Chapter 282: The Fermentation of Public Opinion
"My doctoral advisor?"
Ren blinked and said, "Oh, the original... the original doctoral advisor."
He had almost forgotten that his original self was a dual-degree doctoral student. He, a mere undergraduate student in his previous life, had no idea what an advisor was.
"Yes, he wants to arrange a meeting with you," said Ayumi.
"What do you think of my house?"
Ren thought for a moment and said directly, "Meeting at my house would be better. We could even have a simple dinner afterward."
Ayumi was speechless.
Sensei, this is your former advisor.
Is it really okay for someone to come visit and directly turn against him?
But after thinking for a moment, she said, "Then I'll talk to the higher-ups to see if your advisor agrees."
"Alright."
Ren hung up the phone, but didn't take it to heart.
After all, he was just a mangaka now. The past of his original self was over, and he didn't feel obligated to live as such.
And hadn't the original incarnation also given up his past life?
Ren felt that his current life was enough, that he didn't need to change.
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, Kenji Fujimoto was still at his workbench, meticulously finishing his craftsmanship.
He took a deep breath and put down his tools.
He felt tired, a fatigue that had grown over time.
He felt that his life was about to end.
But Kenji Fujimoto knew it wasn't an illusion.
It was due to a condition he had been diagnosed with at the age of five: DMD, a genetic disease known medically as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
This disease is characterized by progressive muscle weakness and atrophy, accompanied by pseudohypertrophy of the gastrocnemius muscles, which ultimately leads to a series of serious complications, such as paralysis of the lower limbs and heart problems.
Kenji Fujimoto knew from a young age that he had this condition and was destined to die young.
He even knew that patients with this condition, like him, could only live to be twelve at most.
And now he was twenty-five.
Although he had lived longer than expected, that didn't mean he was completely cured.
The complications and exhaustion worsened, and he was helpless.
So Kenji Fujimoto counted every day and every year of his adult life.
Perhaps... at some point, he would enter a long sleep, a dream he had never known before.
But he couldn't bear to leave behind his beloved shop, his friends who shared his interests, his favorite manga, anime, and video games, everything he loved... and even... his beloved mother.
"I have to... finish this."
Kenji Fujimoto rested for a moment and then resumed making the merchandise in front of him.
He needed to make this merchandise for his friends who admired his work, and also... leave enough savings for his mother.
So Kenji Fujimoto wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued to meticulously finish the merchandise.
...
As the week came to an end, the weekend approached.
The Gods was gaining momentum as the third episode progressed. With the story of the "Sad Boy" sacrificing himself to save the two heroes of the Casal Academy, the popularity ranking suddenly soared to second place!
This revitalized Yusuke Sato even more.
Thanks to The Gods, his career as a mangaka has a promising future. He has been organizing book signings lately and his fan base is growing.
In manga forums, some have begun to debate who is the most powerful mangaka of the new generation, Yusuke Sato or Ren.
"To be honest, Jiang Nan should be the strongest mangaka of the new generation, right? I think with the momentum of The Gods, not even Ren could compare to him."
"Are you kidding? Has The Gods earned the top spot in popularity? If you say he's the strongest of the current new generation, let's take him to the top spot first like Chainsaw Man."
"He is said to be the strongest of the new generation. After all, Ren has opened a new path. Parasyte is certainly not as good as The Gods now. I think Jiang Nan is definitely the strongest of the new generation, because The Gods is now serialized in its third part and is still very good. This shows that The Gods has the potential to become a popular manga in the future!"
"Ren is amazing, but the manga he draws are too short. Whether it's Edgerunners, Fire Punch, or Chainsaw Man, they're not very long."
"This shows that Ren is not capable of creating long manga. He can only draw short stories."
"That's right. The Gods is already on its third volume, but Ren couldn't continue after the first Chainsaw Man."
"Long-form manga focus more on the overall creative level of the mangaka. It's obvious that Yusuke Sato's ability to manipulate long-form plots is far superior to Ren's!"
