Full-time comic artist

On Friday, Naruto's Xiaozheng ranked first.

Upon learning this, Kishimoto was excited and gained some insights.

"Tori Akino-sensei is right. Readers also have limitations. If you continue to draw according to your own ideas, the result will be very good."

As Naruto's popularity continues to grow, Orochimaru's character is also gaining popularity among many readers.

……

Editorial Department of Weekly Shonen Jump.

After finishing his workday, Koji Yoshida stood up, stretched, smacked his lips, and prepared to leave.

When Yoshihisa heard the noise, he looked up and frowned when he saw Yoshida's expression.

"Yoshida-kun, why do I feel like you're not in the right frame of mind?"

He stroked his chin, scrutinizing Yoshida Koji.

"I...I'm no different than before," Yoshida said, puzzled.

"Today I contacted Yoshihiro Togashi to inquire about his plans for the new year's serialization; I spoke with newcomers who submitted their work, hoping to discover talented manga artists; I followed up on the printing of the Death Note volumes; and there's also the website's operation..."

He started counting on his fingers, muttering to himself.

The bottle looked on, confused. "That's not what I meant. What I meant was... you've been really lacking in motivation lately."

Yoshida used to love his work, which manifested in the bittersweet feeling of putting in hard work and his strong initiative.

Yoshida is somewhat numb now, simply going through the motions of doing his job.

In such a situation, it's impossible to find enjoyment in a Jump editor's career.

"Really?" Yoshida was a little puzzled. He was still the same as before, unchanged.

"You'd better get over this as soon as possible," Bottle sighed. "Oh, by the way, your job tomorrow is to go to Mr. Tori Akino's house and sign the annual contract with him, understand? Don't forget that!"

"Teacher Akino..." Yoshida's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He raised his hand high and ran towards the door, excitedly shouting, "I'm going right now!"

His voice was so loud that his colleagues in the editorial department all looked over.

"Don't rush over there!" Bottle chased after him, then turned back halfway. He grabbed a document from the table and ran towards the door. He took a deep breath and shouted, "First, ask Professor Toriakino if it's convenient for you! And the document—you didn't bring the contract!"

"Yes~" Koji Yoshida's voice drifted into the studio.

"Wow, Mr. Bottle has a huge lung capacity."

"He must have a tough time being stuck with such an unreliable guy like Yoshida."

The editors watched the rare lively scene and chatted quietly.

An editor named Terashi Daisuke witnessed this scene, his eyes gleaming.

He is about to be transferred from his editing position.

There was a female cartoonist who was very talented, but also somewhat timid.

Because I kept encouraging him, that cartoonist didn't give up halfway.

He worried that after his transfer, the female cartoonist would give up pursuing her dream and choose to make animation.

That would be such a pity; it would be a great loss for her and for Shueisha.

"Yoshida looks fierce, but she's very passionate... she might be a good candidate to take over her job."

Daisuke of the temple made a decision.

……

"Tori Akino-sensei! I'm here!"

Not long after Yoshida hung up the phone, his voice came into the study.

Higashino sighed and put down his paintbrush.

Valentine's Day is coming up on February 14th, and he wants to give Akemi Akemi a special gift. However, he is constantly being bothered by Yoshida, which is making him upset and unable to concentrate.

"Teacher, you're here!"

Yoshida walked into the study and sat down with practiced ease. "Oh, teacher, you're drawing. Is this... fireworks? It's really well drawn. The dynamic of the fireworks bursting and the stillness of the two people watching them are combined very well."

He chuckled and tilted his head to look at Higashino Hibiki. "Teacher, why aren't you saying anything? Is there something wrong with what I said? Please correct me."

Higashino Hibiki put the painting away, and Yoshida said again:

"Teacher, please continue drawing. I won't disturb you; I'll just quietly admire it from the side. Oh, are you worried about taking up my rest time? That's alright; I don't have anything to do, and I'm actually quite relaxed here with you."

He was like a husky; once he entered the study, he kept talking non-stop and was extremely curious, constantly fiddling around, completely disrupting Higashino Hibiki's state of mind.

Hibiki Higashino closed his eyes, trying to maintain his composure and not lose his composure. "Yoshida-kun, what about the annual contract fee?"

"Oh, this is this year's contract. Please take a look."

