Chapter 24: First Meeting with Ashirogi Muto
The next day—
Naoto accompanied Kuriko's father to the JUMP editorial department at Shueisha.
The last time he came, he was an unknown rookie manga artist.
This time, however, he was already a popular JUMP author. Naturally, his mood coming here was different.
If he had to describe it, the feeling now was similar to interviewing at a prestigious university versus visiting a counselor after successfully getting into one.
As soon as he entered, Naoto saw Akito and Saiko sitting upright on chairs like obedient students, waiting for the Chief Editor.
The two were somewhat apprehensive at the moment, completely unsure why the Chief Editor had called them in.
It was like being told the head of your grade wanted to see you while you were simply attending school. The key was not being told what it was about, which was a bit frightening, especially since, although their serialization had begun, the popularity of their work wasn't very good; it was at a level where it could be canceled at any moment. The two were very afraid that the Chief Editor had called them in for a cancellation.
"Yo! You're already here. I thought I'd be the first one."
"You are?"
Naoto immediately greeted the two, but it was clear that Saiko and Akito didn't recognize Naoto at all. After all, their only meeting was during the last submission, and at that time, neither of them had noticed the other's presence.
"Oh, I forgot you don't know me yet. My name is Yamamoto Naoto, and my pen name is ONE. Nice to meet you."
"ONE?! Is it ONE-sensei?!"
Upon learning Naoto's identity, the two immediately stood up from the sofa.
Although the two had always regarded ONE, who topped the JUMP popularity rankings, as their rival,
every time the popularity rankings came out, they would compete with Naoto.
But when they actually met Naoto in person, they showed immense respect.
At the same time, the two also observed this person, hailed as the most talented manga artist in Japan in recent years.
At 16, he was older than them, but upon closer inspection, he didn't look much older than the two. The three standing together looked more like peers.
However, Naoto exuded more confidence—the confidence of a successful person. Coupled with his gentle, sun-like smile and handsome face, he easily left a good impression.
"Yes, if I recall correctly, I saw you two last time in the editorial department. At that time, Saiko-kun even bumped into me."
"Ah! That time! So the person that time was ONE-sensei!"
At this moment, Saiko and Akito gradually recalled the events of that day. It was quite embarrassing that he remembered them, but they had no recollection of him.
"Hahaha, it's fine, it's fine. It's normal that you two don't remember me. Besides, there's no need to use a title like 'sensei.' It's a bit awkward. Just call me Naoto."
After hearing Naoto's words, Saiko and Akito's favorability towards Naoto immediately skyrocketed.
Who wouldn't like someone who is humble, strong, and kind? Moreover, since the three were close in age, they quickly started chatting.
"How could we? We'll call you Naoto-nii. Speaking of which, we're also fans of 'Blood Tribe'! Naoto-nii's manga is really interesting."
"What a coincidence! Every time JUMP is released, what I pay most attention to are your two manga as well."
"Really? That's great!"
Receiving praise from Yamamoto Naoto, currently the most talented manga artist, Saiko and Akito were ecstatic. They immediately exchanged contact information with Naoto.
"By the way, Naoto-nii, were you also called by the Chief Editor? What exactly is this about?"
Since the Chief Editor had even invited Naoto, it was highly unlikely to be related to serialization. So what could it be?
"Well, I'm not entirely sure myself, but I heard it might be because of this year's Tezuka Award winner. I heard the Chief Editor invited him to draw manga for JUMP."
"Tezuka Award?! Could it be *that* Tezuka Award?!"
"Besides the award organized by Shueisha, there shouldn't be any other award called the Tezuka Award, right?"
"It's truly unbelievable that the Tezuka Award winner would also come to JUMP."
Hearing this news, Akito and Saiko were a bit incredulous. However, what did the Tezuka Award winner coming to JUMP have to do with them being called in? They couldn't think of any connection.
Just as the three were wondering, they suddenly heard something incredible from inside the Chief Editor's office.
"You want me to join JUMP? Okay, but I have one condition: give me the privilege to cancel any manga."
In the Chief Editor's office, the Chief Editor and Assistant Chief Editor were gravely looking at the young man before them. That somber gaze was probably only seen when Saiko wanted to become a manga artist.
The Assistant Chief Editor also looked at the young man before him with a headache.
Seeing the expressions on the Chief Editor and Assistant Chief Editor, the rookie Editor Hattori was about to be scared to death.
Just standing there, he could feel his superiors' anger.
The right to cancel any manga? He really dared to ask for that. In all the years since JUMP was founded, no one had ever dared to make such a demand. Niizuma Eiji, did he even understand how outrageous this request was?
But facing the stern Chief Editor and Assistant Chief Editor, Niizuma Eiji acted as if nothing was wrong, completely unconcerned. This genius manga artist's personality truly gave people a headache.
Could it be that all these genius manga artists had such quirks? Niizuma Eiji was like this, and Saiko and Akito were also like this, completely unwilling to listen to advice. In comparison, only Naoto seemed slightly better. At least he wouldn't make any outrageous demands, and he would generally listen to what the editors said, except for his oil painting, which gave them a headache. But at least he painted oil paintings out of interest and it also boosted his fame, which was a win-win. Why couldn't these people learn from him?
However, regarding Niizuma Eiji's request, the two Chief Editors did not immediately refuse. Instead, they proposed a condition based on Niizuma Eiji's request.
Upon hearing the condition proposed by the two Chief Editors, Niizuma Eiji immediately became interested and agreed without hesitation.
"How interesting! I accept this challenge!"
At this moment, Editor Hattori's mind was completely blank. Were these people really sane?