My girlfriend is Saiki Kusunoki

At this moment, even Yukino spoke to Naoto.

Yukino's admiration for Naoto stemmed not only from Honda Genichiro's evaluation, but also from the fact that she was truly shocked by the meaning expressed within Parasyte.

In fact, Yukino herself rarely reads comics, but Parasyte gave her a completely different feeling. Before she knew it, she was attracted to the content of the comic.

"Yeah, that's Honda Genichiro! And he actually said he'd give Parasyte the Seiun Prize! Naoto-kun, aren't you excited at all?"

"Excited? It was alright. I was a little excited at first, but I calmed down afterwards."

Naoto felt a little uncomfortable with everyone's behavior; he definitely preferred how everyone was normally.

........................

"Naoto, are you free now?"

When lunch break came, only Naoto was left in the entire club.

At this moment, Hachiman found Naoto, seemingly wanting to say something to him.

"Hmm? Hachiman? Is something the matter?"

Seeing his friend come to find him, Naoto asked with some confusion.

"Um, actually, I want to write a novel, what do you think?"

"Hey?"

When Hachiman said he wanted to write a novel, Naoto was slightly taken aback.

"Hachiman, why did you suddenly want to write a novel?"

Naoto looked at Hachiman with some suspicion. In Naoto's memory, Hachiman didn't seem to be someone who would take the initiative to work. Was it because of interest?

"Ah, well..."

Hachiman looked at Naoto somewhat embarrassed. To be honest, his desire to write a novel was partly related to Naoto.

As a humanities genius, Hachiman has read a lot of various kinds of literature.

But after reading Naoto's manga recently, Hachiman was greatly shocked. He realized that creation could be like this.

After reading the manga, Hachiman felt as if something within him had awakened, and he was eager to create something.

Especially when he saw the other members of the creative club, each of them working hard to express their ideas in their works, Hachiman seemed to finally know what he wanted to do.

However, I lack experience, so I would like to get some feedback from others.

"I see. Well then, how about trying light novels first?"

Naoto thought Hachiman's idea was pretty good.

It is a novel genre originating from Japan, which can be simply understood as "a novel that is easy to read".

Light novels are novels packaged using specific storytelling techniques, characterized by their ability to efficiently convey the story to the reader. Their primary readership consists of teenagers (including middle school students) and anime enthusiasts, and they often use anime-style illustrations.

As one of the four pillars of the ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) industry, light novels have grown to a scale comparable to that of comics in recent years.

Famous works like Sword Art Online and A Certain Magical Index are very popular, and even most manga artists cannot compare to them.

Moreover, because light novels have a relatively low barrier to entry, there are actually more light novel authors than manga artists.

Although the quality of light novels varies, they can also be serialized online in recent years due to the development of the internet, making it generally easier for them than for manga artists.

Currently, the most famous publishers in Japan are Dengeki Bunko and Kadokawa. Although the three major manga publishers have also ventured into this field, they cannot compare with these two giants.

"So, Hachiman, what kind of novel do you want to write?"

Naoto has no worries about Hachiman's writing skills. If there's one thing Hachiman's greatest strength is, it's his clear understanding of life, his often surprising remarks, and his unique way of dealing with people.

As the runner-up in the essay contest, Naoto is quite curious about what kind of work Hachiman will create.

"What kind of work is it? I have a general idea, but I don't know what the work will be like."

"Don't worry about that, Hachiman. In fact, I thought the same thing when I submitted my first work. But when I thought about it carefully, what's the point of life if you don't even dare to try? You won't know your limits if you don't try. Just submit your work first. I believe you can create a good piece."

"Naoto... I understand."

Encouraged by Naoto, Hachiman no longer hesitated.

In the following period, Hachiman also began to create his own light novel works.

In the beginning, Hachiman also consulted Akihito on the writing methods of light novels and discussed some aspects of the creative process.

After absorbing experiences from all sides and using his own stories and templates, Hachiman's writing speed increased.

Gradually, Hachiman's first light novel was finally completed.

After Hachiman submitted this light novel, no one knew what would become of it.

This light novel, based on Hachiman himself, is titled by Hachiman as "Goodbye! Zetsubou-Sensei".

If Naoto knew about this, he would probably be very surprised.

After all, it's surprising that the work "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" was created through Hachiman's hands.

It's a bit strange that the original manga turned into a light novel, but this work, which shone brightly in its original world, actually appeared under Naoto's slight intervention. Perhaps, this is the butterfly effect.

