My girlfriend is Saiki Kusunoki

"Because my dad has come back."

"Ok?"

At this moment, Nanzi's door had already been opened.

Qi Mu's father, his shoulders piled high with snow, returned home looking exhausted.

Although it's said on the surface that everyone in Japan is on holiday now.

But in reality, those who know, know. After all, these days, Japanese corporate slaves have no humanity, and even a large corporation like Shueisha is no exception.

Besides, there are indeed many things to do at the end of the year. For example...

"Naoto! Nanko! Are you home?"

As soon as he got home, Qi Mu's father started calling out the names of his daughter and son-in-law.

"Oh? Uncle Qi Mu, you're back? Is there still so much to do in the editorial department today?"

Naoto, seeing Saiki's father return, asked him with some confusion.

"Ah, there are indeed a lot of things to do. After all, today is today and tomorrow is the year-end party."

"Year-end party? Oh, it's already this late?"

Upon hearing Saiki's father's words, Naoto realized that this was the time that had come.

The Shueisha New Year's Eve Party is a party held by Shueisha to reward the writers and editors who have contributed to Shueisha throughout the year.

In addition to manga artists and editors, many people associated with Shueisha, such as voice actors and employees of anime companies, will also participate in the party.

These parties are more like social gatherings, bringing together writers and staff who don't usually know each other. Many writers met at JUMP's parties.

Some people even met animation teams here and got the opportunity to be animated.

For example, the future Ashirogi Muto met such a person at the party, which ultimately led to his opportunity to be adapted into an anime.

At this gala, you can even see some of Shueisha's mysterious high-ranking officials.

However, this was the first time Naoto had attended such a party, and there was very little mention of it online.

Naoto's memories of the Shueisha party all come from scenes in Bakuman. He has no idea what activities were actually taking place at this party.

Previously, in the small group chat we created together as comic artists, everyone was really looking forward to this gala. We were still discussing what activities and prizes would be offered, and who the final winners would be.

I didn't expect the time to pass so quickly; it's already here.

The gala was originally scheduled to be held around the Lunar New Year, but due to the special circumstances, it was postponed for a few days.

"Oh right, Nanzi, you're going this time too, right? Ah~ I remember when we were little, Nanzi always pestered me to go. I never thought that Naoto would be able to take you this time."

Because it was a party, Naoto could bring some relatives or friends in, but since Reika was still a bit young, Naoto didn't plan to bring her along this time.

However, Nanko can be Naoto's date at the party this time.

Qi Mu's father, who was previously the editor, didn't want Nanzi to participate, largely because the event was actually a mixed bag.

Nanzi's situation is also somewhat special. If something were to happen, Qi Mu's father wouldn't know what to do.

Now that Naoto is here, Saiki's father can finally rest easy.

In short, Naoto will likely see many celebrities from the manga industry at this event. I'm even a little excited to see Kubo-sensei again, whom I've met a few times before.

"This is your and Nanzi's invitation. Keep it safe. Remember to dress nicely tomorrow. There will be a car to pick you up tonight. I heard from Editor Sasaki that Ms. Niizuma and Ms. Ashirogi are quite excited about this collaboration."

"Really? So the top guys are coming to the party too? It's been so long since I've seen them, I kind of miss them. Hmm, I just remembered, we don't seem to have any formal attire yet? Is there anywhere you can still buy those?"

Chapter 91: A Night of Stars (Part 1)

"Naoto, hurry up! The JUMP train is on its way!"

"Oh, right away, I'm coming!"

As time passed, it quickly became evening of the second day.

Because of winter, the sky in Tokyo gets dark very early; it turns black around 5 p.m.

Naoto had changed into a black suit and styled his hair with hair gel, giving him a more mature look than a high school student.

However, Nanzi looked somewhat unnatural after putting on the specially prepared light pink dress.

Nanzi has never worn a formal dress in her life.

Especially because Nanzi's chest is rather... well, it's hard to describe, it's roughly like the runway for an F-15 takeoff with a bit more curves, which forced Nanzi to use her abilities to simply sculpt her body.

"Seriously, do we really need to dress this nicely? It feels a little strange."

Naoto tugged at the bow around his neck, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He felt that this outfit was just strange. He had never dressed this formally before, even when he went to receive an art award. Was he overdoing it this time?

"Naoto, Nanko, don't underestimate this banquet. After all, some of the higher-ups from Shueisha are here. Besides, Naoto, you're the top author this year. How can you not dress nicely?"

At this moment, Qi Mu's father walked out from the corner. He was wearing a suit that was different from usual, making him look particularly energetic and confident.

Nanzi had never seen her father so excited about the gala before.

