Full-time comic artist

But upon seeing the complementary food, the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by resistance.

Boiled purple cabbage and greens are juiced, flour is added, and then the mixture is steamed.

This is baby food made by Hibiki Higashino. It's nutritious and healthy, but the taste isn't very good.

Akemi Akemi couldn't bear to look at it.

How could a bunch of dark green paste possibly taste good?

The child's mouth was covered in paste, and his expression was one of utter despair as he mechanically opened his mouth and swallowed it.

"This is the only way for now," Higashino Hibiki said confidently. "The child is too young to eat seasonings, so it's normal that the taste isn't great. We can add meat to his complementary foods in a couple of days, and he'll definitely enjoy it!"

Akemi Akemi's forehead was sweating. "This isn't about seasoning... I'll make the baby food from now on."

After feeding the baby food, Higashino waved his hand and said, "You work hard enough cooking for me all the time. I'll take care of him in the future and make sure he eats very happily."

"Row……"

Higashino looked up at the time, handed the child to Akemi Akimiya, and stood up. "I should go record the show too."

"Bon Voyage."

……

While drawing storyboards, Hoshino Katsura listened to a TV program that Yoshida Koji had insisted she watch, saying it would surprise her.

"Our guest today is Mr. Takashi Sasaki, editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Jump," the host announced loudly on television.

“Oh, it’s the editor-in-chief,” Hoshino Katsura said, looking up at the editor.

"And the author of 'Slam Dunk,' Mirai Toriaki."

"Ah!" Hoshino Katsura put down her pencil, got up from her chair, knelt in front of the TV, and stared with her mouth wide open. "It really is Tori Akino-sensei!"

"It's been three or four years since Professor Tori Akino last made a public appearance."

Hibiki Higashino stepped onto the stage behind Sasaki.

"You've matured a lot compared to before. Well, you are 27 years old now."

Hibiki Higashino used to have the naivety of a student, but now he exudes the gentle temperament of a writer.

……

This interview was about the "Golden Future Cup". However, in order to increase viewership, the production team obtained Higashino Hibiki's consent in advance and asked about other topics that readers wanted to know.

The host asked, "Which manga currently being serialized in Jump is Mr. Tori Akino's favorite?"

Hibiki Higashino replied, "One Piece is very interesting; even Akira Toriyama is obsessed with it. Naruto is also great; the Chunin Exams arc is fantastic, and Kishimoto has improved a lot. So..."

"so?"

"My favorite book is Mizuki Kawashita's 'Strawberry 100%'."

"Huh?"

"That's right, it's 'Strawberry 100%'. Kawashita-sensei's drawings of girls are amazing."

"What a surprise! I thought the teacher would like comics aimed at men, but it turns out to be a romance comic."

"That's prejudice."

Katsura Hoshino was surprised, not expecting that the manga that Mirai Toriaki liked was the work of a female manga artist.

Perhaps one day, she will hear Tori Akino say that the works she likes were drawn by her.

When that time comes, she will surely be so happy that she will cry.

Katsura Hoshino was in a daze for a moment. When he came to his senses, he heard the host ask, "After Death Note ended, we haven't heard any news about your new work for a long time. Some people say that you claimed that a new work would be published in 2004. Is that true?"

Katsura Hoshino stared blankly. "A year later? How is that possible?"

Hikaru no Go ended, and Slam Dunk followed immediately. Death Note was also published six months after Slam Dunk ended.

It's been half a year since Death Note ended. She's still hoping that it won't be long before she sees a new manga by Akino Tori...

Katsura Hoshino swallowed hard and began to look intently.

“It’s already in progress,” Hibiki Higashino replied.

So, when was it published?

"I'm trying."

Katsura Hoshino's heart turned cold.

As a creator herself, she gave the same answer when Koji Yoshida urged her to finish her work, even though she hadn't started drawing storyboards yet.

"Hehe," the host chuckled, no longer pressing the matter, "Everyone has been very curious about what L's name is. It has never appeared in the comics."

"L's full name is L·Lawliet. I've already thought it through. It's not like I'm being lazy."

