Full-time comic artist

Is that so?

"Mmm!" Xiaohe nodded repeatedly.

“I also think Dad is just overthinking things,” Akemi Akemi added.

"That's good." Higashino Hibiki breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiaohe's eyes widened.

Yoshida arrived in the afternoon.

The storyboard for the final episode of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" has been approved by the Jump editorial department.

After that, the manga could be drawn according to the established storyboard, and Jump would also begin to promote the completion of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica".

This will further fuel the fire of this comic.

When Yoshida Koji finished his work and was about to leave, Koga called him back.

"Editor Yoshida, I feel that as a creator, Akino-sensei is a bit too indifferent."

This may be a psychological problem caused by prolonged creative work.

Xiaohe wants to talk to Yoshida.

"Really?" Yoshida asked him doubtfully. "I don't think so."

"The teacher is clearly very gentle, and his emotions are very rich."

He thought of the last episode of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," which was about the "law of cycles."

This changed the tragedy of the story, bringing a healing and touching feeling after endless darkness and oppression.

When he saw the storyboard, he couldn't help but marvel at Madoka's pure selflessness.

Hibiki Higashino, who drew this character...

“My teacher was so warm-hearted,” Koji Yoshida exclaimed, looking up. “He was practically a ‘warrior of love.’”

"Huh?" Xiaohe took two steps back. He suddenly remembered a Chinese article, "Zou Ji Advises King Qi to Accept Criticism".

Editor Yoshida and Mrs. Higashino both deeply loved Akino-sensei, which changed their perception of him.

He turned and left.

……

"Yoshida-kun, you haven't left yet?"

Higashino took a drink of water and went outside when he saw Yoshida Koji.

"Mr. Xiaohe just needed to talk to me."

Is he planning to submit a piece of writing?

“No,” Yoshida shook his head, “Mr. Koga is concerned about the teacher, but he’s just worrying unnecessarily.”

“Oh,” Higashino Hibiki nodded and said, “I have something I’d like to ask you.”

Upon hearing this, Yoshida Koji walked over and sat down on the sofa. "Teacher, please just tell me. I'll definitely help if I can."

After filling the water container, Higashino walked over to him and asked, "Can you contact Ryuzawa-sensei?"

Yoshida asked, puzzled, "Huh? Why?"

"Of course it's because of 'Magical Girl Duel'..." Hibiki Higashino stood and drank water, "Although it's not appropriate for me to say it, as it's inconvenient to interfere with other people's creative process, but..."

"Is something bothering you, Mr. Longze?"

"The first three chapters of this comic were very engaging; the characters were well-developed and the creative perspective was excellent, focusing on social issues. But why does the latest content feel superficial?"

He was puzzled.

The first three episodes of "Magical Girl Duel" deal with the themes of school bullying, environmental pollution, and the shining moments of humanity amidst danger.

It gave him a feeling of seeing hope after despair, a feeling brought about by the existence of magical girls.

However, the content suddenly changed later, losing the essence of the work and starting to emphasize the battles between magical girls. These battles were meaningless and were merely tools to showcase violence and gore.

This comic suddenly went from a meaningful work to a piece of garbage.

This puzzled Hibiki Higashino.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tori Akino,” Yoshida scratched his head, “Actually, I had a very unpleasant falling out with Ryuzawa’s editor.”

"Then let's forget about it."

Higashino Hibiki glanced at Yoshida Koji. This guy looked like a delinquent; his interpersonal skills were indeed terrible.

It's useless.

But in fact, Yoshida had always been resentful about Tatsuzawa following the trend.

He and his colleagues were always chatting and laughing.

……

On Friday.

Longze received news that "Magical Girl Duel" had dropped to 15th place.

His eyes widened, then dimmed.

I've tried every possible method to draw it, but it still didn't work.

"I really have no talent..."

……

on Monday.

Weekly Shonen Jump is released.

"Magical Girl Duel is getting more and more boring."

"Huh? Wasn't the fight going really intense?"

"What's the point of having only blood and violence when the plot is hollow?"

"Yeah, I knew it wasn't worth watching. Actually, I used to really like this manga."

"Me too, but I've never dared to say it. What a pity."

"Everyone says it's just following the trend, but the previous 'Duel' had its own core, which was gradually abandoned by Teacher Longze."

On the street, several high school students chatted as they walked to school.

"Comics always have this kind of thing."

"Let me take a look at 'Katekyo Hitman Reborn!' first."

"That comic is completely boring; it's all just mundane daily life."

"Let's read 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' instead; the manga is nearing its climax."

"Ah."

The boy standing in the middle opened Weekly Shonen Jump.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica was the first manga in the catalog, and I easily found it.

"The battle between Homura Akemi and Witch Night, wait! This is..." He froze.

"what?"

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica is coming to an end!"

"what!"

Other high school students rushed over to look, and on the cover of "Little Circle," they saw a notice that the work was about to end.

"It's actually true!"

"This is unbelievable, it's only been serialized for half a year..."

……

"What? It's almost over?" Tetsuro Araki looked at Jump and exclaimed in surprise.

"As far as the story is concerned, it is indeed coming to an end, but... it really doesn't make sense."

They clearly have such good grades.

“Araki-kun,” his colleague said with a smile, “your Death Note has only been serialized for a year, you should be used to it by now.”

“That’s true…” Araki Tetsuro nodded, looking troubled. “But I still can’t bear to part with it.”

"What are you reluctant to part with?" Maruyama Masao walked over and asked with a smile.

“It’s a manga by Akino Tori,” the colleague said. “Araki-kun can’t bear to put down Puella Magi Madoka Magica.”

“I see,” Maruyama Masao said, rubbing his chin. “Araki-kun.”

"Yes, Mr. Maruyama."

"You'll be in charge of making the 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' anime."

"The Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime!" Araki's eyes lit up. "Received!"

……

"Tori Akino has ended again."

"I never even had the chance to be serialized in Jump, but I always heard news that Akino Tori's manga had ended."

"I'm used to it."

"Teacher Akino is really impatient."

The cartoonists were all moved.

Some of them are working hard to submit their manuscripts, hoping to get them published in a serialized conference.

Some comics have been serialized for three to five years.

An outlier like Hibiki Higashino is truly rare.

……