Full-time comic artist

The Tower of the Sun has three "faces": the top one is the "Golden Face," the center one is the "Sun Face," and behind it is the "Dark Star," representing the past, present, and future.

Hibiki Higashino had no feelings about the "Tower of the Sun." The building only gave him a sense of strangeness, not beauty, and was not as good as Mr. Akimiya's paintings.

However, the landmark of the 1970 Osaka Expo may have special significance for the Japanese, so it's understandable that they would choose this one.

The number one spot in the entertainment category is the flash animation "Soft Tank," which has been incredibly popular recently.

This calmed Higashino Hibiki's excited emotions, suggesting that the participants might not have taken this selection process very seriously.

The honor of being number one in "Slam Dunk" wasn't as important as Hibiki Higashino thought.

After the top 100 were announced, the organizers also released the list of 26th to 50th.

The 50th most popular manga is Ai Yazawa's "NANA".

This manga is the pinnacle of shoujo manga, but it is far inferior to "The Rose of Versailles," which ranks 28th.

It seems that, for the comics department, there still needs to be a certain amount of emotional connection to the past.

It's not as casual as the entertainment department.

Chapter 401 Tori Akino is having such a hard time (′へ`、 )

The manga ranked 26th is called "Hanzawa Naoki".

Akemi Akimiya said with great regret, "If 'Hanzawa Naoki' could have moved up one more spot, there would have been four of your manga in the top 100, or..."

I will continue the series for a while longer.

The short serialization of "Hanzawa Naoki" was a disadvantage; it ended quickly before the public interest could fully develop.

“It’s okay,” Higashino said with a smile, holding his son. “That’s enough, isn’t it? Future.”

"Yes!" Higashino Mirai nodded seriously, "Dad is number one."

He wasn't surprised at all, and felt perfectly justified in thinking that "Slam Dunk" being number one was a matter of course, without even knowing what "Slam Dunk" was about.

This is a child's trust in their father.

"You're such a clever little devil." Akemi Akimiya pinched her son's nose, then stroked his hair and smiled happily.

……

On Monday, Higashino Mirai went to school with her backpack.

He went outside and looked at the empty gate, still feeling somewhat disoriented.

The school bus he used to taking for granted is gone, so he has to walk to school. "Sigh, from kindergarten to elementary school, I've grown up."

Higashino looked at him and shook his head helplessly, "He's such a precocious little devil."

Higashino Mirai waited anxiously at the door for a while, and soon someone came over.

Good morning, Mirai-chan.

"Good morning, Miyano-nii-san."

The person who came was Ken Miyano. He smiled and waved to Mirai Higashino, then bowed respectfully to Hibiki Higashino. "Teacher Akino, it's no surprise that Slam Dunk won first place in the Japanese manga rankings."

"Thank you, I'm sorry to trouble you again."

"No, it's on the way."

Ken Miyano, the little kid from back then, is now in junior high school; his former naivety has transformed into maturity.

His junior high school and Meguro Elementary School were in the same direction, and he volunteered to take Higashino Mirai to school together.

Looking at Higashino Hibiki, one can't help but sigh that Miyano Ken already has the demeanor of an adult at such a young age.

I don't know whether to be happy or sad.

……

After saying goodbye to her father, Higashino Mirai skipped and hopped off to school.

“Miyano-nii,” he said excitedly, “there’s a soccer game at school today, let’s hurry up.”

Ken Miyano quickened his pace and asked, "When is the soccer match?"

"10 o'clock in the morning."

Miyano Ken, both amused and exasperated, stopped in his tracks. "Then what's the rush?"

"Hurry up, hurry up," Higashino Mirai urged, pacing back and forth. "If you're too slow, I'll get impatient."

Miyano Ken sighed and followed, saying, "I really don't understand you kids."

Higashino Mirai asked, puzzled, "Isn't Miyano-nii a child too?"

Ken Miyano paused for a moment, then pointed ahead and shouted, "Run forward!"

After saying that, he dashed out in a flash.

"Oh!" Higashino Mirai shouted excitedly and followed.

At the entrance of Meguro Elementary School.

Good morning, Principal.

"Good morning, Mirai." Principal Ota nodded with a smile, bowed to welcome another child into the school, and then asked, "What's making you so happy?"

