Full-time cartoonist

Chapter 172 Buying a Car and the “Alpha Dog”

Today is a day worth celebrating.

After more than two months of hard work, Hibiki Higashino finally got his Japanese driver's license!

After learning that he was going to buy a car, Ichiro Higashino was particularly excited.

He wants to make suggestions for Hibiki Hibiki, but also to fulfill his long-held dream.

Ichiro Higashino has been interested in studying cars since he was a child. When he grew up, he naturally started driving a taxi.

This is both life and fun.

He couldn't be absent when Higashino Hibiki bought a car.

Therefore, Higashino could only say goodbye to Akimiya Akemi. Looking at her disappointed eyes, Hibiki was not having a good time. Why did Higashino take such a rare initiative?

I can only feel sorry for Akimiya Akemi first.

Before long, Ichiro Higashino drove a taxi to Musashino Art University.

In the February weather, his clothes were very thin, showing off his strong muscles.

Sitting in the back row was Higashino Shio, looking at Musashino curiously.

She is an out-and-out housewife, and the farthest place she has ever been to is Hokkaido.

He usually wanders around the streets, but Higashino has never been to Musashino.

Dong Yexiang said respectfully: "Dad, mom, long time no see."

Higashino Ichiro nodded.

Dong Yexi smiled: "You have become stronger recently, and it seems that your life is not bad."

"After all, the job is easy."

Hibiki Hibiki was about to sit in the passenger seat, but Ichiro Higashino stopped him, "I have something to tell you."

Under Dong Yexi's curious eyes, he pulled Dong Yexiang aside and asked in a low voice: "...Have you been unhappy recently?"

Higashino Hibiki was curious as to why he asked that, and suddenly remembered that during the second New Year party, he took a taxi back to his dormitory and complained a few words.

The taxi driver knew his father and probably told Higashino Ichiro.

At this time, looking at Higashino Ichiro's worried eyes, Hibiki said distressedly: "I was just a little depressed at night. I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about."

People tend to be impulsive at night. Spending money on games or listening to music on NetEase Cloud can only cause brain twitching in the dead of night.

I feel that life is not easy, so it’s time for Hibiki Higashikata to suppress the clouds.

"It's really nothing? If it doesn't work, just rest for a while."

Higashino Hibiki repeatedly said that there was no problem at all, so Higashino Ichiro let him go.

The two of them returned to the taxi, and Dong Yexi complained: "You two left me here to whisper something?"

Ichiro Higashino didn't panic at all and said seriously: "Didn't he get his driver's license? I asked a few questions and answered them all. Not bad."

Higashikata looked at him in surprise, lying so smoothly, not at all like his usual honest self.

Higashino didn't ask further questions, Higashino Ichiro said to Higashino Hibiki: "Come and drive, and I'll take a look at your actual operation."

"Of course there is no problem." Hibiki Higashikata sat in the driver's seat.

After adjusting the seat, he skillfully pressed the clutch and accelerator, and got on the road easily.

Dong Yexi in the back seat was very nervous and clutched the armrest tightly.

She thought that a novice would encounter a lot of problems on the road, but she didn't expect that Hibiki drove very steadily and kept the speed at more than fifty. It handles complex road conditions very well.

Dong Yexi involuntarily let go of the armrest.

Higashino Ichiro was surprised, "Looking at you, you don't look like you just got your driver's license."

Dong Yexiang nodded, "Thank you for the compliment."

Under the guidance of Ichiro Higashino, we quickly arrived at the Toyota 4S store.

His suggestion to Hibiki was the tenth generation Toyota Crown S150, a 1995 product.

Entering the 4S store, Higashino Hibiki sat on the sofa and waited quietly. Higashino Ichiro quickly walked to the Toyota Crown 10th Generation and introduced Hibiki to Hibiki excitedly.

The salesman looked at this scene and smiled slightly. He didn't need to talk anymore.

