Cartoonists and their assistants

"Are all of you this unique? No wonder you're a cartoonist."

Mizuki Machi couldn't help but complain.

The first sentence was alright; Eriri could still manage to say it.

Eriri clearly didn't have the confidence to say the second sentence, because it was something only someone who had been the number one serial in a long time would dare to say.

"How is it, Eriri?"

He still left the choice to the girl.

"I still want to know the results of the popularity poll."

The girl pondered for a moment, then suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp.

She made the same choice as most cartoonists.

"I'll come back when the results are out. I hope Mizuki will be ready for the third episode by then. I don't want to make another trip."

Minamoto's gaze shifted.

"I will try my best."

Guan Yuezhenzhi said somewhat guiltily.

"It doesn't really matter, quality is more important. Just get it to me before the deadline..."

The editor added another sentence.

After finishing official business.

Minamoto Matsumura did not leave, but chose to stay.

"Kanzuki, let's play a game. We happen to have some free time today."

"alright."

Eriri, standing next to her, looked displeased.

She still has work to do!

However, out of consideration for his position as an editor, the girl temporarily suppressed her anger.

Then, Mizuki Machi played games with the editor in the lobby on the first floor for two hours.

The following conversation took place during this time.

"Kanzuki, I want to eat some snacks."

"No, is Ms. Minano a child?"

"You're the ones who are the children."

"Okay, I'll prepare next time you come."

Actually, he was lying. It wasn't that he didn't plan to prepare more, but rather that there were indeed snacks stored in the secret base, which were his and Eriri's reserves.

However, remembering how the editor had tricked him before, he decided to retaliate in kind.

"Well then, I'll take my leave now. I had a lot of fun with Mizuki today. See you later!"

Minamoto waved lightly, then turned and left.

Just then, Eriri came downstairs and watched the two say goodbye.

"Makoto, don't forget, Minano-san isn't a child. Don't be fooled!"

She crossed her arms and gave a meaningful look as she offered her reminder.

"What kind of ideas have you come up with?"

Mizuki Machi's expression was strange.

"Of course I know that Ms. Minano is from a different age group than us. Although Ms. Minano looks cute and has a petite figure similar to Eriri, she is obviously much more mature."

"What follows is completely unnecessary, you idiot."

The young lady immediately became anxious, roaring like a lion.

"So, Eriri, what do you think our popularity ranking will be for the first time?"

He suddenly became serious.

"Nani?"

Eriri was momentarily taken aback by the rapid shift in the topic.

"Um, it should be able to make...the top ten, right?"

"That answer doesn't sound very confident. Didn't Eriri say she was determined to win first place?"

"We're still newcomers, after all... it's normal to start a little behind, right?"

"NO! NO! NO!"

Kanzuki Masashi pronounced each word forcefully three times in a row, while simultaneously shaking his fingers.

"On the contrary, if a newcomer can't take the lead even with such a high level of exposure, then the evaluation of the work will be greatly reduced! That's why there's a saying that most comics only have the chance to be ranked number one in popularity on the very first chapter of their serialization."

"Okay, that seems to be true!"

After being reminded, Eriri realized what was happening.

Most of the new comics I read only leave an impression at the beginning; after that, I don't know where they went.

It can be said that the popularity ranking of the first episode can basically show how much recognition the audience has.

"Therefore, I think our first popularity ranking will be—"

Kanzuki Machi's expression turned serious, and he slowly raised one finger.

"First!?"

Eriri exclaimed in surprise.

She hadn't expected that her childhood sweetheart would be more confident than she was.

He had acted completely indifferent before.

The girl, of course, couldn't understand the source of the boy's confidence, because she couldn't know her childhood sweetheart's past life.

Of course, Mizuki Machi wasn't confident that the manga adaptation "Anohana" created by the two of them would be good enough to surpass all the works in "Monthly Shonen Gangan".

He simply made an accurate assessment of how much victory his side could achieve with such a significant advantage.

One week later.

The editor visited again and confirmed his assessment.

"Congratulations on achieving first place in the first popularity poll for 'Anohana'! You've got a great start!"

Wow! You were right!

Eriri clapped her hands, stood up happily, and looked at someone with an even admiring gaze before cheering.

"Great! We're number one in popularity!"

The two of them achieved what countless people dream of so easily, which made the girl unhappy.

Minamoto remained silent and turned his gaze to him.

"It only barely made it to number one thanks to hype and the boost from the new serialization. There's nothing to be proud of. Many comics have done it. It's only impressive if a comic is number one for a long time."

Kanzuki Masashi timely poured cold water on the situation.

Being number one occasionally, or even only once, is vastly different in value from being number one year after year.

Seeing the still calm young man, the editor nodded almost imperceptibly.

Letters from 30 fans

"I got it."

Eriri sat down as if deflated.

"However, getting first place is already quite an achievement."

To prove his own worth, Minamoto no Matsubara stopped asking the boy to explain things to him.

"Even for a new serialization, only a few can become number one in popularity. After all, the top-ranked works have accumulated a large number of fans, and it is not easy to steal the attention from them for a short time."

"Ms. Minano knows how to talk."

Eriri gave a charming smile.

"That's true, but it won't be so easy afterward."

Shinji Mizuki maintained a cautious perspective.

"So please keep it up. Even if your ranking drops temporarily, don't be discouraged."

Minamoto did not deny this judgment, and took precautions in advance.

Although she hadn't been an editor for many years, her eye for talent was already quite sophisticated, and she had a clear understanding of the level of the two newcomers' debut works.

but......

If a newcomer suddenly experiences a drop in rankings, it's easy for them to lose their composure and end up plummeting from their peak, never to recover.

Especially for such a young cartoonist, who hasn't yet experienced the harsh realities of society.

But when she thought of Guan Yue, who was much more mature than other children her age, she felt much more at ease.

"As comic artists, even if not for ourselves, we will do our best for our readers!"

Eriri said firmly and forcefully.

Having changed her identity, the girl seemed to feel the responsibility on her shoulders, and her thoughts began to mature.

"well said."

Mizuki Machi clapped his hands as if to tease him.

"Mitsuki, is the NAME for episode 3 complete?"

At this point, Minamoto changed the subject.

"Already done."

He took a copy of the manuscript from the table on the other side.

"Hmm...no problem."

The editor scanned all the content and had no objections.

She was most satisfied with the original author, Mizuki. The structure of the content was flawless and quite perfect. Moreover, it was evident from each new name that the author had made progress, which was truly commendable.

With the addition of Sawamura, who had a tacit understanding with her, to make up for her lack of drawing skills, it truly could be described as a 'match made in heaven'.

Even she couldn't help but wonder what the future held for the two of them.

"Oh, by the way, the editorial department has almost finished sorting out the fan letters. Would you like to see them? I'll have someone send them over."

Before leaving, Minamoto suddenly remembered something and turned to ask.

"I want to see!"

Eriri said firmly.

This unique experience gave her a real sense of becoming a cartoonist.

Just one hour later.

A private car stopped in front of the villa, and a person got out of the car and placed a large box in the yard.

At this moment, the duo came out and carried the box into the house.

"I wonder what the fans will say?"

Upon entering the living room, Eriri eagerly opened the box.

The box was large, but it contained only a few dozen envelopes.

After all, not everyone is willing to do such troublesome things, and as newcomers, they are unlikely to have that many die-hard fans.

"This must have been sent by a girl, right?"