"They are all works proposed by Sora to be serialized. The Garden of Words can get the chance to be serialized on the Inkbolt Series, and it can also vote for the number one for several consecutive weeks."
"In comparison, if my work is really good, and it is only opposed by an associate editor, it won't be so smooth that it cannot be published!"
Sora did not speak, and Kotone was right. Although Sora held great power, she was far from being in a position to speak for herself within the Kurokawa Comics Club. The editor-in-chief, the management, and the board of directors all had authority in this matter.
If the quality is so high that it surpasses other works, even Rika cannot suppress it for no reason.
"But the problem is that nowadays, as long as Sora approves a work, even if its quality is on par with or even exceeds that of other editors' works, if Rika Hayashi is involved, it's always blocked."
Even if the work is not inappropriate, pieces that could have been published in top-tier journals end up in second-tier ones, and those that could have gone to second-tier journals are relegated to third-tier ones...
In Sora 's view, Kotone's work this time really had a good chance...
Kotone let out a long breath and said, "Although I didn't get a serialization opportunity this time, I will try my best next time."
"Uh!" Kotone said in a few words, but Sora didn't know how to say what she wanted to say.
But in the end, Sora still managed to say that sentence.
"Actually, I called you out today. In addition to wanting to confess these things to you, I have another suggestion..."
"You know my situation. I was targeted by the deputy editor in the Publishing House , and the Mangaka who were in charge suffered with me. That is, I can introduce you to other editors. The character is absolutely guaranteed, and you can switch to it."
"No need to go on!" Kotone looked at Sora, basically understood what she wanted to say, and shook her head.
"Sora, do you remember?"
"Three years ago, I went to the Kurokawa Publishing house for the first time to contribute. The first work, the painting was terrible..."
"At that time, after you watched it, you were telling me about the shortcomings in my manga while telling me about the deficiencies in my manga, and you also helped me revise the draft."
"After repeated revisions seven times, that work was finally serialized..."
"Although I was cut in the middle only in the seventh chapter, to be honest, I am really happy..."
"Although the nine works from then to now have not been serialized."
"But if there was no serialized work, I might really not be able to stick to it and continue to draw manga."
"I think you are good... I don't want to change to another editor..."
"If you don't work at Kurokawa publishing one day, then I may not continue to contribute to Kurokawa publishing."
When Sora heard this, she couldn't tell what it was like.
It was not only Kotone's first manga submission, but also the first time someone submitted a manuscript to her when Sora was working. She naturally did her best, but she didn't expect the other party to take this matter so seriously.
In her heart, she felt that the other party was a bit silly, but also very moved.
At this time, Sora's phone vibrated for a while, and news from Line came.
"Well, I understand the situation."
"I said why you slept in my house that night and kept yelling Rika the big bad guy, so Rika really is such a bastard!"
"To be honest, although you are not in a very good situation in the Publishing House, you still helped me win the serialization opportunity of The Garden of Words on Inkbolt Series in this situation, compared to the other two that I submitted to. The situation where there is no news from the Publishing House is much better."
"As for the idea of changing editors, forget it. I still feel that you're a very responsible editor for my manga. I'm worried I wouldn't get used to working with someone else. Anyway, I won't say more about it. Let's leave it at that!"
---
Haruki was at home, thinking for a while before finally sending the text he had been drafting for a long time to Sora .
Without Sora's sudden blowup, Haruki would never have imagined Sora's situation at the Kurokawa Publishing House.
Anyway, after two months of getting along, Haruki and Sora, apart from their roles as Mangaka and editor, had become friends through several dinners and daily work chats.
If Haruki had known about Sora's situation when he first contributed to The Garden of Words, he would have kept his distance, but now, knowing that Sora was facing difficult times, he couldn't just abandon her. He really couldn't do that.
Here's a smoother, more natural version of the paragraph:
"The Mangaka under Sora's who had been struggling at Kurokawa for years, were in a different position. Their ties were to Kurokawa, and their own abilities hadn't yet reached a level where they could stand up to a deputy editor like Rika Hayashi. But Haruki, with his impressive body of work spanning multiple genres, had no worries about his future. After learning about Rika's true nature, Haruki naturally lost all respect for him."
Anyway, since his contract only bound him for one year, and two months had already passed, he figured it didn't matter. If he was unhappy working at Kurokawa, he would just leave next year.
---
Sora felt a wave of emotion. Over time, the manga artists under her team had started distancing themselves from her, fearing that associating with her might cause Rika to target them as well.
There weren't many authors who were still willing to work with her. What she originally wanted was to explain the situation to the artists and give them a choice.
If, by the end, no one was willing to continue working with her, she would have to leave Kurokawa, the place she had worked for three years.
But she didn't expect that some of the authors who had worked with her for years would step forward and support her. Although they acted regretful on the surface, their willingness to transfer editors showed they respected her dedication.
The two youngest artists under her were both high school students.
It showed a lot of loyalty.
"Okay, eat and eat!" Sora wasn't one to be overly sentimental.
Since others were willing to support her, she wasn't about to dampen their enthusiasm.