manga artist Kirito

Yuanmiao: That's it for now, get the fluff coming.

Echizen: Wait, that's a bombing zone ahead!

Hydrology: Don't worry, watch me dodge.

Bookworm: Don't dodge! If you drive straight, you won't get blown up. Even if you do dodge, it won't help.

Hydrology: It's nothing...

--boom!

Echizen: Yes, the most important thing for a family is to be together. This is a family photo, right?

166

[NO.164 Forgiveness is Okay (Bonus Chapter)]

"Speaking of which, should I ask my readers on Twitter to write a reply saying that Sword Art Online is their favorite work after they finish reading it?" Kirito picked up his notebook and tossed it onto the sofa next to him. He then took out his phone, connected it to the office computer, and calmly started typing.

"That's not a good idea. Speaking against one's conscience is bad for both the readers and the creators." Teacher Xiaojing clearly did not recommend Kirito's approach.

"Tsk," this method is really bad. From a certain perspective, it's not wrong to call it cheating. But Akane Kosaka isn't worried at all. In her opinion, Kirito is just talking. If he could actually do it, then he wouldn't be Kirito.

"You've all probably read my Sword Art Online, right? What did you think?" Kirito took the opinions from Akane Kousaka and Shizuka Hiratsuka quite seriously.

"I don't have any particular thoughts... It's pretty good."

"Not bad, you've improved."

"...Tsk, this is almost the same as saying nothing at all." Kirito pouted in dissatisfaction, but he had actually known this would happen. After all, Akane Kousaka had known about the script for a long time, and Shizuka Hiratsuka, as the editor, had watched Kirito gradually improve the artwork. Sometimes, when revising the storyboard, she would ask for their opinions. Since they were already very clear about the development of this story, they naturally didn't have much to say, nor did they have any obvious faults to nitpick.

“I think it’s just so-so.” Kiritani sighed. “The beginning of the manga is a bit too bland. It doesn’t give people that feeling of being deeply attracted at first glance. You have to wait until the mastermind comes out to explain the game’s setting before you can give readers a source of interest. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have asked for a big color page. It took me almost two days to draw it. It was really annoying.”

"...Huh?" Hiratsuka Shizuka blinked, looking somewhat confused. "What color brochure?"

"I knew you hadn't finished reading today's issue of the weekly magazine. You didn't even know I applied for a color page... Ms. Xiaojing, you're not a good editor."

"Hey! Things aren't like they used to be. Do you really think allocating magazine space and applying for color pages is that simple?"

"It used to be very simple, but it's not difficult for me now either." Kirito grinned. After all, I'm part of Rouge en rouge, and most of the editors there know me well. Plus, the one who makes the final decision is Akane Kousaka, so getting a color page is really not difficult.

Of course, this is on the premise that your comic has enough potential; otherwise, no matter how good the relationship is, they won't pay attention to you.

No matter which magazine's editorial meetings are, they can all be described as brutal battles.

At the regular meeting, all the editors gathered to discuss which promising works had emerged and which works should be canceled. After that, the editors would do their best to secure more resources for their comic artists.

If the artist is talented, their editor might want more space and a better position in the magazine; if the artist is struggling, their editor will try to find ways to keep the series going and prevent it from being canceled.

However, if excellent cartoonists get more space, other cartoonists will get less space. If you show leniency to other cartoonists who are struggling, the knife might end up on your own cartoonists. Rouge en rouge magazine is only so big, and the magazine resources are always limited. So how should the resources be allocated appropriately among so many people?

—This is the editors' battle!

Therefore, at each regular meeting, those who speak kindly gain the greatest benefit.

In addition, you can see all sorts of tricks used to cheat your competitors here.

However, although Hiratsuka Shizuka is nominally Kirito's editor, in reality, the person in charge of negotiating with other editors and holding meetings to discuss the allocation of resources for the work is still the former editor, Kousaka Akane. With Shizuka's fiery temper, if she were to participate in those meetings where people were showing their lack of decency, she might break the bones of those editors.

With Akane Kousaka's personal guarantee, and the help of some editors who were familiar with Kirito's drawing skills, Kirito not only secured the largest space, the best position, but also a very important color page—yes, all of this was done while editor Shizuka Hiratsuka was unaware of the truth.

"There's a magazine that's being released today in the drawer. Let Xiaojing take a look at the color pages you drew." Akane Kosaka hugged the notebook that Kirito had handled roughly with a bit of heartache. You see, she had almost finished writing the manuscript for the final volume of "Black Album," and it should be released next week if nothing unexpected happened. If the manuscript was lost because of Kirito's sudden actions—it would be more than just heartache!

