Throughout Japan, thousands of cartoonists are full of fighting spirit to participate in this competition

For the Awards, some famous Mangaka artists will not participate. After all, some of them have a daily upload or weekly upload schedule, how could these artists join and participate? They would simply be burnout by the time the event ends. How can there be time to participate in the competition? It wouldn't be feasible.

However, for someone like Kameda who has finished a series, the Award is indeed a good opportunity for him to gain more clout.

In a flat cheap Apaato building in Sapporo, Japan, Alex Kenichi is still studying and improving the art style of "Kyoto Ghoul" in his studio while making strides to improve it on the fly as time wasn't in his favor right now. In the past two days, His research has not progressed to the evolution and hybrid state that he wanted to achieve, but Alex is not in a hurry. After all, it is useless to be anxious. If you are anxious, then there's no way for you to keep improving.

Besides, right now? his whole family is working on helping him as well, it wasn't too bad, Some family bonding moments in your average Isekai life, what's not to love?

"Hey mom, can you ink this part as well? Yukari, since you like Gen so much, why don't you do his parts, are you okay with all the bloody parts? if you aren't comfortable with it I could-"

Yukari simply snatch the pages from her brother's hands and simply hugged those pages

"What are you saying Oni-chan! of course, I'll do it!I"m good at arts too you know! Ah- Moooommm! can you teach me how to ink this?"

Her mother could only pat her younger daughter's head and smile broadly

"Mom will teach you, don't worry! Your mother is really good you know? Yukari wants to help out her favorite Oni-chan as well?"

Yukari unabashfully just nodded gleefully-

"Of course! Yukari wants to help out Onichan especially when he's in trouble!"

"my daughter is so cute! That's right! your Onichan didn't plan ahead and that's why he's in a pickle right now, always rushing into things"

Alex could only take the blame as his expression and smile turned wry from all that teasing, Her mother gave him an earful after what he did when he explained it to him After Aya visited that day, this time it was really his fault, he didn't think this through when he wanted to join the competition, He simply wanted to get serialized as soon as possible, what better way than to get some credibility by winning the famous Competiton held by JAMP every two years? It's a chance he couldn't let by-

 

Without warning, the system's voice came to mind, startling Alex, and the pen in his hand could not but shake and tear through a hole into his paper,

"...Mother..fuk... Another piece of manuscript paper was destroyed...Damn this system."

 

I Gotta say! The reward for this mission is very generous!"

But this mission, makes Alex s forehead wrinkle with worry, Originally, before the competition, Alex was quite confident, but now, He hasn't made single progress in perfecting the fusion that he wanted in his brushstrokes and technique, and he has changed a lot of the original methods to make it aesthetically more pleasing than before, he couldn't go back to his the original creator style anymore.

His art style has evolved too much for him to go back to what it was before, he just needs to fine-tune the balance between soft art and edgy filtering. If he's going to re emulate the original Kyoto Ghoul art style, he will need at least two more weeks to re-learn what he unlearn. By that time the Event will be over and he couldn't enter it anymore.

"Damn it...what now? this is such a hassle...The mission status turned to mandatory?"

Alex could only take a break for a while as he sat down in his chair was in a daze with the pen in his hand still gripping it tightly, that feeling, it's almost there, but he can't quite capture it yet. Something is missing, but he knew it was quite close,  Even if he completely improved the style of painting, plus the time to complete the production, it would still take at least three days, which means that readers can only vote for themselves in the last two days...

　　It's not that Alex hasn't gone away and didn't pay any attention to the works of his competitors, but currently, the number of votes for Kameda was over 230,000 by the second day, almost double the voting count of "Bungoku Stray Cats" by 112 000 votes. The number of votes for third place is 100,000.

Can he really catch up?

　He thought about it for a while...But he believed in himself, he thinks he can do it, He just needs a little bit of time, that is time he certainly doesn't have. All he can do is keep sharpening his technique and keep refining it, once he gets the balance right, he will start drawing the main scenes of the story. the storyboarding of the panel's composition, it's all in his mind. All he needed was to implement it. If he could do this, His technique would have improved in leaps and bounds. The skeletal slice of life panels is all done with his family helping him out. He could do it.

