PREVIOUS STORY SO FAR
There was a person who found this manuscript from somewhere and donated it to us.
He died!
He was in charge of Ajima before.
His name was Nanbu Masaharu.
Was he a manga editor?
Regarding the relaunching of "Manga Brave", we intend to entrust everything to you, Daigo-san.
As long as the mythical "Dropper For Hire" doesn't appear, murder isn't likely, I guess.
But Yuki-chan, that being the cause of your father's death isn't true, is it?
Around a week before his death...
He said he discovered the "know-how for a surefire-winning grownup-oriented magazine".
The hint is mizuiro.
Long time no see, Mizuno-san.
I heard that Nanbu-san died due to an accident...
...but is there a possibility of foul play?
I'm a bit surprised... You becoming editor-in-chief.
Brave's readers are 20 years old and above, right?
What happened in the previous chapters? That is why there are always flashback frames.
It's bad if you don't prepare several cuts!
I went to Nanbu-san's apartment.
This was the only thing on top of his desk that looked important.
It's well-drawn...
In this Panic Alliance you've been handling... how was this detective killed?
Who knows.
We think it's best not to engage with Watanuki as much as possible.
Don't you guys get along with Watanuki?
Because there are some bad rumors about him.
I heard that company's name from Nanbu-san.
Comic Suplex
"Comic Suplex"...
Bring me Vol. 1 of Panic Alliance which Watanuki was in charge of.
Could this be...
Nanbu-san might have been killed!
Killed!?
All who take the sword shall perish by the sword.
WABI-SABI SUBS PRESENTS:
YAMI NO BANSOSHA
WABI-SABI SUBS PRESENTS:
~HENSHUCHO NO JOKEN
Partner In Darkness 2: Conditions Of An Editor-In-Chief
~HENSHUCHO NO JOKEN
Partner In Darkness 2: Conditions Of An Editor-In-Chief
SUSPICION
"SUSPICION"
SUSPICION
Nanbu-san might have been killed.
Mizuno Yuki MATSUSHITA NAO Daiji Shinji FURUTA ARATA
Killed! What do you mean?
Horio Satoshi TSUDA KANJI Ito Shota SHIRAISHI SHUNYA
I suspect it's murder that's made to appear as an accident.
Watanuki Yoshimasa KONNO HIROKI Miura Taichi KOMIYA HIRONOBU (Sanshiro)
I cannot confirm it yet but I want to look into it more.
Nanbu Kayoko (Recall) YAGI AKIKO Wakamatsu Hiroshi HASHIMOTO JUN
All right. I will also change my angle on this and investigate on it.
Tamura Kei MIZUHASHI KENJI Ishida Yoichi TANABE KENICHIRO
Takei Hayato KANAI YUTA Kawabata Tetsuji HASHIMOTO ICHIRO
Okay. Please do so.
Homeless Man AGATA MORIO Kurata Akina UCHIDA CHIKA
Akai Hiroshige SAKATA MASANOBU Ogi Toshinori ABE SHOHEI
Coffeeshop Master NUKUMIZU YOICHI Takeuchi Kosuke MAENO TOMOYA Miyawaki Aki YOSHIZAWA RIE
MORI RYUJI KASAMATSU SHO FURUKAWA GAN KUBA YUTA
Subtitles by WABI-SABI SUBS JP-EN Translation / Editing / Timing: EARTHCOLORS Raw Provider: VAMPIREXxX
Ajima Fumiya (Photo) BENGAL Yuki's Mom (Recall) FUJITA YUMIKO
Yajima Tomoyuki FUJIMOTO LEO Ajima Yoshiko (Recall) MAYA KYOKO
Ogi Toshikatsu HIRAIZUMI SEI Nanbu Masaharu IWAMATSU RYO
There's no surveillance camera?
No custodian either...
He fell from somewhere here, right?
Hello.
Do you stay in this building?
Do you come here often?
I... hate this city, you know.
But watching Shinjuku change from here...
...it's just too hard to leave this place, I thought.
Did you know about the falling incident here?
Sorry to bother you.
On that night...
...the moon was giving off a bright amber yellow glow.
It was a beautiful full moon.
