Full-time comic artist

Koji Yoshida is so unreliable; this is the first time he's had only one assistant to help him with his work.

"It'll be here soon, it'll be here soon." Yoshida took out his phone, looking at the many text messages with a mysterious smile.

"It'll be ready soon."

……

Sasaki looked at Xiaozheng's ranking with worry. "Death Note" was very popular and it was the time to release the single volume. However, the online opinion was one-sided. He could only take action after the voices stopped.

"The average sales per volume of One Piece is around 307 million. I wonder if Death Note can reach that level."

With the publication of the "Alabasta" arc, One Piece's popularity soared, completely surpassing Naruto, and now it has achieved an outstanding ranking in Jump, second only to Slam Dunk and Dragon Ball.

As long as Oda doesn't underperform and maintains the readership, with the rise of the internet, the average sales per volume of One Piece will inevitably surpass those of Dragon Ball in the future.

Whether it can reach the level of "Slam Dunk" is up to fate.

Sasaki's comparison of Death Note to One Piece already shows how much he values ​​this manga.

"Tori Akino is a genius that only comes along once every 50 years. All three of his manga are masterpieces. It's a pity he was too willful."

Thinking of this, Sasaki shook his head. "Hikaru no Go," "Slam Dunk," and "Death Note" all performed very well, but they always ended very quickly.

It's as if going any later would be a desecration of the work.

"Death Note will be over soon, I need to hurry." He looked into the distance, having made up his mind.

……

In the Hanhai Villa District, the Miyano couple were sitting on the balcony enjoying the rare sunshine.

It's rare to see such a strong sun in December.

His wife hesitated, "Jian has recently become obsessed with a comic book."

“That child knows what he should do.” The husband didn’t seem to care, stretching lazily in the sunlight.

He is usually very busy with work, and he doesn't want to spend his rare leisure time disciplining his children.

“I’m actually a little curious,” he tilted his head to look at the red maple villa next to him, “the neighbors probably don’t go out much, right?”

Every time he returned home, he found the gate tightly shut.

If the villa weren't so clean now, I would have thought the Higashino family had moved away.

“I do know that,” Mrs. Miyano said. “You would never guess that the men in the Higashino family are actually manga artists.”

"Eh? That's quite rare. No wonder you've been so busy. You didn't even get to see the maple leaves when they turned red at the end of October." Mr. Miyano was slightly surprised.

"I just don't know which manga artist it is." Mrs. Miyano shook her head regretfully.

“It’s okay if you don’t know,” Mr. Miyano said, touching the back of her hand. “He has no connection with us.”

……

Ken Miyano kept browsing forums in his bedroom, occasionally switching to the camera at the door to see if his parents were approaching.

A poster of Light Yagami and Ryuk hangs on the bedroom wall against a pitch-black background. Light Yagami's eyes glow red, and he wears a cunning smile that suggests his plan has succeeded. He doesn't look healthy at all.

"When will Death Note release a set of related notebooks? I really want to own a real one."

"With the current public opinion so intense, it's unlikely to happen. I'll just learn from that DIY book I saw in the news."

"No, the ones in the news are too ugly. They're not as cool as the ones in the comics."

"I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible. The anime adaptation of Death Note is very likely to be canceled, and it may have already been suspended."

"It's so annoying that parents and teachers only stop us from pursuing our hobbies."

"Why not just ban its sale to elementary school students? It's such a hassle."

"What are they saying up there? Now they're kicking us when we're down. You'll get your turn sooner or later."

"laugh."

"The paper quality of Jump is too poor. I want to buy the collected volumes to keep as a memento."

Besides discussions about the plot, there are also many complaints on the "Death Note" forum.

This comic has been serialized for 10 chapters, almost three months, and the only merchandise available are small items like posters and cups. What they need most has not been officially produced.

However, they were also pessimistic, feeling that the future of Death Note was uncertain.

It's enough that Jump and the author themselves persevered and continued the serialization despite the pressure.

These Death Note readers only complain online and don't urge Shueisha to step in, lest they become the last straw, causing the magazine to collapse and the manga to be canceled.

“When I grow up, I want to be a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly,” Ken Miyano typed, “to protect what children love.”

Then it was sent out.

Soon someone commented, "Don't become Kira, hahaha."

