Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

After leaving the Immortal River.

Kato Yusuke strolled through the streets of Jimbocho and walked slowly toward the station.

The aroma of coffee and curry wafts in the air.

Inadvertently, time has come to meet the devil.

The orange-red sunset shines on the rows of bookstore streets, shining deeply or lightly on the bustling crowds, making the shadows under their feet long.

Kato Yusuke, who was mixed in the crowd, followed the flow of people and kept thinking in his mind.

Debt, comics, studio.

The three are like a ball of wool, entangled with each other in the mind.

Debt is the core, comics are the solution, and the studio is the plan for the future.

If the first point is not solved as soon as possible, the studio's plan will be just a flower in the mirror, like a castle in the air, illusory and misty.

It would be great if a single volume could be released as soon as possible, or if I could continue to draw books - Yusuke Kato thought to himself.

For a comic book author, the original fee for the work is only a "little money" after all. The bulk of it lies in the sales share of the single volume and the profit share of other peripheral products.

Take the manuscript he submitted this time as an example. Not counting the first and last pages, the main text has a total of 191 pages. When converted into manuscript fees, it is just over 2.29 million.

After all, comic serials are different from single books. No matter how well the magazine sells, the only income that ultimately falls into the hands of the author is the original manuscript fee.

Unlike stand-alone books, the author will be given a 10% share of the sales volume (8% to 10%), just like the situation with Shiyu's novels.

I just don’t know if Immortal River will release the single volume of "Chainsaw Man" as soon as possible as he wishes...

While thinking about this, I walked to Jimbocho station.

Follow the crowd to the waiting platform and catch the tram bound for the apartment.

After luckily finding an empty seat and sitting down, the phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated.

An email was delivered to his mailbox.

——"Letter: Akane Kosaka"

[Kosaka Akane: Where are you now? 】

Kato Yusuke responded: [On the train, getting ready to go home. 】

[Kosaka Akane: In other words, you are very free, right? 】

[Yusuke Kato: Compared with Ms. Kousaka, I should be more leisurely. 】

[Kosaka Akane: Is this sarcasm? Pay attention to what you say. In short, since you have time to hang out outside, come to my place. 】

[Kato Yusuke: Is something wrong? 】

[Kosaka Akane: No~ I'm just bored alone, so I just asked a chef to come to my house to cook and find someone to relieve my boredom. 】

[Yusuke Kato: If you want to relieve your boredom, get a pet. 】

[Kosaka Akane: Oh? So are you willing to do my job? I can feed you udon~]

Kato Yusuke raised his eyebrows slightly, with a hint of annoyance in his eyes, and replied: "You like ginger-roasted pork?" 】

[Kosaka Akane: Huh? What kind of ridiculous conversation is this? 】

[Kato Yusuke: Nothing. 】

[Kosaka Akane: Okay, don’t get the advantage and be good, come here quickly, kid, the address is the apartment here in Ariake where you were last time. 】

After sending this email, the other party will no longer reply.

Kato Yusuke put down his mobile phone, thinking about the luxurious high-end apartment where he sent the drunk Akane Kurisaka home, and then put the mobile phone away in thought.

…

After one hour.

Near the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, in a tall and tall apartment building.

Take the elevator to the top floor.

Press the doorbell of the only house.

After waiting for a few seconds, the door opened with a "click".

Kato Yusuke met the owner of the apartment he had just contacted - Akane Kurisaka.

The other party wore a tight black backless dress, revealing her delicate back and showing off her perfect figure.

The sassy and cool makeup combined with the seductive eyes show off the unique temperament of a mature woman.

"I'm finally here. It took me so long. Are you an elderly person with limited mobility?" Akane Akane leaned against the door with a nonchalant look on her face.

"It's rush hour and it's already very fast."

"Why don't you buy a car?"

"No money, no driver's license."

"Well, that's right. After all, you don't have enough money now, so you are a pauper." Akane Benisaka narrowed her phoenix eyes and looked at him with a sneer.

"Well, thank you to Miss Kosaka for taking care of this matter." Kato Yusuke responded calmly and stepped into the room.

