Full-time comic artist

Asahina had to put down her chopsticks and shook her head. "I've already contacted him, but Higashino-kun has to work."

Gao Xueji nodded dejectedly, "Oh."

Asahina waited a while and, seeing that she didn't ask any more questions, continued to put the Mapo Tofu to her mouth.

"Isn't Jump on hiatus next week?" Amano asked from the side.

Asahina sighed silently, feeling helpless. "I don't know either."

“Hmm,” Amano nodded thoughtfully.

No one bothered her anymore. Asahina smelled the spicy aroma of Mapo Tofu, and her eyes narrowed with happiness.

"Is it about 'Hiyori'? Or has Tori Akino-sensei come up with a new idea?" Ozawa adjusted his glasses, looking like he would do his best.

Asahina stared wide-eyed, put down her chopsticks, and quietly watched them.

……

Hibiki Higashino's teachers' dormitory.

"Tori Akino-sensei," Oda said with a long face as he entered the studio, "wasn't this week a break?"

He was finally free from posting online ads, so he planned to take advantage of the holiday to go out and explore, and maybe even pray to the gods for inspiration.

He had another wish: it would be even better if he could find a girlfriend who was as tall as a model.

Oda, who was just thinking about these things, was unexpectedly called to the studio again.

This person in front of me is working way too hard; he can't sit still for a moment. Oda pursed his lips, sounding as annoyed as if he were listening to a student taking extra classes during the holidays.

Hibiki Higashino was also helpless; Akemi Akimiya, who had no pandas to read, insisted on coming back to continue drawing manga.

Hibiki Higashino had to start ahead of schedule, following a plan that had been running in his mind for a long time.

“I’m planning to draw a short manga,” Hibiki Higashino replied. “There were some plot points left unresolved during the serialization of Hikaru no Go, and I want to draw them all in the short story.”

"Hikaru no Go?" Oda's interest was piqued. Hikaru no Go was the first serialized manga he had ever worked on. "What are you going to draw?"

Higashino Hibiki took out the storyboard and handed it to him.

Oda took over; these storyboards totaled about two hundred pages, covering 10 chapters.

He glanced at Higashino Hibiki, wondering when the other had finished it.

Anyway, he didn't see it while he was working.

Looks like he's been up all night again, Oda shook his head.

The short manga series "Hikaru no Go" is titled "The Great Revolution in Go," which piqued Oda's interest. What kind of story is it? It can be described as a great revolution.

So, out of curiosity, he started watching.

Above the storyboard, there are also several character design illustrations.

"Huh?" Oda was taken aback, but didn't say anything and continued watching.

Twenty minutes later, he finally finished reading the short story of "Hikaru no Go".

“The style is the same as before,” Oda said admiringly. “The tense and exciting game, the dramatic plot, and the final climax. Although the main character’s design has changed, the core is still the same.”

"If there are no problems, let's get started," Higashino Hibiki said with a smile, rubbing his wrist.

……

After the New Year, the students of the Japan Go Association returned to school.

Shinoda, a fourth-dan player, sat in the courtyard. The cherry blossom tree was now just a bare branch, but he didn't care. He sat quietly, closing his eyes to rest.

He suddenly heard a commotion coming from the chess academy classroom and frowned.

Shinoda, a fourth-dan player, stood up and went inside. "Instead of practicing properly, you're chatting so loudly. I could hear you all the way down the hallway."

"Teacher, Odagiri 2nd Dan is here!"

He heard excited shouts.

Shinoda looked over and, sure enough, it was Odagiri.

He was carrying a bunch of folding fans, each bearing the signature of a top Go player, such as Hideo Otake and Masaki Takemiya.

Odagiri was handing them out to the students one by one.

Shinoda, with his sharp eyes, also noticed the name of Tori Akino on these folding fans.

No wonder the students were shouting excitedly.

However, when compared to top-tier Go players, Tori Akino's calligraphy signature looks rather lackluster.

It was as rough as the branches of a cherry blossom tree.

"Odagiri, two pieces." Shinoda immediately smiled.

Odagiri was a student he exceptionally admitted to the insei school, because he valued Odagiri's future. Sure enough, his talent was fully displayed, and he was undoubtedly a rising star in the Go world.

During his regular lectures, he would always mention Odagiri and encourage the students to learn from him.

"Shinoda-sensei, I'm back." Odagiri smiled.

They went to the office so as not to disturb the students from continuing their studies.