Did you come here that night!? Did you see this person?
Is that so.
But... I passed by someone who came down from here.
What did he look like?
Some common person.
December / Table of Money Transfers
Comic Suplex
November
Comic Suplex
October
Comic Suplex
Embezzlement?
Accounting department, good afternoon.
This is Daigo of Manga Brave.
Sorry to trouble you but can you show me the records of editing fees for the past years?
Um, is there any problem with Brave's accounting?
Not really. There's some doubtful money transfers...
...I was just wondering what that was about.
Was someone using the money?
Well, something like that.
Sorry but could you please get the president's permission?
The president?
If you'll excuse me.
Excuse me.
Daigo-san. What can I do for you?
I just want to ask something...
Is Watanuki-kun acquainted with you?
I heard he's the grandson of your benefactor.
Watanuki-san, right?
My grandfather was a landlord who owned several buildings around here.
His benefactor was an important person...
...who helped him out in various ways like raising funds when he went through financial trouble.
Yes, that's correct.
Is there a problem with Watanuki-kun?
This is hard to say but...
There were many strange stuff concerning how he used the company's funds.
Particularly, payments made to a dubious company called "Comic Suplex".
That's bad, isn't it?
I understand. I'll discuss it with him.
Of course. Well then, please have a word with him.
All right then. Thank you for your time.
From Miyawaki Aki: We'll likely be able to sell the house at last. It's via a local real estate agency but still I feel they're the most sincere. The price is 30 million, which is cheaper than we expected. What should we do?
To Miyawaki Aki: Whatever it is you want, it's fine with me. Thanks for taking care of it.
Thank you for waiting.
Express train track no. 1 going to Kawagoe will be arriving shortly.
Since it's dangerous beyond the yellow line...
Those times when rumors of a Dropper For Hire were spreading...
...it was when the country was at the end of high economic growth.
Why were there plenty of falling incidents during those times?
Oh, right. For example, the case of the married couple engaged in politics who fell to their deaths 20 years ago.
Even if it were an accident or suicide, it's just too unnatural.
But then...
There were eyewitness testimonies.
They said they saw a man running away, dragging a limp leg.
Oh... but you know, Yuki-chan, if ever there was such a person...
...and it was he who committed all those unresolved cases by himself...
...it's got to be a phantom.
The Dropper For Hire...
...is an urban legend, don't you think?
Which way is to Shinjuku?
It's on the other side.
Ah, I see. Thank you very much.
Mizuno-san, did you receive my message?
Yes. Thank you.... for the referral.
It was nothing.
If it's about a bookstore that deals with old manga for enthusiasts...
I thought it be good to try "Nostaldo" shop.
I'm heading there right away.
The shopkeeper there is very knowledgeable about early era manga and unedited manuscripts.
You may be able to get some clues from him.
Got it.
But... Mizuno-san...
Of course, he's not exactly the decent kind of guy.
What does that mean...
He's not willing to talk about things that are inconvenient for himself.
Then why did he agree to see me?
Well, you'll find out when you meet with him.
Shop's name is written as "No-Su-Taru-Do" with characters, "field, nest, droop, temple"
Nostaldo
Nostaldo Shopowner Miura Taichi
You're that detective?
I'm a researcher. Not a detective but a researcher.
I was told you're looking into a famous mangaka's sketches?
Yes, has something shown up at the book market lately?
Before, you see, back when this sort of antiquarian bookstore was popular...
...drawn manuscripts from the masters would be brought here sometimes.
What sort of person brings such works?
Mostly people who didn't return the works to the authors.
In other words, the culprit is...
...someone who used to work as a manga editor, or at a platemaking shop, or printing shop.
Basically, guys who commit misappropriation.
Why would one take away a manuscript?
Publishers often go bankrupt, right?
Maybe to serve as a substitute for a severance pay at that time?
Or they took it with them as a keepsake.
How about works from Ajima Fumiya-san?
If it's a big name such as that, I would have heard about it.
Wait... is it about that? Is the incident still going on?
No, it's not that. A new work has been discovered.
A work from the old days of rental manga, called Red Ninja.
I didn't hear anything about an Ajima manuscript cropping up.
Is that so...
