Full-time comic artist

Hibiki Higashino sighed and replied, "I can't wait that long."

"Eh!" Kuraki Riko exclaimed in surprise again, "Could it be cancer?"

In an instant, countless classic romance novels and Korean dramas flooded her mind, and she conceived a story novel of hundreds of thousands of words. Her gaze towards Higashino Hibiki even held a hint of pity.

Hibiki Higashino angrily told her, "It's about research! Research for the work! As for death, let's leave that for the next century."

"Hey!" The girl exclaimed in surprise, leaning closer to Higashino Hibiki. "What work is it? I really want to know."

“No,” Higashino Hibiki shook his head.

"Why?" Kuraki asked, puzzled.

Hibiki Higashino replied, "If one day you happen to discover a work set in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, you might think of me today. Wouldn't that be especially romantic?"

“That’s true!” Kuraki Riko scratched her head and grinned foolishly.

They're really easy to fool; Hibiki Higashino just doesn't want to be bothered.

There are many high school and college students on the tram, and there might be some of his fans, which could affect his rest.

He hadn't traveled in a long time and wanted some peace and quiet.

Observe the people and scenery along the way.

“Oh right! Wait a minute,” Kuraki Riko bent down and rummaged through her suitcase.

"Have it!"

He took out a stack of photos and handed them to Hibiki Higashino, saying, "These are photos I took in Kamakura this summer. They might be useful to you."

Higashino Hibiki took it, and indeed, the scenery of Kamakura in summer was beautiful, with the charm of a seaside city.

There are photos of the Enoden train and photos of Kamakura High School.

Both are very useful.

It can be used in the friendly match between Shohoku and Ryonan.

As for the photos that Oda painstakingly took, let's just discard them.

Since it was during working hours, his salary wasn't reduced.

Kamakura's scenery is definitely better!

Chapter 126 of "Hikaru no Go" wraps up filming

After saying goodbye to the female college student, Kuraki Riko, Higashino Hibiki visited each of the tourist attractions she had recommended.

However, the main attractions are the Enoden railway and Kamakura High School, as well as the basketball gym in Kamakura High School.

After a busy day and walking more than ten miles with Akemi Akemi, Higashino Hibiki was exhausted and vented a lot of his frustration.

Even when he overheard a kid passing by complaining that "Slam Dunk" was boring, he didn't get angry.

As dusk approached, they found a hotel to stay in and returned to Musashino Art University the next day.

……

More than two months have passed since the serialization of "Slam Dunk" began, and the work's performance has been lukewarm. Kazuhiko Torishima, who has paid a heavy price for this, is under a lot of pressure.

The doubts from above and the lack of understanding from below made him feel very uncomfortable.

Even so, he did not urge Higashino Hibiki to increase the intensity of his efforts.

He chose to shoulder all the pressure.

Now, with only two episodes left in Evangelion and the series nearing its end, the plot of Slam Dunk has finally reached the friendly match between Shohoku and Ryonan.

This is already the result of Higashino Hibiki's cuts without compromising the plot and pacing.

Otherwise, Sakuragi Hanamichi would still be practicing his basics at the Shohoku basketball gym.

……

The Ryonan High School basketball team has two main players: Captain Jun Uozumi, who plays center, and whose position is the same as Takenori Akagi.

However, in previous matches, he did not perform as well as Akagi.

There's also a player named Sendoh Akira, who is handsome, has a bright and sunny smile, and a calm personality; he's the core of the team.

His athletic ability is very strong, and he can easily defeat Rukawa Kaede, who has poor stamina.

Moreover, among the players currently playing, he is the most well-rounded and strongest.

Taoka Shigeichi of the Ryonan basketball team showed great respect for Coach Anzai and immediately saluted and greeted him.

The friendly match has officially begun.

Coach Anzai didn't take Sakuragi off the court; he used the excuse of a secret weapon to calm Sakuragi down.

Under Sendoh's overwhelming pressure, Shohoku fell behind from the start, allowing Ryonan to score repeatedly.

The manga ends with the Shohoku basketball team losing to the Ryonan basketball team with a disappointing 0-15 score.

……

This is just a very ordinary plot. The basketball game has not officially started yet. Sasaki informs Higashino Hibiki on Friday that Masashi's grades are unexpectedly high, and he is actually in fifth place.

Hibiki Higashino hadn't achieved such good results in almost two months, and he was quite surprised, even though the plot didn't seem to have any merits.

