Four days after the release of Weekly Shonen Jump issue 35, the day the shōsei results were announced, Hisashi finally contacted him again.
However, this time it wasn't just a phone call; he had come to the studio in person again to announce this week's results to him face-to-face—
"Congratulations, Mochizuki-sensei, this time the shōsei result is 1st place!"
As he spoke the congratulations, a smile couldn't help but spread across Hisashi's face.
At the same time, the assistants were also beaming with smiles, cheering and offering their congratulations, feeling proud of this achievement.
"I knew it, as expected of Mochizuki-sensei!"
"Congratulations, Mochizuki-sensei!"
"This is truly great!"
Although they had long expected that the results would see a surge by the 5th chapter, being able to regain 1st place was still very exciting.
After all, this time there was no newcomer bonus like in the first chapter; it was an undeniably high-value 1st place!
Up to this point, the first five chapters of "Fate/stay night" have already achieved two 1st places, two 2nd places, and one 3rd place.
Such results for a new serialized manga are simply terrifying!
Moreover, although Fsn has only just published its 5th chapter, they have already drawn up to the 10th chapter.
And looking at the current plot development, Fsn does not have a problem with running out of steam; on the contrary, it is becoming more and more exciting as the plot unfolds.
Therefore, they are certain that Fsn's achievements will by no means stop here!
"Thank you."
Akira was also feeling somewhat happy about this result.
Although he wasn't a pure creator, in order to maximize the impact of the final 'Moon Masterpiece', he had spent a lot of effort studying the storyboards for the buildup leading up to it.
Therefore, even though this achievement didn't entirely belong to him, he still felt a small sense of accomplishment.
But as the saying goes—
Don't lose sight of the situation and really think all of this depends solely on your own talent and effort.
You can brag like that to others, but it's better to be honest with yourself.
It is valuable for a person to have self-awareness; do not belittle yourself, but do not boast either.
In addition, the 2nd and 3rd places this week are "yu-gi-oh!" and "One Piece", respectively.
Meanwhile, "The Prince of Tennis" and "zombie powder" remain fellow sufferers, ranking 13th and 8th this week respectively, with bleak prospects.
But more importantly, Hisashi brought him some new news:
"Just this month, another manga passed the serialization meeting and will begin serialization soon."
Hisashi smiled at him and said:
"That manga is called "naruto", and its author is Kishimoto Masashi, Kishimoto-Sensei, whom I mentioned to you before."
"So it's him?"
Akira cooperatively feigned a look of sudden realization, but his inner anticipation was genuine.
It's finally launching, Kishimoto.
I've been waiting so long I'm about to wither!
"Another new serialization?"
At the same time, hearing Hisashi's words, Hayato sighed with envy, while Shota asked:
"If that's the case, even setting aside the soon-to-conclude "rurouni kenshin", the long-running serialization slots in Shonen Jump are completely filled, right?"
"Indeed."
Hisashi nodded, then smiled again:
"However, as long as a work is excellent enough, you never have to worry about serialization problems."
"After all..."
There are always works ranked low in Shonen Jump, and when the time comes, you just need to cancel them to make room for new serializations.
Although Hisashi didn't say the second half of the sentence, everyone knew what he meant, so they couldn't help but shiver.
This is the cruel and intense reality of survival for Shonen Jump Manga Artists.
After finishing the discussion about the shōsei results, Hisashi sat up a bit straighter and said to Akira:
"Alright, Mochizuki-sensei, let's talk about "Kara no Kyoukai" next."
If it were just to announce the shōsei results, he wouldn't have needed to come in person, so this matter was the main topic of the day.
However—
""Kara no Kyoukai"? What is that?"
Looking at the curious and puzzled gazes of the three assistants, Hisashi also asked back in confusion:
"You don't know?"
Although the volume of "Kara no Kyoukai" isn't considered large for a light novel, it still has hundreds of thousands of words, so it certainly couldn't have been written in a short time.
And these three spend two days a week at the studio, and they stay for the whole day, so logically, they shouldn't be completely unaware, right?
However, the assistants really didn't know.
After all, for "Kara no Kyoukai", Akira only sat in front of the computer for about two hours a day, and it took him over a month of slow writing to finish it.
And for the assistants, it was perfectly normal for Akira to have nothing to do while they were working, and occasionally return to his bedroom to rest for a few hours.
Moreover, who would have thought that a Manga Artist would take the time to write a light novel?
Akira had never actively publicized this to Tanaka and the others, but since Hisashi had pointed it out, he took the opportunity to explain.
Unsurprisingly, it elicited a shocked reaction from the three.
"Mochizuki-sensei also took the time to write a light novel? Is that for real?!"
"How amazing...!"
"It's very intriguing, the light novel written by Mochizuki-sensei."
"Well."
He scratched his cheek with a sheepish smile, and seeing this, Hisashi cast an apologetic look.
Meanwhile, looking at the excited reaction of the assistants, he felt that the living room was no longer suitable for continuing this discussion, so he helplessly said:
"Mochizuki-sensei, why don't we go find a coffee shop downstairs to talk?"
Akira nodded in agreement upon hearing this:
"Let's go."
...
Ignoring the somewhat chaotic situation earlier, the two arrived at a coffee shop and sat down. After ordering a cup of coffee each, Hisashi continued from the previous topic:
"Regarding the light novel "Kara no Kyoukai", first, I would like to hear Mochizuki-sensei's thoughts."
"For example, regarding submission, does Mochizuki-sensei have any preferred publishing houses?"
"Well..."
Akira thought for a moment and said:
"I actually don't mind regarding this; as long as the novel can be published, that's fine. Of course, it's best to choose a larger publishing house."
Speaking of light novels, many people would certainly think of the Kadokawa Group.
The three great houses of the light novel world: Dengeki Bunko, Fujimi Shobo, and Kadokawa Bunko, are all imprints under the Kadokawa Group.
However, the trend truly belonging to light novels would only reach its peak after 2000, and the current situation of the Kadokawa Group is just average.
In addition, considering that the sales of "Kara no Kyoukai" were not high in his previous life, he didn't have high expectations for it.
Anyway, as long as it can be published smoothly, that's enough.
Hearing his answer, Hisashi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:
"If that's the case, then it's easy to handle."
Then his tone paused, and he smiled at Akira:
"Then, Mochizuki-sensei, would you consider a publishing house under Shueisha?"