Full-time cartoonist

A hotel in Shibuya.

The employees of "Future Society" were sitting in a box. Because they were all like-minded classmates, the atmosphere was very good, and they were all chatting side by side.

"I didn't expect that "Comic Manga Hiyori" would do so well!"

"The ratings are actually 9%! I've always been on tenterhooks because the characters we drew are not as sophisticated as Rifan."

"Idiot, of course the style is different! We win based on plot."

"It is so popular with the audience, and it is worthy of Tori Akino-sensei's script."

They laughed and felt that the future was bright.

The service staff came in and out, and it was strange to hear what these people were chatting about.

Students don't look like students, and employees don't look like employees.

The person sitting at the main seat was a girl, wearing a black coat, tasting the food in silence, failing to fulfill her leadership responsibilities, and acting like a transparent person.

"Hello, this is your Mapo Tofu, please use it slowly."

"Thank you." Asahina's eyes lit up and she thanked her seriously.

"You're welcome." The waiter took two steps back, knelt on the ground, lowered his head, and closed the stretching door.

Asahina watched her leave, raised her chopsticks, and picked up a piece of red tofu.

Just as she was bringing the tofu to her mouth with great anticipation, Gao Xueji suddenly asked: "Will Mr. Tori Akino not attend the celebration banquet?"

Asahina could only stop her chopsticks and shook her head, "I have contacted you. Higashino-kun wants to work."

Gao Xueji nodded disappointedly, "Oh."

Asahina waited for a while and found that she didn't ask any more questions, so he took Mapo tofu and continued to put it to his mouth.

"Isn't Jump closed next week?" Amano asked from the side.

Asahina was helpless, she sighed silently, "I don't know either."

"Yeah," Amano nodded thoughtfully.

No one bothered her anymore. Asahina smelled the spicy fragrance of Mapo tofu, her eyes narrowed in happiness.

"Is it about "Hiyori"? Or does Tori Akino-sensei have a new idea?" Ozawa adjusted his glasses and looked like he would work hard.

Asahina widened her eyes, put down the chopsticks in her hands, and looked at them quietly.

…

Higashino Hibiki's teachers' dormitory.

"Tori Akino-sensei," Oda came to the studio with a slumped face, "Isn't this week off?"

He finally stopped posting websites, and planned to take advantage of the holiday to go out for a walk, worship the gods, and give himself inspiration.

He also has a luxury wish, it would be great if he could have a girlfriend as tall as a model.

Oda was thinking about this, but unexpectedly he was called to the studio again.

The person in front of me is working too hard and can't even take a moment to relax. Oda curled his lips, as annoyed as a student who heard that he was taking tutoring during the holiday.

Hibiki Higashino was also helpless. Akimiya Akemi, who had no panda to read, insisted on coming back to continue drawing comics.

Higashino Hibiki could only start ahead of time and run a plan in his mind for a long time.

"I'm going to draw a short comic," Hibiki Higashino replied. "When "The Soul of the Game" was serialized, there were some foreshadowings that I didn't recycle, and I wanted to draw them all in the short story."

""Spirit of the Game"?" Oda became interested. "Soul of the Game" was the first comic strip he had ever come across. "What are you going to draw?"

Higashino Hibiki took out the storyboard and handed it to him.

Oda took it over. These storyboards total about 200 pages and contain 10 episodes.

He glanced at Hibiki Higashikata, wondering when the other party had finished.

Anyway, he didn’t see it while he was working.

It looked like he had stayed up late again, Oda shook his head.

The name of the short comic "Soul of Go" is "The Great Revolution in Go", and Oda became interested. What kind of story is it? It can be called a big change.

So out of curiosity, he started to look.

Above the storyboard, there are several character pictures.

"Eh?" Oda was stunned, but didn't say anything and continued reading.

Twenty minutes later, he finally finished reading the short story "The Soul of Chess".

"The style is the same as before," Oda said with admiration: "The exciting chess game, the ups and downs of the plot, and the final climax. Although the protagonist's character has changed, the core is still the same."

"If there is no problem, let's start working." Hibiki rubbed his wrist and said with a smile.

…

Nippon Chess Academy, after the New Year, the students returned.

Shinoda Sidan was sitting in the courtyard. At this time, the cherry blossom tree only had branches, but he didn't care. He sat quietly, closing his eyes and meditating.

He suddenly heard the noise coming from the Chess Academy classroom and frowned.