But if it's brought to a black market second-hand bookstore...
...there's plenty of them.
Black market?
There are secondhand dealers that do illegal transactions.
Without revealing their identities, they buy and sell stuff on the internet.
Are they connected with underworld syndicates?
Probably not, I think.
Since there's a possibility of breaking the law (that's why they have to lie low).
Understood. Thank you for your time.
Ah, wait! Hang on. Just a bit.
Can I have your signature for a customer of mine?
My signature!?
You're famous in our industry right now.
As the lovely manga detective who solved a serial murder case.
It's "researcher".
I was meeting with Akai-san.
It's okay to be late.
I brought the sketches for the two chapters of his new manga.
Thanks for the hard work.
I don't want to serialize this.
Is that so.
Okay then.
Did Nanbu-san really approve that?
It was the editor-in-chief at the time, Horio-san who decided it.
He told me, I can do the next one with Akai-san.
Did you tell Nanbu-san about it?
He died... before I got to tell him.
We will pay for the manuscript fee for the two stories...
But I don't want Akai-san to continue with the next new series.
Well, I don't think that's a good idea.
You do know how troublesome Akai-san is, don't you?
Yeah.
In the past, Akai-san had a grudge against Eijinsha and wrote about it on the internet, right?
After that, Eijinsha suffered heavy damages.
That's why, I suggest we go ahead with his new series from a crisis management standpoint.
So what you're saying is...
Akai-san's going to attack us, if we end his serialization?
He'll say terrible things especially about you.
But we can't publish uninteresting works!
I can't entrust work to a person who can't take responsibility for it!
That's my basic rule.
I'm going to pay Akai-san a visit.
If he writes about his grudges on the internet, so be it.
As long as I'm editor-in-chief, his work will not be serialized.
Is that so.
Akai-san will also be hearing from me, lots of opinions about you.
You listen here, okay!
YOU were the one responsible for that terrible work you brought in!
If you want Akai-san to remain, you should have brought something that's much more interesting!
Excuse me~.
Is this where you usually work, Mizuno-san?
Yup. Looks like my supervisor and the rest are out today though.
Here.
Yep.
These are the phone numbers from Nanbu-san's notebook.
I've divided up the work between us, and we'll each call these numbers up.
Woah woah, this many?
I think most of these are related to publishing...
But maybe we could find some clue to Nanbu-san's death.
Got it.
But isn't this exciting? Doing something like this.
I get to solve something while cooperating with you guys.
It's like Luffy and his friends aiming for the Great Treasure of Hitotsunagi.
I wonder if you're the Nico Robin type.
Luffy? Nico Robin?
You're kidding, right?
It's One Piece!
It's a world famous manga.
Yes, yes. Of course I know that. It's a recent manga, right?
Even if you say it's recent, it's been running since 1997 though, hasn't it?
No way. Twenty years ago!?
I was around 5 years old then.
That long, huh. I haven't read it yet though.
What?
Wait... Eh! How could that be!
You're a detective specializing in publishing, aren't you?
It's "researcher".
Hello. I'm Ito of Soukisha.
I would like to ask if you personally know Nanbu Masaharu-san?
Yes, of course, I was his junior colleague when I was in Houosha.
Did you know Nanbu-san had passed away?
Is that so?
Yes.
I think it was around summer...
Yes?
He called me one time...
...and asked if I could make a manga magazine with him but I declined.
Not to mention, he had a condescending attitude even from before...
Plus I felt he had changed when he boasted stuff like he'll be making a great magazine.
He had changed...
I'll be direct, okay? I found him detestable.
He used people remorselessly.
When I heard that he died...
...I thought someone might have pushed him off.
We joined the company the same year...
Even if he was one of my contemporaries, he sure was one awful person.
He didn't protect his subordinates, and would betray you without hesitation.
Yeah, I knew him. He bullied me a long time ago.
Oh well, I hadn't seen him in decades.
There were many reasons why I didn't want to see him.
There's no way I could smile and chat with a guy who completely talked derisively at me.
Is that so…
I don't want to talk about him since I have nothing but bad memories.
When I went drinking with him at Shinjuku, he often talked about unpleasant things.
