Full-time comic artist

It was already an amazing work, but as the plot progressed, Slam Dunk became more and more interesting, and now it has reached the climax of the whole story.

Kazuya Takasugi had just finished reading the manga, and he was still unable to calm down.

His heart was pounding, and his face was flushed with excitement.

The emotion of Shohoku finally defeating Sannoh after countless hardships was felt not only by the audience in the stadium in the manga, but also by readers like him.

"Xianbei! First!"

This was the first time he had ever experienced such a thing; a fictional comic book had brought him such a genuine sense of emotion.

My classmate, Akino Mirai, whom I admired for a long time, has now reached an even higher level, and I can only look up to her.

"Tori Akino-sensei!"

……

"Higashino-kun has arrived." Hanako hugged Akagi Kyoko, her eyes filled with excitement, looking exactly like Higashino.

Shohoku's victory over Sannoh reminded him of his glorious college days.

……

Bird Autumn Studio.

Omori and Tanaka sat in front of the television.

"I knew it! The teacher would win an award!" Omori said excitedly.

"Won't the teacher be nervous about such a big event?" Tanaka swallowed.

The two of them were watching the TV series without blinking.

……

“Hibiki is really something, isn’t he?” Akemi Akemi said proudly, sitting next to her father.

Mr. Akimiya's smile froze. "He's still far from good enough; he's nothing special."

Akemi Akimiya pouted, "This is the most prestigious award for manga."

"Hmph." Mr. Akimiya crossed his arms. "It's just a manga."

“Dad,” Akemi Akemi said sternly, “this is my husband.”

Mr. Akimiya clutched his chest, feeling like he was about to have a heart attack.

His daughter finally came to visit him, and the two of them hadn't watched TV together in a long time. In this happy moment, it was all Higashino's fault that caused a conflict between him and his daughter.

Mr. Akimiya calmly replied, "The Shogakukan Manga Award is an award I've never heard of."

"Hmph." Akemi Akemi snorted coldly, turned her face away, and ignored Mr. Akemi.

Mr. Akimiya remained expressionless, but his heart was bleeding.

……

"Tori Akino Mirai".

After watching "Slam Dunk", Yamamura Morimichi was full of doubts.

At this moment, he stared at Hibiki Higashino and asked, "What exactly are you thinking?"

……

In the break room of the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department, the TV was showing a live broadcast of the Shogakukan Manga Awards.

The editors watched intently, with Sasaki standing at the front, holding a coffee and waiting patiently.

"This is going to be earth-shattering."

……

Hibiki Higashino walked onto the stage, where the applause from the audience was thunderous and prolonged.

He bowed deeply in thanks.

Both "Hikaru no Go" and "Slam Dunk" won the Shogakukan Manga Award.

There are two trophies, certificates, and a total prize of 200 million yen.

After the awards ceremony, Hibiki Higashino took a deep breath and looked at the audience below the stage.

"Thank you all for your continued support of 'Slam Dunk'. We've come this far with Sakuragi Hanamichi."

"For the past five years, I have been dedicated to drawing comics and have only taken two breaks. The life of the Shohoku basketball team is also my life."

Applause erupted from the audience.

Yamamura Morimichi listened to Higashino Hibiki's speech with deep respect.

He had been watching "Slam Dunk" and knew how complex the manga was to draw.

For Higashino Hibiki, who had been writing diligently for five years straight, this was incredibly difficult, especially considering he was just a student back then.

But he persevered.

Besides being a genius, Akino Mirai is also very hardworking.

Hana smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Tori Akino-sensei."

Kazuya Takasugi said, "It's so great to be able to see Slam Dunk."

Tanaka couldn't help but say, "Although it's hard work, I want to keep drawing with my teacher."

Higashino Hibiki's words evoked countless emotions.

The collective wish of readers is to continue following "Slam Dunk".

They want to see a match between Shohoku and Aiwa, where Moroboshi Dai plays; they want to see Sakuragi Hanamichi play against Morishige Hiroshi; they want to see Shohoku dominate the nation!

Among these people, Inoue Kaede sighed, and Sasaki Hisashi closed his eyes.

"The time has come."

The glory of "Slam Dunk" will come to an end in the hands of its author.

……

In the era following Slam Dunk, which manga will dominate Jump?

It has guided the style of a new era of Jump, cultivated readers' reading interests, and become a king who dominates the scene, now at the pinnacle of shonen manga.

It's going to be super fun!

Oda has been thinking about this.

He hopes this work will be his own "One Piece"!

He worked hard enough, and One Piece's sales soared, with each volume selling more than the last.

But it's still far from being like "Slam Dunk".

"It's unrealistic to surpass 'Slam Dunk,' this manga is at its peak."

"Unless Slam Dunk ends and One Piece continues to be serialized."

"Thinking about this is too early..."

Eiichiro Oda was watching TV when Mirai Toriakino was chatting with the audience, recounting her experience of serializing "Slam Dunk".

Oda suppressed his eagerness and told himself that becoming number one in Jump was simply impossible.

"To become number one in Japan, you have to surpass Tori Akino-sensei first, which is too difficult!"

Oda is encouraging himself, saying that the future is full of challenges, like an insurmountable red line.

First, take care of yourself.

He was fully prepared to bravely face the difficulties.

It wasn't until Oda heard Hibiki Higashino's next words that his mind went blank, and he was unable to react for a long time.

……

"Slam Dunk..." Hibiki Higashino took a deep breath, looked at the camera as if he were staring at thousands of readers, feeling immense pressure, but he still said it.

"Slam Dunk ended on April 2nd!"

So everyone stared wide-eyed at Higashino Hibiki.

"That's right, it will end on April 2nd!" Hibiki Higashino repeated.

His words had barely left his lips when the scene erupted in uproar.

"Tori Akino-sensei said Slam Dunk has ended? Why would I have such a dream?"

"April Fool's Day is April 1st, not today! Mr. Toriakino."

"I can't believe it!"

"Shohoku just defeated Sannoh, and now it's all over?"

"Are you kidding me?!"

……

Kazuya Takasugi stared wide-eyed at the television.

"Slam Dunk is over! I won't accept it!"

His small body radiated anger.

"It's only just begun, why does it have to end!"

……

Hua Chao froze, pointing incredulously at the television, his mouth trembling as he couldn't utter a word.

Kyoko Akagi sighed, "It's going to end."

……

"Huh?" Mr. Akimiya let out a soft exclamation. "That's quite a bold move."

He was unaware of the profits from "Slam Dunk," but he had a general idea that it was a very large amount.

His income from painting over the years is probably no more than this.