Cartoonists and their assistants

"Yes, there are, but they're probably not your type..."

"Really? I was planning to add more to my collection, but it looks like I'll have to find treasures in the trash."

The two strolled under the night sky until they reached the fork in the road at the bottom of Detective Hill.

"Okay, let's talk again tomorrow~"

"See you tomorrow."

.......

Comic Market, the largest doujinshi (fan-made comics) market in Japan and even the world, is called Comic for short. It is held twice a year, in winter and summer, at Tokyo Big Sight. One event takes place from the second Friday to Sunday of August each year, and the other takes place for two or three days between December 28th and 31st.

This place is considered a holy site by otaku culture enthusiasts, and Mizuki Machi and Eriri had long admired it before.

However, considering their age, the two only participated once last year, and missed this year's Summer Comic because they were drawing comics.

So, Eriri is very happy today.

"Ah, it feels like a long time ago."

Stepping out of the station, she spread her arms wide, completely unrestrained, despite her disguise.

"There are still so many people, like a swarm of ants gathered together."

When she arrived outside the venue and saw the sea of ​​people, the girl's mood instantly plummeted.

"It's much better than in the summer. There are so many people and it's so hot. It's a real ordeal."

Kanzuki Machi walked past.

"Well, that's true."

Eriri nodded, agreeing with this viewpoint.

Fortunately, they had learned from their previous experience and got up early today, so they didn't have to queue outside for long before they were able to enter the venue.

First is the East Hall, which is a personal sales area with a huge number of stalls, each only a few tens of centimeters long. These stalls sell all kinds of unique products, including doujinshi and other merchandise.

"I really miss it."

Eriri looked at the scene inside and couldn't help but sigh.

Just a year ago, she was one of them.

However, she did not experience it herself, but asked someone to sell it on her behalf.

Teachers who create illustrations for books often choose this method.

As for now, she has changed.

She successfully shed her identity as an 'amateur comic enthusiast' and rose to the level of a 'professional comic artist'.

All of this stemmed from her hard work and perseverance, as well as the gradual help from her childhood sweetheart.

"The East is still so popular, it's amazing."

As Mizuki Machi walked past the stall, his gaze swept over everything.

"An old thing that never goes out of style."

Eriri followed from the side and offered a similarly sharp comment.

The two started shopping, stopping to look at any items that interested them.

Unfortunately, due to the low barrier to entry, finding high-quality works is not an easy task.

So after going around in circles, very few doujinshi were actually acquired by the two of them.

"What's wrong? You seem unhappy?"

Mizuki Machi turned her head and noticed the girl's disappointed look, and asked her a question knowing the answer already.

"Not at all... I thought there would at least be some."

Eriri was deeply hurt.

"As I said, time is too tight; both topic selection and printing take time."

"Stop trying to comfort me! It's not like I can't accept it!"

"Perhaps once it's animated, its popularity will increase significantly, and then you'll be able to see the scenes you want to see."

"Then there will be a ton of 'Anohana' doujinshi here..."

Thinking about it this way, the girl felt a strange little excitement deep inside as she created the painting.

Afterwards, the two moved to the company's exhibition area in the West Hall.

Just as he said, there were no surprises, so the two of them just browsed around and bought some mediocre DVDs.

"The harvest was pretty good."

As she walked out of the venue, Mizuki Machi lifted her heavy tote bag.

"It's actually not bad."

Eriri nodded in agreement.

Overall, she was still very happy today, after all, it was a long-awaited visit to the holy site.

It's perfectly reasonable that the expected scene didn't appear.

However, she was not discouraged.

Fan fiction is a barometer of a work's popularity!

She believes that once "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" gains popularity, the scene she's been waiting for will eventually appear before her.

"Ding......"

Just then, the phone rang.

Eriri picked up her phone and answered the call.

"Hey, Ms. Minano..."

"Have the popularity rankings for episode 2 dropped?"

You said we're... in 5th place?

The girl's expression immediately darkened.

