Synopsis

Mashiro and Takagi met with Hattori, who informed them that while the manga artists had admired their work, the editors who would ultimately judge it considered it unlikely to be published. Eager for a quicker path forward, Mashiro mused about submitting a work for serialization, but Hattori expressed skepticism. The editor in chief conceded that serialization demanded exceptional quality, a standard Mashiro and Takagi hadn't yet reached; they lacked the compelling protagonist necessary for such