Tokyo Soft Rice King.

However, this work is exceptionally unique in every aspect.

It can be said that there has never been such a unique author in the history of Shonen Boom.

First of all, this is a two-person project. The original work and the artwork are done by two people, and the artwork completely serves the original work. The two work together seamlessly, and there is also the help of a professional assistant who was found from somewhere. The initial team has a perfect composition.

Secondly, the comic's completion level is too high, so high that there's nothing to criticize. Even if you try to find fault, it's like picking bones out of an egg. This kind of manuscript is the kind that 'the editor just needs to pick up.' But such a manuscript actually came from a 'newcomer'... It's like they've just thrown a fish in a pond.

Next, and most importantly, according to the information from the deputy editor-in-chief, Niping, this manga artist duo is very young, still in high school.

Young, with a promising future? No need for a promising future! They're already demonstrating their overflowing talent!

The editors were utterly shocked when they saw the wet, slippery girl that Editor Niping brought back from CM.

Being able to handle different themes, and even combine fan service and passion... doesn't this have any shortcomings for a newcomer?

The contradictory qualities of youth and experience coexist in this outrageous duo; they're practically monsters.

Imagine if they could become even stronger in the future...

I want it...! I want it so badly!

I absolutely want this super rookie comic artist duo!

I want to reach out to them now, even if it means bowing deeply, I want to make them my manga artists!

However, the editors dared not express their true feelings, and they all desperately tried to hide their excitement and pretend to be calm... because the editor-in-chief still looked very serious.

Alas, it just so happens to be a sports manga, the type that Chief Editor Sasaki hates the most... Most of the editors were secretly lamenting the bad luck of this super rookie.

If it's a classic battle manga, then the serialization rights are practically guaranteed.

Furthermore, Soul Battery has a very serious problem, which can be said to be the biggest 'flaw' of this comic.

That is, 'the story has great potential for expansion'.

In fact, this cannot be considered a flaw at all; in fact, for many editors, it is an exciting highlight.

The editors aren't stupid; they can tell what this work is 'aimed at'.

Soul Battery was definitely not submitted to Shonen Boom for a mere one million yen prize. Every aspect of this work exudes the aura of "I want to serialize it," with various hidden hooks and foreshadowing.

The story will get even more exciting, and the author is conveying that message through his work.

In reality, Akira Kuroba and Shiori Shirai hadn't really thought that much about it. It's just that this master and apprentice were so obsessed with the opening gimmick that they added a lot of material to the beginning to develop the story later.

Moreover, Shiori Shirai wrote the story according to the approach of creating a long novel, that is, she first thought of the beginning and the ending, and then came back to adjust the story content of the first chapter, adding foreshadowing to complete the beginning and the end.

Akira Kuroba cleverly left this foreshadowing in a small section of the short story, and emphasized the dialogue by adding dots to the lines, making people pay attention to this part of the content.

They simply used this creative technique instinctively, but the editors saw it as a blatant way of conveying the message, "The story gets even more exciting later on!"—a way of securing serialization rights.

Even so, as a short story, it is a very well-structured story, which is quite remarkable.

But... Editor-in-Chief Sasaki hates this kind of 'clever trick' the most!

The attempt to flatter backfired spectacularly!

"Um……"

The silence was broken when Sasaki Sugi stroked his mustache and spoke.

"You must be thinking about how to persuade me to give this comic book serialization rights."

The other editors didn't dare to speak, but it was the deputy editor-in-chief, Nihei Yoshihisa, who nodded and said something.

"Yes, I think any professional editor could see the potential of this comic. Of course, I also know that granting serialization rights without conducting a reader popularity survey carries certain risks, and whether or not to continue serialization depends on the author's own wishes..."

Nippei Yoshihisa paused for a moment before continuing.

“But I think we should extend an olive branch to such new groups and let them know that our Teen Boom is a magazine that can accommodate their ‘ambitions’.”

"Don't you think it will backfire? If it makes young people who haven't experienced much hardship develop the arrogant idea that 'serializing in Shonen Boom is not difficult,' they will be more affected when they encounter failures in the future, and may even become discouraged... I personally don't want such a talented author to die prematurely."

“I don’t think we can assume they’re still just kids because of their actual age. In fact, they’ve shown qualities that only mature cartoonists possess in every aspect of this work… In the field of creation, they are undoubtedly ‘veterans’.”

"However, we have not actually seen their creative process. It is possible that they were guided by experienced cartoonists, or that they brainstormed together... Whether they are truly mature remains to be seen."

“That’s absolutely right. That’s why I think we should approach them with the advantage of having serialization rights. After all, a serialization opportunity doesn’t guarantee a serialization meeting. If we find that they don’t have the ability to adapt to weekly serialization after contact, we can train them… I can personally take charge of training them until they can stand on their own.”

Good heavens, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Erping made the first move!

That's so cunning! He actually ran away... What a despicable man!

Everyone was angry but dared not speak out, and their eyes turned red.

However, Sasaki Sugi slowly shook his head.

It still doesn't work... This editor-in-chief is definitely an 'anti-traditionalist'.

Friendship, hard work, and victory—these were the three key elements established by the editor-in-chief when Shonen Boom was founded, who believed that these were the easiest themes for readers of a weekly magazine like Shonen Boom to understand.

The editorial team continued to adhere to this theme, which led to continuous breakthroughs in the magazine's historical sales, gradually making it the pinnacle of the comic book industry.

However, some editors later disagreed with this idea. They believed that friendship and victory were fine, but hard work seemed less important. After all, readers don't like didactic content, and comics are ultimately entertainment, so being interesting is the most important thing.

