Full-time comic artist

As he looked at the original manuscript of "Death Note," Yamamura Morimichi trembled all over. He understood that this was a level he could never reach, no matter how hard he tried.

The only one who can change him is himself. Yamamura carefully packed up the original manuscript of "Death Note," looked at Onishi, and said, word by word, "The storyboard content of 'Blind Soccer' is ultimately decided by only me!"

"Of course! After all, it's your work, teacher!" Onishi said excitedly, finally the problem was solved!

Yamamura continued, "Moreover, the partner's drawing skills must be very good, at least... at least at the level of Tori Akino!"

"Huh?" Onishi's eyes widened. The painting skills were comparable to those of Tori Akino. This must be at the level of Hojo Tsukasa or Samura Hiroaki.

Where is he supposed to find that?

Yamamura realized he was making a difficult request, and his tone softened, "Or... something less would be fine too."

Da Xi gritted his teeth, "Fine... alright."

Koji Yoshida watched the whole thing and witnessed firsthand Mamoru Yamamura's emotional journey, from shock to fear, and finally to relief after giving up.

"As expected of Mr. Toriakino."

……

Hibiki Higashino received the news quickly, which didn't surprise him at all.

"That's just like that guy from the mountain village. He's lost so many times, but he still refuses to admit defeat and doesn't want to lose to me again."

Therefore, he changed his principles and chose to accept others as his support.

……

"I am so grateful to Professor Toriaki for giving me this opportunity! I will cherish it for the rest of my life!"

Today, a primary school student came to Hibiki Higashino's studio; it was Satoru Soma.

Upon hearing from Ichiro Soma that Hibiki Higashino was about to start a new serialization, he rushed over to help, while also learning Higashino Higashino's drawings.

Takehiko Inoue studied under Tsukasa Hojo, and Yusuke Murata studied under Takeshi Obata. Both of them made rapid progress in their drawing skills under the guidance of their seniors.

Soma Satoru wanted to seize the opportunity to draw at Tori Akino's studio, even though summer vacation was almost over.

"I'd rather not use it for a lifetime," Higashino Hibiki said with a smile, scratching the back of his head. "The style of manga changes with the times. Everyone is exploring readers' preferences. In the future, the current style might be abandoned."

To make it easier for readers to read, comics have been continuously simplified, evolving from three-dimensional to two-dimensional.

"Wujun, what you need to do is learn the form of comic characters and the sense of space, and then strive for the refinement and quality of your drawings. If you can do that, it will be enough for a serialization."

"I understand, Mr. Toriakino!"

……

September 1st has arrived, and summer vacation is over.

After playing wildly for more than a month, the children are going back to school to study.

Soma Satoru felt completely fulfilled and was bursting with a sense of accomplishment.

During the last part of the summer vacation, he benefited a lot, and all the doubts he had accumulated during the school year were resolved.

"It's a pity that school has started; time flies by so fast."

"Time flies so fast."

Ahead, someone let out the same sigh as him.

"Shinichi-kun?"

"Enlightenment!"

Shinichi, who confessed his feelings to a female classmate in the fifth grade of elementary school, is Satoru's best friend.

Shinichi asked, "How was your summer vacation?"

“It’s plenty.” Wu puffed out his chest.

Shinichi was very jealous. "That's great. They must have gone to Okinawa or Kyoto for a trip. I also want to travel around and meet beautiful girls."

“No, no, no,” Wu waved his hand, “I learned to draw from a very strong teacher.”

"Ugh! I can't take it anymore, just hearing it makes me want to throw up. Wu, you're so stubborn, still studying during summer vacation."

"Because it is a very precious opportunity."

"Your future is going to be amazing."

"Thank you for the compliment. Shinichi, what did you do during summer vacation?"

"Staying at home all the time is a very boring summer vacation, but I still don't want to go to school, hehe."

Wu looked at him speechlessly, "You truly are worthy of your reputation."

Shinichi continued, "In previous summers, I had Slam Dunk to keep me company. I could see Sakuragi Hanamichi fighting on the court, and my mind was also strengthened. It's a real pity that Akino-sensei ended Slam Dunk."

Speaking of this, he still harbors a lot of resentment, unable to understand why his once-popular comic would end.

The departure of something he had taken for granted caught him off guard. He had thought that "Slam Dunk" would accompany him as he grew up, but it just disappeared in the summer of Kanagawa.

