Chapter 6

**Stop!** (ストップ！, *Sutoppu!*?) is the sixth chapter of the Time Paradox Ghostwriter manga series.

## Short Summary

Teppei Sasaki continues to receive issues of Weekly Shonen Jump in his microwave and *White Knight* has proven to be successful in both timelines. During a celebration, Itsuki is revealed to have won the Tezuka Award and the team decides to commemorate the occasion. While celebrating, Hajime reveals to Teppei that *White Knight* helped him rekindle his motivation to become a mangaka and expresses his gratitude. After hearing his story, Teppei thinks that perhaps releasing the story in 2020 truly *was* a good idea. He falls asleep and wakes up to see Itsuki hard at work on her storyboards, making him feel guilty. As they chat, he decides to gift her a sketchbook for her storyboards, which she gratefully accepts. Seeing her efforts, Teppei hopes that her dream will come true.

Months pass, and Teppei waits for another issue of the magazine as the one-year anniversary of lightning first striking his microwave approaches. He suddenly receives news from Muneoka about an anime adaption of his series being approved, similar to Itsuki's 2030 *White Knight*. Thankful that he was able to bring even a bit of *White Knight's* wonder into his timeline, Teppei continues to wait for the issue. However, he realizes it has been a few minutes past the usual time and the issue has yet to appear.

## Long Summary

At the usual time of 5:00 PM on Monday, Teppei receives a new issue of Shonen Jump with *White Knight* inside, but this time he finds out that the manga is getting three back-to-back issues of color pages after only fifteen chapters. Impressed, he hopes that his version of *White Knight* will find the same success in the current time.

On August 31st, Teppei's *White Knight* debuts in Shonen Jump with a successful first chapter and Muneoka tells the team that it achieved first place in the survey. By the sixth week, they receive second place and Muneoka announces they have been offered an anime adaptation. Seeing the team's surprise, Muneoka explains that some series get offers after just the first chapter.

The first volume of *White Knight* then releases on November 4th, quickly selling out and leading to instant reprints with the series' great success.

In December, the team meet up for a party. Genki asks Teppei why he always has a cheap cup of ramen instead of something better, and the latter replies that he simply likes it. Muneoka then enters to announce Itsuki's selection for the Tezuka Award, with Genki as a runner-up. Genki congratulates her but grumbles over the fact that she did better than him. Jiro, Hajime, and Teppei congratulates her as well, and she declares that she is going to surpass Teppei soon. The team then begin planning celebrations for her victory.

They decide to celebrate at a restaurant and as Itsuki eats all of Genki's meat, Teppei stays away from the meat as he feels he does not have the right to eat it. Jiro comments that he has the tendency to mistreat himself and Itsuki remarks that it is a mystery.

Suddenly, Hajime approaches Teppei and asks if he can sit next to him, to which he awkwardly agrees to. Hajime reveals that he once gave up on the idea of becoming a mangaka. It started off as his dream as a child and he was able to publish his work, however, all his ideas were rejected at meetings to the point where he could not tell what even made a good manga and became unable to draw. When he was about to give up for good, he read the *White Knight* one-shot and was stunned by its quality, regaining his sense of what was truly a good manga. This motivated him to try creating again and that it was because of Teppei that he was able to do so. Hajime then thanks Teppei, saying he had wanted to show his appreciation for a while. Hajime then goes on to explain that while he did not know what was bothering Teppei, he can confidently say that there are many people that have been greatly helped by his creation. Teppei is moved to tears and thanks Hajime for his words. Hajime then returns to his usual demeanor and goes back to eating food. After the discussion, Teppei falls asleep and thinks that launching this series in this timeline has a meaning and merit of its own.

Later, he wakes up and sees that everyone is asleep except Itsuki, who is silently drawing. He apologizes in his head to her, wishing there was a way to turn back time and tell the her truth about what happened. However, he remembers that this might render her unable to ever try drawing again. Itsuki finally notices that he is awake and sees him in tears, but he tries to make excuses for his crying.

Seeing her work on her storyboards, Teppei decides to gift Itsuki one of his sketchbooks to make it easier for her. Itsuki is elated at the present and states that it will be a family heirloom. Teppei wishes her good luck and agrees to look over her draft once it is finished. Teppei thinks about how the Shonen Jump issues said *White Knight* was Itsuki's debut, and he does not know why it took her ten years when she already had so much talent. He hopes that in less than a decade, she draws something far better than *White Knight* in the way her future self did.

Four months pass to April 2021. Teppei awaits his new issue of Shonen Jump and thinks about how it has been one year since he received the very first one. In the 2030 timeline, *White Knight* is still extremely successful with an anime adaption already announced. He believes that there might be an anime announced in about two and a half months for his version if it keeps capturing the readers as much as it does in the future. His thoughts are interrupted by a phone call from Muneoka, who excitedly delivers the news that an anime adaptation for *White Knight* has already been greenlit. Although it will not be announced for another year and the airing is over a year and a half away which is slower than Itsuki's 2030 version, Teppei is happy that at least some of *White Knight's* charm is present enough even with the poorer quality of his artwork. He declares to himself that he will be sure to draw *White Knight* to the end.

However, Teppei suddenly realizes that four minutes have passed since the newest issue was scheduled to arrive, but it has not appeared.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Teppei Sasaki
* Muneoka
* Itsuki Aino
* Genki Akaishi
* Hajime Igarashi
* Jiro Yamane

## Events

* The first chapter of Teppei's *White Knight* is successful, placing first in surveys.
* The first volume of the series sells out.
* Itsuki is selected for the Tezuka Award, with Genki as a runner-up.
* It is revealed Teppei's manga inspired Hajime to create manga once more after nearly giving up.
* The due Shonen Jump issue from the future does not arrive.