It was late at night, and Aika was too hot to sleep.
She was about to get up and drink a glass of water, but was surprised to find that the light in the next room was still on.
"Why is this child still awake?" Aika asked, curious, and peered through the crack in the door.
Takumi was sitting at his desk, rapidly moving his pen across the paper.
Aika's eyes widened. 'Was he really studying?' She looked at the floor; textbooks and notes were scattered everywhere. She had never seen Takumi study with such intensity; 'he had truly changed.'
Aika smiled as she stealthily walked into the living room.
"Give him an extra egg for breakfast tomorrow."
In the room, what Takumi was enthusiastically writing was not review questions, but manga.
He flipped through history books and several newspapers in the room, and concluded that classic manga like "Dragon Ball" and "Naruto" did not exist in this world, nor did classic online novels like "Celestial Battle" and "The King's Avatar."
Novels and manga became Takumi's first choice for making money, and the first choice, of course, was novels that required less effort. However, the novel industry in this world was highly developed. The rise of online novels occurred ten years earlier than in his previous life. The entire market was a red ocean of fierce competition.
In contrast, the original manga market was a blue ocean.
Original manga appeared after novels. Due to the development of the novel market, the manga industry gradually emerged to expand the benefits of copyright. Manga characters are vivid, easy to understand, and suitable for all ages. The entire industry is like a snowball that grows bigger and bigger, and now it has spread all over the world.
However, in its early stages, it was limited by two decisive factors. One was the lack of professional training in manga and the scarcity of talent. In addition, everyone was hired by large companies to adapt popular novels, and the production of original manga was very scarce. The second was that there were problems with the marketing model and the attention received by manga magazines was ignored.
The current manga market is dominated by adapted novels. The biggest limitation is that readers know the plot, and manga companies do not dare to modify the original works at will. Readers who know the plot will not follow it every week. They are more willing to buy individual volumes.
This has created a strange phenomenon: sales of manga magazines and newspapers are abysmal, while individual volumes are extremely popular. This phenomenon is very beneficial to Takumi, as it means that as long as he can publish excellent content in the form of manga, he will stand out.
Novels and manga are closely related. Many people can write novels, but few can draw manga. Takumi has dedicated most of his life to these things. His writing and drawing skills are extraordinary, and he should have a promising future.
He can start with original manga and gradually move into other industries.
"Alright, the foundation is still there!" Takumi put down his pen and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the dozens of manga on the table. The time travel had not returned his skills to their original point. Whether it was calligraphy, style, or drawing, they were not very different from those in his previous life. With practice, he could recover.
As long as he had strength, Takumi feared nothing.
"But it's really strange..." He picked up the manga, frowned, and read: "It's too fluid. After all, drawing manga always requires rethinking the storyboard. Why don't I even have to think about the storyboard?"
The so-called storyboard is a manga term. The layout of manga must be designed on paper, and then the manuscript can be drawn according to it. This process is like sketching and structuring. Takumi is surprised that he can draw the manuscript without storyboards, as if he had known it for a long time.
"Forget it, don't think about it."
Takumi stretched, picked up the history book next to him, and read it as if it were a novel. However, shortly after, a strange sensation took over his mind: he seemed to know the content of the next page, and which line and word the key point began with.
"Impossible..."
Takumi had casually flipped through it before, 'how could he remember it so clearly?' He immediately turned to the next page, and the content displayed was exactly what he had in mind!
An absurd idea came to his mind.
Takumi took out the Japanese textbook and quickly reviewed more than a dozen pages, then closed it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to remember. Slowly, the entire Japanese textbook opened like a 3D image, and the directory, text, notes, and even the crumpled page numbers were clear.
"Never forget everything I see!" He jumped excitedly: "No, it's impossible... But my memory of my previous life is also very clear. The twelfth sentence of the first chapter of Journey to the West seems to be Shao Kangjie's words: 'In the midst of the winter solstice, the center of heaven remains immutable. When the yang begins to move, everything has not yet been born.'"
"Damn it, I'm shocked!"
Takumi indeed has a photographic memory. Not only in this life, but also things from his previous life are clear. 'Did time travel open his brain?' As long as he has this ability, he can perfectly reproduce the manga from his previous life. 'Why worry about not making money?'
But this way, he doesn't have to go to school and waste time.
"No, since I can remember everything I see, why don't I go to school?". If he can find a school with an easy academic level, Takumi's diploma is like a gift.
Strength is key. Students with strength are popular wherever they go. Takumi looked at the high school textbooks on the table and thought that taking the entrance exam would not be a problem. He could prepare manga while reviewing, which would also make Aika feel at ease.
After a busy night, Takumi asked Aika not to go to school after dawn.
