I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema!

"Editor-in-chief, perhaps... Mr. Nohara is an exception." He hesitated for a moment, but still spoke softly in a complicated tone.

"Exception?" Torishima Kazuhiko smiled noncommittally.

He stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling steel city below.

Obviously Kazuhiko Torishima doesn't believe in exceptions.

After thinking for a moment, he slowly turned around and said to Masato Tadokoro, "Mr. Tadokoro, next week, when you visit Minister Nohara again, count me in."

"Huh?!" Masato Tadokoro suddenly jumped up from the sofa, his face filled with disbelief and horror. "Editor-in-chief! You...you want to go in person?"

"Yes." Torishima Kazuhiko nodded. "I need to see with my own eyes what kind of person this young cartoonist you're praising so highly is."

But as he spoke, a hint of embarrassment that was totally inconsistent with his status and belonged to an ordinary middle-aged man appeared uncontrollably on his face that was always full of majesty.

He cleared his throat, and his deep eyes drifted away somewhat unnaturally.

"Um...Tadokoro-kun." His voice unconsciously lowered a few degrees: "When the time comes...if...if it's convenient, could you also...get an autograph for Mr. Nohara?"

“…” Masato Tadokoro felt his mind go blank.

He stared blankly at the man in front of him, who was like a god in the entire Japanese comics world. His face, which was always full of majesty, now had a hint of shyness.

"Editor-in-chief...are you...are you also a fan of Mr. Nohara?" he asked stutteringly.

"Ah! Nonsense!"

Torishima Kazuhiko's face flushed red, and he coughed hastily to cover up his guilt. He turned around, his back to Tadokoro Masato, and forced himself to assume the airs of an editor-in-chief. "It's... it's that good-for-nothing kid of mine! He... he's been obsessed with those 'Wonderful Stories of the World' and 'Super Mutant' lately, and keeps nagging me about them all the time! I... I'm doing this to... to improve our father-son relationship! What do you know?!"

But he also sighed as he spoke: "Of course, I also like his work, it is really great."

……

A week later, on Tuesday, the autumn sky was exceptionally high and clear like a flawless sapphire.

Future Comics Club.

Second floor, president's office.

The air is filled with the rich aroma of premium hand-brewed coffee, interwoven with the fresh scent of ink on brand new paper, creating a soothing smell that is unique to the creator.

Misae Koyama was using a set of impeccably elegant tea ceremony movements to serve fragrant tea to the two big names in front of her who were powerful enough to call the shots in the entire Japanese comics world.

"Editor-in-Chief Torishima, Mr. Tadokoro, please have some tea."

Her voice is clear and pleasant, neither humble nor arrogant.

That calm demeanor made a barely perceptible flicker of approval in Torishima Kazuhiko's eyes.

"Thank you, President Koyama." Torishima Kazuhiko nodded with a smile, but his eyes drifted uncontrollably towards the door.

It's called approval.

In fact, it is just because I love the house and love the dog.

What he, the editor-in-chief, cares more about is Hiroshi Nohara, who he considers a genius cartoonist.

This is also the purpose of his coming.

Just then, the office door was pushed open and Hiroshi Nohara walked in.

He was wearing simple casual clothes, with his signature gentle smile on his face, and he exuded a calmness and stability like the warm autumn sun.

"Editor-in-Chief Torishima, Mr. Tansho, sorry for the wait."

"Mr. Nohara!"

At this time, Kazuhiko Torishima and Masato Tadokoro also stood up from the sofa and greeted them.

This is etiquette.

After a simple handshake and greeting, Torishima Kazuhiko looked at the couple who were a little too young in front of him, and felt an unprecedented emotion in his heart.

At the age of 23, he was already a legendary producer who stirred up the entire era.

This is no longer something that can be simply summarized by the word "genius".

This is a kind of luck that is almost like destiny.

"Nohara-kun, President Misae." Torishima Kazuhiko sat back on the sofa, feeling that when they were young, they had also chosen to speak directly. "We are here today, so we won't say those polite words."

He got straight to the point: "Tadokoro-kun has already reported to me on the progress of the creation of Yu Yu Hakusho and Doraemon. Frankly speaking, your efficiency has exceeded the imagination of everyone in our editorial department. But..."

He changed the subject, his tone tinged with worry, "Tadokoro-kun said you...are planning to start a new manga with 'food' as its theme?"

"Yes, it is indeed a new food-themed comic." Hiroshi Nohara just smiled calmly and nodded.

"Excuse me, Nohara-kun," Torishima Kazuhiko's tone became extremely serious. "Your talent is unquestionable. But human energy is ultimately limited. Right now, you have to manage three of TV Tokyo's historic flagship projects, while also providing us with two top-tier manga series for Jump, each with a completely different style and equally demanding. Under these circumstances, starting a third series... I'm worried it would be like a bowstring stretched to its limit, eventually... breaking completely under the unbearable pressure."

These words are full of heartfelt concern and also reveal a cruel industry rule.

If the pressure is too great.

