Okari and Hiramaru became best Friends in the elementary school. There they went to the same classes and developed affinities and alike desires, between that, reading mangas. They grew up reading 90's manga's, like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Saint Seiya and Dragon Ball, and there was born their dream of making mangas.
The teen years came, and, at least in Okari, the desires changed. One day, after seeing the Japan Grand Prix, it looked amazing to him the racing world, and, since that day, he couldn't more than desire being the best racing driver of motocycles in Japan. Meanwhile, Hiramaru for taking more attention to studies and manga drawing, where he went isolating more and more from any other activity. He did that looking after the college entrance, but didn't predict the amount disconnection he got to experience, and the absorbing that was for him being cautious for that activities.
This could be noticed immediately in the pale skin of Hiramaru, that, rather than Okari, his puffiness and posture remarked his sedentary lifestyle, full of trash foods and absence of exercise, noticeable even in how much skinny he got, due to his doubtful routine of eating only two times a day. Not being less, he showed chronic pain in his lower back and shoulders, presented symptoms of tendinitis and that generated a fear and uncertainty about his mangaka career and the possible breakup with his girlfriend if he became unemployed, sick and depressed. Okari had, for his part, a promising future: he was climbing positions in the scene of competitive motorcycling, where each time he had more success in the competitions. In that, he was gaining prestige and making himself a place in the scene.
At this point, for being both, Hiramaru as his friend absorbed each in his goals, ended losing some of the contact they had sometime. With luck, they saw each other once a month, and even with that, they felt that the relationship wasn't the same; they just talked in different terms, his hobbies changed, his world vision changed like, anyways, usually happens from kids to adults. Both noticed these flaws, but what changed from one to the other was the willing to change the situation. Even if Hiramaru was preoccupied, he didn't was capable of doing more than contemplating it, and any chance of facing it maked him very scared. He preferred to cringe, like a turtle in his shell, instead of complicated processes. Although he didn't confess it, his avoidant actitude ruled all his actions: even in his family, with his responsabilities, but especially in this case, with Okari, since lately the things haven't been perfectly.
Deep into himself, Okari made him jealous: he felt what his life didn't had any preoccupations, that he didn't had to effort as much as him, and because of that, the paradoxically resulted that his friend had much more fame and fortune than himself. Besides, from the beginning the matter seemed unfair, since he perceived that as soon as his time flowed in world of the mangas, the path got full of obstacles; what seemed in the beginning like a race in a straight line, became after a rough climbing to a sharp mountain. He didn't even thought when he was a kid about it, how much difficult the thing could get, and that he had to, despite of his expectations, leave all the rest behind to satisfy his dream. With all, Hiramaru kept on this bloody dynamic on what he submitted week to week, month to month, every year, to bring out every time the weekly chapter of his mangas, because, after all, that was his dream, or it appeared to be in a now far time, that scratched out now afar between the nostalgy of the childhood and the laughs with his friends then.
It didn't delay the cracking of this fragile state of things. The end year's party ran and happened a lot of thing to his melancholy reach bottom. After a long time, the selfsame Okari, maybe motivated for an uncontrollable nostalgy, decides to call Hiramaru to announce his visit in the festivities, to get along in a nice evening between youth friends. Hiramaru, although confused, decides to accept the invitation, and together with his wife Yuriko, they go to see him to his house in Shinjuku.
When they arrived, he noticed that Okari's place isn't much different than their, being pretty similar in size, amount of furniture and rooms, albeit it seems a little more neglected. Okari receives them tenderly, and presents them his wife and his daughter of six years old, who's declared a fan of the anime Otters#11 (the Hiramaru's manga) what unsettles Hiramaru for some reason...
With the passing of the hours Yuriko and Akiko, Okari's wife, got to be good friends meanwhile Okari didn't understand why Hiramaru seemed so dull and desireless, and thinked that him, being a great mangaka, would enjoy facilities, excellent dinners and, above all, of happiness. Since, until Okari remembered, the dream of Hiramaru was drawing comics like he devoured entire evening in the elementary school.
Passed the dinner, and being both housewives playing with the young Megumi, Hiramaru asked if they can talk about the past, for the old times and the achievements of each one, but alone. There is when Hiramaru asks Okari about how has been going his life, because is getting a moderated success to the critic at expenses of his physical and mental health. That's when Okari explains the envy that feels for Hiramaru, because of all the success that he have, a successful carreer so important that he can earn enough money and recognition, things that races can't offer to Okari, despite being one of the best pilots. But Okari feels empathy and pity for Hiramaru, so he gives him a request about leaving the mangaka office before his stress take him to a inevitable collapse. He has to forget about working for Shueisha and the most important thing that he gave is himself and her wife. His mission in entertainment has ended.
Hiramaru reflects in silence, he's so tired and sad bi¡ut even in that condition he understand Okari's good intentions. Regrettably for Hiramaru there's nothing more than works until he gets retire or even he has to literally death working for the Shonen Jump if he doesn't wants to be unemployed because his situation doesn't favors him, and searching for work at his 35 y/o isn't an option, so he has to leave from the few royalties that his mangas and Otters #11's animated series or nothing.
Okari understand his friend's situation so he decide to hug him and tell a positive message about friendship, and if its true that Hiramaru recive it with a akward mood, but he dicides to give it back remembering the good ol' times.
The Hiramarus says goodbye to Okari and his family and starts the way back home. Thinking about workship stuffs or even social stuff, but in Hiramaru's head life stills sucks.
