Cartoonists and their assistants

Her attitude became more proper.

Mizuki Machi was somewhat surprised by the black cat's reaction to the name, but then quickly understood.

Because of her poverty, Kuroko didn't follow the major manga magazines. She probably only bought some single volumes of famous manga. Since "Maschera" hasn't been adapted into an anime yet, it naturally hasn't caught her eye.

In fact, their existence was probably only known because of that publicity campaign.

.......

"Well then, teacher, I'll head back now. Please feel free to contact me if anything comes up."

Gokou Ruri bowed respectfully.

She worked in several old bookstores and always acted politely, and now she's putting that into practice.

"Wait, Black Cat, you're from Chiba too, right? We can go back together."

Just as she turned to leave, Kanata Kurusu bid farewell to everyone and caught up with her.

"Tsukimi-sensei..."

Call me Bibi.

Looking at the other person's appearance, which seemed to be about the same age as her, Gokou Ruri quickly accepted the title.

"I see. No wonder Miss Bibi's accent sounded familiar to me. We're both from Chiba."

Thinking about it this way, becoming this teacher's assistant might be a better choice.

But she had already promised Yuriko Tsukishita, so such a thought only flashed through her mind.

"That's great! Let's go, Black Cat, we'll continue our conversation on the way."

Upon encountering a fellow villager, Kurusu Kanata was overjoyed and took her arm.

"that……"

Ruri Gokou felt a little uncomfortable, her expression strained, but she was too embarrassed to pull her hand away and refuse the other person's enthusiasm.

The two chatted for a long time during the journey.

The main focus is still on Yuriko under the moonlight. She inquires about her teacher's preferences, wanting to make a plan in advance to win him over, and he answers all her questions.

Goodbye, black cat. I hope you can seize this hard-won opportunity.

As they stepped out of the station, Kurusu Kanata waved cheerfully, not forgetting to remind them.

"I understand."

After watching the other person leave, Gokou Ruri muttered something to herself.

......

Some time later, Gokou Ruri arrived at an old Japanese-style courtyard.

This is Wugeng's home, a place filled with her life's memories.

However, it's not a comfortable place to live. The space is cramped, and the lighting and sound insulation are poor, but the rent is not low.

Her family had long planned to move away from here, but considering her father's job situation, they had no better options.

"Sister Liuli, you seem to be in a good mood today. Did something happy happen to you?"

A primary school girl with her hair tied in two buns came up to her and asked in a question.

This is the second daughter of the Gokou family, Gokou Hinata.

"I guess it's a good thing that happened to me."

When Gokou Ruri thought about today's invitation, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, and the negative emotions from yesterday's huge loss at the stall had been swept away.

"what is it then?"

"Children shouldn't ask about this, especially since things haven't been settled yet."

"Could it be that you've met someone you like?"

"You... how old are you? You're always spouting such nonsense."

"Let me put it another way, have you made friends with them?"

"Friends? I'd say yes, but mainly because there might be a better job for me... Okay, okay, stop trying to get information out of me, I'm going to make dinner."

After dinner, Gokou Ruri had changed into a simple tracksuit and was in her room.

"I can't calm down..."

She pressed her hand to her chest, her brows furrowing slightly.

"After all, it's just out of her pity. Can I really be a good assistant? Am I really worthy of Yuriko Tsukishita?"

Despite her happiness, the girl's heart began to race with anxiety.

Being a cartoonist's assistant is a professional job, and professional skills are essential. However, after yesterday's experience, she has developed strong doubts about her own abilities.

"No problem! You can do it!"

"It's not like you're going to become a cartoonist overnight. With enough time and guidance from professionals, you can definitely do the job of an assistant!"

Ruri Gokou patted her cheeks and began to hypnotize herself.

Soon, she convinced herself in this way, even going a little overboard, and started looking towards the future.

"I have no right to choose now, only the fate of being chosen."

"But as long as I can debut using Yuriko Tsukishita's abilities..."

"One day in the future, my era will finally arrive!"

“Hehehehe…”

Ruri Gokou stood at the window, looking at the beautiful moonlight on the horizon. Thinking of that scene, she couldn't help but smile foolishly.

in the hall.

