Great Mangaka

Chapter 170: Interview



When Takumi was about to leave work, Shiori, looking refreshed, suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Did any journalists come to see you today?"

she asked with a smile.

"No." Shiori shook her head and continued: "But something else happened."

"What else?"

Takumi was about to ask, but Alice quickly approached: "Takumi, something happened! Some of your female readers went to the newspaper's editorial office and said they wanted to stop reporting."

"Report?" Takumi felt strange and frowned: "How many readers...?"

"Not many, probably only a few dozens..."

"Don't worry about a few dozens." Shiori interrupted him: "Those people are just looking for trouble; Takumi doesn't have to worry; they won't cause any problems."

"How do you know that?"

Takumi looked at Shiori in surprise.

"Of course I know." Shiori crossed her arms and said: "I know the leader; she's a restless young woman. She's always looking for something to do, but she's not bad by nature and definitely won't cause any trouble."

Shiori was very clear about everything that happened today. 'How could ordinary fans have such mobility? The female readers' actions were organized by someone.'

Those who organized the visit to the newspaper's editorial office were the same ones who organized the disturbance in the plaza last time. Shiori knew them and thought they were completely bored.

Those representatives were ordinary people. With their high status in the fan club, they naturally didn't want to miss the opportunity to be leaders, so they wanted to organize activities whenever they had the chance.

According to Li Yu, her roommate, that was it: "They are lazybones!"

The girls were bored, and organizing a fan meeting was better than going shopping. So they were very active. But Shiori sometimes thought that if this continued, things would probably get worse.

But, on the other hand, Shiori felt that organizing activities also had its benefits. For example, today she organized a group of people to go to Hinotori Publishing, but she called them and sent them back.

Shiori advised Takumi not to worry. If Takumi went, the fan group would feel even prouder. But, fortunately, Takumi wasn't interested, so he listened to her and didn't care.

Takumi took Shiori home. The next day, he went to work, while Shiori and Aika watched television together.

It was still early, but the morning news was broadcasting, and the content was a live interview with Takumi by Osaka TV. The live broadcast had already published a preview, and thousands of people were watching by the television.

"It's very difficult to interview Mirai-sensei even once." The reporter who went to the interview this time was a young reporter, kind and humorous in appearance: "If it weren't for the release of Bakuman, I might never have had the chance."

The image on the television showed a Weekly Shōnen office. Takumi was sitting in the center, and on the bookshelf behind him were thousands of manga magazines. He looked like a mangaka.

After a round of greetings, the young reporter engaged in conversation with Takumi.

"Mirai-sensei is already a renowned mangaka in Osaka, but his story has always been very mysterious."

"The purpose of our interview this time is to learn more about the sensei, and let's start with his debut." The reporter sat in front of Takumi, opened his notes, and asked: "You debuted as a mangaka after graduating from junior high school. You were only 15 years old back then, and you should have been at a carefree age. Why did you suddenly embark on this path?"

"This question... To be honest, the reason is very simple: I want to earn money." Takumi replied: "I come from a single-parent family, and my mother raised me alone. She's under a lot of pressure, and I want to lighten her burden."

"And speaking of earning money...", he thought for a moment: "I'm a child, and it seems I have nothing else to do, so I thought of manga."

"Then why not novels?" the journalist asked curiously: "Aren't novels easier to write?"

"I have more confidence in drawing." Takumi smiled: "And the competition in the novel market is so fierce that I don't know if I'm suitable, so I chose manga."

He recalled what happened last year: "After submitting my manga, the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shōnen bought tickets for my mother and me, and came to Osaka train station to pick us up to go to the company. He also gave me a share of the royalties that a newcomer could never dream of, and he helped me contact Osaka's N.º 1 High School to study. All his actions moved me."

"So much happened." The reporter clapped and sighed: "Mirai-sensei is so frank, which makes me admire you even more. At 15, you embarked on the path of being a mangaka for your mother. This is undoubtedly an inspiring story. I believe your mother must be very happy now."

In Sakura Garden community, Shiori noticed that Aika's eyes were red and quickly handed her a tissue from the table.

"Aika-san, is everything Takumi said true?"

she asked cautiously.

"Well..." Aika nodded, wiped the corners of her eyes, and smiled again: "You don't know, the child didn't dare to tell me that the submission was successful, and then he lied to me saying that a friend submitted it, to test my reaction on purpose."

