Cartoonists and their assistants

However, children who are always sheltered will have less room for growth. It's normal to be a little childish when you're young, but if you're still like that when you grow up, you'll be called a 'giant baby'.

If Eriri remains that way forever, even he will eventually reach his breaking point, and they will part ways sooner or later.

After all, now that he's a cartoonist, he has many more options, and becoming a live-in son-in-law is no longer an option.

"Look at you, you've chickened out again so quickly... In the end, it's just a nickname. If it comes to dealing with it, I'm pretty confident."

Kanzuki Masashi's eyes were filled with disdain.

"Really? Does Zhenzhi really have a solution?"

"Of course, I'm not like you."

"I'm just...too kind!"

"Don't make me laugh."

He burst out laughing when he heard the girl's lame excuse.

Eriri's face flushed red as she changed the subject, saying, "I already said I'm very kind. If possible, just have that person apologize in public. I believe that after seeing that person get punished, the others will naturally not dare to talk about it anymore..."

Atmosphere is something that can be easily reversed and changed.

Therefore, she made this judgment.

Mizuki Machi had no objection to this.

In his view, it was just a slightly negative nickname, and he wouldn't have paid any attention to it if it were him.

"Okay, we'll do it your way. I'll play the bad cop, and you'll play the good cop..."

"Stop using ambiguous terms! Explain them."

“Actually, it’s just…”

After discussing and making arrangements with Eriri, the short lunch break was almost over.

The two returned to their respective classrooms.

"Mitsuki-san, have you and Sawamura-san reached a conclusion?"

Sakura Chiyo immediately struck up a conversation with him.

"Well, it's a plan... By the way, you seem to care a lot about Eriri."

He nodded, then asked in confusion.

"Of course! Sawamura-kun used to give me pointers on my drawing skills. Despite being from a prestigious family, she's so friendly. She's such a kind person!"

"..."

"what happened?"

"nothing."

Looking into the other person's innocent eyes, Mizuki Machi decided not to shatter her illusion.

However, it turns out that Eriri's image management at school was quite successful.

No wonder she's the daughter of a diplomat; she definitely has some of that gene in her.

……

After school.

"Sakura-san, I need your help."

Mizuki Machi approached the girl sitting next to him.

"What? Is it related to Sawamura-kun?"

Sakura Chiyo thought to herself.

"That's right, I need you to collect information about the girls in the class and give it to me, such as their personalities, behavior, and who uses that nickname in private..."

"It's possible... but does Mizuki-san really intend to filter people out using this method? That's a bit too much."

"Of course not, this is just the first step. After that, I need you to invite each of the people I've selected out individually, in the name of 'Eriri,' and pay attention to their expressions..."

"I see, I understand! I will try my best to complete the mission."

The girl belatedly assured him.

Mizuki Machi watched her leave, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

First, this nickname is currently only circulating within the class, which suggests that the person who gave it the nickname is most likely a classmate.

Secondly, the fact that he only appeared in the second grade suggests that there was probably no one in his and Eriri's class in the first grade.

Once these two conditions are met, and their performance is observed closely, the answer should be easily obtained.

As it turned out, his method was indeed effective.

Just three days later.

Sakura Chiyo carefully examined each of the girls she had finally chosen. When she got to the girl who would be the literature and art committee member, the girl seemed unusually uneasy and clearly guilty.

After all, Eriri is only a second-year junior high school girl. If she is like that, the others will not be much better off and will find it difficult to remain calm.

The final result is reasonable, and the nickname "Jade Girl" sounds artistic.

If Eriri could redeem herself through self-deprecation, it could even become a positive nickname.

After that, Mizuki Machi personally appeared, his eyes cold and his words sharp, quickly breaking down the other party's defenses.

"I'm sorry. I did this shameful thing because I was jealous of Sawamura's popularity. Being sick is a painful thing, but I used it to make fun of others. I was so despicable... I beg for Sawamura's forgiveness!"

And so, the female classmate who served as the literature and art committee member apologized to Eriri in front of everyone, bowing deeply.

"Hmm... I forgive you. A good child is one who can admit their mistakes and correct them."

Eriri displayed her magnanimity in front of everyone.

"Wow... thank you... thank you, Sawamura-kun."

The girl in front of them couldn't hold back her tears and burst into tears. The students watching all praised the young lady's character.

