Cartoonists and their assistants

20-part series meeting

It was a Friday.

For most people, it was just an ordinary day.

But for Eriri, who aspires to become a manga artist, it was a very important day.

On this day, Monthly Shonen Gangan will hold a temporary serialization meeting to select a new work from more than ten submissions to fill the gap left by the end of Tsukimi Rihan Mai's serialization.

"Makoto, the serialization meeting is in the afternoon, right?"

"should be."

"So, it's going to start in about two hours?"

The girl looked down at her outstretched hands, her fingers twitching slightly.

She eagerly anticipated the final result, hoping it would be worthy of all the hard work she had put in since childhood.

"There's no point in being nervous now; the outcome is already decided anyway."

Kanzuki Machi looked over.

"Hmph! Who's nervous? This is clearly excitement, you idiot!"

Eriri suddenly clenched her hands, raised her azure eyes, and exuded an unprecedented confidence.

"I dreamt about it yesterday, there's no mistake, we'll be serializing it this time!"

Are they even getting into metaphysics now?

He smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Let's just wait patiently for Ms. Minano's good news."

Lunch break is over.

Meanwhile, in the editorial department of the monthly youth magazine GANGAN.

Editor-in-Chief Jiang Kou suddenly pushed open the door, his gaze sweeping across the office.

"Time is up."

Needless to say, the editors spontaneously stood up, followed the others out of the office, and headed towards the conference room.

"Now we begin the temporary serialization meeting for Monthly Shonen Gangan. I, Kuroki, will chair this meeting. There are fifteen candidate works in total, and we will discuss them in the order they were copied..."

The deputy editor-in-chief held the manuscript in both hands.

Editor-in-Chief Eguchi served as an observer and the final decision-maker.

"First up is Sakurako-sensei's 'Crystal Love,' performed by our group's Uchida, featuring Kashii, the female protagonist who transfers to a prestigious high school in Tokyo..."

An editor began to explain the situation to everyone.

All the names had been distributed to all the editors beforehand, and everyone had also provided their own thoughts after reading them. The editors who were in charge of the group attended the meeting after reading these thoughts, and then explained the content to everyone.

"So, what are everyone's opinions on this work?"

Deputy Editor-in-Chief Kuroki looked at everyone and asked.

"It feels like the content is no different from the previous work."

"It's all the same old stuff."

"This teacher's previous work was canceled because it was boring, right? He hasn't learned his lesson this time either."

"His drawing skills have become more refined, but they are still not refined enough to convey a sense of detail to people."

The editors each presented their own views.

"Then let's 'eliminate' it and move on to the next one."

"That's what the editor-in-chief, Eguchi, said coldly and ruthlessly."

The submitted names are divided into two categories: 'included' and 'removed'. Removed works can be revised and discussed again or short test responses can be released. If none of these work, they will be completely discarded.

Therefore, many cartoonists keep a large number of 'rejected' names in their homes, which are proof of repeated failures.

If included, it can become a new serialization. The number of completed works is often determined based on the number of works that meet the serialization requirements. In other words, there will be a fixed "cancellation day". Works with the lowest popularity will be eliminated. Usually, there are three such works.

This usually happens when there are awards for new writers or similar competitions, as everyone submits their work at the same time.

It is rare for an unexpected situation like the one we are in now to require an impromptu meeting.

The serialization meeting continued, and more than two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

School has already let out.

However, today, Mizuki Machi did not leave first, but waited at the door for a while.

"Zhenzhi, let's go."

Eriri finished tidying up her things and walked out with light steps.

The two of them walked home together after school, something they hadn't done in a long time.

On the tram.

"No, I can't get through to Ms. Minano on the phone..."

The girl frowned slightly as she looked at the notification on her phone.

"The meeting probably hasn't ended yet; it'll likely continue until they get off work."

The boy estimated.

"what......"

Eriri tilted her head back, her body limp as she leaned against the chair, looking utterly listless.

So torturous!

They waited until the two arrived at their destination, but still couldn't get through on the phone.

With no other option, the two of them had to wait in a small garden by the roadside.

As dusk fell, the golden sunset bathed the earth in its light.

At that moment, Eriri noticed an incoming call notification on her phone screen.

"finally come!"

The girl instantly perked up, quickly answered the phone, and soon heard a familiar voice...

Just ten minutes ago.

Inside the meeting room of Monthly Shonen Gangan.

"And then there's the last one."

As the deputy editor-in-chief, Kuroki, finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to the petite 'girl'.

Although Minamoto Matsumura appears quite naive, the works she has overseen have consistently ranked highly in the past year or two, demonstrating her exceptional insight. Coupled with her mysterious background, no one dares to underestimate her.

"These are the submissions from two newcomers I'm responsible for, titled 'Anohana'. Since they're newcomers, I used the original manuscript for their submissions. I believe everyone has already seen it; it tells the story of..."

Minamoto Matome first recited the contents of the work verbatim.

"Now, please give your opinions."

Editor-in-Chief Jiang Kou spoke again.

"The original work and the painting are very well matched. For a newcomer, it can be said to be a perfect match."

"It's a simple story, but the original work is very well done. The atmosphere created through the words is very touching. It would be even better if it could be drawn a little better."

"I checked the information, and both the original author and the illustrator are middle school students... Are you sure there's no mistake in the labeling?"

"real or fake!"

"Really? I didn't even notice."

"If that's the case, isn't that a bit too exaggerated!"

The sudden leak of information caused a sensation.

"Um......"

Minamoto nodded slightly.

“This is true genius!”

"It's unbelievable."

"So young...?"

The confirmation of this information instantly boosted the editors' evaluation of the work once again.

"However, being too young, serialization might not necessarily be a good thing, right?"

"The risk is very high. Can a junior high school student keep drawing like this?"

Of course, some people raised objections.

"Incorporate."

Editor Eguchi spoke with an unquestionable voice, and continued.

"Only one work can be serialized this time. Currently, three works have been 'included,' and the next step is to start voting to decide who will win this opportunity..."

After a vote.

Minamoto smiled slightly when he saw the final voting results.

After the meeting, she took out her phone and made a call.

21 We will be the number one comic book artist team in history…!

"That's great!"

A cheer suddenly rang out from the small garden bathed in the setting sun.

Eriri jumped up with joy after learning the good news that the serialization had been approved.

"Oh~ Oh."

Mizuki Machi was also a little excited, but after shouting for a while, she felt a little embarrassed and her voice gradually weakened.

"Cough cough."

After coughing twice, his expression returned to normal.

"It's noisy......"

Anyway, congratulations!

"We'll discuss the specifics when we meet tomorrow. You guys celebrate first."

After delivering the good news in her adorable voice, Minamoto quickly hung up the phone.

The girl took the phone back.

Then, their eyes met.

Mizuki Machi could vaguely see a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

"Truly insightful! Thank you!"

Suddenly, Eriri rushed over and gave him a hug.

The force even made him take a step back.

Are you that excited?

Mizuki Masashi was still a little unaccustomed to it at first.

Even though they've known each other for so many years and are so close they could be called 'childhood sweethearts,' they've never done anything so intimate before.

The seemingly wicked plan to raise a child bride appears to have taken another step forward.

Jie Jie Jie...

Soon, Eriri realized how outrageous her actions were, and her face flushed red. She quickly let go of her hands and took two steps back.

"that......"