Chapter 124: The First Step, Passed
This was Kaede's first time visiting the Jump editorial department. The moment he stepped in, he realized how much more bustling it was compared to the Fushikawa Bunko editorial department.
Everywhere he looked were editors holding manuscripts, and many manga artists were discussing plot points with their editors. Kaede even spotted a few manga artists he recognized.
Of course, there were also newcomers like him and Eriri submitting work, but the expressions on the three new manga artists he could see nearby were not looking good.
Logically speaking, those who made it to a face-to-face meeting with an editor must have some skill, but it seemed things were still very strict here.
And those editors generally looked to be 30 or older. The female editor who greeted them was probably among the youngest of the entire editorial staff.
Arriving at Izumi Kaori's workspace, the editor personally poured the two of them water, then sat down and said, "Now, without further ado, let me take a look at the manga."
Eriri nodded, took a stack of printed manuscripts directly from her bag, and handed them over.
The first page had the manga title printed on it, along with their two pen names.
"Nurarihyon no Mago? I know the nurarihyon, a legendary type of yokai. Is your manga a yokai-themed manga? Those have become quite rare in recent years, usually only appearing in light novel format."
Saying this, Izumi Kaori glanced at Kaede, who was responsible for the script, and opened the manga.
The art style was the same as Eriri's previous manga she had seen, above the industry average, but the story was completely different.
Chapter One of the manga served as the prologue, briefly introducing the Nura Clan's yokai and the scene where the protagonist, Nura Rikuo, first transformed into his yokai form as a child.
The manga presented a significant amount of content, so after the first few pages, Izumi Kaori's reading speed gradually slowed down, and her expression became increasingly serious and focused.
Seeing this expression on the editor's face, Kaede knew that the first step had succeeded.
If their manga hadn't even sparked the editor's interest enough to keep reading, they would have been dismissed immediately.
Eriri saw it too and immediately grabbed Kaede's sleeve excitedly.
Kaede smiled and nodded at Eriri, stroking her head, signaling her not to be too impatient and just wait quietly.
Fifteen minutes later, after finishing the first three chapters and flipping through them again from the beginning, Izumi Kaori let out a breath and looked at the two, smiling as she said, "Is Chapter Four not finished yet?"
Hearing this, Kaede and Eriri both smiled and nodded in unison.
"As expected. I'm already a little impatient."
Izumi Kaori put down the manga and said with satisfaction, "Truly worthy of the youngest bestselling light novel author in the industry right now. The plot in the first three chapters is excellent, and Eriri's drawing skills have improved further. By the way, who is currently responsible for the storyboarding?"
Eriri replied, "Kaede-kun first creates the rough storyboards, and then we discuss them together. He mainly completes them, as I still need to study further."
"He can even do storyboarding?"
Izumi Kaori looked at Kaede in astonishment.
In response, Kaede shrugged: "I couldn't help it. Eriri still needs to learn this aspect, so I researched it myself for a while. Of course, Eriri will have to take over the main drawing eventually."
"Hmm... If I may ask, what is the nature of your relationship?"
Kaede nodded and said with a smile, "We are dating."
"I thought so..."
Showing an expression of realization, Izumi Kaori commented, "The content of these first three chapters is brilliant, and personally, I really like it. However, if you want to serialize it, I hope I can look at the outline you have prepared. Is that alright?"
"Of course, we brought the outline with us."
Kaede pulled his laptop directly from his bag, placed it on the desk, and turned it on: "It's in the folder on the desktop."
"Thank you."
Opening the document, Izumi Kaori quickly browsed through it, becoming more and more astonished as she read, because the outline was incredibly complete, with the story arc mapped out all the way to the conclusion. Judging by the length, they were clearly aiming for a long-running manga series.
With a complete story arc—though she didn't know how it would unfold from the outline—the writing prowess of a bestselling light novel author was absolutely guaranteed. Coupled with an extremely skilled artist, the manga created through the cooperation of these two definitely had potential!
More importantly, this was only their first collaboration, and both of them were still very young, only high school students!
Izumi Kaori couldn't help but think of *Bakuman*, which was serialized in Jump in the past. These two now were practically a real-life version of the two protagonists in that manga, perhaps even more outstanding.
Patiently reading through the outline and then flipping through the various settings for the manga, Izumi Kaori finally closed the laptop and began to ponder.
Eriri watched the editor, nervously swallowing, and unconsciously tightened her grip on Kaede's sleeve.
Kaede, meanwhile, remained calm and unafraid, simply waiting.
Soon, Izumi Kaori finished her contemplation, looked at the two, and said, "As an editor, my assessment is that your manga absolutely qualifies for serialization. However..."
Sure enough, there was a caveat.
"However, serialization is not decided by me alone. You must also attend the subsequent serialization meeting, where your manga will be reviewed by all the editors and the Chief Editor. Besides your work, there will be several other submissions, and as far as I know, there are only two slots available for serialization right now."
Two slots?
Kaede and Eriri exchanged a look. He held her hand and smiled as he said to Izumi Kaori, "I believe we will win."
Feeling the warmth of Kaede's palm, Eriri calmed down and smiled: "That's right, we definitely won't lose. This is the result of our continuous hard work over this period."
Seeing this, Izumi Kaori also smiled: "Exactly. I feel the same way. I'm claiming one of those serialization slots for you this time."
The serialization meeting would naturally not take place today, but next Monday. Kaede and Eriri still needed to wait a few days.
After editing a more concise story outline and leaving behind the printed manuscripts of the three chapters, the two bid farewell to the editor and left the editorial department.
It wasn't until they walked out of the building that Eriri finally let out a complete sigh of relief, hugging Kaede's arm and leaning against him unconsciously.
"I have no energy left..."
Rubbing Eriri's head, Kaede expressed his understanding. His own situation when he submitted his work back then wasn't much different from hers now.