Full-time comic artist

"it's all over……"

……

Many readers still can't believe it.

Three weeks later, several manga chapters in Weekly Shonen Jump went on hiatus.

"I really don't feel like drawing manga anymore since Tori Akino-sensei has stopped writing."

—Hoshino Katsura.

"It's not fun not being able to compete on the same stage as Mr. Tori Akino. Please let me adjust."

——Eiichiro Oda.

"I never thought this day would come. It feels like the sky has fallen. I've been reading Akino-sensei's manga... I'm sorry everyone."

—Akira Amano

Now readers have no choice but to believe it.

The phone at Jump's editorial office was ringing off the hook, and letters from readers poured in, thousands of them filling the storage room.

The editors had to explain to the readers, filter out the extreme letters, and select a portion of the rest to hand over to Tori Akino Mirai.

They were so busy, their heads were about to explode.

"It feels like the end of the world; we are a fortress resisting endless zombies."

Years later, an editor was interviewed by a reporter and still vividly remembered the experience from that year.

He clutched his head in anguish, his body trembling slightly; he had developed a mental illness.

"That's insane, absolutely insane."

Chapter 415 The Grand Finale

"This is the original manuscript of 'Slam Dunk'... Oh no, I feel like crying."

In August, the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan held an exhibition showcasing the top 100 Japanese media artists selected in 06.

Their staff contacted Hibiki Higashino, who immediately agreed and gave them a copy of the original manuscript of "Slam Dunk".

As the number one manga, Slam Dunk undoubtedly occupies the very center of the manga exhibition hall.

With the likes of Doraemon, Dragon Ball, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure surrounding it, Slam Dunk stands out even more.

Back then, readers who loved "Slam Dunk" went straight to the original manuscript. Some had their eyes shining, and some were even moved to tears.

They witnessed many memorable moments, with Mitsui Hisashi weeping as he looked up at Coach Anzai, a prodigal son returning home, "Coach, Coach Anzai, I want to play basketball."

It has the three-point shot honed through countless trials by an ordinary person like Kiminobu Kogure.

There was a lightning-fast revelation of Miyagi Ryota.

There's a scene where Rukawa Kaede breaks past Sawakita Eiji, the number one player in Japanese high school basketball.

There's a gorilla dunk by Takenori Akagi.

There's Sakuragi Hanamichi's famous line, "And my most glorious moment is now!"

When readers see these original manuscripts, it's as if they're seeing the time when they were obsessed with "Slam Dunk" in the past. What a wonderful time that was! It's a pity that there will never be another manga like "Slam Dunk".

"Tori Akino-sensei's drawings are really good."

"You can only see his dedication after reading the original manuscript."

"I was also on the high school basketball club back in the day, haha."

They reminisced about the past, cherishing the days when they read "Slam Dunk".

That's not just about "Slam Dunk," but also about their carefree student days.

"It's a pity that nobody plays basketball anymore; kids these days prefer baseball and soccer."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Basketball is a niche sport, unless..."

He fell silent.

Bird Akino has already stopped writing; there's no exception.

The Slam Dunk exhibition area quieted down; while the surrounding area was noisy, this place was the only place with a subdued silence.

Hirohiko Araki can still draw for a long time, Akira Toriyama hasn't drawn manga for a long time, and only Mirai Toriyama just announced her retirement, which makes these veteran readers feel very uneasy.

"I still want to read Akino-sensei's manga."

After a long while, someone sighed softly.

……

Hibiki Higashino not drawing manga won't have a big impact, after all, Jump still has One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach, it's a time when Jump's top creators are fighting it out.

This relieved Sasaki. He needed to hand over his work to Yoshihisa, otherwise he would be considered a deserter if things went wrong.

What did Oda say?

"He has recovered and can draw comics normally now."

"That's good." Sasaki nodded.

Tori Akino has been serialized for over ten years and has many fellow fans, especially Jump manga artists, many of whom are also his fans.

It's a good thing that everyone has gradually adapted over the past three months.

"Have any new faces emerged recently?" he asked Bottle.

“There is one person whom Professor Tori Akino particularly values,” Bottle replied, “whose name is Hajime Isayama.”

“You need to take this person seriously,” Sasaki instructed. “Tori Akino-kun’s judgment is never wrong. Isayama Hajime may be the next pillar of Jump.”

"Yes," the bottle nodded.

Having settled everything, Sasaki stood up, glanced around the Jump editorial department, pursed his lips, and said, "Then I'll take my leave, Editor-in-Chief Yoshii."

He turned around, his steps steady and powerful.

“Sasaki-san,” the bottle called out to him.

Sasaki turned around.

"You have worked hard!"

……

In August 2008, Hibiki Higashino, along with his wife and children, went to Beijing to watch the Beijing Olympics.

He acted in private, without publicizing it, so of course no one came to pick him up at the airport.

Higashino Mirai was extremely curious, blinking her big eyes as she looked around.

"Don't we need to find a translator?" Akemi Akemi asked Hibiki Higashino.

“No need,” Hibiki Higashino withdrew his complicated gaze, looked at Akemi Akemi with a smile, and said, “I can speak Chinese.”

"Can it be used for communication?" Akemi Akemi asked in great surprise.

She knew that Higashino Hibiki could speak Chinese and would say things like "comfortable" at night to liven things up, but she didn't expect that they could have a fluent conversation.

"of course can."

He hadn't spoken Chinese for a long time, but he still knew Chinese characters as well as ever.

Following the signs, he led his wife out of the airport, negotiated a price with a taxi driver, and arrived smoothly at the hotel they had booked.

……

Once in the hotel room, Akemi Akemi breathed a sigh of relief. "What did you talk about with the driver?"

“He said, ‘Your wife is beautiful and gentle. My wife is shrewish and not good-looking. I really envy you.’” Higashino Hibiki smiled.

"So what was your answer?"

I said, "You're right," haha.

Akemi Akemi received a satisfactory answer and went into the bathroom to take a bath.

Higashino Mirai stood by the window, looking down at the view below.

Aren't you tired?

“Not tired,” Higashino Mirai shook her head.

"Shall we go out and see Beijing?"

"Yay!" Higashino Mirai cheered.

Before leaving, Higashino Hibiki told Akemi Akemi that he was taking the children out for a walk and would be back soon.

He then took the child's hand and got off the elevator.

For Higashino Mirai, BJ was a strange place. The people spoke a language he couldn't understand, yet they were passionate and full of hope. It was completely different from Tokyo, which made him hold onto Higashino Hibiki's hand tightly, afraid to let go.

There's a park outside the hotel where retired seniors practice Tai Chi and sword dancing—a sight you don't see in Japan.

Higashino Mirai stared straight ahead, not blinking an eye.

"Dad, what are those grandpas and grandmas doing?"

“They are exercising,” Hibiki Higashino explained.

Wow! That's amazing!

Higashino Mirai was reluctant to leave, so she hid behind Higashino Hibiki's legs and secretly watched.

"Sir, do you need any help?"

Nowadays in Beijing, you can see volunteers wearing red vests everywhere.

A female college student walked up to the father and son and asked in fluent English.

“No need.” Higashino Hibiki waved his hand, then asked curiously in Chinese, “Why do you think I’m a foreigner?”

"Ah! I'm sorry!" The female college student was flustered and bowed apologetically. "I saw that you had a complicated expression and thought you were an overseas Chinese."

Higashino Hibiki felt a mix of emotions and nodded, "In that case, it's not that different."