“The teacher has his reasons,” Soma Satoru comforted Shinichi.

In his opinion, Akino-sensei, who disregarded everything to finish his manga, was super cool!

"Tch." Shinichi walked away with his head held high, not responding.

Before they knew it, Satoru and Shinichi had arrived at school.

The students crowded the main gate, and summer vacation was indeed over.

“Satoru is right, but I wonder when Tori Akino-sensei’s new work will be published.” Shinichi turned around and smiled at Soma Satoru.

"On October 1st," Soma Satoru blurted out.

"Eh!" Shinichi looked at him in shock.

"Is that so?!" Many students crowded around Soma Satoru, asking with a mixture of surprise and delight!

Soma Satoru looked around in surprise, only to realize that he had become the center of the crowd, with everyone looking at him expectantly.

"The next...the next issue of Jump will have an announcement..." he stammered.

"Great!"

"Finally!"

"Thank goodness I didn't give up!"

The school gate became a sea of ​​cheers.

When the head of student affairs, who was checking students' uniforms, saw this scene, his face darkened. He whistled, and the shrill sound calmed the students down.

A few days later, news of Akino Mirai's new work spread everywhere.

All sorts of rumors circulate in Tokyo schools, with some students even confidently asserting that Akino Tori's new manga is still about basketball, but this time it's about a basketball game for wheelchair-bound disabled people.

……

On Sunday, Eiichiro Oda received a sample copy of Jump magazine. He casually flipped through it and remarked, "Life is so lonely without Akino-sensei."

2001 wasn't over yet, but One Piece was already a shoo-in for number one in the annual rankings.

"After Slam Dunk ended, I was invincible."

Eiichiro Oda's new editor, Takahiro Tsuchida, rolled his eyes. "Don't get too cocky, Oda-kun. Tori Akino-sensei's new work is going to be serialized."

"Huh!" Oda looked at Takahiro Tsuchida in surprise. "What did you say?"

"October 1st is the date when 'Death Note' will be published," Takahiro Tsuchida explained in detail.

"October 1st...isn't that just around the corner? Editor Tsuchita, why didn't you tell me sooner!" Oda asked in shock.

“Because every time I see you, the Alabasta arc of One Piece is all I can think about,” Tsuchida said, spreading his hands.

The Alabasta arc received amazing feedback, and in this arc, the already super popular One Piece has become even stronger.

It far surpassed the second-place Naruto.

If this growth continues, Tsuchida even thinks that One Piece can rival Slam Dunk, so he is very motivated.

He didn't take the trivial matter of Higashino Hibiki's new serialization to heart.

What I just said was just something I casually said to motivate Oda.

"Really!" Oda looked at the notification on Jump, realizing that there were only four weeks left until the manga titled "Death Note" was published.

"This is Akino-sensei's new work!" Oda stared at him, his eyes wide. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"Even for someone like Akino Toriyama, one 'Slam Dunk' is enough for a lifetime. Even the god of manga can't keep creating works that readers love forever."

Tsuchida thought Oda was making a fuss over nothing, saying, "The important thing right now is the serialization of the 'Alabasta' arc."

Oda pursed his lips, "This is Toriakino-sensei, you know..."

As a manga artist, Oda's formal involvement in manga artist work began at Toriakino Studio.

He learned many of his skills there.

Even with the huge success of One Piece, he still looks up to Akino Michiko with great admiration.

"Tori Akino is a master who is never satisfied with the status quo. When everyone else stops, his eyes are always on the mountaintop, and he moves forward steadily. This spirit has always terrified me."

Oda muttered to himself, unsure whether he was speaking to himself or to editor Tsuchida.

"Editor, what are the works of Mr. Tori Akino like?"

"It's called Death Note. It's a villainous manga about a protagonist who contracts with a Shinigami (death god) to stop evil by killing, and wants to become a god in a new world."

"Not bad..." Oda nodded slightly, biting his nails. "He has indeed embarked on a new journey. What genre of manga will he choose?"

"Detective reasoning".

"As expected of Akino-sensei." Oda stood up and stretched. "After Slam Dunk, he started drawing in a completely unfamiliar territory."

"I really want to see Death Note!"

"A battle of wits, a dark fantasy setting is sure to be especially exciting!"

……

The serialization of Death Note has only been going on for a short time.

Manga artists are all waiting, and Hibiki Higashino is also working hard on the original manuscript.