Full-time comic artist

“You don’t need to belittle yourself,” Mr. Akimiya said. “I’ve also read Hanzawa Naoki, and it certainly has many merits.”

"Although this is a commercial comic, it also depicts various problems in the Japanese workplace, making it a rare gem."

"Of all your long comics, this one is my favorite. Keep up the good work!"

"Yes." Higashino Hibiki sat up straight and nodded slightly.

"Readers have high expectations of you, don't let them down."

"Yes."

The atmosphere in the living room was dull, and feeling bored, Higashino Mirai went to the study to fuss over.

Mr. Akimiya ignored him and sat down next to Higashino Hibiki, continuing to encourage him.

"But remember to relax in moderation. You've worked so hard all these years, don't ruin your health."

Higashino Hibiki was deeply moved.

This usually serious old man actually cares about him now.

"I understand, Dad."

It's unclear whether Mr. Akimiya has come to approve of him or if his mindset has changed with age.

……

Akemi Akemi returned home and was somewhat stunned to see the two getting along so well.

She thought Higashino Hibiki was timid and that Mr. Akimiya was silent.

Unexpectedly, the two spoke earnestly and listened attentively, resembling a family conversation.

"I'm going into the kitchen."

She pointed to the kitchen and went inside.

Half an hour later, she came out with the food.

"Why is this Mapo Tofu so red?" Mr. Akimiya pointed at the Mapo Tofu with his chopsticks and picked it up.

Chapter 380: A Twist!

"Why Mapo Tofu?!"

After leaving Mr. Akimiya's house, Higashino Hibiki immediately asked Akimiya Akemi, as he had almost burst out laughing.

He quickly took his wife and said goodbye to save face for his father-in-law.

Mr. Akimiya is probably chugging milk to relieve the spiciness right now, isn't he?

Akemi Akemi immediately retorted, "It's all your fault! You like spicy tofu, which made me get it wrong! Honestly, I'm too scared to visit Daddy again!"

Mr. Akimiya, his face flushed red, had to pretend to be calm; it was truly pitiful.

If you like the sweet flavor of Japanese Mapo Tofu, you must feel cheated if you suddenly get the original flavor instead.

"I used to add sweet bean sauce, but now I add dried chili peppers. It's all because of you."

The two of them blamed each other as they sped away in their car.

After getting far from Mr. Akimiya's house...

"Pfft, hahahaha."

The Higashino couple laughed in unison.

The serious old father suddenly embarrassed himself, grimacing from the spiciness but having to endure it to maintain the dignity of an elder. This contrast made them laugh non-stop.

……

The second batch of "double payback steamed buns" was sold, but due to limited production time and insufficient production capacity of the small workshop commissioned by Shueisha, only 300 buns were available.

They opened for business at 9:40, and by 10:10, just half an hour later, they were sold out again.

This is still limited to two purchases per person. If sales were allowed to resume freely, the sale would be over in 10 minutes.

Kuriyama Minami sighed; he had missed it once again.

What are people thinking who line up at 8 a.m....?

The next day, he ate a dry loaf of bread and went to the company.

Kuriyama Minami saw it...

"This steamed bun is so delicious!" My friend, Gui Tou, savored a "double payback steamed bun" while sticking the free Hanzawa Naoki sticker onto the computer case.

"What are you doing...?"

"Eh? You didn't know?" Gui Tou tilted his head back, an uncontrollable smile playing on his lips. He'd been hoping someone would ask for a long time. "This is the super popular 'Double Repayment Steamed Bun,' and a lot of people can't get their hands on it. My girlfriend heard I liked 'Hanzawa Naoki' and lined up to buy it for me. Going to all that trouble for a steamed bun, even though the taste is actually just so-so, it's all about the love in it, and I'm really satisfied, haha."

The female colleagues at the company love to show off their handbags, and casually display the large diamond rings their boyfriends bought for them. Gui Tou couldn't understand it before, but now he does.

This feeling is really intoxicating, especially with Kuriyama Minami's intensely jealous expression.

“Please sit down, Kuriyama-kun,” Kito nodded with a smile.

“No,” Kuriyama Minami gritted her teeth, “I ate too much this morning, and my stomach is upset.”

"Oh, I see." Kito casually shifted his position, showing off the computer tower. "You see this sticker? That's right, it's Hanzawa Naoki's. It looks pretty good, doesn't it?"

