Full-time comic artist

"Thank you for the compliment, teacher. I just want to do my best."

……

Tanaka visited Omori's rented room in Tokyo, and the landlord said he had moved out three months ago.

Koji Yoshida went there again and found that there were already new residents.

He was still unwilling to give up and searched for information in the editorial department.

It turns out that not long after "Slam Dunk" ended, he submitted a manuscript to the editorial department, but it was rejected.

On his day off, Yoshida took the train to Omori's hometown in the countryside surrounding Tanikusa City, following the address Omori had left at the editorial office.

After asking several people and going through many hardships, Yoshida finally found a house in front of him.

The house number on this property does indeed read "Da Sen".

"It should be correct."

Yoshida knocked on the door, and a woman in her fifties from the countryside opened it.

"Hello, is this the home of Hiroura Omori? I am an editor from Weekly Shonen Jump."

The woman was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

She hurriedly led Yoshida to a bedroom in the house, but stopped abruptly just as she was about to open the door.

"Please wait a moment."

She smiled apologetically, pushed open the door, and carefully went inside. About five minutes later, she came out of the room with a large pile of trash, including beverage bottles filled with cigarette butts, lots of toilet paper, and snack wrappers.

It was so bad that Yoshida couldn't bear to look at it.

He pushed open the door and went inside. In the dimly lit room, he saw a bloated man lying on the tatami mat, looking disheveled and listless.

"You're an editor at Jump? I've never seen you before. Never mind, I'm not drawing comics anymore, you can go back now."

Omori glanced back at Yoshida, then waved his hand behind his back, "I...I've decided to stop drawing manga."

……

On Monday, Koji Yoshida visited Hibiki Higashino's home and told him about his experiences.

"Excuse my bluntness, but that man has completely lost his way."

The artwork in Chapter 273 of "Death Note"

"So it's come to this."

Higashino sighed deeply, saying that it was normal for Omori to give up after seeing no hope.

Ten years of failures led to his departure from Tokyo and his slinking back to his hometown – a common experience for many young people who dream of living in Tokyo.

Not everyone is like Kazuki Takahashi, who gets to wait for the flowers to bloom and the moon to shine.

"Tori Akino-sensei, what should we do?" Tanaka panicked and hurriedly asked Higashino Hibiki, "This is even worse than before!"

Listening to Koji Yoshida's description of Omori's current situation, Tanaka stared intently at Hibiki Higashino, hoping he could come up with a solution.

"Editor Yoshida, do you have the phone number for Omori's hometown?" Hibiki Higashino asked Koji Yoshida, frowning.

"Yes, there is." Yoshida took a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Higashino Hibiki. "This was given to me by Mr. Omori's mother before he left."

Hibiki Higashino took the call and called the Omori family, who answered quickly.

"Hello, I'm Toriakino Mirai."

"Hello! I think Editor Yoshida should be in Tokyo by now. It's so good that you called!" The woman on the other end of the phone pleaded, "Please tell that boy Yangpu to cheer up. Even if he stops painting, he can face reality and live a good life."

Higashino Hibiki's heart grew heavier and heavier. He opened his mouth, but he didn't have the confidence to speak.

Omori answered the phone.

"Is this Toriakino-kun? Ah, it's been a long time since we last talked."

Hibiki Higashino said with a smile, "Omori-san, I'm going to start drawing a new work called 'Death Note,' it's a very interesting manga. Can you come back and help me?"

"Haha." Omori laughed. "I knew you couldn't do without me!"

Upon hearing his words, Higashino Hibiki fell silent.

Omori exploded in anger, "Why can you just start a serialization whenever you want?! Why? Why! I've worked so hard for so long, and it's all for nothing...!"

Higashino Hibiki retorted coldly, "Omori, are you even conscious?"

"Of course I'm sober! Someone like me, the girls I like treat me like a wallet, and it's impossible for me to become a manga artist!" Omori said loudly, his voice getting softer and softer until it turned into sobs. "Teacher... Tori Akino-sensei... just let me rot in the shadows!"

He never had the courage to try drawing comics again.

After saying that, Omori hung up the phone.

The studio was silent, but everyone else could vaguely hear what he said.

“How could this happen…” Tanaka said sadly. “Even if you stop drawing manga, you should still face life.”

