Cartoonists and their assistants

"Well, where should we begin? Ah, right, let's start with the exterior design..."

Then, Kanata Kurusu multitasked, operating the device while simultaneously narrating the story.

"Been taught a lesson."

After listening to the entire presentation, Mizuki Machi felt that her understanding had deepened slightly.

Just then, the people in the studio came downstairs for their break.

"Zhenzhi, you and Bibi are having a lot of fun."

Eriri's eyes held a dangerous glint.

"Indeed, Bibi's skills are much better than yours, making teamwork much easier."

He continued.

The girl's face immediately turned red with embarrassment and anger.

“How cute.”

He could see the other side of the road clearly, his eyes filled with interest.

"Does Miss Bibi play games too?"

Although Asashi Saho changed her title, she did not forget to use honorifics.

"of course."

Seeing through her personality and inner resentment, Kanata Kurusu smiled and pointed at her.

"A cartoonist who can't play games isn't a good cartoonist."

48 comic artists are all free.

The assistant is very serious and meticulous, which can be seen from her usual behavior. In addition to using a lot of polite language, she is usually very meticulous in her actions.

Such a personality is certainly not a bad thing, especially for them, a responsible assistant is indeed trustworthy.

However, this may not be a good thing for the person who wants to become a cartoonist.

Judging from her personality, one can easily deduce her upbringing. She was probably the kind of literary girl who was like a high-and-mighty flower in school, isolated from a young age because of jealousy from her classmates, or perhaps she had few friends because of her personality...

As for why he wanted to become a comic artist?

It must be because he had no friends, so he could only immerse himself in the world of 'literature,' extending from novels to comics...

Until one day, I encountered a comic that moved me deeply, or a comic I liked was canceled, and that's when I decided on my life's dream.

Of course, this is just a guess, and it could simply be because drawing comics makes money, such a simple reason.

In fact, it was pretty much as he had predicted.

Although Saho Ashisu had a foundation in drawing, she only came into contact with manga through light novels in high school. Apart from that, she only had a basic understanding of most ACG things, and as for galgames, they were completely beyond her tolerance.

However, this situation has resulted in the assistant's current 'narrow vision' and her own repressed personality. Therefore, the combination of these two factors makes it even more difficult to become a manga artist.

Because what cartoonists really want is 'freedom'!

"I see......"

Upon hearing this, Ashisu Saho showed a thoughtful expression, as if she had grasped something.

"Good that you understand."

Kanata Kurusu nodded in satisfaction.

Although he may seem a bit old-fashioned, he is quite clever.

In that case, she doesn't need to say anything more.

Some things are better understood through personal experience.

"Well then, I'll go prepare lunch now."

Ashisaki bowed slightly, preparing to leave.

"Wait a minute, Miss Ashisu, please prepare an extra set of bowls and chopsticks today."

Just then, Mizuki Machi spoke up to remind him.

"I understand."

The assistant nodded slightly and went into the kitchen.

"I didn't expect that Zusu would also work as a cook."

Kanata Kurusu was initially surprised, then asked, "By the way, are you two teachers planning to invite me to lunch?"

"Of course, doesn't Bibi want to?"

"I'd be happy to."

After accepting the invitation, she chatted with Eriri about painting techniques.

In the manga, Eriri is still too young as a middle school student. Her skills and understanding are far from reaching their peak. On the other hand, Kanata Kurusu has already completed her debut work and has undergone a qualitative transformation in these aspects. Moreover, she is a genuine genius who successfully debuted while still in university.

Therefore, after this conversation, the girl's previously accumulated confidence was completely shattered.

"Wow, the difference is huge..."

Eriri felt a sense of relief despite her heavy heart.

It was only then that she clearly realized just how much help her childhood sweetheart had given her.

The decision we made back then was definitely the right one.

The thought flashed through my mind once again.

......

After lunch, Kanata Kurusu said goodbye to the three of them.

"Alright, today's visit is successfully completed. I won't bother you any longer... If you two teachers have time, you can also come and visit Bibi's home~ Of course, it's not as spacious as here, but there's still room for people to move around."

