Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

"There's a new book in the corner. We restocked twice today. The first time we brought in five copies, and they were all gone in two hours. The second time we brought in ten copies, and they were all gone just now."

The store manager looked up, puzzled, and asked, "What book?"

"It's called 'The Burial of Frilian,' illustrated by a new artist. There's no poster or featured section, but people who come to buy it are buying two or three copies at a time, and they say that one of the thousand copies contains an autographed illustration by the author."

"Signature drawing?"

The shop manager took off his glasses, wiped them, and asked, "What kind of autograph?"

The clerk pulled out a signed illustration from the last book that hadn't been sold yet.

The shop manager took it and examined it. It was a blue moonflower, a blend of cobalt blue and ultramarine, with a faint warm gray tinge around the edges of the petals. He looked at it for a few seconds and asked, "How many paintings did this artist create?"

"It's said there are a thousand of them, and each one is different."

The store manager put the autographed book back into the book and said, "Tomorrow, put this book on the display stand at the entrance, next to 'Battle Rhapsody,' and make room for it."

"But what about Shueisha?"

The shop assistant said hesitantly.

"Shueisha is Shueisha, and I am me. Books that sell well should be placed where customers can see them."

He tapped the autograph board.

"This kind of thing can't be printed by a printing press."

.........

  

At 10 p.m., in her apartment in Itabashi Honmachi, Shirakawa Shiori sat at the low table in the living room.

In front of her were five copies of "The Burial of Frilian," which she had bought at noon, each with a different signed illustration.

She placed the five signed drawings side by side on the table.

She was so familiar with these flowers that Yuma Kamiya spent three days and three nights drawing them.

She sat there watching for three nights.

Yuma Kamiya walked out of the master bedroom, holding a blue mug in his hand.

He glanced down at the five individual volumes on the table and asked, "Did you buy these?"

"Yeah, I went to the bookstore near the office during my lunch break and saw that there were only these five books left in the corner."

Shiori Shirakawa looked up at him. "Kamiya-kun."

"Um?"

"It will sell out."

When she said that.

The tone was exactly the same as when I said "You will win" that day.

Yuma Kamiya sat down opposite her and asked, "How did you know?"

"Because I saw it."

Shiori Shirakawa opened a single volume and pointed to the autograph board.

"At noon today, I saw a person standing at an intersection reading your comic book. He almost got hit by a bicycle. When I got off work in the evening, I saw two girls almost arguing in a bookstore over the last copy."

She closed the book.

"So it will sell out."

Yuma Kamiya took a sip of tea and asked, "What if we can't sell them all?"

"There's no 'what if'."

Shiori Shirakawa stood up, took the mug he had finished drinking from, and went to the kitchen to fill it with hot water.

Did you draw today?

"I've finished drawing all the final drafts for episode 5, and I've completed half of the storyboard for episode 6."

Shiori Shirakawa placed the cup back in front of him.

"Then continue drawing tomorrow, and leave the book sales to the buyers."

She picked up her white mug and clinked it against his. The crisp sound was light and clear in the quiet living room. Kamiya Yuma looked at the five signed drawings on the table, five different flowers. "Shiori,"

"Um?"

"If your colleague asks you why you bought five of the same comic books, what would you say?"

Shiori Shirakawa thought for a moment and said, "I said, because the flowers blooming in each book are different."

She brought the cup to her lips and took a sip.

"And there's one of them that I watched bloom."

Three days after the release date, when Ryota Onodera rushed into the editorial department, he was holding a fax paper in his hand. Editor-in-Chief Tanaka was sitting at his workstation revising the layout of the next issue of the magazine, while Takahashi was standing by the window with a coffee in his hand.

"Editor-in-Chief".

Ryota Onodera's voice trembled slightly. Editor-in-Chief Tanaka looked up and asked, "What's wrong? You don't look well."

Ryota Onodera slammed the fax paper on his desk and said, "Additional order from the bookstore."

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka picked up the paper, glanced at it, and then put it down.

He picked it up again and looked at it, then asked uncertainly, "Two thousand?"

"It's not two thousand, it's twenty thousand."

Ryota Onodera's voice rose uncontrollably.

"The first print run was 30,000 copies. 8,000 were sold on the first day and nearly 12,000 on the second day. Now, 23 bookstores in Tokyo have placed additional orders. The initial stock was completely sold out by this morning. I have already called the printing plant to order an additional 20,000 copies, but the bookstores are still calling and may need to order more."

Takahashi's coffee cup hovered in mid-air as he said in disbelief, "How is this possible? No posters, no featured placement, how could a first print run of 30,000 copies be sold in just two days..."

"Signature drawing".

Ryota Onodera turned to look at him and explained.

"Those thousand signed illustrations, the readers who bought them took photos and posted them on social media. Everyone who bought them found that their Blue Moon Grass was different from others. Now it's being said online that the signed illustrations of 'Frilian' are like blind boxes, hidden items. Someone is offering 3,000 yen on the second-hand market for a color they've never seen before."

He slammed another piece of paper on the table.

"This is a screenshot from the forum this morning. A staff member at Kinokuniya Shinjuku store said that some people lined up at the door as early as 5 a.m. just to grab the first batch of restocked stock."

Takahashi's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka stood up from his workstation, picked up the fax paper, read it through again from beginning to end, then laughed and said, "This kid."

He put the fax paper on the table and picked up the internal phone.

"Have the printing plant print an additional 50,000 copies. Yes, 50,000. Not enough paper? Then send over the paper for next month's reprint of 'Battle Rhapsody'."

He hung up the phone and looked at Takahashi.

"Deputy Editor-in-Chief Takahashi"

Takahashi put down his coffee cup and answered somewhat nervously, "...Yes."

"Do you remember what you promised him?"

Takahashi's face paled for a moment, and he said, "I promised that I would no longer question 'The Burial of Frilian' at serialization meetings in the future."

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka nodded.

"Then remember, I'm not one to repeatedly remind others."

Takahashi didn't say anything more.

Ryota Onodera leaned against his workstation, let out a long breath, and muttered something under his breath.

"That madman."

Then I couldn't help but laugh.

......

The leaves of the ginkgo trees downstairs in Itabashi Honmachi are already starting to turn yellow.

When Ryota Onodera rang the doorbell, he was carrying a plastic bag containing two bottles of sake.

Shiori Shirakawa opened the door, still wearing her apron.

"Onodera-senpai?"

"Come freeload a meal."

Ryota Onodera changed into slippers and walked into the living room, where he saw three dishes already laid out on the low table.

Hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, and a side of pickled vegetables.

Yuma Kamiya came out of the master bedroom, still holding a dip pen in his hand.

"Senior, shouldn't you be in the editorial department overseeing the reprint?"