"I like this statement ~ so you're welcome." Akane Hongsaka laughed happily, as if she was very satisfied with pushing him to this point.

"...Have you had too much to drink?"

"It's just a few drinks. Because you are too slow, I have already started eating. Come in by yourself."

The two of them walked into the room one after the other and soon arrived at the restaurant.

Behind the rich marble bar, a middle-aged man wearing a navy blue chef's uniform and a turban on his head was busy in the kitchen inside.

Seeing Kato Yusuke approaching, the other party took the initiative to say hello: "Good evening, little brother, we meet again."

Kato Yusuke took a closer look and saw that the other person was the owner of the sushi restaurant he had visited before, so he nodded and said, "Hello, boss."

The middle-aged man smiled and lowered his head to get busy.

The dark black marble bar has irregular white lines on its surface, and its height blocks half of the middle-aged man's body.

The bright but not dazzling yellow light comes from the lighting on the ceiling, which makes it very atmospheric.

Akane Hongsaka casually sat down in front of the bar with a set of tableware, and ordered: "Please give this kid something to eat, boss."

"I understand." The middle-aged man nodded seriously, placed a new set of tableware next to Akane Benisaka, and asked, "Brother Kato, do you have any taboo foods?"

"No." Kato Yusuke shook his head in denial, and then sat down on the left side of Akane Kurisaka.

"So what do you want to drink?"

"Give me oolong tea, if you can."

Benisaka Akane on the side sneered: "What are you doing? Do you really think of this as a restaurant? I don't have such childish things here. Boss, serve him wine."

The two people who heard this had different reactions.

Kato Yusuke frowned slightly.

The middle-aged man behind the bar had a wry smile on his face and reminded him thoughtfully: "Actually, Ms. Kosaka, there is also mineral water here..."

Akane Hongsaka raised one eyebrow slightly, waved her hand and said, "Only brats can drink that kind of stuff. Boss, there are no such rules here."

‘He’s just a brat! ’ The middle-aged man shouted in his heart and wanted to refuse, but when he thought of the reward for today’s meal... he became calm again.

Ever since, a glass of clear and transparent liquid was placed in front of Kato Yusuke.

"...Then please use it, Kato-chan."

"Thank you, thank you."

Kato Yusuke nodded and thanked him, but did not take it to drink. Instead, he turned his gaze to Akane Kurisaka on the right and asked: So why did you call me here today? "

"Huh? Didn't I say that? Find someone who can relieve your boredom."

"Is there no one else around you?"

"Yes, yes, but you are more pleasing to the eye." The other party brushed his hair and his tone was very casual.

The scent of elegant perfume wafted over.

Kato Yusuke sniffed it slightly and said this, which was regarded as accepting this statement.

"——But~" Akane Kurisaka took a sip of the sake in the cup as if tasting it, and added: "Although it is a way to relieve boredom, for people like us, the only things we can talk about are works, right? "

"People like us?"

"What? Aren't you like this? Or do you actually come here with other ideas?"

The tone of his speech became more profound.

Kato Yusuke thought for a moment, then nodded and admitted, "I do have some other ideas."

"Um……?"

Akane Hongsaka's hand holding the cup trembled imperceptibly, and then asked funnyly: "...You seem to be a lot more courageous. Aren't you worried about your little girlfriend?"

"We are not dating the girl you mentioned."

"Hmm~~~Really? You're not eating the meat that's served to your mouth, but that girl is quite possessive. If you don't pay attention, you'll suffer a lot in the future, you know? Boy."

"Don't bother Miss Kosaka."

While chatting, the middle-aged man behind the bar also made two pieces of sushi and placed them on the plates in front of them.

"This is the tuna belly, please use it."

The surface of the tender tuna meat has several straight lines carved on it, and a good-sized rice ball is wrapped underneath. From the top, you can basically only see the fish meat, but not the rice underneath.

Kato Yusuke picked up the chopsticks, but did not find soy sauce and wasabi on the table, so he stopped for a moment.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Akane Benisaka on the side casually mentioned: "The boss has already put soy sauce on it in advance, just eat it directly."

