Great Mangaka

"Ding-a-ling-ling..."

The urgent ringing woke Takumi from his sleep. Upon waking, the phone by the bed was ringing frantically.

"Hello."

After answering, Takumi was still a little confused.

"Takumi, something serious has happened, check the official website!" Alice exclaimed anxiously, and Takumi jumped up. 'Official website? Could the identities of the three people have been discovered?'

He quickly turned on the computer and opened Hinotori Publishing's official website. Indeed, someone had unlocked the image. Although Takumi didn't know the three people in the image, other readers seemed very familiar with them.

"Damn it, Mach, Kaze, and Panda! Aren't they mangaka from Tatsuryū Publishing?"

"How despicable! It turns out they're the ones who conspired against Mirai-sensei!"

"Wait, something must be wrong. Why would they conspire against a newcomer?"

'What a problem!' Judging by their movements and postures, it must be him. 'And why? Do they forget that The Detective Sherlock's sales were surpassed?'

The situation on the internet changed drastically. Suddenly, everyone who supported Mirai-sensei appeared and pointed their spearhead at Tatsuryū Publishing, especially at the three mangaka. They were insulted for their lack of professional ethics and for asking online speculators to conspire against newcomers.

In addition, the online speculators who spread the fake news were also exposed by netizens. Faced with the excitement of the crowd, these speculators simply admitted that they had deliberately fabricated the theme and that the images were synthesized by software.

Now, even the artists' earliest supporters remained silent and asked the mangaka for explanations.

The incident became a hot topic. Later, Kurosawa took the initiative to find an online media outlet and published an interview video saying: "First of all, I want to clarify that Mirai-sensei did not intentionally miss the award ceremony. He was preparing a script to win an animation invitation from NHK. I hope all readers and mangaka understand."

This paragraph explained the reason why Mirai-sensei did not attend the award ceremony. Kurosawa lied without changing his expression. Of course, this was also an advertisement for Mirai-sensei to participate in NHK's drama selection. Then Kurosawa mentioned the hot topic of the past two days. He said:

"This incident is a disgrace to the entire manga industry. We are not the entertainment industry. We must not allow this kind of bad behavior to disrupt the industry's development. I ask Tatsuryū Publishing to publicly apologize to Mirai-sensei."

As soon as the video was published, the internet erupted in anger. Mirai-sensei's fans shouted and cheered for NHK's drama selection, and manga readers who felt deceived in the past few days angrily entered Tatsuryū Publishing's official website to demand an apology. Some even falsified photos of the three mangaka, defaming and insulting them.

Tatsuryū's editor-in-chief, Kazuki, urgently called the three mangaka to the company to ask about the cause of the incident.

"What? He didn't know anything about this?"

"Neither did I!"

Kaze and Panda, two mangaka, immediately denied it. They didn't know what had happened and were so furious that their faces turned red: "Who is framing us?"

The three of them looked at Mach. Mach flinched and turned pale.

"I'm sorry, I hired those internet trolls..." he said tremblingly: "They asked me for photos of three people to create themes and said they would blur them, so I gave them some random photos."

Mach hadn't expected such an accident to happen. He was so scared that he panicked. 'Why can mosaic photos still be restored? He had never heard of such a thing!'

"You... idiot!"

Kazuki, furious, raised his hand to slap him. With a slap, Mach's face turned red. 'Do you know how stupid this behavior is? Winning and losing are common in war. If you lose, you can try again. How many losses have you caused your colleagues? How many losses have you caused the company? How will you survive in this industry in the future?'

Mangaka are literary artists. Writers are different from celebrities. Celebrities can have gossip, but if a literary artist has moral problems, how can readers continue to read their books?

Mach was stunned by the slap. He covered his face and turned pale: "Editor-in-chief, what should I do now?"

"Apologize to me immediately!" Kazuki hated him for not fighting. 'The idol mangaka that the company spent ten years cultivating was completely ruined. After this incident, Mach's image faded. If it weren't for the fact that he still had some single volumes of The Detective Sherlock to draw, Kazuki would have wanted to fire him.'

Afterward, Kazuki held a press conference to hold Mach accountable and clear Kaze and Panda's names.

Back in the office, an editor cautiously asked: "Editor-in-chief, shouldn't we consider Mach for future novel adaptations?"

"Put it on hold for now; let's see if there's a miracle later." Kazuki snorted coldly, looked up, and asked: "How's the investigation into Mirai-sensei's identity going?"

"No results yet. Few people at Hinotori Publishing know about it, and the Weekly Shōnen editorial department refuses to reveal it." The editor shook his head: "But Kurosawa once said that Mirai-sensei signed a long-term ten-year contract, and the royalty share he receives is also the highest."

"Does that mean he can't get it?" Kazuki rubbed his forehead in distress. He desperately wanted to win over that genius. But even if he succeeded, Detective Conan's copyright belonged to Hinotori Publishing, and they wouldn't be able to get this coveted manga.

In fact, there are many cases of mangaka becoming famous overnight, and there are too many factors of luck and opportunity. Mirai-sensei caused a big stir this time, but it's hard to predict if his next manga will be as exceptional. If Tatsuryū Publishing spends a lot of money on a semi-finished product, it will be a big loss.

"Keep investigating. If you can't get him, forget it. Anyway, he alone can't change Hinotori." Kazuki pondered and slowly said: "It's a shame, but original manga are not our goal. Their role is limited."

This time, the "Mirai-sensei Three-Person Theory" gave Kazuki an idea: could he combine novelists and mangaka to launch original manga? 'One person cannot defeat Mirai-sensei, but two can. After all, Mirai-sensei's Detective Conan is a niche topic, and the market will soon be saturated.'

In addition, Tatsuryū Publishing can openly launch a combination. They usually adapt novels, and combination is key.

"We have received three invitations for NHK's drama selection. Ask the writers to design the script and find someone to draw it. We will select three articles to get the animation qualification," Kazuki instructed the editor, and he suddenly found that the path was clear.

If they can't convince Mirai-sensei, treat him as an opponent, and he won't have to show mercy. Since Mirai-sensei defeated Mach, Tatsuryū Publishing will send others to regain ground.