Chapter 48 – Weekly Shōnen Interview

"Endou-kun, keep it down!"

A man nearing his forties scolded the young man named Endou sternly. The surrounding staff all turned to look at the commotion.

"Sorry, Kojima-sensei! Apologies, everyone, for disturbing your work!"

The young man quickly collected himself, bowed deeply, and apologized to those around him. Seeing his serious and respectful demeanor, the others responded with knowing smiles and returned to their tasks.

Shueisha doesn't only publish Weekly Shōnen JUMP—though it's the highest-selling manga magazine in Japan, it's just one among many. One department within the company is specifically tasked with interviewing mangaka to generate buzz.

Endou was a rookie who had just finished his internship at Shueisha. The man guiding him was an experienced senior staff member—his mentor. In this nation where seniority and hierarchy are taken very seriously, showing respect to one's mentor was a given.

As a newcomer, Endou was fully prepared to handle menial tasks—filing paperwork, data entry, that sort of thing. He never expected to be chosen by Kojima-sensei to assist with an actual interview. And not just any interview, but one with a real mangaka!

In this country, there's a deep admiration for those who excel. As both a young Shueisha employee and a passionate manga fan, Endou looked up to Jinguu-sensei—a sixteen-year-old prodigy who passed serialization on his very first submission. Being granted the opportunity to interview him was an incredible honor and potentially a huge step for his career.

"The interview is set for Saturday. You have two days. Go home today and start preparing your script. Bring it to me tomorrow so I can review and suggest revisions."

Endou blinked in disbelief. His mentor was actually entrusting him with writing the interview script? This was serious work. It wasn't just an ordinary task—it was valuable experience that journalists everywhere dreamed of, whether for newspapers, TV stations, or magazines.

"Understood, Kojima-sensei. I'll give it everything I've got today to draft the interview script!"

He bowed deeply again, expressing sincere gratitude for the trust and opportunity.

"This is just a routine interview, no need to be so tense… Jinguu-sensei is only sixteen, and it'll be his first time doing an interview too. I figured if it were just us middle-aged folks, the atmosphere might feel too stiff. That's why I'm bringing you along, someone younger. Don't make the script too heavy or deep—keep it light. This is just the first of many interviews we'll likely do, so keep things simple. Direct questions that suit Jinguu-sensei's age. Got it?"

Kojima advised in the tone of a patient teacher guiding his apprentice.

"I understand, Sensei!"

Nodding in approval, Kojima continued, "Good. Then go get started right away. We don't have much time, and we absolutely can't botch our first interview with Jinguu-sensei."

Endou answered immediately and returned to his desk, fully focused, throwing himself into preparing for the upcoming interview.

"Youth sure is full of energy."

Kojima took a sip of tea from his desk and let out a quiet sigh as he watched his disciple hard at work.

But before long, he too became absorbed in his own tasks—after all, work at Shueisha was anything but easy.

— — —

Saturday. Just past lunchtime, the doorbell rang at Jinguu You's home.

JOJO, the Labrador retriever, started barking, and Jinguu You—neatly dressed—walked to the entrance and opened the door.

"Jinguu-sensei!"

Standing outside was JumP editor Ogata Masaki, beaming brightly as he greeted him.

"Ogata-san, you're right on time."

Jinguu glanced at his watch. The editor had arrived within five minutes of their scheduled time.

"I've gotten used to it. Work's so busy these days I have to plan everything down to the minute."

Both of them were dressed casually. It wasn't like they were going to a formal banquet—dressing too formally would've only made the atmosphere unnecessarily rigid.

"Sorry for dragging you out on your day off, Jinguu-sensei."

Ogata smiled as he opened the passenger door with a courteous gesture.

The vehicle was Ogata's personal car—a Toyota, like most Japanese drivers own. Of course, since this was work-related, the gas bill could be expensed.

"It's fine. Honestly, whether it's Monday through Friday or the weekend, it's all the same for me—every day's a day off."

"Huh? You're not going to school, Jinguu-sensei?"

After Jinguu buckled up, Ogata started the engine, tilting his head slightly at the unexpected reply.

"I've been taking a break from school for about a year now… personal reasons."

Jinguu answered casually.

Ogata gave him an awkward smile and didn't press further.

From his perspective, whether or not Jinguu went to school didn't really matter. The boy had already debuted as a mangaka. As long as he kept going like this, he wouldn't have to worry about money. Isn't the whole point of school to gain enough knowledge to land a job and support yourself later?

As for developing character or cultural awareness—those ideals always took a backseat to the reality of daily life.

"Today's interview is at headquarters. It'll be simple—just a few basic questions. No need to be nervous. It won't take long, so it definitely won't mess with your dinner plans."

Ogata joked lightly, hoping to ease any nerves the teen might have had.

"Do I look like someone who gets nervous?"

Jinguu shrugged, leaning back into the seat with a smirk.

Ogata took a quick glance at him while driving. The boy looked completely at ease. Thinking back to their first meeting—when this teenager had negotiated with him like a seasoned adult—it was clear that his worries were unnecessary.

"But even if dinner does get delayed, it's fine—so long as Shueisha's paying."

"Haha! In that case, I guess you'll be joining us for some good ol' convenience store bento."

The two chatted casually. After several meetings, their relationship had become more relaxed, almost like friends. And as they laughed, Ogata's Toyota merged into the weekend traffic, heading toward the Weekly Shōnen JUMP headquarters.