Full-time comic artist

Hibiki Higashino was still working when he heard the news.

He hasn't gone for a run for several days, and he also has very little time to study.

I originally planned to draw three storyboards while I was in the countryside and see if I could serialize them, but unfortunately I didn't have any time at all.

His bald head was alright, but Ms. Akemi Akemi across from him no longer had her beautiful long hair; it was a messy, greasy pile, looking like a bird's nest.

Noticing Higashino Hibiki's gaze, she looked up and chuckled, then went back to drawing her manga.

"Yes, that's right." Akira Toriyama was still on the phone when Hibiki Higashino noticed his serious expression and finally hung up in silence.

After looking at his two assistants for a long time, he said, "Hiroki Goto, the fourth editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Jump, has stepped down."

"Could it be?" Hibiki Higashino asked expectantly.

He remembered that Kazuhiko Torishima had served as the editor-in-chief of Jump, perhaps around this time!

This was very important news for him, after all, he was considered a close follower of Torishima Kazuhiko.

Relying on this relationship, once Yu Yu Hakusho and Dragon Ball are finished, I will start my own serialization, and at that time, I will receive more resources!

It will be published as a standalone manga, a radio drama, and adapted into an anime!

That sounds wonderful!

but……

Akira Toriyama shook his head. "The new editor-in-chief is Nobuhiko Horie."

Nobuhiko Horie, former Tetsuo editor of "Fist of the North Star".

Fist of the North Star was a work that once surpassed Dragon Ball, holding the record for the highest number of votes in a reader survey—a staggering 800 votes! Four-fifths of readers voted for it in the "favorite manga" category! It even saved Weekly Shonen Jump!

In the early 80s, Weekly Shonen Sunday featured Mitsuru Adachi's "Touch" and Rumiko Takahashi's "Urusei Yatsura".

Weekly Shonen Jump was once suppressed to the point of despair.

At this time, Tetsuo Hara, who admired Bruce Lee, embarked on a new path in manga with the help of editor Nobuhiko Horie.

Muscular men, delivering powerful punches, showcasing the beauty of tough masculinity, and brimming with passion and energy, helped Weekly Shonen Jump quickly escape its crisis and achieve an astonishing 400 million copies sold!

Nobuhiko Horie is indeed qualified.

However, Kazuhiko Torishima was his senior and made amazing contributions.

He discovered Akira Toriyama and Masakazu Katsura and planned a new business model for Weekly Shonen Jump.

The positive adaptation of comics into animation, the proper use of copyrights, and the development of related merchandise are all things that have gradually improved under his influence.

But the fifth generation wasn't him! That was truly astonishing news.

"This is infuriating," Akira Toriyama sighed.

In fact, it doesn't matter who the editor-in-chief is; he's the magazine's mainstay, and taking action against him would be self-destructive.

And perhaps he also wants to go that far.

Akira Toriyama had wanted to end the series for a long time, whether it was after defeating the second generation of demons or when Goku died in the Cell Saga.

"Wukong is now invincible!"

"Then let the heavens come to fight!"

They were all stopped by strong pressure from higher-ups.

Its commercial value is too high; if the editor-in-chief were to take action against "Dragon Ball," he would be the first to fall.

Chapter 14: It's Valentine's Day, so I wanted to write some romance scenes.

Akira Toriyama felt resentful because of his feelings for Kazuhiko Torishima.

Hibiki Higashino was disappointed, but he quickly calmed down. He thought that as long as the animation was good enough, the editorial department would beg him to adapt it into an anime.

I'm just worried about what Torishima Kazuhiko might think.

I wonder how he feels right now.

However, as a high school student, all I can do now is hone my skills.

Time passed, and September 20th arrived.

Hibiki Higashino and Akemi Akimiya, through their daily and nightly trials, became unaware of the passage of time and experienced firsthand the hardships of being a manga artist.

In the afternoon, after finishing his manga, Akira Toriyama suddenly said, "There's a fireworks display tomorrow night, on the wasteland east of the village."

"Eh! I can't wait!" Akemi Akemi snapped out of her reverie and cheered happily.

She's the kind of person who likes to join in the fun.

"I have tomorrow off, I want to go! I want to go!"

She touched her oily long hair, then her expression changed: "I'm going to take a shower!"

He then ran towards the bathroom.

Hibiki Higashino watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but shake his head, "She's such a child."

