Full-time comic artist

She worked at a comic book store in the electronics district. It used to be a relatively easy job, with mostly male otaku buying 18+ comics.

But this week, she was so busy that she barely had time to eat.

Besides working as a cashier, I also use my breaks to pack extras and package new issues for this comic book.

They were as busy as assembly line workers.

When you're at work, you have to deal with an endless stream of hungry customers.

"400 yen, thank you for your trouble, sir."

"Yes."

After one customer finished, there was still a long queue in front of Xiao Ri, with dozens of people waiting to pay and leave.

They held the "Hanzawa Naoki" manga, their faces showing excitement and anticipation.

Normally, Xiao Ri only sees this on the faces of 18+ buyers.

"call."

She exhaled and took a deep breath, ready to give it her all at work.

"400 yen!"

"Yes!"

……

As the sun sets and dusk falls, today's work is finished.

My arms are sore from the sun.

The easy work turned into a mechanical exercise with no rest, and her little arms could no longer support her weight.

"Finally, it's time to get off work."

"What are you standing there for?" The manager patted her on the shoulder. "Hurry up and eat."

"Coming right away."

This comic book store closes at 7 p.m., and the store manager specially applied for subsidies to reward the hardworking employees.

Xiao Ri swung her legs and swayed as she walked to the lounge.

"Oh! Dinner tonight is Chinese food! There's stir-fried pork liver with chives and Mapo noodles! They're all my favorites!"

Her eyes lit up as she looked at the staff meal.

Chinese people might not be used to these dishes, but Japanese people really like them.

She ate with relish.

"Are you okay today?" her colleague Xiong Hai asked. "Can you manage?"

"It's okay!" Xiao Ri clenched her fist. "Ouch, that hurts..."

She felt muscle soreness.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Xiong Hai handed her a packet of medicine. "Remember to apply it when you get home."

“Yes, thank you,” Xiao Ri nodded, then asked curiously, “By the way, Xiong Hai-kun.”

Is "Hanzawa Naoki" really that good?

Today's customers are mostly mature men over 20 years old. They are obsessed with comics, which seems strange to me.

"Huh? You haven't seen it yet?" Xiong Hai looked at her in surprise. "It's really good!"

"Take it."

He took out a copy of the "Hanzawa Naoki" manga, saying, "You should read it carefully."

This is one of the copies he bought in advance, and it's perfect for preaching now.

……

"You absolutely must watch this! Don't forget!"

"I see!"

As darkness fell, Xiong Hai escorted Xiao Ri home. Before leaving, he loudly repeated the story of "Hanzawa Naoki" one last time, and only left satisfied after hearing a response.

After saying goodbye to Xiong Hai, Xiao Ri returned home and sighed as she looked at the empty room, "The day is over just like that."

She studied logistics management at a vocational college, but no company would hire her. Xiao Ri was very thin and frail; even as an adult, she still looked like a child, and seemed to have no room for exploitation.

"Finding a job is so hard."

After many setbacks, she finally gave up. She took a full-time job as a cashier at a comic book store near her home, earning about 28 yen a month.

She slumped onto the sofa, remaining motionless for a long time.

My mind was completely blank; I wasn't thinking about anything, just enjoying the quiet moments that were all mine.

Until 10 minutes later...

"Ah, right! 'Hanzawa Naoki'!"

She quickly got up and picked up the comic book with the unruly male protagonist on the cover.

"What kind of comic is it that has everyone so captivated..."

Driven by curiosity, she began to read it.

……

"Borrow an umbrella on a sunny day, and put it away on a rainy day."

"A person's value cannot be measured by money... Bank employees should focus on people, not money."

"The subordinate's credit goes to the superior, and the subordinate takes the blame for the superior's mistakes!"

These lines greatly shocked me; I had no idea there were comics like this.

Instead of internal strife when his superior shirked responsibility, Hanzawa Naoki fiercely resisted.

He was so resolute and brave, never compromising in the face of danger, always ready to repay kindness with kindness and even greater kindness.

When faced with ambitious but weak companies, banker Naoki Hanzawa will lend a helping hand and perfectly fulfill his mission.

"It's truly something to look forward to..."

As the manga ends, Hanzawa Naoki faces a crisis when his enemies, led by Kogi, use a pretext of conducting a store inspection to attack him, causing Koji to become very worried.

She never expected that she would fall in love with a workplace comic like this.

At night, Xiao Ri tossed and turned, unable to sleep, staring at the dark ceiling with her eyes open.

"How exactly did Hanzawa Naoki deal with Ogiso? What happens next? I really want to know..."

She is no longer troubled by her busy work ahead; instead, she is unable to sleep because of the plot of "Hanzawa Naoki".

"As Xiong Haijun said, the 'Hanzawa Naoki' manga only contains 8 chapters, and the manga has been serialized up to 14 chapters. That means I can read 6 more chapters in one go!"

Thinking of this, Xiao Ri got up, picked up her phone, and dialed Xiong Hai's number.

While Xiao Ri was feeling uneasy.

"What's wrong, Xiao Ri!"

Xiong Hai answered the phone, his voice tense, "What happened? Should I call 110? Speak up!"

“It’s nothing,” Xiao Ri said, puzzled. “Xiong Hai-kun is acting strangely, he’s so excited.”

"That's good..." Xiong Hai breathed a sigh of relief. "How could I not worry when you called me at 2 a.m.?"

"Oh, it's 2 o'clock! I'm so sorry, I didn't notice! I'll hang up now."

"Wait……"

Before Xiong Hai could finish speaking, the phone went dead.

"What's going on here...?"

He stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

"I'll have to trouble Xiong Hai-jun the next day."

Xiao Ri fell asleep.

The next day, she saw Xiong Hai with very dark circles under his eyes.

"What's wrong? Xiong Haijun, didn't you get enough rest?" she asked in surprise.

It's just a phone call, it shouldn't affect my sleep, right?

Xiong Hai gave her a resentful look. "I'm wearing panda makeup. It's very fashionable these days."

“Xiong Haijun is so strange.”

"I..." Xiong Hai said, swallowing his anger, "What do you want to call about?"

"I want to know what happens after 'Hanzawa Naoki'..." Xiao Ri poked her finger and said shyly.

“It’s just this,” Xiong Hai said disappointedly. “You can look at this first.”

He handed Koji a copy of Weekly Young Jump.

"This is the latest issue of the comic magazine."

He hasn't seen it yet.

Chapter 387 Reversal of Fortune

With the Weekly Youth Jump right in front of him, Koji blushed shyly.

The girl on the cover is barely clothed, with her lower body almost exposed.

It looks like a taboo magazine in the store, something you can only buy if you're over 20.

After much hesitation, she accepted the magazine and tentatively opened Weekly Shonen Jump.

"ah!"

Xiao Ri saw a baby-faced girl wearing a tight rubber suit. It was a close-up, drawn with great detail, and her high, protruding chest shimmered with white light against the black background.