Full-time comic artist

"What did you say!"

Akemi Akemi pretended to be angry. She stood up and tickled Hibiki Higashino, saying, "Quickly apologize to cute Mei!"

"Haha, sorry..." Higashino Hibiki kept laughing, "Wait, the phone is ringing."

Akemi Akemi then stopped, admiring the little girls' dance, while Hibiki Higashino answered the phone.

"Oh, it's Teacher Ben Gong. Hmm, okay."

After hanging up the phone, he confessed without waiting for Akemi Akemi to ask.

"Mr. Honmiya invited me to a dinner party at an izakaya tomorrow. He must be worried that I'll be anxious," Higashino Hibiki said with emotion. "He meant well, so I had no choice but to accept."

Akemi Akemi nodded, "Then go ahead, but remember I'll be waiting for you at home."

"it is good."

……

At 8 p.m. on Sunday, Hibiki Higashino arrived at the izakaya that Hiroshi Motomiya had mentioned.

"Mihei Kitchen? This is the place."

The izakaya was brightly lit, and Higashino felt a warm glow inside as he opened the door and went inside.

Immediately, the noise entered his ears.

The restaurant was packed with customers, mostly middle-aged office workers.

They drank beer, venting the frustrations they had accumulated at work.

"Welcome, guests."

The cute waitress said to Higashino Hibiki.

She had short, black hair that reached her shoulders, and a sweet smile on her delicate face. She looked to be in her early twenties.

Higashino Hibiki immediately understood; no wonder there were so many customers on Sundays.

"Bird!...Here, here!"

"Bird?" The waitress tilted her head, looking at Motomiya Hiroshi in the corner with a puzzled expression. He was the one who had just spoken.

“They’re calling me,” Higashino Hibiki nodded slightly and walked over.

Hiroshi Motomiya recommended the fried chicken fried rice to Hibiki Higashino, saying, "The chicken is plump and juicy, making it irresistible. Paired with delicious fried rice, it's like a symphony playing in your stomach."

Higashino Hibiki couldn't help but swallow hard, glancing at the menu on the wall. "580 yen."

"I'm not being stingy, this is the signboard."

Higashino Hibiki waved his hand. "Yeah, I know. As the breadwinner of the family, you must have a lot of money saved up."

“You bastard…” Motomiya Hiroshi gritted his teeth.

"Hahaha," Higashino Hibiki laughed.

"You're really making fun of me," Hiroshi Motomiya shook his head helplessly, then couldn't help but laugh himself.

"Guest, this is fried chicken fried rice," the pretty waitress said, placing the plate down.

"Thank you." Hibiki Higashino and Hiroshi Motomiya nodded.

After the tray was placed down, the waitress did not leave. She frowned and looked at Higashino Hibiki with a puzzled expression. "I feel like the customer looks familiar."

Hibiki Higashino quickly lowered his head, "I have a generic face."

"I see." The waitress muttered as she left, but she kept turning back to look at Higashino Hibiki, her eyes full of confusion.

Hiroshi Motomiya joked, "You're such a big star, having such a cute little fangirl."

"Teacher, please stop joking." Higashino took a spoonful of fried rice and stuffed it all into his mouth.

The aroma of fried rice filled his mouth and nose, whetting his appetite.

Just as Hiroshi Motomiya said, the fried chicken was very juicy.

"It's so delicious, much better than KFC's fried chicken nuggets."

Hiroshi Motomiya tilted his head back smugly. "Right, right?"

Because Higashino Hibiki had given up drinking, they ate fried rice while only drinking beer.

Actually, most people at the scene were drinking beer. If they got drunk from other types of alcohol late at night, they would have to trouble others.

Before we knew it, it was 8:50.

"Xiaoxue," a customer called out, "could you tune the TV to Asahi? The baseball game is about to start."

"That's right, we definitely can't miss this!"

"Please, Xiaoxue!"

Higashino Hibiki was still wondering who Xiaoxue was when the pretty waitress appeared under the TV with the remote control.

“Um…” She paused, pressing the remote control, and turned back to look at everyone apologetically, “How about watching ‘Hanzawa Naoki’? This drama must be really exciting.”

