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Chapter 2

In the meeting room, Shizuka sat down across from several executives plus a new man she had never seen before. She looked around and took a deep breath as Kyosuke began the meeting. "I'm glad you could make it, Hiratai-san. You may have noticed there's a new face among us."

"Indeed," Shizuka nodded.

"Well, after some discussion and a request from a certain someone, we have come to a decision regarding who your editor will be." Kyosuke turned to the new man and said to him, "Obuchi-san, feel free to introduce yourself."

"My name is Obuchi Daichi," said the new man, who was in his early forties. "From today, I'll be your editor."

"We called you here so you two can go over some things together," Kyosuke explained. "Obuchi-san has a lot of experience as an editor with our company. He has been editing manga within our shojo and josei magazines for twenty years, and when he read your manga, he jumped at the opportunity."

"I think your manga is one of the best shojo manga we've seen submitted in a long time," Daichi explained. "I would love to help you along and make it a bestseller."

Shizuka was floored by his words. She had known who Daichi was, having read several other manga he had edited, and to hear such a high-profile editor praise her work nearly overwhelmed her. "Holy shit," she thought to herself. "This is actually happening. This guy's one of the best in the business, and he personally asked to oversee my work?! No way!"

"Hiratai-san," Kyosuke then asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay? It seemed like you spaced out a bit."

Slightly embarrassed, Shizuka replied, "Oh, my bad. I would love to have Obuchi-san be my editor. I've read several manga series he's been the editor for, and to hear he personally asked to edit my own manga is an honor."

"Excellent," Daichi replied as he reached over to shake Shizuka's hand, which she accepted. "You can count me in. Together, I think we'll make Break The Ice a phenomenon that doesn't just sell well among the shojo demographic, but even goes beyond."

Kyosuke pointed out, "While it's good to focus on one demographic, it's always a treat to get readers from the outside. If you two play your cards right, Break The Ice will do just that."

Shizuka asked him, "You really think s-?" Cutting herself off when she realized what she said probably sounded like she lacked confidence in her work, she corrected herself. "I mean... I think so, too. I know so."

"That's the spirit," Daichi replied with an eager smile. "Starting this Monday, let's get to work!"

"And one last thing," Kyosuke then added. "We have decided on a date for when your manga will premiere."

Curious, Shizuka asked, "You have? When?"

"It will start with the April issue."

"April? I can do earlier than tha-"

"It's fine," Kyosuke assured her. "I want to give you some time to refine your works. Everyone else will be premiering in either March or April anyway."

"I see." Shizuka then got up and bowed to the executives and Daichi. "Thank you all very much. I will not let any of you down."

...

Later in the night, Takeo and Shizuka met up for drinks together at a bar, both of them celebrating the fact they now had editors. The former said to the latter in disbelief, "You got him as your editor? No way! I call bullshit!"

"Yep," Shizuka replied, showing off a business card Daichi had given her. "Here it is."

"Damn. They gave me some girl who looked a few years older than you. I think she's pretty new to editing."