Full-time comic artist

"Huh?" Akemi Akemi was shocked.

"One million! No! Five million is still possible!"

“You’ve misunderstood,” Akemi Akemi quickly said. “By borrowing the story of Manoyama, I would like to ask for permission; I don’t need to contribute any funds.”

"Sure! Of course! Mrs. Higashino, you're such a kind person!" Chairman Kadota thanked her, then muttered under his breath, "I thought I'd have to pay for the advertisement..."

……

Higashino Hibiki, wrapped in a bathrobe, walked out of the bathroom.

"Let's fight to our hearts' content!"

Looking up, I saw Akemi Akemi wielding her brush.

She lowered her head and said quickly, "Don't bother me. I'm in good shape right now. If you still have the energy, come and be my assistant."

"Ha...ha...okay..." Higashino Hibiki, wearing a bathrobe, shivered.

……

The following day, Akemi Akimiya and the tourism association signed a formal agreement.

She has no more worries.

A few days later, the Shueisha New Year's Party was held as scheduled.

This time, Akemi Akemi still did not accompany Hibiki Higashino to the event.

She was full of confidence: "I will definitely go to next year's New Year's party!"

She wanted to be known as the manga artist Akemi Akemi, not Akemi Higashino, or rather, Akemi Tori's assistant.

After dark, Hibiki Higashino arrived at the familiar hotel.

"That's so convenient."

The same place, the same decor, nothing has changed for years.

The person in charge today is Sasaki, and he seems exceptionally busy.

Hibiki Higashino thought that perhaps Kazuhiko Torishima was training Takashi Sasaki to take over his position as editor-in-chief.

However, he also remembered that the next editor-in-chief of Torishima Kazuhiko was editor Takahashi Toshimasa.

"It must be my fault." He stroked his chin and nodded smugly.

"What's your reason?" Sasaki asked, taking a break from his busy schedule to come over to Higashino Hibiki's side.

"That's a good thing," Higashino Hibiki replied with a smile.

Takahashi Toshimasa won't die suddenly from his work as editor-in-chief, and Sasaki will be able to get promoted early and realize his ambitions.

Higashino Hibiki was acting mysteriously, but Sasaki didn't mind. He introduced the person next to him, "This is Soma Ichiro, the manga artist I started working with when I first became an editor."

Higashino looked over and saw that the other person was wearing round black-rimmed glasses, had a thin face, stubble, and a gentle and refined demeanor. He looked to be in his thirties.

"Hello, Mr. Toriakino, I am Ichiro Soma. Your manga is very interesting and I have learned a lot from it."

"Hello, Mr. Soma."

Hibiki Higashino shook hands with him.

Sasaki saw that the two of them had started chatting, so he went back to his work.

It's my birthday today, so I'm taking a day off.

Once I have an excuse, I don't want to write anymore.

(ó﹏ò。)

Chapter 246 Cruel

I was meeting Mr. Soma and Hibiki Higashino for the first time, but I had a very good impression of him. He was the kind of person who drew manga in a down-to-earth manner.

He has a somewhat shy personality and doesn't like to speak proactively.

Higashino Hibiki chatted with him for a while and learned about Soma Ichiro's situation.

He started working hard to become a comic artist in high school, and in 90, he finally drew a comic that was adapted into an anime called "Space Railway Heroes". However, it didn't gain popularity and was canceled.

"Space Railroad Heroes!" someone exclaimed excitedly beside me.

Hibiki Higashino and Ichiro Soma looked over and saw that it was Morimichi Yamamura.

The three people's eyes met. Yamamura suppressed his surprise and awkwardly crossed his arms, turning his head to the side, and explained, "I wasn't eavesdropping. I just happened to hear it here. It was your voices that reached my ears."

Soma didn't mind and greeted the mountain village with a smile.

"You're Ichiro Soma, the author of 'Space Railway Heroes'! I really love this manga. The protagonist's spirit of never giving up despite repeated defeats is truly inspiring." Yamamura said enthusiastically, then sighed, "It's just a pity that it was canceled in 93."

That was before Hibiki Higashino's "Hikaru no Go" started serialization, no wonder Higashino had no recollection of it.

Yamamura Morimichi was truly a man of few words, but Mr. Soma didn't seem to care. He said with a wry smile, "That was in November of '93. It was snowing, the air was freezing, and your breath was clearly visible. My fingertips were numb with cold. When Editor Sasaki informed me of the cut, my heart was colder than my fingertips. Haha, ha..."

