Three Years Later

No one made a sound; only the howling wind and snow seemed to be weeping.

Those around him watched silently as the man faced his final moments.

"Because I see hope in you."

Suddenly Ikeda Ichinosuke said, "Ikeda Ichinosuke lives, then he is just another Ikeda Ichinosuke. Ikeda Ichinosuke dies, then he is just another Ikeda Ichinosuke."

He was answering Li Shuhong's question.

"If Li Shuhong is dead, then it's not just Li Shuhong has died."

Ikeda Ichinosuke's voice was calm:

"The world can do without me Ikeda Ichinosuke, but it cannot do without you Li Shuhong."

Li Shuhong was breathing rapidly, his eyes were red, and he opened his mouth as if to speak.

But after Ikeda Ichinosuke finished speaking, he lost his strength and collapsed to his knees on the snow.

Li Shuhong quickly knelt down on one knee to help him up, his knee stained with the man's blood.

Even at the end of his life, Ikeda Ichinosuke said coldly, "I'm sorry, I've added another heavy burden to your shoulders."

Li Shuhong closed his eyes, recalling something.

Soon, he opened his eyes and smiled:

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

"One last thing."

Ikeda Ichinosuke handed the First Snow to Li Shuhong: "If you have the chance, please help me pass on my style."

"Okay, leave it to me."

Li Shuhong solemnly accepted the First Snow.

"Okay, it's all yours now... everything..."

His voice trailed off.

Ikeda Ichinosuke died in the snowstorm.

Before his life was extinguished, he laboriously turned his head toward the direction the plane had flown away.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Life has come to an end.

On the distant plane, Asagami Miin's heart pounded as he realized something.

She stared blankly out the window, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ichinosuke...

She opened her mouth slightly, but no sound came out.

With the death of Ikeda Ichinosuke, the childhood arc of <Art Academy> is nearing its end.

The rest of the story is simple.

Asagami Miin became withdrawn and isolated after the death of Ikeda Ichinosuke.

After Li Shuhong helped her take care of everything, he couldn't stay long, because his own battlefield was not yet over.

He carried the last wishes of all his comrades who died in the Far East, and led the surviving team members to a new battlefield.

Asagami Miin aimlessly, then encounters various new people and events, begins to open his heart, and embarks on the path to becoming a literary giant...

A few days later, the childhood chapters of "The Art Academy" came to an end.

People were very reluctant to leave.

The childhood episodes of <Art Academy> are excellent, especially the performance of Sakurajima Mai as Asagami Miin after Ikeda Ichinosuke's death.

From that heartbreaking despair that made you want to cry, to the resilience that gradually emerged from the shadows.

This process is like seeing rays of sunlight peeking through layers of dark clouds, or the first light of dawn appearing after a long period of rain—a thrilling surprise that makes your heart tremble.

Her acting is so good, she doesn't seem like a child at all.

The title of genius child actor was undisputedly bestowed upon her.

She was completely...

Countless TV series, movies, and commercials came knocking on their door.

Shuya used to be able to talk to Mai- chan on the phone quite often, but now it's very difficult.

She simply couldn't squeeze out even a tiny bit of time.

Her diligence made Shuya feel utterly ashamed.

But she didn't actually earn much from that kind of work; the firm took a huge cut, I think it was 80% or 90%?

Shuya estimated that, given her mother's personality, she would eventually have to leave and open her own agency, and that's when Mai- chan would probably become a rich woman.

As for Shuya... sorry, whatever he earns is his.

But the price he paid was that his mother was also very quick to take his money.

Forget it, we're family, why bother arguing?

Shuya thinking about it and continued to laze around in his mother's office watching TV.

He just finished reading the animation script that was sent to him and is taking a break.

The office is located in Shibuya Ward, in a three-story detached building. It's a rather old building, but it was recently renovated.

The income from Alien Baby Hikari-chan ensures she has no financial worries.

She didn't buy the building; it was inherited from her family.

There aren't many employees in the firm.

The president is Hanazawa Sakura, the manager Maeda Saori, and the voice actors are only Hanazawa Sakura and Inoue Shuya.

