Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

Yuma Kamiya put down his pen.

"But these things have nothing to do with us."

Shiori Shirakawa tilted her head and looked at him.

Why?

"Because no matter how much land prices rise or fall, you're still a civil servant, and your salary won't be reduced by a single penny. But as for me, as long as I draw comics well, there will always be people who will read them."

He picked up the dip pen again.

"So don't worry about those things. Just paint when you're supposed to paint, and cook soup when you're supposed to cook soup."

Shiori Shirakawa stared at him for a few seconds.

"You're a really strange person."

"What's strange about it?"

"Even though he's so poor he can't even afford a phone bill, he talks like he's seen it all."

Kamiya Yuma didn't look up.

"Because I draw comics, I have a rich imagination."

Shiori Shirakawa stopped talking.

She got up, took the bowl away, and carried it into the kitchen.

Yuma Kamiya listened to the sound of her washing dishes.

The storyboards he drew progressed frame by frame.

The news anchor was still broadcasting on the television.

"In addition, the Ministry of Finance announced today that it will continue to maintain its loose monetary policy, and the Governor of the Bank of Japan stated..."

Shiori Shirakawa came back after washing the dishes and sat down at the low table.

Watching Yuma Kamiya draw.

"You're not planning to finish drawing everything tonight, are you?"

"Unrealistic."

  

Yuma Kamiya flipped over and continued drawing the next panel.

"The storyboard outline for the first ten episodes will take at least three days to draw."

"Three days."

Shiori Shirakawa lowered her head, her fingers gently twisting the hem of her clothes.

"So you'll be coming to my house for the next few days?"

Yuma Kamiya put down his pen.

"Isn't it inconvenient?"

"It's not that it's inconvenient."

Shiori Shirakawa's voice suddenly became softer.

"Exactly, I have to work during the day, so wouldn't you feel uncomfortable if you were painting alone in my house?"

"Won't."

Yuma Kamiya answered very decisively.

"Your table is very useful, and there's food in the kitchen."

"You're only thinking about food, aren't you?"

Shiori Shirakawa sighed.

"Oh well."

She stood up and stopped abruptly as she walked to the door of the room.

"But you can't do anything beastly to me!"

After saying that, her face turned bright red, and she turned and ran into the room, closing the door behind her.

Kamiya Yuma looked at the closed door and shrugged.

"If you really wanted to do something beastly, would you have waited until now?"

He muttered something to himself and continued drawing.

The pen tip scratches against the paper, the soft, rustling sound particularly clear in the quiet room.

When he got to page 20, Yuma Kamiya stretched his stiff neck.

A light was found still on through the crack in Shiori Shirakawa's bedroom door.

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?"

He asked a question.

A rustling sound came from the other side of the door.

"Ma, you'll be asleep soon."

Shiori Shirakawa's voice came through the door, sounding somewhat flustered.

"Good night."

"Good night."

The lights went out.

Yuma Kamiya continued drawing storyboards.

......

Thursday afternoon.

After finishing the last storyboard panel, Kamiya Yuma marked the page number in the lower right corner of the manuscript paper and tapped the thick stack of manuscript paper on the table.

Page numbers range from one to one hundred and twenty-seven.

The storyboard outline is complete.

He stood up and stretched, then walked to Shiori Shirakawa's phone and dialed the editorial department's number.

"Shueisha Jump Editorial Department"

"Is Onodera-senpai there?"

"Editor Onodera is in a meeting. May I ask who you are...?"

"Yuma Kamiya. Please tell him that the storyboard outline is finished, and I'll send it over tomorrow morning."

After hanging up the phone, Yuma Kamiya sat back down at the low table.

Start by putting the storyboard drafts into file bags in order.

When Shiori Shirakawa came home from get off work in the evening.

I saw that Yuma Kamiya had already cleaned up all the manuscript papers on the table.

"Finished drawing?"

"It's finished. I'll submit it to the editorial department tomorrow morning."

"Then you can get some rest early today."

Shiori Shirakawa placed the groceries she bought from the supermarket on the kitchen counter.

"I'm making oyako-don tonight to celebrate your submission."

Kamitani Yuma watched her busy figure in the kitchen.

I could smell the aroma of chicken and eggs.

Friday morning.

Yuma Kamiya stood at the entrance of the Shueisha building.

He was carrying a file bag containing the storyboard outline.

"You're here."

Ryota Onodera was waiting for him at the door.

"Let's go straight up. Editor-in-Chief Tanaka is there too."

"The editor-in-chief needs to read this too?"

"Nonsense, this was personally approved by the editor-in-chief, so of course I have to personally review the follow-up."

Yuma Kamiya followed Ryota Onodera into the elevator.

There were only the two of them in the elevator.

"Who is your friend?"

Ryota Onodera suddenly asked.

"What friend?"

"I'll treat you to tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet)."

Kamiya Yuma glanced at him.

"College classmate".

"A woman?"

"Um."

"Is it pretty?"

Kamiya Yuuma glanced at him and said, "Onodera-senpai, you're so gossipy!"

Ryota Onodera didn't press the matter, only letting out a snort.

The elevator doors opened.

Ryota Onodera led him directly into the editor-in-chief's conference room.

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka sat in the main seat, with a steaming cup of coffee in front of him.

"They're here."

He nodded to Kamiya Yuuma.

"Sit down and talk."

Yuma Kamiya sat down across the long table.

He took the storyboard outline out of the file bag and pushed it in front of Editor-in-Chief Tanaka.

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka turned to the first page.

In the image, Frilian stands before Simmel's grave, with an endless grassland stretching out behind her.

Behind her stood a young girl carrying a staff taller than a person.

"You've taken on an apprentice?"

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka looked up and asked.

"Yes. Frilian needs someone to talk to."

Kamiya Yuma began to explain.

"It's too difficult to draw a comic about traveling alone. She needs a character who can ask questions."

After hearing the explanation, Editor-in-Chief Tanaka realized that the role was necessary and continued flipping through the pages.

Storyboard for episode 2.

Frilian and her apprentice watched the sunrise at the beach.

The apprentice asked her why she kept heading north.

Frillie said it was because she had made a promise with someone to go to the far north.

"This dialogue is very good."

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka paused on that page for a moment.

"She didn't say what the agreement was, but it's clear she's keeping her promise to Simmel."

Episode 3. They discovered a bottle of wine buried in the snow-capped mountains for fifty years, with Simmel's name engraved on it.

Frillie opened the bottle, took a sip, and said it was too sweet.

Then the fourth episode.

Episode 5.

When I turned the last page.

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka let out a long sigh of relief. He handed the manuscript to Ryota Onodera. "Take a look too."

Ryota Onodera had been itching to get his hands on it for a while, so he quickly took it and started flipping through the pages.

After he finished reading the last page, he exchanged a glance with the editor-in-chief.

"This is it."

They both spoke at the same time.

The editor-in-chief stood up and extended a hand.

"Kamiya, welcome to Jump."

Kamiya Yuma was stunned, but quickly recovered and stood up to shake the editor-in-chief's hand.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. This is the world you created yourself."

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka took a document out of his drawer and handed it to Yuma Kamiya.

"This is the application form for the serialization meeting. The meeting is next Monday, and you must attend."

Yuma Kamiya took the application form and glanced at it.

"I'll go show them!" said Ryota Onodera. Editor-in-Chief Tanaka naturally knew this kid was going to show off. An editor's biggest motivation is having a top-tier writer under their command.

A short while later, the sound of arguing came from outside the door.