Cartoonists and their assistants

"Oh, I understand. Well then, I wish Xiaoqian all the best today."

"you think too much."

Sakura Chiyo shyly pushed her mother away, then quickly walked to the entrance to change into a pair of sandals that would match.

"I am leaving!"

I took the tram and quickly passed one stop on my short journey to Takasago Bookstore.

The girl felt her heart beating faster.

Even though I know there's no possibility of that, I still can't help having certain inappropriate thoughts.

However, when she entered the bookstore and found Sawamura there, all those unnecessary thoughts vanished instantly.

"Good morning, Mizuki-san, Sawamura-san, and Takasago-san."

Sakura Chiyo greeted him with an embarrassed expression.

Good morning, Sakura-san.

The three of them replied separately.

"Sawamura-kun, what are you doing here!"

Then, the girl asked incredulously.

In her opinion, the rich young ladies of the academy shouldn't frequent bookstores full of comics and novels; at most, they would go to libraries to look at literary books.

However, she and many others forgot one thing: people gather together by their objects, and those of the same kind group together.

If childhood friend Mizuki has this kind of interest, how could Sawamura be immune?

It's just that the halo created by Sawamura was so dazzling that people dared not ask or think about it.

"Is that even a question? It's because I'm supposed to be here."

Eriri stood with one hand on her hip, her expression somewhat defiant.

"Sawamura-kun, you..."

Sakura Chiyo immediately realized something was wrong.

"That's just his nature, don't be surprised."

Chie Takasago smiled and said, speaking from experience.

"Eh!?"

"You don't need to say anything more."

Eriri glanced back at her, and the latter stuck out her tongue in response to her earlier face-making.

"Alright, let's get down to business so as not to affect Takasago's work later."

At this moment, Mizuki Machi finally spoke.

"So, what exactly do you want from me?"

Sakura Chiyo is still in a daze.

Before answering your question, let me and Eriri introduce ourselves again.

As he spoke, he gave Eriri a meaningful look.

"Actually, we two have another name in the comic book world—"

"Yuriko under the Moon".

The two of them uttered that name in unison, as if a thunderbolt had struck Sakura Chiyo's mind.

Yuriko Under the Moon!?

Could he be the youngest cartoonist in history?

They were right beside me all along?

"Moonlight Viewer" is "Moon Viewer," and "Yuriko" is Sawamura's name!

In that instant, she understood.

"Hello, Ms. Tsukishita and Ms. Yuriko!"

Sakura Chiyo immediately stood up straight and stiffly bowed.

This identity put immense pressure on her.

After all, compared to their peers, the other person's achievements are nothing short of terrifying!

"There's no need to exaggerate like that. We're just ordinary people."

Mizuki Machi smiled and said.

"Why did those two teachers tell me your true identities?"

This was something Sakura Chiyo didn't quite understand.

"We would like to hire you as our assistant."

"Huh!? Did I hear that right?"

Sakura Chiyo was stunned. She never expected to receive such an invitation and even doubted whether she had misheard.

"That's right, we're hiring you to be our assistant."

He affirmed again.

"I...I...I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."

“I’ve seen your poster drawing on the blackboard behind you. Your skills are quite excellent for your age. Although you can’t compare to me, you’re more than capable of being an assistant.”

Eriri then stepped forward and offered a few words of praise, almost as if she were boasting.

"To actually gain Sawamura-kun's approval..."

Sakura Chiyo only heard this key point and was quite moved.

"If I could, of course I would!"

Although she had no ambition to draw comics and only regarded drawing as a hobby, she couldn't help but be tempted by such a rare invitation.

Not just working with Yuriko Tsukishita, but also with Mizuki-san and Sawamura-san...

This kind of thing only happens in dreams!

"In that case, if you have time, how about you come for your internship tomorrow?"

Kanzuki Machi then asked.

He had originally planned to have his assistant take over after she left, but now he had a new idea.

Why not just start right away? This way, you can gain experience and also reduce Eriri's burden.

"I want I want!"

She eagerly raised her hand.

"Then it's settled."

Eriri was still maintaining her 'teacher' demeanor, feigning aloofness.

"Great! This makes the team even stronger!"

Chie Takasago clapped her hands beside her, offering her blessings.

