Full-time comic artist

It cost a total of 38 yen.

The phone bill was 24 yen, plus other miscellaneous expenses.

It's already equivalent to more than a month's salary for an average person, but the main expense is the subsequent phone bill.

If he hadn't been nominated for the Tezuka Award, he really wouldn't have been willing to spend a huge sum of money on a cell phone that could only be used to make calls and had a very poor signal.

Hibiki Higashino had to go back to charge his phone, so he could only carry the bag into Shueisha.

After notifying Sasaki Nao through the front desk, Hibiki Higashino went to room number three to wait.

I heard a sound as I passed by room number two.

"Yeah, it's a mess. I haven't considered what the readers are thinking; I'm just drawing comics based on my own passion..."

Higashino Hibiki subconsciously looked over and saw Torishima Kazuhiko scolding the person who submitted the manuscript.

The other person clenched their fists, lowered their head, and their body was very tense.

Higashino Hibiki felt resentful and frustrated.

“In short, I cannot accept this manuscript.” Torishima Kazuhiko stood up and, under Higashino Hibiki’s incredulous gaze, placed the manuscript, which was the culmination of his hard work, into the shredder.

"Okay, this kind of work should be smashed."

The contributor couldn't take it anymore. He stood up angrily, snatched the manuscript, put it in the shredder, and said to Torishima Kazuhiko, "Next time, I'll produce a work that will satisfy you!"

He rushed out of Room 2, not even glancing at Higashino Hibiki, and left.

Torishima Kazuhiko sighed and looked at Hibiki Higashino.

“He still has great potential and shouldn’t just produce works like this.”

"Mr. Torishima is really strict."

Despite being tormented by him, Akira Toriyama and Masakazu Katsura maintained a good relationship with him and offered their help to V Jump.

People like him are more likely to inspire an author's potential.

……

Torishima Kazuhiko went to work, Higashino Hibiki waited for a while, and then Sasaki arrived.

He greeted them and was just about to sit down.

"Excuse me, I forgot to bring the review report. Please come with me to the editorial office."

"Can I go up too?" Hibiki Higashino asked with a hint of anticipation.

This is the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Jump, the place where countless classic works were born.

He had been curious about this for a long time.

"Of course it's okay, there were even elementary school students visiting last week."

Sasaki received a name tag with "guest" printed on it at the front desk and handed it to Hibiki Higashino.

This was the guest's idea. Higashino Hibiki pinned it to his chest and eagerly took the elevator to the second floor.

The elevator doors opened, much to his delight.

Right in front of the elevator entrance is a huge pile of posters and standees!

Jotaro Kujo in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Kakarot with the Kamehameha, and Seiya and Kenshiro from Saint Seiya!

Each character strikes a pose, exuding passion and excitement.

Higashino was overwhelmed by the choices and didn't know where to look.

He gaped open, stunned.

"Please come this way."

Hearing Sasaki's words, he snapped out of his daze and followed after him.

"People who come here for the first time are often startled when they get out of the elevator."

After walking down the long corridor, Sasaki stopped at a doorway. "This is it."

He pushed open the door, and immediately a noisy commotion came out.

At first glance, the interior is several hundred square meters, yet it doesn't feel empty at all.

The desk was filled with workbenches, and cardboard boxes were piled up next to it, all containing office documents and photocopied drafts. The space was being utilized to the fullest, making it feel somewhat crowded.

Besides these, the place was bustling with noise. There were people making phone calls, communicating with each other, and the sound of photocopiers printing.

People come and go in the aisle, walking hurriedly.

It was a lively scene.

Although it's all for work, the sight of them working so hard, and thinking of the comics that bring joy, evokes a feeling of warmth and emotion.

"This is the Jump editorial department."

As Higashino Hibiki sighed, Sasaki Hisashi arrived with the reviewers' comments. He led Higashino Hibiki to a table and chairs in the corner, and they began discussing the short story "Hikaru no Go".

“Even if we are selected, there are still many issues to discuss.” He held up the opinion form and said to Hibiki Higashino, “The judges are Akira Toriyama, Masanori Morita, Buronson, Tezuka Productions, Nobuhiko Horie, editor-in-chief of Jump, and Kazuhiko Torishima, editor-in-chief of V Jump.”

