Full-time comic artist

The upward trend that began when "Fist of the North Star" was first serialized has finally come to an end.

"Fortunately, we have Dragon Ball, so the negative impact isn't as big as we imagined." Nobuhiko Horie knew perfectly well that most of Jump's current super sales were due to Dragon Ball.

Neither "Rurouni Kenshin," which ran for more than half a year, nor "Saint Seiya: The Return of the Condor Heroes" could match the influence of "Dragon Ball."

"As long as Dragon Ball is being serialized, there will be no problem."

He relaxed a bit.

Then, as if remembering something, he picked up another report.

"Hikaru no Go's viewership rating is 15.3%!" His eyes lit up; such a good result was beyond his expectations.

"Hikaru no Go," not being a typical shonen battle manga, couldn't possibly carry the weight of Jump; at best, it could become a mainstay.

Just as he expected, "Hikaru no Go" never achieved the popularity of a masterpiece.

The anime's current viewership rating of 15.3% is something he didn't expect.

Nobuhiko Horie glanced at Sasaki and asked, "How are the sales of the 'Hikaru no Go' manga volumes going?"

“No feedback yet,” Sasaki replied, adjusting his glasses as he said to Nobuhiko Horie, “but I still feel that 10 copies for the first edition is too few. Based on the quality of *Hikaru no Go*, we should add another 20 copies.”

“You’re still fixated on this?” Horie Nobuhiko sighed. “After all, Tori Akino Mirai is a newcomer, and 10 copies sold is already a very high number.”

Even in 1995, it was rare for a manga's first volume to sell over 50 copies.

There are only a handful of books that have sold over 100 million copies.

Therefore, in Nobuhiko Horie's view, the initial print run of 10 copies of the "Hikaru no Go" manga was more than enough for the time being.

The specific circumstances will be analyzed further to determine the number of reprints.

This will prevent inventory buildup.

Sasaki shook his head when he saw that Sasaki still had the same attitude.

After he sat down, he began preparing for the reprint of "Hikaru no Go" so that he wouldn't be too busy.

You'll regret it.

He glanced at Horie Nobuhiko and thought to himself.

……

Driving is faster, and Higashino Hibiki arrived at the book signing venue about half an hour later.

This is a large bookstore, divided into two floors. Higashino looked around and saw that there was a lot of foot traffic. He wondered how many people came here because of him.

"Tori Akino-sensei, we've already contacted the organizers."

Higashino expressed his gratitude to the staff who were waiting for him, straightened his clothes, calmed his thoughts, and headed towards his autograph session location.

As he passed by the first floor, he also saw other authors holding book signings.

There were only a few people in front of them, yet they were still able to chat amongst themselves.

"What's going on on the second floor? There are so many people here."

"I heard it's a signing event for a manga artist's collected volumes."

"Wow! This kind of reading material is definitely more appealing."

"I can't draw."

He hurried past, ignoring their expectant gazes, and went up the stairs to the second floor, where a long queue had already formed.

It reminded him of the book signing event for Fumi Saimon's "White Paper on Love".

The crowds are still there, but the feeling is different now.

He looked at the readers, most of whom were children, all of them very excited and eagerly awaiting the official start.

Having already bought the collected volumes, the images of Fujiwara Sai and Shindo Hikaru on the cover were particularly striking, causing Higashino Hibiki to momentarily lose his senses.

"Oh, I've now realized what I envisioned back then."

With this in mind, Higashino Hibiki walked against the crowd toward the front of the stage.

The surrounding noise seemed to be cheering for him.

Higashino Hibiki's steps grew larger and larger; he was already impatient.

"Higashino! I knew you were here too!"

Higashino looked over and saw Nishimura.

He waved his hand, making Higashino Hibiki stop.

With half an hour to go before the official start, Higashino Hibiki suppressed his excitement and walked up to Nishimura Kitamoto.

“I knew you would come to the Hikaru no Go signing event,” Nishimura said proudly. “In Go, you are the man who defeated me, so you will definitely like this work.”

"However, you're late. You'd better go to the back of the line and wait in line. I'll go first to meet with Mr. Tori Akino. You'll be envious of me, won't you? Hahaha!"

