Chapter 25: The Sprout of a Social Phenomenon [1]
In late December, the State Department of Education issued a notification.
Document No.: State-EDU-2023-27
Subject: Recommendation of the Extracurricular Reading Title "Silver Spoon" for Inclusion in Primary and Secondary School Library Collections
The content was concise and official: "In order to enrich students' extracurricular reading and expand their knowledge horizons, after review by an expert panel, the manga work 'Silver Spoon' is recommended as extracurricular reading for primary and secondary school students..."
The notification trickled down from the state to the county boards, then to individual schools. Oak Creek Middle School was the first to respond—Mrs. Chen, a literature teacher, marched into the principal's office with the document. By that afternoon, the school library had ordered twenty sets of Silver Spoon.
When the news hit the internet, the forums exploded.
"The Dept of Education recommending a manga? Did I read that right?"
"Official endorsement! That's insane!"
"I told you guys Silver Spoon wasn't just a regular comic!"
"Where are the people who said 'comics are vulgar' now? Come out and explain this!"
Alex heard the news from Sue.
"The document was issued this morning." Sue's voice trembled with suppressed excitement. "Every school in the state can now use educational funds to buy Silver Spoon. Do you know what that means?"
"Consistent sales," Alex said.
"More than that!" Sue raised her voice. "It means Silver Spoon has transformed from an 'entertainment product' to 'educational material'! The status is completely different!"
Alex held the phone, looking out the window. The snow hadn't melted; the ranch was a blanket of white.
"Also," Sue continued, "the Department of Agriculture sent a letter saying they want to include Silver Spoon in the 'Recommended Reading List for New Professional Farmer Training'. The Bureau of Animal Husbandry, the Agricultural Technology Station, even rural credit unions are asking if they can buy in bulk."
"They can."
"I've already told distribution to reprint 500,000 copies," Sue said. "If that's not enough, we'll print more."
After hanging up, Alex opened his computer. His inbox was flooded—inquiries from schools, invitations from agricultural departments, interview requests from media outlets.
He deleted them one by one, keeping only one. It was from the State Agricultural University, inviting him to be a "Guest Lecturer"—no face-to-face required, just providing manga materials for teaching periodically.
He replied: "Agreed. Please contact my editor for details."
Then he continued drawing Chapter 25.
In this chapter, Hachiken began his veterinary studies. The first lesson was anatomy—not a live animal, but a model. Yet, he still threw up.
{Hachiken burst through the bathroom door, gripping the porcelain sink as he dry heaved. The smell of formalin seemed to cling to his clothes, to his skin.
He washed his face, water dripping from his chin, and stared at his pale reflection.
When he walked back into the classroom, the teacher didn't mock him. The older man stood by the anatomical model, his expression calm.
"A vet's first lesson," the teacher said, "is facing death. If you can't handle the inside of a model, you can't handle the inside of a living thing."
That night, Hachiken tossed and turned in his bunk. He closed his eyes, but all he could see were muscle groups and organs.
The next morning, he walked back into the classroom. His hands were shaking as he picked up the scalpel, but his eyes were steady.}
Alex drew with intense detail. The texture of the model, the smell of formalin, the cold sweat on Hachiken's forehead. And that shock—of facing the cruelest aspect of life.
Halfway through, Sarah called from downstairs: "Al! Someone's here for you!"
Alex went downstairs. Two people were sitting in the living room: a middle-aged man in a suit and a young girl with a backpack, looking like father and daughter.
"Hello, Mr. Walker." The man stood up, a bit nervous. "I'm the principal of County High School, my name is Arthur Lewis. This is my daughter, Lily."
Alex nodded. "Hello, Principal Lewis."
"Sorry to intrude." Principal Lewis rubbed his hands. "It's like this: our school wants to buy a batch of Silver Spoon for the library. But our budget is limited, so we wanted to ask if... could we get a discount?"
Alex looked at Sarah. Sarah shook her head slightly, meaning "I don't know either."
"For purchasing, you should contact the publisher," Alex said. "I'm just the author; I don't handle sales."
"We did, we did," Lewis said quickly. "The publisher said they could give a 20% discount, but it's still a bit expensive. Our school's conditions are average, funds are tight..."
He paused, glancing at his daughter. "It was Lily who said she really wanted to see this book in the library. She said many classmates want to read it but can't afford it."
Lily looked up, her eyes bright. "Mr. Walker, I really like Hachiken. I... I want to go to Ag High too."
Alex paused.
"My grades are average, I can't get into a key high school," Lily whispered. "But I like animals, I want to be a vet. After reading your manga, I feel like... Ag High is pretty good too."
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Alex looked at the girl, remembering the comments on the forum "I want to go to Ag University," "I decided to study livestock," "I called my grandpa in the countryside."
Those comments were text, data. But this girl was living, breathing, with light in her eyes.
"Wait a moment." Alex turned and went upstairs.
He took two full sets of the collected volumes—Volume 1 and 2—from his bookshelf. He also took a few sketches of Hachiken and Komaba he drew during practice.
Returning to the living room, he handed the books and sketches to Lily. "These are for you."
Lily's eyes widened. "Re-really?"
"Yeah." Alex looked at Principal Lewis. "Regarding the purchase, I'll ask the publisher for you. But I can't promise anything."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Principal Lewis bowed repeatedly.
After seeing the father and daughter off, Alex stood at the door, watching their backs disappear into the snow. Lily hugged the books, walking slowly, occasionally looking down at the cover.
Sarah walked up to him. "Third group this week."
"What?"
"People coming for books," Sarah said. "Teachers, rural parents, some kids coming by themselves. All say they can't afford it but want to read."
Alex didn't speak.
"That comic you draw..." Sarah paused. "Doesn't seem like just a comic anymore."
Yeah, not just a comic anymore.
It was a textbook, a dream, a choice.
(To be Continued)
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