Full-time cartoonist

Hibiki Higashino watched the game nervously, and the situation became more and more weird with his ability. It was no longer possible to tell which player had the upper hand.

At this time, as long as there is a slight mistake, you will lose.

The expressions of both sides were solemn, but Odagiri's chess moves were still smooth, while Zhao Zhixun's ninth-dan face was filled with gloom.

This intellectual competition had been going on for more than four hours. His physical strength was gradually exhausted and he forced himself to cheer up.

Fortunately, there were no mistakes.

Finally, as the game came to an end, Odagiri picked up a chess piece with trembling fingers and placed it on the chessboard.

Then start counting.

Higashino Hibiki saw that the numbers on the chessboard were evenly divided, and nervously waited for the results.

But both sides of the game already know the outcome.

Odagiri lowered his head, "Thanks for the teaching."

"Well," Zhao Zhixun lowered his head, feeling complicated, "I lost..."

He played the whole game seriously without making any mistakes, and ended up losing to Hou Lang.

The title of "Honinbo" that has been held for ten consecutive years has come to an end today. Zhao Zhixun has regained his fighting spirit and must win it back next year.

Hibiki couldn't help but applaud and celebrate Odagiri.

He started playing chess at the age of 13, and finally reached the top of Japanese Go at the age of 19.

"It's amazing."

Hibiki looked at the TV. After Odagiri won, he looked at the camera with stern eyes. He didn't know what he was thinking.

"Congratulations on becoming "Odagiri Honinbo"! "

After Hibiki Higashino sent a text message to congratulate Odagiri, he immediately put down the phone.

The other work was over, and Higashino Hibiki had to go over the manuscript.

…

It was less than a month before Higashino Hibiki and Akimiya Akemi got married. They went to Mr. Akimiya's house to discuss post-marriage arrangements.

This time they met, perhaps because the marriage was irreversible, Mr. Akimiya's attitude towards Hibiki Hibiki became much better.

At least he prepared tea in advance and took the initiative to care about Higashino Hibiki.

Higashino Hibiki believes that Mr. Akimiya is actively adapting to his insertion into his and Akimiya Akemi's lives, and has become friendly for this reason.

He was a little touched: "Thank you, father."

Mr. Akimiya was impatient, "Don't call me father!"

Higashino Hibiki decisively changed to a more intimate title: "Yes, dad!"

Mr. Akimiya: "?"

…

During the discussion, Mr. Akimiya learned that Hibiki Higashi had no time to commemorate the wedding. He frowned and then asked: "Are you going to draw comics? For such an important thing as getting married, why don't you take a break?"

Dong Yexiang lowered his head, "I'm really sorry."

Akimiya Akemi hurriedly defended Higashino Hibiki and explained: "This is my request. As long as we are happy after marriage, there is no need to make a fuss and commemorate it."

Mr. Akimiya shook his head helplessly, "You."

After passing the test with his father-in-law, Dong Yexiang breathed a sigh of relief.

But despite this, Mr. Akimiya still glared at Hibiki Hibiki from time to time.

Two hours later, the conversation finally ended with Higashikata resting on pins and needles.

When it was time to leave, Mr. Akimiya went out to see him off.

"Dad, please go home," Akimiya Akemi said with concern, sitting in the passenger seat.

"Yes," Mr. Akimiya nodded, but did not leave.

He hesitated and became squirmy.

Under the curious eyes of Akimiya Akemi and Higashino Hibiki, they said after a while: ""Millennium Actress" is a good work."

After saying that, he immediately turned around and left.

Higashino Hibiki and Akimiya Akemi looked at each other, then laughed together.

…

Another two weeks passed, and the time for the wedding was getting closer and closer. Hibiki Higashino became anxious.

So he went out for a morning jog, listening to the students chirping on the way to school, and he felt much more at ease.

There are a few little girls discussing "Slam Dunk".

"Sakura Hanamichi is so handsome!"

"Obviously Rukawa Kaede is more handsome!"

"I like immortality."

"Teng is really the most handsome!"

"Slam Dunk" is not only the most professional sports comic, but also has many handsome guys in it.

Except for Akagi, all of Shohoku are handsome men with their own characteristics.

This has led to "Slam Dunk" also having a large female readership.

"Hanamichi Sakuragi is cool and cute, but why has he failed to confess his love 50 times?" One girl was puzzled.

"After all, Sakuragi is a bad boy. In the recent "Slam Dunk", the basketball player Sakuragi Hanamichi is very popular!"

"That's right!"

The game between Shohoku and Sanno begins.