Oh, and there's also a cleaning lady.

And that was it.

There are very few people.

So, what exactly did you do with all that money you took from me, you spendthrift mom?

Okay, there might be something that costs money that I don't know about.

Shuya made up a random excuse to convince himself not to investigate further.

Ah, it really is better to be a lazy bum...

But that's impossible; he'll have to go back to work after just two days of rest.

He had originally wanted to find an opportunity to get to know that little girl with long, straight black hair from elementary school; they were in the same class.

It has to be postponed now; there's just too much work waiting.

However, Shuya didn't expect that this push would...

That's three years.

PS2: The first leap in time, followed by the introduction of new characters.

Section 165, page 149: Three years later

After playing the role of Ikeda Ichinosuke in the Morning Drama "Art Academy", Shuya not only successfully promoted his mentor's reputation, but also saw his own fame soar.

His position in the entertainment industry is already very secure.

Countless people are looking forward to his next move, speculating about which TV series and movies he will star in.

But he suddenly announced that he would be participating in a film directed by Jackie Chan, a well-known actor from the Great Hua Administrative District.

He abandoned his thriving career in Japan and ventured overseas.

Many people don't understand why Shuya would abandon the easy path and venture into the unfamiliar world of Great Hua.

There's a reason for that.

Since Shuya became famous, he has been frequently harassed by fans, and he can tolerate things like being secretly photographed and followed on the street.

But to be able to pull eight fans out from under the bed within a month... that's a bit too much, bro.

Although he wasn't afraid, it was truly disgusting.

It's one thing for women, but what's with men doing this too?

The apartment he lived in was surrounded by reporters and fans, which greatly affected his neighbors.

He didn't want to move away from Rena.

Therefore, Shuya decided to develop his career overseas to temporarily avoid the limelight.

Without further hesitation, he accepted Jackie Chan's invitation and embarked on a new journey at Great Hua.

Anyway, there are no national boundaries now, and he understands Great Hua Language, so there's no pressure for him to develop.

Moreover, he already had a fan base in Great Hua, and now that he's latched onto Jackie Chan's powerful backer, it's easy for him to gain a foothold.

Shuya was busy for three whole years.

He's acted in six or seven movies and dozens of TV series (not all as the lead, many were cameos), and participated in some television programs. If he weren't a martial artist, he would probably have been cremated by now.

The Great Hua is so big that artists have so many job opportunities after they become famous.

Young, famous, and talented artists like Shuya are in short supply, so there's not much competition and he's incredibly busy.

The reward for such hard work is a rapid rise in fame, making him popular throughout Asia.

Great Hua culture is ancient and profound, giving it a cultural advantage in Asia.

Shuya's conquest of Great Hua is tantamount to his conquest of Asia.

The Japan Administrative District has strong cultural strength, but it still cannot compare to the influence of the Great Hua Administrative District.

Shuya's long stay in Great Hua was not entirely his original intention.

When you're out in the world, social interactions and favors are inevitable.

After the World War, the martial arts community in Great Hua became acquainted with each other, Shuya's acquaintance with Jackie Chan was equivalent to his acquaintance with everyone.

As mentioned before, many martial artists use filming as a means of cultivation, Borrowing the False to Cultivate the True.

Making money is also very important in addition to cultivation, and many people want to cooperate with Shuya has a great reputation.

Since they were all martial artists, it was difficult for Shuya to refuse their invitation.

Besides, filming kung fu movies always involves physical action, which is a great learning process for Shuya.

He lacked experience, Li Shuhong only taught him the Northland New Snow Thousand-Fold Style, but not other moves or routines, because his knowledge was not broad enough.

Now, three years have passed, and he has honed his skills through acting opportunities.

When filming with martial arts masters from the Great Hua Kingdom, Shuya was often invited to exchange ideas with their sects, which greatly benefited him.

Japan, being a small place, can't compare in this respect.

Great Hua is the true home of martial arts.

After three years, Shuya finally managed to collect all the invitations.

After working so hard for so long, he finally decided to take a break and returned to Japan.

Shuya returned without informing anyone.

After getting off the plane, he picked up his luggage and took a car home.