Chapter 7
Chapter 7: My Name is ONE!
Following the Chief Editor, they entered the JUMP editorial building.
Soon, the scene inside came into full view of Kuriko and Naoto.
The editorial department during working hours, to be honest, was different from what they had imagined.
Originally, they thought that as the JUMP editorial department, it should be a place full of otaku culture, with all kinds of manga merchandise piled throughout the company.
But after walking in, they found that it looked not much different from an ordinary company.
Aside from posters for the latest Naruto movie and information on the latest One Piece merchandise displayed in the corridors, the editors at work were not much different from ordinary office workers.
"Sit down."
Sitting on the sofa, Editor Sasaki placed Naoto's previous manga manuscript on the table, looking at Naoto with a somewhat serious expression.
At this time, Kuriko and Mr. Kuniharu had consciously left and were not by Naoto's side.
To be honest, this situation made Naoto a bit uncomfortable, feeling rather like being called into the teacher's office for a talk.
"Then, Mr. Naoto, are you sure you want to submit this manga to our JUMP?"
"Yes, I'm very sure."
Naoto answered somewhat nervously to the editor's question.
"Is that so? Although it might be a bit redundant to ask, are you sure you can do everything a manga artist needs to do? You know, you're still just a high school student."
Editor Sasaki looked at Naoto seriously at this moment. It was indeed true that Naoto's manga had great potential.
However, as a high school student, while balancing academics, he also had to draw a high-quality manga chapter every week. Such pressure was not something an average person could bear.
Think about the duo of Saiko and Akito in the original work; after entering high school, they almost didn't make it through.
Under intense pressure, Saiko almost died, which led to the suspension of their serialized manga at the time.
In JUMP, even professional manga artists often died from overwork due to high-intensity work.
Saiko's uncle also passed away due to severe overexertion from high-intensity work. It was precisely because of this that Editor Sasaki himself was not very keen on Naoto becoming a manga artist right now.
"There's one more thing, and that is why you want to become a manga artist. Do you truly regard this job as a sacred profession?"
Facing the editor's aggressive stance, Naoto took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
"Yes, I am very confident that I can do it. For no other reason than my love for manga, that's why I chose to become a manga artist."
"Oh?"
The editor looked at Naoto with some surprise. He hadn't expected a high school student to answer so resolutely.
"Chief Editor, I'm sure you've seen my drawings. Purely from an artistic perspective, I believe my skills are quite good. Although I am indeed very short on money right now, I can completely use these drawing skills to work as a novel illustrator or take on commissions from game companies. Such work would be easier in terms of both workload and working hours. I could even submit my manga to the other two companies, or publish it in a monthly magazine, which are all good options. But I still chose to become a manga artist, and I chose JUMP. This is because I want to become the world's number one manga artist!"
After hearing Naoto's words, Mr. Kuniharu and Kuriko, who were secretly listening behind him, were stunned.
Originally, they both thought that Naoto simply wanted to earn money by drawing manga, but now, they both felt Naoto's ambition in his words.
"I admit that I initially started drawing manga simply because my family was truly out of money. But when I finished my first drawing, the emptiness in my heart was already filled with that sense of satisfaction. I truly, truly love manga."
At this moment, everything Naoto said to the editor was his most genuine feeling.
That feeling, when he saw one vivid character after another being born from his pen, was more intense than ever before.
"The world's number one manga artist, huh?"
The Chief Editor looked blankly at the young man in front of him. He had seen many manga artists make grand declarations and many talented creators.
But when he saw Naoto, he couldn't help but feel that this young man might actually succeed.
"So, no matter what, thank you for this opportunity. Regardless of the final outcome, at least I've tried my best. Even if I fail, I will continue to work hard until the day my dream succeeds."
Seeing that Naoto's attitude was so resolute, Editor Sasaki ultimately held back the words he had originally intended to say.
In an era where manga was starting to decline, perhaps it was precisely these people, full of passion for manga, who could revitalize the industry.
In any case, since he had shown his determination, he didn't mind giving this young man a chance.
"So, have you thought of a pen name for yourself? Although using your real name is also acceptable, doing so might cause some unnecessary trouble."
"Hmm, a pen name?"
On the way, Naoto had considered many pen names, but none felt quite right.
After careful consideration, Naoto finally wrote down his pen name on paper.
"ONE?"
Looking at this uniquely styled pen name, the editor looked at Naoto with confusion.
"Only ONE! NO. ONE! Perfect ONE! This is the meaning of my pen name. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it the best. I want to be the unique, the first, the perfect one in the manga world."
After much deliberation, Naoto finally decided on his pen name.
ONE, whose art style was like that of an elementary school student, nevertheless drew the impressive One-Punch Man, and also Mob Psycho 100.
Even when ONE was almost starving and had to work part-time, he never gave up on his manga, eventually becoming a master cartoonist admired by the younger generation.
A mangaka driven by interest—indeed, Naoto also wanted to be such a mangaka.
Because there was no trace of ONE-sensei's existence in this world.
So Naoto chose to become ONE himself.
"ONE, huh? I hope you can truly become the ONE in your heart."
Thus, Naoto's pen name was set.
What kind of storm would the name the ONE stir up in this world?