A reversal of fortune and victory in a world hated by all girls!

She rarely expressed her gratitude in front of so many people, and Ayano raised an eyebrow slightly.

"If there's nothing else, we should head back now. The fireworks have been over for almost twenty minutes. If we go back now, we can still catch the last bus."

Natsuki Aoi smiled and extended her hand to her.

Mito Takahashi's right hand trembled slightly as she looked at the man's hands. After a while, she slowly raised her hand.

The moment she placed her fingertips on the other person's palm, she felt as if she had been electrocuted, and goosebumps rose all over her body.

This...this is a man's hand...

She had only ever touched her father's hands since she was a child, and Aoi's hands were also very large.

Aoi grabbed her hand and pulled her up. Takahashi Mito could also feel the calloused parts of his palms, which were hard and somewhat rough.

And it's also exceptionally warm.

－－－－－－－－

P.S.: That's all for today's update. Goodnight everyone!

Chapter 6, Section 4: A Heart-to-Heart Talk with Ayano

After chatting for a while, Aoi Natsuki suddenly realized that one person was missing from the group: Sakurajima Anne was nowhere to be seen.

He looked around, but couldn't find her anywhere.

Have you seen Sakurajima? She seems to have disappeared.

"Really? I haven't seen her in a while."

“I have her phone number, I’ll call and ask,” Hayakawa said, then dialed Sakurajima’s number. A few seconds later, the call was answered, and the two chatted for a while, which eased the anxiety of the people around them.

"You're alright, right...?"

"Eh... Sakurajima said she had something to do and left early without saying goodbye to us. She also asked me to apologize to everyone."

What's the rush?

But never mind, it's good that everyone's alright.

The group went home, and Aoi Natsuki led Rina onto a bus to head home.

On the bus, there were only a few people in the carriage. Only one woman gave him a disgruntled look, but he could completely ignore it, having developed a strong heart during his time on campus.

The journey home took about an hour. Rina went from being excited to calming down, and her body began to feel tired. She lay on Natsuki's lap, holding his right thumb with both hands, and slowly fell asleep.

Aoi Natsuki looked at her, carefully took out a tissue from her pocket, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and used her little finger to pull out a few strands of hair that Rina had put in her mouth.

Ok……

He then placed his hand on Lina's back, looked out the window, and began to think about something.

With Sakurajima Anne's sudden disappearance and her previous strange behavior, is she actually a goddess?

Their tone and words are sometimes exactly the same.

Perhaps he could directly point out that she was the Goddess Maiden, and then he would win the game?

However, you only get one chance, and perhaps this is just a trap...

Aoi Natsuki hesitated, the image of Sakurajima Anne flashing through her mind repeatedly—that charming smile, that indifferent gaze, yet sometimes so playful, easily bullied by those around her, and capable of behaving like a sixteen-year-old girl when her defenses crumbled.

Which face is the real you...?

……

Go home early.

Lina showed him the writing board.

"Okay, I'll be back soon." Aoi Natsuki smiled, holding the dog leash and taking Ji-chan out with her.

He was going to the courier drop-off point. His grandfather in the countryside had texted him saying he had sent him some potatoes. The distance was a bit far, about a kilometer, so he figured he could take Jijiang with him and walk the dog at the same time.

You also need to bring plastic bags to dispose of the dog's poop.

I took it out on a leash.

After adopting Ji-chan for a while, the dog's nose, which was originally slightly pale, has now turned rosy. It is energetic all day long, and even so lively that sometimes Aoi thinks it is a bit silly.

squeak……

He stared at Ji-chan, his large, round eyes gleaming with an unusual light.

It gets especially excited every time we get to a crossroads, wagging its tail incessantly, its bright red anus facing him, and it will occasionally turn its head to look at him.

That honest gaze... you have no idea what it's thinking.

Ten minutes later, Aoi Natsuki arrived at the drop-off point, but when he saw the package his grandfather had sent, he was devastated. It wasn't just a few packages; it was a huge bag full of them!

Moreover, it was packed in a burlap sack, and the seal wasn't done well. He opened it a little and looked inside, and sure enough, the potatoes inside were still covered in dirt.

Goodness...

Aoi Natsuki was helpless, but he could only drag his grandfather's good intentions with him.

This is where the dog's role becomes a little more apparent; when he gets tired, it can help him along.

But when they reached a corner, Ji-chan suddenly stopped, raised her eyes high, and looked in a direction completely different from home. Then, as if she had an antenna growing on her head and had come into contact with radio waves, she kept pulling hard in the other direction.

"Wang Wang!"

Aoi Natsuki was also curious about what was wrong with Yoshi-chan, so she followed him around the corner. In front of her was a street. Could there be anything special about this place?

Aoi Natsuki was dragging a large bag of potatoes, but from a distance, she couldn't see anything...