Thus, the nickname controversy came to an end.

......

The scene then shifts to a completely different style.

"Hmph! I'll let her off this time as long as things don't escalate! But if it happens again, I'll make sure she gets expelled!"

Eriri clenched her fist.

He would only dare to say such harsh words when he's hiding them from others.

Mizuki Machi's eyes held a hint of disdain.

"What are you looking at! You don't believe what I'm saying?"

"What do you think?"

"Well......"

The girl puffed out her cheeks, speechless.

"Hey."

He stared intently at her expression, then shook his head helplessly and sighed.

"What will happen to that idiot without me? Will he have to accept this shameful title and hide in a corner, letting his pearls fall?"

Eriri pouted, then retorted indignantly.

"But I do have true knowledge... We're childhood sweethearts, right!"

Mizuki Machi immediately smiled.

That's a very...

You're showing off in front of me, aren't you?

However, although this statement is still so willful, it doesn't sound bad at all.

67 people I admire

The weather is a bit hot today.

On the playground, under the guidance of their physical education teacher, the students are enthusiastically sweating it out by running.

After a period of time, the team disbanded.

"Sawamura-kun, shall we go back to the classroom together?"

"No need, I want to rest for a while first."

Eriri declined the invitations from others and sat on a bench under a large tree to cool off. Large beads of sweat slid down her fair skin, and she didn't care about her image, wiping them away with her hand.

"Sawamura-kun..."

A sudden call made the girl tremble. She quickly stopped what she was doing, and with a dignified demeanor, she gave a polite but slightly embarrassed smile as she looked in the direction from which the voice came. It turned out to be the girl who had helped her before.

"Sakura-san, is there something you need?"

I finally found an opportunity to strike up a conversation.

Sakura Chiyo thought to herself.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask... why isn't Sawamura-kun coming to the art club anymore?"

They've all debuted as cartoonists, who's going to play house with you kids anymore!

Eriri wanted to say it so arrogantly, but on the surface she still had to find a reason: "I've been feeling a bit distracted while drawing. It's hard to concentrate when there are many people around. In order to pursue higher drawing skills, I've been locking myself in my room to draw after I get home this afternoon..."

"Is it for a higher pursuit? As expected of Sawamura-kun, he is already so amazing but still strives to improve himself. Geniuses are indeed different."

Sakura Chiyo looked on with longing.

Her compliment did not elicit any unusual joy from Eriri.

After all, the girl had heard too many compliments since she was a child, and now, unless it was someone she felt inferior to or who was of similar ability who praised her, nothing could stir her emotions.

"Speaking of which, I haven't thanked you in person yet for what happened before... Thank you, Sakura-san."

Eriri suddenly remembered something.

"No, it's nothing. I just helped out with a small favor. It was all arranged very well by Mizuki-san."

Sakura Chiyo was truly flattered and flustered.

"Anyway, I'll remember this favor. If you need any help from me, feel free to come find me... Well, I'll be going now."

Eriri adopted a bit of the demeanor of a young lady, smiled gently, gestured with her hand, and then left.

"Sawamura-kun, you have such a great presence!"

Sakura Chiyo's eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she smiled, thinking to herself with delight.

Turning her head, Eriri's friendly smile vanished as she secretly approached someone.

"Makoto, why did you choose Sakura-san to do this? By the way, you seemed to have asked me about her before, right?"

"I didn't expect you to find out. That's right! I'm considering Sakura-san as my successor as the next assistant."

The childhood sweetheart's unexpected answer left the girl stunned.

So that's how it is.

"But, Miss Ashisu, it's not like you'll debut anytime soon..."

Eriri asked hesitantly.

After all, not everyone has a helpful assistant like her with genuine knowledge.

It's impossible to debut with drawing skills that are similar to hers.

"That's not necessarily true. Miss Ashisu's progress is surprisingly fast. She must have grasped something... In any case, it's never a bad thing to plan ahead. It will be too late to choose an assistant once Ashisu leaves."

Mizuki Machi shook her finger, denying this claim.

If it's true that Ms. Ashisu, who had no prior experience, couldn't possibly debut within two or three years.

However, if one were to master his "Nine Yin Quick Mastery" martial arts manual, there would be a high possibility of leaping over the professional ladder... Of course, whether the foundation can be solidified afterward is another matter.