Hiroshi Motomiya said to Hibiki Higashino, "This shop is near Jingu Stadium, and many of its customers are baseball fans."

Higashino Hibiki suddenly realized that so many people came to the izakaya probably to watch the baseball game together and have some fun.

He began to worry about the little girl.

unexpectedly……

"Watching 'Hanzawa Naoki' is also good." Someone nodded.

"I'm also looking forward to it. I hope TBS can capture the best aspects of the comic." Someone echoed.

"Hanzawa Naoki? What's that?" some people wondered.

"You don't know 'Hanzawa Naoki'? It's an incredibly amazing manga! You're really ignorant."

The discussion in the izakaya was so lively that surprisingly no one questioned it.

Hiroshi Motomiya raised his hand, "Then let's watch 'Hanzawa Naoki'! It might be more interesting than baseball."

Seeing the pretty waitress looking a little awkward, Hibiki Higashino chimed in, "That's a manga by Akino Tori, you can't miss it."

With the two of them at the beginning:

"Since it's a TV series that Xiaoxue likes, there's nothing we can do about it."

"It's a bit of a shame... Oh well, I'll just go with 'Hanzawa Naoki'."

The older male guests doted on Xiaoxue, and although some complained, they still agreed.

"Thank you." Xiaoxue smiled happily and bowed. The TV channel had switched to TBS.

After a short commercial break, "Hanzawa Naoki" officially began.

Higashino Hibiki was also watching the finished product for the first time, so he moved his chair to face the TV and watched it intently.

The opening scene of "Hanzawa Naoki" is a recruitment event at the Industrial Central Bank, where Hanzawa Naoki, dressed in a school uniform, sincerely explains his reasons for joining the Industrial Central Bank.

“It’s to repay a debt of gratitude,” said a middle-aged man with a receding hairline.

He clearly hadn't seen "Hanzawa Naoki".

Chapter 407 Breaking Records

"Hanzawa, what about you? Which department do you want to join?"

"My goal is to get to the top. Once I reach the top, I have some things to do."

Hanzawa Naoki's eyes were sharp, revealing his sharp edge.

Customers who came because of the baseball game were attracted by its unique atmosphere.

They went from being absent-minded to being very interested, and now they were staring intently at "Hanzawa Naoki".

"You acted really well."

"Huh?" Higashino Hibiki looked up and saw a waitress named Koyuki.

Holding a rag, she stood beside Higashino Hibiki and sighed softly.

"Hello." Xiaoxue tilted her head, blinked, and greeted Dongye Xiang.

"Hello..." Higashino Hibiki nodded hesitantly.

The first episode of "Hanzawa Naoki" is over 90 minutes long, which is equivalent to the length of a movie.

During those 90 minutes, there was almost no talking in the izakaya; everyone was intently watching the television.

The chef, curious, also came out of the kitchen to watch with the customers, and then he was reluctant to go back.

During this time, new customers walked into the izakaya and were surprised, thinking they had gone to the wrong place.

Xiaoxue belatedly went to serve the customers, which prevented the izakaya from losing its daily income.

……

"First base! They've stolen first base! Japan's Sawamura has stolen first base!"

Gui Tou stood up and clapped.

This U13 baseball tournament was very exciting, and the performance of the Japanese youth team was quite impressive.

Gui Tou forced himself to be happy while watching.

But he still couldn't help but look at the wall clock.

"It's 21:30 PM, shouldn't the plot of 'Hanzawa Naoki' be around there by now..."

"No, no, I need to focus, I have to focus!"

He watched the baseball game, rubbing his chin and muttering to himself: "The Japanese team's batters have stronger overall skills, and their pitchers are more accurate, but the American team's pitchers are all strong and powerful. The two home runs so far were both contributed by the American team... Hanzawa's kendo is also quite good, both in terms of accuracy and power."

Without realizing it, Gui Tou thought of "Hanzawa Naoki" again. Even though he knew the plot by heart, he now wanted to watch it over and over again.

"Fine!" He gritted his teeth, picked up the remote control, and switched the channel to TBS.

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

"..."