"It's wonderful!" Miyoko Mangetsu exclaimed, her eyes fixed intently on the young man before her, her mind still replaying the vibrant scenes she'd just read. There was no mistaking the genuine delight and admiration sparkling in her gaze. "It's truly a wonderful piece of work..." She continued to shower his manga with unreserved praise.
"Ms. Mangetsu, if you keep praising me like that, I might actually get a big head," Lin Yu replied with a lighthearted chuckle, though inwardly he was, of course, pleased. (While he already suspected from Shizuka and the others' reactions that Cardcaptor Sakura would resonate in this era, hearing such enthusiastic validation from a professional was still incredibly gratifying.)
"Lin-kun, I'm not just saying that to be polite!" Miyoko leaned forward slightly, her earlier professional reserve giving way to genuine enthusiasm, shortening the distance between them. Her pretty face was alight with sincerity. "Your work is truly outstanding. While I don't have the authority to decide on serialization myself, I will absolutely do my utmost to recommend your work to the senior editors."
"That would be incredible, Ms. Mangetsu. Thank you so much," Lin Yu said, his smile reflecting genuine happiness as he looked at her, now quite close.
"Not at all, it's what I should do for such a promising piece..." Miyoko began, then her words trailed off. She suddenly realized that in her excitement, she had leaned quite far forward, bringing her face unexpectedly close to Lin Yu's. She hadn't noticed before, but now, as he spoke, she was acutely aware of his presence. (In her entire life, aside from her father, she'd never been in such close, non-familial proximity to someone of the opposite sex. A strange, unexpected flutter of panic rose in her chest.) She quickly cleared her throat twice, a faint blush rising on her fair cheeks, and subtly leaned back, restoring a more professional distance.
(Lin Yu, observing her subtle reaction, understood perfectly well but made no comment. After all, this was their first meeting.)
"Ahem, Lin-kun," Miyoko began again, her gaze slightly averted as she rather abruptly changed the subject. "I'll take your manuscript back to the publishing house with me tonight and show it to an editor. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'm almost certain your work will be approved. So, please leave me your contact information. I'll notify you immediately as soon as I have any news."
"Also," she continued, relieved to see Lin Yu didn't seem to have noticed her brief fluster and was listening attentively, "regarding the serialization process itself, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I'll tell you whatever I know." Her speech became smoother as her composure returned.
"Hmm, to be honest," Lin Yu admitted, "I don't actually know very much about that side of things. Drawing manga was kind of a sudden inspiration for me. If it's not too much trouble, I'd actually love to learn more."
"Wait... are you saying, Lin-kun, that this is your first ever manga series?!" Miyoko stared at him, then at the blue folder on the table, her expression one of utter astonishment.
"Yes, it is," Lin Yu confirmed with a calm nod.
For a moment, Miyoko's gaze on Lin Yu became incredibly complex. She hadn't been working at the publishing house for very long, but she'd already helped sift through countless submissions. While each represented someone's hard work, the actual quality of most was... often hard to find words for. (Japan's "2D culture" was deeply ingrained, and becoming a manga artist was a dream for many. But while ambition was admirable, the reality was harsh. Mastering the basics of drawing, let alone paneling, composition, and storytelling, required serious, systematic study. Otherwise, what they produced often looked like childish doodles. In Miyoko's experience, out of hundreds of monthly submissions, only a tiny fraction showed genuine potential. Even in a country like Japan, truly memorable works were rare. It just showed how difficult it was to create professional manga, let alone a classic.)
Lin Yu's submission, by Miyoko's professional judgment, was strong enough for serialization and had immense potential. And to think that such a polished piece was the very first work of a teenager roughly her own age... It was genuinely shocking.
'He must be like Father,' Miyoko thought, gazing at Lin Yu with a new level of awe. 'A true genius, then?' (Geniuses appeared in every era, driving society forward but also, often, delivering a crushing blow to ordinary people's aspirations. Miyoko believed that if Lin Yu's work succeeded and his story became known, countless aspiring artists who had faced rejection would be green with envy.)
"Lin-kun, your talent is truly astonishing," Miyoko said, her voice tinged with genuine awe. "To be able to produce such outstanding work, with such polished art, without any formal training... If people knew, countless aspiring artists would be incredibly jealous."
"Is that so?" Lin Yu replied with a self-deprecating smile. "Actually, I don't think any of that is as important as this: being fortunate enough to meet you, Ms. Mangetsu, someone who appreciates my work. Otherwise, my manuscript might just be sitting in a pile of unsolicited submissions right now, completely unnoticed."