39 Pick yourself up and start again

Life cannot always be smooth sailing.

This time, Eriri experienced her first setback after gaining momentum.

For a moment, she still couldn't accept it.

I had clearly prepared myself mentally beforehand...

But when she saw the result, the girl's mood still plummeted.

Just then, she heard a surprised voice beside her, interrupting her emo mood.

"Huh? It's better than I expected."

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

Eriri asked a question.

"My initial expectation was around eighth place..."

Mizuki Machi placed his hands behind his head, leaning back in his chair, looking quite relaxed.

"Don't underestimate our efforts!"

"You see, that's just the style of our works. They're all very everyday stories that require emotional build-up, often lacking enough explosive moments. This puts us at a disadvantage in the rankings, unless we've already accumulated a lot of loyal fans..."

Hearing her childhood sweetheart's reasoned and well-founded analysis, she felt much better.

"So what should we do next? Adjust our approach?"

"There's absolutely no need for that. Randomly changing the story's pacing might backfire. We just need to maintain a stable performance. The so-called popularity ranking isn't that important. As long as we don't slip to the bottom, isn't that enough?"

"Is this the ambition of true knowledge? As of now, I'm still just a salted fish."

Eriri narrowed her eyes.

"However, since you are the original author... I'll reluctantly listen to you."

She turned her head to the side and looked away.

The girl was quite proud, especially since her journey to realize her dream had been relatively smooth, putting her at the peak of her life. So even this small setback was a significant blow to her. However, with the guidance of her childhood friend and through repeated self-management, she eventually accepted the situation.

After all, this is only their debut work, so it's normal for it to have flaws.

Mizuki Machi's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the girl's fair face illuminated by the soft sunlight.

Although he hadn't managed the details well, the current situation was still within his expectations.

From the beginning, he judged the limits of their current abilities, which is why he chose "Anohana" as their debut work. This was not only to accumulate experience, but also to let Eriri feel that a career is not an easy thing in every aspect, and that just having a "dream" is not enough to make people persevere.

He didn't want to see a girl suddenly have a brain fart and say she wanted to quit the comic book industry.

After all, he has put so much effort into this. If he gives up halfway, wouldn't that make him a laughing stock?

So, let's get our spirits up and set off again.

Whether it's him or Eriri.

......

However, what he didn't expect was that Eriri could adjust her emotions very quickly.

"Let's go, let's go! The CDs will sell out if we don't line up now!"

"Zhenzhi, what do you think of this book? I feel like I should add it to my collection."

"Hmph, when we get back, we'll play this latest fighting game, and I'm going to beat you up!"

The next day, on their way to the COMIC venue, they were chatting and laughing all the way.

'He's still just a kid.'

Mizuki Masashi thought to himself.

"Hey, Zhenzhi."

Eriri tugged at his sleeve, her eyes filled with melancholy as she looked at the notebook stall.

"what happened?"

"You know... if I continue down that path, will I one day be discovered and end up on the same road?"

"Oysters, oysters~"

"Get serious!"

"Heh, if it really works, it would take at least ten years, but by then you might not be willing to debut."

He ruthlessly shattered the girl's fantasies.

It's true that some talented amateur manga artists can be discovered at Comic Market, such as Fumi Saimon, who created "Tokyo Love Story," and Rumiko Takahashi, who created "Inuyasha." But such people are extremely rare, and there's a huge gap between amateurs and professionals.

"Hmph... Really! Really! They really look down on people!"

Eriri was annoyed, emphasizing it through gritted teeth, but she could also imagine that kind of development.

Once you become a top-tier artist in the adult entertainment industry, your mindset will inevitably be different when you pursue a professional career.

The more you grow, the harder it becomes to act recklessly.

......

Three days later, the new year will arrive.

Celebrations have begun across the country.

On New Year's Eve, the Guanyue family also gathered together for a reunion dinner.

"Here you go, this is Zhenzhi's New Year's money."

"I hope your dreams and your friends' dreams come true!"