Cartoonists and their assistants

"Um......"

Eriri pondered for a while.

"Alright, if Sakura-san were to be my assistant, I wouldn't mind... But do you have a way to convince her?"

“A person who loves comics would naturally not refuse this job, especially since she would also get to meet the person she admires.”

"Huh? What did you say? You mean Sakura-san likes you? That's way too narcissistic!"

"What comprehension skills? Her ideal man is obviously you..."

"Eh!?"

"It's just your image at school."

"Oh."

The conversation between the two ended there.

Later, while at school, it seemed to be because of an incident she had experienced.

Sakura Chiyo also began to open up and no longer cared about so-called interpersonal relationships. She often talked to him about manga and novels, or asked about Eriri. It was clear that she wanted to become Eriri's friend.

It must be said that the school version of Eriri does have a certain charm of being an unattainable beauty. She seems elegant, but at the same time, she is very distant.

Unfortunately, unless the girl learns Eriri's true identity, she will definitely not be able to succeed.

......

In late May, the popularity rankings for episode 7 of "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" were released.

"Ah! Eighth place!"

Inside the studio, Eriri sat on a small sofa, sighing.

"Teacher, don't be so discouraged, the ranking will be back in the next episode."

Just then, Shisu Saho poured a glass of water and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Miss Ashisu, I was just thirsty..."

Eriri took the paper cup and drank the purified water in one gulp.

"But it's not that easy. Our story has entered another phase, while the other teachers have just reached their climax... I just hope it doesn't drop to double digits."

This was the girl's last stand.

To this, Ashisu Saho couldn't say anything more.

"By the way, Miss Ashisu, have you changed your name yet?"

Eriri asked.

"No, it's still being revised. I must take the teachers' valuable feedback to heart."

The assistant said very seriously.

That's exactly the kind of drive we need!

Eriri agreed inwardly and promised, "After you've finished revising, come back to us. If you're satisfied, we'll recommend you to Ms. Minano together."

"No... how can we trouble the teacher like this?"

Even the sandstalks on their feet didn't want to cause trouble for others.

“It’s not troublesome at all. Besides, if Ms. Ashisu were to secretly debut behind our backs, it would be a real problem to suddenly lose a capable assistant.”

At that moment, the boy who had received a notification on someone's phone entered the room.

"Of course not! If I have the chance to debut, I will definitely tell the two teachers and I won't cause you any trouble."

Asahi Saho quickly emphasized.

“We don’t believe you unless you do as we say.”

Mizuki Machi and Eriri exchanged a smile and then looked at their assistant.

"...Okay, thank you both for your high regard."

Saho Ashisu felt their kindness and finally nodded her thanks with a sigh of relief.

68. Have you ever watched "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day"?

"Time flies, it's already June."

"At this time last year, I was still busy with my first NAME."

"But summer is still the best. It keeps you warm and cozy, and you get sick much less often..."

"It's because your body is too weak."

“It’s much better now! According to Gasang’s statistics, the number of cases this year has decreased by 30% compared to the same period last year.”

"Isn't that a lot?"

"Hmph, anyway, in another year or two, my body will be almost the same as an ordinary person's, and then you won't be able to laugh at me anymore."

The two happened to meet in the morning, so they went to school together.

They chatted casually during the journey.

The girl was beaming with joy when talking about her improved health.

He could clearly see the joy in her heart.

This sickly debuff had indeed tormented the girl for far too long, to the point that he couldn't even remember how many times he had seen her lying in bed, pale and pitiful.

When they reached a stop along the way, and students from the same school started appearing one after another, the girl changed her demeanor and reverted to being the pampered young lady who attracted everyone's attention.

Greetings, Sawamura-kun.

Even when she meets people she knows, they will greet her in this way.

Then Eriri would return the greeting in kind.

After all, this kind of greeting, which seems to be something only upper-class people in anime would use, is a trend she started herself.

Every time I see a scene like this, I feel like laughing.

You have no idea what this guy is like in private!

Thinking about it this way, he probably understood the charm of the so-called 'contrast'.

Indeed, life is full of places that can be used as inspiration for creation.

......

Another ten days or so passed.

"Sakura-san, what magazines do you usually read?"

"Um... Monthly Girls' Romance?"

Sakura Chiyo held up a book to cover her face, saying the name somewhat shyly.

This time, she said what she hadn't said before.

"I see, so this is the style that Sakura-san likes."

Mizuki Machi nodded as if he had suddenly realized something.

"Eh? Mizuki-san, do you know?"

Sakura Chiyo was very surprised.

This is a hub for shoujo manga!

There was even some excessive content.

"I only know a little bit about it, but I haven't read it. I usually read JUMP, Magazine, Gangan and the like."

He nodded.

He knew about this magazine because its publisher, like GANGAN, was Square Enix.

It's roughly similar to the difference between male-oriented and female-oriented novel websites.

"Phew, that startled me. I thought Mizuki-san had such a girlish heart..."

Sakura Chiyo patted her chest, seemingly making a sarcastic remark.

"By the way, you read GANGAN, Mizuki-kun? I have a few favorite works in it too."

She sensed a connection, and her tone became excited.

Because the difference between the two is not that significant, the girl would occasionally take a look to see if there were any works she liked.

"Oh? Really? Which ones are they?"

He immediately became interested and asked more questions out of curiosity.

"Hmm... Tsukimi-sensei's Warcraft, Kiko-sensei's Frustrated Love, and Tanikawa-sensei's Why Am I Not Popular."

After Sakura Chiyo finished counting on her fingers, she looked up at him.

For some reason, she sensed that Mizuki's mood had changed slightly.

"That's it."

Mizuki Machi was indeed a little disappointed not to hear the name "Anohana," but thinking about it, it was quite normal.

The girl didn't even mention the No. 1 "Adventure World".

You can tell just by looking at their style; they are all works that are more feminine.

It doesn't quite suit Sakura's taste.

"I was hoping to chat with Sakura-san more, but it seems we have quite different tastes. Of the books you mentioned, I've only read Warcraft."

He said regretfully.

"Well... although I don't like many of them, I still looked at other ones after I bought them."

Sakura Chiyo didn't want to end the conversation.

Finding someone in real life with whom you can chat about your hobbies is a matter of luck.

"Really? Have you seen 'Anohana'?"

All that buildup was for this one sentence.

"Of course I've seen it! When Yuriko Tsukishita debuted, she caused quite a stir! The youngest manga genius in history, that sounds amazing, right?"

"really."

"But Yuriko Tsukishita is amazing, but 'Anohana'... I don't like such sad stories."

Sakura Chiyo spoke the truth.

"That's a pity. In my opinion, only the joy that comes after sadness and tears is truly real."

“What Mizuki-kun said makes a lot of sense... I’m thinking I should watch it all.”

"It was just a casual remark, you don't have to take it seriously. Everyone has their own preferences, you don't have to force yourself."

"I still want to see. Actually, I quite like the art style, but after watching the first episode, I didn't dare to continue..."

"Okay, tell me your thoughts later."

Mizuki Machi smiled slightly and said nothing more.

......

"I might as well just buy a single volume... and then read the magazine to catch up on the rest."

Sakura Chiyo has made up her mind.

So after the club activities ended that day, I took the train to a bookstore I frequented – Takasago Bookstore.

Previously, the story of Takasago Chie promoting her family's bookstore in her class had also spread to other classes.

Since her home was just one stop before the corresponding line, she remembered it.

She had initially intended to be friends with the other person, but due to shyness, she didn't dare to speak up and ended up being just an ordinary customer.

"Welcome, sir... Oh, so this guest is also a student at Shimamura Junior High School?"