Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

"Yes, the first print run is 30,000 copies. Now we'll see how it sells."

Ryota Onodera nodded and said.

"A new single-volume edition has an initial print run of 30,000 copies. You're the first Jump author to do this in the last five years. Usually, it's between 8,000 and 12,000 copies."

"Don't worry, I'm confident in the sales of my comics."

"But what about the board of directors..."

"You can rest assured, once it passes unanimously, we will certainly provide ample resources."

Ryota Onodera lit a cigarette and smiled with relief.

"You're now Jump's featured newcomer for next month. First issue cover featured in color. The tagline was written by editor-in-chief Tanaka himself."

Yuma Kamiya took a deep breath.

Nineteen pages a week, 9,500 yen per page.

The amount of original manuscripts alone is nearly 200,000 yen per week.

Eight hundred thousand a month. That doesn't even include royalties from standalone books.

"sign."

Yuma Kamiya picked up the pen from the table.

"Wait, there's no rush."

Ryota Onodera pulled out another notepad from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"Editor-in-Chief Tanaka asked me to ask you something."

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"What?"

How many chapters are expected to be needed for the final chapter of "The Burial of Frilian"?

Yuma Kamiya thought for a moment.

"Chapters 120 to 130"

That's two and a half to three years.

Ryota Onodera wrote it down on a piece of paper.

"Not too long."

"It's actually not good if it gets too long."

"Will you need an assistant during the serialization?"

"Not yet. One person can handle it."

"You can bring up the matter of an assistant anytime."

Ryota Onodera put down his pen and stood up.

"Take a good look at the contract, sign it, and send it to the editorial office by express tomorrow. The official submission period starts next Monday. The deadline is every Thursday, and I'm your assigned editor. I won't be polite when you ask for updates."

"Don't worry, I won't give you that chance."

"Then I'm leaving."

Ryota Onodera walked to the door.

She glanced at Shiori Shirakawa.

The latter was still hiding behind Kamiya Yuuma, with only his eyes showing.

"By the way, Kamiya."

"Um?"

"Remember to invite me to your wedding!"

"senior!"

Shiori Shirakawa's voice boomed from behind Yuma Kamiya.

Ryota Onodera smiled and closed the door.

The meeting room fell silent.

Shiori Shirakawa emerged from behind Yuma Kamiya.

The blush on her face hadn't faded yet.

"Why is that person talking nonsense?"

......

It was already 2 p.m. when I walked out of the Shueisha building.

The weather is unusually nice.

Shiori Shirakawa took a deep breath as she stood on the steps at the entrance.

"I was so nervous this morning that my palms were sweating, but now it feels like a dream."

She turned to look at Yuma Kamiya.

The latter carefully placed the contract into the document bag.

"Shiori".

"Um?"

"Come with me to the law firm."

Shiori Shirakawa was taken aback.

"What would you do at a law firm?"

"Let's look at the contract."

Yuma Kamiya tucked the document bag under his arm.

"Shueisha is a big company, so the contract shouldn't be a problem. But since this is the first time we've signed a serialization contract, it's safer to have a professional review it."

Shiori Shirakawa nodded.

"That's true. I have a college classmate who runs an office in Shinjuku. Want to go work there?"

Is she reliable?

"She's a law student who worked with her father on civil cases after graduation. This kind of contract shouldn't be too difficult for her."

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

Shiori Shirakawa took a small notebook out of her bag, turned to a certain page, and glanced at the phone number on it.

"I'll call and ask first."

She walked to the public phone booth on the street corner and put in a few coins.

Yuma Kamiya was waiting outside.

Sunlight shone on the glass, outlining her silhouette with a faint golden edge.

Her mouth opened and closed, occasionally letting out a laugh, then she would frown.

When she hung up the phone and came out, she nodded to Yuuma Kamiya.

She said she was free this afternoon and told us to go directly there.

"Let's go then."

The office in Shinjuku is located in an inconspicuous old building.

The sign reads "Nakano Law Firm".

The elevator only had three floors, and it creaked as it went up to the second floor.

Pushing open the door, you'll find a small, ordinary office inside.

A woman wearing black-rimmed glasses looked up from behind the desk.

She has shoulder-length short hair and looks very capable.

"Shiori".

She stood up from her seat and nodded to Shiori Shirakawa.

Then he looked at Yuma Kamiya.

"Who is this?"

"My friend, Yuma Kamiya."

Shiori Shirakawa explained.

"This is Nakano Aoi, my college classmate, now a lawyer."

Nakano Aoi pushed up her glasses and reached out her hand to Kamiya Yuuma.

"Hello there."

"Hello there."

Yuma Kamiya squeezed her hand.

After a few polite exchanges, the three of them sat down at the desk.

"Let me see the contract."

Nakano Aoi's tone was very professional.

Yuma Kamiya pushed the contract over.

"The serialization contract with Shueisha."

Nakano Aoi took it and adjusted her glasses.

Turn to the first page.

Her expression didn't change much.

She raised an eyebrow slightly when she turned to the third page.

"cartoonist?"

"Um."

"Weekly Shonen Jump?"

"Um."

Nakano Aoi looked up and glanced at Kamiya Yuuma.

Then I glanced at Shiori Shirakawa again.

"Shiori".

"Um?"

"Your friend doesn't seem like it."

Kamiya Yuma glanced down at himself.

The white shirt has been worn for two days without being changed, and the collar is a bit wrinkled.

There were still a few ink stains on the pants that couldn't be washed off.

"I understand what you mean."

"I can say that," said Yuma Kamiya calmly.

"When drawing comics, I often don't care about my appearance."

Nakano Aoi smiled and didn't say anything more.

He continued looking down at the contract.

She read very slowly, marking each line with a pencil.

The office fell silent.

The only sound was the pencil sliding across the paper.

Shiori Shirakawa glanced at Yuma Kamiya discreetly.

The latter closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and breathed evenly.

"Asleep."

She muttered to herself.

This person hasn't slept much since Friday night, and only slept for an hour and a half in the meeting room just now.

It's a miracle that they've made it this far.

She reached out and pulled the file folder that Kamiya Yuma was carrying under his arm and placed it on the table.

So that he won't get crushed while he's asleep.

Nakano Aoi looked up and glanced at the scene.

Without saying anything, I continued looking at the contract.

Forty minutes later.

Nakano Aoi closed the contract, took off her glasses, and rubbed her eyes.

"The contract is fine."

"The original manuscript, royalties, and breach of contract clauses are all within the industry standard. In fact, Shueisha's offer this time is better than that of the average newcomer."

Shiori Shirakawa breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good."

"A first print run of 30,000 copies is quite high for a newcomer. A 10% royalty is also top-tier. Usually, a newcomer's first serialization would be lucky to get 7,000 copies of the manuscript material, but he got 9,500."

Nakano Aoi took a fountain pen out of the drawer.

"If you trust me, I suggest you sign it directly. I've seen several of these contracts, and they're exactly the same word for word. Shueisha doesn't play tricks on contracts; they rely on their reputation to do business."

She pushed the pen to the middle of the table.

Yuma Kamiya remained leaning back in his chair, not moving.

Nakano Aoi looked at him, who was still unconscious, and then looked at Shirakawa Shiori.