There was no getting around his insulting glib.
He was especially critical of Eijinsha, where I used to work.
Also, he asked for the phone number of a junior colleague of mine.
Was it... Daigo Shinji-san?
Yes, that's right. It was Daigo.
Weirdo calling up a weirdo... right?
Nanbu-san made everyone unhappy.
Somehow, it's shocking...
Nanbu-san had the worst ever evaluation I ever heard.
I didn't hear any favorable opinion either.
The ones we couldn't get a hold of were...
...these two, huh.
This "Shono"-san... I left a message on his answering machine.
SHONO TAKAYUKI
Shono-san? Isn't he...
In the end, his junior colleague, Shono-san became its president...
Yes, he's the president of Kiwi-sha, the editing production company that was created by Houosha.
I called this "Artisan" which was a cake shop.
Artisan
Today's a holiday so I'll call them up again some other time.
Please.
Idiot! You damn fool!
Are you messin with me, you dipshit! Huh?
The one who told me I can do the new character as a banker was you, wasn't it!?
I'm sorry.
The new editor wanted it stopped.
"Stopped", my ass! You idiot!
Mangaka Akai Hiroshige
The previous guy was an asshole. This new guy ain't no different either!
Screw this shit!
Draw it again!?
Yes...
If I do that now, I won't finish on time.
Just please do something somehow...
I don't know what to do, since the new editor-in-chief...
...said, it's not so realistic, and he doesn't understand some things...
Things like what?
The hero was being beaten to a pulp but...
...the other one is watching from the window, saying "endure it" and "hang in there"...
Mangaka Kurata Akina
Well...
He said the scene is too unrealistic...
Also, when it comes to reading the first page...
...he doesn't know at all what happened to the hero the last time.
He said there should be flashback frames in the beginning to show the story progression from the previous chapter...
...and to put several cuts...
I guess it IS hassle, isn't it?
The editor-in-chief told me to tell you so...
Are you going to redraw?
Excuse us.
Hello. I'm editor-in-chief, Daigo.
Hello, pleased to meet you. I'm Wakamatsu.
Mangaka Wakamatsu Hiroshi
The truth is I wanted to see you.
Same here. I'm honored meet you.
Please have a seat.
Wakamatsu-san is planning in advance for the future development of Pashiri Police.
Since I've been writing the series for so long, right?
I want it to get out of the rut.
Please let me hear your thoughts.
From here on, the hero makes a big mistake, and will be reassigned at a police booth. What do you think?
Police booth... Hmm...
It's not bad.
It's not so bad but.. it feels a bit unsatisfactory.
For that to make a hit manga break out of a rut...
...is indeed too safe.
Try to come up with an even bigger change.
Like what?
How about this...
When I was proofreading the other day...
I saw this scene where the hero was drinking at a snack bar...
This customer next to him...
Who is this person?
It's some regular customer at the snack bar, isn't it?
This is the first time the hero came to this snack bar, right?
Yes.
Can he come back here again sometime in the future?
Well, I haven't thought that far yet but I'm fine with the idea.
Since I like the hero in this setting of the snack bar with the mama.
We also discussed about a possible love development between the two.
Then, this regular customer will be there too, right?
Since he's a regular at the shop, I don't see anything wrong with that.
He looks similar, doesn't he? To that person.
What person?
He came out in the first volume of Pashiri Police...
Superintendent General of the police force.
I do remember the Superintendent appearing in the first volume but...
Did he look like this?
I am not mistaken.
Okay.
It was this one.
Oh man, you're right!
They look exactly the same.
The characters are molded by the same author.
The mangaka doesn't realize it but they're always drawing characters with similar faces.
If you're drawing the same work, not to mention, more than 55 volumes...
...you won't be able to remember the faces of all your characters.
It's not unusual to draw similar faces.
Ah but...
This regular customer...
How about making him a real superintendent general as a punch line?
And have Pashiri Police become best of friends with the topmost brass of the police force?
That sounds interesting! Making the hero and the Supt. General become friends...
Isn't a good chance for him to go up the ladder?
Well, I'm really impressed!
In the expansion so far, I'll be able to change the story entirely if I use this episode!
Thanks, man!
