Full-time cartoonist.

Chapter 262 The Selfish Bird Akino and Ruichi Festival
"Tori Akino-sensei, goodbye."

Tanaka waved his hand to bid farewell to Hibiki Higashino. Omori took the manga completion bonus and left yesterday, and Hibiki Higashino's studio was officially disbanded.

After "Slam Dunk" ended, he no longer needed an assistant.

Higashino also entrusted a moving company to move to Hongye Villa with two work tables and unused furniture.

Today, Tanaka, who finished the finale, also bid farewell.

"Thank you very much for your dedication for so long," Higashino paused, and waved goodbye to the assistant, "Goodbye, Tanaka, I wish you a smooth journey."

"The teacher is more helpful to me." Tanaka said with a smile.

He looked up at the sky and sighed, "I thought I would be terrified when I left Bird Akino's studio, but now I realize that it's not a big deal."

"I, Tanaka, will leave gracefully."

He turned around and walked further and further away during the cherry blossom season.

Higashino couldn't help but stopped him and asked, "Tanaka, will we see you again in the future?"

"Of course!" He turned his head and gave a thumbs up. "The teacher will definitely serialize it in Jump, and you must notify me at that time! I will definitely come back!"

Higashino breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Tanaka has been his assistant since college.

Five years have passed in a blink of an eye, and the two of them have long been friends. Higashino is very reluctant to part with each other suddenly.

"Good wind!"

……

After Tanaka left, Higashino returned home.

There are only two work tables in the living room, and it looks empty.

Higashino needs to finish the ending of "Slam Dunk", essays for the new manga, and will be an assistant for Akemi Akimiya.

"I'm really not used to it." Akemi Akimiya shook her head.

Higashino leaned against the door frame and said greasy: "It's time for us to enjoy our time together."

"You're so stupid." Akimi couldn't help laughing, feeling much better.

……

The spring breeze carried a soothing and intoxicating atmosphere. After being busy for a long time, Higashino fell asleep in the living room after a while.

Akemi Akimiya covered him with a blanket and said softly, "Have a good sleep."

After "Slam Dunk" is over, it's time for Higashino to sleep peacefully.

Since 93, he has been drawing comics, from a high school student to the present, and has never stopped.

"You've worked so hard for so long, Mr. Akino Tori."

……

When Higashino woke up, it was dusk.

He got up and found Akemi Akimiya on the balcony, talking on the phone with excitement.

"Thank you! Miss Fukatsu!"

After the phone call ended, before Higashino asked, Akemi Akimiya said loudly, ""Sakura Mission" has won!"

"RIBON" held awards in April to encourage cartoonists who have been serialized for more than half a year.

Is it a very worthless award, equivalent to the three good students in the class?

Akemi Akimiya was very excited.

"Congratulations! Miss Akimiya!" Higashino immediately congratulated loudly, looking happier than he won the "Shogakukan Manga Award".

"Well, it's just not as good as you." Akemi Shugong stroked her hair and said embarrassedly.

"This is the first step!" Higashino didn't care, "Mingmei, you will get more awards in the future!"

……

the next day.

Awarded "RIBON" manga.

When Akemi Akimiya came on stage, the editor-in-chief of RIBON handed over the trophy and certificate with both hands, thanking Akemi Akimiya for her efforts.

Higashino sat under the stage and applauded vigorously.

"That's... Mirai Niao Akino!" The person who recognized Higashino was stunned, "Why did he come here?"

"Is this just a small award for "RIBON"?Why is it attracted to the bird Akino Mirai? "

"He applauded very seriously."

The guests who came to the scene were all employees of Shueisha or related companies. They were just going through the motions and perfunctory for the RIBON manga awards to gain popularity. They didn't expect that they accidentally saw the super popular manga artist, Mirai Akino.

"Who is the sacred person on the stage?"

Someone found the information, "Akemi Akimiya...the author of "Sakura Mission"...this work has a very good score, and it is among the best on RIBON."

"This style of comics... is very suitable for adaptation into animation."

……

Akemi Akimiya recognized Higashi Higashi's hard work and rewarded him with a big meal.

After returning home, Higashino put the RIBON awards in the most conspicuous place on the bookshelf, and Tezuka Shō's trophy could only be aggrieved and moved aside.

As for the trophy for the "Shogakukan Manga Award", it was placed in the corner.

……

At six o'clock in the afternoon, the "Slam Dunk" animation also came to the end and ushered in the finale.

When Tanaka left Tokyo and returned home, he found his nephew was a guest at home, and the last chapter of "Slam Dunk" was playing on TV.

"Jing, you are finally back!" the old mother patted his shoulder and said loudly.

When Tanaka's salary is getting higher and higher, the old mother finally doesn't have to worry about his future life.

In normal times, Tanaka, who works in a high-paying job in Tokyo, has also become her capital to show off to others.

Just, "Have you found a girlfriend yet?"

