"Yes, Editor-in-Chief."
Heishi bowed slightly and walked to his desk, picking up the receiver to contact Kai.
Regardless of the outcome, as an editor, he had to reach the writer immediately.
Especially when the news was actually good.
Watching Heishi leave, Kazuhiko Torishima nodded. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, opened it up, placed his hands on his hips, and started laying out his plan.
Tell the marketing department to suppress the spread of the Fujima live stream and minimize the damage.
Tell the cooperating news outlets not to report anything connecting Death Note to the incident.
Hisashi Sasaki, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Shonen Jump, watched Torishima work and felt a storm of thoughts building inside him.
The Editor-in-Chief had placed his bet on Kanzaki. He was backing him without a shred of hesitation.
Sasaki had high hopes for One Piece. Across two serialization meetings, he had pushed hard for the manga, personally recommending it to Torishima both times. But Torishima was stubborn and had rejected the serialization application for One Piece twice in a row.
Now Weekly Shonen Jump was in a dire crisis. It needed a leader, a title that could guide the magazine out of its spiral of decline.
In Torishima's mind, that title was Death Note.
...
Fujima had a significant female fanbase. Although the government had tried to restrict coverage, the media had still published Fujima's photos when the murder case first broke.
Fujima, with his sharp features, fair skin, and boyish canines, had attracted a disturbing following. Some confessed their feelings in newspaper columns. Others sent love letters to the juvenile reformatory.
This was a crazy era. There was no telling what his fans might do.
On top of that, Fujima had drawn a direct line between himself and Death Note on live television, claiming the manga would inspire juvenile murderers. That was only going to increase the resistance to serialization.
Kai thought Weekly Shonen Jump might struggle to withstand the layers of pressure and actually publish Death Note.
Fujima's fans. The PTA. Tokyo assembly members.
It was a lot to ask of a magazine, shielding a newcomer for a manga that hadn't earned a single yen in profit yet.
He started wondering whether he should begin working on a backup plan. A different manga entirely.
'Code Geass? Or Cyberpunk?'
Of course, if it really came to that, he would have to consider switching to a different magazine altogether.
Right at that moment, Kai's cell phone rang.
He'd bought it after the Tezuka Award prize money came in. It had cost him 350,000 yen total.
The functions were basic, the signal was spotty, and the battery barely lasted a day. But it was 1997. Having one at all was enough.
"Fujin! Did you see the live stream?"
"Editor Heishi."
Kai was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Jump to react this fast. "I'm watching it right now. This really came out of nowhere."
"Perfect. Listen to me, Fujin." Heishi didn't waste a second and got straight to the point. "Death Note has been confirmed for serialization. Congratulations!"
"What?"
Kai went still for a moment.
"A manga artist just needs to focus on creating. The editorial department will handle everything else. Don't overthink it."
Heishi continued.
"Yes."
Kai felt warmth spread through his chest. His impression of Weekly Shonen Jump shifted in that moment.
He'd originally chosen to submit to Jump because it was, without question, the number one manga magazine in Japan's future.
He'd wanted to ride its coattails.
Now, for the first time, he actually felt like he belonged there.
Heishi reassured him a few more times before ending the call.
They agreed to meet in Tokyo to discuss the contract signing.
This couldn't wait. And it was easier to get things done while he was already on the move, so Kai would have to head back early.
He took one last look at the TV. Fujima was picking his nose and grinning for the camera.
Completely boring. He turned it off.
"It's fine."
Kai turned to Rika and Toga. "Death Note has been confirmed for serialization. I need to go back to Tokyo to sign the contract."
Rika let out a huge breath of relief. Toga's brow was still furrowed.
He had a feeling this wasn't going to be as simple as his son was making it sound.
But there was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was trust his boy and let him go.
"Safe travels."
After packing his bag, Kai pulled his suitcase to the upstairs bedroom to say goodbye to Rika.
She was reluctant to see him go, but she didn't act spoiled about it. She waved goodbye with a brave little smile.
Once the bedroom door closed behind him, she shut her eyes and let the loneliness settle in.
Kai went downstairs to the living room. Both his parents were sitting upright, waiting for him.
"Dad. Mom."
Seeing them like that, Kai walked over and sat down across from them. "There's something I want to discuss with you."
He brought up the idea of having Rika come to Tokyo for junior high school.
His mother leaned forward. "Can... something like that really be done?"
"Of course." Kai nodded firmly.
Most things could be arranged as long as you had the money.
His mother couldn't help but smile.
She'd always hoped for a better future for her daughter, but the conditions had never been there.
Now that her son was finding success and still thinking about his family, it filled her heart with something she could barely put into words.
"I'll handle things on this end. You're not the head of this household yet."
Toga said it gruffly. "Focus on your own business first."
Kai nodded.
"Then I'm off."
He picked up his suitcase and, under his mother's gaze as she followed him to the door and turned back every few steps, he boarded the bus and headed for the train station.
...
"Have you heard about Ichiro Fujima?"
"That juvenile murderer?"
"Yeah. Apparently someone cursed him."
"Good riddance."
On the subway ride home, Kai overheard passengers discussing the Fujima curse incident.
Even with Jump running damage control, in less than half a day the story had already begun spreading.
Walking out of the subway station near his home, his phone rang again.
Kai answered. The person on the other end introduced himself as an editor from Weekly Shonen Magazine.
Kai's eyes narrowed. He'd only handed out his card to about a dozen people. He hadn't expected Weekly Shonen Magazine to have connections sharp enough to track him down this fast.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
The editor asked if they could meet up. He was apparently nearby, close to Kai's neighborhood.
Kai was exhausted. He politely declined.
"It's not the best time for me right now. Could you just tell me over the phone?"
"Of course. I apologize for taking up your time, Kanzaki-sensei. I'll keep it brief. If you ever have a manuscript you'd like to submit, we hope you'll consider Weekly Shonen Magazine first..."
Despite the promise to keep it brief, the flood of flattery and layers of polite language gave Kai a headache.
Ten minutes later, the call finally ended.
'Am I already a hot commodity?'
He shook his head.
Weekly Shonen Magazine had finally overtaken Weekly Shonen Jump to become the top-selling shonen manga magazine. It seemed like they were pressing their advantage while they had momentum.
'Looks like this whole mess isn't as bad as I thought.'
_______________________
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