The younger sister, who was watching anime, glanced at the bedroom door, sighed, and said, "Sister Liuli, are you daydreaming again?"

87 Plan

“Ah…”

Waking up early in the morning, Mizuki Machi drew back the curtains, squinted her eyes to adjust to the sunlight, and then stretched.

"I think today is the agreed-upon 'internship day'? I was originally planning to go later."

His memories of the incident gradually became clearer.

After the anime convention a few days ago, he and Eriri had a few more days of fun, using up the free time they had earned in the first two weeks of summer vacation. Apart from the promised 'fireworks festival', the remaining days were spent working on the next project.

So he and Eriri discussed it and decided to have their current small group get together again to give the two new assistants comprehensive guidance.

After all, the two newcomers are not yet up to the task.

Fortunately, in his calculations, the two new assistants should be able to make their mark in their next serialized work. With the agreed-upon vacation time, it will be at least six months from now, giving them plenty of time to grow.

Soon after.

Yuriko Tsukishima and her three assistants arrived one after another.

Of course, the last one to arrive was Ms. Kuroko from Chiba.

This time, she finally saw 'Yuriko's' true face.

Dazzling blonde hair, clear blue eyes, porcelain-like skin, exquisite features...

"So, what do you think of her real appearance? She's much cuter than you, isn't she?"

Eriri noticed her gaze and smiled smugly.

"The teacher really looks like a celebrity. Is she mixed race? Oh, I see. Now I understand why the teacher had to pretend. She was afraid of causing a sensation."

While "Gokou Ruri" is a genuine compliment, it also carries a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Well, that's true."

Eriri didn't realize the double-dealing in his words and nodded in agreement.

"Just say what you want to say, there's no need to overthink it. For us, an assistant only needs to meet the job requirements; personality isn't important."

Mizuki Machi, who was listening nearby, kept shaking his head.

"I understand, but as an assistant, I still need to show basic respect to my teacher."

Wu Geng Liuli's expression was righteous.

Even with that promise as a guarantee, she didn't dare to push her luck.

"Wait a minute, so what you just said wasn't what you really meant?"

Eriri realized what was happening and glared at him angrily.

"No, at least when it comes to praise, I'm serious."

Ruri Gokou denies it.

"Humph!"

Eriri snorted in dissatisfaction, recalling what she had said at the anime convention.

"Alright, alright, teachers, you haven't introduced this person to me yet."

Sakura Chiyo clapped her hands and gave a friendly smile.

"Chiba, Gokou Ruri, you can just call me Kuroneko."

"I am Sakura Chiyo, Kuroneko-san. Nice to meet you!"

"Well, please give me some advice."

After the two got to know each other,

The internship period has officially begun.

This time, Eriri also stopped working to guide the two newcomers.

"First, let's talk about blackening. How much of that do you already know?"

"I'm already very skilled at it, and I rarely make mistakes."

"I won't."

She asked similar questions to everyone.

Sakura Chiyo felt she had grasped most of the basics, but she wasn't quite ready for more challenging tasks like background work.

As for Ruri Gokou, just hearing those manga-specific terms gives me a headache.

"Is this guy deliberately humiliating me?"

She looked somewhat embarrassed.

Despite having this intention, Eriri is quite serious about her work because these are things that an assistant must understand.

"Black Cat, don't you even understand these basics? Do you need me to give you some pointers?"

The girl with pigtails had a smile in her eyes.

"need."

"Gokou Ruri said through gritted teeth."

"Very good, then the teacher will give you a proper explanation..."

Eriri nodded in satisfaction, then gave the black cat a detailed description and demonstrated it herself.

It was only then that Ruri Gokou realized that she knew absolutely nothing about manga. She bought some tools and tried to draw manga by herself, but it was definitely not as helpful as being guided by a professional.

"Um......"

"Um......"

"Yes, I understand, teacher. Please continue."

Eriri felt incredibly pleased to see the other person listening attentively.

Humans are born with a desire to educate others, which is the psychology of wanting to become an authority and hoping that others will think they are very capable, thereby gaining a sense of accomplishment and superiority, especially for young girls who care about their image.