Full-time comic artist

Yoshida comforted Tanaka, saying that "The Code" could still participate in the next serialization meeting, and then ended the call.

"Tanaka-sensei is still cuter," he remarked casually.

……

"Ah, 'Gintoki the Yorozuya' has been included? Didn't you say it was bound to fail? I don't want to serialize this shit-like manga!" Hideaki Sorachi vented his pent-up emotions with a smile.

"I was just giving you a heads-up to prepare you mentally," Onishi said gently. "It will be published next February, so get ready for the serialization as soon as possible. Also, we need to change the name; it's too bland."

“I’ll be home in a few days, and we’ll have a family meeting to discuss it then,” Sorachi said.

"Be careful not to waste time."

"I know."

……

"Mr. Amano, 'Katekyo Hitman Reborn!' has passed the serialization meeting," Soichi Aida excitedly informed Akira Amano.

"Thank you, Mr. Aida!"

Afterwards, Akira Amano stroked the cat and said with a smile, "I've finally officially started serialization in Jump, Mimi, you have to be happy for me."

……

After the serialization meeting ended, Hibiki Higashino prepared to leave.

“Please wait a moment,” Sasaki stopped him. “The New Year is almost here. How’s your new work coming along?”

Chapter 326 Your name, is it a pickup line?

Hibiki Higashino has been resting for too long; in that long, the entire "Death Note" series should have ended.

Sasaki had wanted to urge him for a long time, but considering that Higashino Hibiki had been drawing manga since high school and had been working diligently for eight years without slacking off, he had held back for a long time.

As the year 03 drew to a close, he could no longer bear it.

“A new work, huh?” Higashino Hibiki scratched his cheek. “I think I have some ideas.”

"Oh!" Sasaki smiled, his expression delighted. "Please tell me about it."

……

At a restaurant near Shueisha, Sasaki consulted Hibiki Higashino, arranged the meal, and then asked directly, "What's the new work about?"

He knows Higashino Hibiki well; he says he has some ideas, but in reality, they're pretty much on par.

"Don't rush," Higashino Hibiki quickly took a sip of tea, his mouth dry from the meeting.

"Ah, sorry." Sasaki realized what was happening and sat down cross-legged.

He overreacted to Akino Tori's new work and lost his composure.

Higashino Hibiki drank three cups of tea in one go before he recovered.

Under Sasaki's unwavering gaze, he asked, "How about the magical girl type?"

"Huh?" Sasaki was stunned.

……

The most prominent magical girl manga is "Sailor Moon," which is also a shoujo manga.

But this is still far from being a top-tier shonen manga.

Not many boys like watching magical girls.

It's a bit of a blunder that Tori Akino Mirai chose this subject matter.

"Why a magical girl?" he asked.

“Because it’s very interesting,” Hibiki Higashino replied. “Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Ojamajo Doremi, Cardcaptor Sakura, The Legend of Snow White, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pichi Pitch, and so on. Interesting magical girl works keep appearing, giving girls a dreamlike experience. I want to draw such works as well.”

"This is really a headache," Sasaki said, rubbing his forehead. "You're really messing things up."

Magical girls, magical girls, naturally it's a shoujo manga, and its style is too different from Weekly Shonen Jump.

However, he was extremely reluctant to let Hibiki Higashino serialize in Shueisha's shoujo manga magazine "Cookie".

How can you give your most capable assistant to a colleague?

Even if he agreed, his superior, Kazuhiko Torishima, would not.

"My work is certainly different from the usual magical girl stories," Hibiki Higashino said with a smile. "It's definitely a manga that boys and girls will also enjoy reading, bringing them a unique experience, haha."

They may never forget it.

"Oh?" Sasaki was a little surprised. He picked up his tea and took a sip. "Let's get the storyboard drafts out first. By the way, how long do you expect it to take to draw?"

“Hmm,” Higashino Hibiki thought for a moment, “It will probably take more than half a year, which is about twenty-five chapters.”