Hmm? That's...

Takahashi's younger sister, no, I think her name is Ayano.

Although the Takahashi sisters have similar hair color and height, they are still relatively easy to tell apart. Takahashi Mito is probably a bit plump because she eats better, while Ayano, whom he often saw participating in volunteer work, is relatively thinner due to the physical labor involved.

Moreover, the two have quite different auras; one is very imposing, while the other is more natural.

However, she seems a little unhappy right now.

It looked like he was holding something in his hands.

Aoi Natsuki turned her head and saw that this place was JP Publishing. JP Publishing is one of the largest comprehensive publishing companies in Japan. It publishes magazines that mainly publish manga for teenagers. The most famous of these is "JP Weekly". Many of its representative manga have gained a lot of fans. Some people spend their whole lives pursuing the path of becoming a manga artist.

But Natsuki Aoi once heard a saying: Japan doesn't lack manga artists, it only lacks geniuses.

At this moment, Ji-chan also stood motionless at the intersection. Aoi Natsuki bent down and picked up the dog leash that had just been broken off. He did nothing, just silently watched from a distance.

Sometimes, you have to bear the bitterness of growing up alone.

Aoi Natsuki shook her head and was about to turn and leave when Yoshi-chan suddenly called out twice.

Just like before in front of the pet hospital, Ayano Takahashi stopped at the intersection and slowly turned her head.

I noticed Aoi Natsuki not far away immediately.

The two locked eyes.

Immediately afterward, just when Aoi Natsuki thought the other party would act as lively as before, saying a lot of inexplicable and hurtful things, she was surprised that the other party did not react excessively at all.

Instead, he raised his right hand, a smile on his face, and waved in his direction.

Ok……

Aoi Natsuki exhaled through her nose and waved to her.

……

"So it really was a comic book commission. I never knew you wanted to become a comic artist. I had friends who wanted to be comic artists before, but then..."

"Have you all given up?"

"Hmm... Haha." Aoi Natsuki gave an awkward laugh as she sat on a park bench in a nearby park with Takahashi's sister. At their feet, Ji-chan was obediently lying between them, occasionally getting up to lick Takahashi Ayano's shoes.

“I know this road is difficult, but I don’t want to give up.” Ayano Takahashi’s expression hardened slightly, as if it was this belief that had kept her going until now.

"Well, persistence is always a good thing. Have you ever thought about working as an assistant to some comic artists to improve your drawing skills?"

"Yes, I worked as an assistant almost the entire last year. I only thought of trying to get commissioned articles again this year, but I didn't expect... it still didn't work out."

Ayano Takahashi pursed her lips, her tone revealing a hint of helplessness.

Yes, in an industry like Japan where there is an extremely saturated pool of manga artists, it is exceptionally difficult to stand out, and that is incredibly harsh.

"It's alright. You're still so young. Take your time to hone your drawing skills, look at current fashion trends and creative ideas, improve your aesthetic sense, and so on. Haste makes waste. Take it one step at a time," Aoi Natsuki comforted her, then her gaze fell on the drawing in her hand.

"Could I borrow your paintings to take a look? I've done some design work before, perhaps..."

Yes! Please take a look!

Upon hearing this, Ayano Takahashi immediately presented the drawing with both hands. Her serious demeanor made one wonder if she was still the same girl who used to speak so frankly to him...

Chapter 65 Hey! We're sisters!

“Okay.” Natsuki Aoi took the artwork, which was carefully stored in a file folder. After opening it, he also began to read the story of the comic.

It is roughly about a boy's adventure in another world, totaling 24 pages, and includes humorous short stories about meeting his first companion.

Regarding commissioned manga, new manga artists don't usually start with long-running series right away. The chances of getting a long-running series from JP are extremely low. So, they tend to choose some refreshing short manga to try first, hoping to win the Tezuka Award or a newcomer award. Only then can they have a chance to become professional manga artists.

But becoming a profession is not the end goal. No matter how excellent you become, there will always be a group of people competing with you at the same level. This is true for any profession, so it forces you to become even better.

After looking at them, Natsuki Aoi remained silent for a while, then looked at the first few sketches again. At this moment, Ayano Takahashi next to her exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Aoi Natsuki was interrupted and looked at her.

Ayano Takahashi quickly waved her hand: "No, no, no, it's just that for a moment just now I felt like you were an editor. You both read it twice."

"Oh, I actually looked at your art style a second time to check it out. I noticed some problems here too." Aoi Natsuki turned to the third page and pointed to the main character in the picture. "Isn't the anatomy of the main character drawn wrong here?"

"Huh! No way!" Ayano leaned closer.

Aoi instinctively shrank back, because he didn't think it would be good for a girl he disliked to be too close to him.

He remembered that the other person's level of affection was...

Ok?