Cartoonists and their assistants

"Phew...it's finally starting to look decent."

He looked down at the characters and scenery in his notebook, which were beginning to become clearer, and couldn't help but feel a sense of pleasure.

If hard work always leads to success, then many people would likely be able to persevere and achieve their dreams.

Unfortunately, most of them give up when they encounter a bottleneck.

Especially when encountering a genius in the same field.

"It's going well. I wonder how things are going with Eriri? Should we discuss it with her?"

He stroked his chin with one hand, his eyes deep in thought.

Eriri hadn't talked to him for a while, and the result was predictable.

"Ah~ then I'll wait a bit longer, anyway, I'm not in a rush to debut."

He stretched and then casually closed his notebook.

......

Meanwhile, at the Sawamura family home.

"I wonder how things are going on with Zhenzhi."

Eriri looked at the slightly messy lines on the drawing paper and pursed her lips.

She had been working very hard, even trying to cut back on sleep to master the use of the G-pen and D-pen, but she had to temporarily stop due to someone's report.

She knew she was being a little impatient, but she didn't want to delay the appointment because of her own problems.

"Hopefully I can make it in time."

The girl took a deep breath, her blue eyes shining brightly, becoming even more engrossed in the moment.

This long-lost sense of urgency is also driving her to improve even faster!

7. Jealousy

Time flies, and it's already mid-June. The first semester's final exams are just around the corner.

In the morning, a warm summer breeze gently caressed my cheeks.

The students walked up the slope towards the school.

One of the girls was walking along, reading a novel as she went, completely ignoring the strange looks she was getting.

Suddenly, she caught sight of someone passing by and quickly jogged over to them.

"Good morning, Mizuki-kun~"

Good morning, Takasago.

Guan Yuezhenzhi turned his head and gave a casual reply.

The two walked side by side like this. Since they weren't going to and from school together, but just met at the school gate, they didn't have to worry about being mistaken for each other by their classmates.

Or perhaps the girl simply didn't care about the rumors that might circulate.

"Mitsuki-kun, have you read the new book 'Teasing Master Hasegawa-san' which was just released yesterday? Although it's by a new author, it's very well written. I have high hopes for it."

"No, I haven't been reading novels much lately."

"Oh~ Is it to prepare for that? But you don't need to work so hard. Reading other works can increase your creative ideas and inspiration."

"You just want me to spend money to buy books from your bookstore, right?"

"Hehehe, since we're acquaintances, I can give you a 50 yen discount!"

Takasago Chie gave a rather mercenary smile, and then he made a sarcastic remark.

"As expected of Takasago Bookstore's star female employee, she seizes every opportunity to attract customers."

"Ugh, that kind of statement is so vulgar."

The girl clapped her hands gently.

They chatted all the way to the classroom and then parted ways.

……

After a while, Eriri arrived.

Mizuki Machi observed her condition and frowned slightly.

During his lunch break, he went over to her.

"Eri, final exams are next week, are you ready?"

"Eh? So fast?"

Eriri was shocked upon hearing this news.

During this time, she was completely absorbed in comics and forgot all about studying.

Approaching the exam in this state, the result is predictable.

"Let's cram a bit, at least the results can't be too bad. As for that aspect, there's no need to rush, we're still young."

Mizuki Machi advised him.

"Okay, okay."

He phrased it quite tactfully, and although the girl was stubborn, she still agreed.

After all, someone who is always concerned about his image wouldn't allow himself to be ridiculed by others for having poor grades.

Although, to be honest, the girl's grades were only slightly above average.

"Then I'll tutor you this weekend."

he continued.

Because he has lived two lives, he is still quite accomplished in terms of academic achievements.

When he was in elementary school, he also used the same method to get closer to Eriri.

......

"Mitsuki-kun, it seems your progress is not going very well."

Not long after Mizuki Machi returned to her seat, Takasago Chie came over to chat with her.

"Why do you say that?"

he asked rhetorically.

"Because of Sawamura's condition, he looked tired and weak, clearly indicating that he had overexerted himself."

She raised her finger.

"That guy really knows how to push himself."

He first affirmed, then turned to say, "However, you're observing far too closely."

"Haha... Because we're friends, I'm worried about your situation."

Takasago Chie immediately laughed it off and quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, is Mizuki-san's NAME progressing smoothly? If you need help, I can give you some advice. As a light novel enthusiast who reads dozens of books every month, I have a very sharp eye for stories... Don't worry, it's free."

She gave me a reassuring look.

"No need, I'm quite confident in this regard."

Mizuki Machi raised her hand in refusal.

Takasago Chie didn't ask a second time, but said quite casually, "Then I'll have to look forward to it. I hope to see Mizuki-san and Sawamura-san's works in manga magazines in the future, and to have them sold in my family's bookstore."

"Takasago-san, you seem to care about this even more than I do."

He joked.

"Because I'm really interested! I've never met a manga artist in person before! And with this favor, I can ask Mizuki-san and Sawamura-san to promote my family's bookstore in the future, making Takasago Bookstore a well-known bookstore in Tokyo! See? I have my own dreams too."

She pointed to herself with a proud expression.

"Then let's hope that we can all realize our dreams."

Mizuki Machi then went along with the atmosphere and continued speaking.

The girl's smile deepened.

A few days later.

In the bedroom of Eriri at the Sawamura residence.

The two sat close together around a small table. One of them was carefully explaining a question in a book, while the other looked somewhat confused.

"Math is so hard! Why don't they just cancel it? It's awful!"

Eriri roared with deep resentment.

"It's not that difficult. Just plug in the formula and you can solve it easily."

Guan Yuezhenzhi did not take it to heart.

"hehe."

Eriri let out a cold laugh.

She felt like a mediocre student had been outshone by a top student.

"Alright, don't overthink it. Just remember the parts I emphasized... As long as you do that, you're guaranteed to pass."

"I know."

The girl did not refute it, because this was not the first time such a thing had happened.

She used to be skeptical, but now she is completely convinced.

From morning till night, I spent my time reviewing and doing practice tests.

"Alright, that's about it. You can practice again on your own tomorrow. I'm going back now."

As the sun set, Mizuki Machi got up to leave.

"Wait, Zhenzhi, I have another question!"

Is there anything else you don't understand?

Just as he thought the girl was seeking knowledge, he heard her next, enigmatic statement—

"I heard that Machi and Takasago Chie went to school together on Mondays... I didn't know that. Machi and Takasago are so close?"

Upon hearing this, Mizuki Machi almost burst out laughing.

Goodness, she's jealous!

Seriously, you only brought this up on Saturday because it happened on Monday. You really know how to hold it in.

8. It's time to take another step forward.

He had originally intended to say 'not very familiar', but felt it was a bit inappropriate, so he considered the relationship between the two parties and said it.

"Well, we could call each other friends... We happened to run into each other at the school gate on Monday. Takasago approached me to chat and, incidentally, to promote the novel she liked."

"So that's how it is, my friend."

Eriri drew out her words and repeated them, her tone sounding mocking.

That's all she could say.

Saying something like 'You can't have contact with other women' is clearly not something that can be said just because you're childhood friends.

However, after confirming the reason, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Only she, as his childhood friend, should have the right to go to and from school together!

"Speaking of which, when I was practicing NAME at school, Takasago noticed me. We chatted for a bit, and then she guessed that we were planning to become manga artists."

Speaking of this, Mizuki Machi recalled this incident.