Cartoonists and their assistants

That's too much!

Chie Takasago's lips twitched slightly.

"What kind of person is Miss Ashisu?"

She continued chatting.

"Ms. Ashisu has a rather serious and earnest personality..."

"His expression is indifferent, giving off a cool vibe."

Mizuki Machi and Eriri each gave their comments.

"I see......"

Chie Takasago roughly sketched out an image of a cool and aloof beauty in her mind.

......

the other side.

Asuka Saho was deep in thought in her room at home.

Since she had a holiday this week, she thought she would take this opportunity to try writing a complete NAME.

Because I plan to submit this to the Newcomer Award, the content will not be very long.

Creating a high-quality short comic strip of several dozen pages is a huge challenge for her.

Just then, she remembered her teacher's guidance, reread her favorite works, and after going through them in her mind, she gradually found her direction.

"This approach really worked!"

Ashisaki's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but praise him.

"The teacher is really amazing, no wonder he is the youngest cartoonist in history."

Turning her head, she continued to immerse herself in creating the name.

52 single volumes

Sunday.

This was the day I had arranged with Ms. Minano to review the name of episode six.

Now, it's possible to send the NAME directly online, which is much more convenient. Otherwise, given the number of comic artists each editor is responsible for, it would be too troublesome.

However, their editor seemed to be a classicist and insisted on meeting in person.

They certainly wouldn't refuse, after all, it showed the editor's high regard, and it would be easier to communicate in person.

"Yahoo~"

"Mitsuki, I'm here."

As soon as the door opened, the green-haired girl, who was a head shorter than him, made a peace sign and greeted him as usual.

I don't understand its significance; it's probably just a personal quirk.

This time, Mizuki Machi didn't try to imitate anything; she simply opened the door and welcomed him in.

Half an hour later.

"Hmm... no problem, Mizuki's performance is still reassuring."

Mina sat upright on the sofa. After reviewing the draft, she nodded slightly and casually placed the drawing paper on the table.

"That's good."

Mizuki Machi was already used to the editor's attitude.

He initially thought it was a rather reluctant evaluation, but upon further inquiry, he discovered that the editor genuinely had nothing to say, which was a form of recognition for him.

Of course, this doesn't mean he's done a perfect job; it just means the editor thinks he's done his best and any further improvement would be pointless within the existing framework.

After finishing his work, he thought the editor would leave, but she didn't say anything and just glanced at the game console.

"Ms. Minano, are you free right now? If you can, would you like to play a game with me for a while?"

He understood immediately.

"Uh-huh......"

Minamoto nodded slightly.

Mizuki Machi now understood why she insisted on coming to go through the procedures.

So that's how they managed to steal a moment of leisure amidst their busy schedule!

After playing for a while...

"Sawamura, I'm going to the restroom, do you want to come?"

Inside the studio, Chie Takasago spoke to the girls who were watching over each other.

"You go first, I'll finish this problem first."

"Oh."

The girl went downstairs and then saw a 'little child' in the lobby.

"Mitsuki-kun, could this be your younger sister?"

After thinking for a moment, Takasago Chie asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a younger sister. This is my editor with Eriri, Ms. Minano."

Mizuki Machi couldn't help but smile.

"Huh!? Editor? Such a young child?"

The girl's mouth was wide open, forming an "O" shape.

“I’m an adult now, not a child.”

Minamoto turned her head expressionlessly and asked suspiciously, "Are you and Mizuki so close that you're living together?"

"No, no!"

Faced with the interrogation from an adult woman, Chie Takasago blushed and quickly explained.

"Final exams are coming up soon, so I'm here for tutoring... with Sawamura-kun."

"That's it..."

Minamoto responded softly and turned back to continue operating.

After using the restroom, Chie Takasago returned to her studio on the second floor and told Eriri about it.

"Oh, today is the day we're supposed to review the manuscript... but are you playing around again? Is Ms. Minano really that childish?!"

Eriri stood up while complaining, saying she was going to the restroom, but actually she just wanted to go downstairs to check on the situation.

"Does Ms. Minano really enjoy playing games...?"

When she got downstairs, she saw the two of them having a great time, pouted, and stood behind them asking a question.

"It's alright, the main thing is that it's a lot of fun to play with Mizuki."

The editor made no attempt to hide it.

The girl's face turned almost green.

"Oh, right, there are two people here. I also have something important to tell you today..."

However, at this moment, Minamoto Matsumura's sudden topic diverted her attention.

"what's up?"

"The fifth chapter is about to be released, and the first four chapters already have enough pages for a single volume, so it's about time to contact the publisher for printing..."

"A single volume!?"

Eriri blurted out excitedly.

Unlike serialization in comic magazines, a "single volume" refers to a book that reprints the content of the same work after it has been serialized, making it an independent book based on the work.

When you reach this point, it means that your journey as a comic artist has taken another small step forward, at least you haven't had your work canceled shortly after it started serialization.

Furthermore, the number of individual volumes sold is a true reflection of a comic artist's status in the industry.

After all, comics are a commercial product, and only works supported by real money have value.

The more people buy it, the higher its value becomes, and the more attention it receives from various aspects, such as animation adaptations, merchandise, and fan works.

"So when will the release date be decided?"

Mizuki Machi asked on behalf of the excited girl.

"Considering printing and distribution issues, it should be at least the middle to late part of next month, right? We can take this opportunity to promote it on the first page of the sixth issue."

Minamoto gave the answer.

How much does it cost?

He then asked the question that he was more concerned about.

"500 yen."

"Tsk tsk..."

Mizuki Machi's eyes lit up; she dared not even imagine how much money she would receive.

Based on the current content of "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day", there will probably be three volumes of collected works. If we conservatively estimate the number of words per volume, it should be around 30.

In total, the sales volume is approximately 100 million.

This is quite good for a newcomer's first work, considering that the work is not long and does not follow a conventional path.

In addition, if managed well, copyrights can also generate a lot of money.

In other words, he's going to become a self-made millionaire before he even comes of age?

"Sigh, you've already speedrunned it? Life is truly as lonely as snow."

Thinking of this, he suddenly sighed.

Beside him, the girl gave him a strange look.

It's amazing!

Episode 53

As the eldest daughter of the Sawamura family, she certainly doesn't care about money.

However, as an ordinary citizen, Mizuki Machi was still quite concerned.

After all, if you have money, you don't have to worry about many things.

But when he thought about how his current annual royalties weren't enough to buy the villa, he realized that life still had a long way to go.

Indeed, the shortcut in life is still marrying a rich and beautiful woman...

He really doesn't want to work hard!

......

The editor stayed at the editing base for a while longer before finally leaving before lunch.

At the dinner table, the three of them talked about this.

"A standalone volume, huh? You two have finally come this far. I hope it sells well."

Chie Takasago was quite happy to learn about this.

"Then remember to put 'Anohana' in the most prominent position in the bookstore."

Eriri's eyes were pressing.

"of course."

Chie Takasago responded with a smile.

"After all, the more popular Yuriko Tsukishima becomes, the more popular Takasago Bookstore will become in the future."