Cartoonists and their assistants

......

in the hall.

The boy and girl sat on the same sofa, reading the NAME document in their hands one after the other.

The assistant sat on the other side, her hands unconsciously rubbing together between her knees, revealing the tension beneath her calm exterior.

What kind of evaluation will the two teachers give her?

after a while.

Kanzuki Machi put down the manuscript paper.

"Judging from the story, Ms. Ashisu's concept is quite good; I feel like I see echoes of many excellent works in it..."

After both of them finished reading, Eriri, who had been holding back for a long time, finally spoke.

"this......"

The assistant blushed, looking a little embarrassed.

Because this time I was able to draw a name that I was satisfied with, it was based on the opinions of Ms. Mizuki and was a combination of many of her works.

She felt somewhat ashamed, as she has a strong sense of morality.

But Eriri acted as if it were perfectly normal.

"It is a very common thing to draw inspiration from excellent works."

Having worked as a doujinshi artist and fan artist, she fully understands the boundaries in this area.

However, even "borrowing" is a skill; if you're not careful, it can turn into "plagiarism," and if you're not skilled enough, the stitching won't be done well.

You could say that even if you're a 'Frankenstein's monster,' as long as you achieve success and readers like you, there will naturally be people who will defend you.

"......Um."

Suzusa nods her forehead slightly, becoming more accepting of this explanation.

Let's get straight to the story.

Mizuki Machi brought the topic back.

"Your book, 'The Devil Descends on My Side,' has a great concept and a simple and clear plot, but correspondingly, to draw it well, you need to increase your drawing skills considerably."

"In addition, while the idea of ​​a benevolent devil punishing criminals is relatively novel, the plot you designed is too contradictory. If the plot is longer, it will be very difficult to continue later on."

After he finished speaking, Eriri continued.

"Next, I'll share my perspective. I won't comment on the story itself since I don't have a real understanding of it, but I have seen Ms. Ashisu's paintings. Your style is a bit out of place in this kind of work, especially in the way the camera work is presented."

"I will accept the teachers' opinions without hesitation and then make corrections accordingly."

After listening to their opinions, Saho Asashi took a deep breath and composed herself.

She did not ask for any additional help.

Besides being shy, she also felt that this was her own comic, and she had to rely on herself as much as possible to find the answers so that it could be sustained when it was first published and serialized in the future.

After all, she couldn't rely on two teachers for her entire life.

"Sawamura-sensei, I want to be alone."

"I understand. You go to the studio first, and I'll come up when it's time to work."

Eriri agreed to her request, then frowned and looked at the boy.

"Zhenzhi, I've discovered something very important!"

"what?"

"If Miss Ashisu were to debut, we would not only lose an assistant, but also a cook."

"It's great that you realized this so early."

Guan Yue Zhenzhi praised him.

"What should we do then?!"

"What else can we do? We'll just find someone else later."

"But, isn't it rare to find a suitable assistant like Miss Ashisu?"

"We'll see when the time comes; there will naturally be a solution."

"Eh!?"

Eriri's expression changed, and she began to suspect that her childhood friend might be doing something behind her back.

.......

The holiday went by quickly; three days later...

"Congratulations! The first volume sold well. The meeting just passed approval for a reprint of 30,000 copies soon. At this rate, this might not be the end."

The two waited in vain for the editor's call.

"that is really good!"

Eriri had expected this, but she couldn't help but shout with joy.

"Zhenzhi, shouldn't we celebrate?"

The oppressive feeling of 64 No.1

There was a celebration, but nothing particularly special.

They just had a big meal and then played games for a while.

The happiness between homebodies is that simple.

The evening of the second-to-last day of the May Day Golden Week holiday.

Eriri suddenly receives a message from someone—Konno Kazuka.

[Sawamura-sensei, didn't I mention before that I wanted to have a chat with both of you? If you're available tomorrow, could you please provide me with an address? Thank you!]

She immediately messaged her childhood sweetheart and found that he had also received the same message.

Eriri: I thought Konno-sensei was just being polite, and I forgot about it as soon as I turned my head. I didn't expect her to be serious!

After all, it has been more than four months since the New Year's party. If they really cared that much, they certainly wouldn't have waited that long. Even busy manga artists, like Bibi who lives in Chiba, quickly made time to come over.

Zhenzhi: You didn't expect GANGAN's No.1 to value us so much, did you?

