Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

"It's still the same as before, nothing has changed."

Sensing the complexity in his tone, Murata Eri became even more worried.

In the past, she would never have thought about homosexuality.

However, after watching Naruto and learning about Zabuza and Haku's unwavering resolve to give up their lives for each other, her life began to waver.

Haku used his own body to block Kakashi's Lightning Blade, and his life gradually came to an end.

Zabuza initially had a tense expression and talked about things like using someone or something.

But under Naruto's poignant words, he gradually revealed his true feelings.

The demon who once slaughtered all the fellow examinees in order to change the village's twisted rules is now shedding tears.

"Kid...stop... saying any more..."

At this moment, he finally admitted that ninjas are also human beings and cannot be tools without feelings.

"I lost."

His feelings for Bai could no longer be suppressed.

Unfortunately, by this time, Bai had already died.

All he could do for Bai was kill the unscrupulous merchant Kado who had desecrated Bai's corpse.

With swords and blades embedded in his body, Zabuza finally reached Gato, who was being protected by his subordinates. He severed Gato's head with a kunai, and Zabuza fell to the ground.

On his deathbed, he lay beside Bai, looking at his face, feeling only belated regret and a lingering longing to meet him again.

Even though they were two men, Eri Murata saw love in them.

She shed tears for their passing, her heart filled with sorrow. She felt the author had gone too far; why did he have to kill Haku and Zabuza?

Can't it be a better world where everyone lives happily together?

Seeing Kakashi shed tears for Haku and Zabuza, Murata Eri burst into tears.

That's what makes great comics; they always evoke empathy and sadness in readers.

After understanding Haku and Zabuza, she was a little worried that Arima Seiichi might also have this kind of problem.

"Does his ideal still stand?"

Moreover, that's what Seiichi Arima said.

"Ah, he's on stage."

……

As a guest, Fushimikawa took the stage to give a speech.

"Throughout my three years of high school, Mr. Fujino took care of me, who was a hopeless student. Even after graduation, he was always worried about my situation."

Fushimikawa spoke from the heart: "I felt the responsibility of a teacher in Mr. Fujino. He recognized my ideals and helped me realize my ambitions, which is why I am who I am today."

He bowed to Principal Fujino.

Fujino's eyes welled up with tears, but in the audience, some people were thinking about reading comic books, some wanted to play baseball, and some were thinking about the future. Everyone had their own things to do, so who had time to pay attention to other people's situations?

Looking at his friends below the stage, Fushimikawa took a deep breath.

"In 1967, I wanted to become a cartoonist. I worked hard for three years in high school, as everyone knows."

He mentioned cartoonists, and many people became interested.

They looked up, their eyes fixed intently on Fushimikawa, curious about what he would say.

While comics and high school students seem like a perfect match, it's something that teachers need to be very careful about.

A student saying he wants to draw comics in the future is a bit too brave, isn't he?

Moreover, this senior has been out of school for several years. I wonder what his situation is now?

He may have worked as an assistant for many well-known cartoonists and knows the inside story of the industry.

Students are very curious about manga artists like Osamu Tezuka and Fujiko Fujio.

Astro Boy was also a part of their childhood, and Doraemon is their current favorite comic.

There's also the rising star, Oikawa Ji, the author of "Naruto".

"Thanks to Fujino-sensei's understanding and tolerance, I achieved certain success in manga, which enabled me to become Fujiko Fujio-sensei's assistant as soon as I arrived in Tokyo."

"Whoosh!"

When Fushimikawa revealed his identity, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Even as an assistant, she was someone they envied and were curious about.

The students who hadn't been listening attentively were now curious about the cacophony of noise and quickly asked their friends.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"That student said he was Fujiko Fujio's assistant."

"Ah! I need to listen carefully now!"

Having gained everyone's attention, Fushimikawa smiled slightly, not continuing the previous topic, but instead expressing his gratitude to Principal Fujino.