He made a joke about himself and laughed, but when he saw that Higashino Hibiki and Yamamura Morimichi were not laughing along, his laughter grew softer and softer.

Higashino Hibiki breathed a sigh of relief. He was really worried about the timing of Soma's cancellation, which was on Christmas Day, December 25th. That's when "Hikaru no Go" passed the serialization meeting. Fortunately, it had nothing to do with him.

“Soma-san,” Yamamura asked, “you haven’t drawn any more manga since then? I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

Soma's smile froze. "I'm sorry, after 'Space Railway Heroes' was canceled, I didn't get another chance to serialize it. That's true, six years have passed, and I still haven't written a manga that satisfies the editorial department. Ha...haha...ha..."

Yamamura quickly bowed, "I should apologize! I'm sorry! I was presumptuous!"

The more he acted this way, the more embarrassed Soma became.

Higashino tried to smooth things over, saying, "Space Railway Hero? I'll take a look."

Soma breathed a sigh of relief, "There's a huge gap between his work and that of Tori Akino-kun."

Shancun nodded in agreement, "That's true."

The air fell silent again.

The three of them stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Higashino Hibiki couldn't take it anymore and left.

……

The waiters at the New Year's party wore red uniforms and moved around the lobby.

Hibiki Higashino walked through the crowd to a corner and began to enjoy the tranquility amidst the noise.

Not long after, a handsome man in a red suit came up to Higashino Hibiki with two glasses of champagne.

"Thank you," Higashino Hibiki accepted the glass, walked to the sofa next to him as if no one else was there, sat down, and slowly began to drink.

"Huh?" The newcomer was stunned.

He then walked up to Higashino Hibiki.

"Is there anything else?" Higashino asked.

He introduced himself, "I am Takeshi Konomi, and my manga 'The Prince of Tennis' is currently being serialized. Hello, Mr. Akino Tori."

Higashino Hibiki paused for a moment, then quickly put down the champagne in his hand and apologized, "I'm sorry, it was me..."

He mistook Takeshi Konomi for a waiter.

This is all the fault of the village chief!

I've been infected by his stupidity genes.

Xu Fei glanced at his red suit, unconcerned. "It's nothing, just a coincidence."

Higashino Hibiki breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and shook hands with him. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. 'The Prince of Tennis' is a sports-themed manga, and I've been reading it for a while. It's very interesting."

For a period of time after Slam Dunk ended, The Prince of Tennis was the most popular manga.

Takeshi Konomi took a different approach; he's a genius.

“I’m glad you think that way,” Takeshi Konomi laughed.

He said with relief, "Actually, when 'The Prince of Tennis' first started serialization, I was already competing with Akino Tori's manga. But I found that 'Millennium Actress' is a milestone manga. I am still far from the level of the master, and I have benefited a lot from it."

"Mr. Tori Akino, could you please give me some pointers on manga?"

Higashino lowered his head, thought for a while, and said, "Take more rest. Health is more important than career. That's all."

"Eh... thank you!" Takeshi Konomi bowed in surprise and apologized.

……

The New Year's party officially began, with editor Yahagi as the host. After the chairman of Shueisha took the stage, Sasaki gave a speech, summarizing Jump's work.

Kazuhiko Torishima stood aside and applauded Sasaki.

More than an hour later, the New Year's party ended, and everyone was free to do their own thing and chat together.

Several people from Toei Animation Studios found Hibiki Higashino and walked towards him, while director Kaede Inoue stood to the side with a suppressed expression.

When Torishima Kazuhiko saw this, he stopped them.

"The end of Slam Dunk is an unchangeable reality," Kazuhiko Torishima told the executives at Toei. "So please don't bother Mr. Torishino."

Someone in the higher-ups asked anxiously, "Chief Editor-in-Chief Torishima, Slam Dunk has only just entered the national tournament, how can it end so quickly? There's still so much content that could be drawn. Just like Dragon Ball back then."

He craned his neck to look at Higashino Hibiki, who shook his head.

Torishima Kazuhiko firmly stated, "I promised him that he would decide when to end it."

The Toei executives looked grim. "You'll regret this!"

Inside the New Year's party venue, the arguing gradually grew louder, attracting the attention of many people who looked over with curious expressions.

"What happened?" Yamamura asked Akimoto Osamu beside him.

Akimoto Osamu shook his head slightly; even someone as experienced as him didn't understand.

Yamamura looked at Higashino Hibiki and wondered, "What happened?"

"Could it be that Akino Tori is dissatisfied with the Slam Dunk anime?"