At noon, the sun gradually began to warm up.
"Why haven't you come?"
Sun-san asked, wiping his sweat, observing the lively readers in the plaza in front of the building. Some were carrying umbrellas, chatting and laughing without any scruples. There were even small vendors, as if they had considered this place a meeting point.
There were also some police officers in the crowd. At first, these police officers were very nervous, but after a few hours, seeing that there was no commotion, they chatted and paid attention to the movement.
"Kazuki, are you sure Mirai-sensei will come?"
Sun-san asked, turning his head. They had waited so long, but saw no sign.
"I don't know, he should have come a long time ago." Kazuki frowned: "Minister, do you think Mirai-sensei doesn't want to help?"
Sun-san was stunned and his eyes widened: "You said he would come, why are you asking me now?"
"No, let me think..." Kazuki paced back and forth, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. This time it was too long: "Minister, I think we have to go there in person."
"Go there? Why?"
Sun-san was furious, but seeing the plaza, his anger turned into a cold shower. There were too many people. These Mirai-sensei fans were too fanatical. He had now completely given up on the idea of fighting violence with violence.
"Where did he get so many brainless fanatics?"
Rubbing his forehead, Sun-san complained why Hinotori Publishing was in Osaka. Kanto wanted to make that place its headquarters, but most of the manga readers in Osaka were die-hard Mirai-sensei fans.
"Perhaps I should communicate with headquarters. This place is not suitable for development..."
With this idea in mind, Sun-san decided to yield to reality. He asked Kazuki to drive to invite Mirai-sensei. Is a position as editor-in-chief of manga always a requirement? But Sun-san couldn't afford to lose face. He stayed at the scene under the pretext of preventing unforeseen events.
Miserable Kazuki was dejected and could only leave with a sigh. He found the apartment where Mirai-sensei originally lived, but after going there, Kazuki learned that he had moved out.
He found his phone again, but when he called, it was off. Confused, he quickly contacted Kurosawa, editor-in-chief of Hinotori Publishing, to ask for Mirai-sensei's address.
"Address? I don't know it yet. Wait... I'll investigate and tell you!" Kurosawa hung up the phone. Kazuki waited for half an hour, but got no response. He now understood how an editor-in-chief could not know the mangaka's address. There was no doubt that he had been stood up.
He told Sun-san.
Sun-san was so furious he wanted to spit blood. He personally called Genji, president of Hinotori Publishing, to ask for Mirai-sensei's current address.
"At 6 PM, at Uji-an Teahouse, Mirai-sensei and I will be waiting for you there!"
Genji replied indifferently and hung up the phone. Sun-san didn't want to go, but he found that the people in the plaza in the afternoon hadn't disappeared. Some even moved the mahjong table to play, and he realized something was wrong.
"Readers can't be so determined. Is someone giving them instructions?"
The police also started to get restless.
"Minister Sun-san, if you can't appease them, we will arrest these people." A police officer approached Sun-san and reminded him: "They didn't continue causing damage, but their prolonged presence here disrupted public order. We have the right to take action."
These police officers almost couldn't stand it. If it were a weekday, they would have dispersed them a long time ago. This Kanto Manga Company is too weak. They didn't even resist when they were intimidated.
"Uh... could you wait a little longer?"
Sun-san also had his difficulties. He received a notice from headquarters in the morning requesting that the commotion be calmed. He was an impatient person. He couldn't help but want to act several times. However, every time he wanted to do something, the atmosphere of the readers changed and became confrontational, forcing him to retreat.
Kanto was going to move its headquarters to Osaka. They couldn't offend so many readers before arriving.
"...We really have to endure all the hardships!" Sun-san asked, secretly furious. The reason for the current situation was the headquarters' strategy. If Mirai-sensei hadn't advertised, how could they cause so much anger?
He completely forgot that he had also agreed to that strategy a week ago.
"It seems I can only go once...".
After Kazuki's unsuccessful return, Sun-san looked grim and decided to accompany him to Uji-an Teahouse to meet with Genji and Mirai-sensei.
At this meeting, they had to reach agreements. Even a fool can see that Mirai-sensei is now going to present conditions. The readers in the plaza stayed for a long time, probably due to some secret operation. But even if he knew, Sun-san couldn't do anything without proof.
He just regretted being the first person in charge of Kanto Manga Company to bow to Mirai-sensei.
Kanto Manga Company should have moved to Osaka a long time ago, and Sun-san shouldn't be in charge now. But after Duke Anthony's arrival, especially after the agreement, Kanto slowed down; they were confident and wanted to move their headquarters in a big way after defeating Mirai-sensei.
However, in this situation...
"Can we win?"
Sun-san had a hint of doubt. Mirai-sensei was too unexpected. A few days ago, Sun-san still had the confidence to win, but now he was shocked. Especially these readers, Osaka's manga readers, tend to favor Mirai-sensei. Even if Kanto wins, it's uncertain whether they will be able to gain a foothold in Osaka.
"Of course, I still have to suggest to headquarters that they avoid staying in the same city as Hinotori Publishing...".
Sun-san thought of a solution, but first he had to resolve the commotion. At dusk, as the sun set, Sun-san and Kazuki arrived at Uji-an Teahouse and were led to the private room reserved by Genji.
As soon as they entered, they saw an old man and a young man sitting opposite each other drinking tea.
"Hello." The young man stood up and greeted them. Sun-san saw the young man's face, a face he had seen several times on television and in newspapers, but it was the first time he saw him face-to-face.
Mirai-sensei is said to be a handsome boy, and it's no exaggeration. However, as soon as they met, Sun-san perceived a calm and indifferent aura about him, something unexpected, as he had always thought Mirai-sensei was an ambitious man full of desire.
This boy, with his calm and gentle appearance, made Sun-san feel even more terrible: he wasn't a clever boy. Mirai-sensei, at sixteen, radiated the temperament of an adult.
"What will this child be like in ten years?"
Sun-san thought, and an inexplicable fear washed over him. Perhaps Kanto couldn't consider Mirai-sensei an opponent. Youth is Mirai-sensei's greatest strength. Ten years from now, he will only be twenty-six years old, and he will not even have reached maturity. However, at that moment, he... may have been more powerful than Kanto.
This negotiation doesn't seem easy.
- - - - - - - - -
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