Cartoonists and their assistants

Hearing the editor's explanation, Eriri felt great admiration.

Being a comic artist is not a good profession. The success of one work does not mean that every work will be successful. Therefore, many people treat serialized comics as a cash cow and try their best to prolong the serialization until it is canceled.

There's no right or wrong here; adults will naturally weigh their interests.

However, people who can do this are undoubtedly very confident in themselves.

"You guys are even more amazing, getting this far at such a young age."

Minamoto Matsumura's simple words rekindled the girl's confidence.

"That's right! We are the stronger ones! The fact that those people didn't serialize their stories like the others means they're nothing special, so compared to us... they are the challengers."

Eriri clenched her fists tightly, her movements powerful.

Girl, you're too arrogant!

Guan Yuezhen knew this in his heart.

However, this statement is not wrong to some extent; if it were a truly talented comic artist, it would have already been serialized.

In his view, most veteran artists are not as threatening as those who debut through the 'Newcomer Award', unless they are lucky and accumulate experience over time and have a moment of inspiration to create an excellent work.

Minamoto looked at them intently for a moment, said nothing, and took a sip of hot drink, which was a kind of tacit agreement.

The negotiations have come to an end.

19 Dreams are just one step away

"Then, Mizuki, Sawamura, I'll take the manuscript with me."

The editor, carrying the manuscript paper in one hand, drifted away from the two of them.

"Let's go."

Eriri was initially disappointed, but her eyes quickly hardened.

"The next meeting is the serialization meeting in a week."

This is the last barrier to her dream.

Once they pass this hurdle, they will be true cartoonists!

"Makoto, I'm ready to start serializing anytime! What about you?"

The girl turned her head and looked at him intently.

"Don't worry, I'll see this through to the end."

The boy gave her a reassuring smile.

.......

The scene shifts back to the campus.

The excitement from yesterday had barely worn off when Eriri's face fell again.

"What's wrong with you again?"

Faced with her childhood sweetheart's concern, she sighed in a mocking manner.

"Hey, Zhenzhi, why do you think a day is 24 hours long?"

"Because the Earth rotates."

"Then why can't it spin faster?"

"I'll tell you after I become a 'Kami'."

"If only I could open my eyes and time would jump to a week later."

Are you planning to skip over your own life?

The whimsical and somewhat childish dialogue reflects the central idea that Eriri is currently feeling like each day is an eternity.

Yes, the girl's mind is now completely occupied with 'serialization meetings'.

"A week will pass quickly. Take this time to rest well. Your debut is practically guaranteed. You'll be busy from now on."

"I am a wise man," said Guan Yuezhi leisurely.

"So, Makoto, you should start preparing the NAME for episode 2 by now!"

Eriri, on the contrary, used the opportunity to make a fuss.

"If I wanted to, I could finish it in one night."

"The quality is so poor, I can't understand it at all."

"Alright, alright, don't worry, I'll finish it within a week."

"Hehe, once the serialization is approved at the meeting, I can get back to work..."

The girl smiled foolishly, already lost in her own daydreams.

Guan Yuezhenzhi gently shook his head.

How did this guy become so silly and cute?

They're still just kids.

......

"Mitsuki-san, when will you start serializing this?"

During the break, Chie Takasago came to find him.

"Why do you ask?"

he wondered.

"Sawamura-kun seems quite happy, and considering what you've been doing lately, that's why I guessed it."

"Then you're wrong. The fate of the series will be decided at next week's serialization meeting."

"Hey, isn't this close to success?!"

"More or less, if nothing unexpected happens."

Takasago Chie suddenly fell silent for a few seconds, her tone unusually low.

"That's great, Mizuki-san and Sawamura-san. You've found what you want to do at such a young age. It feels like you're so far away from me now."

"I was actually forced to do it by Eriri."

"That's even more impressive. To be able to do this even when you're clearly unwilling, your relationship must be really deep."

Why do I smell a hint of sourness?

His eyes changed as he said, "After all, we're childhood sweethearts."

"Childhood sweethearts."

The girl pursed her lips, not saying anything more.

This relationship is indeed quite deep.

......

"We'll have to work hard again from now on."

That evening, Mizuki Machi returned to her room, sat at her desk, and placed in front of her a sheet of drawing paper that was easier to work with.

He spent five minutes meditating, and the relevant animated images flashed through his mind, rekindling the initial feeling.

In this situation, he can act from the heart, like an angel spreading its wings, freely expressing the story in comic form.

"Maybe I'm actually a genius in my own right now."

He couldn't help but think so.

Rather, living two lives and living twenty years longer than one's peers is itself a special thing.

And so, the boy got into the zone, his hands moving non-stop.

Under the illumination of the incandescent light, the drawing paper gradually filled with content.

Mizuki Machi kept up with the schedule and finished the task ahead of schedule in just five days.

He also told Eriri about this directly.

"Finished so quickly? Zhenzhi, you're not kidding me, are you?"

The girl remained skeptical until she came to his house on Saturday and watched the second episode of NAME, at which point she had to admit defeat.

"Eriri, what's your opinion?"

Mizuki Machi noticed her expression and decided to tease her.

To everyone's surprise, this time the girl didn't criticize him as before, but instead praised him after a moment of silence.

"I must say, Zhenzhi, you do have some talent for drawing; you've already picked it up quite well so quickly..."

This attitude is clearly something's not right!

Mizuki Machi's expression was vaguely solemn.

Could this have caused some kind of agitation?

"Although their talent is a little less than mine."

Eriri added another sentence.

This wasn't a joke; it was serious.

Mizuki Machi, on the contrary, breathed a sigh of relief.

In other words, given his current performance, it's not that bad yet.

Even with the talent of being reborn as a second person, one might not rank highly in this seemingly parallel world.

"Alright, I'll accept the NAME for the second episode."

Eriri happily stuffed the NAME into her small bag.

"Speaking of which, Eriri, if you were to debut, would you really be able to keep up with the update pace?"

He suddenly thought.

"With my current abilities, if I put in a little more effort, I can definitely finish it in a month, which should be enough to keep up with the monthly magazine's update schedule..."

"How about this, if we can really debut successfully, we'll hire an assistant then."

"An assistant? If there's a suitable one, maybe I could give it a try..."

Eriri considered it for a moment, then hesitated.

He didn't say much.

In any case, the girl will eventually realize the limits of her abilities.

People teach people, but they can’t teach.

A lesson is enough, once is enough.

......

During this week, Monthly Shonen Gangan was also busy preparing for this serialization meeting, with the editors submitting their recommended works within the time limit.

Inside the editorial office, the editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief are having a conversation.

"Have all the names been submitted?"

"They're all here, Chief Editor, thirteen copies in total."

"There are more than expected. It looks like a lot of people submitted their work at the last minute."

"It should be. I took a look, and it doesn't seem like anything special."

"Hmph, trying to get away with it, people with that kind of mentality will never become real cartoonists!"

"However, it seems that a newcomer submitted their work this time, and even received a recommendation from Ms. Minano."

"Oh? Let me see!"