An instantaneous explosion is not impossible.

"I said, do you have to work so hard? No one will send you razor blades if you work two days less. After all, if razor blades were going to be sent, the readers would have sent them already. Why would they be left until now?" Kirito opened the drawer, took out the latest issue of the magazine, and threw it at Hiratsuka Shizuka before continuing to upgrade the engine.

"Huh!" With a slightly surprised expression, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the magazine in her hand. The page was completely occupied by the protagonist of Sword Art Online, Kurogiri Shido, which took up a third of the space. This...

Somewhat unsure whether to marvel or sigh, Shizuka turned the pages and was greeted by a large, full-color banner. The image quality was, of course, superb, and Shizuka could clearly see the improved drawing skills. After looking at it for a while, Shizuka felt a surge of excitement.

It's worth noting that Hiratsuka Shizuka is a devoted reader of shonen manga, and it wouldn't be wrong to call her a hot-blooded idiot. The feeling this large banner evoked in her was incredibly real.

Looking at the color page, Hiratsuka Shizuka finally raised her head after a long while. Looking at Kirito's ashamed face, her lips twitched slightly. "When was this color page drawn?"

"Ah, I went back to the dojo last Saturday, and that's when I finished drawing it. I happened to be meeting with Kousaka on Sunday, so I gave her the color pages along with the new artwork." Kirito's face darkened at the mention of the weekend; it truly was an unforgettable day…

"Didn't you say you went home purely to find that thrilling feeling?"

"That's right. Because I was in a very passionate and excited state at the time, this color page came about."

It took so long to find the right feel, and it went through so many revisions. If I still can't achieve this level... then all the fighting with the trainees was for nothing.

"Tsk," Hiratsuka Shizuka clicked her tongue, but was still a little annoyed. "Don't think I'll just forgive you for not informing me, the editor, beforehand!"

...Forgiving is acceptable.

P.S.: I'm too tired, I need to rest. From now on, I'll add one chapter every day until I pay off the backlog. Four chapters a day... I can't take it anymore.

167

【NO.165 Violet Pioneer】

Subsequently, Akane Kosaka compiled the data reported by various bookstores, as well as most of the requests. Kirito was quite satisfied with the current data, but to truly know the popularity of "Sword Art Online," they still had to wait for readers' feedback.

Unlike online novels, where readers can easily leave a comment after reading a chapter, whether they like it or not, by simply turning the page, print media like comic magazines have to wait for readers to write feedback after reading the magazine to know their opinions on the published works.

Of course, although magazines are print media, we live in the information age now, and more people prefer to speak online, while writing letters... is less common.

However, the magazine did have a website, and readers would often write their thoughts on the site, or some more straightforward readers would post their comments directly on the creator's personal Twitter account.

However, to be honest, although comics are still as popular as ever, print media has clearly fallen behind. As for the three major weekly shonen manga, sales have been steadily declining every year. This is due to the increasing popularity of the internet – it is very obvious that print media has fallen behind.

Keeping up with the times is essential, and many magazine publishers have established websites to serialize comics in a way that is more suitable for this information age. Readers no longer need to go to bookstores to buy magazines when they are released; they can simply lie on the sofa, take out their phones, and open a comic website to see the latest comics.

But how should I put it? Perhaps this would be very convenient, but... it just feels a little off.

Sure enough, it's still more fun to read comic books in a magazine, right?

…………

"On another note, releasing five chapters on the first day of publication seems a bit too much. Logically speaking, even for highly anticipated works, only three chapters should be released at most. Moreover, there might be drawbacks, such as affecting readers' anticipation for the work."

Hiratsuka Shizuka felt that she had been a very derelict editor. Apart from using force to suppress creators and make them submit their manuscripts before the deadline, she had failed to do many other things, or even knew nothing about them.

"There's absolutely no need to worry about that." Akane Kosaka waved her hand casually, appearing quite calm. "Every creator has their own unique way of ending chapters, and Kazuto is no exception. In other words, he ends each chapter at just the right moment, making readers want to see the next chapter quickly without feeling uncomfortable..."

"..." Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyebrows twitched. Aren't you creators afraid of getting beaten to death when you go out like this?

Of course, this is just what Hiratsuka Shizuka would say from the reader's perspective. From the editor's perspective, Hiratsuka Shizuka would love for Kirito to end each chapter with a cliffhanger, because that would keep readers engaged and prevent them from getting lost in the story.

Therefore, for many creators, whether or not the story flops shouldn't be a concern; at the very least, they should hone their storytelling skills to a very high level.

