Full-time cartoonist

""Red chili"!"

"What's wrong?" Inoue Kazumi, who was walking silently, found that her boyfriend didn't follow her, and turned around in confusion.

It turned out that he was standing in front of a poster, his eyes sparkling as if he had seen something precious.

"This...this...this is "Red Hot Chili Peppers"! It was actually made into an animated movie and released. It's amazing!"

"But "99 Minutes of Loving You" is about to begin..."

Inoue and Mei stopped mid-conversation, although "99 Minutes of Love" was a movie she had been looking forward to for several months and wanted to watch it with her boyfriend for a long time.

But this is the first time Inoue Kazumi has seen this side of her boyfriend.

Such a hotly anticipated movie.

The other party has always been a very reserved person. While paying for himself, he never talked about his own needs.

So she said, "Let's watch Paprika."

"real?"

"Yeah!" Inoue Kazumi nodded seriously, "I think it's a very interesting movie."

"Great!" Xiaofu Nobuzhi trotted away, "I'm going to buy movie tickets."

Inoue Kazumi couldn't help but smile happily, feeling like "if he is happy, I am happy."

"In short, I feel happier than watching "99 Minutes of Loving You"."

Not long after, Kofu Nobuyuki came back disappointed, "The tickets have been sold out, and this is the only place in Tokyo where you can watch..."

"What should we do?"

"You can stand and watch..."

…

Inoue Kazumi felt that she was really dizzy, actually agreeing to such a thing.

Standing and watching a 90-minute movie was something she had never thought about.

"But..." She looked around, "There are so many people..."

The movie tickets were sold out, all seats were occupied, and there were many eager people standing and watching like me.

What kind of magic does this movie have?

She became curious.

After 100 minutes, the screening of "Red Hot Chili Peppers" ended, and the audience burst into warm applause.

Inoue Kazumi found that her boyfriend's palms were all red, and his face was filled with excitement and excitement.

"It's so well-made! It's like the comics are moving, and the bgm is so good that it's amazing. It's so worth it!"

Xiao Fu Shenzhi rambled happily, all of which were his own thoughts.

Inoue Kazumi was confused, she couldn't understand.

From the beginning of the movie, she was given a slap in the face.

In the subsequent content, she also felt that the producer was being mysterious.

However, this animation is indeed a visual feast, with many beautiful pictures, and the imagination is amazing. She follows the plot and always sees pictures that move her.

For example, the red pepper turns into a flower fairy and walks through the cavity surrounded by tree roots. Finally, the picture is raised and it is revealed to be Himuro's body.

It was suddenly enlightening at the end, and suddenly it became macroscopically terrifying.

"Yes...yes." Inoue Kazumi nodded awkwardly.

Not only her boyfriend, but other audiences in the theater were also talking happily. This movie gave them a great surprise.

Many people are ready to do it again.

Xiao Fu was moved, "Would you like to watch it again?"

"Ha... let's forget it."

"Okay then, yes, I still have to watch "99 Minutes of Love"."

They waited for another show and then entered the broadcast room.

Attendance for this movie was much less, with many places empty.

"If these resources are given to "Red Hot Chili Peppers", everyone will be very happy, right?"

Inoue Kazumi couldn't help but think.

After the movie played, she suddenly couldn't watch it in a trance, and her mind was filled with scenes from "Red Hot Chili Peppers."

Fascinating title sequence, imaginative dream scenes, abandoned furniture, dolls, statues, torii gates, etc., a celebration procession from the desert to the city...

Each one of them was so incredible to her.

In comparison, "99 Minutes of Loving You" is too ordinary.

She was able to guess the plot that followed. The male and female protagonists resolved their misunderstandings and got back together.

"Nobuyuki, let's read it again!" Inoue Kazumi said very seriously.

"Ah," Xiaofu Shenzhi resisted very much, "Why... why?"

"I must understand." Inoue Kazumi clenched her fists.

"Isn't it easy to understand?" Xiaofu Nobuyuki pointed at the screen and wanted to persuade his girlfriend to leave. He didn't want to watch such a conventional movie anymore. Staying for one more minute would be torture. "People who love each other separate because of misunderstanding. Seeing each other again after missing each other so much..."

This movie is two hours long, plus the time of "Paprika", they have been in the theater for almost 5 hours.

Xiaofu Shenzhi touched his belly, it was time to eat.

