Full-time comic artist

"...Yes...yes, I'm sorry," Oda said, bowing his head and turning down the TV volume.

Even so, he still managed to watch the whole episode.

As he spent more and more time in the studio, more and more of Oda's belongings filled the room.

He is a person who loves life.

Higashino Hibiki had set out his paper and tools and was just about to get into work mode when he received a call from Sasaki.

"Slam Dunk manga sales have surpassed 56 copies in just one week!"

He came to deliver good news.

"56 copies a week?" Hibiki Higashino wondered if he had misheard. "Is that many?"

“Of course it’s true, just as I expected,” Sasaki replied. “Along with the reprint of the first volume, the second volume is also on sale.”

"Teacher Toriaki, your income this year will reach ten figures," Sasaki said earnestly. "So, keep up the good work."

He still cared about Hibiki Higashino starting his animation company.

It's rare to see revenue used to attract Hibiki Higashino.

Hibiki Higashino calculated the revenue from the collected volumes of "Hikaru no Go" and "Slam Dunk," the copyright revenue from the anime adaptations, and the popularity of merchandise licensing...

"Without realizing it," Higashino Hibiki touched his face, "I've become a billionaire?"

Although it's in Japanese yen.

But it is already a rare and precious achievement.

Some of his colleagues are still struggling on the brink of life and death.

He was so excited that he grabbed the remote control after watching Oda finish watching Sailor Moon and randomly pressed the buttons for other programs.

"Huh?" He was suddenly startled. "Yamazaki Akira's Go program hasn't been taken down yet?"

I heard that the ratings for "Hikaru no Go" were very low after it ended.

Surprisingly, it still survived tenaciously.

"The Autumn Go Tournament is about to begin," Yamazaki Akira announced with a sweet smile on the television. "This year's Autumn Go Tournament features popular professional players, including Komitsu Hayashi Kita, who became a professional in 1994. He has now been promoted to professional 3-dan. His record in the previous two years was six wins and two losses, and seven wins and one loss respectively. This year, he may be promoted to professional 4-dan with a perfect record. He is a very strong player. A 9-dan player has publicly stated that Komitsu 3-dan will be the future of the Go world."

Hibiki Higashino admired her greatly, as she could say these things without batting an eye.

I met her in 1993, when she was already a professional 2-dan. Now it's 1996, and she's still a professional 2-dan. Apart from getting older, she hasn't changed at all.

Akira Yamazaki's television program continued, "And also, there's Odagiri, a 1-dan professional Go player who just became a professional player this April. Viewers are probably quite familiar with his nickname, 'The Real-Life Hikaru Shindo.'"

"Odagiri, a first-dan player, performed brilliantly in the spring Otei tournament, showcasing a perfect record of seven wins and one loss..."

Higashino Hibiki covered his forehead when he saw this.

He was too busy with his comic book serialization to pay attention to these things.

Slam Dunk is particularly difficult to draw; it's practically torture.

The exquisite art style and the countless viewers all take a lot of time.

It would take twice the effort of "Hikaru no Go" to complete.

Especially recently, there's been a lot of drama surrounding university leagues. I often have to draw scenes from the matches.

Hibiki Higashino spent most of his time drawing backgrounds.

"If only Slam Dunk were a cosmic basketball anime..." he often remarked.

If the competition could be held in space, there would be no need to draw such a complicated background, and with so many spectators, the muscle lines wouldn't need to be so strict.

However, he only complained a little and continued to work diligently.

Lately, I've only been able to dedicate half an hour each day to exercising, and the rest of my free time is spent drawing.

As a result, Higashino Hibiki hasn't played Go for a long time, and he hasn't had time to follow Go competitions.

He didn't pay any attention to Odagiri.

It is said that he has pinned his hopes on the future of Go, but now Hibiki Higashino has almost forgotten about Go.

Therefore, one cannot have both fish and bear's paw; he can only devote all his energy to comics.

Later on, when I start serializing short comics, I might be able to dominate the amateur Go world.

"I wish I had a cheat system, or even a Stand called 'Heaven's Gate'."

Chapter 154 The Divine Move

Just as Higashino was lost in his daydreams, his cell phone rang.

He looked at it and saw that it was someone he had never called before, Odagiri, whom Yamazaki Akira had just mentioned.

