In a cubicle office, Yuuji handed a manuscript containing the complete first volume of the manga Doraemon to his editor.
His editor, Yuuji, took the manuscript and read it quickly without changing his expression.
Finally, he finished reading it, tapped all the pages together against the desk to align them, then placed them neatly on the surface.
He then stared directly at Yuuji before finally speaking.
"I think it has a lot of potential.
Considering the target audience, young children, it fulfills its role perfectly.
It is entertaining for kids, with many funny situations, lots of colors, strange gadgets, and many imaginative ideas. The best part is that it follows a clear logic and pattern while still managing not to feel repetitive.
The fact that many of the lessons in the chapters encourage parents to make their children read this story instead of others is also a plus.
Additionally, Doraemon has the potential to become a popular mascot not only among children, but also among teenagers and adults of future generations," Yuuji explained.
"However... are you sure about this?
It is not that it has something wrong, quite the opposite, it is too good. I think that if you sold it to an animation company it would achieve much more success than in manga format, or you could wait until this company opens its animation department if you prefer.
I understand that you have other manuscripts, right? So why this one?"
Yuuji sighed. Knowing they would ask that question, he had already prepared his answer and had studied it several times. He adjusted himself more comfortably in the chair and replied.
"The truth is, it is because I am a bit lazy.
I know that with the other manuscripts I have I could accumulate fame quickly, growing more and more and releasing increasingly higher quality works. That would be a safe strategy for success, but also a slower one.
I would rather simply release something of the highest level from the very beginning and become a heavyweight in the industry right away.
Of course, I understand the danger of this. The current heavyweights of the industry, and the people backing them, will not allow a competitor to appear out of nowhere when they have no influence over him.
I cannot avoid that, but at least I can reduce the problems as much as possible. Children's manga has the least competition, so I decided to bet on it in order to avoid bringing too many problems to the company."
After Yuuji's explanation, Yuuji smiled with satisfaction.
"Good. As long as you are willing to draw it, we will be willing to sell it. I will speak with the editor in chief about this. I am almost certain it will be approved, but I still need to confirm it. I will return in a few minutes," said Yuuji, standing up from his chair and leaving the small office.
Yuuji, now alone in the room, took advantage of the fact that nobody else was around and began using his phone, not nervous about the result, confident in his work.
In the second floor of the company's building, besides all the cubicles meant for editors and senior editors, there was also the editor in chief's office, separated by a semi transparent glass wall covered with papers and a metal door.
Yuuji stopped in front of it and knocked carefully.
"Come in" a familiar voice sounded from inside.
Yuuji entered without hesitation. There he found the editor in chief buried behind several piles of papers.
'Hasn't the company only existed for a month? Where did all of that come from?' Yuuji wondered.
"Yuuji, do you need something?" the editor in chief asked.
"Chief, actually..." Yuuji began while standing there, but he was immediately stopped.
"Yuuji, we have known each other for sixteen years and there is no one around. There is no need for you to be so formal."
"Right" Yuuji said with a familiar smile while relaxing his posture and sitting in the chair in front of the editor in chief. "Yuuji, actually, the rookie we talked about earlier has already brought the complete manuscript of his first volume."
"That kid..." Yuuji murmured, remembering the glimpse he had caught of Yuuji earlier.
"So he is the kid with connections, how is it?" the editor in chief Yuuji asked with some disdain.
"Come on, having connections in the industry is not something unusual. The problem is when those people do not have real skills.
I know you were angry when the order came that a senior editor had to handle a simple rookie, but hasn't he already proven that he has the skills to deserve it?"
"A single chapter is not enough to prove that" Yuuji said, unconvinced.
But Yuuji already knew he would say that, so he immediately extended his hand and handed him a stack of papers.
"Then why don't you read this?" he asked with a confident and mocking smile.
Yuuji did not respond. He simply took the manuscript with bitterness and skimmed through it, but what initially took him seconds to read started taking longer and longer as he began to concentrate and read everything carefully.
Finally he dropped the papers onto the desk carelessly and leaned back in his chair.
"...We might be looking at a future master" he finally said. "I thought he had only created a good first chapter, but this... this is real quality. Make sure he signs with the company."
"Then I will go give him the news" Yuuji said with a smile as he left.
Adjusting his posture and expression to a professional one before leaving, he closed the office door and went to give Yuuji the news.
Meanwhile, in his office, Yuuji picked up the phone and called someone urgently.
After only two minutes of conversation, Yuuji hung up.
