Full-time comic artist

"I'm going to buy groceries. You can sit at home for a bit."

"Thank you for your help, teacher."

Hibiki Higashino went to a nearby supermarket and bought a series of ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms and beef rolls. After returning home, he made sukiyaki.

The Higashino couple didn't come over; they went out for a meal, leaving the house to the young people.

"cheers!"

The three of them toasted each other, wishing Yoshida well.

Chapter 359 She's My Sister

"Teacher, Teacher Torino Akino, the wedding is about to begin!"

The park within the villa area has many maple trees. In November, the autumn leaves turn mostly red, which, mixed with green leaves, makes the maple trees appear even more vibrant.

Koji Yoshida shouted loudly from outside the woods, muttering under his breath, "Honestly, Oda-sensei's wedding is about to start, and they're still here admiring the scenery. They're really messing around."

Hibiki Higashino and Akemi Akemi walked out of the woods, stepping on the leaves. He said with a smile, "I heard everything."

Yoshida was very confident: "It's the teacher's problem."

“There’s no other way,” Higashino Hibiki said, looking at Akemi Akemi with a doting tone, “because it was a promise.”

Enjoy the red maple leaves in autumn.

“Yes.” Akemi Akemi tilted her head back and looked at Hibiki Higashino with a smile.

Koji Yoshida stood to the side, feeling out of place and like an outsider.

"Such beautiful maple trees, we'll have to wait until next year to see them." Higashino Hibiki turned around, looked at the maple forest, took Akemi Akemi's hand, and walked forward.

These words thrilled Yoshida. He stumbled towards Higashino Hibiki and anxiously asked, "Does the teacher have any ideas for a new work?!"

Hibiki Higashino didn't answer him. Sitting in the back seat of the car, he urged, "Hurry up, Oda-kun's wedding is about to begin."

Yoshida muttered, "Honestly...you're just trying to keep me in suspense."

He sat in the driver's seat, started the car, and drove off into the distance.

……

As the car drove, Higashino looked out the window. The difference between Japan in 04 and Japan in 93 was not significant, and he was still very familiar with the scenery outside the window.

This reminded him of the changes in China.

The city I remember from my childhood is completely different from the city I live in now; it feels unfamiliar to me.

Although there will be regrets, it is much better than standing still.

"Teacher," Yoshida glanced in the rearview mirror, his mind already racing, "about the new work?"

"What?" Higashino Hibiki snapped out of his daze and asked him.

"I mean, you have ideas for the next comic, right? I'm really curious."

“Not yet,” Hibiki Higashino shook his head.

"What about just now?" He seemed to have no time to appreciate the scenery.

"Oh, I'd like to work as an assistant for a while."

"Huh?" Yoshida turned around blankly.

Higashino panicked, "Look ahead!"

“Excuse me,” Yoshida said, looking straight ahead at the road, “Teacher, why did you have the idea of ​​becoming an assistant?”

"It's only been a month." Higashino Hibiki breathed a sigh of relief as the vehicle continued driving normally. "I want to gather some material."

"Oh, I see." Yoshida Koji suddenly realized.

He had just thought that Akino Mirai had lost her mind.

For a while afterward, Hibiki Higashino didn't dare to respond to Yoshida, worried that something else might go wrong.

If he and his wife had died at Yoshida's hands, Higashino Hibiki would never rest in peace, even as a ghost.

……

Higashino Hibiki was eating at the banquet.

Kazuhiko Torishima just attended Eiichiro Oda's wedding and gave a speech as a guest.

This is a sign that the conflict with Oda has been resolved.

Hibiki Higashino kept eating steak, making Akemi Akemi feel embarrassed.

A little while later, the groom, Oda, gave his speech.

He glanced at the audience, feeling extremely nervous.

At this very moment, he was even put under pressure during the interview.

"I am very grateful to Ms. Chiaki for marrying me. As a manga artist, I am busy every week, and it is a precious opportunity to meet Ms. Chiaki even once a week."

"It's too much to ask of her to have the courage to marry someone like me."

Many of the people sitting in the audience were Jump colleagues, and they nodded in agreement.

They're already busy enough; as a pillar of Jump, Oda's workload will only increase.

It's likely that Chiaki Oda will live like a widow after marriage.

It's like visiting days in prison, a chance to see her husband and have children.

Higashino Hibiki's wife works in the industry, so they can spend time together, which is quite precious.

“Even when I have free time, there are too many people coming and going at home, such as assistants, editors, and business partners. There is no life that belongs to us.”

"I am very grateful to her, truly grateful."

Oda bowed to his wife, who was in tears, and the audience erupted in applause.

"Oda is too good at this," Hibiki Higashino muttered, looking at Akemi Akemi and thinking about his own performance at the wedding, feeling guilty.

Luckily, Mingmei managed to fool him.

He wasn't as busy as Oda, also thanks to his wife's help.

After a long period of adjustment, without considering personal gain, only Akemi Higashino wholeheartedly served Hibiki Higashino.

Akemi Akemi noticed Higashino Hibiki's gaze and looked over curiously.

The sound couldn't be heard at all amidst the applause.

Higashino Hibiki opened and closed his mouth, conveying his gratitude through gestures.

Akemi Akemi understood, and embarrassedly smoothed her hair, smiling at Higashino Hibiki.

When the applause stopped, the next person Oda wanted to thank was none other than Hibiki Higashino.

He placed Akino Mirai in the second most important position after his wife.

"I have to thank Mr. Tori Akino, because it was because of him that I was able to realize that I still need to work hard."

"I will not relax, I will not be complacent, I still have a lot of room for improvement."

As soon as he finished speaking, Masashi Kishimoto's expression turned ugly.

Osamu Akimoto nudged him. "Oda-kun, you're not taking me seriously at all."

Naruto, which was closely following One Piece, didn't seem to put any pressure on him.

In the world of Jump, Eiichiro Oda is unrivaled.

This infuriated Kishimoto.

"It's still the same Oda as before." Hibiki Higashino looked at Oda and nodded with a smile, thinking to himself, "This little fat guy is still as arrogant as ever."

……

After the wedding, the guests left, and Oda watched Hibiki Higashino's retreating figure and breathed a sigh of relief.

In the end, he still didn't read that cheesy letter aloud.

"We're on break this week, so make the most of it."

Editor Tsuchida patted Oda on the shoulder with an ambiguous smile before leaving.

……

the next day.

Hibiki Higashino woke up early in the morning and rushed to Madhouse animation studio.

This time it's about the voice actor selection for "Puella Magi Madoka Magica".

This manga received too many honors in its previous life, and Hibiki Higashino didn't want to let it down and affect its success.

The voice acting in "Madoka Magica" was particularly outstanding, with the female voice actors delivering rich and moving performances, especially in conveying the characters' choked-up emotions.

Hopefully, we won't fall too far behind this time.

Upon arriving at the scene, Hibiki Higashino discovered that the recording studio was filled with voice actors.

They held their scripts and silently memorized them.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is one of the few projects that can be predicted to be a success.

The vivid and relatable characters left a deep impression on the readers, and being able to participate in the voice acting for "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" project gave them hope for success.

As an unknown voice actor, one cannot even make a living.

Either struggle in the mire or give up.

It has to be successful.

"Hello, Mr. Tori Akino."

The girls stood up and bowed to Higashino Hibiki.

"Hello." Hibiki Higashino nodded slightly.

He unexpectedly saw Mei Higashino and stopped in his tracks.