“It’s about basketball,” Sasaki explained, looking at the report. “In the reader surveys we received, many readers who voted for Slam Dunk expressed a desire for more basketball content. In other words, your artwork and paneling, Toriaki-kun, have been well-received by the readers.”

Hibiki Higashino put in a lot of effort to make "Slam Dunk" a good drawing.

I've been watching NBA games since December, drawing NBA players' movements and muscle lines, changing my art style to suit them better, and learning how to create fast-paced game scenes. Now it's finally paying off.

"The friendly match against Ryonan was the turning point that changed Slam Dunk!" Sasaki said.

He saw the future.

Higashino Hibiki couldn't help but get excited and decided to give it his all.

After hanging up the phone, Hibiki Higashino carefully examined the original manuscript drawn by Oda, then frowned.

"Why is there a giant panda here?"

In the stands, Higashino Hibiki saw a giant panda watching the game off the field with the students of Ryonan High School.

"Teacher, didn't you say that backgrounds with many people should be exaggerated? This is my exaggeration," Oda argued confidently. "If it were a giant panda, readers definitely wouldn't think it's just conforming; it would be very distinctive!"

He held his head high, a smug smile on his face, clearly doing it on purpose.

To his surprise, Higashino Hibiki stroked his chin and said, "There's really no problem, no need to change it."

In comic book backgrounds, it's not a big deal if there are one or two oddities; readers might even treat them as Easter eggs.

After all, it won't affect the plot, and it even adds more fun.

This idea caught Oda's eye. He originally wanted to get revenge on Hibiki Higashino for not using the footage he filmed, but he didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain.

Drawing this kind of content is very interesting, and Oda has decided to draw it occasionally, as a way of leaving a mark on his time as an assistant for "Slam Dunk".

Since it was Friday, the Tori Akino Studio closed early after finishing the original manuscript for the latest chapter.

Hibiki Higashino was about to take a break and watch a pre-recorded episode of "Evangelion" when he received a call from Tetsuya Endo.

"The second season of Hikaru no Go is coming to an end, and we're having a party. Please make sure you come!"

Hibiki Higashino actually wanted to refuse, but when he thought about how he hadn't thanked the staff during the year-long run of the "Hikaru no Go" anime, he agreed.

"That's wonderful!" Endo Tetsuya exclaimed with delight. "Ms. Asahina will also be there. I'll drive over to pick you up."

Hibiki Higashino declined his offer of a ride, as he was the main character and it would be awkward for the animation staff present if he wasn't at the banquet.

After asking for the address, he first knocked on Akemi Akemi's dormitory door to let her know that he was going out for a social engagement.

Akemi Akemi waved her hand, pretending not to care, but finally called out to Hibiki Higashino.

"Drink less alcohol."

"Of course, I don't like drinking that stuff."

……

I didn't have to wait long at the gate before Asahina arrived.

She was dressed in white, with a Polaroid camera hanging around her neck, which made her face look fair and delicate, like a porcelain doll.

From her second year of high school to her second year of university, Asahina's height hasn't increased much; she's still around 1.55 meters tall. Wearing thick clothes, she walks over with a swaying gait, completely unconcerned about her appearance.

"Higashino-kun".

"Asahina-san."

After exchanging greetings, Higashino waved towards the large tree in the distance, and Akemi Akemi ran away shyly.

It turns out she had been secretly watching all along.

"What's wrong, Higashino-kun?" Asahina asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Higashino Hibiki replied with a smile. "I saw a little rabbit, but it has already run away."

Asahina put down her camera dejectedly, "That's a real shame."

Higashino asked, "Are you planning to take photos at the banquet?"

“It’s for research,” Asahina replied. “Such scenes are rare.”

"I see."

Asahina is more serious than him.

The two walked side by side toward the roadside. Higashino waved, trying to flag down a taxi, but all the taxis were already occupied.

"The gathering is near the NHK Broadcasting Center in Shibuya Ward. Director Tetsuya Endo said there's a restaurant there that's really good, and he's already given me the address."

Higashino explained the situation to Asahina, worried that she might not be sure.

"Yes." Asahina nodded. "Being with Higashino-kun really makes me feel at ease."

She waved, and a taxi stopped.

"Blue Sky Voice Actors Agency, Shinjuku Ward." After telling the driver the location, she explained to Hibiki Higashino, "I need to pick up a friend who is also attending a party. She's an 18-year-old voice actress."

Hibiki Higashino didn't mind; when the topic of turning 18 came up, he thought of his younger sister, Mei.