"Analyze from multiple aspects such as drawing skills, composition skills, and script."

He paused, then looked up at Higashino Hibiki.

Higashino nodded. "Yes, I'm listening."

"The artwork in 'Hikaru no Go' is fine, and most people gave it a score of 5. The judge who gave it a score of 4 was only considering that you are still a high school student and have potential, so he deliberately deducted a point to prevent you from being satisfied."

Sasaki handed the review report to Hibiki Higashino.

Higashino Hibiki took it and found that almost everyone was in this category, so he circled them.

Everyone has passed this.

The rating system is based on a 5-point scale, with 5 points and 4 points evenly split across all categories, and no 3 points at all.

It looks like a very impressive report.

There's just one downside: many of the 4-point ratings are for the script.

He looked up and glanced at Sasaki with a puzzled expression.

"You've noticed it too, haven't you? The manga artists all gave the script a 5 out of 10, while the editor-in-chief and the company staff gave it a 4 out of 10," Sasaki pointed out. "The manga artists care about the plot. The editor-in-chief and the others are more focused on profits."

"The short story doesn't have the style of Jump; it simply tells a complete story of regret."

"Although the protagonist has special abilities, he exists entirely for Fujiwara no Sai."

"A protagonist with such weak consciousness, who is like a tool, does not fit Jump's requirements for a distinctive and unconventional personality."

Higashino Hibiki was initially quite pleased with himself after reading the feedback form.

He drew Torajiro, a character from the background of "Hikaru no Go," into a short story, which achieved great success.

This gave him a sense of accomplishment, like, "Hey, I can draw comics too."

After being advised by Sasaki, he immediately calmed down.

Torajiro's personality was created by Hibiki Higashino, and thus became a flaw.

He has a serious lack of respect for serialized comics.

"Being nominated for the Tezuka Award is just a newcomer award, what's there to be complacent about!"

Even if you stand out from the crowd of chickens, you're still just a chicken, not a phoenix.

Chapter 31 will be serialized soon.

“So now we need a charismatic protagonist,” Hibiki Higashino nodded.

In the original "Hikaru no Go," Hikaru Shindo, inspired by Go players like Akira Touya and Kouhiro Touya, also developed a love for Go.

The focused expressions on their faces while playing chess filled Hikaru Shindo with admiration.

Only then did he embark on the path of enrolling as an in-house student and taking the exam to become a professional Go player.

Hikaru Shindo abandoned Fujiwara no Sai's extraordinary Go skills and chose to play Go on his own.

Isn't he a qualified protagonist?

Hibiki Higashino then reveals the subsequent plot.

Sasaki was surprised. He looked up and stared intently at Higashino Hibiki, realizing once again the extent of this man's genius.

The progress is too fast.

That's inhuman!

He adjusted his glasses. "Yes, that's it. You're already good enough. Now all you need to do is prepare for the serialization."

“Actually, that’s why I came here,” Higashino Hibiki said.

He handed Sasaki the three-chapter manuscript he had prepared, saying, "Please take a look."

Sasaki took the manuscript, pulled it out, and remained silent.

"Did you finish drawing it so quickly?"

Higashino nodded.

“You are perfectly capable of handling weekly serializations.” Sasaki exclaimed, “You can just draw the characters yourself and have your assistant draw the rest, which can shorten the time by a quarter.”

He then looked at the original manuscript, and after a while, a smile appeared on his lips. "A high school serialization is not impossible."

……

After saying goodbye to Sasaki, Hibiki Higashino returned to his dormitory with a big smile.

It was lunchtime, and I saw everyone in the front yard with charcoal, a grill, and ingredients on the table.

Hibiki Higashino chimed in, "It's barbecue! Is today some kind of special day?"

“Takagi-senpai was recommended by the school to take the University of Tokyo entrance exam, and she has already been accepted,” Yoshii Yamahisa explained to Higashino Hibiki.

"Eh!" Higashino Hibiki exclaimed in surprise, looking at Takagi Kiko who was slumped over and not sitting properly. "You really can't judge a book by its cover!"

"Higashino!" Kiko Takagi stood up abruptly and shouted, "What do you mean by this?!"