Hey~.
Oh, Wakamatsu-san! Welcome!
Hello, and welcome.
Beer please.
Sure thing!
And curry rice too.
Me too. The curry here is delicious.
This fragrant aroma... you didn't use flour... and you sautéed the spices diligently...
Did you apprentice at "Kyoueido" at Jinbocho?
No, I didn't apprentice there...
But I rea~lly loved their Sumatran curry...
So I self-studied the taste of that shop until I perfected it.
I knew it, then, I wasn't mistaken. Give me some of it, too.
You always nail it right! You're really something, Daigo-san.
No... not really.
It's the one, alright.
Wakamatsu-san, have you met with Nanbu-san?
Although I debuted as the Rookie of the Year Awardee at Houosha, I never met with Nanbu-san.
I see.
However...
The day after he became chief editor of Brave...
...he paid me a visit, and out of the blue, told me to end Pashiri Police.
I'm going to cut through the chase...
I want you to end Pashiri Police soon.
What!?
Nanbu-san, that's...
Even if he was impolite, that was a bit too much, wasn't it?
After all, I do have pride for carrying Brave on my shoulders for a long time.
That's why I was unintentionally belligerent.
Yeah, but his words would really get you down.
There was no escaping them.
Me too, I thought of quitting being a mangaka.
Did Nanbu-san say anything else?
Anything else?
That reminds me, he did say something strange...
Can you... draw one shot manga*?
*Complete story published in one issue
How many pages would you want if you draw it?
One shot huh...
What was your answer?
I told him, "No, I don't like such stories."
When I said, "It's a lot of work without much reward", he said,"I see." And that was the end of it.
I wonder why...
Why was Nanbu-san that particular about one-shot manga...
I also tried but failed to grasp what Nanbu-san was planning at all.
Regarding that falling incident...
...something really interesting has come out.
Something interesting?
Yes.
They did declare it an accident awfully fast...
But strangely enough, neither administrative autopsy nor legally-ordered autopsy was performed.
But why? With such a case, won't you need an autopsy to investigate the cause of death?
Oh, well...
...the date was a bad time as well.
The date...?
It was the day of the mass murder of the Tachikawa family.
Correct. Astute as always, Yuki-chan.
Don't tell me... they didn't get around to perform autopsy on Nanbu-san's body since their hands were full?
It's highly possible.
Thank you very much.
It seems it has become a bit more worthwhile matter to investigate.
By the way, is your sister in Sendai doing well?
Yes... well.
My sister and I were originally close.
My father who was a non-career management officer in the First Division of the Criminal Investigation Unit...
...was suspicious of collusion between police and crime syndicates...
...and before he realized it, he himself was suspected as a symbol of police corruption.
Being caught in a maelstrom of turmoil and overwhelmed with anxiety...
...my father, halfway on his commute home, missed his footing on the platform of the main station, fell and died.
The media said it could be suicide, and the police did not deny that suspicion.
Disappointed with the police, I came to Tokyo to get a fresh start in life.
Since then, my relationship with my sister began to crumble.
You did as you pleased, and left our sick mom behind, didn't you?
That's not true.
What do you mean it's not true?
You left Sendai because you don't want to take care of Mom, didn't you?
Please, sis, hear me out.
I really didn't notice Mom was sick until I came out here.
In the end, I left the caring of my mother who became sick with dementia to my sister.
Eventually, our mother...
...also passed away.
Lately, my relationship with my sister has become cordial...
But after I talked about selling our family home...
...our relationship became weird again.
For me, I thought that my sister who took care of my mother, should inherit everything.
But my sister was like...
..."Then you're making it seem I took care of her so I could get her assets?"... she said.
It seems a complicated matter, isn't it.
I think all of that... was caused by my father's death.
Right after our mother died, I expressed to my sister...
Please listen to me, sis...
...what had been bothering me all this time.
I want to find out why Dad died!
Yuki...
At this late stage, what good will it do?
Can you please stop it?
Do you really want to end it like this?
It's possible that that Dad was killed!
Will investigating it make us happy?
We'll only get hurt all over again!
I want to forget already!!
Even now, I have doubts as to the way my father died.
I want to know the truth.
