Three volumes next month?
Considering each volume has 180 pages, that adds up to 540 pages per month!!
Normally, with the help of assistants, the maximum one could manage in a month is around 120-140 pages (with extra pages saved for later).
If you slack off a bit, it could drop to just 60 or 80 pages.
In other words, a whole month's worth of work would equal the workload of six months for most others. This isn't just about competing—this is about crushing other manga artists underfoot!
Mihari swallowed nervously and asked, her voice trembling a bit,"Akifumi-sensei, are you serious?"
'You really need to think this through!'
You've got Your Lie In April and WorldEnd in the works, not to mention Steins;Gate as the scriptwriter and everything else you've got on your plate!
And don't forget school...
If she weren't so rude, she probably would've just asked outright, "Are you even human anymore?"
Though they were speaking over the phone, Akifumi could easily imagine the expression on Mihari's face.
"Of course, I'm serious," Akifumi said, his voice no longer lighthearted but rather stern.
"I know this sounds insane."
"But..."
"I want Your Lie In April to have a perfect ending in April!"
A perfect ending in April?
Mihari couldn't help but smile, then sighed helplessly.
"Sensei, you've really never changed."
"But I can feel your determination," she said.
"I'll talk to Editor-in-Chief Minano about this. If she senses your determination, I'm sure she'll help you out!"
"Thank you," Akifumi said seriously.
"Don't thank me yet," Mihari replied, "Let's wait until things are confirmed. Then we'll talk."
"Well, if it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world," Akifumi said. He knew that much.
He was simply going after the goal with everything he had!
'At least I'll know I tried my best. Even if I fail, I won't regret it,' he thought to himself.
Mihari shook her head and, half-joking, replied, "You've made so much money over the past half year, so why not just take it easy like everyone else?"
She meant, why push yourself this hard?
Even if he slowed down, the fans wouldn't complain.
It's like when the New Year's greetings come, a simple illustration, and no one says anything.
Or like the never-ending serialization—early releases and finished works, then taking a break. That's the usual cycle.
But that's not how it works for Akifumi! He's always pushing forward, never stopping, always producing great work.
"I need money," Akifumi said, half-jokingly.
Mihari rolled her eyes.
'If you're really that broke, there are easier ways to make money, you know? Why not just work on the sequel to Madoka Magica instead?'
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're really broke," she replied. "I'll talk to Minano-san first thing when I get to the office tomorrow and let you know how it goes."
"Thanks you"
After hanging up, Akifumi sighed. "Well, I've said my piece. Now it's up to the company."
Releasing three volumes in one month?
That's a huge amount of pressure, and the company faces the same issues.
With so little preparation time, if one thing goes wrong, it could cause major losses.
The company would have to handle it flawlessly, but that's no easy task.
There's significant risk involved!
"Whatever," Akifumi shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. "I've done what I can. Now, I just need to be prepared for the opportunity, just in case."
If the company gives the green light and then I can't deliver all three volumes on time… that would be a disaster.
———————————————————————
Monday
Even though Mihari had worked over the weekend and hadn't slept well the night before because of the "surprise" from Akifumi, she still managed to show up at the office on time.
With dark circles under her eyes, she greeted her coworkers and sat at her desk.
She sighed, feeling anxious.
"I'm such an idiot. Why did I agree to this on the spot?"
Even after thinking it over all night, Mihari still hadn't figured out how to bring it up with Editor-in-Chief Minano.
She had been working at the publisher for nearly a year, and she knew the process for releasing a book inside and out.
The usual procedure is to bring up a single volume in meetings well in advance.
But Akifumi's situation is unique, and with Minano's influence, everyone's used to things being done out of order.
Still, this time it's not just one volume—it's three!
Mihari sighed heavily. She could already imagine the printing department's resentful glares.
After all, they'd be stuck with overtime because of this last-minute task!
On top of that, releasing three volumes could also affect sales.
Students have limited spending money each month, and even though the previous volume had great sales, next month would be a different story.
It's January 22nd now, and even if the three volumes are released next month, they'd have to be in the second half of the month.
With New Year's behind us, there wouldn't be any more "lucky money" to help with purchases.
Three volumes? It's a headache!
She sighed again, already half an hour into her workday.
"I really shouldn't have agreed to this. Even if Minano-san is going to yell at me, I have to tell her."
With that thought, Mihari walked over to Minano's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Minano's voice called from inside.
Mihari walked in, and Minano, sipping her coffee, glanced up briefly before focusing back on her documents.
"Is there something you need?"
"Well… last night, I talked to Akifumi-san about Your Lie In April's first-day sales," she started.
"Hmm, Akifumi-san probably doesn't care much about the sales," Minano said without looking up.
"For him, it's more about the honor than the money."
As expected, Minano knew exactly what was going on.
"So, did Akifumi-san come up with another challenge for you?" she asked.
"Like releasing the third volume of Your Lie In April next month?"
Mihari froze.
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
"Minano-san really understands Akifumi-sensei"
"Not so much understanding, just a small guess based on Akifumi-sensei personality, and seeing you, Mihari-chan? "
"Coming here early in the morning looking like you want to say something but can't quite bring yourself to do it," said Minano, standing up and gesturing for Mihari to sit on the couch.
