Full-time comic artist

Gradually, Akemi Akemi's emotions calmed down.

In her heart and before her eyes, there were only comics.

……

Higashino Hibiki imagined the second gathering would be in Ginza, where he would watch the girls perform on stage while the suited big shots chatted backstage and built a champagne tower to show off.

In the end, it turned out to be just a large private karaoke room with beer on the table and more than a dozen people sitting inside.

This immediately disappointed Higashino Hibiki.

He wanted to broaden his horizons, but it turned out to be no different from how he usually entertained clients.

Fortunately, he knew everyone in front of him, so he wasn't reserved.

"How's it like being here for the first time?" Sasaki handed Higashino a slice of watermelon, gesturing for him to relax.

Watermelons aren't sweet in winter, and Higashino shuddered when the flesh touched his teeth.

He glanced at the people in the private room: Sasaki, several other editors from Jump, and writers like Hiroshi Motomiya, Arai, and Kazutoshi Hagiwara. Everyone was still smiling at him.

Hibiki Higashino prefers interacting with these people to executives of large corporations.

He said, "The atmosphere is pretty good."

Sasaki nodded: "That's good."

He finished the watermelon quickly and efficiently, someone went on stage to sing, and several people gathered around to play cards.

Higashino listened to their idle chatter.

……

After everyone got quite drunk, the fun gradually died down. Hiroshi Motomiya checked the time; it was already 2 AM.

"Hmm..." He scratched his head wearily, "It's already this late, let's just forget about it."

He nudged Higashino Hibiki, who was sleeping beside him, with his foot. "Kid, it's time to go home."

Higashino Hibiki opened his sleepy eyes and it took him a while to realize that he was in a karaoke bar.

He stood up, looked at the crowd preparing to leave, and said, "Yes."

The editors hailed a taxi at the entrance, giving each of them directions, and Higashino Hibiki headed alone towards Musashino Art University.

“Hey buddy,” the driver said, glancing at Higashino Hibiki in the rearview mirror, “it must be tough having to socialize so late.”

Higashino Hibiki didn't say anything, but the driver continued, "But a company that can arrange taxis must have pretty good benefits. After all, this isn't the old Japan anymore, so you'd better work hard."

"You're right." Higashino Hibiki rolled down the car window, and the cold wind hit his face, instantly making him feel more awake.

More than three years later, he found himself no longer suited to social situations.

Even when he's at a gathering with people he knows, he still wants some quiet time.

They were in a karaoke room, chatting about manga, the release of collected volumes, embarrassing moments from the past, and industry news. Higashino Hibiki wasn't very interested and drifted off to sleep.

He used to be able to chat and build relationships with clients, but now his emotional intelligence has deteriorated.

The driver asked, "Don't you like parties? You can't survive in Japan if you don't party. If you come home too early every day, your wife will complain about you."

He shook his head, his tone somewhat troubled.

Hibiki Higashino remarked, "Things aren't like they used to be."

He was blessed with the good fortune of a time traveler; although his work was hard, he no longer had the troubles of an ordinary person.

“Yes,” the driver sighed. He subconsciously touched his pocket, but considering Higashino was there, he didn’t take out a cigarette. “When I used to earn 80 yen a month, I had a very high status. But now… sigh.”

He misunderstood Hibiki Higashino's meaning, but it didn't matter.

“If you don’t want to end up like me, you have to conform to the rules of the workplace,” the driver advised Higashino Hibiki. “Otherwise, it will be hard to survive.”

Higashino nodded. "Yes, I've learned something."

The driver continued, "Unless you become a company president or a high-ranking official, you can't escape the Japanese workplace. However,"

He raised his voice, his tone excited yet tinged with envy, "Among our night shift drivers, there's a guy named Dongye whose son became a great writer. If you can be like his son, you can escape the oppressive workplace."

Higashino sighed.

We're almost at Musashino. Seeing his disbelieving look, the driver became even more interested. "You don't believe me? His son earns hundreds of millions of yen a year. He has no worries about food or drink and must be living a very happy life."

The car stopped at the entrance of Musashino, and Hibiki Higashino took out his money and got out of the car, saying, "Even writers have to cater to others."

What makes you say that?

"Because I am the son of Higashino Ichiro."

Smelling of alcohol, Higashino staggered and disappeared from the driver's wide-eyed view.

……

Using the employee key to open the door, Hibiki Higashino strolled through Musashino at night. In winter, even the noise of insects was gone.

All was silent, eerily quiet.

Fortunately, he arrived at the classroom and dormitory soon.

