Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

Eri Aragaki then cancelled her original plans and decided to come to the year-end party this year to see Akira Toriyama again.

On the day of the year-end party, Eri Aragaki brought Erina, Ayane Takeda, Akane Natsume, and Itsuki Fujimoto to the hotel.

Erina, Ayane Takeda, and Akane Natsume have all been here twice, and like Eri Aragaki, they're no longer interested in seeing this place.

They checked in, took number tags, found seats, and put their coats away with practiced ease, performing the entire process even more skillfully than the hotel staff.

But Fujimoto Itsuki seemed very excited, curious, and expectant.

He stood at the entrance of the banquet hall, his mouth agape as he stared at the real-life cartoonists he had only ever seen in magazines and on television.

"Teacher, is that person Oda-sensei?"

Fujimoto Itsuki asked excitedly but also cautiously, "The fish head mask he's wearing is the same as what's said online... And that one over there, is it Kishimoto-sensei?"

Can I go over and say hello?

"Go say hello if you want, they're all very nice people."

Eri Aragaki shook her head, then patiently advised, "But don't get too excited, and don't block people's way, especially Oda-sensei, he doesn't like people getting too close."

"Okay, I understand!!"

Fujimoto nodded vigorously, then charged into the crowd like a Shiba Inu that had been unleashed.

"Erina...you guys should also sit down and have something to eat."

Eri Aragaki looked at Itsuki Fujimoto and shook her head helplessly. Then she turned to Erina and the others and said, "I... I might have something to do next."

"Sister, let's go get some food."

Erina was very sensible; she patted Eri Aragaki on the shoulder, then pulled Ayane Takeda and Akane Natsume towards the buffet area.

Eri Aragaki glanced around the banquet hall and soon spotted Akira Toriyama.

He sat at a table by the window, wearing his ever-present dark sweater, holding a cup of tea, and talking to Hojo Tsukasa next to him.

Akira Toriyama looks a little older than last year, but his smile is still the same familiar one.

Eri Aragaki straightened the hem of her clothes and walked over.

She walked to the table and stopped. "Toriyama-sensei, it's been a long time."

"Oh, Eri's here."

Akira Toriyama looked up, saw it was her, and said with a smile, "It's been such a long time...almost two years, hasn't it?"

He didn't attend the year-end party last year; the last time we met was at the year-end party two years ago.

That was the first time Eri Aragaki attended a year-end party.

Hojo Tsukasa chuckled beside him, nodded to Aragaki Eri, and then, with a knowing look, stood up with his wine glass. "You two chat, I'll go check over there."

Eri Aragaki sat down in the seat that Tsukasa Hojo had given up, facing Akira Toriyama.

"Eri seems to be doing well lately."

Akira Toriyama maintained his kind smile and said.

"Thank you for your concern, teacher. I'm doing quite well lately."

Eri Aragaki replied with a smile.

"Eri, actually, I called you here today because I wanted to have a chat with you..."

He looked up at Eri Aragaki, his expression more serious than during their earlier pleasantries. "Mr. Torishima told me about what happened when he contacted you..."

Eri Aragaki's expression didn't change much as she listened quietly.

"Mr. Bird Island was the editor who discovered me and helped me a lot back then."

Akira Toriyama then continued, “He is a very serious person. Once he sets his mind on something, he will find a way to push it forward. But don’t worry… I’m not here to persuade you at Mr. Torishima’s request, and I don’t intend to interfere with Eri’s creation.”

This startled Eri Aragaki, who immediately swallowed back the words she was about to say.

"Creators should be able to create freely according to their own ideas, as long as they do not violate the principles... as long as they do not violate the three principles of manga proposed by Mr. Tezuka, they should all be allowed."

Akira Toriyama continued earnestly, "So Mr. Torishima's idea is wrong, Eri... you must stick to your own ideas and continue... creating."

"Thank you... thank you for your support, teacher."

Aragaki Eri was somewhat taken aback, and after realizing what was happening, she said with a touch of emotion.

"But what I hope for is... Eri, that you don't violate the three principles of manga that Tezuka-sensei mentioned..."

Akira Toriyama then changed the subject, saying seriously, "...You know, right?"

"Of course I know."

Eri Aragaki was somewhat surprised, then replied seriously.

"Actually, I've been watching Attack on Titan all along..."

Akira Toriyama added, "I've seen the recent storyline, the origins of Eldia and Marley... Perhaps Eri didn't think of it, but whether this setting leads to misunderstandings or is indeed the case, it will make people think of reality."

He was subtly hinting.

Eri Aragaki suddenly realized, then smiled and said, "No... teacher, I think it might not actually be a misunderstanding."

