Cartoonists and their assistants

"Kanzuki, what are your thoughts?"

The squad leader looked over.

"I suggest a coffee shop, but it has to be a maid cafe."

"It is Mizuki Machi who spoke."

"Maid? You're just doing this to satisfy your impure desires?"

"Whether it's impurity or people's true thoughts, a vote will tell."

"Alright, let's vote! Raise your hand if you want to open a maid cafe."

The squad leader shouted.

Then, most of the boys below raised their hands, and even some girls joined in.

"You traitors!"

The squad leader said angrily.

"I really want to try on a maid outfit."

"Since it's a cultural festival, doing this kind of thing is quite normal, isn't it?"

"If that's the case, will we be able to see Sawamura-san in her maid outfit?"

The girls below each had their own thoughts.

Then, someone else raised their hand and said.

“I recommend a stage play, ‘Sleeping Beauty in the Forest,’ with Sawamura and Mizuki playing the male and female leads.”

Where did this CP (couple pairing) fan come from?

Everyone looked around but couldn't find the person who had spoken; it seemed they were intentionally hiding their identity.

Sitting in her seat, the embarrassed Sakura Chiyo silently lowered her head.

Sawamura-kun, I'm sorry, this is all I can do for you!

Who is it?!

Eriri was startled when she suddenly heard that sound.

She was completely unprepared.

However, being able to act in a play with Machi sounds quite interesting.

But if it's Sleeping Beauty, wouldn't she eventually have to...?

Thinking about this, the girl felt her cheeks burning.

"vote."

The squad leader said directly.

Many people voted for this, even slightly more than the maid cafe.

Clearly, there are quite a few people secretly shipping this childhood sweetheart couple.

Moreover, in the eyes of others, the two, who frequently went to and from school and ate lunch together, did indeed look like a couple, so everyone wanted to go with the flow and play matchmaker.

"I want to form a girls' band!"

Some people offered different ideas, but the number of votes was significantly lower.

"Currently, the votes for maid cafes, plays, and opening shops are quite close. We'll vote again, but this time, each person can only vote once!"

After some deliberation, the class monitor decided to determine the winner in the fairest way possible.

This time, the votes were almost unanimous.

Stage play.

........

During lunch break.

"Damn it, who said this play was going to be staged?! They actually want me to play Sleeping Beauty?! Isn't that a joke?"

Eriri complained in his ear.

"It's just that we're submitting an application for a stage play, but the script hasn't been finalized yet, and the actors might not agree to participate."

Mizuki Machi raised his head and said meaningfully.

"You're right...who has the time to act in a play? Rehearsals take a lot of time, but I still have work to do. I can't let my fans down."

The girl gritted her teeth and finally resisted the temptation.

"I don't want to do such a troublesome thing."

He said it in a flat tone.

The final episode of "Anohana" is indeed far more important for the future of the duo.

Therefore, although the girl was unwilling, these were indeed not words spoken against her will.

She already felt a sense of responsibility as a professional cartoonist.

"So... it's best to just decline the offer over there."

"Ah."

The two quickly moved on from the matter with a few words.

Afterwards, news spread that the two had both refused to appear in the film.

"how so!"

Sakura Chiyo, like everyone else, couldn't accept it at first.

However, she also knew about their other identities, so she wasn't surprised.

To ensure the quality of the final episode, there's really no way to be distracted by anything else.

"What a pity, Sawamura-kun, to miss such an opportunity."

She sighed inwardly and was about to return to the classroom when she turned around and bumped into Eriri.

"Sakura, come to the secret base again this weekend."

"Yes."

She lowered her head guiltily in response.

.......

Weekend, secret hideout, in the studio.

"Teacher, is it almost finished?"

"I ask you with a melancholy tone," said Shizusa.

Because she understood that when the work was over, it would be the time for her to end her assistantship and say goodbye to the teachers.

"I'm not entirely satisfied and I'm going to redraw part of it."

Eriri gently shook her head.

Since this is the final episode, we must strive for perfection.

Leave behind the most perfect ending that she is capable of now.

"Teacher, is there still time? There are only ten days left until the deadline."

Sakura Chiyo asked worriedly.

"There's still time. It's just a matter of redrawing. I'm confident."

Eriri said without hesitation.

Seeing that she had made up her mind, the two assistants shut their mouths.

Because an assistant only needs to do their job; doing anything extra will only make things awkward.

Mizuki Machi was the last to find out about this.

However, his attitude toward this was also very simple.

"The story is already there. How memorable it is depends on how well you can do it... So, good luck, Eriri."

"I think this is the first time I've ever seen you act like this."

Eriri looked at her strangely.

"This is an encouragement to the brave."

He smiled.

"This is not the act of a hero, but the act of a sage!"

The girl immediately retorted.

“A story can be sloppy in many places, but the beginning and the end, which are the most memorable parts, cannot be sloppy. This is the best time to restore people’s impression of my Yuriko’s painting skills.”

Character designs for 103 anime confirmed

"You've made a good decision this time."

"Looking at the moon with new eyes, I truly understand."

Human memory is limited, and it is indeed easy to overlook unimportant memories.

Therefore, many works, even with various flaws, can make people overlook previous dissatisfaction as long as the explosive points are memorable enough.

"Needless to say? Now you know how professional I am, right?"

Eriri held her head high and said proudly.

"Ah."

He chuckled and changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, tomorrow is the cultural festival, right?"

"correct."

"What should Miss Aoi do?"

"What else can we do but tell her..."

"To tell you the truth? If that's the case, Miss Aoi certainly won't miss it."

"If that troublemaker comes to school, it will definitely be a bit of a problem."

The girl rubbed her temples.

"Let's just leave it at that."

"That guy probably won't go looking for trouble."

After considering it for a while, the two decided to tell each other the truth.

They then contacted Aoi Makina by phone, and as expected, she wanted to participate in the cultural festival. After she promised not to disclose the information, they gave her the address of her school.

......

The cultural festival at Shimamura Junior High School has officially begun.

As the school gates opened, people from outside the school flocked in, and the first thing they saw was a row of stalls, all made by the students themselves.

Then, upon entering the teaching building, they saw various activities offered by different classes and clubs. The most popular options were opening shops, haunted houses, and coffee shops. In addition, there were some less common activities such as insect exhibitions, fortune telling, and art exhibitions.

At this moment, Mizuki Machi was sitting alone at the classroom door, serving as the face of the class.

His job was to be a counselor; if a child got lost or wanted to know about the activities in each class, they could come to him.

However, under normal circumstances, no one pays attention to it, so it's considered a relatively easy job.

As for Eriri, being a popular figure at the school, she couldn't just coast along like everyone else, so she was pulled into the art club and made a portrait painting job as a star to attract attention, just like everyone else.

"Dad, I want to go to the haunted house!"

"Lili, let's go to Class A to see the play."