"Hibiki Higashino-sensei, it's been a long time."

His voice was much calmer than before, indicating that he had matured on the path of becoming a professional Go player.

"Long time no see, Odagiri 1st Dan," Hibiki Higashino replied with a smile. "What brings you here to call me?"

At this point, he should seize the time to study his opponent's moves.

“Teacher, you’re really teasing me,” Odagiri said happily. “Actually, I’ve wanted to contact you for a while, but I lost to Komitsu Hayashi Kita 3-dan in the spring Oteai tournament, so I was a little embarrassed, since I was the loser.”

“You’re already very strong,” Hibiki Higashino replied.

Having not played Go for more than half a year, I definitely wouldn't be able to win even a single game in the Grand Tournament.

Every professional Go player has experienced a lot.

Effort, struggle, frustration, despair—finally, he leaped over the dragon gate and became someone who makes a living through Go.

He was more than half a year behind, which was impossible for him to achieve on his own.

He narrowly won his match against Odagiri at the "Yugen no Ma".

But Odagiri is overwhelmingly powerful now.

“The autumn Otei tournament is getting closer and closer, and my mind is getting more and more anxious,” Odagiri continued. “So I’m bothering you, Hibiki-sensei. If you’re interested in Otei, I’ll definitely be motivated.”

Higashino looked up and calculated the time. "Of course, there's no problem."

"That's really too much trouble for you." Odagiri breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Is Hikaru no Go really over? Will there be a sequel, or a professional arc?"

Higashino was taken aback; the fox's tail had been revealed.

He knew it! What professional Go player is so mentally fragile? Turns out, that's where they were waiting for him.

Readers called to urge for more updates, which left Higashino Hibiki somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Yes, yes, there will be a short story of about ten chapters of 'Hikaru no Go' in the future."

A story about AI twenty years from now.

He traveled from the future to the present and learned about the stories of Go and AI.

"That would be wonderful, I can't wait!"

……

A week later, the Grand Tournament officially began.

Hibiki Higashino subscribed to the Go Institute newspaper.

When I checked the next morning, I saw the results of the first match on the second page.

Odagiri 1-dan beats Fujikatsu 2-dan

Kokorin Kita 3-dan beats Hayashi Kenji 1-dan.

Looking at the chess game in the newspaper, Higashino nodded repeatedly.

Odagiri's opening and mid-game play were brilliant; if Hibiki Higashino were to watch, he wouldn't find any weaknesses or opportunities.

"He's really amazing," Higashino Hibiki remarked.

He took out his phone and sent a text message to Odagiri, congratulating him on his victory in the preliminary round.

Not long after, the message came back, a big smiley face.

A month later, Odagiri won four consecutive games.

This young man got a bit cocky. In a text message to Higashino Hibiki, he wrote: "I've been winning too much lately, I don't know what to post anymore."

He's incredibly talented but utterly lacking in morals.

However, just a week later, he faced the biggest challenge of Otei – Komitsu Hayashi Kita 3-dan.

In lower-ranked matches, Komitsu Hayashi could be considered the strongest player. Like Odagiri, he aimed for a perfect record and a "first-class" rating.

Such a game of chess is bound to be very exciting.

Even the TV station started broadcasting live, with two elderly Go players, one a fifth-dan and the other a sixth-dan, providing commentary.

Higashino Hibiki finally had the opportunity to watch a formal Go match live.

Seeing this, Tanaka was very puzzled, "Does Mr. Tori Akino still know how to play Go?"

“You don’t understand,” Oda said smugly. “Back then, you were one of the few who could beat a professional Go player. Some media outlets have said that you are the strongest Go player among manga artists and the best manga artist among Go players.”

"That's amazing," Tanaka said, scratching his head in amazement.

He found it hard to comprehend the significance of beating a professional chess player.

Hibiki Higashino ignored them and focused on watching the live stream.

At the beginning of the game, Odagiri was deep in thought, and it took him five minutes to pick up a stone and make a move.

He then gripped the folding fan tightly, his expression serious.

Higashino Hibiki was speechless; it seemed this game of chess would take all day to play.

He simply couldn't afford to waste a whole day watching such a game of chess.

With the TV on, he said to his assistants, "Let's get to work."

Even as the sun began to set and the day's work was finished, the chess game was still not over.

However, it's already in its final stages.