Afterwards, before the official opening of the store, Takasago's father delivered the latest issue of GANGAN.

"Takasago-san, I want to buy one! And by the way, Ms. Tsukishita Yuriko-sensei, could I have one of your autographs?"

Sakura Chiyo excitedly found the two of them and made a request.

They readily agreed.

"Then, see you tomorrow!"

Finally, Sakura Chiyo reluctantly said goodbye to the three of them.

After that, Takasago Bookstore also opened for business.

The duo didn't stay long before returning to their secret base.

"Miss Ashisu, we have something to tell you..."

When they met Ms. Ashisu, they informed her that a new assistant would be starting her internship the next day.

"Don't worry, teacher, I will guide her well in completing her work."

Saho Ashisu was not angry that someone would replace her; on the contrary, she was happy.

If she were to leave and leave a void that no one could fill, then it would be her fault.

Now that a suitable person has been found, she is able to let go in time and pursue her own future.

Episode 78, Part 10: The Internship

"I never imagined that Mizuki-san and Sawamura-san were Tsukishita Yuriko! Those two are just too amazing!"

"What I didn't expect was that they actually invited me to be their assistant? Could it be that Lady Luck has finally smiled upon me? But I don't seem to know anything about what an assistant would do."

"So, was it because you valued my skills that you chatted with me before? Looks like I was just being presumptuous."

On the way home, Sakura Chiyo thought about it from all angles and finally figured out the cause and effect. While she was happy, she also felt a little sour.

"Forget about all that nonsense. I'll find out about the assistant job tomorrow when I start my internship. For now, I should just finish reading the latest chapter and get ready."

The girl was quite open-minded and quickly adjusted her mood, accepting the situation.

She leaned back on the sofa and began reading chapter ten of "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day"—

In his father's memory, Jinta Yadomi was a stubborn child who fell and injured himself while trying to retrieve a badminton shuttlecock from a tree, but that was also the reason he became the captain.

Then, returning to the present, the father, Su Haidu, tells his son that there is also a very important matter to attend to today.

The two then went to pay their respects at Jinta's mother's grave.

This is a scene depicting the development of family bonds, with a father and son having a heart-to-heart talk.

The father told Jinta: In times like these, you should rely on your partner.

Later, Jinta Yadomi also received good news: thanks to Atsushi Matsuyuki's sacrifice, the rocket project could continue.

However, their moods were not necessarily good, because everyone began to realize that if their wish were to be fulfilled, Menma might disappear.

This also reveals something else: why Hisakawa Tetsudo was so passionate about completing this task was because he deeply regretted not being able to save Menma...

In the end, Anjou Naruko receives a phone call from Tsurumi Chiriko. It turns out that after discussing it, the others decided not to dwell on that day and to move forward, and that she had something that only she could do.

"Could it be a confession of love?!"

Upon seeing this, Sakura Chiyo, following the thought process ingrained by shoujo manga, instantly realized this point.

When a story gets stuck, someone needs to step up and break the deadlock, and the so-called male-female relationship is the easiest thing to break.

"Maybe so, but it can't be that simple. It must be related to that day, right? Could it be that he confessed on that day?"

Although she almost became love-obsessed because of shoujo manga, after reading a lot of them, she was able to grasp the key points.

"Also, with this atmosphere, does it mean Menma is really going to disappear?"

Sakura Chiyo began to feel distressed when she thought about this.

"Oh right, I'm about to become Yuriko Tsukishita's assistant, I'll just ask her tomorrow! Also, won't I be able to know the plot of the next chapter in advance? That's awesome!"

......

Meanwhile, online readers also finished reading the episode and began discussing it amongst themselves.

"Sigh, Jinta's parents are both so good; they take good care of him, unlike my jerk of a dad who comes home drunk every day..."

"This conversation between father and son is very touching. Teacher Yuexia must be a very gentle person!"

"If you fulfill your wish, you will become a Buddha, but once you become a Buddha, you will disappear. I really can't bear to part with Menma. Isn't there a way to have the best of both worlds?"

"Can't Menma just stay here forever? It would be fine as it is."

"A ghost is a ghost. Since there's a concept of becoming a Buddha, isn't reincarnation better? You're all too selfish!"