Of course, a writer like me who loves readers would never do something like cutting off a chapter, because I would usually add a "ps" at the end to let you temporarily put aside your resentment about the missing chapter!

—Yes, this doesn't count as an abrupt ending!

"Wait a minute, my friend!" Kirito raised his hand to interrupt what could have been a potential collaboration with the editors, and asked hesitantly, "I won't say anything else, I just have one question!"

"what?"

"what is the problem?"

"Well, I handed you a total of 19 chapters of manuscript. You released five chapters first, so there are 14 chapters left... So here's the question: are you planning to release one chapter per week, or two chapters per week?"

Normally, whether it's a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly publication, each time it's just a break, it's only one chapter... If that's the case, then at Kirito's speed, he only needs to spend one day a week drawing to complete the weekly task.

However, Akane Kousaka has never been one to follow the rules, especially since Rouge en rouge is a magazine she calls the shots at, and her weekly manga is released in an unusual three-chapter format each week...

Kirito is now clearly seen as the future pillar of Rouge en rouge magazine, and it's hard to say how Akane Kousaka will demand a certain number of chapters per week for the manga...

Just to clarify, most of the manga artists at Rouge en rouge magazine were personally trained by Akane Kousaka; calling them her confidantes wouldn't be an exaggeration. But precisely because of this, several of the manga artists serializing in the magazine were doing two projects simultaneously, and even more were doing multiple projects...

If Akane Kousaka were to cancel certain multi-page manga artists' works under the pretext that they should focus on drawing manga and not be distracted, then the empty spaces in the magazine...

Yes, Kirito was a little worried that this crazy woman would make him draw more drafts to fill the gap.

Make no doubt that Akane Kosaka would absolutely do it; in fact, even creators whose manga has been canceled wouldn't dare to, or would have no complaints about, doing so.

It's so perverted!

Putting everything else aside, Kirito, who has a lot on his mind, isn't fully focused on creating "Sword Art Online." After all, he already knows the story by heart, so there's no possibility for him to imagine the world he wants to create.

Every creator can be considered a creator god who holds the lives of countless beings in their hands. The rules of the world are deduced by the creator god, and the stories of the world are created by the creator god...

However, the world of Sword Art Online is too perfect. Even if one wanted to modify it, it would only make the world more chaotic. Yes, Kirito wants to create a work that is entirely his own.

But if Akane Kosaka's demands are too high, then there will obviously be insufficient time... Being slow to respond is not a good thing. After all, the personal editor is Jing Ke'ai, so she should at least give her some face.

—Really, it's definitely not because of Jing's Iron Fist, it's simply because I'm not a member of the Warsong Clan!

"Well... three chapters a week will do. With your drawing speed, you can finish it in two days anyway. Besides, I'm not worried about you submitting it now. We also have fourteen chapters saved up. From now on, you just need to submit three chapters a week." Akane Kosaka rubbed her forehead, looking sleepy... She'd really messed up. If she hadn't talked so much back then, the final volume of *Black Album* could have been delayed even longer...

“I’ll oversee this!” The upright Hiratsuka Shizuka clenched her fist. “Since I’m the editor, I naturally have to do what an editor should do—and I’m not just referring to requiring creators to submit their manuscripts on time.”

Yes, yes, I know, Jinye Xianfeng is so cute!

P.S.: You might not believe it, but it seems like the [i] key on my keyboard is broken. Most of the typos you see are actually related to it.

168

【NO.166 Rebuke】

Hiratsuka Shizuka is a very conscientious woman. Since she has taken on the role of Kirito's editor, she is determined to do her job well. This is a matter of course for an educator, and besides, she is quite interested in this profession.

Yes, right now Hiratsuka Shizuka's idea is that all the manga artists and editors who are blocking Kirito's way should be swept away, and anyone who dares to block his path should be killed!

So, with a sense of professionalism in mind, Hiratsuka Shizuka excitedly went to chat with a familiar editor.

…………

"Is Jing Ke'er always like this?"

"...Shizuka is so cute?" With a slightly surprised expression, Akane Kosaka paused for a moment, but after realizing what she meant, she smiled meaningfully, "Yes, Shizuka has always been like this."

"That's why I say, you older single women are really troublesome." Kirito shrugged. "Your ideas are all so weird, I really don't understand them."

"You'll understand what we all think when you become a woman." Akane Kosaka didn't care about being called an "older single woman." No matter what others said, she wasn't one, so why should she care?