"What should we do?" Hibiki Higashino rubbed his chin, at a loss for what to do.

It is very difficult to persuade someone to strive for excellence.

Koji Yoshida didn't want to get involved, but when he noticed Hibiki Higashino's distress, he smiled slightly and said, "The reason Mr. Omori fell into depravity is because he was deceived by a woman. In that case, it's easy to solve. Make him believe that there are women who like him too."

"Leave this to me." Yoshida thumped his chest, looking confident and shrewd.

"Then please."

"Please, Editor Yoshida."

Hibiki Higashino and Tanaka said.

“No problem!” Yoshida gave a thumbs up, then suddenly remembered something and said anxiously, “Oh right, Mr. Tori Akino, could I borrow a copy of your manuscript?”

"Is there a problem?"

"It's about Mr. Yamamura Morimichi."

He recounted how Kohei Onishi recommended a manga collaboration to Morimichi Yamamura, but Yamamura firmly refused.

Shancun's attitude was very firm; he now only believed in himself.

Koji Yoshida complained, "Mr. Yamamura is so stubborn, I don't understand what he's insisting on?"

“That’s because of what happened with Mr. Arai,” Hibiki Higashino recalled after understanding. “The Sun Murder Case was cut short because of Mr. Arai’s misbehavior. No wonder Yamamura has a trauma.”

For people from mountain villages, once a decision is made, it will not be changed, especially if it is an experience learned through painful lessons.

"Oh, there's such a thing." Yoshida Koji suddenly realized, and he continued, "Onishi hopes to use the teacher's original manuscript to make Yamamura-sensei understand that his drawing skills could not possibly make 'Blind Soccer' surpass 'Death Note'."

"If you want to defeat me, Teacher, then you must rely on the strength of others!"

Hibiki Higashino took five pages from the completed original drawing, put them in a file bag, and handed them to Koji Yoshida, saying, "Thank you for your help."

Koji Yoshida accepted it with both hands: "Yes!"

……

Kohei Onishi was very distressed because Morimichi Yamamura wouldn't listen to advice. His "Blind Football" needed to be painted in a realistic style to truly enhance its effect.

For a villager with mediocre painting skills, that would inevitably affect the final product.

The editorial department seemed to value "Blind Football" highly, and assigned him to work in the mountain villages.

The old mindset of just getting by is no longer viable.

"Furthermore, there are very few people who can both create realistic works and have excellent drawing skills, and most of them are already famous cartoonists who don't collaborate with others..."

Daishi has been searching through materials for the past few days, hoping to find the right person before he can persuade Yamamura Morimichi.

However, his confidence was waning, and all he could do now was exploit the village's damned competitiveness.

"Yoshida, Yoshida-kun, I'm counting on you for everything!"

"You knew all along?" Yoshida Koji patted him on the shoulder, startling Onishi.

When did you get back?

"Just now," Yoshida said, holding the file folder, "I'm leaving now, it's time to go."

"doing what?"

"Go and persuade the teacher in the mountain village."

"You've got everything sorted out? Thank you, Yoshida-san!"

"You're so realistic."

……

In the Yamamura Studio, Yamamura Morimichi held Higashino Hibiki's original manuscript, his eyes widening instantly.

"This... is terrifying..."

Whether it's Ryuk's ferocious face or Light Yagami's unpredictable expressions during his psychological transformation, both have reached a level of mastery.

The art style has been changed compared to "Slam Dunk".

Slam Dunk is detailed yet simple, with a light and cheerful style that is full of student vibes.

Death Note is more realistic, making the use of light and shadow to the extreme, so that even long passages of text are easy to read.

Different comics employ different styles, and the powerful artwork further elevates the dramatic tension of the story.

At a glance, Shan Cun understood the prominent role of the artist in "Death Note".

If he were to draw it, it would definitely have the opposite effect, making the reader feel dull and bored.

That way they won't be interested in reading the text.

"I never knew that the skill of a painter was so important..."

He looked at the original manuscript of "Death Note" and muttered to himself.

He always thought that as long as the plot was good, that was enough for a comic, but now he realizes the importance of the drawn parts in a comic.

Chapter 274 Sasaki: How many chapters can Death Note be serialized?