Facing the terrifying opponent of Sanno, everyone in Xiangbei was under great pressure. Coach Anxi comforted them one by one.

So now when the Shohoku basketball team faces Sanno, they have no fear, their eyes are shining with hope, and they face the game with the best mental state.

Their opponent is the king of the mountain. Coach Anxi understands that blind defense is ineffective. He must continue to attack and seize the initiative to survive in desperate situations.

At the beginning of the game, Miyagi passed the ball from a long distance, and Sakuragi Hanamichi made an alley-oop slam dunk, taking the lead in scoring!

This was the first time Sakuragi Hanamichi mastered the alley-oop technique, and his powerful jumping ability triggered bursts of cheers.

In this match with the Mountain King, he shed his usual carelessness and unleashed his 120% strength.

In the national competition, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was considered a new player, finally shined.

His excellence can be seen by everyone.

Higashikata sighed with emotion, passed the group of little girls, and ran forward.

…

“The match between Shohoku and Sanno was so exciting!”

"Yes, in previous games, Xiangbei would fall behind at the beginning, falling behind by a big score, and then start to overtake the score. But in this most important game, everyone in the Xiangbei Five Tigers performed very well."

"It was the Mountain King who put too much pressure on me."

"Perhaps in Tori Akino-sensei's mind, Shohoku cannot make mistakes. As long as he makes mistakes, he will never be able to defeat Sanno!"

"That's right."

"Anyway, the content in the future will be even more exciting!"

The King of the Mountain battle is definitely the most exciting game in "Slam Dunk".

It has only been serialized for one month, and it has triggered a wave of discussion among readers.

With worries and expectations, they will immediately buy jump every Monday to watch the plot at a glance.

Even people who have never watched "Slam Dunk" began to watch "Slam Dunk" in order to have something to talk about with classmates and colleagues and to integrate into the "Slam Dunk" readership group.

I was hooked as soon as I saw it, and we are looking forward to the content of "Slam Dunk" next week.

Therefore, the sales volume of "Slam Dunk" single volume has been driven up steadily.

The average sales volume exceeding 400 million is just around the corner.

Torishima Kazuhiko waited patiently, this would be his last honor before leaving Jump.

On September 20th, the single volume sales of "Slam Dunk" hit a new record.

Poseidon Yoshihisa excitedly ran to Torishima Kazuhiko and said loudly: "The 19th volume of "Slam Dunk" has exceeded 4 million sales, and the average sales volume has reached 4.02 million!"

Torishima Kazuhiko nodded in relief.

There was silence in the newsroom.

After a while, there was an amazing cheer.

"Bravo!"

"Four million! Unbelievable!"

The "vjump" editors upstairs at "Weekly Shōnen Jump" opened their mouths and looked suspicious as they listened to the loud noise that broke out downstairs.

"What's going on here?"

"What's so exciting?"

"Has the overall salary been increased?"

Five minutes later, the investigating editor came back. His face was flushed, and he shouted loudly at the door: "The average volume sales of "Slam Dunk" exceeded 4 million!"

"real?"

"Of course!"

"How terrible!"

"This is a new era!"

Except for "Slam Dunk", the average sales record of a comic book volume is 3.5 million for "Dragon Ball".

"Slam Dunk" has sold an average of 4 million single copies per volume, which is an incredible achievement.

…

There was a lot of noise in the editorial office, but Torishima Kazuhiko did not stop it. It was not until Sasaki couldn't stand it anymore and pressed his hands in the air that the editors became quiet.

Afterwards, Sasaki looked at the silent Torishima Kazuhiko with concern, "Editor-in-Chief?"

"I'm fine." Torishima Kazuhiko waved his hand.

"Yes," Sasaki sat down at the desk.

The editors started their daily work again.

Torishima Kazuhiko was silent for a while, then took out his mobile phone and made a call.

"do you have time at night?"

"I want to draw comics."

"Can you spare some time?"

"let me try."

…

At ten o'clock in the evening, in a bar.

Hibiki Higashino and Kazuhiko Torishima were sitting at the bar.

"What's the matter?" Hibiki asked curiously. He put down the work at hand and came to see Torishima Kazuhiko. He thought it was something important, but the meeting place was at a bar.

Torishima Kazuhiko replied, "I just want to have a drink and talk to you again."

He was already drunk before he drank. He supported his head on one arm and asked the bartender for two beers.

"I heard that you stopped drinking?" Torishima Kazuhiko handed Hibiki a beer and asked, "Can you have a drink with me?"

Hibiki Higashino took the beer and replied, "Of course."

