Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

Amidst the chaos, Hayao Miyazaki observed this scene.

A group of young artists sat around a large worktable, with Guan Gufeng in the middle, demonstrating on a piece of paper with his G-pen.

"The perspective here should be like this..."

Miyazaki watched for a while, then turned and left.

Over the next few hours, under the combined assault of several illustrators, Guan Gufeng demonstrated storyboard rhythm, keyframe hatching, character design sketches, dynamic perspective, special effects lines, and more...

The sky changed from afternoon to evening, and Guan Gufeng looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

Even though I knew it was a trap, I still jumped in and spent the whole afternoon working on it.

Hayao Miyazaki walked in at some point, and he stood at the edge of the crowd.

It was evening, and he had replaced his coffee with a can of beer.

"Is it all finished?"

The artists reflexively returned to their workstations.

Hayao Miyazaki's gaze swept over the finished products on the worktable: storyboard demonstrations, key animation demonstrations, character sketches, and background images.

"good."

Guan Gufeng's lips twitched. The amount of artwork he produced in one afternoon was equivalent to several days' worth of his usual output, and all he got was a "not bad" comment?

Just as he was about to speak, a sound suddenly came from his abdomen.

Gollum~

A meaningful smile appeared on Hayao Miyazaki's face.

Guan Gufeng was very familiar with this smile. The last time Miyazaki Hayao showed this smile, he treated the entire studio to two meals.

"Wait! Mr. Miyazaki, you're the one who asked me to audition today..."

"Yes, the auditions are over." Miyazaki picked up his beer can, took a sip, and said, "It's dinner time now, so there's no way I'm treating everyone."

He paused.

"Besides, Mr. Guan Gu, you should know that, right?"

"Know what?"

Hayao Miyazaki adjusted his glasses. "Those two takeout meals you ordered last time happened to be during the time when I had them working overtime to meet deadlines."

"It was supposed to take five days for them to get back into work mode, but they all arrived early the next morning."

"So it's the same today. You created this high level of efficiency yourself, so you're responsible for reaping the rewards."

Miyazaki put down his beer can, thought for a moment, and said, "Right, I don't need to spend too much today."

"The eel rice bowl from last time was good. I'd like some more sashimi, some tempura, and sushi. Oh, and we're out of beer in the fridge."

After saying that, the person left.

Guan Gu Feng was speechless for a moment. Looking at the eager eyes of everyone around him, he silently picked up his mobile phone and dialed Kitamura No's number.

"Uncle Kitamura, could you please order another batch of takeout for me, the same number as last time?"

"Yes, I've fallen into a trap again."

"Is it the same place as last time?"

"Let's try another one..."

A young artist who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion immediately chimed in, "Kanda's sushi!"

Another artist, not to be outdone, retorted: "Ueno's Anako Tempura!"

"Yokohama-style shumai!"

"Wake up, how far is Yokohama...?"

Forty minutes later, several familiar food delivery motorcycles stopped in front of the Studio Ghibli.

Sushi from Kanda Matsukawa, anago tempura from Takeyotei, Wagyu sukiyaki from Kagurazaka Matsumoto, and a fruit platter directly from Ginza Senbikiya.

There were also several cases of chilled Sapporo beer and Mitsuya soda for those who don't drink.

"Tempura! Live anatomatsu tempura!"

"Is the Wagyu beef in this sukiyaki top-grade? It is, right?"

"Waaaaah~ I haven't had such a delicious meal in over a week."

"Wake up, starting tomorrow you'll still be eating convenience store rice balls."

The entire studio was brightly lit, filled with the clinking of glasses and the joyful atmosphere of the guests.

Guan Gufeng, holding a beer can, put down his bowl and quietly left the noisy studio.

In the courtyard outside the studio, the setting sun had already painted the sky with three layers of color.

The old beech tree in the courtyard rustled in the evening breeze, and the leaves of the Virginia creeper also swayed.

Hayao Miyazaki stood in the courtyard, holding a can of beer. He heard footsteps behind him but did not turn around.

Guan Gufeng walked to his side and stood still.

The two stood side by side, watching the sunset on the horizon, neither of them speaking, as the sun slowly sank lower and lower.

"It's so beautiful," Guan Gufeng said softly.

"Yes." Miyazaki took a sip of his beer. "If you die, you won't be able to see the sunset."

He knew Miyazaki wasn't saying anything discouraging.