“Not bad.” Kuriyama Minami nodded, then turned his head and muttered his dissatisfaction under his breath, “Tch.”

If he had left his address back then, he wouldn't be in such a passive position.

At the same time, another colleague walked over.

He looked at the ghost head and asked, "Is this the steamed bun you lined up to buy? How does it taste?"

"This...this..." Gui Tou licked his lips.

"I see you in line. Wow, you must have gotten up really early. You have so much energy."

Kuriyama Minami stared in disbelief, pointing at the demon head, "You bastard."

"Excuse me." Gui Tou covered his face and turned his head away.

The work area fell silent for a long time.

……

The manga series "Hanzawa Naoki" has reached its eleventh chapter.

In this part of the story, Hanzawa Naoki encounters a crisis, and his anxiety lasts for several episodes.

In order to make things difficult for Hanzawa, Asano arranged for a surprise inspection of the store, deliberately not giving Hanzawa time to prepare.

A surprise inspection is when the bank headquarters sends a specialist to check whether the branch's credit decision-making process for lending is correct.

Kitamoto was a bit confused; Asano Tadashi's logic was very strange.

While Hanzawa was very rude to him, getting back the 500 million yen loan was a good thing for Asano Tadashi, who wanted to return to a key position at headquarters, and this was also a way to make up for his oversight. However, he kept obstructing Hanzawa's actions.

With constant suppression from above and Higashida nowhere to be seen, Hanzawa faces numerous difficulties.

In particular, the person in charge of the on-site inspection was none other than Ogiso, who was known for slamming his fist on the table.

When conducting spot checks on the business operations of loan recipients, Xiao Mu deliberately chose companies with poor performance.

Hanzawa is the head of the financing department. If there are any problems, he will be punished and sent to a remote area, never to recover.

His ambitions as a banker and his desire for revenge against his enemies were both rendered futile.

Hanzawa has always been highly capable, and 70% of the clients at the Nishi-Osaka branch are high-quality clients with stable income.

However, Koki kept targeting companies with poor performance, attempting to smear Hanzawa Naoki.

He even resorted to underhanded tactics behind the scenes, stealing key information from the company's report and falsely accusing Hanzawa of being incompetent and unable to manage even the files properly.

"This is really difficult." Yoshihiro Togashi scratched his head, while Hanzawa had to deal with the ill-intentioned Kogiso and Asano Tadashi.

After get off work, I still have to investigate Dongtian's affairs.

The once-famous Komura president might know about Higashida, and Hanzawa would go to the hospital at night to pester Komura relentlessly.

Xiaocun despised bankers. His business was booming, but it suddenly collapsed due to economic circumstances, all because of the banks' behind-the-scenes machinations.

Although he is very rich now, he can no longer find his separated family.

An elderly man with a serious illness has become indifferent to everything, but the sight of a child calling him "Grandpa" brings a sense of melancholy to the small village.

"The bank is awful! They tried to steal my money!"

Yoshihiro Togashi deeply agrees.

Seventy percent of his earnings from drawing comics are taken away; taxation to this extent is excessive.

Working 18 hours a day, more than 12 hours of which were spent serving the country.

That's why he became increasingly reluctant to draw comics.

Even so, the bank continued to covet his money, constantly calling him to sell him financial products and using all sorts of excuses to defraud him of his hard-earned money.

"Banks are for their own benefit; it would be better if they were state-owned assets," Togashi muttered.

He felt the pinch when he went to the supermarket to withdraw or transfer money, as the transaction fees were exorbitant.

That much money is enough for him to buy ten servings of "Hanzawa Naoki" steamed buns.

……

Hanzawa collaborates with a reporter who reveals inside information about Nishi-Osaka Steel, and the reporter uses his own channels to find Komura's family.

On the second day of the on-site inspection, Xiao Mu intensified his efforts, making the problem of incomplete documentation even more serious than on the first day.

The blame placed on Hanzawa intensified, and he was on the verge of collapse, teetering on the edge of a precipice, where a single misstep would send him plummeting into the abyss.

On the third day, at the final discussion meeting, Ogiso and Asano Tadashi looked smug.

The information is still incomplete.

Togashi, however, was not worried.

Because Hanzawa Naoki is a very tenacious person, he has never been defeated. He always finds a way to solve problems.

As expected, faced with intense criticism, Hanzawa finally retaliated.