Takagi is suspended for a week after punching Ishizawa, causing Mashiro to worry about him. He goes over to visit Takagi and learns that the story ideas he submitted to him were only a few of the ones he came up with. Mashiro then learns that Miyoshi and Aiko Iwase, the second best student in his grade, both have feelings for Takagi. Takagi tells them that he likes them both, but cannot be in a relationship with either due to his manga career. Iwase tells him to quit writing manga and leaves, while Miyoshi promises to support him. Miyoshi gets angry after Takagi admits that he only spoke to her to get information about Azuki for Mashiro, and Mashiro leaves with his determination restored.

Mashiro and Takagi, incorporating Hattori's suggestions, comes up with a concept for a story about an angel fighting other angels who kill humans to advance themselves, but are frustrated at their lack of progress. The name is rejected, but the feedback notes that they have promise. Around this time, Takagi is struggling to think of another idea, and begins seeing Miyoshi more often, prompting Mashiro to wonder if he is working on it at all. Hattori learns that Nizuma needs an assistant and that Takagi would not stop Mashiro from going to work for him. Mashiro hears of the offer, and is hesitant to accept it until he happens upon Takagi kissing Miyoshi.

In the end Mashiro faints and is hospitalized, but he refuses to stop drawing even in his current condition. Despite Mashiro and Takagi's wish to continue, TRAP is put on hiatus. Azuki visits Mashiro in the hospital. She talks about how she liked him ever since she was a child and they talks about a special day at the pool during middle school. While Mashiro is convinced he can continue to draw, but Takagi is hesitating because of his current condition. In the end, Azuki is the one who supports Mashiro to do what he really wants to do, surprising Takagi and Miura by her decision.

The team must decide which genre to choose for their new manga. Miura urges them to draw a gag manga, but Mashiro and Takagi aren't sure they're fit for gag manga and prefer something more serious which is their forte. In the end they decide to create 2 new one-shots, one funny one to Miura's liking and one more serieus one, more to their liking. They show both Hitman 10 and Future Watch to Miura who tells them to try to get Hitman 10 serialized. This causes Mashiro to feel like this editor really is a "miss" since according to him, Future Watch is a lot better. In the end it's revealed Ashirogi Muto submitted Future Watch behind his back in the newbie contest, the Monthly Awards, in order to get all the editors, higher-ups and especially the manga artist judge, Niizuma, to read it.

Takagi goes to Miyoshi's house to announce their engagement to her parents. The two families have surprising connection and everything goes well between them. Later, the pair attends a party where Niizuma's second series motivates them as rivals. Takagi is feeling more and more pressure as Otters, Hiramaru's manga, gets an anime series. Tanto's release follows that of +Natural (Iwase and Niizuma's new manga), and to their disappointment, it does not beat +Natural's second chapter in the rankings. Iwase suddenly claims she has a crush on Hattori and out of the blue, Niizuma announces he's not reading Ashirogi Muto's manga anymore...

Mashiro changes the character design while Takagi struggles with naming the 3 characters and a possible new title. Orihara comes back as assistant + 2 new ones: Moriya and Shiratori. Those 2 argue if sales or treating it like an art is better for a manga. Mashiro tells them he and Takagi draw with sales in their minds, because they're not yet good enough to draw something that has true cultural value, saying that everyone should draw the way they want to. Takagi decides on the title; "Perfect Crime Party", aka "PCP". Meanwhile Fukuda is working on Road Racer Buchigiri. Everyone is curious how the votes will be with PCP as a story based manga against the intense and flashy Road Racer. In the end "Perfect Crime Party" gets 1st place and gets a total of 422 votes, amazing the editors because CROW "only" got 401 and +Natural 310 votes on their first chapter. The achievement is especially good since CROW didn't have a one shot like Road Racer to compete with at the time. Fukuda's Road Racer gets serialized too. Hearing +Natural dropped to the 8th place, Iwase gets fired up, as does Niizuma. At the end Mashiro, Takagi and Hattori visit Mashiro uncle's grave. Mashiro tells him he finally got 1st place and we see his uncle 'answering' that it should be a given and that when he truly becomes number one, he should come back again, but he smiles proudly.

Competition heats up between Perfect Crime Party and Niizuma and Akina's +Natural causing Mashiro and Niizuma to change their art styles. Akina becomes infatuated with Niizuma after he acknowledges her talent. Takahama and Fukada begin new serializations.

Mashiro and Takagi begin reading The Classroom of Truth and decide that it is an excellent manga despite the fact that it is unorthodox in nature. The serialization committee however, in the end, decide that the manga itself is not suited for Shonen Jack and have it remain a finalist in the competition. Its author, Nanamine Tooru turns out to be a long time fan of Ashirogi Muto and is brought to Yueisha to discuss changing the material of The Classroom of Truth. However, Nanamine releases the manga on the internet which upsets Yueisha's policy but in return he brings them a new manga which the Chief reads and approves as a one-shot immediately, while everyone begins to think highly of him. Later, when Nanamine meets Takagi and Mashiro, he reveals a devious plan where he deliberately collaborates with fellow mangaka on the internet and incorporates their ideas into his work, which he then passes off as his own.

Nizuma begins devoting himself to CROW, which soon manages to place 1st in the rankings for five consecutive weeks. Yujirou is initially thrilled but later worries Nizuma's determination is connected with the deal he made with the Chief. He speculates Nizuma might want to end +Natural. As Ashirogi Muto follow CROW's progress, they take it as Nizuma's method of motivating them to improve PCP. Soon enough, Nizuma pays the Chief a surprise visit at the Yueisha and Yujirou can only speculate what they discuss. Yujirou informs Fukuda of Nizuma's intentions, who then gathers together Takagi, Mashiro, Aoki, Hiramaru, Takahama and Akina to confront Nizuma directly. Nizuma explains the deal he made with the Chief: he'll get to end a anga should he gain 1st place in the rankings for 10 consecutive weeks. He then reveals that he intends to end CROW at the height of its popularity since he doesn't believe in Yueisha's policy of continuing a manga solely for profit.

Following Azuki securing the role of the lead female character, Hattori, Mashiro and Takagi begin discussing their intention to end the Reversi manga in July. Later, Mashiro calls Azuki to congratulate her and they make plans to meet once the first episode of Reversi finishes airing. Hattori tells Heishi about Ashirogi Muto's plan, which he rejects and orders Hattori to convince them to continue the manga. Hattori explains this to Mashiro and Takagi and they decide to think about their final decision. However, Takagi has a separate meeting with Hattori. He states that he will end Reversi in 8 chapters and surpass Nizuma in both rankings as well as volume sales, making Mashiro the best mangaka in Shonen Jack, wanting this to be his wedding present. Hattori decides to take responsibility reflect the words of Director Torishima: 'when the company and authors are at odds, a good editor should stand by the author'.