"Eri, you..."

Akira Toriyama looked at Eri Aragaki with some surprise, while also waiting for her to explain everything.

"Teacher...don't worry."

Eri Aragaki became more serious than ever before, saying, "Do you remember what I said? I hope that Attack on Titan is a manga about love and peace, and I have never changed my original intention."

Anyway, she was very determined to revise the major plot of the last two arcs of Attack on Titan.

Even if the ending she revised wasn't as exciting and its popularity plummeted, she accepted it.

Because the core value of the original comic, which is essentially anti-defeat, is absolutely unacceptable.

Anyway, she couldn't understand the thoughts of those who thought the ending of a comic containing such values ​​was good.

They even said that the ending of the dumpling-making version was worse than the original.

The original version is like a banquet where everyone is enjoying their meal, but the organizers feel that ending the banquet happily is meaningless, so they suddenly add some "Oli Gei" (a slang term for something unusual or harmful) to the main course that's about to be served.

Everyone immediately noticed the difference and exclaimed that the dish didn't taste right.

The organizers and supporters burst into laughter, saying that this was much more interesting.

All I can say is... what's the point?

Eri Aragaki has changed the ending this time, replacing the original ingredients with ordinary dumplings.

The dumplings weren't particularly innovative, and they might not have been the best, but they weren't bad either. The key was that they weren't filled with any special ingredients.

Because of the good food and wine served before the banquet, everyone felt that the banquet was well-organized and they enjoyed the food.

That's the logic, anyway, Eri Aragaki has already been working on rewriting the later parts of the story.

Akira Toriyama seemed to see through Eri Aragaki's determination, and then smiled and said, "I understand. I will continue to follow the Attack on Titan storyline. Eri, what are your plans for the future?"

"Actually, I was planning to go back to school next year."

Eri Aragaki immediately smiled and said, "Teacher... perhaps you don't know, but I haven't actually finished university yet; I just took a leave of absence..."

She has been on leave from school for more than two years, and she was supposed to graduate from university this year.

However, because she has taken a leave of absence, she is currently only a sophomore.

Now, more than two years later, she has not only successfully paid off all her original debts, but has also achieved great success and financial freedom.

She should have gone back to school. As mentioned before, she had planned to wait until everything was on track, that is, until Attack on Titan was successfully adapted into an anime and broadcast.

She plans to go back to university to finish her studies. Her major is in business administration, so she can learn about things related to running a company.

"Eri, were you still in college?"

This was something Akira Toriyama hadn't expected.

Although Eri Aragaki looks really young, he still remembered that she was in college.

After all, popular comic artists are generally over 30 years old, because this is the peak of human creative ability, when experience, energy, talent and passion are at their most vigorous.

Therefore, many cartoonists only become famous when they are close to 30 years old.

Eri Aragaki is a serious example of lowering the average age because she's a cheat code user and a cheater.

"Yes, I was studying Business Administration at Tokyo Metropolitan University, but I took a leave of absence during my second year..."

Eri Aragaki spoke very naturally.

"The Faculty of Business Administration..."

Akira Toriyama nodded seriously, then offered some advice, “You really should go back and finish your studies… Your current income level is no longer as simple as just drawing as a person.”

You have assistants, a studio, and you're involved in overseas copyrights and animation revenue, all of which require some business acumen.

It's always better to have some knowledge yourself than to entrust everything to someone else.

Although he was somewhat curious that Eri Aragaki majored in business administration in college, rather than a traditional art major.

Furthermore, Eri Aragaki has become a highly popular manga artist.

The main thing is that her drawing skills are really unlike those of a self-taught cartoonist who doesn't have formal training.

"I think so too."

Eri Aragaki nodded and said, "Besides, the courses in the Business Administration Department might be helpful for some things I need to do next."

"The fact that you can think of these things shows that you are more than just a cartoonist."

Akira Toriyama said, "And going back to school is a good thing... You can learn a lot at university. I don't agree with the idea that studying is useless, Eri, remember... Some things you can only learn in society, but some things you can only learn at university."

There's no inherent superiority of one over the other; it's truly a good thing that you can go back to university.

"Thank you, teacher. With your words, I feel at ease going back home."

Eri Aragaki bowed slightly to Akira Toriyama.

"No need to thank me. I've just lived a few decades longer than you and taken a few more detours."

Akira Toriyama waved his hand, "If you ever encounter something you can't decide on in the future, you can come and talk to me. But you're much more decisive than I was back then. When I was drawing Dragon Ball, Torishima was chasing after me, making all sorts of changes..."

You should have your own ideas, which makes you much better than me in that respect.