He could tell that Toriyama Kazuhiko had something on his mind, so he decided to risk his life to accompany Junzi.

After two or three sips of beer, Torishima Kazuhiko felt much more energetic. He patted his cheeks and returned to his usual appearance.

"Ah, I forgot to inform you," he said excitedly: "The average volume of "Slam Dunk" has exceeded 4 million copies! Congratulations, Tori Akino-kun, you have set a new record!"

“I don’t know how many years it will take in the future before someone will reach your achievements.”

Higashino Hibiki's eyes widened, "Four million? So fast!"

This was a delusion he didn't even dare to have before serializing "Slam Dunk".

After all, only the future "One Piece" can achieve the achievement of sales of more than 4 million for a single volume.

This is an achievement unique to Eiichiro Oda.

He worked hard from 1997 to 2010, spanning 13 years, before he achieved this amazing result.

Talent, sweat, and progress of the times are all indispensable.

"That's right," Torishima Kazuhiko nodded heavily, and he sighed with reminiscence, "Ah, even I couldn't have imagined that your achievements today would be so amazing."

In 1993, among the unsuccessful works in the manga competition, Torishima Kazuhiko selected "The Battle of Gods and Humans" by "Hibiki Higashino".

It was not because he valued Hibiki Hibiki's creativity, but because Kazuhiko Toshima had witnessed Hibiki's talent for painting when he was a child.

The painting of a boy who can touch people's hearts is such a pity that he was omitted from Jump.

So that summer of 1993 happened.

Hibiya Hibiki joked, "You were planning to let me and Mr. Yamamura partner up and become the painting party."

"Hahaha," Torishima Kazuhiko laughed, "That foolish young man Yamamura Morichi will definitely regret it."

"That's right!" Higashi Hibiki laughed with him.

He saw Torishima Kazuhiko smiling and gradually becoming silent, and his smile faded.

After drinking another glass of wine, Torishima Kazuhiko said: "I would have problems with my eyesight in the past, let alone now."

The misjudgments of "One Piece" and "Millennium Actress" made him feel very bad.

Hibiki Higashino didn't understand, "You are the editor of Toriyama who discovered Akira Toriyama and Masakazu Katsura. How can you think so?"

"That was all when I was young," Torishima Kazuhiko sighed, "As an old man, I can no longer read shonen comics, so it's time for me to step aside and give way to others."

He finally said what was in his heart, and all the barriers in his heart were cleared, and he felt much better immediately.

"That's right, I'm leaving my position as editor-in-chief."

Torishima Kazuhiko repeated it again, and he made up his mind.

This sentence struck Higashikata like a bolt from the blue, leaving him speechless for a moment.

"Why so sudden?"

He was very reluctant in his heart.

"Actually, we have to wait for a while," Torishima Kazuhiko waved his hand, "It will probably be about two years."

After it is reported to the senior management, there will definitely be a back-and-forth, and it is not impossible to make three concessions or something.

After that, we have to hand over the work and ensure a smooth transition period.

"By the way, when will you decide to serialize "Slam Dunk"?"

Putting aside his responsibilities as editor-in-chief, Torishima Kazuhiko remembered the promise he made back then.

Higashino Hibiki met all three requirements he made.

"You don't have to worry, and you don't have to rush to finish it. Even if I am no longer the editor, I can still fulfill the man's promise."

"We won't discuss work today. I'm not in the mood." Hibiki Higashino felt confused. He drank the beer in one gulp. "I'll tell you in two days."

"Okay!" Torishima Kazuhiko patted the table, "Two more beers."

Afterwards, he and Higashino Hibiki talked about Toriyama Akira, Horie Nobuhiko, "Yu-Gi-Oh!", and Oda Eiichiro.

"That kid will definitely be great in the future." Torishima Kazuhiko vowed.

Higashikata complained, "You have a very strong vision, but it's too late when you say this."

Eiichiro Oda is already amazing now.

In the jump manga, "One Piece" has huge potential.

Its worldview is set very well, and there are countless plots to draw.

"Ah, yes." Torishima Kazuhiko nodded knowingly.

After twelve o'clock, the two walked out of the bar.

Hibiki's stomach swayed, and Torishima Kazuhiko became drunk.

Torishima Kazuhiko stopped a taxi and asked Hibiki to take the taxi first.

Hibiki declined, saying seriously: "This is the editor's responsibility."

So, Higashino Hibiki had no choice but to accept it.

Before getting into the taxi, Hibiki retracted his right foot.

He turned around and bowed deeply to the confused Torishima Kazuhiko.

"Thank you for your care over the years, I can't thank you enough!"