The middle-aged man also smiled and affirmed: "I applied the most suitable amount, so it should taste just right. If Kato-chan likes to dip it himself, I will prepare it for you."

So Yusuke Kato stopped talking, picked up the sushi on the plate with chopsticks, and put it directly into his mouth.

As you chew a little harder with your teeth, the soft flesh of the fish wraps around your teeth.

The fish meat is delicious and slightly oily, plus the right amount of soy sauce and the slight sourness of the rice. The whole taste is integrated and the combination is just right.

Kato Yusuke chewed the sushi carefully and commented honestly: "It's delicious, boss."

"Thank you for the compliment." The middle-aged man smiled and placed the newly made sea urchin sushi on their plates.

Akane Hongsaka asked: "Then, boy, how are your works now?"

"Well, regarding this, I happen to have something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh? This is rare, so just tell me and listen."

Kato Yusuke put down his chopsticks and asked: "What I want to know is, are you interested in the copyright of "Chainsaw Man"? Miss Kousaka."

The scene suddenly became silent.

Akane Benisaka glanced at him in surprise, then gently shook the glazed cup in her hand, and said noncommittally: "Why, isn't the treatment you received at the Immortal River good for you?"

"No, I mean copyrights other than comics. Are you interested?"

"It's really straightforward. Saying this means you intend to sell? Or are you just trying to attract investment?"

"It's the former."

"What's the reason?"

"I plan to raise enough money as soon as possible to handle the studio side of things."

"Go and deal with things in the studio...what about your comics side?"

"The book will naturally be completed normally, and it won't affect anything."

"Interesting, weren't you still drowsy some time ago? Have you suddenly woken up?"

Kato Yusuke moved his mouth, thinking of the conversation with Shiyu, and replied: "...That's the way it is, we can talk if you want."

Akane Hongsaka smiled, did not ask further questions, and spoke thoughtfully.

"Yes, I am indeed a little interested, but is it too early to talk about this now? Didn't you just hand over the manuscript of Chapter 3 so far?"

"This news is out of date. Before coming here, I had submitted all the manuscripts of "Chainsaw Man" up to episode 13."

"Huh? Have you found an assistant??"

"We can discuss this later, let's get down to business first."

"...That's not enough. Even if you want to adapt the work into animation, you will need at least about 60 episodes per season. It can be said that it is impossible to realize the current situation of your work."

Akane Kurisaka said this and took a sip of wine, then suddenly changed her words and asked:

"So, under such unfavorable circumstances, you should give me a reasonable price, right? Tell me, how much do you want to sell it for?"

After talking about it, the topic came back again.

Kato Yusuke ignored her words of first suppressing and then elevating. He pondered for a moment and then responded: "One hundred million yen."

As soon as these words came out...

"——!"

The middle-aged man behind the bar couldn't help shaking his hands, and the sushi almost flew out of his hands.

Akane Benisaka also looked dumbfounded, and then said angrily: "This joke is not funny at all. Don't tell me you are serious."

Kato Yusuke shook his head slightly, with a normal expression, "Ms. Kousaka, you can make a counter-offer if you feel it's inappropriate."

"You're just talking like a lion. Based on the cost of producing an episode of ordinary animation, which is 12 million, 100 million yuan can barely make one season of animation. Don't you know?"

"I'm talking about all copyrights other than comics, not just anime adaptations."

"Then what? You can brazenly ask me to take so much money to buy the copyright of a work that I don't know the final direction of, and that won't even be enough for one season of animation? Are you crazy, or do you think I'm a fool? "

When Akane Kurisaka said this, she couldn't help laughing angrily, and cursed mercilessly: "Even if I'm not short of money, I'm not someone who can be manipulated by others. Do you think that you can get away with it after having sex with me once?"

‘No, no, no, this is a big problem! ? ’ The middle-aged man behind the bar shook his hands again, but he lowered his head and kept a straight face, resisting the urge to speak out his inner thoughts, but his cheeks twitched from time to time.

Facing Benisaka Akane's "bold words", Kato Yusuke was also speechless, but he still collected his thoughts and said slowly:

"If you are not satisfied, I can give you another project of equal value."

…