[13] Annual Gathering

"Haha, you flatter me, but I really love the manga 'Hokuto no Ken,' especially that line, 'Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru,' it's so powerful!" Kazuya chuckled.

"I think that line is cool too, and you say it in a cool way. But that was thought of by Buronson-sensei. My main responsibility is the manga," Replied Tetsuo Hara, sighing. Especially when combined with Kurokawa Kazuya's height, it seemed strangely persuasive.

"Of course, the artwork is excellent too, capturing that feeling perfectly," Kazuya nodded. He couldn't help but feel that he and Tetsuo Hara were somewhat similar now... both mangaka who drew the visuals themselves while relying on others for the story.

As they were chatting, Iwamoto Yu, the editor, interjected, "Well, why don't you two continue chatting? I'll go check when the other sensei I'm responsible for will arrive."

"Sure, thank you, Iwamoto-san," Kazuya nodded.

"No need to be polite, Kurokawa-sensei. I'll be on my way then."

"Okay," Kazuya nodded and looked at Tetsuo Hara. "This is my first time here; it's not your first time, is it, Tetsuo Hara-senpai?"

"It's my second time," Tetsuo Hara replied, glancing around and whispering, "Hey, I heard that you don't need assistants, and you handle all the original drawings by yourself. Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true," Kazuya nodded.

"Wow, that's really impressive. I can't do without assistants."

"Yeah... by the way, where are the other sensei? Like kira Toriyama-sensei..."

"Hmm? Are you in a hurry?" Iwamoto Yu asked.

"Yes," Kazuya nodded. "While this is a great opportunity for research, I'm a bit worried about my little sister being alone at home. I'm planning to meet the current sensei and then head back."

"I see, that's a shame. The second part has a lot of interesting things."

"Hey, sensei, want to take a photo?" A person holding a camera approached them.

"Sure, let's take one. And please give me a copy of the photo later," Kazuya nodded and took a photo with Tetsuo Hara. Afterward, he met Akira Toriyama.

However, they didn't say much. Akira Toriyama was summoned away by the editor...

It turned out that the original manuscript for the next serialization hadn't been completed. He was threatened that if he didn't finish it, he would have to come to work in Tokyo...

"After I finish drawing Dragon Ball and earn enough money, I'm retiring... being a mangaka is exhausting; I don't want to do it anymore," he repeated similar lines three times before being taken away by the editor...

After some time had passed, Kazuya decided to leave because he was worried about his little sister being alone at home.

"By the way, what have you been busy with lately, sensei?" Iwamoto Yu asked Kurokawa Kazuya, "Is it the manga I saw last time?"

"Yes, that's right," Kazuya nodded. "I'll show it to you after I finish."

"Well... after you finish it..."

Iwamoto Yu's mouth twitched. Most mangaka usually completed one or two chapters, but in this case... it was only after everything was finished. Truly worthy of being Kurokawa-sensei.

That speed at which he drew manga was astonishing to both himself and the chief editor... it was unlikely that anyone could match it.

No one could surpass this speed...

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now. I'll call you once I've finished the manga," Kazuya said. However, it would still take several hours to get back from here, and his little sister was probably already asleep when he arrived home...

Should he consider moving to Tokyo in the future?

No, maybe not.

...

"Finally... finally..." Horikawa Kira panted and looked around at his surroundings. Finally, he glanced at his wristwatch.

The number "1" on it was so prominent!

"I survived!"

Rumbling sounds filled the air, and at that moment, a helicopter flew slowly overhead and stopped above him.

"Finally... I can go back..." He began to say but suddenly froze. He clearly saw someone in the helicopter aiming a sniper rifle at his head.

Before he could react, a bullet hit him in the head!

Surprise, confusion, hope followed by despair... these emotions were imprinted on his face.

Next to him, Kazuya, who had a hole in his head, vigorously lifted his head to imprint this scene in his eyes. In the next moment, he woke up.

He rubbed his head and took the prepared paper by the bedside, then drew the final face of that person.

Because it was in a dream...

Dying multiple times allowed him to gradually gain control over his awakening. Even if he died, as long as he insisted on keeping himself awake to draw, he could stay in that world for about five minutes...

This time, he deliberately left behind the final expression of the protagonist, just to see it.

Yes, the protagonist dies at the end of the manga.

From beginning to end, they were all just a bunch of clowns, clearing the stage as one batch died and the next batch appeared.

"My head hurts a bit... it must be because I didn't sleep well last night..." Kazuya rubbed his head. "But after this manga ends, I can take a break and get a good night's sleep..."

As for the next manga...

Ah, just copy another manga.

After completing a manga, there should be a lottery. He wondered if he would have the chance to draw abilities from his own original short story.

Would he have the opportunity to draw abilities and such...

But upon careful thought, there weren't any special abilities in his manga.

Well, forget it; there was no need to rush about such things.

Soon, the final chapter was finished.

The layouts had all been completed earlier; what he needed was just one expression.

A sense of realism, huh...

Kazuya looked through his manga from beginning to end once more, nodded in satisfaction, and was reminded that the mangaka who had influenced him the most when he became an mangaka wasn't one from the real world but Rohan Kishibe from "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure."

Rohan Kishibe's motto was 'realism is the most important in manga.' He had been deeply influenced by that.

While he was drawing "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," it was fine. But when he was drawing this one himself...

Everyone's daily life, little actions, the terrain of hiding places, the visuals of bullets hitting heads, the splattering of blood, the effects of knives cutting into people...

All of it was based on what he had seen with his own eyes, striving for as much realism as possible.

He knew there were some logical flaws in the manga, but he considered them normal; not understanding someone else's thought process didn't mean that they wouldn't do it. Everyone had different ideas.

What one person considered impossible, others might find completely reasonable.

Therefore, the main tone of this manga was perfectly established: "realism"!

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