Before he could proceed, he receive a knock on the door, Aya Gozen was here again with a bag full of braised duck, She was here for lunch. Alex thought to himself

"The people in this world really like duck huh?"

　　.....

In the studio alone with Aya, His mother and sister closely listening in from the outside, secretly.

"Mr. Alex, in 5 more days, the voting session will have ended! Don't you have anything to upload for me?"

Alex didn't say much and directly handed the scrapped drawings to her for her to look at it. After taking some of the scrapped sketched books, she looked over the art on the sketch, It was Alex's artwork, but somehow it is different.

Just a glance of it makes her heart palpitate!

"What the hell is this!"

she thought to herself, Isn't this the style of a shoujo Manga? What's with this edgy and aggressive line art for? Why is there a fight in the next scene, what's with its aggressive linework?! the style simply changed! But it looks like the two are flirting! huh? Another one of the panels shows a different view, Looks like the everyday slice of life manga style? The scene should be very warm, But why do they seem to have a deep hatred for each other? what is this stark contrast in tone and art?!

Since it is only a draft, there were many questions she wanted to ask. There are no characters' lines, only some fragmentary scenes, so Aya didn't see the core of the story, but let's put the story aside! These can only be all called nonsense! just a bunch of concept art! Even if it really is good concept art, some of the panels are done and left to the side, these had a softer and normal-looking one, these seem to be done but it is incomplete, These are the panels and linework done by his mother and sister.

"What is Alex trying to achieve here?"

Alex could only bow in apology according to Japanese etiquette to his superior,

"I'm sorry, I wanted to improve the style of painting, but I didn't expect it to become messier and messier."

Alex scratched his head and said it truthfully, but his tone was still so relaxed. he was telling the truth. He wanted to improve and evolve his style to another level. This is what he can come up with so far, the balance is right but some aspects of the artwork still needed finer tuning.

Putting down the sketch work, Aya could only take a deep breath and calmed down for a moment, she simply look down at Alex bowing towards her, with the same cold gaze and icy temperance she said,

"You don't need to bow to me, I'm just the person in charge of your competition. I'm not the editor in charge, and I can't say anything. However, Mr. Alex, as an editor of JAMP magazine, I want to tell you the truth. These sketches will not qualify for this competition, You need something far more complete!"

She threw one of the sketches she could grab nearby into the trash bin.

"Alex-sensei! It's...garbage! This is no time for experimentation in your art! we need a working title!"

Aya tried to say it seriously! really! she really wanted to say it seriously but somehow it ended out that way! It was garbled of mess! just garbage to her, it was unrefined and simply incomplete, sketches?! black and white sketches?! she can't submit that! his reputation would suffer, She wouldn't want that!

"Garbage?! okay, maybe that's a little too harsh,"

Alex didn't think it was that bad, sure some of the composition and art line is a mess, but with a little fine-tuning he could probably fix the-

"Alex Kenichi!"

Alex was taken aback by this seriousness and immediately sat up straight.

" Y..yes ma'am?"

"Are you confident in entering the top three spot? Please answer me seriously!"

Aya Gozen was staring at him with that predatory icy gaze, He hasn't felt that Queen mode for a while now, Alex saw worry and anxiety, but he didn't know why she was so worried about him, to him he doesn't mind losing this time, there's always next time but.. but...as a man, But, as a man, how can I say no? there's also the system reward too and since the mission is mandatory, how could he lose here?

" I can!"

Alex looked directly at her beautiful eyes and replied confidently, without the slightest hesitation, his tone was still very courageous, without the slightest doubt, He knew he can do it, he simply let out a gentle smile to reassure her. He knew once he completed his story, it will be a masterpiece.

" Trust me, it might look like garbage now, but... I think I can fix it"

Aya simply eyed him back menacingly with a death stare, a true death stare, anyone else would have cowered and fled from her menacing gaze, but this boy simply stood there obliviously while still smiling that charming smile.

"Fix it? Fix that?"

but her quivering mouth couldn't be held back her frustration and angst. She was a grown-ass woman but right now, she feels like smacking this young boy and committing assault and battery. His nonchalant attitude kinda pisses her off.