"Anyway, classes are over, and I can't concentrate on reviewing if I go. It's better to stay home," he explained.
Aika wanted to refuse, but hesitated, remembering how hard Takumi had worked the night before. There was no computer at home and no money for the child to play, so she agreed: "Okay, I'll call your teacher."
She asked for permission for Takumi. Ishida-sensei was angry about yesterday. Upon hearing the request, he replied, "If you don't come, forget it," and hung up the phone.
"What did you do at school?" Aika asked, full of doubts. Takumi blinked innocently: "I didn't do anything. I was in a hurry to pick you up."
Aika was stunned and a little annoyed.
"Really, this sensei... what kind of attitude does he have? If the child doesn't do well, just teach him well, why does he keep complaining after a day?"
She was very happy that Takumi came to pick her up yesterday.
"Then I'm going to work. You stay home and study hard. There are leftovers in the fridge for you to eat at noon."
"Okay!" Takumi saw Aika off with a smile and slept until noon. After eating, he started reviewing.
At 10:30 at night, Aika didn't rush home, but knocked on her neighbor's door.
"Takumi? I don't think he's been out today." The neighbor's reply relieved Aika. 'The boy had indeed stayed home studying.'
When she opened the door, Aika was stunned. She saw that the living room lights were on and a large bowl of hot egg fried rice was on the table.
"Mom, welcome! That's the rice I just heated up. Eat it while it's hot."
Takumi's voice came from the room. Aika's eyes reddened. This was the first time Takumi had prepared food for her.
"Child, didn't I tell you the factory prepared dinner?" Aika asked, wiping the corners of her eyes and devouring the egg fried rice with joy.
She put away the dishes and chopsticks, showered, and knocked on Takumi's door before going to bed.
"Takumi, don't watch TV too late or you'll hurt yourself."
"I know."
After getting the reply, Aika went to sleep peacefully.
Time passed in the simple interaction between mother and son. Takumi spent two weeks memorizing all elementary and middle school textbooks. He no longer needed to review. There were still more than ten days left before the high school entrance exam, and Takumi rushed to prepare manga.
The choice of the first manga was crucial. Takumi did not directly adapt the novel from his previous life into manga. He didn't dare to take risks and prioritized works that were originally manga.
"Dragon Ball" was the first candidate. This is a classic manga that has been serialized for over ten years. However, its initial success wasn't particularly popular until the author added the theme of "power seeking" to the story.
Then came "Bleach", "Naruto", and "One Piece", three popular manga, but Takumi was still undecided. The reason is that the style and worldview of these three manga are relatively special. He wanted a more realistic and youthful manga to start with.
After two days of deliberation, Takumi fell in love with "Detective Conan". This is a typical manga that appeals to both boys and girls. It is realistic and full of suspense. It has a very good beginning and its performance is not inferior to other manga.
Takumi began drawing "Detective Conan" with concentration. After a few days of practice, his drawing skills returned to their previous best level.
Drawing manga is a complex task. Although Takumi significantly reduced drawing time without storyboards, it took him four days to complete the first chapter, which consisted of more than 20 pages. An astonishing speed!
"Alright, just the last one left!"
Takumi stretched and prepared to draw the last image. This image only had one chance and should be very easy to draw.
However, just as the brush touched the paper, a bright light suddenly shone. A wonderful image appeared in Takumi's mind: a crescent moon hanging in the sky and a child sitting on the grass. He seemed to have just woken up from a coma and was dressed in disarray. A gust of wind ruffled his bangs, revealing his large, bewildered eyes.
"Huh?"
Takumi suddenly woke up and stopped drawing with the brush. His pupils constricted, and he was surprised to discover that he had completed the last image: the same scene that had just passed through his mind was drawn on the paper, preventing people from looking away.
This is not a common cartoon. The seemingly simple image reveals a touch of elegance. The entire painting, in fact, shows a sense of superposition, as if it were ink and wash, like a Japanese painting full of life. Takumi perceives a strong oriental charm.
"Incredible..."
He put down the trembling pen; his wrist ached a little, which showed that the painting was, indeed, his work.
The desk clock marked the time.
Takumi turned his head to look at it; it had turned halfway. Time was thirty minutes faster than before the image appeared in his mind, but it only left him with an instant of illusion. Takumi realized that he had just entered a state of fascination and couldn't tell the time, and in that state, he easily drew the scene in his mind.
Thinking about photographic memory, Takumi intuited that it could also be a skill acquired through time travel.
"A flash of inspiration, let's call it a flash of inspiration!"
Temporarily, he gave his new ability an easy-to-understand name: manga drawn with this ability don't look like manga, and the quality far exceeds the original. If he could fully utilize it, wouldn't he be invincible in the world?