I understand your feelings.
Even I, a former police...
...would like to know the truth.
But you know, in my long experience...
...I have seen how my friends got stuck in the mire of unresolved cases...
...and each of them were unable to move on.
I don't want to see you become like them.
I also think your dad...
...would feel the same way.
Yep, this is Ito.
Where're you now?
I'm at the entrance of the shopping street.
I think I'm almost near your apartment to deliver the item.
Proceed 20 meters forward from there, then walk five steps to the left.
Just do it.
Okay...
...16, 17, 18, 19, 20.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
I have arrived but...
*Boxed meal of Chinese dumplings and wall-eye pollack
Shumai-Mentai Bento*...
And MacaSala please.
Pardon?
There's a bento shop in front of you, right?
Buy it there for me, will you?
Me? By the way, what's "MacaSala"?
You've got to be kidding.
"MacaSala" obviously means "macaroni salad".
You can buy for yourself too. Later.
It's good.
Why is a temp eating bento that's more luxurious than mine?
Because this was the healthiest.
A true millennial in words and deeds, huh.
You live by yourself in this big place? Must be nice!
My wife left me, you know.
I bought this condo that following year.
For reals? So Boss, you went through a rough patch, huh?
Not really. We didn't have children.
Also our divorce was settled in a relatively short time.
It was an amicable parting.
From Miyawaki Aki: Before we sell the house, please come to Sendai so we can decide what to do with the household items and relics.
Thanks for the treat!
It was delicious.
I'm so full! Ah, I ate too much.
Huh?
These are Nanbu-san's notes, right?
May I take a look?
Sure.
Cool~.
The era is mizuiro, a manga magazine for mizuiro readers
An inspiring magazine that will soothe the readers.
"The era is mizuiro, a manga magazine for mizuiro readers."
"An inspiring magazine that will soothe the readers."
"At the same time, it will include a message that Japanese civilization will not likely discard."
Still, what does mizuiro mean?
No idea...
*Foreigners who visited Japan in the Edo period
"Both Hepburn and Schliemann* are surprised with the modern day Edo!"
"Canals and sewage system are complete! The towns are clean, the people are pure, and cannot be bribed."
"Japan is amazing!"
"...works like that that tell readers the merits of Japan..."
"Let's regain the confidence we have lost!"
It's a generally bold and passionate plan, something that's expected from Nanbu-san.
I don't understand any of these at all though.
"Two stories about salarymen"...
"Looking at the surveys, our readers are mainly office workers."
"Maybe working in small companies."
"They could be the type who do not fight to succeed in life?"
It seems Nanbu-san was planning some comedy manga and jinjibu manga with salarymen as main characters.
*"Personnel department"; it could also mean "other people's problems", that's why he's asking
"Jinjibu*"?
Topics about salarymen and their interests...
...since most of the readers are company personnel.
I see.
"I want more works like kuroie..."
"...Gekiga... Shiratsuji Sanpei..."
More "Kuroie" works...
Gekiga Shirato Sanpei Kojima Goseki
WHAT!?
What.
You don't know him?
You're kidding, right? It's SHIRATO Sanpei.
And by kuroie, it means works that use more solid black tones compared to the usual ones.
Sorry.
"Gekiga... Shirato Sanpei..."
Shirato Sanpei Kojima Goseki
"Kojima Goyu..."
GOSEKI!
Goseki.
Goseki drew "Lone Wolf and Cub"!
I will study it!
"Unresolved cases from the Showa era, mystery cases shown in documentary style..."
"Fiction that's seen as non-fiction".
What's this?
"I found the phantom mangaka!"
I found the phantom mangaka!!
"That ending realization, my mental state right now."
What's this about?
I don't know.
"Manga for adult readers, that would stir a revolution..."
Manga for adult readers, that would stir a revolution
Manga Kakumei, Comic Sora, Manga Revolution
Manga Blue Sky Blue
"Manga Kakumei (revolution)... Comic Sora (sky), Manga Revolution"...
"Manga Blue Sky Blue"?
He's probably using spirit and color as an allegory for Brave's determination.
I understood some of what he'd written.
The most important thing is "I found the phantom mangaka!"
