Full-time comic artist

"Oh no, there's one more thing."

Higashino Hibiki was also stunned for a long time, not expecting Higashino Ichiro to be so open-minded.

"I'm going to take a week off from publishing."

"No publication!" Higashino Ichiro raised his voice, staring wide-eyed at Higashino Hibiki. "What happened?"

Mei Higashino also looked at Hibiki Higashino with concern.

Higashino asked in a panic, "Is it because of me?"

She remembered the conversation she had made at noon about going to the countryside to escape the summer heat.

Higashino Hibiki has never taken a break from publishing before, so his sudden hiatus gave his family a feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

She didn't want to be a burden to her son.

“It has nothing to do with my mother, it’s my fault,” Hibiki Higashino said. “In 1993, I was working as an assistant at Akira Toriyama’s house, and his child went on a trip to Okinawa.”

“That was the worst time for the economy. I envied Akira Toriyama’s ability to allow his family to enjoy life, and that has always inspired me to become a manga artist.”

"One of my motivations for drawing comics is to improve my family's financial situation."

Higashino Ichiro lowered his head.

Mei Higashino looked at Hibiki Higashino with admiration.

Higashino Shio became uneasy.

"I created a nationally popular comic and received a lot of attention. I dared not slack off and worked persistently, devoting my entire life to drawing comics."

"Because of this, the family, the source of motivation, has been neglected."

"I'm taking a week off from publishing. Let's go on a trip."

Chapter 140 New Shoes Need to Be Stepped On Three Times, Friends Reunited

After readers read about Haruko helping Sakuragi Hanamichi buy Nike Jordan 6 basketball shoes from the shoe store owner for 30 yen, the latest issue of Jump arrived as scheduled.

This time, a new character appears: Sakuragi Ryota, who has confessed his love 10 times but failed to win anyone over.

Ryota Miyagi is 168 cm tall. His hairstyle is short on the sides and an afro in the middle, which is suspected to be a way to make him appear taller.

Facing the provocative Sakuragi Army of four, Ryota showed no fear, his expression exuding an arrogant and unruly air.

He was hospitalized for a while after a fight and has just been discharged. Now, like a honey badger, he's ready to face another challenge.

Ryota Miyagi stared intently at Yohei Mito, who seemed to be the leader of the group, and decided to seize the opportunity to strike Yohei when he was about to be beaten, so that he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, the fight didn't escalate and was defused by Yohei.

Hibiki Higashino's classmate, Kazuya Takasugi, who loves basketball and has a withdrawn personality, is now very engrossed in watching.

He really liked the character, who was short like him but particularly aloof and had an invincible aura.

He is practically the person that Kazuya Takasugi aspires to become.

Furthermore, judging from the conversation between Ayako and Akagi, Ryota Miyagi is also a member of the Shohoku basketball team, which makes Kazuya Takasugi even more excited.

"How will Ryota Miyagi perform? Judging from the current descriptions, he'll be a key player! Wow, I really want to see Ryota Miyagi play."

Knowing that it would be another week before the next chapter, Takasugi Kazuya was itching to read it.

"Summer vacation is such a hassle. If it were during the school year, I could ask Mr. Tori Akino."

He was sitting on a bench in the shade of the park when he felt the sun getting hotter, which made him restless.

"Big brother, are these shoes new?"

Kazuya Takasugi looked away from the manga and saw two little boys in front of him. They were wearing white t-shirts, shorts, and sun hats. Their clothes were dirty, and their white shoes were covered in mud. It seemed that they had just been playing by the river and were covered in dirt from head to toe.

Kazuya Takasugi felt sorry for the two children; he was sure they would get a beating from their mother when they got home.

"Yes, I just bought the AJ11 yesterday."

These basketball shoes were purchased with the proceeds from his art exhibition, making them particularly valuable as souvenirs.

"Since they are new shoes."

"That must be really hard, it'll rub your feet raw."

The two kids exchanged a smile and stepped on Kazuya Takasugi's AJ11s with their dirty shoes, rubbing the soles three times.

"Huh?" Kazuya Takasugi was taken aback.

The two children seized the opportunity and quickly ran away, saying as they ran, "We'll stomp on them to soften them for you. You have to stomp on your new shoes three times, right? No need to thank us!"

Kazuya Takasugi was heartbroken to see muddy footprints on his new shoes. He quickly picked two leaves and used them to wipe the footprints away.

"Damn brat, my new shoes!" Takasugi was heartbroken.

……

On Tuesday, in the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Jump, Kazuhiko Torishima looked at the preliminary report and nodded in satisfaction.

"After the Slam Dunk tournament ended, the popularity declined somewhat, but it was within the expected range. Not bad, um, not bad."

He was even happier.