"Tsk," Kirito curled his lip in disgust. His classmate stopped what he was doing and handed the engine upgrade to Yui. "Well, you should know what's going on here. What do you think of doujinshi artist Kashiwagi Eri and light novel author Kasumi Utako?"

"Oh~?" Her eyes narrowed slightly, the languidness that had lingered on Akane Kosaka instantly transforming into assertiveness. "You mean those two girls who played club games with you at school? Are you going to recommend them?"

To reiterate, Akane Kousaka is not a normal or even qualified producer because she has always been very tough on creators. This is why she has such a strong presence within the group. In addition, unlike other producers who skillfully reconcile the relationships between creators and the intentions and requirements of the works themselves, Akane Kousaka can directly intimidate those creators simply by using her absolute strength in the industry.

"Well, I think they have good potential. Besides, you used to like poaching newbies who didn't know much about the industry. I just saw two good prospects... Hmm, I feel like you noticed them a long time ago. But I'm just curious why you didn't poach them directly like you did when you poached me?"

Kirito grinned. Back when Akane Kousaka was trying to poach him, all she did was present her best script and proposal, intending to showcase a glimpse of the industry's strength to Kirito, thereby intimidating him before even attempting to poach him...

However, to Akane Kousaka's surprise, Kirito, who was just a child at the time, quietly took out a script proposal from his backpack that overwhelmingly overwhelmed her...

Thus, the relationship changed from mentoring a newbie to a collaborative one.

After all, in the face of absolute power, any schemes and intelligence seem naive and superfluous.

If Akane Kosaka had continued to use her usual methods at that time, not only would it have backfired, but she might have also lost a genius—but that would have only further proven her foresight.

“Ah, as you said, both of them have good potential.” Akane Kosaka nodded, then laughed. “But it’s just good. Eri Kashiwagi is currently a doujinshi artist, and her storytelling is terrible. She doesn’t have many highlights, which is why I’m keeping a wait-and-see attitude… Perhaps she just lacks a script, but if she doesn’t improve her artwork, then there’s no need to dig into her.”

"As for Shizuka Utako... I've read the first two volumes of her work 'Love Metronome.' The beginning was clearly written out of boredom, and the later parts fell apart starting from the second volume because she didn't seriously think about the story's logic in the beginning!"

"Of course, I know you've given her guidance; Sonoko told me that. But how much she can improve and grow—that will only be known after the release of the third volume of her work."

Akane Kosaka raised her eyelids slightly, her gaze remaining calm. "Kasumi Shiko has potential, but she lacks experience in writing scripts and doesn't have the wildly imaginative and strange ideas that you have—we can only hope for her for now."

"Tsk, they were both pretty good kids, and now you're practically belittling them to nothing." Leaning back lazily in his chair, Kirito looked somewhat conflicted, but what Akane Kousaka said was indeed true. Both Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha were still too inexperienced. The former's animation quality improvement was absolutely necessary, and her scriptwriting skills were practically nonexistent. While the latter's writing was good, her control over the plot was poor, and she had very little experience in scriptwriting. Both of them needed more practice.

Let's just say it's a bottleneck, something that everyone in the industry will encounter. Once you can overcome it, you can reach a higher level. And... it's not too early for the two of them now.

"Heh, I could easily imitate Kashiwagi Eri's style at her current level. If you want to prove her potential, you'll have to see her grow and show what I haven't seen in her..." As she spoke, Kousaka Akane paused, her gaze towards Kirito becoming sharp. "Don't talk about others, do you know how much time you've wasted? — In the past two years, you haven't grown at all. You can see that from the very first episode of Sword Art Online. Although the animation quality improved a lot afterward, it was too slow."

With a murderous glare, Akane Kosaka's expression suddenly turned cold as she angrily rebuked, "If you had just stayed with me back then, you would be far better off than you are now—you pleasure-seeking good-for-nothing!"

Kirito was well aware that Akane Kousaka had always valued his potential, and his two-year absence and slow growth were undoubtedly a waste of his youth in Akane Kousaka's eyes.

"Besides your unique talent in script planning, your previously prized drawing skills—if I wanted to, I could definitely imitate them!" Kousaka Akane brought her face close to Kirito's, staring into his calm eyes, her anger growing stronger. "Do you even understand what I'm saying?"

"If your drawing skills continue to improve at this slow pace, you'll never see Sword Art Online reach the top of the club! — If you understand, then face yourself squarely and start working hard, you idiot!"

The increasingly loud sound penetrated the walls and traveled outside...

169

[NO.167 Meow Meow Meow? (Bonus Chapter)]

"What's going on inside? Why is the president so angry?"

"I don't know..."