Lin Feng had to admit, after all the rush to meet deadlines these past few weeks, his body was really starting to feel the strain.
After all, no matter how mature his mind was, his body was still that of a ten-year-old fifth grader.
And while a normal person's constitution was 10, Lin Feng's was only 6. It was quite a feat that he'd managed to stay up late drawing and keep going until now.
Back home, Lin Feng was just about to put down his schoolbag and see what he could scrounge up from the fridge when the phone in the living room suddenly rang.
The only people who knew Lin Feng's home phone number, besides Shizuka, were probably his editor, Mitsugetsu Miyako.
Shizuka had just walked home with him from school, so she wouldn't be calling so soon.
So, this call was most likely from his editor, Mitsugetsu Miyako.
As for the reason for the call, Lin Feng didn't need to guess; he already had a pretty good idea.
It must be a report on the results.
Although Lin Feng had been quite calm all day, he was actually eager to know what kind of reaction his work would get after being published on a platform like Weekly Shonen.
From the scene Shizuka described when she went to buy the Weekly Shonen magazine this morning, Lin Feng could roughly guess.
It seemed that the latest issue of Weekly Shonen magazine was selling quite well.
He just didn't know if it had a direct relationship with the mid-season addition of Demon Slayer.
So Lin Feng answered the phone with a hint of anticipation.
"Lin Feng...?"
After the phone connected, Mitsugetsu Miyako's voice indeed came through.
However, the other person seemed to be calling for the first time, and their tone was filled with uncertainty.
"It's me."
Lin Feng coughed lightly, a bit helpless, and answered.
"Phew...thank goodness I didn't dial the wrong number."
It was clear that the awkward encounter yesterday at the door with Shizuka had made Mitsugetsu Miyako more cautious, fearing she'd made another mistake.
"It seems you're home from school. By the way, aren't you even a little curious about your results?"
"You know, today is the first day your work is being serialized in Weekly Shonen!"
After confirming it was Lin Feng on the other end, Mitsugetsu Miyako's tone relaxed, returning to her cheerful and lively self.
Initially, she thought Lin Feng would eagerly call her to ask about the results.
But after waiting a long time without receiving a call from Lin Feng, Mitsugetsu Miyako had to take the initiative and call him.
"Of course I'm curious. I was just about to ask you," Lin Feng said with a slight smile, his tone remarkably calm.
At least, Mitsugetsu Miyako on the other end of the phone couldn't detect any urgency in Lin Feng's voice to know his results.
"...Well, I was going to call you about this anyway. After today's sales figures were tallied, the latest issue of Weekly Shonen has seen a year-on-year sales increase of at least 35%!"
"Lin Feng, the influence of your work, Demon Slayer, is a huge factor in this!"
Mitsugetsu Miyako's tone was filled with barely concealed excitement.
It's worth noting that Yūei Publishing's manga magazines and newspapers have been experiencing a decline in performance recently, affected by the economic bubble.
Lin Feng's injection of new energy this time allowed their latest issue of Weekly Shonen magazine to once again break its previous records.
This was nothing short of a timely blessing!
"Oh? You're so sure it's because of my work?"
Lin Feng was still somewhat curious. After all, Weekly Shonen featured more than just Demon Slayer.
There were also some very popular and highly-regarded manga series serialized in Weekly Shonen.
Why was Yūei Publishing so certain that the increase in sales of this issue of Weekly Shonen was so heavily related to Lin Feng's new work, Demon Slayer?
"Of course! You probably don't know, but our publishing house has received many anonymous letters from readers today..."
Mitsugetsu Miyako said this, also feeling a little incredulous.
She'd been an intern editor at Yūei Publishing for quite some time, but she'd never seen so many people go crazy over the same work and send the publisher anonymous letters.
The content of those letters was, without exception, all petitions asking if Yūei Publishing could speed up the update frequency.
One magazine comic released per week was no longer satisfying the needs of these readers.
If it were just that, perhaps Yūei Publishing wouldn't have attributed all the credit to Lin Feng's work, Demon Slayer.
But in these letters, they all mentioned, without exception, that they hoped the newly serialized work, Demon Slayer, could have a faster update pace.
One chapter a week was really not enough to read.
Demanding updates all the way to the publisher – this unprecedented situation really refreshed the understanding of the publishing house staff.
Of course, the most surprised and excited person was also Lin Feng's editor, Mitsugetsu Miyako.
After all, it was her who first discovered Lin Feng's work.
Now that Lin Feng's work was so popular, Mitsugetsu Miyako was also quite pleased.
Their fortunes were intertwined; as Lin Feng rose, so did Mitsugetsu Miyako's standing within Yūei Publishing.
Even the president of Yūei Publishing, after learning about the anonymous letters that readers were sending to the company, personally spoke with Mitsugetsu Miyako.
His meaning was simple: he wanted Mitsugetsu Miyako to drop everything else and keep a close eye on Lin Feng, the original author of Demon Slayer.
Of course, "keeping a close eye" didn't mean restricting his freedom.
Instead, it meant that Mitsugetsu Miyako, the editor in charge of liaising with Lin Feng, should spend a lot of time with him and understand his daily routine.
In a sense, it was about offering the author some help with his daily life, with the goal of maximizing his update schedule.
The purpose of Yūei Publishing's president personally speaking with Mitsugetsu Miyako was likely to demonstrate the company's commitment to the matter.
However, Mitsugetsu Miyako, who had a good understanding of Lin Feng's drawing speed, didn't think he would delay the release.
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