It's not just the matches that have captivated audiences; the everyday storylines have also brought out their charm, proving that Slam Dunk's success wasn't a sudden occurrence, and that this success can be sustained.

"Tokyo is so hot."

"I want to travel to Hokkaido."

Editors Asada and Yahagi passed right under Torishima Kazuhiko's nose, and the two of them whispered to each other.

Torishima Kazuhiko looked up and suddenly remembered, "Togashi Yoshihiro went to the ski resort in Sapporo, didn't he? This author is really going too far with his reckless writing."

Thinking of Yoshihiro Togashi, Kazuhiko Torishima felt a deep hatred for him.

Yoshihiro Togashi is undoubtedly the most unpredictable manga artist.

He really put Horie Nobuhiko in a terrible situation.

Although Nobuhiko Horie was transferred to another magazine department, how could other manga magazines compare to Jump?

"Luckily, I bet on Tori Akino, a hardworking manga artist who has been serializing for more than two years without taking a break."

Torishima Kazuhiko knew that Akino was working on two projects simultaneously, "The Garden of Words," and almost fell ill from exhaustion. He was very gratified that she still managed to continue the series under those circumstances.

"Mr. Bird Island".

Someone called his name, and Torishima Kazuhiko looked over to see Sasaki Takashi.

"Oh, Sasaki." Torishima Kazuhiko handed him the report. "Slam Dunk is third in the preliminary rankings, very good."

“Yes, I’ve looked into it,” Sasaki said after a moment’s hesitation. “There’s something I feel I need to tell you.”

"What?" Torishima Kazuhiko asked.

"It's about Tori Akino-kun." Sasaki Hisashi's expression was grave, which made Torishima Kazuhiko uneasy as well.

"What is it?" Torishima Kazuhiko pressed.

“He informed me that he would be taking a week off,” Sasaki said in a deep voice.

"What!" Torishima Kazuhiko exclaimed incredulously, "Why are you going on hiatus?"

Sasaki said, "I said I wanted to spend time with my family, but after serializing it for so long, I've become estranged from them."

"Hmm." Kazuhiko Torishima nodded; he could understand.

It's not that I'm too tired to draw, or that I don't have any new ideas.

but……

Kazuhiko Torishima suggested, "You could draw two fewer pages."

Slam Dunk is currently enjoying great popularity, and a sudden hiatus would disrupt the flow and cause serious problems.

Previously, I would draw 19 pages a week, but this week I'll draw 17 pages, leaving half a day free, which is the best of both worlds.

"Also, if he gets used to it, enjoys it, and becomes lazy because of this hiatus, that would be bad," Torishima Kazuhiko said worriedly.

“I’m afraid it’s too late,” Sasaki said, looking at the sky. “The Higashino family has already boarded a plane to Sapporo.”

……

Sapporo, Hokkaido, has a cool summer climate that made the Higashino family feel especially comfortable. Coming from the sweltering heat of Tokyo to Sapporo, where the temperature is around 25 degrees Celsius, was truly a delightful experience.

Hibiki Higashino had no recollection of Sapporo.

He learned about Sapporo from the internet, only knowing that it was the administrative center of Hokkaido, a tourist hotspot, and had many delicious foods, so he chose to go there.

Although Sapporo's most exciting time is during its snow festival from January to March, coming to the northern country in the summer is also a great experience.

First, we went to the large hotel that Higashino Hibiki had booked nearby.

Looking at the magnificent hall, Higashino felt a pang of regret for the money spent. Although she didn't say anything, her brows furrowed.

She was used to being frugal, and it took her a while to adjust to the fact that Higashino Hibiki was very rich.

They arrived at Higashino Hibiki's room.

Mei Higashino, who hadn't been working recently, came along too. She seemed exceptionally excited and immediately pounced on the large bed.

Higashino Shio sat uncomfortably in the living room of the hotel room. Seeing Higashino Mei's appearance, she scolded, "Getting into bed without even taking off your shoes is so rude."

"Mmm!" Mei nodded. I know I was wrong, but I just won't change.

A little while later, Mei started snoring; she had fallen asleep.

Helpless, Higashino Shio went to the room across the street and told Higashino Ichiro and Higashino Hibiki.

"Let her take a nap first," said Higashino Ichiro, who was standing nearby. "Actually, I'm a little sleepy too. I'll have the energy to explore Sapporo after a nap."

To save on airfare, the Higashino family waited at the airport early in the morning.

So it's normal, that's how it was decided.

While everyone else was taking a nap, Higashino Hibiki, used to being tired, was in good spirits.

So he decided to take advantage of his free time to go somewhere.

Hibiki Higashino misses a friend he hasn't seen in a long time studying at the Faculty of Agriculture at Hokkaido University in Sapporo. The friend didn't even return to Tokyo during the summer vacation.