Full-time comic artist

Oda, far from being ashamed, grinned with pride.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Higashino opened the door and saw Torishima Kazuhiko's long face.

He was carrying a lot of things and was extremely polite.

Sasaki stood beside him, his hands empty, his face expressionless.

Higashino was taken aback. His superior was giving him a gift with such a sincere attitude; he must want something from him.

He glanced at Sasaki, who blinked.

Higashino realized.

He warmly accepted the gifts and welcomed the two into the house.

"Mr. Bird Island, you are too kind, you even brought a gift."

With a broad smile, Torishima Kazuhiko said, "I really want to thank Torishino-sensei for his contributions to Jump."

The two were very polite and invited the other to enter first.

Finally, Sasaki couldn't stand it anymore and stepped inside first, and the other two stopped being polite and followed suit.

Torishima Kazuhiko sniffed; the air was filled with a sweet fragrance.

Looking around, the environment is really clean.

I was immediately flattered.

"So, it turns out that Tori Akino loves me so much."

She glanced at Higashino Hibiki, her gaze softening.

I feel that no matter what happens today, it won't hurt our relationship.

Just then, Oda appeared.

He held up a Dragon Ball manga and asked Kazuhiko Torishima to sign it.

Seeing how much this young man admired him, Torishima Kazuhiko was even happier.

An editor like him rarely earns the respect of readers.

But why Dragon Ball?

He glanced at the volume and realized it was the first time Piccolo Daimaō appeared.

Piccolo's long, thin face and prominent cheekbones bore a striking resemblance to his own.

"Who are you?" he asked hesitantly.

"I...I'm Oda, Eiichiro Oda." Oda was both nervous and excited. "I've been watching Dragon Ball since I was little, and I've always strived to become a manga artist. Now I'm working as an assistant with Akino-sensei, and I'm looking forward to the day when I can start serializing!"

Torishima Kazuhiko pursed his lips helplessly. Sure enough, it was Toriyama Akira's fault again.

He turned his head and whispered to Sasaki, "If you become Toriyama Akira's editor, he'll see you as an enemy."

Venting anger in comics is petty.

Chapter 116 Slam Dunk

After signing Oda's autograph, Kazuhiko Torishima went to the study with Hibiki Higashino.

Akimiya and the others were very curious and looked at Sasaki, who shook his head, indicating that he could not tell them.

Oda lowered his head in disappointment and returned to his worktable to start sketching character designs.

This is his hobby, and he'll be able to use it someday.

Before Hibiki Higashino saw it.

Oda drew a boy wearing a straw hat and a vest. He had a scrawled face and his eyes were just two dots. He was pointing his finger confidently and proudly at the sky!

"If there's ever a serialized work in the future, we must make this character the protagonist and give him a name: Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy!"

……

In the study, Torishima Kazuhiko didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly.

"Wow, I never expected that the kid who submitted his comic to the manga award in 1993 has now grown into a very popular author."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Torishima." Hibiki Higashino sat down opposite him and said gratefully, "If it weren't for you, I might not be who I am today."

Although he said that, he was secretly thinking to himself, "He's been talking about personal relationships since he just sat down. How cunning of him, Mr. Torishima."

I've put myself in a vulnerable position.

“I saw your talent, and most importantly,” Kazuhiko Torishima recalled, “when I first met you, you were still bald, weren’t you? You were really interesting back then, full of vigor. You’re not as good as you used to be now.”

Higashino Hibiki smiled indifferently: "The sharpness is for newcomers. I'm doing very well now, so I just need to keep up the good work with my serialization."

Torishima Kazuhiko frowned; this was not good news.

He glanced at Higashino Hibiki, unsure whether his words were sincere or an attempt to impose conditions.

So they continued to probe.

“We should definitely be down-to-earth,” he tapped the table with his hand, then suddenly stood up and picked up the medal that the Go Association had awarded to Higashino Hibiki. “I watched the entire live broadcast more than a month ago. Tori Akino-kun, you were shining brightly back then. There are very few young people like you who have achieved such success at the age of 19.”

"You flatter me." Higashino nodded, which was something he was quite proud of.

It has promoted the development of Go, something that ordinary comics cannot achieve.