"It sounds the same as the last part of Light Yagami's name."

"That's right, that's the idea behind it, to convey a sense of destiny."

"What a clever design."

"You flatter me."

After attracting a large audience by starting with new works that readers were interested in and "Death Note," the "Golden Future Cup" awards finally began.

"Editor-in-Chief Sasaki," the host looked at Sasaki and asked, "you were the one who spearheaded the 'Golden Future Cup,' weren't you? What was its purpose?"

"Of course, it's for fresh blood for Jump," Sasaki said confidently.

The editors at Jump were watching Sasaki's live stream together, completely excited.

"The editor-in-chief is so handsome."

"That's right. He looks scary when he's stern, but after appearing on the show, his maturity and composure as an older man really won me over."

Everyone else immediately moved away from the editor.

Bottle coughed lightly. "Even though the editor-in-chief isn't in the editorial department, don't relax too much."

"Yes."

……

"The 'Golden Future Cup' was decided upon at the suggestion of Professor Toriakino."

"Huh? Really?" The host was surprised; this wasn't written in the script.

“That’s right,” Sasaki said. “In this new era, Jump needs awards that directly address the needs of new manga artists, and the ‘Golden Future Cup’ was born.”

"Talented and ambitious newcomers, those aiming for publication in Japan's top manga magazine, Jump, submit your work to the 'Golden Future Cup.' Any interesting manga will be serialized."

After that, he talked about a whole bunch of the benefits of the "Golden Future Cup".

"Tori Akino-sensei will also serve as a guest to select the works."

Upon hearing Sasaki's words, Hoshino Katsura stood up, her face flushed.

"I will participate!"

……

"Teacher Akino..." Tanaka, watching the live broadcast on TV, made up his mind, "Please watch my wonderful performance!"

Only shortlisted comics will enter the serialization meeting.

Tanaka, who is usually timid, is now showing his true colors.

……

"The Golden Future Cup..." Omori clenched his fist, determined to win. "This time, I'm going to serialize it! Not just for myself, but also for Toriaki-sensei, Tanaka-kun, and Kotama who have always helped me..."

……

Hideaki Sorachi, Akira Amano, and countless other newcomers all have their eyes set on being selected for the "Golden Future Cup," and then...

Serialized!

……

"Being a manga artist at Jump is really tough," Akemi Akemi said softly to Hibiki Higashino, gently patting him on the shoulder.

"Why are you suddenly making such a comment?" Higashino asked. "Isn't this as obvious as a flea on a bald man's head?"

From the very beginning, the qualifications for serialization in Jump were extremely limited, one in a million.

Only talented people can serialize their works.

“I mean,” Akemi Akimiya said, her heart filled with mixed emotions, “the ‘Golden Future Cup’ is being promoted like crazy, there will be a lot of participants, and there will definitely be a lot of interesting comics coming out, so…”

"It's such a pity that someone who worked so hard to create a serialized work is about to be crushed by the times."

There are only 20 slots for serialization on Jump.

Manga like "One Piece" and "Naruto" always occupy the spots, so the only ones that can be contested are the ones ranked at the very bottom.

Comic artists who used to be able to live a stable life will be impacted by newcomers who come because of the "Golden Future Cup," and the fruits of their hard work will be lost.

It's too cruel for a long-running serial to be canceled before it can even get a chance to fully showcase its potential.

Hibiki Higashino coldly said, "Jump has been publishing for decades. Everyone has gone through this process. Everyone has taken the place of their predecessors. I am no exception, so I have no right to say anything."

"In the end, the competition comes down to whether the comic is interesting or not. That's very fair, isn't it?"

"Perhaps," Akemi Akemi said with a wry smile.

……

The "Golden Future Cup" hasn't even started yet, but Jump is already much more interesting.

In order to avoid being canceled, many comic artists are working even harder.

The competition has intensified.

And so, May arrived.

Koji Yoshida commissioned Katsura Hoshino to draw a manga about "exorcists" called "Zone".

After the storyboard is drawn, the original artwork begins.

Yoshida discovered that the newcomer, Hoshino Katsura, knew too little about manga.