It really has a huge impact on the rhythm of the comics.

"Please rest assured, Editor-in-Chief Torishima." However, Hiroshi Nohara just smiled without comment.

He didn't explain too much, nor did he argue.

She simply placed the black backpack she had brought with her gently on the coffee table, and then pushed it in front of Masato Tadokoro.

"Mr. Tadokoro, please open it."

"Okay." Masato Tadokoro was slightly stunned, then he understood. He unzipped his backpack and took out the things inside one by one.

Then the whole office fell into deathly silence.

That's not two drafts.

There were stacks and stacks of flawless drawings, thick enough to be used as bricks, emitting the fresh scent of new ink!

The first twenty chapters of "Yu Yu Hakusho: Gate to the Demon World"!

The first thirty episodes of "Doraemon"!

That was a terrifying amount of manuscripts that was enough to keep the entire "JUMP" editorial department serialized for a whole month, and they were just piled up on the small coffee table without any hesitation.

Like an insurmountable towering mountain built of talent and energy, it weighed heavily on the hearts of Torishima Kazuhiko and Tadashi Masato!

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" The two of them gasped, their eyes filled with surprise.

However, this is not the end.

When Masato Tadokoro took out the last document carefully wrapped in a brown paper bag from the deepest part of his backpack, a look of disbelief and horror suddenly appeared in his eyes hidden behind the thick lenses.

He trembled as he opened the document envelope, revealing the document inside. Although it hadn't been colored yet, the smooth lines, the story-filled composition, the unique charm revealed between the lines, the kind of charm that had settled in the mundane world, was enough to warm any weary soul...

"This...this is..." There was an uncontrollable tremor in his voice.

"Midnight Diner, Episode 1." Nohara Hiroshi uttered these words calmly.

"Leave the coloring to me," Misae said with a smile. "Even though our assistants at the 'Mirai Comics Club' are still new, they can still help relieve Hiroshi-kun of a lot of the pressure with basic tasks like coloring. After all, this is a very common creative method in the industry, isn't it?"

Masato Tadokoro stared blankly at the couple in front of him. One was responsible for imaginative creation, while the other was responsible for down-to-earth execution. They worked together perfectly, and he was extremely envious.

"Oh, that's true." He nodded immediately.

Then he opened the drawing of "Midnight Diner" and handed it to the curious editor-in-chief of Bird Island who was standing next to him.

"Yeah." Editor-in-chief Torishima couldn't wait to pick up the draft of "Midnight Diner" and look through it.

There are no earth-shaking battles and no bizarre adventures.

There is only a man with a scar on his face but eyes as calm as the deep sea, and a small restaurant that is only open late at night.

And, one by one, lonely souls, with their own stories, push the door open when night falls.

It tells the story of a gangster who looks fierce on the outside but is as soft-hearted as a child, and a gay bar owner who also likes to eat octopus sausages. Their wonderful friendship, which is full of black humor and transcends identity and gender, develops.

Chapter 2, Cat Food.

It tells the story of a girl who dreams of becoming a singer but is always frustrated. At the lowest point in her life, she regains the courage to live with a bowl of the simplest cat rice with soy sauce and bonito flakes.

……

Stories that seemed plain but full of the flavor of life flowed silently like cups of warm sake through the hearts of Kazuhiko Torishima and Masato Tadashi, which had long been filled with countless passions and battles, leaving behind an unprecedented warmth and moisture.

“…Good story.”

After a long while, Torishima Kazuhiko finally let out a long breath, and that breath seemed to take away the anxiety he had been feeling for a while.

He raised his head and looked at the young man. In his deep eyes, all the scrutiny and worry had faded away, leaving only pure admiration from the bottom of his soul.

"Nohara-kun, you're right. This is indeed different from all of our current works in JUMP."

"It's not passionate, it's not about fighting, it doesn't even have a proper plot. But it possesses a powerful force that can penetrate all barriers of age and class—"

He paused, and his voice was filled with a hint of emotion that he himself was not even aware of.

"--resonance."

After all, Kazuhiko Torishima has been working in the comics industry for decades.

Very high vision.

This work may not be able to create a sales myth of tens of millions of copies like "Yu Yu Hakusho".

But it can take root and sprout silently in the heart of every reader like a seed.

It will eventually grow into an evergreen tree that can provide a constant supply of nutrients to their ancient empire of Shueisha for decades to come.

Because many young people see this as a delicacy.

But when they enter the workplace.

married.

After having children.

A work that can give you a deeper understanding!

This will be a masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages in the true sense.

"Tasho-kun."

Torishima Kazuhiko turned around and gave an order to his subordinate, who was also reading the comics and whose eyes were red with emotion at the story inside, in an unquestionable tone:

"From today on, you will be Mr. Nohara's exclusive editor-in-chief. Use all your resources to cooperate with Mr. Nohara and President Misae. Projects like 'Yu Yu Hakusho,' 'Doraemon,' and 'Midnight Diner' will be one of Shueisha's most important strategic projects for the second half of the year, no, for the next five years!"