Full-time comic artist

"Ms. Akimiya, would you like to dance?" the 30-year-old sculptor asked Akimiya Akemi reservedly.

Akemi Akemi declined, saying, "I don't like dancing. Thank you for your kind offer."

The sculptor nodded awkwardly and staggered away.

Hibiki Higashino looked at Akemi Akemi and they smiled at each other.

The two sat down under the shade of a tree, no more than three meters apart.

"It's really lively tonight," Higashino Hibiki remarked.

"Hmm," Akemi Akemi smoothed her hair and tilted her head. "Aren't you going?"

Hibiki Higashino shook his head. "I prefer staying here."

He watched the crowd dance and circle around the campfire. By chance, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from behind, but upon closer inspection, she had already moved out of sight.

"Do you want to dance?" Akemi Akemi asked Hibiki Higashino earnestly, her bright eyes wide open.

“I just wanted to dance with Ms. Akimiya,” Hibiki Higashino replied. “Unfortunately, there are too many people here now.”

“You’re really something,” Akemi Akemi said, standing up as she held her skirt and walking over to Higashino Hibiki. She tapped Higashino on the head. “You’re always thinking nonsense. I’m going to the nearby park; it’s too noisy here.”

Higashino watched her disappear before his eyes, wondering why she was suddenly so angry.

There is a park near Musashino Art University, about a 10-minute walk away.

Why is she going there?

Higashino Hibiki suddenly realized something, stood up, and followed her.

"Tori Akino-sensei, let's dance together!" Oda stopped him, swaying back and forth in front of Hibiki Higashino. "Dancing can help you relax. Don't keep things bottled up inside all day. If your grades aren't good, then you need to relieve the pressure even more."

“Yeah, Higashino-kun.” A hand landed on his shoulder, and Higashino Hibiki turned around. It was Takagi-senpai.

Next to them was Yoshii Yamahisa; the three of them formed a triangle, surrounding Higashino Hibiki.

“I’m happy that you invited me,” Hibiki Higashino said, “but I don’t like it when you invite me at this time.”

Higashino Hibiki watched Akemi Akemi walk further and further away until she disappeared into the darkness, and he became even more anxious.

"Come on, come on." Oda thought Hibiki Higashino was shy, so he dragged Hibiki Higashino toward the crowd.

"No, no." Higashino Hibiki had tears streaming down his face.

……

Fifteen minutes later, Higashino Hibiki broke away from the crowd and ran towards the park.

In the park, a street lamp illuminated one area, while the rest of the park was dark.

It seems everyone in the surrounding area has gone to Musashino; the park is deserted, and Higashino Hibiki didn't see a single person.

"Could it be that I misunderstood?" Higashino Hibiki stroked his chin.

Three knocks signify the third watch of the night, while one knock signifies the first watch.

It's exactly 21 PM now, the first watch of the night is about to end.

"Am I late?"

Just as he was thinking this, Akemi Akemi emerged from the darkness. "I thought you had forgotten."

Higashino Hibiki said with a smile, "Of course not. That's what we agreed on when I first asked Ms. Akimiya to be my assistant."

At that time, he followed the story of Bodhi Patriarch striking Wukong in "Journey to the West" and struck Akemi Akemi on the head three times, but she did not know the story and just watched the whole "Journey to the West" show.

Akemi Akemi opened her arms and, in the light of the streetlamp, invited, "Want to dance?"

"Of course, but I should be the one inviting you." Hibiki Higashino doesn't know how to dance, but following the script of TV dramas, he opened his arms.

Akemi Akemi sat down and snuggled into his arms.

With one arm around her slender waist and the other holding her fingertips, Higashino Hibiki was somewhat bewildered.

“So you really can’t dance,” Akemi Akemi laughed. “You should put your right hand behind your back.”

"Oh." Higashino Hibiki was incredibly happy. He nodded and then moved his hand up to place it on her back.