Odagiri looked around, "Where did the teacher hide the manga magazine?"

Shinoda, a fourth-dan player, was taken aback, then coughed awkwardly twice. "You all knew?"

“Of course, but no one said it out loud,” Odagiri replied. “We used to often see the teacher secretly reading comics, but we didn’t dare to say it.”

He looked around, but surprisingly, he couldn't find Jump.

Shinoda picked up a stool and placed it next to Odagiri. After filling two glasses with water, he sat down at his desk and handed one to Odagiri.

He said, "I don't read manga anymore. After all, the only manga I'm interested in is 'Hikaru no Go'."

Odagiri nodded, "Actually, I feel the same way. Akino-sensei's new manga is more popular, but I'm not into basketball manga."

He used to like it a lot.

After becoming a professional Go player, he gave up most of his personal interests and hobbies, focusing all his energy on Go, which led to his current skill level.

Shinoda, a fourth-dan player, nodded. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "There seems to be a rumor that Tori Akino-sensei will release a short story based on 'Hikaru no Go.' I wonder when that will be."

“The teacher said it would be at the beginning of the year,” Odagiri replied. “I’ve been looking forward to it.”

"I'll keep an eye on it too," Shinoda said with a smile.

The two of them brought out a Go board and started playing, and Odagiri won.

Just two years ago, he was still a student, but now his opponent has easily defeated him. Shinoda doesn't know whether to feel more gratified or bitter.

……

countryside.

"Today we're going to talk about the most basic knowledge of Go," Xiaochun said, standing on the podium. He was still burly and his voice was loud. "Ko."

He was speaking from above, and the students below listened attentively. They were all 5 or 6 years old and were there to learn Go.

More than a year has passed, and Xiaochun has adapted to his new life. Without the hustle and bustle of the metropolis of Tokyo, his heart has calmed down, and he is able to communicate better with his students.

Half an hour later, the class ended, and the students went out to stretch their legs.

Xiaochun was drinking water on the teacher's desk, and half of her tall, thin body peeked out from outside the classroom door.

"Teacher Xiaochun, let's play a game of basketball. Teacher Gutian and the others are all here, we're just missing you."

The other party was Lin Yifu, a newly arrived Go teacher, who was only 24 years old. This lowered the average age of teachers at the rural Go academy.

Xiaochun quickly put down her cup. "Coming right away."

The basketball court in the countryside is just a cement surface with two basketball hoops. It can't be said that they cut corners, but it can also be said that they did a perfunctory job.

But that's how it is in the countryside; you just have to make do.

When we arrived at the basketball court, all the other teachers were there, warming up and getting a feel for the game by dribbling basketballs.

Many little kids were watching the spectacle from the side.

Xiaochun couldn't help but smile; this was a scene he couldn't see from Tokyo.

“Teacher Xiaochun,” Lin Yifu patted him on the back, “take off your coat, otherwise your down jacket will get a hole, and your wife will scold you again.”

Xiaochun's face turned pale. "I'm not afraid of her."

Even so, he obediently took off his coat and put it aside.

……

After a thrilling match, Lin Yifu wiped away his sweat, let out a long sigh of relief, and relaxed.

"Luckily, there are people playing basketball in the countryside, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do."

Xiaochun lifted her coat, dusted it off, and said, "You really love playing basketball."

“Yes,” Lin Yifu nodded, “I watched Slam Dunk.”

He said excitedly, "You have no idea how popular basketball is in Tokyo right now. There aren't enough hoops, so we can only play half-court basketball."

"Is it the influence of 'Slam Dunk'?" Xiaochun exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Yifu nodded. "Mm."

"That kid Higashino is really outrageous," Xiaochun exclaimed.

After finishing "Hikaru no Go", his career reached new heights.

And just like "Hikaru no Go", it influenced many people to fall in love with basketball.

It's like a terrifying meme, "infecting" everyone who knows what's in their brain with what's inside their head.

"Higashino?" Lin Yifu asked, puzzled.

“Oh, it’s Tori Akino Mirai,” Koharu explained.

The two walked back to the office and overheard their conversation. The older teacher, Gu Tian, ​​pointed at Xiao Chun and said with a smile, "You're new here, so you don't know anything about Teacher Xiao Chun's past, do you?"

Xiaochun covered her forehead. Here it comes again. This old teacher always likes to tell his stories to see other people's surprised expressions.

Beneath that gentle, wrinkled face lurked a few mischievous quirks.