BlackMangaka 010: Strongest high school student
The saying often seen online, "Seeing you succeed is more painful than me failing," isn't an exaggeration—it's true.
Think about it.
Most people in the group didn't pass the assessment.
If you knew someone around you had passed, wouldn't you feel some resentment, even if you didn't show it?
You might not be able to do much, but that jealousy would linger.
As these thoughts crossed Nakahara Hiroshi's mind, his fingers danced across the keyboard, typing out a short message.
After a moment of hesitation, he pressed send.
"The first assessment is quite simple. I passed it, everyone~"
No deeper meaning.
He just wanted to share the joy of passing the assessment.
The group chat, which was complaining just a second ago, erupted in an instant.
The screen filled with question marks and incredulous comments:
"???"
"Forget the senior, but this guy ? Wasn't he a new member?"
"Not just new to the group. According to him, he's new to the industry altogether."
"This is Shueisha's Tezuka Award! It's considered the gold standard in the industry! How can a newcomer pass this? LOL."
"No title of the work or author's name? Must be a liar."
"Brother, is it fun lying to everyone? What do you even gain from this!?"
The mentions kept piling up.
Hiroshi looked at the notifications, smiled faintly, and closed the group chat.
He had no intention of participating further, much less arguing.
If he told them his debut work was "Puella Magi Madoka Magica",
it would only cause an even bigger stir.
After all, it sounded far too unbelievable, especially at his age.
But talent reigns supreme in every industry.
Whether people believe it or not, it doesn't matter.
The reality of it all was even more outrageous.
He wasn't worried about any trouble this might cause in the future.
"Being marketed as 'the strongest high school student' might not be so bad."
With a chuckle, Hiroshi was about to play a video when his phone buzzed with a notification.
"A new email? Another spam?"
Contrary to his expectations, the sender's signature read: Shueisha Manga Editorial Department.
A prank?
Hiroshi compared the email address to the one he'd submitted his work to.
No mistake—it was from Shueisha.
"Didn't they say emails only go out after the second evaluation results?"
Typically, after the second review, participants could contact the editor, pass or fail, if they wanted feedback.
"So why did I receive this now?"
With confusion, Hiroshi opened the email and began reading.
---
Dear Mr. 'Warrior of Love and Hope,'
Congratulations on passing the editorial department's review and making it into the evaluation shortlist. Please log in to the official website... to confirm.
Your work, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' has been reviewed by our professional team and is deemed ready for potential serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump.
If you're interested in serialization, our editorial department is happy to provide guidance. You may contact our editor at the following times:
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Editor: Inoue Kanata
Phone: 0081-*****
---
"Huh?!"
"Is this for real?!"
Wasn't this just the first review?
How could they already be discussing serialization?
"Could Madoka Magica really be that good?"
Hiroshi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Could this be the legendary internal recommendation?"
With that, Hiroshi decided to contact the editor as soon as possible.
Inoue Kanata couldn't help but sigh as she reviewed her situation.
Just last night, the evaluation list had been released on the official website.
Excited, she immediately sent an email to the selected candidates, using the template provided by senior editors.
But the templates were designed for fully reviewed candidates, not first-round evaluations.
As a new employee, it hadn't crossed her mind to get approval from her supervisor first.
It wasn't until she reported her work to Editor-in-Chief Minano this morning that she realized her mistake.
While Minano had reassured her, saying, "Don't worry about it," the oversight weighed heavily on her.
"I hope this doesn't cause any trouble..."
With dark circles under her eyes from a sleepless night, Kanata boarded the train to work.
The train swayed as she leaned back, eyes closed, trying to rest.
Before she reached her stop, her phone began ringing loudly.
Kanata scrambled to answer, staring at the unfamiliar number.
"Hello, this is Inoue from Shueisha. May I ask who's calling?"
The voice on the other end was clear and magnetic:
**"Hello, Editor Inoue. This is Nakahara Hiroshi, the author of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.'
I received your company's email last night, but it was after your office hours.
I hope I'm not disturbing you by calling now."**
"!?"
Kanata's calm demeanor cracked slightly.
"No, not at all," she stammered.
The tension in her voice betrayed her nerves.
"In fact, it's very helpful that you contacted me so quickly!"
"Um?"
Hearing Hiroshi's confusion, Kanata quickly composed herself.
**"Mr. Nakahara, after our internal discussions, we all agreed that your 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' is a very polished work.
While it might not necessarily rank highly in the Tezuka Award, we believe it has strong potential for serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump.
We'd like to discuss this further with you."**
"I wonder if you'd be available to visit our office?"
Hiroshi replied without hesitation, **"As long as it's about becoming a mangaka, I'd never refuse such an opportunity.
Please let me know the time and place."**
After ending the call, Kanata finally exhaled in relief.
"He didn't notice anything wrong!"
She couldn't help but smile brightly.
"When something this exciting happens, most people won't care about small details, right?"
Full of determination, she headed into the office.
At 2:50 p.m., Hiroshi stood in front of Shueisha's towering office building.
With a deep breath, he walked inside.
**
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