Full-time comic artist

"Tori Akino-sensei, welcome back." Tanaka stood up and nodded in greeting when he saw Higashino Hibiki.

“Yes, I’m back,” Hibiki Higashino said.

The air conditioning was on in the room. He took off his coat and then told the others, "We have guests arriving in a little while."

This is also why Higashino Hibiki was in a hurry to go home.

Upon hearing this, Tanaka stood up awkwardly and opened his mouth.

After a while, he said, "I'll take my leave now, I'm sorry to have bothered you, teacher."

Hibiki Higashino didn't stop him, watching the socially awkward man leave.

Oda clicked his tongue, feeling somewhat lonely at Tanaka's departure.

However, he didn't care and continued watching "Sailor Moon".

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

Higashino went to open the door.

"Long time no see, Toriakino-kun!" the man greeted him casually. "You seem to have gotten stronger."

“I’ve been working out lately,” Higashino Hibiki said with a smile. “Long time no see, Yamazaki 2nd Dan.”

Akira Yamazaki's lips pursed. "Don't add the 'second stage' suffix..."

Recently, Odagiri, who had just become a professional 1-dan player in the spring, has been promoted to 2-dan.

He won all eight of his matches in the fall tournament and received a first-class rating, which many people have been joking about with Akira Yamazaki lately.

She's been a professional Go player for ten years and is still only a second dan; the younger generation is about to surpass her.

Especially for Akira Yamazaki's viewers, the letters they submitted were like torture to her.

They said she was going to fall behind the times.

Therefore, Akira Yamazaki was very resistant when he heard the words "second stage".

Higashino chuckled to himself. Back then, Yamazaki Akira had been relentlessly tormenting him, a novice. Now that Odagiri had returned the favor, he felt a sense of satisfaction, as if his apprentice had avenged him.

"Aren't you wearing that orange coat anymore? And your long, straight black hair is gone too." Higashino Hibiki looked at her white down jacket and single ponytail, and said with a hint of disappointment, even though it was a very interesting look.

"If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all," Yamazaki Akira gritted his teeth. "So many people say I look like a pecan, how awful!"

Higashino Hibiki smiled and didn't say anything more. Yamazaki Akira walked into the studio, greeted Akemi Akemi, and then looked at Oda.

"Oda-kun, it's been a long time."

"Long time no see, Yamazaki-san." Oda nodded.

Just then, the transformation animation of Sailor Moon began on TV.

Akira Yamazaki's expression froze, and she curled her lip in disgust, "Watching this kind of work that only children watch..."

"Adults like watching Sailor Moon too," Oda retorted. "Do you know how hard the Sailor Guardians work to protect the Earth and thwart the ambitions of the Dark Empire?"

"Tsk, tsk," Yamazaki Akira shook his head disdainfully, turning his head away and ignoring Oda.

Oda was furious, gritting his teeth.

“I happen to be off today,” Higashino Hibiki said, itching to play a game of Go.

“Of course,” Yamazaki Akira nodded.

Akemi Akemi brought out a Go board and placed it right between the two of them. Then, without leaving, she knelt down and quietly watched.

She watched Higashino Hibiki intently playing Go, his thoughtful expression captivating, and lost track of time.

Before long, Higashino Hibiki's expression turned serious. He frowned and seemed to be in a dilemma.

More than an hour later, Higashino Hibiki put down his chess piece and said, "I lost."

Akira Yamazaki's style has changed. He used to focus more on artistic conception and aesthetics, but now he has become more pragmatic. Although the shapes of his stones are no longer beautiful, the strength he demonstrates has reached a new level.

"Sigh." Yamazaki Akira wasn't happy at all; instead, he let out a long sigh.

“I knew it.” She shook her head and explained, “With the rise of Go in China and South Korea, Japan is no longer a match for us. I’ve also started to learn their style, abandoning the emphasis on the spirit of Go and choosing a more rational approach to playing.”

Changing your habits is a difficult thing to do.

Moreover, it's a level that was reached only after a lot of effort and hard work, so one would feel extremely unwilling to accept it.

Higashino fell silent. As expected, an amateur Go player like him couldn't keep up with the latest trends and was unknowingly abandoned by the times.

Akemi Akemi felt a pang of sympathy, but she didn't say anything and quietly stayed by his side.

"If you don't change, you'll be eliminated. That's true for every industry," Hibiki Higashino said after a long silence.

The same applies to Go. In the future, players will have to rely on AI to learn Go.

“Yes,” Yamazaki Akira nodded.

Silence fell over the room. Higashino Hibiki had also lost interest. He asked, "Ms. Yamazaki, is there something you need? Please speak frankly."

