Cartoonists and their assistants

Ah, I wonder when we'll meet again...

"New Year's party".

Just as Eriri was feeling sentimental, Saho Ashisu suddenly spoke with a firm voice.

To participate in the New Year's party, one must be a serialized manga artist, which means one must win the newcomer award.

"The next time we meet will be at the New Year's party!"

"Hmm, not bad, that's the kind of confidence a cartoonist should have!"

Guan Yuezhenzhi greatly admired it.

"Then I wish you a successful debut in the new year, Ms. Saho!"

Eriri also sent her best wishes.

There aren't any particularly memorable moments from this year or so of companionship, but the companionship itself is the greatest value.

Therefore, they all hoped to part ways amicably.

“Then, sayonara, Eriri, Makoto.”

This time, Ashisu Saho didn't bow when she said goodbye; instead, she simply waved.

That slightly relieved smile remained in their hearts.

"I hope Miss Sahoto has a safe journey; this road is not easy."

"No problem, if it's Ms. Saho."

.......

The next day afterward.

"What's going on with you guys?!"

"Why? Why? Why didn't you call me!"

"Am I not part of the group?"

When Aoi Makina came to visit, she immediately started making a scene, full of resentment.

"Miss Aoi, what are you saying?"

"I see," said Mizuki Machi, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Don't play dumb! It was yesterday's celebration! I've already seen the message Pipi posted! What's the point of celebrating an anime adaptation without anyone from the animation company?"

Aoi Makina slapped her thigh hard and cried out loudly in protest.

"Sorry, it's just that we invited some acquaintances."

He replied.

"Aren't we familiar with each other?"

Aoi Makina was even angrier.

"Were you very familiar with each other before?"

Eriri sat down beside her and asked in return, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Guaaaaaa…”

As if attacked from nowhere, Miss Aoi collapsed onto the sofa, unable to catch her breath for a long time.

"I thought we were already pretty close... Turns out, I was just being presumptuous~"

Her voice suddenly became languid.

"You're not going to pull that trick again, are you?!"

"That's enough! Exploding only requires one energy bar, any more and I'm going to call it a trash game!"

The two men instantly became wary.

"Don't worry~ I've finished all the work~"

Aoi Makina laboriously raised her head and said lazily.

"So fast?"

"I don't know for sure, but creating an animation script isn't that easy!"

The two men were worried that she was just fooling them.

"Who do you think I am!"

Her voice soared to the heavens one moment, then quickly plummeted back down, the whole thing falling apart.

"I'm Aoi Makina~"

116 Script and Volume 3

"Here, see for yourself~"

She pulled a stack of documents from her hoodie; these were the completed animation scripts for "Anohana," containing about two or three episodes.

The two reached out and took it, then sat down together to read it.

An animation script is different from a simple story; it's more like a script that records lines, dialogues, actions, and even down to specific details like character conversations, scene transitions, and time divisions.

From Mizuki Machi's perspective, there are small sketches on the left and instructions on how to best film the animation on the right.

It was too technical; both of them only had a vague understanding of it.

"So, do the two teachers have any opinions?"

After they finished reading, Aoi Makina immediately asked a question.

"No objection."

Both of them shook their heads, choosing to believe in each other's abilities.

"Wow, I didn't expect the two teachers to have such a high opinion of me!"

"I just don't understand it."

"You can just keep those thoughts to yourself!"

Aoi Makina rolled her eyes.

"This is only about two or three chapters' worth of content. Didn't you say you finished it?"

Eriri then began to have doubts.

"Uh, I mean... we've finished this part."

She said awkwardly.

"Miss Aoi, you really are no good."

The girl's eyes now held a deep distrust.

Don't talk about people like that!

She cried out in grievance.

"Go back to work quickly."

At this point, Mizuki Machi also started to shoo people away.

"Just a little longer, then I'll leave!"

Aoi Makina lingered for a while longer before finally leaving the secret base.

......

end of the month.

The final chapter of "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" lived up to expectations and once again won the most popular chapter, which can be regarded as the most beautiful ending to their long serialization.

Then, the third volume of "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" went on sale. Not only was it the final volume, but it also contained one more chapter, or more than forty pages, than the previous two volumes. With more content but no price increase, it was excellent value for money.

One can easily imagine the grand spectacle when it was being sold.

Indeed, that was the case on that day.

It happened to be Sunday, giving students time to snap up comics.

Takasago Bookstore, as a small privately owned bookstore, doesn't have many customers. However, on important days, readers from the surrounding streets gather there, which can easily cause traffic jams.

On that day, when Takasago Tomoe had just opened its store, a long line formed outside.

"Tsk tsk, if we held a book signing event, wouldn't it be even more extravagant than this?"

"If you want to know, why don't you just try it and see?"

"I was just saying, stop picking on me!"

"Isn't it because of you? You always like to talk back to me."

Machi Mizuki and Eriri stood on the other side of the street, surveying the situation outside the bookstore.

"What do we do now? Should we try to sneak in?"

"There's no point in sneaking in. Queuing up to buy your own comics is a bit ridiculous."

"That's true..."

"Then let's come back and check again in a bit."

So the two of them sat in the small garden outside for a while, scrolling through their phones and reading the readers' discussions. Although the story was finished, interesting topics would occasionally emerge, prompting the two of them to discuss them again.

Before we knew it, an hour had passed.

When they returned to the bookstore, the crowd had suddenly thinned out.

After all, you either buy it immediately or you have time to buy it later.

"Mitsuki, Sawamura, you've arrived."

When Takasago Chie saw the two of them, her attitude was clearly different from when she saw ordinary customers; her smile was exceptionally charming.

"Let me tell you, what happened this morning was really exaggerated. Even I rarely see this. It's clearly not selling that well yet... Looks like your fans are of very high quality."

Once no one else was in the bookstore, she enthusiastically described the scene to the two of them.

"I know! We came early this morning, but we didn't expect there to be so many people."

Eriri was also surprised by this.

The two chatted about sales figures and fan base, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

These topics hit the nail on the head for Ms. Yuriko.

"Miss shop assistant, I want the complete set of 'Anohana' manga, nya~"

Just then, a spirited young girl entered the room. Her eyes lit up after glancing at the comic books on the prominent pile of books by the door. She then walked briskly toward the cashier, speaking with a strange verbal tic.

Beside her, Eriri quickly turned her head, pulled down her hat brim, and casually picked up a comic book to read.

Guan Yuezhenzhi instantly understood and followed suit.

"The favor is 1500 yen."

"Give......"

The other person's attention was completely drawn to the comic book in their hand, ignoring the two people standing on the other side of the bookshelf. After paying, they quickly left.

"Was that person from your club?"

"I ask you with certainty," said Mizuki Masashi.

"Hmm...how did you know?"

Eriri looked surprised.

"You're so stupid. We've been in the same class for two years. The only people I don't know are the people from the art department."

"Then you're very smart."

The girl made a sarcastic remark, and then explained.

"She's a first-year student, I think her name is something like Motoki. She asked me for advice before. I didn't expect to see her at the bookstore today. I almost gave myself away!"