highly of him and value his opinion on manga, and Takahama often expresses his frustration towards Miura when the two groups share the same editor. Ryu Shizuka is an 18-year-old newcomer manga artist who submits a manga called Shapon (The End of Japan) for an issue of Treasure. Nizuma considers him and his story to be second only to Mashiro and Takagi's manga in the same issue, stating that he was amazing and deep, and would have won if he had not been up against Muto Ashirogi. Because of the dark subject matter of his manga, he is working with a young editor named Yamahisa to make it more Jump-friendly. He has social anxiety disorder and is reluctant to talk to his editor face-to-face, instead preferring to have his meetings over the Internet. He is a recluse who has spent much of his time in his room with video games and computer since the eighth grade and is sensitive to the words of others. He starts to become more comfortable talking with Yamahisa further on in the story and Yamahisa later helps him buy his own apartment and begin conversing with people. Ryu's work eventually becomes much more lighter; he is last seen saying his next work will be one focusing on hope. His favorite manga is Level E. Shun Shiratori is one of Ashirogi's assistants when Perfect Crime Party begins publication. He comes from a very wealthy family and is somewhat sheltered, so he does not know basic things like how to run a washing machine. Shiratori is a very talented artist, though his mother disapproves of his decision to become a manga artist because she does not find is respectable. After meeting Ashirogi and their other assistants, Shiratori is encouraged to pursue his dream to become a manga artist and creates his own series, Rabuta and Peace, based on himself and his dog, Peace, with some initial help from Takagi. Thanks to the Ashirogi team and his older sister Hitomi, Shiratori stands up to his mother, who reluctantly allows Shiratori to live on his own and follow his own path. Though Rabuta and Peace is eventually cancelled, he decides to continue as a manga artist. Among the characters, he is the only one whose story is left unresolved. Toru Nanamine is a manga artist who was inspired by the early works of Muto Ashirogi and attempts to surpass