Cartoonists and their assistants

After drinking a cup of coffee, Eriri finally perked up a bit.

At this moment, the two arrived at the foot of a modern high-rise building at the appointed time, where the English abbreviation of the company behind the magazine was clearly visible on its glass curtain wall.

"Zhenzhi, I feel like I'm dreaming. It's a bit much for us middle school students to volunteer ourselves, isn't it?"

Eriri couldn't help but ask.

Are you only realizing this now?

He thought to himself, but said aloud, "Anyone can come to a place like this as long as they have the original drawing. The important thing is whether the work can be recognized and whether they can officially debut."

"of course!"

The girl suddenly became confident and spoke loudly.

With a 'click', the door opened.

As the two entered the company building, they discovered that the interior layout was quite unique. On one side of the lobby, there were separate small rooms specifically for conversations, while on the other side was the reception desk, responsible for greeting guests.

"Welcome! May I ask how I can help you?"

When the two arrived, the receptionist greeted them with a smile.

"Well, yesterday, um..."

The girl became uneasy after entering, as if influenced by some kind of atmosphere.

Eriri, you're so useless!

Mizuki Machi had no choice but to take over: "We came to submit our manuscript. We scheduled a meeting for 3:30 today. Does the editor have time?"

"Could it be Mr. Mizuki and Ms. Sawamura?"

"We are right."

"She really does look as young as her voice."

After her initial surprise, the receptionist pulled out a form and gave her instructions.

"Please fill in the information here. As for the company name field, just write the school's name."

He filled out the form quickly.

Please wait a moment.

After receiving the form, the receptionist immediately made a phone call using the landline next to her.

"This is the front desk. Mr. Mizuki and Ms. Sawamura have arrived..."

"Hmm, she sounds as young as her voice, probably still a middle school student?"

"Oh, Ms. Minano, are you interested? Okay, I understand."

Eriri noticed the receptionist's sudden surprised expression and was somewhat puzzled.

However, before she could ask, the receptionist instructed them to wait in room number 1 next door.

That's for sure. Even if you recommend yourself, you won't be able to get into the editorial department; you'll only be able to discuss things here.

Place the sealed manuscript paper on the table.

Eriri sat in the chair, her hands unconsciously resting on her knees, her muscles slightly tense.

"Makoto, aren't you nervous?"

She looked at her childhood sweetheart, who was still playing on his phone as if nothing had happened, and couldn't help but question him.

"Relax, you take everything too seriously, that's why you're so easily influenced by external factors."

Mizuki Machi didn't even look up.

"You're the one who's really weird! If nothing matters, what's the point of living!"

The girl retorted.

"Hmm... well said."

Just then, a very soft and cute voice came.

who is it?

The two looked in the direction of the sound.

A petite, green-haired girl, dressed in white pajamas, stood by the doorway, her golden eyes dazzling.

14 are all wild entanglements

"Are you lost, little friend? This is not a place for you."

Eriri immediately made a judgment in her mind that the little girl in front of her might have come with an adult and then gotten separated, so she made a suggestion.

"Go to the receptionist and explain the situation to her..."

"Kimizuki and Sawamura, right?"

The young girl with short green hair didn't answer but asked a question in return.

"How do you know my name?"

Eriri was very puzzled.

"Is that even a question? You idiot, this is the editor, right?"

Gazing at the moon, one truly understands the Dao by looking askance.

"You're saying this kid is an editor?! That's impossible!"

Eriri was initially shocked, then smiled and raised her hand.

"You have a keen eye for observation! That's right, I'm Minamoto Matsumura, the editor of Monthly Shonen Gangan. Nice to meet you~"

Minamoto sat down in front of the two with a blank expression and a flat tone.

Eriri's expression froze instantly.

Is he really an editor? That means he's already an adult!

You can't tell at all!

Is this the legendary legal loli?

"Please give me more advice."

"Ah, please guide me."

After Mizuki Machi responded politely, Eriri quickly followed suit.

