Full-time comic artist

When Sasaki raised his hand, wanting another bottle, Hibiki Higashino stopped him.

“Mr. Sasaki, don’t get drunk,” he said with a smile. “You’ll have to pay the bill.”

Sasaki withdrew his hand. "We really shouldn't drink anymore."

He realized that he had been somewhat indulgent.

"So what happened?" Hibiki Higashino asked.

It felt like he was venting.

“Things aren’t going well at work,” Sasaki replied.

He's only around 30 years old this year, and the pressure is making him feel suffocated.

Sasaki and Hibiki Higashino talked for a long time about Yoshihiro Togashi and Nobuhiko Horie.

He was caught in the middle and felt very aggrieved.

The main feeling is that it's all in vain, and I don't know what the point is.

Higashino Hibiki didn't say much, just went along with him and let him vent.

After that, Sasaki mentioned the color page at the beginning of the article.

"I reported to the editor-in-chief that there had been a result regarding the color page at the front of the Hikaru no Go magazine, but they still wouldn't allow it!"

"Sigh." He sighed again.

The difference in treatment between "Hikaru no Go" and "Rurouni Kenshin" can be described as drastic.

"Hikaru no Go" has already been adapted into an anime and published as a manga, so Hibiki Higashino doesn't seem to care much about that.

However, he was also very unhappy about the fact that he looked down on himself.

So the two of them got together and started cursing at Horie Nobuhiko.

Oda was astonished by this scene; he was still just a child himself.

A second-year university dropout.

Is it possible to have such an exciting discussion?

Akemi Akemi patted Hibiki Higashino on the back, telling him to tone it down.

Everyone had almost finished eating, and when they checked the time, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.

Oda said he could take the train, so Akemi Akemi drove Sasaki home first.

His family is here, so he doesn't need special care.

The three of them then hailed a taxi and returned to the school.

Yoshii Yamahisa went to the student dormitory.

Hibiki Higashino and Akemi Akimiya walked towards the teachers' dormitory.

Along the way, couples strolled through the school.

Occasionally, rustling sounds could be heard from the bushes.

Akemi Akimiya's face was flushed, as if she had been drinking.

A gust of wind blew by, and the early spring night was still a bit chilly.

Hibiki Higashino took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Hibiki Higashino refused her offer to return her hands, saying, "I've wanted to do this for a long time; it feels very romantic. Please, Ms. Akimiya."

Akemi Akemi, wearing a coat, felt Hibiki Higashino's body temperature.

"Are you very unwilling to accept this, Higashino-kun?" she suddenly said.

“There are some,” Higashino Hibiki replied.

“I think it’s the editor-in-chief Horie’s fault,” she said, walking with a bright smile. “I firmly believe that Higashino-kun will definitely draw interesting manga.”

"Thank you," Hibiki Higashino said, his mood suddenly improving under the moonlight.

"Yes, that must be it. Even for Ms. Akimiya's sake, my manga will become more and more interesting."

Chapter 91: Exhibition Tour

There are two chapters left until the end of Dragon Ball.

At this point, Akira Toriyama's heart was no longer with this work.

He is on a traveling exhibition of his works, and recently arrived in Tokyo.

Hibiki Higashino was specially invited.

The location was surprisingly the Akimyo Museum of Art.

Higashino Hibiki was momentarily stunned; he had to accept his teacher's invitation.

But once I get there, I'll have to face Mr. Akimiya.

He was very uneasy.

……

“I’m not going, I’m not going,” Akemi Akemi shook her head like a rattle.

This actually relieved Higashino Hibiki.

So he came here alone.

Ah, no, there's Oda beside me, after taking a bath, getting his hair done, and being carefully pampered.

Hearing that he was going to see Akira Toriyama, he stared at Hibiki Higashino with pitiful eyes for a whole day.

If it were a beautiful woman, it would be fine, but a greasy, chubby guy like that was really unbearable for Higashino Hibiki.

So she agreed.

On Sunday, Akira Toriyama's exhibition opened as scheduled.

Hibiki Higashino arrived at the scene.

The scene was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, the crackling of firecrackers, the waving of red flags, and a sea of ​​people.

"As expected of Toriyama-sensei," Oda exclaimed, his mouth agape. "So many people."

There were tens of thousands of spectators at the scene.

How long will we have to wait in line?

It suddenly felt like I was watching a giant panda.

Is Akira Toriyama, a middle-aged, greasy man, really that serious?

Fortunately, Higashino Hibiki had a VIP channel, which was only accessible to invited personnel.

After giving his name, Higashino Hibiki was able to enter the exhibition hall without having to wait in line.

It's filled with paintings by Akira Toriyama.

Even the strange bird that he saw in Akira Toriyama's painting when he first met him was there.

There are also color illustrations for "Dragon Ball" and "Dr. Slump", as well as game concept art for "Dragon Quest" and "Time Travel".

Large prints are hung on the wall.

This is Akira Toriyama's collection of works accumulated over more than 20 years, and it is quite extensive.

Moreover, his masterful use of the G-pen and watercolor pens creates a truly stunning effect.

Each imaginative work made the audience feel like they were in paradise.

"Wow...that's amazing!" Oda was like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time, not knowing where to look.

Higashino walked quietly, carefully appreciating Toriyama Akira's ideas and techniques.

Ultimately, Higashino Hibiki only stayed under his command for a month.

I learned mostly the basics.

He hasn't really looked at Akira Toriyama's paintings in a calm and focused manner yet.

He stopped in front of a painting.

This is a very abrupt painting, completely different in style from the other works.

There is no magic, no machinery, and no strange animals.

It's just a little boy, happily playing with some birds. Even the style of the drawing has changed. It looks a bit like a child's drawing.

“That’s right, this is a painting I made based on your painting from back then.”

Akira Toriyama spoke from behind him.

"However, it still doesn't capture the innocent and carefree senses."

He shook his head regretfully.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with other people?"

The event was organized by a member of the Yomiuri Shimbun or by Mr. Akimiya, the museum's owner.

"They're right there."

Akira Toriyama pointed in the direction, and there were several people looking at the colored manuscript about ten meters away.

Exceptional focus.

They have a very different aura.

An elderly man in his fifties was surrounded in the middle. His hair and beard were completely white, and he looked exceptionally dignified. Higashino Hibiki felt that the man looked familiar.

"Doesn't he look a lot like Akimiya-kun?" Akira Toriyama asked.

It turns out he was Akemi Akimiya's father.

Higashino turned his head away, not bothering to examine him closely.

Looking at the room full of colored drawings, he said to Akira Toriyama, "I feel that you are no longer just a manga artist, but have transcended this system and reached a higher level."