She said with a smile.

"I'll go if I have time."

Mizuki Machi's attitude seemed perfunctory.

"Thank you, Pipi."

Eriri expressed her sincere gratitude.

Today's exchange was very rewarding for the girl, and her mind became clearer.

Despite receiving so many compliments at the company's annual meeting, she was merely a byproduct. To truly live up to the praise, her drawing skills are still not good enough!

"Thank you."

Even the sandstalks on the feet could express their feelings simply with just two words.

"Bye-bye~ I'll come visit often when I have time, hope you'll enjoy it!"

In the blink of an eye, Kurusu Kanata's lively figure disappeared from the doorway.

"Alright, Ms. Ashisu, let's get back to work!"

Feeling that she had gained more experience, the girl couldn't wait to start painting, so she immediately turned around and went upstairs.

"Ah."

The sand tassels followed closely behind.

Standing still, Mizuki Machi scratched his head, glanced at the game console, and then went to the 'library' on the second floor.

At this moment, his desire to read also seemed very strong.

......

back to school.

"Mitsuki-kun, the fourth episode is about to be released. Are you confident?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Why do you even ask..."

Chie Takasago was equally straightforward, expressing her thoughts directly.

"That's because of the drop in popularity rankings! 'Anohana' has been declining in popularity for two consecutive months. Don't you and Sawamura feel any sense of urgency? This is a dangerous sign."

As she spoke, her eyes turned cold.

"Don't panic, it's just a tactical adjustment."

Mizuki Machi said lazily.

"Is that really the case? Well, from the perspective of the plot, there are indeed no major problems."

Takasago Chie was dubious.

"Takasago, as you know, it's not that we're not competitive, but our opponents are too strong. In situations like last month, it's normal to fall behind. We're just back to our normal ranking now."

"Oh... so our genius classmate is aware of this problem. It seems my worries were unnecessary."

"Are you worried about me?"

"W-Why...can't I?"

The girl's voice trembled slightly at the question.

"Aren't we friends? I'm still waiting for your publicity. If it falls apart halfway through, I'll be very hurt."

"What a shrewd calculation! No wonder she's the star female clerk at Takasago Bookstore."

......

2 month 12 day.

To Chie Takasago's displeasure, this day was not a weekend.

In other words, she could only see the latest issue of Monthly Shonen Gangan after school in the afternoon when she went to the bookstore.

The main reason was that she had previously sounded out Sawamura-kun, who said that he performed well in the fourth episode and could turn the tide, which immediately piqued the interest of this reading fanatic.

"This is the first time I've ever wanted school to end so soon..."

She lay slumped on the table, her soft hair spread out, looking completely listless.

"Thump..."

It wasn't until the school bell rang that the girl regained her energy, grabbed her schoolbag, and ran off immediately.

"Let's go!"

Episode 49

Back at the bookstore, Takasago Chie did not open for business immediately, but instead slipped inside with the roller shutter half-closed.

Several hundred copies of the latest issue of "Monthly Shonen Gangan" have already been placed on the ground.

Although she wasn't there in the morning, her dad still made sure to bring in the goods every day.

She quickly picked up a book and sat down behind the cashier to start reading.

The story begins with a flashback, as is customary, but this time the focus shifts to Hisakawa Railway.

He recalled how he was disliked as a child, and it was Jinta who helped him out of his predicament. That's why he always regarded Jinta as his boss, and that's why he was so enthusiastic about bringing everyone together.

The scene returns to the present.

When Jinta Yadomi received the invitation to the search for Menma, he was still hesitant.

After all, he still harbored resentment towards others.

Just then, Menma spoke up, once again using 'wish' as ​​her reason.

He couldn't resist and agreed.

He was the first to gather, followed by Hisakawa Tetsudo, Anjou Naruko, and Tsurumi Chiriko.

While the four were chatting happily, Matsuyuki Atsushi finally arrived late, carrying the ingredients everyone needed, and then used a single sentence to lure Hisakawa Tetsudo and Menma away.