Cartoonists and their assistants

Ayase Aragaki murmured to herself.

"It's really good, isn't it? Hehe, you'll see after you watch it. My cousin's debut song was very touching! It made me cry back then."

Looking at the room full of collections, Kirino Kousaka became more animated.

"Ah."

Ayase Aragaki lightly touched her forehead, then spent some time reading it carefully.

Menma...!

"Damn it, why didn't they let Menma stay!"

"This feeling is awful! I can't stop crying..."

The girl held back for a long time from beginning to end, but at the last moment she couldn't hold back and kept wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Having placed herself in Kirino's shoes, she truly felt that excruciating pain.

She absolutely did not want to have to part ways with Kirino one day!

"I lost, Brother Zhenzhi."

"you understood?"

“That’s right, I understand. The blame should be placed on individual people, not the entire industry. There’s nothing wrong with the otaku culture itself; like reality, it has both good and bad aspects.”

Ayase Aragaki seemed to have attained enlightenment; her eyes became clear and pure.

"Ruzi can be taught."

Seeing the girl's tearful face, Mizuki Machi couldn't help but reach out and pat her head to comfort her.

143 This world is too small

When that hand reached out, Ayase Aragaki readily accepted it, instinctively closing her eyes, lowering her head slightly, and blushing.

She couldn't help but think—

I wish I had such an understanding older brother.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing! Cousin, Ayase."

Kirino Kousaka couldn't stand it anymore.

The head pat is a wonderful experience that only she can have in the game!

I never expected that my best friend would be the first to experience it.

"Ahem, sorry, I got a little carried away and didn't notice how you felt, Ayase..."

Mizuki Machi quickly withdrew her hand, a faint fragrance still lingering on her fingertips.

"No...nothing."

Ayase Aragaki didn't pursue the matter further, because she actually enjoyed it a little.

"Anyway, I have to thank Machi-nii for helping me see the real Kirino this time... Kirino?"

"Yeah, thank you so much, Machi-nii. You helped me convince Ayase. I was so scared before, Ayase's appearance was terrifying."

Kirino Kousaka, who was still upset about the interaction between the two earlier, had her attention diverted.

"No, I was just a little emotional."

"Just some? Ayase's eyes just now were like she was treating me like an enemy."

"I just misunderstood, and I won't do it again."

"Then Ayase has to accept my hobby."

.......

The two girls made up and were happy together again.

"By the way, Masashi-kun is really amazing, he actually drew a comic like this..."

Turning back, Ayase Aragaki focused her attention on him.

"I didn't paint the picture; I'm the original artist. Someone else did the painting."

He explained.

"So that's it!"

Ayase Aragaki suddenly realized.

"Since you're here, let's get to know each other..."

He turned around, went outside, and knocked on the studio door.

Eriri and the others had been eavesdropping downstairs for a while, but once they got to the second floor, the three of them couldn't wait that long and went back to work.

"Hello, Ms. Ayase. I am Yuriko from the duo Tsukishita Yuriko. You can call me Eriri-nee."

Eriri's self-introduction was the first thing that made him lose his composure.

This shows they don't want to fall behind in terms of seniority.

Sakura Chiyo and Gokou Ruri also had some strange expressions.

However, Ayase Aragaki and Kirino Kousaka had a preconceived notion, so they naturally treated the group equally, addressing them with a simple "yes"—

"Eri-nee."

"Ah."

Eriri maintained her senior's demeanor, snorted, and looked quite pleased.

As for getting to know the other people, they simply went through the motions of getting to know them.

after a while.

Mizuki Machi arrived at the villa entrance to see the two women off.

"Alright, we've been rambling on for too long, so Kirino and I won't stay any longer... Thanks again for your help, Machi-nii."

"Goodbye, cousin~ Let's discuss things on LINE!"

Two beautiful young models waved and smiled brightly.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel...

Sometimes, using your free time to do some troublesome things can bring a different kind of fun.

And after this incident.

The relationship between Ayase Aragaki and Kirino Kousaka has taken a turn.

In order to get along better with Kirino, Ayase started to explore more otaku culture works, such as the new works of Yuriko Tsukishita. Of course, the more vulgar ones were still unacceptable.

Occasionally, he would receive messages from two people: one to talk about adult games, and the other to inquire about the anime and manga items the other person might like.

......

11 month.

The fifth chapter of "4 Lies" is being serialized on GANGAN.

To Kirino Kousaka's delight, she was finally able to talk about this with her best friend.

"Ayase, I'm going to buy gannan after school today, do you want to come with me?"

"Of course I want to! Now I finally understand why Kirino always says she has something to do around this time of the month. It's because she wants to buy manga magazines."

"I'm sorry for keeping it from Ayase for so long."

"Now that things have come to this, there's no need to apologize... Speaking of which, wasn't Masachika's new work published in this magazine?"

"Yes, one chapter per month, and there are many other comics in it. Maybe you'll like it too, Ayase."

During their lunch break, the two got into a lively conversation.

"Did I hear that right?! Kirino and Ayase are talking about manga!"

Kanako Kurusu, who had been eavesdropping, was startled and came out.

"That's right."

The two of them wore expressions that seemed perfectly natural.

"Eh~ Ayase wasn't like this with these things before! I'm curious, did something happen?"

Kanako Kurusu chuckled and moved closer.

"That's a long story..."

The two explained what had happened.

"Tsukishita Yuriko!? You guys are so lucky to know Tsukishita-sensei!"

The girl exclaimed.

"Kanako, you know?"

"Speaking of which, Kanako's behavior when she mentioned the literary girl was also a bit off. Is there something you're hiding from us?"

Faced with their interrogation.

She had nowhere to escape, so she had no choice but to explain the reason.

"You might not believe it, but my older sister is actually a manga artist too, her name is Tsukimi Rigenmai, and she's very close to Tsukishita Yuriko. She even forced me to finish watching Anohana..."

"Holy crap, your sister is Bibi?"

Kirino Kousaka was shocked and immediately swore.

"Kirino knows my sister?"

"I met you once at a comic convention before... No wonder you look so alike, but your temperaments are so different. Bibi is very gentle."

"Kirino, what do you mean by this?!"

After confirming with each other, the three finally sighed—

Wow, the world is so small!

"That's great! If that's the case, then we can all chat about it without holding back anymore! Perfect timing, let's buy some ganan together today!"

Kirino Kousaka grabbed the two girls' hands and raised them high.

"Don't get me wrong! I only know about it because of my sister; I'm not that interested in those kids' toys..."

"Kanako, don't be a loner at a time like this."

"Okay, okay, I got it."

Under the pressure of Ayase Aragaki's gaze, Kanako Kurusu quickly gave in.

After school, the three of them went to the bookstore together.

"I never imagined that I would come here to buy manga with Kirino and Kanako. This world is truly amazing."

After buying three copies of GANGAN, Ayase Aragaki walked out of the bookstore, feeling a surge of emotion as the image of a certain person came to mind.

It's all because of Brother Zhenzhi!

If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely repay him.

Afterwards, the three girls read through the fifth chapter of "A Lie in April" and discussed it with each other, feeling free and at ease without any constraints.

Yuriko Tsukishita's manga changed their lives.

144 Eriri hears her name again

The fifth episode of "4 Lies" begins with a scene from Kousei Arima's childhood memories, showing his mother putting pressure on him. Faced with everyone's criticism, he firmly believes that he and his mother are on the same side.

The scene returns to the present, where Arima Kousei is escorted into the venue by the three of them to participate in the performance.

"You are the embodiment of freedom."

He thought about what had happened recently, looking at the girl in front of him.

The girl simply smiled.