“I think it’s because Higashino-kun is too mature… he doesn’t seem like a high school student at all,” Akira Toriyama put away his dry manga manuscript, his eyes crinkling with laughter. “Why don’t you come and have some fun with us?”

"I haven't met my learning expectations," Higashino thought, feeling somewhat distressed as he realized he had only flipped through half of the textbook. "I wanted to use it for reading tomorrow."

"Maturity is a good thing, but don't be too mature, or you'll easily miss out on the beautiful memories around you." Akira Toriyama patted Hibiki Higashino on the shoulder, then left, adding, "I'm going to spend some quality time with Yumi, so don't expect me to spend time with you."

Higashino Hibiki smiled and said, "Who would want an old man to accompany them!"

……

The next day, Higashino Hibiki, who thought he could finally get a good night's sleep, was awakened by urgent knocking on the door.

"Higashino-kun! Wake up! Higashino-kun!"

"Ugh! So annoying!" Even plugging my ears with a pillow couldn't stop the sharp sound from penetrating my ears.

"Let's go out and have some fun!" Akemi Akemi raised her voice.

Higashino Hibiki, still half-asleep, barely managed to lift his eyelids, opening them a crack as he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only 8 o'clock…

Get out of here!

It took another half hour of trouble.

"Okay, I understand."

The Toriyama couple went out for some alone time, and surprisingly, Akemi Akemi prepared their breakfast.

With great courage, Higashino Hibiki stuffed the fried fish into his mouth, and to his surprise, it was incredibly delicious.

It's lightly seasoned, preserving the fish's freshness, and fried to perfection, with crispy skin and tender flesh.

"It's delicious." He gave Akemi Akemi a thumbs up, saying that it was even more delicious than Higashino Shio's cooking, surpassing the level of home-cooked meals.

"Thank you." Akemi Akemi nodded.

"But, Akimiya, you're a young lady, why is your cooking so delicious?"

"Don't praise me," she waved her hand shyly. "One day I will become someone else's wife, cooking meals that make my husband happy and helping him to work in a good mood. That's a wife's duty."

This kind of thinking would be criticized in the 21st century. But Hibiki Higashino was quite happy to hear it.

She's a good girl who simply cares about her partner and supports them through thick and thin.

He looked at Akemi Akimiya with a complicated expression, never expecting that such a fool could have such a delicate side.

"Since there's such a good meal, I'll keep you company today as a way of repaying your kindness."

"Great!"

Five hours later, Higashino Hibiki regretted what he had said.

Why would someone visit so many stores just for a yukata?

Elegant, fiery red, vibrant, black with gold trim...

I tried many different kinds, but I was still very interested.

"How about this one? Does it look good?"

Hibiki Higashino, who was in a daze, looked up and his lips trembled. "Very good, beautiful."

She was already tall and slender with a great figure and was beautiful. Even an ordinary yukata looked special on her.

What's more, this dress is very beautiful.

The yellow base color complements her mature and sophisticated aura, while the scattered purple petals don't steal the spotlight but rather add to the overall look.

In this modern shopping mall setting, her every gesture exuded the beauty of traditional Chinese style.

If he hadn't seen so much, Higashino Hibiki might have been smitten.

However, the lack of headdress and the long hair made her look somewhat out of place.

"That's so perfunctory," Akemi Akimiya pouted.

"Anger!" Higashino clenched his fist, forcibly suppressing his rage.

What a gossip!

"Think about her breakfast! Think about her breakfast!" Higashino chanted in his mind.

"This one will do," she said, returning to the changing room to change back into her clothes. She asked the waiter to put away her yukata, paid the bill, and finally ended her ordeal for the day.

For Hibiki Higashino, accompanying Akemi Akimiya shopping here was less appealing than being a third wheel for Akira Toriyama and his wife.

Thankfully, he could leave. He will never again easily agree to other girls' requests to go shopping.

Men are better; they get straight to the point, buy what they need, and leave without wasting a minute.

“Okay, let’s go home!” He hopped over to Akemi Akimiya.

"You want to buy your yukata too?" She looked up in surprise.

"No, I don't like wearing yukatas." Higashino Hibiki refused firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

During lunch, Akemi Akemi complained that without wearing a yukata, the fireworks festival lacked any atmosphere, but Hibiki Higashino pretended not to hear her.

Afterwards, we went to the cinema, but instead of watching a romance movie, we watched an animated film.