Cartoonists and their assistants

"It seems you're not the only one... There are people who can see Menma."

Just then, Matsuyuki suddenly said this to Jinta Yadomi, with a seemingly provocative expression on his face.

The expressions on everyone's faces changed, and they separated.

The interlude in the middle is when Jinta Yadomi pulls Naruko Anjou back from falling, which leads to another tangled and stomach-churning conversation.

As we move into the latter half of the story, we finally reach a climax.

Faced with the lies fabricated by Matsuyuki Atsushi, Menma couldn't help but get emotional and burst out, saying a series of things.

However, the others couldn't hear her, and at this point, Matsuyuki Atsushi's attitude remained bad. Finally, Jinta Yadomi couldn't hold back any longer and repeated Menma's words.

"I'm happy when everyone gets together..."

But no one else believed it when they arrived, and Matsuyuki-shu became even more sarcastic.

Just then, Menma burst into tears.

On the next page, an event resembling a ghost story unfolds before your eyes.

To everyone's astonishment, something seemed to open its pocket, take out and light incense sticks and fireworks.

The invisible fireworks dancing in the night sky presented everyone with an unbelievable and shocking reality—

Ghost Menma really exists!?

.......

The emotions that had been building up earlier reached a peak here.

Moreover, unlike the characters in the manga, the readers actually witnessed Menma dancing with fireworks.

To enhance the visual effect, Eriri used a large double-page spread here and spent more time refining it, resulting in a huge visual impact that makes people want to look back and admire it multiple times.

"What a nice view."

Chie Takasago looked at the picture and murmured to herself.

Menma is clearly perceived as more 'cute' than 'beautiful'.

Therefore, the beauty here refers more to the harmony of the image.

To be honest, it was here that she first had the idea that her paintings could be worthy of the original works.

"Sawamura-kun is really hardworking. It would be even better if his hard work could be rewarded."

She smiled slightly.

"Miss, is the store not open yet?"

A voice called out from the doorway; it turned out that the student guests, who were usually waiting, couldn't wait any longer.

"I'm coming!"

At this point, the shop assistant was finally able to put down the magazine and go to deal with the customer.

.......

After school in the afternoon.

The childhood sweethearts naturally reunited.

Now, the 12th of each month is the day the two of them look forward to the most, mainly because they can see the readers' comments on the new chapter and have a psychological assessment.

"The drawing is so beautiful! Menma looks like an elf when she dances with the fireworks!"

Menma, I love you!

"It hurts, it hurts so much. Anjou Naruko obviously likes the protagonist too, right? But she said something like 'Since you can see her, be nice to her' to her face."

"Finally! Now everyone knows that Menma exists!"

"I'm so touched, especially when Menma, still a child, said those words..."

"When I heard Matsuyuki Atsushi say 'You're so pitiful,' I found it funny. I'm looking forward to the day when the truth is revealed. I feel like it will become a famous scene."

"Matsuyuki Atsushi is so annoying, is he even a friend?"

"He talks too much, it makes me want to punch him. Can we please not let this character appear?"

"Stop dragging it out! Why hasn't the truth been revealed yet?! The other Menma must be this guy in disguise!"

Aside from Matsuyuki Atsushi, who played the 'villain' in this episode, attracting a lot of attention, most people's focus was on Menma.

This bewildered ghost girl is so endearing.

"The discussion today was quite intense, especially the Menma drawing I made. Everyone liked it."

Eriri seemed very excited.

The page, painstakingly and meticulously revised over a long period of time, has finally received the recognition it deserves.

"It's really touching."

Kanzuki Machi nodded in agreement.

Good artwork can indeed enhance the viewing experience.

Some artistic conceptions can only be appreciated when paired with visual elements.

"Zhenzhi, what do you think our rankings will be this time?"

"Just because we performed well this time doesn't mean that everyone else performed poorly. We still need to look at the other people's comics before we can judge."

So the two of them carefully appreciated the works of other people.

The popularity rankings of the top two will not be changed for now. Given their accumulated popularity, their rankings will not drop significantly unless the series suddenly falls apart. Therefore, their main focus is still on the top few.