While Hachiman was creating his new novel, Naoto was also pondering what kind of work he should create.

After Parasyte ended, Naoto felt like his thinking had stagnated, and he couldn't think of any kind of manga he should create.

This has also caused concern within the JUMP editorial department.

Chapter 125: The Unyielding Nanzi Jiang

"Honey? What's wrong? You seem so listless."

At Saiki's house, Saiki's father looked just like the protagonist of Asahi no Joe, as if he had lost all his color.

Nanzi, on the other hand, didn't seem too worried about her father's recent condition. Instead, she ate her coffee jelly absentmindedly, showing no interest whatsoever.

Seeing Nanko's indifferent expression, Qi Mu's father sighed again, as if his life was filled with a sense of desolation.

"Isn't this all because of Naoto? It's been so long and he still hasn't created a new manga. To be honest, I'm getting anxious."

If you ask why Qi Mu's father looked so dejected, a large part of it was actually an act.

Of course, there was definitely some sense of urgency involved.

If it were any other manga artist, Saiki's father wouldn't be in a big hurry. Even if they didn't update for several years, it wouldn't be a big problem for them.

After all, there will always be talented people taking over serial slots; one more or one less won't make a difference. For a veteran editor, this is no big deal.

But what if this person were replaced by a current pillar of JUMP?

Currently, there are four particularly outstanding authors among the JUMP manga writers.

If we were to put it in a ranking list, Niizuma would be second, Fukuda Shinta third, and Moritaka and Akito would sometimes be third, but they would probably be around fourth.

The ultimate champion is undoubtedly a straight man.

After Naoto stopped updating his manga, the editorial department seemed to lose some of its passion. Even Saiki's father felt his life had become empty.

Recently, the editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief have been asking Saiki's father about when Naoto will start serializing a new manga.

It's worth noting that when Naoto was still serializing the novel, JUMP's sales even increased by 10%.

This is an extremely alarming number, no matter which magazine you're referring to.

But after the Naoto series ended, the number of such works decreased again, which must have made the editors anxious.

But how could he possibly know such a thing?

After all, inspiration for cartoonists doesn't just come out of nowhere.

The more famous a comic artist is, the slower they update their work. For bestselling comic artists, updating their work is just a pastime.

Or is it considered earning extra money?

Updating once every few months is considered fast, let alone starting a new book.

Moreover, with Naoto's update speed being so fast, how could he possibly create a new manga so quickly?

Although Saiki's father had approached Naoto, Naoto said he didn't know anything and couldn't come up with any inspiration.

This really annoyed Saiki's father; he couldn't possibly force Naoto to draw manga. Besides, what manga artists hate most is being constantly questioned, which can easily kill off hard-won inspiration.

"Maybe Naoto is just too tired from drawing comics lately? Is he planning to take a break?"

The madam couldn't help but speculate about what her husband looked like.

"Maybe, but at least give me a definite answer. Ah~ if only someone could ask for me, who? Who could it be?"

At this moment, Qi Mu's father kept turning his gaze toward Nanzi, who was eating.

Because the gaze was so obvious and intense, Nanzi couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to.

Sometimes Nanzi wonders if she's spoiled her father too much. Why does she have to do even things like this?

No, I absolutely cannot help with this.

Seeing that Nanko remained unmoved, Qi Mu's father had no choice but to resort to his trump card.

"Oh, right, Mom, where did I put the two boxes of coffee jelly that the company sent me the other day? Oh dear, they're going to go bad if I don't eat them soon."

"Huh? Is there such a thing?"

Saiki's mother was still trying to process how his father suddenly changed the subject, wondering how the comic had suddenly turned into coffee jelly.

"Yes, yes, I heard that this jelly was made by a top French pastry chef and was specially made to reward us editors. It's a pity that we don't know where it is now, where did it go?"

When Nanzi heard words like "French high-end desserts," "custom-made," and "coffee jelly," her hand holding the milk trembled slightly.

It's the same old trick again. Nanzi has had enough of her dad.

But the coffee jelly, especially the one made by a top French pastry chef… No, I can’t think about it anymore.

At this moment, Qi Mu's father said to his mother again, "How strange! The coffee chocolates and the high-end jelly maker I ordered online are also missing. This is terrible! I specifically bought these things. If anyone can help me remember them, that would be so great."

At that moment, Nanzi felt as if a string of reason had snapped within her.

It's not that Nanzi is heartless, it's just that the enemy's offensive is too fierce!

This trick really works every time on Nanzi.

"This is the last time."