Akira Yamazaki chuckled awkwardly, “According to Odagiri, the Go player, there will be a short story series called ‘Hikaru no Go’ by Tori Akino-sensei.”

Her popularity is declining sharply, and the show is on the verge of being canceled. If there is a short episode of "Hikaru no Go", she can ride the wave of popularity again.

Moreover, Akira Yamazaki really liked "Hikaru no Go," and she poured her heart and soul into this work.

Hibiki Higashino replied, "Of course, the timeframe should be early next year."

"So soon?" Yamazaki Akira was pleasantly surprised. "Then I'll wait patiently."

She asked Hibiki Higashino, "Is it the story of Sai during the Heian period? Or is it a story of war between China, Japan, and Korea?"

Hibiki Higashino shook his head. "It's related to artificial intelligence. When Sai transformed into Sai, the foreshadowing I planted was not retracted."

"I see," Yamazaki Akira nodded, somewhat bewildered. "Do we need the Go Association's support?"

Hibiki Higashino refused: "The way AI works will be different from what it is now. I need to innovate."

Akira Yamazaki couldn't understand how this could be considered innovative. Would readers accept it?

It would be a big problem if it damaged the rigorous style of "Hikaru no Go".

She suddenly became worried that Tori Akino would suffer a major setback.

"We'll see about the future then," Hibiki Higashino replied.

……

At eight o'clock in the morning, Yamamura Morimichi met Kikuchi Shumei.

They've been watching basketball games together a lot lately, and today is no exception—the Tokyo finals are about to begin!

The trial to determine the strongest team in Tokyo during the preliminary rounds will take place today.

and……

Kikuchi Hidemi said cheerfully, "I'm so happy to hear that Tori Akino-sensei will be there too!"

Yamamura Morimichi responded, "Mhm."

“Yamamura-san,” Kikuchi Hidemi looked at him with concern, “have you not been getting enough rest lately? You look terrible.”

"Thank you for your concern, but it's nothing," Shancun felt a warmth in his heart.

He recently started drawing the original manuscript.

Because he insisted on doing the original artwork himself, the editor, although he appreciated his storyboarding, did not think that a mountain villager's drawing skills were up to the task of being a cartoonist.

The mountain village decided to show him the results of his more than six months of hard work as a genius.

So when I work harder at night, it seems like I'm in a "sudden death" style.

"Why don't you take a break and not watch the game?"

"Today, Akino Tori will be our guest. Haven't you been looking forward to this for a long time?"

"These two things cannot be compared; of course, your health is more important."

“No problem,” Yamamura said, though he didn’t show it on his face. He nodded. “I’m used to it.”

He used to be like this when he ran out of ideas for his novels and couldn't sleep for nights on end.

“That’s how it is in our line of work,” he said.

To stop Kikuchi Hidemi from continuing, Yamamura parked the car and led her towards the stadium.

……

"Tori Akino-sensei, thank you for your help."

The staff guided Higashino Hibiki to a seat in the VIP section next to the basketball court, saying, "The game will continue in 20 minutes, we apologize for taking up your time."

“It’s alright,” Higashino Hibiki replied, “No need to be so polite.”

He arrived an hour ago, signed autographs for many people, and then came here after the organizers explained the process.

After the staff apologized and left, a tall man arrived shortly afterward, who looked to be 190 centimeters tall, half a head taller than Higashino Hibiki.

Higashino stood up, and the other person warmly shook hands with him: "You must be Mr. Tori Akino, I've been looking forward to this meeting for a long time."

He introduced himself as Takehiko Orimo, a Japanese professional basketball player who plays for Toyota Motor Corporation.

"Hello." Hibiki Higashino shook hands with him. "Mirai Toriakino, manga artist."

This was one of the few people Hibiki Higashino knew, and he learned about him in 2020 when Takehiko Orimo retired.

That's right, it was 2020. Takehiko Orimo was active in the basketball world until he was 49 years old, a living fossil-like figure.

He has the same heart as Mitsui Hisashi, loves basketball, and wants to play basketball.

"Thank you so much for getting so many young people into basketball," Takehiko Orimo said gratefully. "If this continues, there's hope of defeating the Chinese basketball team!"

In 1996, Chinese football was very strong, so the beginning of "Captain Tsubasa: World Youth Edition" featured "the powerful Chinese team".

Their basketball performance was even more impressive; they reached the quarterfinals of the same year's Olympics, making them the undisputed pinnacle of Asian basketball.

Asian basketball teams all want to beat the Chinese basketball team.

"It will be very difficult, almost zero," Higashino Hibiki bluntly stated. According to his understanding, the Chinese men's basketball team has always been a powerhouse in Asia and is in the first tier.

Japan is far behind.

"Of course I know," Takehiko Orimo said with a wry smile, "but we must still hold onto hope."