Kenjiro Miyano clicked his tongue in annoyance. He switched screens and saw his mother walking over with a cup of hot milk. He quickly turned off the computer screen, jumped onto the bed, tore down the poster, and then spread his homework on the desktop.

A knocking sound followed.

"Please come in," he said happily, blinking his eyes. "Thank you, Mom."

“Studying again,” Mrs. Miyano thought her earlier worries were unnecessary. Her son was so sensible that she didn’t need to discipline him.

"Take some time to relax."

"I see."

Mrs. Miyano put down the milk and left, and Ken Miyano waved to see her off.

As soon as the door closed, he quickly turned on the screen.

Someone posted a few photos on the forum.

Wow, I'm so envious!

Ken Miyano's eyes widened. This was a "Death Note" made by a master craftsman himself, with the words "DEATH NOTE" written in white on the all-black cover.

The notebook's cover page is also black, but it has a skull print and the "Death Note" rules written in English.

It looks incredibly mysterious, just like in the comics.

"I really want one too, it's all those awful adults' fault."

……

When he woke up the next day, Ken Miyano was extremely tired. He had been dreaming all night about finding the notebook.

He was extremely agitated because he couldn't write about people dying, so he slapped himself and then came to his senses.

"Ah, it's snowing."

Outside the window, the snow was a vast expanse of white, and the tree branches were all covered in silver. Miyano Ken was still a child at heart. He forgot his displeasure and stared blankly with his mouth agape. "So beautiful."

This was the most surprising moment for him recently.

As he walked through the crunching sound of snowflakes, Ken Miyano glanced around from time to time. Thick snow had accumulated on everyone's rooftops, except for one house, whose rooftop was bare, its gray ridge peeking out from the silvery landscape. How out of place!

Miyano Ken thought about having a snowball fight with his classmates, and his steps became lighter. He soon arrived near the school. Remembering that his pen was out of ink, he went into the stationery store, intending to grab a pen and leave.

"Wait, this is... wow."

In the most prominent spot in the notebook area, he was pleasantly surprised to see the notebook he had been longing for—a mysterious and terrifying notebook with a black cover and the words "DEATH NOTE" written on it.

"This is the most surprising moment for me!"

He forgot about buying a pen, immediately grabbed his notebook, and jogged to the counter to pay.

"Be careful, you might slip," the cashier warned.

"Excuse me, I want this one."

"It costs 2000 yen in total."

"Thank you." To achieve my dream for a mere 2000 yen is truly amazing!

Although the laptop next to it, which looks to be of better quality, only costs 800 yen.

Chapter 282 Hiroyuki Oyama angrily rebukes Jump, the plan is temporarily suspended.

Kenjiro Miyano kept his "Death Note" notebook carefully, worried that his classmates would see it.

During breaks, he declined his classmates' invitations to have a snowball fight. When no one was in the classroom, he took out his notebook, carefully stroked it, and let out a silly "hehe" laugh.

"It's my precious!"

Turning to the title page, he subconsciously picked up his pen to write his name, but when the pen touched the paper, Ken Miyano paused.

He sheepishly put away his pen, still feeling timid. He then turned to the first page of the notebook and wrote down Hiroyuki Oyama's name.

"Xinei!"

……

"Under the dazzling sunlight, I ran through the streets."

You patted my shoulder as usual, and I don't know when it started, but I've become infatuated with you for no reason.

But you never took my arm; my eyes always followed you.

I'm hopelessly crazy for you, I can't live without you.

Hibiki Higashino stood below the stage, watching the underground girl group, dressed only in red miniskirts in the winter, dance and sing with great enthusiasm.

The song is "I Want to Shout I Love You" from the opening theme of the manga/anime series "Slam Dunk".

That's why he stopped.

"People who pursue their dreams truly shine."

He sighed twice, looking at those pairs of fair and tender thighs, feeling that the trip was worthwhile. Suddenly, his phone rang, and the caller ID showed Akemi Akimiya.

Higashino quickly looked around nervously, then bent down slightly to walk out of the crowd as inconspicuously as possible, covering the microphone to answer the call.

"How did you suddenly disappear? Where are you now?"

"I'm right under the Christmas tree."

Today is December 25th, Christmas Day, and the Higashino couple went out on a date, a rare occurrence.