Higashino glanced at it twice, and as in previous years, quickly signed his name.

"Alright, you can leave now."

Higashino Hibiki carefully put away one copy of the contract, gave the other two to Yoshida, and then pointed to the main entrance, saying to Yoshida.

……

Katsura Hoshino sat in the restaurant, feeling uneasy.

Some time ago, after learning that her kind editor, Daisuke Terain, was going to be transferred, she thought her career as a manga artist was coming to an end.

The editor she trusted, the person she was prepared to follow for life, had now given up on her, leaving Hoshino Katsura, who lacked confidence, feeling uneasy.

Perhaps I should become an animator. The animation company "Mirai-sha" is recruiting new people recently, right?

The president of "Mirai-sha" is my favorite manga artist, Tori Akino Mirai. I think it will be very relaxing there.

It eliminates the need for repetitive, mechanical work, allowing for creative expression.

The more Hoshino Katsura thought about it, the more tempted she became, and she wanted to stand up and leave the coffee shop.

That's true. When I first entered the manga industry, I also failed to draw my manga well and stood up my editor, Daisuke Terahara, who had been waiting for me for a long time. It wasn't until late at night that my sister dragged me to the editorial department.

"If the temple editor hadn't waited for me back then... I'd probably still be working on the anime adaptations of 'Kochikame' and 'Hunter x Hunter' right now, wouldn't I?" Hoshino Katsura rested her chin on her hand, trying to convince herself.

If she can skip Daisuke Terayama, then she can skip the new editor too... right?

I could never become a cartoonist.

She stood up and walked towards the door.

……

That day, Akino Mirai didn't like him at all, which made Yoshida Koji hold a grudge.

His eyebrows furrowed as he stormed into the restaurant.

Yesterday, my colleague Daisuke Terain showed Yoshida a storyboard and said, "Katsura Hoshino is very talented."

After reading it, Yoshida found it to be a very creative work, and he immediately decided to volunteer to become Hoshino Katsura's editor.

So, through the coordination of Daisuke Terayama, Yoshida arranged to meet Katsura Hoshino at this coffee shop.

As soon as he entered the restaurant, he saw a cute girl with a round face about to leave; she looked very familiar.

"You must be Hoshino Katsura. What are you going to do?"

Yoshida asked.

……

"what!"

Katsura Hoshino's brain was screaming. This fierce-looking person couldn't possibly be Mr. Koji Yoshida!

"Hello, I'm Koji Yoshida. I'm sorry I'm late," Yoshida said.

He patted his cheeks, deciding to forget about Tori Akino Mirai for now and get back to his work seriously.

The person in front of me looks frail and weak. Even if she manages to serialize her work, there are concerns about whether she can handle the hellish workload of a weekly manga.

However, Katsura Hoshino's manga storyboards are really good, it would be a shame to let them go.

Talented people must draw comics.

……

"Hello, I am Katsura Hoshino."

After sitting back down, Hoshino Katsura was extremely nervous, thinking to herself, "How scary, how scary," while barely managing to maintain her composure.

"Yes." Yoshida nodded.

He called the waiter over, ordered himself a fried rice, and then asked, "Do you want some?"

Katsura Hoshino was also hungry. Her mind was racing. Eating ramen seemed disrespectful, and tonkatsu rice was too greasy. She had already gained a few pounds and needed to maintain her figure.

Yoshida waited a moment and then said, "You don't want it? Then just one order of fried rice will do."

The waiter left.

Katsura Hoshino was furious, but dared not come out. She forced a smile through gritted teeth and said, "Yeah, I'm not hungry."

For the next ten minutes, Hoshino Katsura tried to break the awkward silence by trying to find topics to talk about, but Yoshida Koji ate his meal with a cold expression, only responding with "uh-huh" and "ah" and showing no intention of developing the conversation.

After finishing his meal, he exchanged phone numbers and email addresses with Hoshino Katsura and said, "Let's draw a storyboard first."

Then he turned and left, acting very aloof.

He lacked any of the gentleness of Daisuke Terayama.

Katsura Hoshino watched Koji Yoshida's retreating figure and sighed.

"Having an editor like this is beyond redemption..."

but……

"I still prefer drawing comics..."

she thinks.

She still wasn't ready to give up on Yoshida Koji, which means she truly loves manga.

"Let's start by drawing short stories."