Cartoonists and their assistants

Hearing this seemingly plausible sentence, Saho Ashisu suppressed the urge to retort.

"Yes, my dream is to become a cartoonist and bring more people inspiration."

"It's so pure."

He sighed slightly.

"Isn't Sawamura-sensei the same?"

"No! Completely different. That guy is... never mind, let's talk about you first."

The assistant was somewhat puzzled; perhaps there was something she didn't know about it.

However, she didn't investigate further.

"You've probably heard this saying, right? As long as a comic is interesting, it'll get serialized—"

"Of course, but what kind of stories are interesting? That's too broad a question."

"Yes, it's just a conceptual issue. For any given person, their greatest strengths are naturally what's most likely to be 'interesting.' So, what kind of works does Ms. Ashisu like?"

"It should be a slice-of-life urban drama, right? I haven't seen many others."

"Be more specific..."

Subsequently, Mizuki Machi learned from her assistant about many works that only existed in this world, whose style was roughly similar to works such as "Toradora!", "NANA", and "Hell Girl".

"Well, the types of themes are quite diverse... Ms. Ashisu has quite a few targets to choose from. She can choose to use these works as a foundation, then expand her own ideas and integrate them."

He pondered for a moment and then said.

"Is this considered... plagiarism?"

After hearing this, Shisu Saho remained unmoved and instead frowned.

"Of course not!"

He denied it.

"Ms. Ashisu, you're so rigid! If this level is considered plagiarism, then most works in the industry could be considered plagiarism. After all, later generations are easily influenced by the impressions of their predecessors. For example, certain classic scenes are used in many stories, it's just that they're wrapped in a shell. Even famous works cannot avoid 'homage'... Think about it carefully, isn't that right?"

"It seems...that's indeed the case."

Upon hearing this, certain storylines flashed through Ashisu Saho's mind.

"The important thing is that you have the core structure of your own story; everything else is just a minor extension."

Kanzuki Machi then added the real key point.

A good work is not necessarily unique, but it has something that makes it appealing compared to other works. Understanding this means understanding the core of creation.

"As for painting, I can't help you with that; you'll have to figure it out yourself."

He waved his hand and returned to his own domain.

"I am very satisfied with the guidance I received from Ms. Mizuki. Thank you, Ms. Mizuki."

Both Suzusa and Sasui felt they had benefited greatly and bowed sincerely once more.

As she climbed the stairs to the second floor, a faint smile appeared on her face.

Originally, she was still quite confused about the direction she should take, but with the help of the "fairy guiding the way," her future suddenly became clear!

51impressions

"However, theory is one thing, but in practice, things may not always go as planned."

"Miss Ashisu."

Machi Mizuki sat on the ground, his expression faintly reflected on the game console screen, his eyes flashing with a peculiar meaning.

Don't be fooled by how easy it seemed for him and Eriri to debut as manga artists. In reality, for most people, becoming a manga artist is quite difficult, and it takes several years of hard work to even produce a decent name.

Yes, it didn't even qualify for the Newcomer Award.

Therefore, he did not think his assistant could debut in a short time, even if she found a direction.

However, the assistant seems to have a good grasp of things, and I believe that after two or three years of hard work, she might be able to debut through the Newcomer Award.

Therefore, they don't need to consider changing assistants in the short term.

......

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was already March.

"This damn temperature is finally starting to warm up!"

After getting up, Eriri looked at today's weather and muttered a few curses in delight.

"Phew~ I finally made it through!"

After leaving the house and walking down Detective Slope, she stretched comfortably.

"Ok?"

At the intersection, her eyes flickered and met those of a boy coming from the other side.

At times like these, one cannot simply pretend not to see.

And so, the childhood sweethearts went to school together after a long time.

On the tram, the warm sunlight streamed in through the window. The two sat next to each other, and the atmosphere seemed somewhat ambiguous.

"Eri, the final exams for the third semester are coming up soon."

The peaceful atmosphere was instantly shattered by the first sentence spoken by Mizuki Machi.

"Ugh...another exam! It feels like I'm taking exams every day! Can't we just remove the exams from the list?!"

Eriri clutched her chest, making a face as if she wanted to vomit.

"Your life is too fulfilling."

He joked.

Every day is just going to and from school, then drawing comics. The only important thing to remember is the exam, right?

"Oh, so that means I have to have tutoring again?"

"You don't have to do it, I'll save myself some effort."

"Then let's fix it..."

Eriri, thinking of a certain female classmate, still gritted her teeth and said firmly.

The weekend is here.

Good morning, Sawamura-kun.

When Chie Takasago arrived at the secret base, she slightly raised her hand in greeting.

"Sawamura-kun, why are you staring at me like that?"

Suddenly, she sensed something was off about the twin-tailed girl's gaze.

"I knew it... you were clearly trying to cling to me!"

"What are you saying? Sawamura-kun, I don't understand."

"Hmph, stop pretending to be innocent."

Eriri gave a soft snort, flicked her ponytail, and turned her head away.

Chie Takasago made a troubled expression and said, "Sawamura-kun, let's think about how to deal with today's tutoring session, shall we?"

"Yes..."

Eriri instantly recalled the hellish training she had endured last time and couldn't help but tremble.

"Could it be that you've been talking badly about me behind my back?"

Mizuki Machi poured a few glasses of water from the kitchen.

"No, no..."

"how could be?"

Both girls gave awkward, ingratiating smiles.

"Heh, you should thank me for giving you the learning efficiency of the 'Mental Time Chamber,' otherwise, given your current situation, your grades would probably be a disaster."

He gave a cold laugh.

That's true, but the pain experienced during the learning process felt like an endless "mental time machine."

The two girls grumbled to themselves, but neither said it aloud, lest they be retaliated against later.

"Alright, let's begin. Make the most of your time; this is the last exam for first graders."

He emphasized the reminder.

"Yes!"

A morning has passed.

It was close to noon.

"Zhenzhi, what about lunch?"

Eriri glanced at the time and said.

"It feels a bit strange without Miss Ashisu."

"I can't believe it," said Guan Yue Zhenzhi with a sigh.

This weekend, because of tutoring, they gave their assistant a day off, and then they encountered an awkward situation.

"If possible, let me do it?"

Chie Takasago suddenly stood up.

You can cook!?

The girl, who was the same age, was taken aback.

"I know a little bit, it shouldn't taste bad, right?"

She smiled gently.

"She's so capable, unlike some other women."

After Takasago Chie entered the kitchen, Mizuki Machi said meaningfully.

"What's so great about being able to cook! Does every girl have to know how to cook? That's prejudice."

Eriri immediately reacted.

"It's really nothing special..."

"Pshaw! It's not that difficult. You just need to have time to learn it."

"how about you?"

"Me? I don't have time, I'm drawing all day."

Although it's an excuse, that's certainly true.

He had seen clearly how heavy the burden on the young girl was over the past six months.

Half an hour later.

The three sat at the dining table, where dishes were already laid out.

Mizuki Machi and Eriri took a few bites and thought it was passable.

"By the way, who is Miss Zusu? Is she a professional chef you hired?"

"I asked Takasago Chie curiously."

She already knew about the Sawamura family's strength, hence her question.

"No, they are our assistants."

Eriri replied, "She cooked for us because of the commute, and by the way, her cooking tastes better than yours."

The following sentence is completely unnecessary, isn't it?