Perhaps it's because this year the people under my command are finally not the lousy or incompetent ones.

With a top-tier writer like Naoto around, one naturally feels very prestigious.

From being a completely ignored screenwriter who was looked down upon even by his juniors, to now being a highly sought-after figure, Saiki's father is currently riding high.

Naturally, my previous dislike turned into anticipation.

"Waaaaah, Nanako-chan and Naoto-chan look so good together! Mom, I'm so happy about this! No, I have to take a picture of it! Where's the camera? Where did the camera go?"

"Uh, I remember the camera at home is in the room. Mom, wait a minute, I'll go find it right now."

Compared to Qi Mu's father, Qi Mu's mother seemed even more excited.

Seeing Naoto and Nanako's expressions, Saiki's mother was so moved she almost cried.

This caused quite a commotion.

"I didn't expect you to look so respectable in a suit."

Meanwhile, Reika, who couldn't go to the party and had to stay at home with Saiki's mother, couldn't help but tease her brother when she saw his appearance.

Well, this is probably just my younger sister throwing a tantrum. I'm used to this kind of thing.

"Ha, if I'm all respectable, then what are you, my dear sister?"

"Huh? My brother looks like a dog, so I do too? Oh no, you stinky brother, you tricked me!"

"Hehe, my silly little sister, your little brain really isn't up to par."

Just as Naoto and the others were fooling around, a white luxury car pulled up in front of Saiki's house.

When the car horn sounded, Naoto looked at the cars outside and suddenly felt like a country bumpkin.

Don't blame me for being ignorant, because that car outside is just too luxurious.

Although Naoto didn't know what brand the car was, just by looking at its length, he knew it was no ordinary vehicle.

Among extended-length cars, straight people only know Lincoln; they know nothing about the others.

Although Naoto didn't know much about the white extended version of the car in front of him, he knew it must be very expensive.

"This, this is the car that came to pick us up?"

Faced with this ultra-luxury car, not only Zhiren but also Nanzi was completely bewildered. Was this high-end car for real?

"That's right, this is the car that's specially used to pick up and drop off comic book artists. Hurry up and get in. I've never experienced this before. I can finally experience what it's like to drive a luxury car."

To be honest, Qi Mu's father had never experienced the feeling of driving such a high-end car. After all, it was specially designed to pick up and drop off the teachers, and he, as an editor and office worker, could forget about it.

Furthermore, not just anyone can ride in this kind of car; only comic book authors who have serialized multiple works are qualified to have a private car for them.

Previously, Qi Mu's father usually drove himself there, but now he can actually experience what it's like to drive a luxury car.

Arriving at the car, Naoto carefully opened the door and got in. Looking at the magnificent interior, Naoto understood for the first time what the so-called rich people's lives were really like.

The interior space is ridiculously large; at least to a naked person, the seats on both sides could be used to sleep without feeling cramped.

Inside the car, there is a small refrigerator, which even stores various drinks, fruits, snacks, and other items.

JUMP actually used such luxurious cars to pick up and drop off manga artists; that's incredibly extravagant.

No wonder it's a giant in the comics industry.

"ONE teacher, please take your seat. We are about to leave."

"Oh, yes, yes."

After seeing that Naoto and the others had all gotten into the car, the driver started the engine and took them to the venue where the party would be held.

Upon arriving at the venue, Naoto and Nanko realized that JUMP's extravagance extended far beyond automobiles.

JUMP has a dedicated building for hosting a wide variety of events.

When countless lights emanated from the luxury hotel in the distance, an unsuspecting person might have thought they had arrived at a royal castle.

"Is this the venue for tonight's party?"

Nanzi looked around curiously and realized that they weren't the only ones who had arrived.

Comic artists and editors from all walks of life flocked to the venue. Even Nanzi had never experienced such a unique event before.

However, the only drawback is that the inner world of the people around her is too complicated, which gives Nanzi a headache.

"Nanzi, why don't you put the ring on?"

Seeing Nanko's head swaying slightly, Naoto carefully suggested to his girlfriend.

At that moment, a black car, similar to the white car that had given them a ride, suddenly stopped behind them.

Two equally shocked country bumpkins emerged from the car.

Chapter 92: A Night of Stars (Part 2)

An hour before Naoto and Kusuko arrived at the venue, Moritaka and Akito were in their studio, extremely nervous.

As soon-to-be high school students, the two were unable to calm down at this moment, after all, they were going to attend the JUMP party later.

Normally, only established authors who have been serializing their works for more than a year are invited to this party. However, since Ashirogi Muto and some other authors were instrumental in helping JUMP defeat its enemies this year, an exception was made and the two of them were invited to attend.