"It itches so much," Akemi Akemi couldn't help but exclaim.

Hibiki Higashino: "I'm sorry."

Akemi Akemi gritted her teeth, "It's alright."

She led Higashino Hibiki to raise his left hand.

She said gently, "It's a ballroom dance, come dance with me."

After a while, she gave up. Higashino Hibiki really didn't know how to cooperate and kept stepping on her feet.

"I am the man, and you are the woman. I will guide you and you must follow my steps."

They changed positions, and Higashino Hibiki was now in her arms.

Fortunately, Akemi Akemi is 1 meters tall, only 68 centimeters shorter than Hibiki Higashino, so it doesn't look too out of place.

Without music, the rhythm would be disrupted.

She was singing a song:

"The green May flowers have stained countless sorrows."

As the song's emphasis swelled, she began to move forward.

Hibiki Higashino followed along, but he was quite unsuitable as a male companion; however, he did a very good job as a female companion.

The songs are slow-paced, and the dances are performed very slowly as well.

Akemi Akemi went to great lengths to take care of Hibiki Higashino, a novice.

Finally, under the lights, they began to dance.

"A lonely afternoon,"

"Loving, yet lonely,"

……

"A first love that couldn't even be expressed as 'I like you',"

"A delicate and hesitant heart."

Akemi Akemi began to pant, and Hibiki Higashino followed her rhythm and continued singing.

"Like petals dancing in the wind,"

"They fell haphazardly onto the water's surface,"

"Try to write about love."

The song is called "First Love," and it depicts the feelings of teenagers during their adolescence.

It's a rather charming song.

Higashino felt her girlish heart awaken as she listened to her own singing.

He twirled alongside Akemi Akemi, and danced with her.

Until the very last sentence:

"A shallow dream, hidden in the heart, forever hidden in the heart."

The dance finally came to an end.

Higashino Hibiki could only hear his own and Akemi Akemi's panting, and the violent beating of their hearts.

All was quiet except for the chirping of a few insects.

Akemi Akemi hugged Hibiki Higashino and said, "You are still very talented."

Hibiki Higashino replied, "We can dance together in the future too."

A dance in summer, though slow and gentle, still makes you sweat profusely.

Higashino looked at her, her hair brushing against her cheek, and gently brushed it up, tucking it behind her ear.

As her fingers touched her delicate face, Akemi Akemi's body trembled slightly.

She tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and dared not look at Higashino Hibiki.

So, as the fireworks of Musashino lit up the sky, Higashino kissed him.

At the fireworks display in 1993, he wore a mask.

Today, I can finally taste Akemi Akimiya's lipstick and her thin lips.

A minute passed before he finally raised his head.

Akemi Akemi's face was flushed, and her body was incredibly hot.

She released Higashino Hibiki and jumped back a step.

Touching my lips, I felt a tingling sensation.

"How kind you are, Ms. Akimiya," Hibiki Higashino remarked. "Because Masashi's grades weren't good, he was worried that I was feeling down, so he invited me to dance. It warmed my heart."

Akemi Akemi trembled and felt a chill run down her spine.

She tapped Higashino Hibiki on the head three times, then walked towards the teachers' dormitory with her hands behind her back.

Hibiki Higashino stood there, feeling incredulous.

"Could it be that I can finally get to home plate today?"

……

Time became agonizing, and he couldn't even continue writing comics.

It's simply impossible to use the time before or after the event for work, writing, or drawing storyboards.

When it was 11 p.m. and there was no one in the hallway, Higashino Hibiki quietly went out and went to Akemi Akemi's dormitory, which was 30 meters away from his own.

He tentatively opened the door, and sure enough, it wasn't closed. Light shone through, and it was like heaven.

Higashino Hibiki walked in like a pilgrim, only to see Akemi Akemi wearing a beret and a playful smile on her lips.

"Assistant, Akino Tori, you've finally arrived."