Full-time comic artist

"I'll take you there; it's right near the store I'm going to."

One should always be wary of others. "I'm very grateful to you, but all you need to do is give me directions."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly realized.

“Never mind then,” he said, getting off the motorcycle and pushing it. “It’s only about 100 meters. I’ll lead you there.”

Higashino Hibiki didn't want to trouble others too much, as the motorcycle wasn't lightweight and was too heavy for a small girl to lift.

"Why are you being so polite!" He laughed heartily and patted Higashino Hibiki on the back.

"Then I shall respectfully comply," Higashino Hibiki could only say.

If you find yourself in a secluded alley, turn around and run.

It's only a little over 100 meters, there shouldn't be any problem.

"Young man, what are you going to do?"

Hibiki Higashino answered truthfully, "See the manga editor."

He gaped in surprise. "No way! He looks like a high school student, but he's already a manga artist?"

Hibiki Higashino shook his head. "I just participated in the Weekly Shonen Jump monthly awards."

“Weekly Shonen Jump,” the burly man looked up and sighed, “I used to love reading that manga magazine, especially Dragon Ball!”

He got more and more excited as he talked, and if he didn't have to push the motorcycle, he would have loved to do a Kamehameha wave.

On a whim, he suddenly said, "If you ever create a work in the future, please include me in it. My name is Xiaochun."

Higashino agreed, "If possible."

"Yes, we can do it! We definitely can!" He looked at Higashino Hibiki with bright, determined eyes. "Now that we've made up our minds, we must give it our all and forge ahead! We must have the unwavering belief that one day we will definitely be able to serialize this story!"

Higashino Hibiki could only nod.

This was, after all, the original owner's dream, and how to proceed would depend on future developments.

However, having the ability to draw is also a good way to create comics.

Popular cartoonists can earn a fortune every year.

I've heard that authors like Akira Toriyama or Eiichiro Oda pay hundreds of millions of yen in taxes every year.

It's absolutely terrifying.

It captivated Higashino Hibiki's heart and soul.

Xiaochun stopped talking after a short while.

He pointed in the direction, which was the "pole pole" sign.

"Now that we've arrived, it's time for me to retire gracefully. Goodbye." Xiaochun pointed lightly with his index and middle fingers together.

Higashino bowed deeply. "Thank you very much."

"Don't be so polite." He walked toward another shop, his back to Higashino Hibiki, and said.

Higashino saw that it was next to "Pole Pole," with a sign that looked like a Go board and read "Go Club."

"This middle-aged man actually knows how to play Go!"

Hibiki Higashino, who had been calm all along, gaped in shock.

However, he did indeed enter the club.

The receptionist greeted him warmly; it seemed they were old acquaintances.

The sound of pieces being placed came from inside the shop.

They were all elderly people, their faces beaming with smiles, completely out of place with the atmosphere outside.

Hearing this sound, Higashino Hibiki calmed down and entered the "pole pole" next to him.

This used to be a family restaurant. When I walked in, I told the staff that I had an appointment, and then I saw someone stand up and wave.

"It must be Higashino-kun."

Higashino looked over and saw a man with an afro, small eyes, and pursed lips waving at him.

He doesn't act like a Japanese person at all; he speaks loudly in public, doesn't care about other people's opinions, and is quite self-centered.

Higashino Hibiki walked over and extended his hand to him.

The two shook hands and then sat down.

"It really is Higashino-kun. I'm Torishima Kazuhiko," the other person introduced himself and said with a smile, "You really are a high school student. I thought you just filled it out randomly. But I invited you here because I thought if it's true, then I'll have made a profit."

He spoke these words very frankly and also complimented Higashino Hibiki.

As a high school student, being recognized by the editor in this way must be very exciting.

"Thank you," Hibiki Higashino simply nodded.

This nonchalant attitude surprised Torishima Kazuhiko. He looked at the menu on the wall and waved to the waiter, "Please give me a tonkotsu ramen."

The waiter responded, "Yes!"

"What do you want? Don't be shy, it's on me." He patted his chest.

"Please give me a plate of fried rice," Hibiki Higashino said to the waiter.

"Yes."

As the waiter left, Torishima Kazuhiko looked at the innocent Hibiki Higashino with great surprise.

He doesn't seem like a high school student at all; he's more like a numb laborer.

He's muddle-headed, shameless, and shows absolutely no humility.