"And the only way to test the true level of a super-popular mangaka is to create a long-form manga that is well-received and sells well. So I'm more optimistic about Yusuke Sato becoming the next Fenghuangyuan. Ren still has to prove that he can write a good long-form novel."
Anyway, I think The Gods should first reach the top spot in popularity before challenging Ren. Ren had never been aware of this online discussion. But Yusuke Sato, an avid surfer, was attentive. Seeing these comments, he was very happy. Finally... someone recognized him as even better than Ren.
But some of Ren's fans still doubted his inferiority.
It didn't matter... when the time came, he would prove to be the strongest mangaka of the new generation with his achievements!
Yusuke Sato's eyes suddenly lit up with determination.
And by the weekend, the new issue of Manga World Gogo magazine had already been published.
Lying on the sofa at home, Yuka was the first to open the manga magazine.
After finishing her current favorite, The Gods, she reluctantly opened the manga Parasyte.
Honestly, she especially liked the character of Migi in Parasyte.
Of all the characters in Parasyte, Migi is the most popular.
Not even the male protagonist, Shinichi, manages to reach his popularity.
Shinichi gives the impression of being a bit of a coward. While he is helpful, especially when he saved the little girl, he certainly showed kindness.
But kind and gentle male protagonists have long since fallen out of favor.
Fans, on the other hand, prefer calm, rational, and strong characters like Migi.
If the protagonist, Shinichi, could have replaced his personality with Migi's, it would have been a true masterpiece, but unfortunately, it was not possible.
With this feeling in mind, Yuka watched the sixth episode of Parasyte.
Shinichi and Migi were walking down the street.
"Many people have been killed by parasitic beasts, and only I know their true nature," echoed Shinichi's inner monologue on the screen.
Then he saw a passerby throwing an unfinished hamburger in the trash.
Looking at it, Shinichi couldn't help but think of the headlines about the Parasyte murders: "Minced Meat Murder Case." "Yes... minced meat."
Then, the scene suddenly changed and a blond-haired man appeared.
He looked at the headline "Minced Meat Murder Case" on his phone and said with some disdain, "What's so surprising about a human capable of mincing beef and pork with such tranquility?".
The man's tone... was undoubtedly a Parasyte! Yuka instantly understood the man's true identity and suddenly looked up upon perceiving the "scent of his companion."
Just then...
"Shinichi, someone is approaching," Migi suddenly warned the stunned Shinichi on the street. "It's my companion, he's in the crowd on the left."
Shinichi immediately tensed up and looked to his left.
"Although there are so many people, I can't distinguish who he is right now," continued Migi, "I'm sure. It's better to stay away from him, or it could end in a fight."
Shinichi immediately got up and headed to the right.
"Hurry up," said Migi.
However... the Parasyte followed him.
"Shinichi, where are you going? He's about forty meters behind you and will catch up soon," warned Migi.
On the deserted street, Shinichi told Migi, "I want to see him. I want to see the murderer's face."
"Don't be a fool, you'll be killed," said Migi.
"Then, Migi, protect me," replied Shinichi.
"I don't think it will be as simple as last time," said Migi seriously.
Finally, Shinichi stopped in a relatively secluded place and said, "They won't see us here, right?".
"It's very difficult to understand human nature."
Migi looked at Shinichi and said, "It's as if your fear is paralyzed now. Why?".
Shinichi looked to the side and was silent for a long time, as if reflecting.
"They've killed a lot of people."
Shinichi looked at Migi, clenched his fists, and an idea came to his mind, "If we really leave it like this, maybe Satomi won't face something like this in the future.".
"Do you want me to keep quiet and watch even though I know the murderer's true identity?" he told Migi with a passionate face. "I want to fight! For all of humanity!".
"For... all of humanity," said Migi with difficulty understanding.
"This requires your strength. Help me! Alright! Migi!" said Shinichi sincerely.
However, the next instant, Migi suddenly said, "Five more meters."
At that moment, Shinichi felt something, turned, and saw... the blond-haired parasite from before!
- - - - -
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