Shinoda 4th Dan stood up and walked in, "If you don't practice chess well, the chatter is so loud, I heard it in the corridor."

"Teacher, Odagiri 2nd Dan is here!"

He heard excited shouts.

Shinoda looked over and saw that it was indeed Odagiri.

He was holding a pile of folding fans, which had the signatures of top chess players, including Hideo Otake, Masaki Takemiya and others.

Odagiri was handing them to the students one by one.

Shinoda's sharp eyes saw Tori Akino's name on these folding fans.

No wonder the students were shouting excitedly.

However, Tori Akino's calligraphy signature looks too underwhelming when placed next to top chess players.

As frizzy as the branches of a cherry blossom tree.

"Odagiri 2nd Dan." Shinoda suddenly smiled.

Odagiri is the student he admitted under special circumstances, and he values ​​his future. As expected, his talent is fully demonstrated and he is undoubtedly a rising star in the Go world.

When he usually teaches, he will mention Odagiri and ask the students to learn like Odagiri.

"Mr. Shinoda, I'm back." Odagiri smiled.

They went to the office without disturbing the students to continue their studies.

Odagiri looked around, "Where did the teacher hide the comic magazine?"

Shinoda Fourth Dan was stunned for a moment, then coughed twice awkwardly, "You all know?"

"Of course, it's just that people didn't say it out loud," Odagiri replied. "In the past, you could often see teachers secretly reading comics, but we didn't dare to say it."

He looked around and found no jump.

Shinoda lifted the bench and placed it next to Odagiri. After receiving two glasses of water, he sat down at the desk and handed Odagiri a glass.

He said: "I don't read comics anymore. After all, the only thing I'm interested in is "The Soul of the Game"."

Odagiri nodded, "Actually, I am like that too. Mr. Tori Akino's new manga is more popular, but I have no interest in basketball manga."

He would have liked it very much.

After growing up to become a professional chess player, he gave up most of his personal interests and hobbies and concentrated on Go, which is how he developed his current chess ability.

Shinoda nodded at the fourth level. He pondered for a while and asked, "Tori Akino-sensei seems to have a rumor that a short story will be published in "The Soul of the Game". I don't know when it will be."

"The teacher said it was at the beginning of the year," Odagiri replied, "I've been looking forward to it."

"I will also pay attention." Shinoda said with a smile.

The two of them brought the chessboard and started playing, and Odagiri won.

He was still a student two years ago, but now the opponent has easily defeated him. Shinoda doesn't know whether he feels more relieved or more bitter in his heart.

…

countryside.

"Today we are going to talk about the most basic knowledge about Go," Xiaochun stood on the podium. He was still strong and had a loud voice, "robbery."

He was speaking from above, and the students in the hall listened attentively. They were all children aged 5 or 6, who came to learn Go.

More than a year has passed, and Xiaoharu has adapted to his new life. Without the troubles of the Tokyo metropolis, he has calmed down and can communicate better with the students.

After half an hour, the class ended and the students went out to exercise.

Xiaochun was drinking water at the lecture table and leaning half of her body outside the classroom door. She was tall and thin.

"Teacher Xiaoharu, come and play some basketball. Teacher Furuta and the others are here, and you are the only one missing."

The opponent is Lin Yifu, a new Go teacher who is only 24 years old. The average age of teachers in rural Go colleges has been lowered.

Xiaochun quickly put down the cup and said, "Here you go."

The basketball court in the countryside has a concrete floor and two basketball hoops. It cannot be said to be cutting corners, but it can also be said to be perfunctory.

But that's the way it is in the countryside, just make do with it.

When we arrived at the basketball court, the other teachers were indeed there, shooting basketballs to warm up and find their touch on the court.

There were many little carrot heads watching the fun.

Xiaoharu couldn't help but smile. This was a scene he couldn't see in Tokyo.

"Teacher Xiaochun," Lin Yifu patted him on the back, "Take off your coat, otherwise I will scratch a hole in your down jacket and Mrs. You will scold you again."

Xiaochun looked ugly, "I'm not afraid of her."

Even so, he obediently took off his coat and put it aside.

…

After a hearty game, Lin Yifu wiped away his sweat. He breathed a long sigh of relief and relaxed.

"Fortunately, there are people playing basketball in the countryside, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do."

Xiaochun picked up his coat and dusted it off, "You really like playing basketball."

