Japan's Final Glory

It was a day off, but Dejan Lu was forced to rush his manuscript at a cafe.

Kumatani Gensuke stared intently at Dejan Lu, afraid that if he wasn't careful, Dejan Lu would just swap blank pages for his artwork.

As a very ambitious editor, he even wanted to become the editor-in-chief.

This overseas assignment to Europe was a very important job. Pokémon was arguably Shonen Sunday's ace, and the entire Shogakukan was counting on this work.

With so many Pokémon, the IP had great future potential!

If Dejan Lu hadn't drawn too much yet, they would have already started thinking about animation.

Even so, they often worked with the Suzuki Group to promote Dejan Lu as an artist.

"Kumatani, what do you think about having Akinna Nakamori as my assistant? I have this condition where I lack inspiration if there aren't any pretty girls around," Dejan Lu asked.

"Don't joke around, teacher. She's been in a lot of trouble lately, you absolutely cannot get involved with her,"

Kumatani Gensuke said, wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

Akinna Nakamori was at the peak of her career a few years ago, but unfortunately, she fell for the scumbag Masahiko Kondo, the original singer of "Song of a Thousand Songs."

The story of this bastard is hard to put into words.

He allegedly bought a house to get married, lied to his girlfriend about 80 million, and then immediately went off to race cars.

He was seeing multiple women at once and happened to meet Anita Mui, whom he deceived by saying he didn't have a girlfriend.

When discovered, he even told Anita Mui, "You are strong, but Akina is fragile. She can't live without me."

Countless incidents like this occurred.

His romantic life was a mess, not to mention that when his own mother was in a car accident, he was so afraid of reporters that he didn't dare to take her to the hospital immediately, which led to her death. Such a "mother-killer" is quite shocking even in Japan.

Even though he had some expectations for the low standards of the entertainment industry, this person still managed to shock Dejan Lu.

"What do the Japanese people think of her?"

Dejan Lu asked curiously.

"Most people think she doesn't respect herself. She drinks heavily every day, and the newspapers can't even be bothered to photograph her anymore," Kumatani Gensuke replied.

"Shouldn't it be Kondo's fault?"

"His agency, Johnny's, is very powerful,"

Kumatani Gensuke said.

Dejan Lu pursed his lips. Akinna Nakamori was truly pathetic with her love-struck brain.

She lost her career, money, and love, and in the end, even her reputation was ruined.

In the afternoon, Chairman Paolo Mantovani came to visit.

The kind-hearted chairman sat down and immediately said, "I heard Monica is taking exams. Once the results are out, I'll invite the whole team to celebrate with her."

"Isn't that a bit too high-profile, Mr. Chairman? And she's already passed,"

Dejan Lu asked.

It felt like a graduation party. Should he also receive some red envelopes?

"It's fine," Mantovani said. "We've had sponsors approach us recently, and I wanted to get your opinion."

"Shouldn't this kind of thing be discussed in the locker room?"

Dejan Lu said.

Mantovani downed his coffee in one gulp and said, "Mainly, they don't understand much. Currently, there are Japanese sponsors who are very eager to sponsor us."

Dejan Lu glanced at Kumatani Gensuke.

Kumatani Gensuke got up with a mournful expression and left the room.

Only then did Dejan Lu say, "My personal opinion is to aim for a high price, sign quickly, make the contract long-term, and include bonuses for winning championships and individual player honors."

"Japanese people are indeed wealthy," Mantovani nodded. "But I don't know how much we should ask for. There are very few such examples in football. I heard Manchester United gets 100,000 pounds annually from Sharp. Should we ask for 150,000?"

"Add a zero to that, Mr. Chairman," Dejan Lu urged.

Mantovani was stunned.

He hadn't expected Dejan Lu to have such a big appetite.

Even though the Premier League didn't hold a high position in European football at the time, it had many colonies and its reach was guaranteed.

No matter how great Serie A teams were, asking for an extra hundred thousand or so was about the limit.

"Japanese people don't lack money now, but they need influence," Dejan Lu persuaded. "We are currently the team with the highest exposure in Serie A, meaning we are the most talked-about team in football. Sponsoring us with more money is very cost-effective."

"That's too much. I'll go ask their people. There are many companies."

Mantovani said.

Then it didn't matter. Competition meant higher prices.

They were the most arrogant ones right now.

The other party didn't lack that little bit of money at all.

"Try to sign the contract as early as possible, with a longer term, and preferably with options for increases based on championships and results," Dejan Lu said.

Once Japan's bubble bursts, there won't be any opportunities for such high sponsorship fees.

It's a shame Sharp is a poor, small company. Otherwise, when commenting on Serie A in the future, we could have Mr. Han create a famous scene.

Besides chest sponsorships, Adidas has the most jersey sponsorships now. Some Italian teams use local brands; for instance, Sampdoria's sponsor is Kappa.

If we really want them to compete, we'll have to see the Americans make a move.

It shouldn't be too many more years before Nike starts aggressively expanding.

With their instincts, it's possible they've already set their sights on Sampdoria.

Kumatani Gensuke only returned to his seat after Paolo Mantovani left.

"Teacher, if you don't have inspiration next time, could you let me know in advance?" Kumatani Gensuke asked pitifully.

"Don't worry, Kumatani. I'm doing this for the good of the magazine, to let readers understand that timely updates are already very rare, and they must learn to cherish them. In our country, some writers might only update a few thousand characters a year."

Dejan Lu said.

"Will you continue working after you go home?"

Kumatani Gensuke asked, somewhat worried.

"Of course. I'll give you the manuscripts for these two issues as soon as possible," Dejan Lu said.

Kumatani Gensuke nodded.

It was already a rare occasion for Dejan Lu to work at the cafe for a whole day.

He couldn't exactly stop Dejan Lu from going home.

After packing up, Kumatani Gensuke also prepared to leave. Because his job had shifted from temporary to long-term, the company even rented a place for him in Genoa, with the office on the lower floor and living quarters above.

Kumatani Gensuke's future was now intertwined with Dejan Lu's.

He had no other choice.

Upon returning home, Dejan Lu found a lavish dinner spread out on the table, complete with candles.

"I did well on the exam, I should have passed!" Monica announced the good news first.

"That's great."

Dejan Lu kissed her forehead before sitting down to eat.

After dinner, the two of them rolled into the bedroom without even clearing the dishes.

Their bedroom was separated from Mancini's living room by a single wall.

The soundproofing in the house was excellent, but the constant banging against the wall from the headboard was making Mancini very irritable.

Damn it, can't a man watch TV in peace?

He got up and knocked forcefully a few times, but it had no effect. As he turned around, his legs gave out, and he nearly fell to his knees. Federica's eyes were practically melting.