“Hikaru no Go won first place in the junior division a few times for a period of time,” Torishima Kazuhiko put down the medal, turned around and looked at Higashino Hibiki, “even surpassing Dragon Ball. No wonder it can influence the Go Association and hold an event specifically for you.”

What Torishima Kazuhiko was referring to was the period between Sai's game of Go with Touya Kouhiro and Sai's disappearance.

At its peak, it rivaled Dragon Ball, surpassed Rurouni Kenshin, and crushed JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4, enjoying unparalleled glory.

"Compared to now... ah, sorry, I said too much." He paused, looking like he had said something wrong.

Higashino Hibiki understood. This person first tried to build a relationship, then aroused the competitive spirit of the young man, and finally compared the highs and lows of "Hikaru no Go" to make Higashino Hibiki choose to end "Hikaru no Go" due to the strong contrast.

This is also something Hibiki Higashino wants to do.

However, you can't bring it up yourself; you have to let him bring it up.

“Mr. Torishima, that’s precisely why I must continue to work hard,” he said. “Success has already been hard-won for me, and without a safety net, I fear I will fail miserably.”

"If we continue serializing 'Hikaru no Go,' the results might improve. In the recent chapters, Masashi's ranking is between 5th and 8th, which is not bad."

Higashino Hibiki refused to budge, which greatly displeased Torishima Kazuhiko.

Since cunning won't work, I'll just have to play the victim.

"Tori Akino-kun, to be honest, Jump has lost its former glory. Horie Nobuhiko has also run out of ideas."

"At this time, the higher-ups decided to appoint me as the editor-in-chief of Jump, to take office after the New Year's meeting. In reality, it was both a hope that I could create a miracle and a way to shift the blame."

"I'm under a lot of pressure right now, I even have dark circles under my eyes, it's really tough. Every time I close my eyes, all I see is this difficult situation. I really wish there was someone who could share my burden."

"Sigh." Torishima Kazuhiko let out a long sigh.

He sat down dejectedly, revealing the helplessness of a middle-aged man.

“I know this person! The one who can save Jump!” Hibiki Higashino exclaimed.

Torishima Kazuhiko's eyes shone with hope as he grasped Higashino Hibiki's hands, hoping he would say his name.

"This person is my assistant, Eiichiro Oda! I have a feeling that he will become a great manga artist on par with Toriyama-sensei! The next era belongs to Oda!"

Torishima Kazuhiko was taken aback and stared intently at Higashino Hibiki.

"At a time like this, you're still joking!"

Hibiki Higashino wasn't joking, but Kazuhiko Torishima certainly wouldn't believe it, and neither would anyone else.

Aside from himself and Eiichiro Oda.

Higashino Hibiki doesn't respond to gentle persuasion, and Torishima Kazuhiko can't be forced into it either.

He simply asked directly, "Hibiki Higashino, do you have any ideas about serializing a new work?"

Hibiki Higashino exhaled slowly and nodded. The crucial moment had finally arrived.

……

In his study, he took out a stack of storyboards and handed them to Kazuhiko Torishima.

The name of this manga is "Slam Dunk".

"Basketball?" Torishima Kazuhiko looked up in surprise. "Basketball is not very popular in Japan, or even in Asia. Although it is quite competitive, it is difficult to show off."

It is very difficult to depict the intense competition of basketball using comics as a medium.

Some editors even think that basketball is weak and lacks physicality, which is a problem with the artist's skill.

Compared to basketball, baseball is much easier.

Pitching, hitting, and running the bases make it easy to capture the subject and the dynamics.

Unlike typical editors, Kazuhiko Torishima decided to take a look at the contents first.

"The protagonist, Sakuragi Hanamichi, is portrayed as a delinquent with many flaws, which is a good point."

"The character design of the second male lead, Rukawa Kaede, is also good. His aloof personality fits the classic duo of No-Brain and Grumpy, and there are many funny moments to draw."

"Sakuragi Hanamichi joined the basketball team because of the girl he liked, which is quite comical."

After reading the beginning, Torishima Kazuhiko was in a dilemma.

Of course it's qualified to be serialized.

However, he couldn't control the results.

Because basketball isn't very popular, the opening scene features comedy and a brawl to attract readers.

The plot also follows the style of a shonen manga.

But can such works really become popular?

It looks rather ordinary.

Torishima Kazuhiko looked up. "Excuse me, do you have the original drawing?"