"Now that I think about it..." Aika's eyes filled with distress: "He was thin and weak back then; he didn't have as much energy as he does now. I treated him badly."

Shiori's jaw dropped, and she turned to look at the television. 'It turns out Takumi was amazing!'

On television, the interview continued, and the reporter asked another question: "Mirai-sensei draws manga for his mother, but in this case, does the story of Bakuman have nothing to do with Mirai-sensei?"

He smiled and said: "Now readers think you embarked on this path because of a broken heart!"

"How is that possible?" Takumi shook his head and said with a wry smile: "I haven't fallen in love yet, and I'm so young that I'm not thinking of looking for a girlfriend for now."

This answer made Sayuri jump, who was applying medicine next to the television. She stared at the television with sparkling eyes, completely disregarding the injury on her hand.

Elsewhere in Osaka, thousands of girls were also shouting excitedly. Thousands of elders around them shook their heads and sighed, observing how rational and intelligent Mirai-sensei is. 'He shouldn't have fallen in love at his age!'

It's a shame their daughters are falling even more in love...

However, thousands of people also doubted Takumi's answer, and the reporter raised this doubt: "Mirai-sensei, are you lying to us? How can you write about love if you've never been in love?"

Takumi felt a little dissatisfied with this question.

"I don't think love needs to be in a relationship to be drawn... Love is an innate human emotion. Even those who have never been in love can draw the love story in their hearts."

"This... It seems to be the case." The reporter hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said: "Twenty years ago, the queen of romance said that love written by those who have never been in love is the most touching. And those who have been in love often cannot write well about the taste of first love."

"But, Mirai-sensei, it's a shame our interview was delayed by a day. If you had accepted the interview yesterday, the accident wouldn't have happened this afternoon." The reporter suddenly laughed and said: "Yesterday afternoon, a small group of your female readers went to the newspaper to prevent them from publishing the news. Does Mirai-sensei know about this?"

Takumi nodded: "I found out, but not the details. Anyway, it's nothing...".

"I can explain it to Mirai-sensei." The reporter, well prepared, moved his notes forward and said: "The incident was due to Bakuman. The protagonist Moritaka's debut was very similar to Mirai-sensei's, which led thousands of readers to misunderstand that Moritaka represented his past."

"Mirai-sensei, your readers are very motivated!" After closing his notes, the reporter exclaimed in astonishment: "Mirai-sensei is the youngest mangaka in Japan."

"It's impossible for readers of ordinary mangaka and novelists to have such cohesion, and it's not the first time Mirai-sensei's readers have acted that way. He's already in the same situation as an idol star."

"Ah?" Takumi asked, his eyes wide: "That's impossible. I don't appear often."

"That's why I admire Mirai-sensei." The reporter smiled and said: "There are also thousands of idol mangaka in Japan. They are frequent guests on our television station. Mirai-sensei, you are the first to become an idol mangaka without appearing."

"No way..." Takumi frowned: "What does 'idol' mean?"

"Idol? For mangaka with the same strength, the handsome ones are idols, and the ordinary ones are ordinary mangaka." The reporter explained: "Mirai-sensei has an exceptional appearance, so it's no wonder others consider him an idol." The reporter felt envious. The term

"idol" is not limited to appearance, but appearance is key. Good looks can change thousands of things. For example, those internet beauties, hailed as goddesses and idols by thousands of teenagers, actually have nothing to offer but their physique.

If Takumi were ugly, his female readers wouldn't be so crazy.

Since it was an insert in the morning news, time was limited, and the interview was about to end. In the end, the reporter expressed his gratitude to Takumi:

"I'm very happy that Mirai-sensei could spare time for our interview today. Time is limited. Finally, I would like to ask Mirai-sensei to say a few words to our audience."

"Is that okay?"

"Of course." Takumi nodded, looked at the camera, thought for a moment, and said: "I am Mirai-sensei, thank you for your continued support in Osaka."

"But I'm just a mangaka, and I hope you don't treat me like a star. I want a quiet life." Only tranquility can inspire good stories. As for love... I haven't considered it yet, but I will make my own decision. I hope you respect me!" Takumi smiled.

'I hate everyone who talks about my love life...'

- - - - - -

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this chapter, I have great news. On my Patreon, I have over 150 advanced chapters ready for you to read.

@patreon/iLikeeMikee

Plus, subscribers get 5 daily chapters of all my novels. It's a great way to catch up and support my projects!


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.