noveldepot Chapter 21 High School Students Are Great!
Chapter 21 High School Students Are Great!
Soon, Kudo Sakae finished reading the manuscript of "Rurouni Kenshin".
Even with a critical eye, one has to admit that this is a rare masterpiece, one that has the potential to compete for the Tezuka Award and has a very high probability of winning it.
A glint of light flashed in her eyes; she hadn't expected the new editor to bring her such a pleasant surprise.
If this comic can be signed to her name, then further advancement is not impossible.
Thinking of this, she called to her secretary, "Bring in Imai, the employee."
Chinatsu Imai was a little flustered when she entered the office. She thought that she had been called in to scold her because she had made too much noise in the outer office area.
Unexpectedly, Kudo, who had just reprimanded her not long ago, was now looking at her with a smile.
Imai Chinatsu quickly bowed slightly and said respectfully:
"Team Leader Kudo, were we making too much noise in the office area just now? I'm so sorry, I'll definitely be more careful next time!"
Kudo Sakae waved her hand dismissively, still smiling warmly, and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. We're all young people, it's normal to have some energy. Besides, you even got such a good manga for me, I should be thanking you."
Chinatsu Imai paused, realizing she'd overheard something amiss. After carefully considering the sentence, she had a vague idea of what was going on, but still asked, unwilling to give up:
"Chief Kudo, what did you mean by saying you received a good manga for me?"
Kudo Sakae waved the first draft of Rurouni Kenshin in her hand and said, "This is it."
While it's not very common for manuscripts to be stolen, it does happen sometimes.
Chinatsu Imai had heard about it before, but she never expected that such a thing would happen to her one day.
She stood there, stunned, unsure whether to argue her case or swallow her anger.
Although arguing with reason might not be very effective, the strong hierarchical system in Japan has almost completely blocked this matter, and it is very likely that she will be fired in the end.
But she just couldn't swallow this insult. She was the one who signed the contract, so why should she have to obediently hand it over as soon as the other party asked?
But she didn't act rashly; instead, she carefully considered her words before cautiously saying:
"Team leader, this comic is mine..."
But before he could finish speaking, Kudo Sakae interrupted him:
"Mr. Imai, I know you signed this manga. But you're too young. The waters here are deep, and you can't handle it. Not only will it jeopardize the manga's future commercial prospects, but... it could also ruin your own future."
The last sentence laid bare the threat, effectively shutting down everything Chinatsu Imai had intended to say.
Watching Imai Chinatsu walk away dejectedly, Kudo Sakae's face revealed a smug expression.
Kudo Sakae felt no guilt whatsoever about stealing other people's manuscripts. The other person was a young person who had just joined the company, and there was nowhere to report her, especially since she had superiors.
Nighttime, inside an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Kanda Ward.
Chinatsu Imai was completely drunk, her eyes were glazed over, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the rim of the bottle, letting the clear liquor spill onto the table.
Sitting across from her was Sato Yoshiko, her best friend since high school.
Seeing the other person's distraught appearance, Sato felt a pang of sympathy and a sense of helplessness, and tried to take the bottle away from her hand.
"Chika, you can't drink anymore..."
But the next second, he was suddenly swung away by the opponent with astonishing force.
"Don't stop me... Miko, I feel so choked up, I can't breathe if I don't drink."
She picked up her beer and took a big gulp, the movement graceful, but tears unconsciously streamed down her face.
"Miko, do you know? That manga is the best manga I've ever seen since I entered the industry, and it's the manga I've been waiting so long for.
"I post GG on Mixi (similar to Weibo) every day, searching everywhere for promising comic artists to submit their work!"
"Sometimes I have to answer calls and reply to messages in the middle of the night, but that old woman, Kudo Sakae, why should she?!"
Chinatsu Imai clenched her fists so tightly her nails almost dug into her palms, her face filled with anger and resentment.
"With just one sentence, she snatched the comic book I had signed and threatened to fire me if I didn't give it back..."
Sato Yoshiko's expression kept changing. She tenderly stroked Imai Chinatsu's hair and couldn't help but say:
"Chika, why don't you talk to that author? If he doesn't want to sign with that old woman, won't you still be the final editor?"
Chinatsu Imai gave a bitter smile upon hearing this and said, "They don't owe me anything, so why should they help me like this? Besides, Sakae Kudo is the team leader and has access to more resources than me. Even if they really had to choose, they wouldn't choose me, unless..."
She didn't continue; the chances were too small, so small as to be negligible.
After all, who would set a trap in a contract only to have it exposed in the end?
……
"Team leader, the person we just found on the visitor registration form should be the author of 'Rurouni Kenshin,' named Shirakawa Yuta. He seems to be a high school student. The clothes he was wearing in the surveillance footage are the uniform of Meitoku Private School."
"High school student?"
Kudo Sakae's eyes lit up even more; she loved that the author was a student.
She had previously signed a contract with a college student who drew a comic. By simply increasing the fee slightly, she could acquire all the copyrights of the comic except for the authorship rights, including related merchandise.
The bonus she received from the company that time was equivalent to a year's salary.
I didn't expect another one to appear now, and high school students are even easier to fool. The quality of the comic is far better than the previous one.
Kudo Sakae felt as if a swarm of Chanel and Balenciaga products were constantly rushing towards her.
He took out his phone and dialed the number on the registration form.
At this moment, Shirakawa Yuta had just returned to Hachioji City. It wasn't because of traffic jams, but because he had taken some time to register for a Capcom tournament, hoping to earn some money quickly.
Since I'm going to participate in the Tezuka Award, it's basically impossible for me to make money by drawing manga in the near future.
He can stay at Chiba Noodle Shop for at most another month before he has to move out, and rent has become his biggest problem.
Seven days ago, before he used his savings to buy paintbrushes, renting a place, while not exactly a luxury, would have at least provided him with the money.
But right now he doesn't even have 10,000 yen. If he doesn't make some money soon, he'll be homeless.
As for asking his parents for money, Shirakawa Yuta had no such idea.
The elderly couple had just renovated their small hot spring guesthouse and were short of money. Now that they had found a way to make money, they decided to give it a try.
The only problem is, how do he trick them into giving him the controller...?