"So, before we look at the original manuscript, could you please confirm your ages? In return, I'll also tell you my age; I'm 18 this year."

Minamoto continued.

The two felt that the number was just something said casually, a joke about "I'm forever 18".

After all, it would be too young to join the monthly youth magazine GANGAN as an editor right after graduating from high school.

However, neither of them investigated further.

"12 years old, currently a junior high school student."

Eriri said crisply.

"I'm three months older than Eriri."

Guan Yue Zhenzhi followed suit.

"I see, a middle school student? That's rare. I was still playing eroge at that age... Let's get down to business then."

Minamoto casually dropped a bombshell, then reached for the sealed manuscript paper.

As a result, her arms were too short, and even when she was practically leaning over the table, she still couldn't reach them.

"Ah, I can't reach it."

Mizuki Machi reacted quickly, reaching out to push the manuscript paper over.

"Thank you. You must be Mizuki? You're a good child."

Minamoto praised it, took the original manuscript out of the package, and then examined it intently.

Eriri stared intently at the other person's small face, trying to glean the editor's opinion on the work.

However, Minamoto Matsubara remained expressionless, rendering her efforts futile.

As she awaited the verdict, the pressure on her increased dramatically, and cold sweat poured down her face.

"Clap."

The manuscript fell onto the table, startling the girl, who reflexively trembled.

Minamoto neatly arranged the manuscript paper and then placed it aside.

"There's something I'm concerned about. Mizuki is in charge of the original work, while Sawamura is in charge of the illustrations. Shouldn't their work be completely separate?"

She looked at the two of them and asked.

"How did you know!"

Eriri was quite surprised.

"You have excellent taste, Ms. Minano."

Even those who truly understand the moon will see it differently.

"This kind of thing is easy to spot."

Minamoto was very confident in the conclusion he had drawn.

After all, she has an amazing talent for guessing the author's mental state and confusion just by reading their work, so her suggestions are often spot on.

"Let's start with the story..."

"From these few dozen pages, it's clear that you want to focus on a touching story of friendship and love through the reunion between a human and a ghost, and the regrets left behind by the friends after they've grown up. As for the story structure, I can't see it clearly because there's no outline, but just from the beginning, the description of the atmosphere of their daily interactions is very moving. It's hard to imagine that this is the literary level of a junior high school student..."

Because of her age, Minamoto Matsumura was very surprised.

She can understand stories that are wildly imaginative and full of wild ideas.

After all, people like that appear from time to time, but because they have too many flaws and seem immature, they are basically eliminated.

However, this kind of comic, which focuses on daily life, atmosphere, and emotions, requires a considerable level of literary skill and experience, and every line of dialogue needs to be carefully crafted.

The definition of a good work varies depending on the subject matter.

Sometimes, the simpler the story, the harder it is to craft.

Therefore, Minano Matsubara's final assessment was—

"Even disregarding age, this is a well-written story... However, there is still room for improvement. It would be great if your writing could be more moving."

"Thank you for your feedback, Ms. Minano."

Mizuki Machi said calmly.

There's nothing to be happy about in receiving such praise, after all, it's just standing on the shoulders of others and adding my own insignificant efforts.

When he has the ability to write a great story himself, then he can be proud of it.

But that kind of future will probably never come for him, given his laziness.

After all, having finally found the ability to copy, insisting on taking a detour was undoubtedly a foolish act in his eyes.

Minamoto stared at the boy in front of her, but after failing to discern his true nature from his expression, she looked at another girl.

"Next up is Ms. Sawamura."

"Ah, um."

Eriri immediately sat up straight.

"Similarly, for someone your age, your drawing is already quite good, but you still lack in the development of your style and it lacks distinctiveness. In addition, the handling of the paneling is also rough, and the expressions are not varied enough... In these areas that require time to accumulate experience, you still have a lot of room for improvement."

In comparison, Minamoto Matome had many more criticisms regarding the painting itself.

But every word she said was correct, and the pressure from her status left Eriri speechless. She could only lower her head, grit her teeth, and endure it, uttering weak and pale words.