He stood up and, for the first time in a long time, made an effort to look somewhat more presentable and professional, even putting on the suit that people considered nothing more than decoration for his chair due to how long it had been hanging there.
With firm but slightly nervous steps he reached the elevator and pressed the highest individual button, indicating that he wanted to go to the top of the building.
Relaxing music began playing while the elevator was moving, calming Yuuji's nerves a little.
However, the relaxing music ended up having the opposite effect of its intended purpose, because when it stopped abruptly upon reaching the destination, Yuuji's nerves were even greater than before he entered.
Trying not to focus on that, Yuuji exited the elevator, entering directly into the office of the company's boss without any intermediate space between them.
Yes, the entire top floor was the boss's office. That was the level of influence he had. He was not a simple executive placed there by someone else, the entire company belonged to him.
Yuuji stepped out and the first thing he saw was a relaxed looking teenager sitting at the only desk in the room, which was positioned directly in front of a large window with a wide view of Tokyo, since the building was located on the outskirts of the city.
His dark brown hair was slightly messy and his green eyes seemed to look at the world with boredom.
However, despite his young age and his apparent indifference toward his work, Yuuji did not dare treat him like a child.
Not only was he the supreme boss of the company, but his influence was absolute, with every employee completely loyal to him and with him knowing everything that happened inside the company.
Next to him stood a professional looking woman with black hair tied in a ponytail, who looked at Yuuji and her boss with confusion, as if she were witnessing the strangest thing in the world.
Unfortunately, Yuuji did not have time to think about the reason when the company's boss spoke.
"So, how did it go?" he asked. His previously lazy expression had disappeared completely, making it seem like he was a completely different person.
"It is exactly as you expected" Yuuji said, admiring his boss's foresight. "If we release this, we could catapult the company and enter the big leagues immediately. Of course, everything depends on whether we can withstand the attacks from the others, but having a golden goose like this and not using it would be idiotic."
The boss laughed.
"Ha, that is why I like you, Yuuji. You know when to act. Leave now, from here on it is my turn to act."
"Understood" Yuuji said and left. He knew that from that moment onward there was nothing more he could do. To confront the other heavyweights of the industry, the president, with his mysterious but powerful influences, would have to act personally to back the rookie.
Once Yuuji left, the boss's secretary looked at him strangely for several minutes while he admired the view of Tokyo.
Eventually he could not resist and looked at her irritably.
"Is something wrong?"
Ruri remained silent, unsure whether to stay quiet or say something, looking alternately between the door Yuuji had just left through and the place where her supposed boss was sitting.
In the end she could not resist and asked the question she had been holding back for a month.
"Boss... could it be that you have schizophrenia?" Ruri asked.
"What?" Yuuji said, confused.
"You said it is a hive mind, right? Not clones. Then why do they all act as if they do not know each other? Could you have different personalities or something similar?" Ruri asked, worried.
"No... this..." Yuuji did not know what to answer.
'What do you want me to say? That acting like the profession helps you learn it faster? Would you believe me?' Yuuji thought.
The reason he acted like that was simple, to learn the profession faster.
The skill King of All Trades contains the knowledge and potential to turn him into exactly what the skill's title says. However, it is not as if he automatically becomes a master of every profession in the normal world.
It works similarly to a template system, to become a master of a profession he needs to practice that profession and act like it.
Normally that would make a person with this ability act as one profession and, once they become a master of it, act as another, repeating the process again and again.
But Yuuji, having several "clones", decided to simply do everything at once.
But thinking about it in retrospect, Yuuji realized how insane it must have looked to other people.
"President, I think you need a break. At the beginning you said you would work for a month to get used to it, right?
You are already more than used to it. I would even say you are already an expert, at least in theory.
Take advantage of the fact that right now the Doraemon manuscript needs to be published and I have to handle the problems, go back to school. Don't you miss your friends?"
"Right... it has been a month since I went to school" Yuuji realized with some nostalgia.
"More importantly, I studied a bit of psychology and I think you might be subconsciously avoiding something.
It does not seem like a serious problem for now, but if you continue like this I will have to call your parents."
"Avoiding something subconsciously?" Yuuji asked, confused.
"Yes, although based on what I have seen it does not seem intentional, you probably do not even know what it is.
If you do not return to high school, I will have to notify your parents about this," Ruri said in a threatening tone.
"Alright" Yuuji accepted with resignation. "I will go back. There is no need to escalate the matter."
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)