"Principal Fujino, who cared for his students, is a teacher I am always grateful to. For three years, he cared about the school's development, and at least after our graduating class, he built a corridor and a small garden."

As soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted from the audience.

"We did too; the lab equipment was upgraded before we graduated."

"Fans have been added to the classroom."

"The exterior facade has also been cleaned up."

"Thinking about it carefully, Principal Fujino has done a lot of things."

"Originally, the Industrial Middle School did not have a canteen, but many parents were too busy with work to make lunch boxes. In order to ensure the students' food safety, Principal Fujino built an on-campus canteen, although the taste is just so-so."

"At my request, comic books were added to the library."

They recalled the kindness of Principal Fujino, and the atmosphere suddenly became melancholy.

"It's a pity that such a good principal has retired."

……

Sometimes all it takes is a trigger, and feelings buried deep in students' hearts, feelings they themselves are unaware of, will surface.

Their reluctance to part with Principal Fujino momentarily overshadowed their curiosity about the manga artist.

It wasn't until Fushimikawa was about to step down from the stage that a junior student suddenly snapped out of his daze and mustered up the courage to shout, "Senior, how's your manga career going?"

"The manga is going well." Fushimikawa stopped and smiled.

"In April 1970, I became Fujiko Fujio's assistant, and there I saw my favorite manga, Doraemon."

Fushimikawa spoke eloquently, and the younger students were very supportive, occasionally responding with "Oh~".

Among the crowd, only Akira Toriyama was trembling. He realized that this moment had finally arrived.

"It's coming..."

"What's here?"

"Fushimi-senpai's...identity revealed!"

……

"I really like Doraemon, so at the CM Comic Con founded by Waseda University, I drew a Doraemon fan art called 'Trying to Say Goodbye'."

When Fushimikawa got to this point, some people were confused, but many were already dumbfounded.

"Try to Say Goodbye?"

They suddenly realized that the man standing on the stage was very likely the legendary manga artist, Oikawa Ji.

Some people looked at Fushimikawa's appearance and compared it with the programs they had seen, and the more they looked, the more similar it seemed, but they dared not make any guesses and could only look forward to his continued revelations.

As a result, the atmosphere at the scene became strange, with some people looking forward to it and others feeling tense.

Fushimikawa continued, "On this day, Takei, an editor at Shogakukan, saw 'Trying to Say Goodbye' and begged me to sign a contract with Shogakukan so I could become a manga artist. That's how I entered the world of shonen manga."

"Ah! It's that simple?"

"Shouldn't it be a process of submitting a work, getting rejected, continuing to try, participating in a newcomer award, and then giving up after failing to win?"

"How could it be so smooth?"

Many slow-witted people were taken aback.

"Senior is amazing! He's already a manga artist!" Horikawa clenched his fists, excited and proud.

Akira Toriyama rolled his eyes. Didn't this guy know the situation?

"So, what's the name of the work you're serializing, senior?"

Finally, someone raised their hand and couldn't help but ask.

Fushimikawa scratched his cheek and, under the watchful eyes of many, calmly said the following.

"Although I've only been a cartoonist for three years, I've already produced quite a few works."

The children's comic "Ikkyu the Clever," though my assistant is drawing it now. There's also the shonen manga version of "Doraemon," the short mystery comic "Confessions," the short horror comic "Tomie," and "Parasyte"...

He read out the titles of the works one by one, but the students below the stage were already incredibly excited.

Anyone who likes comics will recognize the authors of these works upon hearing their titles.

The senior student who always stood there but looked exceptionally tall was actually...

"And my current main work, Naruto."

He finally spoke, and the students could no longer hold back. They all stood up and shouted in unison, "Mr. Oikawa!"

“That’s right,” Fushimikawa looked at them, “I am Oikawa II.”

The news that the senior student was a top-notch comic artist was like a bombshell, almost lifting the roof off the entire auditorium with the excited shouts of the students.

"Teacher Oikawa is actually a senior who graduated from our school!"

"Our Industrial High School is amazing!"