He has seen enough to understand this situation. The customer came specifically for this car, so the deal was secured.

He poured three cups of tea and placed them in front of Dong Yexi, "Please use them slowly."

"Thank you." Dong Yexi said awkwardly.

Then the salesman came to Higashino Ichiro and Hibiki Hibiki and waited patiently.

…

Hibiki Higashino was actually not interested in the Toyota Crown in front of him.

Because he didn't like the appearance of the car. It was boxy and incompatible with the style of future cars.

Of course, this is nothing. He doesn't care about appearance, as long as the car drives well and has no major problems.

He is a pragmatist.

But the Toyota Crown is a Shueisha company's exclusive car. After buying this car and driving to Shueisha in the future, he was worried that he would be regarded as a driver.

But Ichiro Higashino was particularly excited. He introduced the car eloquently, sat on it, tried out the seats and dials, and looked at Hibiki Hibiki expectantly.

He is personally very satisfied.

"How much does it cost to get the full payment?"

Higashino Hibiki asked the salesman on the side.

The salesperson replied: "Toyota Crown S150 is worth 4.5 million yen. Including the cost of landing, it is around 5.3 million yen."

"When can I pick up the car?"

"It'll be ready in three days."

"Well," Hibiki Higashino looked at Ichiro Higashino, and then said to the salesperson: "Swipe your card."

When signing the contract, Hibiki excused himself from being busy and left everything to Ichiro Higashino.

"Let's transfer the ownership later." He said.

Higashino Ichiro said, "Okay, be careful on the road."

"Yes," Dongye Xiang said goodbye to Dongye Xi, and hurriedly opened the door and left.

After returning from the sales, he saw that Hibiki Higashino was gone, and said to Ichiro Higashino with a smile: "Your son is really filial."

"Yes." Higashino Ichiro nodded.

Then he came to his senses, looked at the place where Higashi Hibiki disappeared and murmured: "It's really awkward. It would be nice to just say no to this kind of thing..."

…

Hibiki Higashi returned to the studio.

"Higashino-kun," Akimiya Akemi asked curiously when she saw him, "Did you choose a car so quickly?"

Higashino Hibiki shook his head. He walked over and took Akimiya Akemi's hand. "I felt that your advice was still indispensable, so I gave up in the end."

"Hey!" Akimiya Akemi covered her face and felt it was red.

She couldn't help but put her arms around Higashikata's neck and raised her head.

"Well……"

Not long after, the lips parted.

Akimiya Akemi had a naive expression and her eyes were blurred, which made Hibiya Higashino couldn't help but get excited.

However, she always kept the matter of buying a car in mind. She took Hibiki Higashi's hand and ran out the door. Then she remembered that their relationship was between teacher and student, so she pushed Hibiki twice to let him go ahead. Five minutes later, I'll start again.

Dong Yexiang was very unhappy, but agreed.

After meeting at the school gate, Akimiya Akemi drove her own car and went to the nearby Mercedes-Benz 4S store with Hibiki Higashikata.

The final choice is the dream of many people in this era, the Mercedes-Benz S600. Apart from the high price, there are no other problems.

After becoming the owner of this car, Higashino suddenly fell into a trance.

Back then, I was discussing AE86 and Mercedes-Benz, Takumi Fujiwara and Natsuki with my friends.

He also became a rich man.

"Can I also find a "Natsuki"? "Higashino Hibiki said to Akimiya Akemi in a mean tone.

"Hit you." Akimiya Akemi waved her fist.

Of course she also knew about "Initial D" which was serialized in "Weekly Shōnen Magazine" in 1995.

Natsuki once chose her "father" who drove a Mercedes-Benz, but she regretted it until she met Takumi who had an ae86.

"Otherwise, let's buy an ae86." She said worriedly to Hibiki Higashi.

"Haha, I'm sorry," Hibiya Hibiki raised his hand, "I was joking."