" F..Fine! I'll trust you If you say you know what you're doing! I don't care anymore!"

...

After closing the door, Aya came out of Alex's house, turned around, and happened to meet  His mother and sister. The sister simply smiled and bailed with her phone laughing gleefully as she said

"Onichan is in trouble-hehee!"

Katherine was wearing a white round-neck T-shirt, under a white short skirt, black stockings wrapped her well-proportioned and slender legs, revealing a shy charm in the pure breath. This was Mr. Tochigi's wife and Alex's mother. She's beautiful. Blonde hair the same eyes as Alex. Especially the ponytail draped over the left shoulder, and the pink vegetable basket with both hands in front of him gave people the feeling of a married woman, well, she was a married woman.

"I believe we haven't met yet, Hello, My name is Aya Gozen, Editor for JAMP Magazine"

Katherine just smiled warmly and said,

"Katherine Kenichi, how's my son doing?"

"He's...getting there"

Aya could only shrug as she was rather worried about the deadline. Aya was rather frustrated, He's calm. too calm in fact that calmness somewhat bothers her a bit. Why is he so calm? Where did he even get the courage to be so calm? it infuriates her.

"Aren't you worried about him at all? Have you always been a fan of his father? of him??"

" Yes, I still am"

" What was Mr. Tochigi's like when he was alive?"

Aya asked, she hoped the question wasn't too personal but she had to ask, this was her idol! she wanted to know more about him! and how Alex could emulate his skills so perfectly and how Alex learned how to draw from the master mangaka himself.

Katherine pondered for a moment before she smiled back in reminiscence of the past,

"He was...kind and simple man. I knew he was always drawing, He loved it more than anything else, so when he said he wanted to quit, I was quite saddened by it"

"what happened?"

Aya can't help but ask, but Katherine answered it with a smile, a dour smile but not of regret, It's a simple bitterness of the choices they made back then.

" Responsibilities I guess, the commissions and his business couldn't sustain us back then during the worsening of the economy, He simply made a choice for us, I suppose I'm partly to blame for that"

Seeing Katherine's calm appearance, Aya felt puzzled. Does their whole family have this calming Aura of some sort?

"I'm worried, Mr.Alex has already wasted hundreds of papers. It's impossible not to worry."

Aya simply gave her honest opinion on the current matter about Alex she's worried that he would follow in his Father's footsteps as well. Katherine simply smile and shakes her head, 

" My husband and my son are rather...similar in temperament, I wasn't privy to the fact that My son took an interest in his Mangaka hobby, He seems so distant sometimes, but after his death...it really shook him quite a bit"

Katherine said softly, and the soft tone seemed to melt everyone's heart as she said it, there was a hint of sorrow with what she just said, Aya could somewhat relate to when Mr. Tochigi retired, and when he passed away, it really felt like the world was rather colorless.

"However, My son is no quitter, If he said that he will win this prize. I believe that he will accomplish it, He will be able to do it! He has the same spark as my husband with an even bigger drive, he will succeed. Trust him."

Katherine smiles broadly as he talks about his son when she finds out he took up her husband's dreams and tries to pursue them for the first time. 

"You really do believe in him huh? I guess I should too..."

"Of course, he's my son. If I don't believe in him first, who else world? Family comes first"

Aya wished her family would be this close-knitted, Her father, her mother..even her sister. All of them are so complicated. Aya could only look at the door she just closed and remembered the conversation between herself and Alex just now. All she could do now is wait and believe he will keep his promise.

That was the second time another Kenichi family talked about trust issues with her. Does she have an issue with trusting people? perhaps...she should start believing as well. She looked at Katherine's eyes and gave her a curt reply. Looking at how hard he's working right now sketching and redoing the same scene over and over again, She could appreciate that Alex was truly trying to improve and create something great. All she needed to do is trust him.

Is it so hard to trust someone?

" I trust him"

And that's all that matters. Sometimes, it's best to leave matters as it is, Sometimes, just by trusting someone, it will resolve itself, to have a leap of faith.