And it seems related to words like "gekija works", "Shirato Sanpei" and Kojima Goseki".
It sounds like he found some incredible mangaka, right?
Probably.
Plus I'm curious about the phrases, "unresolved cases of the Showa era" and "mystery cases".
Ito-kun.
Yes.
Can you research on unresolved cases from the Showa era tomorrow?
Yes, sir.
How are they all connected, right?
Amazing...
Yes, Mizuno speaking.
It's Miura.
Who?
Remember... from "Nostaldo"?
Thank you for your help the other day.
Actually, there's something I want to pass to you at that time.
What do you mean?
I can't say it over the phone. I'll explain it when we meet again.
Alright. Then, I'll be at your shop tomorrow.
Yes.
Okay.
Hot!
SOUKISHA
Unresolved Cases of the Showa Era
Yes, this is Ito.
Sorry but...
...could you look into Ajima Fumiya?
Yes.
I want to check if any works of Ajima-san were published in Brave just to be sure.
There should be a list of past published works somewhere there.
Got it. I will look for--...
He already hung up.
List... list... list...
Soukisha's 50 Years of Company History Anniversary Edition
Could it be this one?
List of Manga "Brave" Serialized Title / Authors
Found it! Getz.
Let's see, Ajima Fumiya... Ajima Fumiya...
Ajima Fumi-...
"Hajima Hiroyuki"... that's not it...
Ajima...
I guess he's not in here.
Soukisha's 50 Years of Company History Anniversary Edition
"50th anniversary", huh.
Foreword
It's the president.
Ogi Kohei's History
This is the president's father, huh...
Ogi Kohei, First President of Soukisha: Joined Kanto All-sha in 1945, where he learned the basics of management and went independent by establishing Soukisha in 1960.
1960 [Showa 35]: Went independent from Kanto All-sha.
"Kanto All-sha"?
What is that?
Drawings for Ajima-sensei's manuscript.
It's something that was published as a rental manga for Kanto All-sha.
These are drawings for a rental manga?
Coo~l. This is the first time I've seen one.
Kanto All-sha
What does this mean?
Huh?
Where did I see this face before...
It's Watanuki-san!
Manga BRAVE
GOKUMEN
Here...
Takei.
Yeah?
Did Kurata-san get angry?
Well, I was scared since there were lots of stuff to be fixed...
But surprisingly, she did it readily.
As expected, Akai-sensei was pissed off as hell.
It's interesting.
It's gotten remarkably more interesting than before.
Even though the serialized manga haven't changed...
Isn't this Watanuki!
It's Watanuki-san's grandfather. The caption says...
"His benefactor, President Watanuki of Kanto All-sha was present at the company's 10th anniversary party."
Our first president...
...was from Kanto all-Sha who had gone independent?
It seems like it.
Then the first president of Soukisha...
...might have taken with him Ajima Fumiya's manuscript from Kanto All-sha...
...and kept it in the manuscript archives' storage room?
Well, I don't know.
This brings up another angle.
Eh? What is it?
Watanuki was the grandson of Kanto All-sha's president.
It doesn't necessarily mean our first president was the one who took away the manuscript.
It's possible that grandson Watanuki was the one who embezzled it.
I see! It IS possible.
Daigo-san, hello.
Oh, it's Horio-san.
I heard you were here. Sorry to disturb you.
Um, this is about the new ads that I will put in the next issue of Brave.
Got it. I will go over these right away.
Okay.
But...
The results of the new Brave issue have been really great. I knew you could do it.
You really think so?
Yes.
But I only read the manuscripts that everyone put together.
Please don't be so humble.
No, it's the truth.
The favorable results of that issue were made possible by the power of the staff.
NOSTALDO
Excuse me.
Mizuno-san, over here.
Over here... Hush, okay?
Don't tell anyone where you got this information.
Okay...
I was thankful for your signature the other day...
So I looked it up for you... a list of shops dealing with stolen manga.
What?
People who do not just buy them but also sells them.
It's black market transaction so it's illegal.
Don't ask where I got the information.
Even if you get into danger, I won't take responsibility.
I understand. Thank you.
Then... good luck.
Hello, Mizuno speaking.
