[60] Serialization Approved

Ring, ring, ring...

Ring, ring, ring...

"This is Kurokawa Kazuya." Kazuya answered the phone.

"Yes, this is Iwamoto. Congratulations, Kurokawa-sensei, your new manga has been approved for serialization in JUMP."

"Yeah, I know."

"..." Iwamoto Yu paused for a few seconds. "Um... about the new manga..."

"Yeah... I'm ready to start working on it. You can come anytime."

"Yes!" Iwamoto Yu replied excitedly, then hung up the phone and found himself daydreaming for a moment. He had been so worried and anxious about the fate of the "Fate/Zero" serialization, but when he heard Kurokawa-sensei's calm voice on the other end, it seemed like he didn't care at all.

What was Kurokawa-sensei thinking? On the contrary, he was pleasantly surprised that Kurokawa-sensei had agreed to let him provide input for the new manga.

On the other end of the phone...

Kazuya was also somewhat pleased, although not to the same extent. He felt there was about a 70% chance that "Fate/Zero" would be approved for serialization, up from the initial 50%. The story was solid, but the art style, which didn't conform to the current JUMP trends, was a wildcard. However, the fact that it was already completed was a plus, and his ability to depict battle scenes, having witnessed many real battles, exceeded that of the average person.

But those were battles of an inhuman level, and he had to rely on his imagination for much of it.

Furthermore, "Fate/Zero" clearly didn't fit the JUMP style, being quite different from their usual content. If someone wanted to make an issue of it, it could be a problem.

However, Iwamoto Yu's phone call from the previous day had eased some of his concerns. Changing his pen name from "[Kuro]" to "[Kurokawa Kazuya]" itself meant that the chief editor believed that using the name "[Kurokawa Kazuya]" could benefit JUMP, and he would work on it accordingly.

As for Iwamoto Yu... perhaps he had spent too long in that environment. Every time, he went through such nervous moments, which made him subconsciously nervous and unable to react to such matters.

For the next manga, he would also need input from the editor. Because the next one he was preparing was an original manga, and it needed to embody JUMP's three principles: friendship, effort, and victory.

He couldn't let the results of this final test dissuade him from drawing manga. Regardless, he had to continue making manga... out of love for the medium.

Otherwise, what would he think up for original plots? He could simply draw all the manga he still remembered, and at his pace, it would be a simple task. Then, he could start his magazine company to make money.

But in reality, he was too lazy for all that...

As long as he had enough money to produce his own animations, he didn't need to manage a magazine company. He just wanted to draw the manga he loved and do what he enjoyed.

And that's what he was doing now.

He wanted to create an original manga he would love!

...

"Iwamoto-san is here again," The hotel receptionist said with a smile to Iwamoto Yu.

"Ah, yes... I have some business to attend to here tomorrow, so I came specially," Iwamoto Yu replied with a smile. Tomorrow, he would be discussing the plot and various settings for the new manga with Kurokawa-sensei.

That's why he came.

Considering Kurokawa-sensei's habits, he had once again traveled from Tokyo to Morioh on the same day. He had become a familiar guest at the hotel nearby. Tomorrow, most elementary school students would already be in school, so he would head over directly.

...

At night...

"Hmm... this arrangement is fine. Over here, maybe move this chair a bit..."

Having just moved to the adjacent room, Kazumi were not going to sleep. Instead, she were excitedly adjusting various things in the room.

Yes, she had grown up and it was time for her to live on her own. That's right, that's how it should be.

She wandered around the room until she was exhausted and then lay down on the bed, sighing softly. Then, she sat up again and looked around the bedroom with a hint of embarrassment. "It seems... it's not much different from before. Is it really better this way?"

The bedroom was the same as it had been in her previous room. Even the subtle changes were minor.

The walls were cleaner than before, though.

Furniture, her beloved plushies, and her familiar bed had all been moved here...

"Although Onii-chan said I could get new ones, I guess I'm not used to it... Yeah, this is fine."

She had lived on her own before, so this meant she could do whatever she wanted! It didn't matter how things were!

"Hey, Kohana, do you want anything? With a room this big, do you want your own room?"

...

On the other side...

Kazuya put down his brush and nodded at the completed character design in front of him. "Alright, the initial design is complete... with the settings and characters in place, I can start drawing the first chapter tomorrow..."

By then...

Just like before, he should be able to enter a new dream...

But he didn't know if he could bring out the knowledge of this original world, like he did with JoJo. If he could...

His range of operations would greatly expand...

For example, he could include some things that could be widely obtained in the story. After all, creating settings and such was his responsibility, and creating manga would be even more liberating.

That night...

Kazuya continued to familiarize himself with Ripple and the abilities of the Stone Mask within the dream of JoJo...

Although doing so wouldn't increase his Ripple abilities or the like, it could enhance his mastery of Ripple and his skills with it.

The next day...

After sending (or rather, trailing) his sister to school and returning home, he saw a familiar face waiting at his door.

"Um... Iwamoto-san?"

"Kurokawa-sensei, you're back."

"How long have you been waiting here?"

"No, I just arrived, not too long ago."

Kazuya's mouth twitched slightly. Was that really necessary? They were just going to discuss the plot, after all. He had visited before, so why arrive so early?

---

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