their opinions usually align with the readers."
If Death Note were serialized, readers would be impressed by the plot, but they would still criticize the artwork. The stronger the plot is, the more obvious weak art becomes."
Satoru nodded. "I understand."
He knew that he needed to improve quickly. This era was brutal. One amazing manga after another was about to debut in Jump—One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, Naruto, Bleach…
"If your manga gets canceled because your art can't keep up, you won't get a second chance." Yoshihisa said.
Satoru didn't argue. He simply nodded again.
"Next," Yoshihisa's gaze turned serious. "Let's talk about serialization. This time, I hope you can make purifying the world with the Death Note the main theme..."
"Speaking of which," Satoru picked up the brown paper bag, "I have completed the initial storyboard for the serialization. Could you please take a look?"
Yoshihisa blinked, clearly surprised. "So fast?"
"Actually, I drew this before the one-shot. But I revised it after my drawing improved."
Yoshihisa stared at him for a moment, then his eyes drifted to the dark circles under Satoru's eyes. He seemed to understand instantly.
"Good," he said. "Let me see it."
****
100 Power Stone: 1 Extra chapter