"Hello, Deyun Bookstore?... Yes, I know they don't have stock... I'm so sorry, the magazine sold out and we're doing everything we can to replenish it...
"Haruki Suno, stop standing there!" Have you called the press yet? Where are the extra 10,000 copies we ordered!?
The phenomenon had begun. Detective Conan went viral. One episode was enough to turn the public's attention to him.
In the newsroom of Hinotori Publishing, the atmosphere was a whirlwind. In just one day, 70% of the new issue of Weekly Shonen was sold, forcing an urgent reprint of an additional 10,000 copies to meet the unexpected demand.
It wasn't a huge number, but enough to mark a milestone: it had been more than a year since Weekly Shonen had been reprinted. The rise was tangible... and exciting.
"Yuta Sakai, do you already have the quick report?"
"I'm ready. Just give me a few minutes...
The younger editor was sweating in front of a mountain of forms. Each magazine included a postcard where readers could vote for their favorite manga. Yuta counted the earliest postcards to put together a "quick report": a preliminary ranking based on the regions near Osaka.
It was a manual process, yes, but key. The final report would not arrive in three weeks, and would use data from all over the country. By then, computers would analyze ages, genders, patterns by region...
"Report ready!" Yuta finally shouted. First place: Detective Conan, with 96% of the votes.
The silence was immediate. All the keyboards stopped.
Everyone expected Detective Conan to lead. What no one imagined... was that he would do it with that margin.
96% was a sweep.
It was a fancy way of saying, "the rest hardly matters."
Haruki Suno stared at the results, his eyebrows lowered. The new chapter of Maestro Tomato had had an acceptable reception: 36%. But that number looked ridiculous compared to 96% for the debutant.
"Was I wrong...?" he thought. What if he had let go of the author who would mark a generation?
"Excellent," said Kurosawa, the editor-in-chief, with his usual composure.
"A genius like Mirai-sensei is just what this industry needs. Only when someone like him bursts in with force... it is that others begin to wake up. If we depend only on adaptations, we will never get out of the stagnation.
The editors nodded. The words made sense. Kurosawa showed no euphoria, only vision.
No one noticed that, under the desk, his legs trembled slightly. I was excited. But I knew this was just the beginning. It was time to plan for the long term.
"Editor-in-chief," said an assistant, "the president in the meeting room requires you."
—
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Takumi had no idea of the editorial earthquake he had caused.
In Yoshino Village, Weekly Shonen was on sale just that morning.
Takumi got up early and ran to the nearest bookstore.
But as soon as he crossed the entrance, a girl reading ran him over head-on.
"Ah, I'm sorry! He said, lowering his head.
He wore a hat that covered his face. His voice was dry but respectful. Takumi held up a hand to signal that nothing was wrong.
She left quickly.
—Since when do people walk around reading manga?
He went into the store... and noticed that the magazine was not on the usual shelf.
"Excuse me," he asked the owner, "has the new Weekly Shonen arrived yet?"
"You too?" replied the bookseller, surprised. I'm sorry, just now a girl bought the last copy. There are no more left.
"Really?"
"Yes. We always order about twelve copies... but this week they flew. Nor do I understand why.
Takumi left without saying more. He searched all over Yoshino. Nothing. Not a copy.
"Are you serious...?" he murmured, frustrated.
Just as he was about to give up, his phone rang.
"Takumi?" I'm Kurosawa. Did you read the published chapter?
"No way!" In this town everything is exhausted. I didn't find a single copy...
The editor laughed on the other side.
"Normal. In small places like Yoshino, the rolls are low. A couple of bookshops, a dozen copies... If there is something that catches the eye, they disappear in the morning.
"I didn't expect so much demand so soon," Takumi admitted.
"Detective Conan is on everyone's lips. In forums, reviews, bookstores. It is only the first echo. Get ready for the wave.
And although he didn't know it yet, that wave was just beginning to make landfall.
"So Detective Conan's performance isn't so bad?" Takumi asked, trying to sound casual, though his tone betrayed a shred of hope.
Kurosawa smiled inwardly. For him, the results were a publishing miracle... But this was not the time to feed the ego of a young author. If I gave him too much security, he might relax or underestimate what was to come.
We still don't have the national report. But the initial reactions... they are not bad. You can rest assured.
He changed the subject with ease:
—By the way, I have already contacted the school for your registration. Osaka High School No. 1. You are accepted.
"Huh?"
Takumi was speechless. That was one of the three most demanding schools in the city. I had heard that even the number one on the district exam had signed up there... For someone who wanted to balance studio and manga, it sounded more like condemnation than privilege.
"Couldn't you get another one?" A key school would be nice. But if the schedule is too rigid, I won't be able to work.
I knew well that these institutions had exhausting schedules, surprise exams, constant pressure. And drawing manga at night? Impossible.
Kurosawa, however, had already foreseen that objection.
"We took that into account. We spoke directly with the director. You don't have to attend classes on weekdays. We will only ask you to present yourself to the midterms and finals... and that you maintain your place in the top 50. This is how your active status is maintained.
Takumi blinked.
—To stay in the top 50... without going to class?
He almost insulted him. That man had too much faith! He seemed more interested in letting him get kicked out and thus have him drawing full time.
But Takumi was unfazed. With his photographic memory and good base... it was doable.
"Well. Thank you. Seriously.
Kurosawa was surprised. He was ready for a string of complaints, excuses, bargaining. He even had an alibi ready. Takumi's gratitude defused all that at once.
"Huh...?" He hesitated. Are you really okay with that?
"Think about it: if I do well on exams, I can graduate without going to class." Where do you get something like that?
There was a pause. Kurosawa scratched the back of his neck, somewhat confused.
"There is... one more thing," he continued. Since you haven't come to Osaka yet and our newsroom is tightly staffed, we won't assign you a responsible editor for now. Do you think if we wait until you start school?
"For me, perfect," Takumi replied without hesitation.
I didn't even need it. It was fully functional on its own.
—
The call ended there. Kurosawa, sitting in a private room in the publishing building, let out a sigh as he hung up.
"Did you accept?"
An old man, sitting opposite him, was brewing tea with almost ritualistic precision.
"Yes. No protests," Kurosawa said, still bewildered. May I ask why you chose that school?
"Detective Conan was very well received. You said you believed in Mirai-sensei's potential... So I decided to believe too.
He blew on his cup and his eyes lit up for an instant.
"And about the editor..." I have candidates.
"I understand," Kurosawa said.
"But let it be clear," added the president. If the profits generated by that guy are temporary... I plan to recover all my investment!
"Of course.
Kurosawa nodded. Although he sensed that the president had other plans, it was not a bad sign. If they supported the project, he could focus on something bigger: building an icon.
He had the drafts of the second and third episodes on his desk. They did not have an image as impressive as the closing of the first one, but the development of the plot was skilful, intriguing, consistent.
If things went well, in a few weeks... Detective Conan would not only be a success. It would be a phenomenon.
And if he also got an editor to help polish Takumi's art... if they reached the emotional level of that last scene of chapter one again...
Then not only Japan, but the global manga industry, would know the name of Mirai-sensei.
And nothing... it would be the same again.