Eriri: Of course, although we have great potential... there are still some gaps to close.

True Knowledge: To be able to admit it to this extent is already an improvement!

True Knowledge: So you're feeling pressured? Then just refuse.

Eriri: Hmph, what pressure could there be? They've only been in the industry a few years longer than us.

Zhenzhi: Then tell her your address and arrange a time for tomorrow.

Exit the chat interface with your childhood friend.

Eriri clicked on another chat box, sent a message, and the two made an agreement.

However, even though they had agreed to meet at 10 o'clock, the other person still hadn't arrived by 10:30 in the morning.

Could it be that they stood me up?

Just as Eriri was getting upset and preparing to go upstairs to work, the doorbell finally rang.

"I'm so sorry, Sasa is so persistent, it took me a long time to convince her!"

The lively girl with glasses immediately bowed to express her apology.

This was something neither of them could quite understand.

"Why do we need to ask for her opinion? I remember she's just Konno-sensei's assistant... and she also has an agent?"

"Seriously, this agent is really high-class."

One person asked a question, while the other complained.

“Sasa is a fellow enthusiast I’ve known since high school. We once made a promise to become manga artists together, but Sasa’s submissions didn’t go smoothly, so she became my assistant. It was with her help and coordination that I was able to progress so quickly and reach my current No. 1 position… However, she has always been very strict with herself and others, which is why she is like this.”

Konno Kazuka briefly recounted the events and explained the reasons.

"I see."

Mizuki Machi could easily conjure up a poignant and moving story from this.

The editor must have desperately realized that she didn't have enough talent, so she chose to help Mr. Konno fulfill their shared dream.

"So she doesn't let you take leave because she wants Konno-sensei to draw even better manga?"

"That should be...right, after all, a comic artist has to be responsible to the readers."

Eriri understood the entanglement between the two and knew that as an outsider, there was no need to delve into it, so she changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, Konno-sensei. What would you like to talk about?"

The girl spoke softly, and her smile even seemed somewhat ingratiating.

After all, her opponent was undefeated, the ace of Monthly Shonen Gangan, and in some ways, a senior she respected.

Even when she was actually there, the sense of oppression still lingered in her heart.

"I just wanted to see how the relationship between the two teachers was progressing."

Konno Kazuka suddenly revealed a mischievous smile.

"Progress...? What progress? I don't understand what you're talking about, Konno-sensei."

Eriri's pretty face flushed slightly.

It's obvious that he's saying one thing and meaning another.

Konno Kazuka pressed his advantage, saying, "What other progress could there be? I see that the two of you have such a good relationship, you can definitely take it a step further."

"That kind of thing is too... too early!"

The girl was speechless for a while, her thoughts wandering to even deeper places.

"Mr. Konno, did you come here just to toy with us?"

Mizuki Machi couldn't stand it anymore.

It's rather pathetic that they were teased like this so easily.

This is clearly his fun!

"of course not."

Konno Kazuka smiled, suppressing the aunt-like smile on her face.

"I am still more interested in the works of the two teachers."

Although the long-term restrictions made her so lonely that she wanted to play pranks on people, her love for comics had long been an integral part of her life, even surpassing this emotion.

"There's probably nothing we can do to help Konno-sensei."

Guan Yue Zhenzhi pondered.

"On the contrary, what I lack is the depiction of emotions in 'Anohana'. Even though I'm a grown-up, I still lack a sufficient understanding of friendship, family, and love... That's why my 'Adventure World' is considered worthless except for its novel world view and exciting battles."

When he spoke, Kazuka Konno appeared calm and composed.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration. Every type of work has its strengths, and perfection is impossible."

"Eri is right. 'Adventure World' is a mainstream manga, so there's no need for such a comparison."

Both agreed that her No. 1 position was well-deserved, and the sales rankings spoke for themselves.

"I'm so happy to have received your approval, so... please tell me!"

Kazuka Konno smiled.

Afterwards, Mizuki Machi and Eriri talked to her about the content of "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day," from reading comprehension of a dialogue to the emotional expression of each character.

Throughout the entire conversation, he was the one doing most of the talking with Konno, and Eriri gradually found herself unable to get a word in edgewise. Compared to the two of them, the girl was far inferior.

"Konno-sensei is really amazing; he can understand what I'm saying so easily."