"Everyone's performance this episode has been very consistent."

Eriri sensed it.

Then she laughed again.

This is a good thing for them.

Those who remain stagnant will naturally be surpassed by those who progress.

"Perhaps this time we can get back into the top five."

Mizuki Masashi made a judgment with both caution and optimism.

"I hope so!"

After her setback, Eriri was no longer as arrogant as before, believing that she was invincible from the moment she was born.

If she could consistently stay in the top five, she would celebrate by burning incense and praying to Buddha.

However, it is clear that none of the top cartoonists are easy to deal with, and with a little effort, the rankings could easily be reversed.

"Speaking of which, Bibi was third in the last issue, which is the highest among the new serials, even though she wasn't in the cover color page... She's really amazing."

At that moment, the girl suddenly noticed this and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Even so, Tsukimi Rimai did not surpass the top two.

This once again proves just how difficult it is for them to win the 'most popular' title.

And how difficult it is to surpass those two.

50 rebound

After a two-week wait, Mizuki Machi and Eriri received the popularity rankings for episode four from the editor.

"Makoto, the fifth one! We're back!"

The girl was overjoyed for quite a while, her cheering and jumping around was completely different from her attitude when she got the same ranking before.

Mizuki Machi still remembers her gloomy expression from before.

Some things can only be truly appreciated through experience.

The rebound after two drops in rankings not only stopped the downward trend, but also gave them confidence. This shows that the two of them are capable enough to stand firm in Monthly Shonen Gangan, and it is not because of temporary luck or a seemingly impressive title.

"Are you so happy?"

He joked.

"Of course! I've seen a lot of doubts and even posts attacking us online, saying we're just a product of GANGAN's marketing and will disappear from the world after they've used us..."

At this point, Eriri was furious, her fists clenched, and her eyes seemed to burn with fire.

"That's really going too far."

Mizuki Machi's expression showed understanding.

This time, the girl finally proved herself after holding her breath for a while.

No wonder I suddenly felt so relaxed.

"By the way, you didn't actually get into a flame war with those guys, did you?"

Suddenly, he remembered something and asked with a strange expression.

"That...how could that be! Who am I, and who are those thugs? Why would I bother?"

So you mean it exists?

"How did you figure that out... It's just a smaller account, it's fine, no one will notice!"

The girl guiltily avoided his gaze.

"It doesn't really matter. Young people should be hot-blooded... If someone opens the box and finds out, I'll just expose that you did it."

"You're so mean! How could you do this to me!"

Eriri thought her childhood friend was just trying to comfort her, but then her tone suddenly changed, almost causing her to strain her back.

"I'm warning you, since you care so much about your reputation, if these stains are discovered, it won't affect me."

He smiled.

"I... I understand."

The girl pouted, unable to refute.

I had no choice but to delete the alternate account as soon as I got back.

She certainly didn't want to pay homage to a legendary voice actor, only to have her chat history exposed, amplified online, and spark various discussions.

"Eri, let me tell you something. Once you become a public figure, it's best not to get involved. Otherwise, you won't even know what kind of disputes you might cause."

Mizuki Shinichi raised a finger and said earnestly.

"Uh-huh."

The girl made a mental note of the sentence.

......

It's another weekend, and the lunch break is here.

"Mr. Mizuki, I may be a little presumptuous... but may I ask you some questions?"

Shizusa looked as if she had been struggling with something for a long time, with beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

"Don't be so nervous, I'm easy to talk to. Do you have any questions?"

Mizuki Machi immediately noticed her assistant's state and tried to reassure her.

"Um... I'd like to ask the teacher for advice on how to create a high-quality name."

With steady breathing, Zusu Saho asked with a serious expression.

Her purpose in becoming an assistant was to hone her drawing skills and gain successful experience from cartoonists.

Now, she feels it's about time to start preparing for submissions, and NAME is the first step to success.

Are you submitting your work?

He made a sound of surprise.

"...Yes, but don't worry, teacher, it won't affect my work."

"That's a good thing. If you don't want to be a cartoonist's assistant, you're not a good assistant."