Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist.

"???"

On the other side, Eri Aragaki, holding her phone, was stunned.

Yes, she was indeed stunned.

The TV in the living room was still on, showing some variety show. Erina was sitting on the sofa flipping through magazines, while Ayane Takeda was pouring water in the kitchen.

She could hear all of these sounds, but they all seemed to be coming from a very far place.

All that remained in her mind were the words Masaya Sakurai had just said.

Ninth place... The Titans have made it into the top ten!

She held her phone, speechless for a long time.

Sakurai Masaya waited a few seconds on the other end of the phone before tentatively calling out, "Aragaki-sensei?"

Eri Aragaki snapped out of her daze and said, "Ah, I'm here."

She took a deep breath and said into the phone, "Thank you, Mr. Sakurai."

Masaya Sakurai smiled and said, "You're welcome. This is all thanks to your own abilities, teacher. There's not much help I can offer."

"No, that's not true... Mr. Sakurai has helped me a lot too."

Eri Aragaki said politely.

Then she leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

She really didn't expect that Attack on Titan would suddenly break into the top ten in this week's popularity poll.

And it was only ninth place...

Some might ask, why didn't you think of that?

Didn't Eri Aragaki dream of becoming a giant on the 15th or 10th rank in the very first episode?

That's absolutely true. Based on her peak performance in Attack on Titan in her previous life, Eri Aragaki did indeed fantasize from the beginning about what if Attack on Titan made it into the top ten in the very first episode?

But that was at the beginning; later on...

For some time now, the Giants have consistently ranked outside the top ten...

I'm climbing higher every week, but I always fall just short.

Eri Aragaki also calmed down completely, realizing that she had indeed been too ambitious too early.

As mentioned before, Attack on Titan's popularity will truly surge after its anime adaptation.

Well... all I can say is that the influence of comics is really very limited.

Even though Attack on Titan had achieved considerable success before its anime adaptation, such as strong sales of its manga volumes, it still paled in comparison to those popular masterpieces.

Let alone comparing it to Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece, it would be exhausted even compared to Hunter x Hunter, which is on hiatus for years.

So Eri Aragaki has completely relaxed her mindset during this period.

Eat and drink as you please, and don't worry about popularity. As long as you stay in your current ranking and avoid the risk of being cut in half, that's enough.

I submit my work on time every week, and after finishing it, I relax on the sofa playing games and watching anime. Occasionally, I go out shopping and eating with Natsume Akane and the others. I live a very comfortable life.

But just as she relaxed, she heard the news that the popularity of Attack on Titan had climbed into the top ten.

She lay on the sofa for a while, then suddenly sat up, clenched her fists, and shouted, "Whoa!!"

"Teacher Aragaki..."

Masaya Sakurai heard Eri Aragaki's cheers, but he just smiled and didn't find it strange. However, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Actually, I have a suggestion..."

"Now, teacher, you could consider hiring an assistant. After all, given Giant's current popularity, your monthly royalties are quite high. Hiring an assistant would allow you to submit your work more consistently and would also reduce your personal burden."

Eri Aragaki held her phone, not answering immediately.

Masaya Sakurai then said seriously, "If you have this idea but don't have a suitable candidate yet, I can provide some suggestions."

Generally speaking, comic artist assistants can be divided into three categories.

The first category is the most common, usually consisting of newcomers who dream of becoming professional cartoonists.

Some are like Eri Aragaki, manga artists who choose to submit directly to the newcomer award. However, unlike Eri Aragaki, they may have good drawing skills, but if the story or style they submit is not good, they will be rejected.

If these people have really good drawing skills, the editor will usually take a look and then recommend them to comic artists who are already able to serialize comics regularly as assistants.

Some of these are students currently studying or have graduated from comic schools. They have a very solid professional foundation and also choose to work as assistants to build connections and gain experience.

In addition to this, there is a second category...

That's a professional cartoonist's assistant, someone who fully understands that they're not cut out to be a cartoonist and can only be an assistant, so they make a living as an assistant for life.

These assistants can even reliably match the styles of different comic artists, focusing on imitation and solid comic skills.

And then there are the third type of part-time assistants, but these assistants are generally very cost-effective, though their skills are extremely poor.

As an editor who has worked in the manga industry for many years, Masaya Sakurai also has the contact information of more than a dozen manga assistants with varying salaries.

Eri Aragaki smiled and said, "No need, Mr. Sakurai."

Sakurai Masaya's side has become quiet.

"Actually, I already asked a few friends to help me."

Sakurai Masaya was silent for a moment, then spoke.

His voice slowed down a bit, and he began in the analytical tone of Eri Aragaki, "Teacher, I want to remind you that the difference between a professional manga artist's assistant and a non-professional manga artist's assistant is huge..."

"For example... applying halftone dots isn't just about being able to apply them, and filling in black isn't just about filling in the black. An assistant needs to be able to imitate the lead artist's style, understand the lead artist's storyboard intentions, and be able to complete the background and details even when the lead artist has only drawn a rough draft."

He said earnestly, "These skills cannot be learned by simply looking at them; they require a long period of professional training."

Eri Aragaki listened quietly until the end.

"It's okay, I think I'm fine the way I am now."

She said gently but calmly, "Besides, several of my friends also have some artistic skills, and the recent draft was completed with their help. Mr. Sakurai shouldn't find any problems, right?"

Sakurai Masaya was silent for two seconds, then chose to respect Aragaki Eri's decision and said, "...Okay."

His tone softened completely. "Since you already have your own plans, I won't say anything more. But if the workload increases in the future, just let me know if you need anything."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Sakurai."

Eri Aragaki hung up the phone and said...

She put her phone on the coffee table and leaned back into the sofa.

Erina had already picked up the magazine that had fallen on her lap, but her eyes were still on her as she asked curiously, "Sister, what did the editor say?"

"It's nothing..."

Eri Aragaki chuckled lightly and said, "The main point is... Attack on Titan made it into the top ten in this week's popularity poll!!"