"Dad got first place, and..." Higashino Mirai counted on her fingers, "...about the soccer match!"

In his view, these two things are good news that can be compared side by side.

"Oh, you should be happy then." Principal Ota patted Higashino Mirai's head and nudged him on the back. "Alright, hurry up and go inside, don't be late."

"Yes, goodbye, Principal!"

Principal Ota narrowed his eyes as he watched Higashino Mirai's retreating figure.

"Congratulations, Hibiki, you got first place in the manga competition!"

On the 4th, he was also watching the cultural festival live. When he heard that "Slam Dunk" had won first place, he couldn't help but roar excitedly, and his dentures almost flew out.

With his students achieving great success under his guidance, nothing could make him so happy.

At 9 o'clock, Principal Ota returned to his office.

He looked around, carefully closed the door, tiptoed to the office chair, sat down, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"The principal has to be a role model for the children," he muttered to himself before opening the drawer and taking out a comic magazine.

The blue-haired boy on the cover is lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip in the back of his hand, but he is still quietly drawing comics.

This is Weekly Shonen Jump, and the manga on the color cover is Bakuman.

Principal Ota has been watching it closely.

"But older people also have the right to read shonen comics."

He smiled and nodded, opened Jump, and began reading the first volume, "Bakuman".

Yumeha Ashirogi participated in the "Golden Future Cup" and won first place with her manga "Detective Trap".

Based on this, they passed the serialization meeting, and "Detective Trap" officially began serialization.

This is a very interesting comic book about a detective who uses lies to trick criminals into confessing and accepting punishment.

The unconventional detective comics have gradually attracted readers' attention.

Ashirogi Muto even has the potential to surpass the genius Niizuma Eiji.

But it was here that Mashiro Moritaka, who was drawing, fainted and was hospitalized.

Masashi's liver was so damaged that a portion of it needed to be removed; in layman's terms, it was a case of "liver overload."

It was too difficult to attend school while serializing his work; he was overwhelmed by the weekly updates of Weekly Shonen Jump.

"Hibiki was also serialized when he was in high school, right?"

After meeting Higashino Hibiki, Principal Ota searched for his biography online.

The abilities of the elderly should not be underestimated; he did indeed thoroughly investigate Higashino Hibiki's life history.

Tori Akino Mirai started serializing "Hikaru no Go" in the second semester of her second year of high school, and "Slam Dunk" in college. She continues to make progress.

“So these are…” Ota’s expression was complicated and tinged with sadness, “Hibiki’s true experiences, right?”

It's easy to imagine how difficult it must be for a high school student to juggle their studies with drawing comics that even adults would find difficult to manage.

"He became who he is today by gritting his teeth and persevering."

When children try too hard, adults will feel sorry for them.

Principal Ota's heart clenched as he watched "Bakuman".

Behind the glory lies boundless effort. The more brilliant Higashino Hibiki becomes, the more Principal Ota feels gratified, but also increasingly saddened.

He looked at Mashiro Moritaka, who had finally regained consciousness, and after briefly inquiring about his condition, he was about to start drawing manga again.

"Weekly magazines can't take a break. I don't want to stop publishing. We've finally managed to gather some popularity."

This was Masashi's highest-ranking statement after the doctor refused.

He refused to suspend publication and begged his colleagues to bring him the original manuscript.

Ota couldn't help but think of Higashino Hibiki. As he looked at Mashiro Moritaka, Higashino Hibiki's image filled his mind.

He stroked the comic book, tears welling in his cloudy eyes.

I don't know when.

"Principal!" Higashino Mirai pushed open the door to the principal's office and shouted excitedly, "The soccer match is about to begin!"

"Oh! Oh!" Principal Ota quickly hid the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. He secretly wiped away his tears, stood up, walked to Higashino Mirai's side, and took his little hand. "Then let's go quickly."

In the hallway, he asked, "Little Future, has your dad been getting enough rest?"

“My dad?” Higashino Mirai tilted her head back. “Of course I have one. He has it so easy. He just watches TV and sunbathes all day. Ugh, I’m so envious.”

"That's good...that's good." Ota nodded with relief.

……

On a grassland in Hokkaido.