In this world, most Japanese manga authors still follow the tradition of publishing and serializing their works in magazines. Posting a manga online, in their eyes, is usually a sign of failure. Of course, this didn't apply to someone like Eriri, who specialized in doujinshi—the internet was their main stage.
Manga authors and doujinshi artists were different. For authors, magazine serialization and print publication were the proper path, the place where they "proved themselves."
When Sayuri suggested publishing Youichi's work online, Eriri felt some resistance. She believed that a work as exceptional as Attack on Titan deserved to appear in a magazine, printed as a physical book, not just scattered online.
Yet, after thinking for a moment, she couldn't come up with a better option. Youichi had insisted that the work be published as soon as possible, so that more people could see it in the shortest time. If they went through a publisher or magazine, it might already be too late. Perhaps he wouldn't even have the strength to see the printed book.
"It seems there's no other choice… we'll have to publish online."
Eriri felt a twinge of helplessness but had no objection.
The two of them opened the computer and prepared to register a social media account to post Youichi's work online. Just as the browser opened, Sayuri noticed a notification pop up on the page and exclaimed in surprise, "Eriri, look! Weekly Shonen Magazine is holding an online manga contest!"
She clicked the link and entered the contest page. The rules read:
Submissions must include at least 20 pages of manga.
Submitted works will be displayed on the magazine's official website for online voting. The top 50 entries will have the opportunity to sign a contract.
Works of 80 pages or a complete volume will receive priority display, and upon successful signing, priority publication.
The submission deadline is tomorrow, and voting will last for three days.
Mother and daughter read the rules carefully and were both excited and anxious. The contest had been ongoing for half a month, and today was the final day to submit—just in time!
Weekly Shonen Magazine was published by Kodansha, one of the largest manga publishers in Japan, with the highest circulation nationwide. Having Youichi's work displayed on the site guaranteed exposure and traffic. Both Eriri and Sayuri were confident in Attack on Titan, believing it could stand out in the popularity vote and earn the chance for a contract and publication.
"Mom, let's enter the contest!" Eriri clenched her fists, her eyes determined, as if she herself were going to compete.
Sayuri nodded. "Okay, I'll take the originals upstairs to scan. You register the account and fill in the submission info first."
Luckily, they had a scanner at home, so there was no need to go elsewhere. Sayuri carried the originals upstairs, and Eriri began registering the account.
The registration page prompted: "Real name or pen name must be provided."
Eriri hesitated. Youichi had requested anonymity, so his real name couldn't be used. But she didn't know if he had a pen name. Since this was his first work, he probably didn't have one.
"I'll just make one for him. It can be changed later if needed."
After some consideration, she finally decided on a pen name: "Nagumo."
(T/N: IRONIC, I changed this myself, in the original he put something like whale but it seemed really lacking.)
Once the pen name was entered, the account was registered, and all that remained was to upload the manuscript.
After a while, Sayuri finished scanning the manga upstairs and returned. She plugged the USB drive into the computer and copied the scanned pages.
Eriri then uploaded the completed scans to the contest submission page. Another prompt appeared:
"Select genre: Adventure? Sci-fi? Fantasy? Mystery?"
Eriri hesitated. "Mom… I think Attack on Titan counts as horror, right?"
"Probably…" Sayuri agreed.
They discussed the content together—the grotesque imagery of titans slaughtering humans was too horrifying—and finally decided to categorize it as horror.
"Eriri, you also need a cover image," Sayuri reminded her.
Eriri glanced at the manga but noticed Youichi hadn't drawn a cover. Flipping through the pages, there wasn't a single image suitable either.
She would have to create one herself.
Eriri was a skilled doujinshi artist; a cover was no problem for her. Without hesitation, she ran to her room, sat at her drawing board, and began to work. Inspiration came like a rush of water, unstoppable.
She worked quickly and soon completed a cover illustration. After minor adjustments and coloring, the full-color cover depicted Eren wearing the omni-directional maneuver gear, standing on the wall as he confronted the titans.
Eriri's skill was exceptional. The cover perfectly conveyed the tension, peril, and grandeur of humanity's battle against the titans—it made one's blood race.
Once the paint dried, she scanned the image and uploaded it.
"Eriri, your drawing skills have improved so much. As always, I'm proud of you—this is amazing!" Sayuri exclaimed.
Normally, Eriri would have felt elated at her mother's praise. But now, her focus was entirely on helping Youichi publish his work. Thinking about his fragile condition and the little time he had left, she couldn't feel happy yet.