"Can someone like that draw interesting comics? As expected, 'The War Between Gods and Humans' only has good drawing skills."

He thought about it.

Suddenly, a sense of unease arose. Under the light, the other person's face appeared somewhat sinister, dark and terrifyingly numb.

"Do I have to wear this hat all the time?" Torishima asked.

This is a very rude thing to do.

Higashino Hibiki thought for a moment and then took off his hat.

The air conditioner was blowing on my bald head, making it feel cool.

"Pfft! You're quite amusing, Higashino-kun!" Torishima Kazuhiko chuckled and patted Higashino Hibiki on the shoulder.

The smooth head, paired with an innocent expression, creates a striking contrast.

And for a moment, it felt like a lightbulb went off in my head.

That's it! He's the one!

Chapter 4 You Have the Potential to Become Akira Toriyama

"please."

Torishima Kazuhiko handed Higashino Hibiki a business card.

Hibiki Higashino accepted the business card with both hands. "I'm sorry, I don't have a business card."

“It’s alright,” he said, pointing to his brain with a smug look. “I have your details memorized.”

“That sounds scary…” Hibiki Higashino muttered, looking at the business card. “Torishima Kazuhiko, editor-in-chief of V Jump, phone number…”

Torishima Kazuhiko smiled and nodded: "It is indeed me."

"He's the editor-in-chief," Higashino Hibiki said, looking at his face. "He's only fifty, isn't he? He's really young and promising."

Torishima Kazuhiko's face darkened. "I'm forty-two years old this year..."

“Sorry, I was just kidding,” Higashino waved his hand. “I was just curious why, even though I submitted my work to Weekly Shonen Jump, the editor-in-chief of V Jump came to me.”

Kazuhiko Torishima did not answer directly. He bent down, took out a brown paper bag from the bag, and said, "In 1978, as a book lover, I hoped to join Bungei Shunju and become an editor."

Unfortunately, he lacked the ability and eventually ended up in a manga magazine full of violence and sex—Weekly Shonen Jump.

Higashino Hibiki scratched his head, puzzled. He just felt that without the protection of hair, his bald head was very vulnerable.

Kazuhiko Torishima remarked, "As a novice editor, I saw a novice comic."

"It's clearly a rip-off of the then-popular Star Wars, and the content is quite childish and boring, but I found some redeeming qualities in it. By the way, have you heard of the comic book 'Mysterious Raijak'?"

He suddenly changed the subject, propped his head up with his hand, and looked at Higashino Hibiki with amusement.

"No." Higashino Hibiki shook his head. He looked towards the kitchen. Why hadn't his fried rice arrived yet?

“I didn’t think so,” Torishima Kazuhiko said smugly. “It was this little-known manga that was completely unable to win the manga award and was rejected by other editors. But I contacted the author, who was someone who didn’t want his creative direction to be restricted by the company.”

"Three-dimensional characters and three-dimensional onomatopoeia may not seem like much now, but nobody used them back then. So I was as excited as if I had unearthed a treasure."

"After more than a year of hard work, in 1980, he finally delivered a long-running comic strip. Do you know what comic it was?"

Hibiki Higashino replied listlessly, "I don't know."

Kazuhiko Torishima slammed his hand on the table and said, slowly and deliberately, "Dr. Slump!"

"Oh!" Hibiki Higashino stood up excitedly.

Torishima Kazuhiko closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and nodded smugly.

"My fried rice has finally arrived."

Taking the fried rice from the waiter, and seeing the dumbfounded Torishima Kazuhiko, he tucked the fried rice into his clothes and said carefully, "Mr. Torishima, this is tonkotsu ramen."

"I don't want to steal your fried rice!" he shouted. "Don't you react when you hear 'Dr. Slump'?"

"Dr. Slump?" The middle-aged man next to me stroked his chin, looked at Kazuhiko Torishima, and his eyes lit up. "Is this Dr. Masori cosplay? The resemblance is amazing! Can we take a picture together?"

“No.” Torishima Kazuhiko refused with a dark face, then muttered to himself in a low voice, “One day, I will kill that guy.”

The uncle at the next table lowered his head in regret.

Hibiki Higashino looked innocently at Kazuhiko Torishima, "I don't usually read manga..."

"If I don't like reading comics, why should I participate in the monthly awards?" Torishima Kazuhiko covered his forehead in distress.