After confirming that the person over there was Higashino Tsukasa, the author of "Midnight Ring", Hosokawa Koharu did not hesitate and simply introduced himself: "Hello, Higashino-sensei, I am the weekly "Abominable Cold" affiliated to Urashima Publishing House.

Comic magazine editor Hosokawa Koharu.”

The person on the phone seemed to be talking to the person next to him, and it took almost five seconds before he answered:

"Hello, Editor Hosokawa, my name is Higashinoji."

This voice sounds a bit young...like a young man who is not very old.

Hosokawa Koharu felt strange.

It may be a bit bad to say this, but most of the authors who draw horror comics are middle-aged comics authors in their thirties, and they all have some life experiences...

After all, letting some young people with no qualifications draw horror comics generally doesn't have that flavor.

But it's hard for her to ask questions about age... After all, this isn't a household registration check. Her mission is just to talk to Higashino about "The Ring".

"I have briefly read Mr. Higashino's comic "Midnight Ring". Can you please spare some time recently? I would like to meet you in person to discuss matters about "Midnight Ring"."

"I'll probably have time around four o'clock tomorrow afternoon."

It's around four o'clock in the afternoon...? Do you have any work?

Hosokawa Koharu didn't particularly care. The comics industry had been sluggish recently, and some of the authors she knew had gone to construction sites to take on side jobs.

Just after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Japan's economy suffered a heavy blow. Under such a situation where everything was waiting for improvement, having a job was already very good.

Going to a construction site is nothing more than moving and transporting bricks, which is quite normal, and the wages are paid daily, which is very convenient, especially suitable for cartoonists.

The comics industry has been in recession recently, and many cartoonists are still working on the construction site and have become permanent employees.

Maybe this teacher Higashino is also like this?

She took notes very ably and then replied:

"I understand. Can it be at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon in our editorial office?"

"Okay, see you then, Editor Hosoya."

The author of "The Ring" said politely and then hung up the phone.

Hosokawa Koharu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Finally the deal was settled...and the process was uneventful...

"How is it? Editor Hosoya? What does the author of "The Ring" say?"

The male editor who had been staring at her for a long time asked inexplicably and eagerly.

"Well..."

When Hosokawa Koharu was about to speak, he realized that it was not only the male editor who was staring at him, but the other editors who were staring at him with shining eyes.

It was as if he was staring at something rare.

Hosokawa Koharu really didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

As a colleague in the horror comics editorial department... I was so frightened by horror comics... Isn't it a bit unreasonable?

However, I am no better than that.

Hosokawa Koharu looked at the TV tied with a large iron chain in front of him and coughed twice.

The time came two days ago.

At that time, Hosokawa Koharu had just brought the manga manuscripts that had been mailed this week from the mail office downstairs to the editorial office.

This can be regarded as Hosokawa Koharu's job. Although she is a new editor, she still values ​​these new contributors.

Walking upstairs, what comes into view is the logo of Urashima Publishing House - a light gray island rock.

It is said that the first president wanted to make Urashima Publishing House the largest in Japan, so he designed this logo that looks like an isolated island rising out of the sea and becoming the highest peak.

There was even a case where the previous editor-in-chief felt that he was responsible for the declining sales of "Abominable Cold". He felt sorry for the new president, and even took all the editors to kneel down in front of the logo to admit his mistake, which was just short of kowtow.

However, Hosokawa Koharu didn't feel much about these passionate legends.

She was the most senior and had the lowest status in the editorial department. Every time she was ordered to go up and downstairs to get the comic manuscripts, she had to see the "isolated island" sign five or six times a day.

I'm tired of watching it, how can I get excited?

Moreover, she has never lacked enthusiasm for work, so she thinks it is better to forget about this kind of chicken soup for the soul.

If you really want to drink chicken soup, you'd better hire a delivery person. I'm so tired from running up and down every day...

Hosokawa Koharu entered the editorial office carrying the manga manuscript.

The working environment of Urashima's editorial department is still okay. Every editor has a 2003 laptop in front of them, but they don't use it very much, so they only take a look at it when calculating comic sales data.

There is a landline phone next to each computer, which is used to switch lines at the front desk and communicate with comic book authors. On the wall not far from the office area is a colorful poster that once appeared in the weekly "Cold", and there is also a TV

The machine is used by editors to watch news reports at their leisure.

After greeting the senior seniors one by one, Hosokawa Koharu rubbed his temples and began to take out the manga manuscripts he received from the folder one by one.

She's going to start looking at the manuscripts.

If there is a good idea, as the review editor, Hosokawa Koharu can find the author in advance and serve as the editor in charge of his manga.

If a good comic is cultivated, Hosokawa Koharu, who is the editor, will have a particularly bright face, and even be named in the comic magazine——

Although this is true, in fact, Hosokawa Koharu does not have any expectations, because the comics sent by mail will basically not have any good manuscripts. Experienced old authors will directly discuss with the editor, and then finalize the manuscript. Only pure wild new talents will

Manuscripts will be sent to the editorial office by mail.

But the level of the wild newcomers...? This... everyone understands it.

Hosokawa Koharu even received something drawn by elementary school students and junior high school students - it didn't look like a horror comic, but more like the science fiction comic "Alien".

Therefore, even though Hosokawa Koharu has been in office for a month, she is still empty-handed. She is not responsible for any works, not even the two or three pages of short comics sandwiched in the magazine.

Very real.

But there is nothing we can do about it.

She is just a new editor. Unlike the senior editors, who have experienced comic book authors coming to them to submit manuscripts, she can only live by receiving manuscripts mailed by newcomers every day.

This is called the sinking period in the Japanese workplace. Hosokawa Koharu estimates that she will have to sink for two or three months.

She shook her head and continued to turn over the manuscript.

After turning over and over, a piece of paper slipped from her hand.

This paper doesn't seem to be original paper. Comic original paper is very thick...

So what is this?

Hosokawa Koharu picked it up and muttered the sentence above:

"Editors with a history of heart disease or epilepsy should not read..."

Um???

Hiss...this also comes with a movie ending reminder?

Hosokawa Koharu laughed as she looked at it.

The author of this comic is so interesting, and he even thought of such a fun and deceptive gimmick.

Hosokawa Koharu was talking to herself here, and the male editor next to her also looked back at the note in her hand, and then said cheerfully:

"It's quite interesting that new comic book authors nowadays still carry this kind of note. Is this because they want to create a gimmick?"

"But it's really useful. When he said that, I really wanted to take a look."

Hosokawa Koharu responded to the male editor and stopped counting the manga manuscripts.

She planned to read the comics that the editor of 'Heart Disease and Epilepsy History' should not read.

As for whether you are really scared by horror comics...?

This is a joke.

To be blunt, who among the editors present has not read dozens or even hundreds of horror comics? We are all experts in horror comics, why do you, a newcomer, pretend to be tall in front of us?

This is not arrogance, but accurate self-perception.

If a random horror comic could scare the editor into epilepsy, causing him to suffer a sudden death from a heart attack...then this industry would have to carry more than ten people to the morgue a day, and even death would not be enough.

The author of "The Ring" boasted too much. In the final analysis, he underestimated the editing industry.

""Midnight Ring"..."

Hosokawa Koharu looked at the manga title on the brown-yellow sealed file bag and muttered.

The title of this comic is quite easy to understand.

But the name sounds like a poorly drawn horror comic with a TV theme...

She shook her head.

Hey, when I think about it like this, I no longer have any sense of expectation.

But you still have to watch it.
Chapter completed!