This person has been racing against time his whole life, finishing one work and moving on to the next.

Guan Gufeng looked at the last trace of orange-red on the horizon.

"Then let's take tomorrow's sunset as the meaning of life," Guan Gufeng said slowly. "After all, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

Miyazaki was silent for a moment, then turned to look at him, his voice somewhat amused, "You kid, why do you talk like an old man?"

Guan Gufeng shrugged. "Isn't it good? You have the wisdom of an elder and the spirit of youth at the same time."

"yes."

Miyazaki finished his beer, turned around, and faced Sekiya Kaze.

"Speak, what do you want from me?"

"You figured it out?" Guan Gufeng was a little surprised.

"Yes." Miyazaki's smile deepened slightly.

"You could have just left after finishing the dubbing, but you stayed and helped them all afternoon, and even treated them to a meal."

"Alright, I'll get straight to the point." Guan Gufeng cleared his throat. "Here's the thing, I want to publish a serialized story..."

He briefly explained his concerns.

"So, I don't have any ideas for a short story right now." Guan Gu Feng looked at Miyazaki Hayao, shrugged, and said, "I came to see if you have any ideas so I can 'borrow' some."

He spoke with absolute certainty.

"What you're saying," Miyazaki scoffed. "It's clearly 'stealing'."

"How can something a scholar does be called stealing?"

Hayao Miyazaki shook his head and chuckled, "Alright, I actually do have an idea."

"Recently, I went to Shikoku. My friend works at an old-fashioned inn, you know, the kind that's been run by generations of hot spring inns."

Guan Gufeng nodded.

"The hotel owner has a young daughter who has been well protected by her parents since she was a child and doesn't know much about social etiquette."

Hayao Miyazaki placed a beer can on the railing and gestured with his hands to indicate his name.

"Not many of her peers wanted to play with her. Later, her father started teaching her to help out at the hotel, serving tea and water, folding sheets, and greeting guests. Gradually, she changed."

"At first, she was a somewhat spoiled little girl, but later she started to proactively help guests with their luggage and smile at strangers in the hallway. Without any formal schooling, she learned how to get along with people little by little through real social interactions."

Guan Gufeng straightened his back slightly.

Miyazaki, oblivious to his change in expression, continued, "I was thinking, what would it be like if this process were placed in a fantasy story?"

"A pampered young girl stumbles into a strange world."

"There are gods, monsters, and all sorts of people she has never seen before."

"She doesn't rely on magic or fighting, but rather on interacting with these 'strangers' to gradually learn how to treat people and grow into a better person."

"That world, I'll call it for now, the Bathhouse."

Guan Gufeng didn't speak; his mind was racing.

A bathhouse. A hot spring inn where gods and yokai roam. The coming-of-age story of a young girl.

Of course he knew what it was.

Spirited Away, a pinnacle of 21st-century animated films, winner of the Berlin Golden Bear and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

But Miyazaki Hayao hasn't drawn "Spirited Away" yet; the story is still just a vague idea, and he is the first person to hear it.

"Judging from your expression, you seem to have an idea." Miyazaki's voice pulled him back to reality.

Guan Gufeng raised his head.

"If you're really going to draw it, don't make it look like child's play."

"Of course not." Guan Gufeng patted his chest. "If you draw it like that, I'll come and work for you for free for a month."

"Then you should just play house."

"..."

"Let's not talk about that." Miyazaki changed the subject. "Even if you win the newcomer award, K-On! isn't suitable as your first serialization in an existing magazine. You need a mature subject that can be developed into a long-running series."

"Personally speaking, I wouldn't really recommend you draw shonen manga." Miyazaki Hayao and Sekiya Kaze walked towards the studio. "It's not that I'm worried about your skill level, it's just that there are too many shonen manga these days, drawing something similar wouldn't be interesting."

"That's true." Guan Gufeng nodded. "I actually already have a long-form idea, which is a youth comedy manga."

"Oh?" Miyazaki Hayao became interested.

There are already few people making young adult comics, let alone comedy comics.

"What kind of story do you want to draw?"

Guan Gufeng smiled and said, "What I want to draw is a 'heartwarming' story about a cup of flammable oolong tea."

Miyazaki stared at him for a long time.

"Flammable oolong tea?"

"Yes. It looks like oolong tea, but it's actually eau de la vie, eau de vie, and whiskey."

"...What's the main character's name?"

"Kitahara Iori".