"No, no! That's not what I'm talking about!" Kazumi Inoue crossed her arms, "It's "Paprika"."

"Then let's go! What are you doing standing around?"

Nobuyuki Kofushi stood up, walked to the aisle when Inoue Kazumi didn't react, and said to his girlfriend.

…

"In two days, there were a total of 6,371 moviegoers in three cinemas, and the revenue was 9,556,500 yen. The attendance rate ranked first in the same period."

Masao Maruyama told Hibiki the results.

This result surprised him.

Higashikata Higashikata was also very surprised. He found that his judgment was wrong.

He always thought that "Red Hot Chili Peppers" would be a hit but not a hit. Unexpectedly, it had a large number of fans and its performance was unexpectedly high.

Obviously, the threshold for viewing "Red Hot Chili Peppers" is not generally high.

"Everyone's appreciation ability is really strong." Hibiki Higashikata could only say this.

"It's all because of you," Masao Maruyama said. "A survey of moviegoers found that 63% of them are readers of the "Paprika" comic. They heard that the movie was released, so they came to watch it."

"This achievement was inspired by Tori Akino in the future, otherwise it would not have been so successful."

"It's because of Mr. Tsutsui Yasutaka's original work that it's exciting enough, and it's also Mr. Maruyama's hard work and strict requirements for animation production that make it so popular among the audience."

"Haha." Masao Maruyama smiled and stopped being polite.

Because of the outstanding performance of "Paprika", Sony began to add theaters and the range of screenings was gradually expanded.

This is Hibiki Hibiki's first animated film adapted from a manga. It has a good start and sets an example for "Rebel Story".

At 9 o'clock in the evening, the producer of "Paprika" organized a party to celebrate, and Hibiki Higashino was also present.

"This is Tori Akino-sensei. The success of "Paprika" is entirely due to him. It is such an exquisite script."

Producer Taro Maki was sitting in the main seat, pointed to Hibiki Higashino who was sitting on his right, and took the lead in applauding.

This producer is hardworking and meritorious, and is mainly responsible for the commercial side of the business. Coordinate operating funds and handle external affairs.

Thunderous applause ensued.

Higashikata bowed slightly.

The celebration was not formal at all. Everyone was chatting freely with familiar friends, drinking wine one by one, and soon the bottles piled up into a hill.

"Tori Akino-sensei, let's have a drink." Maki Taro raised his glass and held it in front of Hibiki Hibiki.

"Sorry," Higashikata waved his hand, "I don't know how to drink."

"Oh, are you worried about affecting your brain?" Maki Taro put down his wine glass and swayed his wine slightly, "You great writers do have troubles in this regard."

"Toriakino-sensei's brain is worth hundreds of billions of yen, haha."

"Thank you," Hibiki Higashino smiled slightly, "It mainly depends on the operation of people like you to realize it."

"Where there."

…

Everyone at the scene was happy except for one person, the outsider Tetsuro Araki.

"I obviously did not participate in the production of "Paprika", why did Mr. Maruyama want me to come here?"

He was depressed.

Seeing his colleagues being so unbridled and happy, he panicked.

Can "Rebel" be as successful as "Paprika"?

If he failed, he would simply not dare to see anyone.

The hopeless animation has achieved great commercial success, and it would be too bad if "Rebel Story", which attracted the world's attention, fails and sinks into the sand.

"No, I can't breathe."

He sat up and opened the door, revealing the cool breeze from the balcony.

Araki Tetsuro suddenly became energetic.

"Now there is only one way to succeed. There is no leisure time. Come on, work hard!"

He looked at the moon, and his heart became clearer and clearer.

"That's probably why Mr. Maruyama asked me to attend the celebration party for Paprika."

After thinking about it, he left the balcony and came to Hibiki Tono, bowed and said sincerely, "Teacher Tori Akino, can I disturb you for a moment?"

Higashikata was stunned for a moment, then nodded kindly, "Of course."

He couldn't stand the smell of alcohol in the room anymore, so it was a good time to get some air.

The two of them walked to the next room and sat down. When they closed the door, their voices suddenly fell silent and the whole world became quiet.

"Is there a problem?"

"I would like to discuss "The Story of Rebellion" with you again."

Araki Tetsuro took out a notebook and a pencil, "The core of this theatrical version is the word 'rebellion', right?" "

"Yes, you said it very well," Hibiki Higashino nodded, "The manga and animation describe the selflessness of Madoka Shikama, who sacrificed himself to save the tragic fate of the magical girl."