She handed two cups of coffee to Mihari.
"I didn't have time to boil water, so it's just coffee for now. Hope you don't mind."
Mihari, a little flustered, hurriedly took the cup while muttering, "You're making me do these small things!"
"It's no big deal, what's the problem?" Minano chuckled, sitting on the other side of the couch.
She glanced at Mihari, and then asked, "Looks like I was wrong about this. What's going on with Akifumi-sensei? You look so troubled."
"Exactly what you just mentioned," Mihari sighed. "Akifumi-sensei wants to continue releasing Your Lie in April volumes next month."
Minano looked at Mihari without speaking, patiently waiting for her to finish.
She had already inferred this wasn't a simple matter from the way Mihari was acting.
"But he doesn't just want to release the third volume, he wants to release the next three volumes at once!"
Even Minano, always calm, was taken aback.
"How many?" she asked instinctively.
Mihari gulped, bracing herself. "The next three volumes of Your Lie in April!"
Minano stayed silent, finishing her coffee in one gulp, then calmly spoke after settling her emotions,
"Well, what else can I say? Just the thought of it is enough to blow our minds."
Mihari gave a dry smile at Minano's self-deprecating tone.
"I get it now."
"After the meeting this afternoon, I'll give you an answer," Minano said, setting her coffee aside.
Mihari felt a pang of guilt.
"Sorry, Editor-in-Chief."
Minano waved her hand dismissively. "No need to apologize. Everyone has their own way of thinking; we have no right to interfere."
"Besides, our job is to serve the authors, right?" she added with a smile.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't just reject Akifumi-sensei's unreasonable request outright, but came to me to discuss it. That already exceeds my expectations."
"Trusting you with this shows I made the right choice."
Mihari blushed, scratching her head awkwardly.
"If it had been the younger version of me, I wouldn't have been able to handle this at all. I'd probably be panicking and crying by now, not knowing what to do!"
"Minano-san!" Mihari's face flushed with embarrassment at Minano's teasing.
"Ha ha ha, go ahead and get back to work."
"This is in my hands now."
"Thank you so much," Mihari nodded, finishing her coffee.
She headed out, still reflecting on the conversation.
'Minano may not be much older than me, but I always feel like a kid around her.'
When Minano was alone in the office, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Akifumi-sensei really knows how to give me tough problems."
"This afternoon's meeting's going to be a busy one."
———————————————————————
Later that night, seeing the incoming call with the familiar name, Akifumi's face revealed surprise.
After a brief pause, he answered.
"Akifumi-sensei," Minano's voice came through the phone.
It seemed there was a response!
Feeling a rush of nervousness, Akifumi remained calm in his voice.
"Sorry for troubling you, Editor-in-Chief."
"Well, our job is to serve you, so it's not really trouble," Minano chuckled.
"Just wish you'd let me know earlier next time. That way, I wouldn't have to be so passive."
Thinking back on today's meeting, Minano felt a bit drained.
After all, this whole thing was her fault in the first place.
"But the result turned out okay in the end," she smiled.
"I'm sorry again," Akifumi apologized sincerely.
Minano reassured him, "You don't need to apologize. This is just part of the job. But I have to ask before we continue."
"Are you absolutely sure you can deliver three volumes every month?"
Without hesitation, Akifumi answered, "I'm sure!"
"What about the release schedule?"
"I was thinking the middle to the end of each month," Akifumi replied.
Having worked hard for days, he already had enough for two volumes, and the third was almost halfway done.
There were no issues finishing it in the remaining time.
"If you're releasing three volumes this fast, you'll need to submit them by the end of this month?" Minano mused, impressed by how much content Akifumi had prepared.
"Did you draw all of this in advance?"
Akifumi chuckled, "I've been drawing a lot in my spare time. You never know when it'll come in handy."
Minano smiled. "Akifumi-san."
"We're planning an online interview about Your Lie in April this Friday. Do you have time?"
"An online interview?" Akifumi was taken aback by the sudden suggestion but agreed right away.
"Of course."
He trusted Minano's judgment.
There was always a good reason behind her decisions.
Minano nodded. "Now, about your proposal from last night. It was approved in today's meeting."
Akifumi wasn't surprised. If it hadn't passed, they would've just told him directly.
"But it wasn't easy. I had to work hard to get everyone on board."
"If you don't meet the three-volume deadline, I'll resign myself."
Akifumi was genuinely moved. "Thank you, Minano-san."
"But don't worry, I won't jeopardize my career."Minano laughed off his concern.
"No need to be so tense. I wasn't saying that to pressure you. I just want you to know we're in this together."
"From now on, you can fully trust me."
Minano continued, switching back to a serious tone. "I want to give you a heads-up."
"The interview this Friday will announce that the decision to wrap Your Lie in April in April was something we all agreed on from the start."
"It's a bold move by Shueisha."
"Please cooperate with the publicity."
Akifumi immediately understood the reasoning behind it. He smiled.
"Don't worry, I won't let you down."