"Pfft," Sasaki choked, "How much?"

"Half a year."

"Only six months?" Sasaki suddenly realized, "So it was just a medium-length manga."

Then it doesn't matter.

He realized that this magical girl work might be Hibiki Higashino's playful creation, or perhaps an experimental one.

“Only six months to paint,” he began to ponder.

The waiter knocked on the door, and Higashino responded. They bowed and came in, placing down the dishes of Japanese food before leaving.

These dishes were all visually appealing and delicious, and Higashino Hibiki's mouth watered. "Editor-in-Chief!"

Sasaki waved his hand, indicating that he should eat first.

“I’m starting,” Higashino Hibiki said, picking up his chopsticks and then a bowl of pork broth, savoring it slowly.

"Oh, this tastes really good." His eyes lit up.

He was starving by the time he finished lunch.

This pork broth is made by first frying pork into bite-sized pieces to render the fat, then stir-frying it with white radish, carrot, green onion, konjac, and burdock, adding bonito flakes and water, and simmering for eight minutes. After that, miso is added and stirred before serving.

The preparation process is quite simple and preserves the original flavor of the ingredients.

In addition to pork broth, there is also miso butter corn ramen as a main dish.

There were also some desserts, which were arranged quite exquisitely.

Higashino ate every single bite, but because the portion was so small, he was only about half full.

"Mr. Sasaki? The food is getting cold."

"You eat first." Sasaki said absentmindedly, still thinking about Hibiki Higashino's suggestion of a magical girl-themed work.

Every manga by Hibiki Higashino brings huge profits to Shueisha.

Leaving aside Slam Dunk, Death Note, which was only serialized for a year, already has a huge value of several billion yen.

This doesn't even include the upcoming movie releases, or the subsequent profits from this work.

It is estimated that the value of one "Death Note" book exceeds 10 billion yen.

As for the benefits such as recognition from Jump readers, those cannot be calculated in general terms.

The achievements that Tori Akino will make in the coming year are terrifying.

Is it really worth it to waste half a year of his time on magical girls?

"I was really wrong," he suddenly muttered to himself.

Whether or not Hibiki Higashino draws magical girls, he's always taking a break.

Now that his idea has been rejected, he may be even less motivated to take action.

After thinking it through, Sasaki made his decision.

Let Higashino Hibiki produce the storyboard first; if it's interesting, let him serialize it.

If it cannot be approved, then there's nothing that can be done; just follow the procedure to reject it.

He had been in a meeting for half a day and was starving. He picked up his chopsticks, ready to taste the ramen, only to find that there was nothing in front of him.

"Huh?" He looked at Higashino Hibiki.

"What's wrong?" Higashino asked, his cheeks bulging as he ate his ramen, his mouth glistening with oil.

"No...it's nothing."

Sasaki glanced at the two piles of bowls and chopsticks stacked in front of Hibiki Higashino, his eyebrows twitched, and he suppressed his anger as he spoke.

……

"I'm full, I'm full."

After leaving the restaurant, Higashino Hibiki patted his belly and said happily.

"Mr. Sasaki, and you?"

"Me?" Sasaki's stomach was shriveled. "Don't you know whether I've eaten or not?"

“Being a picky eater isn’t good,” Higashino Hibiki shook his head.

"You go first," Sasaki sighed, turned around and walked back into the restaurant.

Higashino Hibiki couldn't help but laugh as he watched his retreating figure.

He walked over to Sasaki and said, "This time, I'll treat you."

……

"Daddy, hug me."

Higashino Mirai spread her small arms and mumbled something to Higashino Hibiki.

Having cared for the child for so long, Higashino Hibiki had already reached level ten in infant language. He bent down, picked up Higashino Mirai, supported his bottom, and let him lean on his shoulder.

Akemi Akemi, pushing the stroller, smiled happily as she watched this scene.

Today is the first day of the new year, and they are going to a nearby temple to pray for blessings.

On the way, Hibiki Higashino met Yuko Asahina.