As Hibiki spoke, Tetsuro Araki recorded it, which caused Hibiki to slow down his speech.

After Araki Tetsuro recorded everything, Higashino Hibiki continued: "The theatrical version is about selfish desires that transcend the universe. Homura Akomi breaks the magical girl's original choice of sacrificing herself for Madoka Shikama, which is the word "rebellion" The meaning of…”

At night, under the light, one person spoke in detail, and the other listened carefully. Whether he understood it or not, he recorded it all.

On one side there is banquet and joy, on the other side there is seeking advice.

The two unique parties are actually just one behind the other.

…

After the celebration banquet, the others had a second gathering, and Higashino Hibiki returned home.

At twelve o'clock in the evening, Akimiya Akemi was still waiting for him.

"Sniff," she walked to Dong Yexiang with her hands behind her back, wrinkled her nose, and then asked doubtfully, "Why don't I smell the smell of alcohol?"

"I haven't drank for a long time." Higashikata raised his hands to let her smell it clearly.

"That's not what I meant," Akimiya Akemi took out the steaming towel and handed it to Hibiki Higashino before saying, "There must be a lot of people drinking in this small room, but you don't smell of alcohol at all, okay. It’s suspicious…”

"What on earth did you do?"

Thinking about what happened that night, Higashino couldn't help but smile bitterly, "I never imagined that I was going to eat and drink, but ended up working all night."

"Work?" Akimiya Akemi was confused.

"Yes." Hibiki walked to the living room, sat down on the sofa, and placed the used towel on the coffee table.

"Director Araki is really attentive. I chatted with him for a long time about "The Story of Rebellion."

"At the party?"

"At the banquet."

Akimiya Akemi believed it. She held her chin with one hand, "That's really serious and responsible. It seems that the theatrical version of "Madoka" is worth looking forward to."

Hibiki Higashino said: "The scheduled release date is August next year. Then let's go watch it with Mirai."

By next August, "Naoki Hansawa" will be finished, leaving only "Dream Eater", and he and Akimiya Akemi will have plenty of time.

"Okay." Akimiya Akemi stood up. She stretched and walked into the bathroom with a towel.

"The water temperature is just right now. You can take a bath and go to bed." After a while, she walked out of the bathroom and said to Hibiki Hibiki, "It's getting late."

"Um."

…

The first heavy snowfall in 2006 was 70 millimeters deep, but kindergarten still had to go to school.

"Bye-Bye."

Mirai Higashino said goodbye to his parents like a little adult. He wrapped himself in a scarf and got on the school bus.

"Bye." Higashino waved his right hand and watched the school bus drive away with a smile.

"In April, he will go to elementary school in the future. I hope he can be as worry-free as he was in kindergarten."

Akimiya Akemi said: "Yes, my son has always been strong."

Unknowingly, the once young Hibiki Higashikata has also entered middle age.

He didn't have to work as hard as Nohara Hiroshi, but he also felt the responsibility of a middle-aged man.

The couple was filled with emotion and stood blankly at the door. The school bus was no longer in sight.

"Hurry up and take out the snacks you made. There is no coming back from the future," Higashino Hibiki rubbed his hands, impatiently, "I can smell the sweetness."

He didn't eat much of his breakfast, and the toast and fried eggs were becoming more and more tasteless.

"Okay!" Akimiya Akemi got into the kitchen, and not long after, the fragrant food was placed in front of Hibiki Higashikata.

"It smells so good." Dongye twitched his index finger.

Akimiya Akemi put her hands on her hips, "Now I can only eat it secretly. In the future, the child will eat too much and get too much nutrition. I'm really worried that he will become a little fat man."

So they could only hide from Mirai Higashino and cook some high-energy delicacies quietly.

"Yeah! That's it!" Higashikata gave a thumbs up, then stuffed the cookie into his mouth.

"I'm so happy to be able to eat delicious cookies early in the morning."

…

On the school bus.

"Are you hungry?"

Higashino Mirai asked his companion.

"Well, mom said I need to lose weight." The fat little boy Yamauchi looked distressed.

"Future, do you have any delicious food over there?"

"No!" Mirai Higashino protected the backpack, "Mom made me a lot of delicious food, and dad gave me his share, so I was full and didn't bring any snacks."

"Really? Your father is so kind to you."