The old mother is still troubled.

Tanaka couldn't solve this kind of distress in a short time.

It's too scary for society to find a girlfriend.

"Welcome home, uncle!" The nephew waved his hand in greeting.

"Yeah." Tanaka nodded, put down his backpack, and sat in the living room watching TV together.

At the end of "Slam Dunk", he, his diligent assistant for five years, also had mixed feelings in his heart, which was very unpleasant.

Tanaka supports Bird Akino's future decision, which doesn't mean he isn't sad.

"Let me tell you," the nephew couldn't help shaking his head while watching "Slam Dunk", "Tiao Akino will be very selfish in the future."

The good old man Tanaka stared at him and asked, "Why do you say that?"

The nephew said seriously: "Behind the manga's popularity is the hard work of editors, assistants, cartoonists, distribution companies, and publishing houses. The final results were obliterated by Akino Tori."

"He ended the comic lightly, and many people's efforts were in vain."

Hearing what he said, Tanaka was silent for a long time.

This is the dissatisfaction shared by employees of companies such as Shueisha and Toei Animation.

Today, "Slam Dunk" is no longer the work of Tori Akino Mirai alone, and countless people rely on this comic for food.

He nodded and sighed, "Indeed, it is very hard to be an assistant for Akino Akino Mirai, and he rarely has time to rest. He also has the idea of ​​drawing short comics from time to time. "[-] Centimeters Per Second", "Millennium Actress"... They are all comics that need to be carefully polished. I have to draw every day when I open my eyes, and it’s already dark after work. It’s really hard~”

Tanaka raised his head, recalling such a bitter time.

But when he thinks back now, it's all long and beautiful memories.

"It's been so hard," Tanaka's mother looked at him in surprise, with pity, "Then come back to work."

"Mom," Tanaka took out an envelope from his backpack with a smile on his face, "This is the manga completion bonus that Mr. Akino Tori gave me after finishing "Slam Dunk."

Tanaka's mother took it, and gave a gesture with her eyes. Seeing Tanaka nodding, she opened the envelope and got the amount.

“1、2、3……100张，100万円！”田中妈妈震惊不已。

This is their family's income for four months.

"Well, so," Tanaka said to his nephew, "Although it will be very hard work, the rewards are not low, but it's over now.

Without Mirai Tori, there would be no "Slam Dunk".Many people benefited from "Slam Dunk", animation companies, toy companies, disc distributors, publishers...

When this benefit ends, we should thank Akino Bird for his hard work for so long in the future, instead of complaining that he didn't continue to persevere. "

The nephew opened his mouth wide, with an expression of disbelief.

Tanaka, who rarely spoke for a long time, nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that his words were very convincing, and his nephew was shocked.

"Wait...wait!" The nephew came to his senses and looked at Tanaka adoringly, "Uncle, you are Mr. Akino's manga assistant! You are amazing!"

Tanaka's proud face froze, "It turns out that this is what you care about."

"But that's right, I've been working in Bird Akino Studio for five years." Tanaka nodded.

The nephew said loudly: "Isn't it true that you can often see Teacher Akino?"

Tanaka twitched his cheeks, "He's not a star, should he be so concerned?"

"And his signature painting!" the nephew continued.

"There are some." Tanaka picked up the backpack and rummaged through it.

He took out a stack of manuscript paper, which contained the storyboards of "Slam Dunk" and some memorable original manuscripts.

"It's so enviable!" The nephew looked at the manuscript anxiously, "My favorite manga is "Slam Dunk"! My favorite manga artist is Mirai-sensei Tori Akino!"

"Then what was your attitude just now?" With doubts, Tanaka handed the manuscript to his nephew.

The nephew quickly took it, looked at it excitedly, and said with a pout: "I feel very uncomfortable when he finished "Slam Dunk."

"You really are." Tanaka sat cross-legged on the tatami and shook his head.

……

April is the day when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and it is also the time when the Mizuchi Matsuri is held in Jano Mountain.

More than a dozen middle-aged people carried a shrine weighing several hundred kilograms around the cherry blossom pond, surrounded by residents and tourists of Jianye Mountain. Everyone applauded excitedly and watched this scene excitedly.

Akemi Akimiya raised her camera and kept taking pictures. The police believed that she was a staff member of the Jano Mountain Tourist Association, so she was allowed to stay in the middle of the road so that she could take pictures from a frontal angle.

Higashino sounded beside him, extremely helpless.

Just two days ago, Yui Nanase called. Due to the popularity of "Sakura Mission", many tourists came to Jianye Mountain.

The tourism association communicated with the residents of the town and decided to restart the Ruichi Festival, which had been abandoned for a long time, to have a good time in the spring and invite Akemi Akimiya to participate.

"I'll definitely be there!" Higashino Hibiki replied excitedly.

This is related to the follow-up plot of "Sakura Mission", which is very important, so they came here.

(End of this chapter)