He was a little surprised. Akimiya Akemi, who used to be indifferent and trusted him very much, is now worried about gains and losses.

In terms of love, the strong side in the past has gradually become weak.

He pinched his chin and began to think about what happened.

"Then let's buy a Mercedes-Benz," Akimiya Akemi retreated.

…

Before we knew it, it was spring break again.

Yuko Asahina contacted Hibiki Higashino and said that she would recruit an employee to be responsible for the responsibilities of a manager.

Hibiki Higashikata let her use it to her heart's content.

The manager quickly reached an agreement with the disc distributor, and when the seventh episode of "Comic Manga Hiyori" aired, a DVD of the first six episodes was released.

It contains Hibiki Hibiki's script signature, as well as post-production videos, and some deleted content from the animation.

A week later, the sales of DVD discs were 7,800, reaching the second phase line, which is below the best-selling level.

For other cartoons, it is considered profitable.

But for "Hiyori", it was a huge profit. Achieved the goal of achieving greater things with less.

Hibiki Higashino didn't take any of the 13 million yen earned from the disc, but kept it in the company for dinner parties and employee benefits.

Moreover, the seniors are about to graduate, and they need to be given subsidies, as well as rent and decoration of the company's residence.

This amount of money is considered small.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for me to get peripheral licensing benefits from toy factories and clothing manufacturers.

The painting style of "Hiyori" is ugly but also a bit cool, so it's very attractive.

In short, "Future Society" is thriving.

In terms of comics, "Go Revolution" has reached its fifth episode.

The identity of "Master" has been exposed. He is the artificial intelligence-"Alpha Dog" developed by the team of Demis Hassabis and Yang Hai, a company owned by Google.

"ai!" Odagiri was stunned.

He never thought that the "Master", a different kind of chess player, was just a machine!

He guessed about the future soul, the genius who came into contact with Go in middle age, or which master he was.

He had never considered it from this perspective!

"What an exaggeration!"

Odagiri, who started learning Go in junior high school, and then became a poor student with mediocre grades, couldn't believe it. Can a machine really defeat the most intelligent Go player in humankind?

"I didn't understand it, but I was shocked."

…

"So the weird move designed by Tori Akino in the future is what he thinks is Go in the eyes of AI?" Shinoda, fourth dan, held his chin in thought.

In comics.

Demis Hassabis claimed that when he was a child, he watched "ai" and "sai" play online Go.

In that chess game, he realized his limitations in Go, so he tried to defeat "sai" through the computer.

Seeing this plot, Shinoda Sidan was stunned. He dug out "Spirit of the Game" and found this character in the plot of "sai" killing everyone.

This was a foreshadowing laid down by Tori Akino Mirai in 1994, and he actually drew it in a 1997 short story.

"It's really amazing."

He recalled the conversation he had with his friend in 1994.

At that time it was also about AI and Go.

Whether there would be a situation where AI chess skills surpassed those of professional chess players was not discussed at the time.

After all, Go is very complex and has many possibilities, which cannot be compared with chess.

"In 1997, Tori Akino still had such thoughts about the future."

Shinoda thought again of Yang Hai, the chess player who taught Ikkaku at the Chinese Chess Academy. He seemed inscrutable at first.

At that time, Yang Hai configured a computer and claimed that the future of Go was here.

It is also a foreshadowing of Tori Akino's future.

Judging from the recent plot, Yang Hai did not give up this idea. In 2016, he completed the path of pursuit.

"Ai."

Perhaps twenty years from now, human technological creations will explore new paths in Go.

The middle-aged Shinoda Fourth Dan is not depressed, but looks forward to the arrival of this era.

But unlike him, who is open-minded, many professional chess players sneered at "Alpha Dog" during live broadcasts and on the Internet.

"Go has 19 verticals, 19 horizontals, and 361 intersections. It has endless possibilities. I don't think one day artificial intelligence will surpass our brains."

Thanks to the fairy friends for the 666 points reward.