"Yeah," Lin Yifu nodded, "I watched "Slam Dunk"."

He said excitedly: "You don't know how popular basketball is in Tokyo now. There are not enough basketball hoops, so we can only play half-court basketball."

"Is it the influence of "Slam Dunk"?" Xiaochun was speechless.

Lin Yifu nodded, "Yeah."

"The kid Higashino is really outrageous." Xiaochun sighed.

After finishing "The Soul of Chess", his career has reached a higher level.

And just like "Soul of Chess", it has influenced many people to like basketball.

It's like a terrible meme that "infects" the things in its own brain to everyone who knows it.

"Dong Ye?" Lin Yifu was puzzled.

"Oh, it's Tori Akino Mirai." Koharu explained.

The two people walked back to the office and heard their conversation. The old teacher Gu Tian pointed at Xiaochun and said with a smile: "You are a newcomer, don't you know yet? About Teacher Xiaochun's past."

Xiaochun covered her forehead and came again. This old teacher always liked to tell his own stories and watch other people's surprised expressions.

Underneath the gentle face full of wrinkles, there are some small evil thoughts hidden,

"Excuse me?" Lin Yifu was very interested and asked closer.

"Have you seen "Soul of Chess"?" the old teacher asked.

"Of course, we chess players have certainly watched "The Soul of Chess"."

"That's easy," Furuta pointed at Koharu, "This teacher Koharu is the prototype of Tsubaki in "Soul of the Game"."

"Hey!" Lin Yifu was surprised.

Furuta was very satisfied with his reaction, "So it's not something incomprehensible since he knows the original author."

Lin Yifu asked Xiaoharu, "So did you really have those experiences? You lost to Shindo Hikaru."

"There's no Shinfuji Hikaru," Koharu sighed, "It's Odagiri Nidan."

"Odagiri 2nd dan!" Kazuo Hayashi shouted: "The 1st dan player who won the Otega tournament last fall!"

"Yes, that boy did a great job." Xiaochun said happily.

He had been watching the original game.

He was also the one who shouted "God's hand".

"What a big shot!" Lin Yifu lowered his body and circled Xiaochun, looking at him with admiration.

Xiaochun was helpless, "Mr. Lin, you really like to joke. I can't even pass the professional chess player exam, so what kind of big shot am I?"

Lin Yifu ignored him and asked excitedly, "Do you have Mr. Tori Akino's signature?"

Xiaochun grinned, "I'm not interested in that kind of thing."

He still hides the Go notes he made with Hibiki Higashino, so it's normal for him to despise signatures.

"That's such a pity." Lin Yifu was dejected.

But soon, he became cheerful again.

"Teacher Koharu, will Mr. Tori Akino create another work on "The Soul of the Game"? I have been looking forward to it for a long time!"

"Maybe." Koharu sighed. He also wanted to see how far Shindo Hikaru would go.

""Soul of Chess"."

He sighed.

…

January 20, 1997.

"Weekly Shonen Jump" is released.

Hibiya Hibiki looked at the cover. The front color page of this issue was a comic called "The Bizarre Detective Agency".

The style of painting is very strange, but it is crude and shoddy, but it is unexpectedly stylish. It can be remembered at a glance and is unforgettable.

The writer's name is Yamamura Morimichi.

"Unknowingly, Yamamura-sensei's new work came out," Hibiki Higashino said with emotion, "I don't know what kind of story it is."

Hibiki Higashino still remembers his last movie "The Sun Murder Incident" deeply.

All I can say is that it was very funny and very regrettable.

Higashino Hibiki is very pleased that the other party can keep up the good work.

He was worried that Yamamura would leave the comics industry and go back to writing novels.

Looking back at Jump, the first comic was "The Bizarre Detective Agency".

The content of about fifty pages is very satisfying to read.

The protagonist owns a property in Tokyo, and rents out the first floor, which is a bar and filled with bartenders. The protagonist also frequents it.

On the second floor is his detective agency, which provides many services.

Even if the bartender's customer acts rogue and doesn't pay for it, the protagonist will take the job.

Unlike the male protagonist in the previous comic, Wei Guangzheng, the male protagonist in "The Bizarre Detective Agency" has a very flexible bottom line.

On this day, a couple came from the countryside of Kanagawa. They encountered something strange and heard about the protagonist's reputation on the Internet, so they worked tirelessly to find him.

The protagonist is very strange, but because of the gain of 100,000 yen, he goes to investigate.