Chapter 66 Book Signing Event Part Two

Nishimura glanced at the long line behind him and looked at Higashino Hibiki with pity.

"Wouldn't it be much better if you came with me? Pfft, pfft, pfft." He made a face at Higashino Hibiki.

Higashino Hibiki covered his face, unable to bear to look.

“Nishimura,” he then patted him on the shoulder, “thank you. It always makes me happy to talk to you.”

Nishimura looked at Higashino Hibiki with a puzzled expression.

Higashino Hibiki heard someone stomping their feet and looked back. Not far away, he saw Akemi Akemi.

She covered her mouth and stomach, trying to suppress her laughter, her face contorted in discomfort and flushed red.

The young woman in front of Akemi Akemi looked at her in surprise, "Is there a problem?"

"Hmm, no, hahaha." Akemi Akemi shook her head and laughed heartily.

Higashino Hibiki was taken aback. Why was he also attending the book signing? He had already given her a signed copy of the book.

Are they just here to watch the fun out of boredom?

"Higashino, it's been a long time," Kitamoto said, having remained silent until now.

"Long time no see." Higashino nodded in greeting. "I heard you've gotten first place in exams several times in a row. That's amazing."

"I'm just working very hard," Kitamoto replied modestly, then asked with concern, "What about Higashino? What has he been busy with lately?"

Higashino Hibiki checked the time and replied, "You'll know soon enough."

After saying goodbye, Higashino strode forward.

Watching his retreating figure, Kitamoto suddenly had a thought that shocked him greatly.

"Could it be..."

"What?" Nishimura asked curiously.

“No,” Kitamoto shook his head, looking at Nishimura with pity, “maybe something very interesting will happen.”

When Higashino arrived, the staff quickly greeted him and handed him a steaming towel.

After he wiped his face, she asked, "Shall we start now? Or should we rest for a bit?"

"Many people are waiting for me, let's get started."

"Tori Akino-sensei, thank you for your hard work."

Soon, the staff announced that the autograph session had officially begun, and the whole audience cheered.

As Nishimura watched the bustling crowd, his anticipation grew. He paced back and forth, eager to see his idol, the manga artist.

Kitamoto calculated the time, his mind churning, "It really is Higashino..."

……

Hibiki Higashino began signing autographs for his first reader, his hands trembling and his face beaming with excitement.

People started queuing up very early in the morning, when it was both cold and hot.

"Oh...this is troublesome."

“Hmm,” Higashino Hibiki nodded, signed his name on Tori Akino Mirai, watched him cheer and leave, and smiled at the next person.

"I really love your work!"

"I started learning Go because of Mr. Tori Akino!"

……

"Hikaru no Go is so much fun, and the artist's skills are amazing!"

Time passed, and the sunlight overhead shifted its angle, but thanks to the proper coordination of the on-site staff, the autograph session proceeded smoothly.

Higashino Hibiki's hands were almost cramping up. He finally understood the suffering that the once-glorious teacher, Shibamon Fumi, had endured.

Did she take a break from work for a while so she could relax her hands?

"Higashi... Higashino!"

A startled voice brought Higashino Hibiki, who was working mechanically, back to his senses. He looked up and saw a student from the same school.

He was also Hibiki Higashino's friend when they were young, and they used to get along very well.

Unfortunately, Higashino Hibiki later gave up many unnecessary entertainments in order to draw manga, so they became more and more distant and didn't speak to each other for a long time.

“Oh, it’s Tanuma,” Hibiki Higashino said with a smile. “You like Hikaru no Go too? I remember you’re in the soccer team.”

"My God, it really is Higashino!" Tanuma didn't answer Higashino Hibiki's question; he was so excited that he was waving his arms and legs wildly.

"You're actually Tori Akino Mirai, that genius manga artist! Tori Akino Mirai and I were friends!"

"Tanuma? Thank you for your interest. What kind of signature would you like?"

"Ahem," Tanuma realized, "I was just too excited. Higashino, oh no, I mean, Tori Akino-sensei, please just write 'I wish you success in getting into Tokyo University'."

"Ok."

Watching him leave with an incredulous expression, Higashino Hibiki knew that the school would definitely become lively after the winter break.