When he saw that the light in his room was still on, Higashino Hibiki quickened his pace and quickly climbed the stairs to the second floor. After a few steps in the corridor, he arrived at the dormitory door, opened the door, and went into the bedroom. Higashino Hibiki saw Akemi Akemi sleeping with her head on the table.

With each breath, her body rose and fell rhythmically. Looking at the "Tezuka Award" trophy on the table, Higashino Hibiki felt a pang of heartache.

He tentatively patted Akemi Akimiya's shoulder and found that she was sleeping soundly, so he carefully picked her up and placed her on the bed in the bedroom, covering her tightly with a blanket.

Looking at Akemi Akemi's peaceful sleeping face, Higashino Hibiki felt a surge of happiness. He took off his coat, lay down next to Akemi Akemi, smelled the scent of shampoo, and placed his hand on her slender belly. After a while, he also quietly fell asleep.

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

The sunlight stung his eyes as Higashino Hibiki finally woke up. Because of the New Year's convention's usual break, he didn't have to rush to draw manga, and today he finally got a good rest, sleeping until he naturally woke up. However, he couldn't go for a morning run.

Looking around, Akemi Akimiya had already disappeared.

Hibiki Higashino got dressed and went to the living room. He sniffed the air and smelled a sweet fragrance.

There was milk and crepes on the table. It seemed that Akemi Akemi had also overslept and hadn't had time to make breakfast.

Akemi Akemi was writing and drawing at her workstation when she heard the noise. She looked up and smiled, asking, "What time did you get home yesterday?"

"Two o'clock," Higashino Hibiki rubbed his head, feeling the pain of a hangover.

Akemi Akemi frowned. "Go wash your face and then come eat breakfast..."

She hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't hold back, "You should come back earlier in the future, so as not to affect your health."

Higashino nodded, but his cell phone rang, interrupting him from what he was about to say.

"Hey, Higashino, you're already up, right?" It was Hiroshi Motomiya.

“Miya-sensei,” Higashino Hibiki glanced at Akemi Akemi and then replied, “I just woke up.”

“I’m glad I didn’t bother you,” Hiroshi Motomiya said. “You can rest this week. How about we go out for a couple of drinks tonight?”

Higashino Hibiki took a deep breath and refused, saying, "I'm sorry, I don't have time. I have to spend time with my girlfriend."

Hiroshi Motomiya was surprised. "Eh? You have a girlfriend? Well, you must be very popular. Never mind then."

He ended the call quickly.

Higashino Hibiki breathed a sigh of relief.

"See, I refused." He shook his phone and said smugly to Akemi Akimiya.

"Go wash up quickly, you smell like alcohol," Akemi Akemi said, covering her nose with a laugh.

Hibiki Higashino took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and had breakfast. Akemi Akemi was still working.

She's started drawing new storyboards again, but the future is uncertain.

Higashino Hibiki felt neglected and nudged her arm. "It's New Year's, take a break."

Akemi Akemi turned to look at Hibiki Higashino: "Don't bother me."

"Let's go for a walk," Higashino Hibiki said.

Akemi Akemi remained unmoved.

"Amusement park?"

"Cinema?"

"Shrine visit?"

Akemi Akemi ignored him.

Until Higashino Hibiki pulled out his trump card, "Let's go see the giant pandas!"

“Okay!” Akemi Akemi stopped writing with her pencil and immediately stood up.

Before Higashino Hibiki could react, she had already put on her coat, walked to the door, and turned back in confusion: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up."

"Giant pandas are truly captivating," Higashino Hibiki said helplessly.

Higashino Hibiki was stunned when he arrived at the zoo he had visited before.

There was a long queue at the entrance of the zoo.

As a result, they didn't win tickets to the panda pavilion and returned home disappointed.

Chapter 167 Animation Release

At 7:00 PM on January 10th, Kazuya Takasugi returned home after playing basketball in the park.

He was eating dinner while watching TV. At seven o'clock, during prime time, his favorite TV program, the rebroadcast of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," was on.

After about ten minutes of television content, it was time for commercials.

This made Kazuya Takasugi lower his head and start eating seriously.

He was so engrossed in the scene where Zhuge Liang debated with the Confucian scholars that he dared not even breathe, afraid of missing any of the exciting moments.

"Kongming is so amazing!" he heard his mother exclaim.

Takasugi was quite surprised that his mother, who usually enjoyed watching soap operas and morning dramas, also liked watching "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," a historical drama.

"And... he's also very handsome..." Takasugi's mother murmured, her hands clasped to her chest.