The representative of this innovative school is another Toriyama who discovered Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball.

Sasaki Sugi was an editor who worked under Torishima for a long time, so it's natural that he would dislike conventional sports manga that follow the rules. Everyone thinks the same way.

However, after shaking his head, what Sasaki Sugi said left all the editors speechless.

"I'll contact these two authors myself. I want to talk to them before making a decision."

As mentioned before, the editor-in-chief has a lot of things to manage and usually won't be involved with authors anymore. But this time, editor-in-chief Sasaki actually came out in person, which shows how much he values ​​these two newcomers.

But...why?

People are confused. Didn't Editor-in-Chief Sasaki hate sports manga the most? Why did he suddenly change his mind?

Sasaki Sugi crossed his arms and made a funny face as he spoke.

"I know everyone says behind my back that I hate sports comics... but what you don't know is that when I first joined the editorial department, I said that my favorite type of comics was sports comics."

Was Editor-in-Chief Sasaki originally a traditionalist? What happened to him that turned his love into hatred?

"Back then, five out of ten serialized works in Shonen Boom were sports manga. This genre was so popular that it perfectly met the three elements... to the point that many manga artists plunged headlong into sports manga in order to obtain serialization rights. Even though the works were submitted by different authors, the story content looked the same, with only the titles and sports being different."

At the time, Boy Boom was in a rather dangerous period, facing the crisis of being overtaken by a neighboring magazine that serialized a primary school detective.

Homogeneity of subject matter and content, and copycat creations are problems that can never be avoided in the creative field.

"I can understand why comic artists choose themes that are easier to get serialized in order to survive... but at the time I felt that such works had no soul."

"I think imitation and borrowing are acceptable, but if a comic doesn't contain the artist's own ideas and expressions, it will become mediocre and boring."

"It is precisely because my favorite type of comic is sports comics that I do not want to see sports comics become a shortcut for comic artists and a breeding ground for laziness."

In fact, Sasaki Sugi was using this opportunity to lecture those utilitarian editors who only pursue popularity.

It's not that pursuing popularity is wrong, but resorting to any means to gain popularity is considered heretical and unorthodox.

"Soul Battery... This work has a really good title. I can feel the soul of the story, the author's passion, and, as Deputy Editor-in-Chief Erping said, a maturity and experience that is not commensurate with the author's age."

Sasaki Sugi also approves of this work, and likes it from the bottom of his heart. When he reads it, he holds the original manuscript like a treasure, and his eyes are shining with excitement, as if he has found the feeling of reading Captain Tsubasa every week when he was a teenager.

"Think about it, have you ever seen a work similar to this one before?"

The editors were stunned for a moment before shaking their heads.

Although it's a sports-themed work, the gimmick of soul swapping is something that sports comics have never used before.

It incorporates supernatural elements, yet the content is genuinely high-energy sports, which is why it's so novel.

"This shows that this is a creative work that can transcend the past and lead the future era. It will become a model for future works to follow and imitate."

This is what Sasaki Sugi values ​​most.

This work is pioneering a new genre.

This idea alone deserves a serialization opportunity, not to mention the amazing artwork, character design, storyboarding, and other surprising bonuses.

"My only concern is that they might become arrogant and complacent, and... whether they are really willing to dedicate themselves to the comic book industry. After all, being a comic book artist is a tough job that can easily ruin one's health."

It's worth noting that sports comics are generally very long-running; once they start serialization, they can run for ten or eight years straight.

This means that this talented duo will have to give up their prime years and devote themselves entirely to manga creation... Sasaki Sugi doesn't want to 'exploit' young people like this, making them 'burn out' too early.

"Moreover, they are too good. Perhaps this is just a work they created out of interest. After all, they even have the 'capacity' to draw another equally excellent work to sell at doujinshi conventions..."

Being too talented can be a problem; if you have a bad personality, you'll be a real headache to deal with.

So even though Sasaki Sugi himself really wanted to see how things would develop, the serialization rights were put on hold for the time being.

But the grand prize is fine, and it must be 'issued immediately'.

"As for the pledge of loyalty... Akamaru Boom from the New Year's special edition hasn't been released yet, has it?"

Saito Tetsuya paused for a moment before speaking.

"Uh, the formatted magazine manuscript was sent to the printing press this afternoon..."

"Call the printing plant immediately, stop printing and discard the already printed parts, and tell them that we need to adjust the content and re-layout."

"Huh? You mean...!"

"Add 'Soul Battery,' increase the space for the Short Story Award, and write 'genius' in the author's introduction... no, 'prodigy'! A sixteen-year-old prodigy! A monster duo that surpasses genius!"

Saito Tetsuya quickly took out his notebook and wrote down the title that the editor-in-chief had just made up.

"Okay! I'll get on it right away!"

"Okay, everyone, please work overtime. I hope Akamaru Boom can still be released as scheduled and not delayed."

Nihei Yoshihisa asked in surprise.

"Is this okay? It'll cost a hefty penalty, and the president will definitely look into it."

"It's alright, I'll talk to the president. I'll take responsibility. Didn't you, Vice Editor-in-Chief Niping, also say you'd extend an olive branch?"

Sasaki Sugi said with a smile.

"Although we can't decide on the serialization yet, we can use this method to give these two young people a surprise."

“I understand... This is the notification for the grand prize that was sent to them.”

"That's right. For young people, the most exciting moment is seeing their comics published in a magazine... Although their comics are very sophisticated, they probably still have the mindset of young people at heart."

This was the surprise that Sasaki Sugi had prepared for them.