Mizuno-san, we need to meet.
Yes, that's what I was planning to do as well.
I see...
I understand that the connection between the Red Ninja manuscript and Soukisha...
...is linked with Kanto All-sha and that Watanuki-san.
It seems we're getting closer and closer to the truth.
How about you? What did you find out.
I got info on the black market shops that illegally trade manga related manuscripts.
Here's the list.
Comic Suplex
This is...
...Comic Suplex, isn't it!
Do you know it?
There's only one person in the editorial staff who's connected with it.
The one I was talking about earlier, the guy named Watanuki.
Is there anything suspicious about that person?
Not just suspicious!
It's possible he was involved in Nanbu-san's death.
What do you mean?
*Stories of a group of assassins hired for revenge
He's in charge of a "Hissatsu* Series" type of manga.
In here, there's a method of murder that's similar to Nanbu-san's death.
This one.
They invited a man to a building. And threw him over, making it look like an accident.
No way...
Of course...
Implementing the same killing technique in the manga you're in charge of...
...is more manga-like than manga itself.
But this is too much of a coincidence.
Also, I'm certain Nanbu-san was concerned about this Comic Suplex...
If he was killed...
...that would make Watanuki the sole suspect.
So if you have a manuscript to sell, you call or message these numbers, right?
I think so.
Alright then...
Shall we do a sting operation?
Sting?
Call the number up and say this...
"There is an unedited manuscript from a mangaka I want to sell."
"I can't tell you over the phone but it's from a very famous mangaka."
"Call me if you want to know the selling price."
Understood. I'll try it now.
Wait a minute!
The other end might know your name...
...let's make up a name as a precaution.
Master, what did you say your name was?
Me?
Ryunosuke. Why you ask?
No, no. Your surname.
Ijuin. Why you ask?
"Ijuin"!? "Ryunosuke"!?
*Because it sounds like the name of some cool heroic samurai from the past
That name* is too good for your character!!
But it's my real name, my character doesn't have anything to do with it!
Excuse me!
Please be quiet.
Connecting you to voice mail.
My name is Ijuin.
I have an unedited manuscript from a certain famous mangaka so if you'd like to buy it, you can call me through this number.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
All right.
All we have to do now is wait for the prey to take the bait.
One Voice Message
Original Work: NAGASAKI TAKASHI "Henshucho No Joken -Daigo Shinji no Hakuran Suiri File-" (Shinchosha Corp.)
Screenplay: ASO KUMIKO
Music: GRAND FUNK
Photography: YAMADA YASUDA
Lighting: WATABE YOSHIMI
Images: KANEKO AKIRA
Editing: YANAGISAWA TATSUYA
Online Editing: HIDETO MIKI
MA: HACHIYA HIROSHI
VFX: KAMADA KOSUKE
Music Producer: MOGI EIKYO
Art: YUZHU YUKIHISA
Decoration: TAKI RIKA
Organization: TOKUDA KATSUHISA
Publicity: KAKO HIROYUKI
Why was he fixated that much about that drawing?
In-Charge of Manga: MORI HIDEKI (Keizo Menjo) TANAKA KEIICHI (Ajima Fumiya)
I don't know what kind of a person is Nanbu-san at all.
Manga Cooperation: HIRAMATSU SHINJI (Pashiri Police) TSUCHIYAMA SHIGERU (Gokumen) NIHON BUNGEISHA, LTD. ("Weekly Manga Black" Editorial Dept)
Co-Production: TOHO CO.
People who are not geniuses have it much easier.
Subtitles by WABI-SABI SUBS
Editing funds have been embezzled. They deceived me.
JP-EN Translation / Editing / Timing: EARTHCOLORS
Raw Provider: VAMPIREXxX
I take responsibility for everything.
Producer: KAWADA NAOHIRO
Don't sell the works to anyone.
Actually, the hero in this manga is involved...
Produce: HATORI KENICHI
Produce: KITA REIKO
...in the "Shimoyama Incident".
I'm from Comic Suplex.
Director: MIKI TAKAHIRO
This always happens during critical moments!
A 2018 Production of: WOWOW
This is a work of fiction; people and organizations that appeared here have no connection with reality.