Shimizu-san would be free until her next television program appearance.
Therefore, during this period, she could come and help at any time, except for the two days when Daisuke and the other two were working.
This was undoubtedly good news for Akira, as it meant the drawing speed for Weathering with You could be much faster.
As for compensation, Shimizu-san stated she didn't need any. Hearing this, Akira didn't say much more, simply keeping it in mind as he always did.
For Shimizu-san, being able to work with Akira not only in music but also in the field of manga—and even being able to help him a little—was already very meaningful.
Moreover, she had always been curious—
What would Akira be like when he was drawing manga?
However—
"Do I only need to be responsible for the Beta-nuri?"
Shimizu-san was somewhat puzzled because she had just tried it and felt that the workload for Beta-nuri wasn't that large.
If possible, she wouldn't mind taking on a bit more work.
But Akira nodded and said:
"Yeah, this is fine for now."
"If there are other parts that need help after the Beta-nuri are finished, I'll ask you then."
Seeing him say this, Shimizu-san didn't insist further.
"Alright, I understand."
For Akira, when he was drawing alone, he progressed page by page, but now with an assistant, he could use a more efficient drawing method.
In short, after settling the assistant matter, it was time to officially start working.
Akira gave his workstation to Shimizu-san and temporarily moved to Daisuke's workstation to draw, quickly entering a working state.
After messaging Shimizu-san last night, he had drawn a few more pages of Line Art on the fly, so Shimizu-san didn't have to wait for him.
On the other side, after sitting down, Shimizu-san first curiously looked at the scene in front of her.
So this is the view Mochizuki-kun usually sees when drawing manga.
Being able to take in the entire living room at a glance, including the status of the three assistant workstations, he truly was a Manga Artist.
She only had to look up slightly to see Akira's figure and profile.
However, she should start drawing first.
She understood the priority of things.
Just then, as Shimizu-san was about to start working, her attention was suddenly drawn by the noise coming from Akira's side.
Because that wasn't a sound that normal drawing would make.
She looked at him with curiosity, and then she couldn't help but be stunned—
He's drawing so fast!
When Akira drew, there was almost no pause in his movements.
The pen tip swept across the paper quickly and precisely, finishing and starting strokes without hesitation. The resulting sound was the source of her sense of abnormality.
This speed and precision had practically transcended the human realm; he was more like a high-precision human printer!
When they were on the streets of Akihabara before, she had already observed Akira's drawing process and knew he drew fast, knowing he could finish the Line Art for a chapter in two days.
But seeing such a scene with her own eyes now still made it hard for her to believe—
Amazing!
Moreover, Akira, when immersed in drawing, looked different from his usual self or when recording a single.
The expression on his profile was more serious, and his whole person was more focused, filled with an indescribable charm.
She felt like she was blushing again.
At the same time, a thought suddenly popped into her head—
As expected, Mochizuki-kun is still more suited to being a Manga Artist, isn't he?
...
...
As noon approached, the sense of hunger from his body pulled Akira back to reality.
Then, looking at the drawing progress before him, he mused in his heart:
As expected, as long as there's an assistant to help share the work, even with just one, drawing is much faster than doing it alone.
But for now, it's time to eat.
At this moment, seeing Shimizu-san still immersed in drawing, he called out to her with a smile:
"Shimizu-san, you can take a break. It's time for lunch."
"...Ah, okay."
Shimizu-san barely snapped out of it and stretched her wrist slightly.
Then, looking at her results from the morning and the pile of Line Art next to her that had actually grown larger, she couldn't help but click her tongue in secret.
The speed at which she handled one page of Beta-nuri didn't seem as fast as the speed at which he drew one page of Line Art.
Is this even reasonable?
No wonder Akira said it was enough for her to just be responsible for the Beta-nuri for now.
The two of them went to a family restaurant downstairs to eat. During their chat, Shimizu-san couldn't help but sigh:
"As expected, even the image clarity of a tankobon is far inferior to the original manuscript."
"It's really a pity."
"Indeed."
Akira nodded in deep agreement, also feeling a bit regretful.
Especially for this work, Weathering with You, which he was currently drawing, he had put a lot of effort into the artwork.
However, whether it was published in a magazine or released as a tankobon, some of the drawing details from the original manuscript would be lost to some extent. Naturally, he would feel regretful about that.
In reality, the technology of this era was already capable of printing copies with clarity comparable to the original, but the cost was too high, and only a small number of collector's editions would use such technology for printing.
This wasn't just true for this era; it was the same in later generations.
It was just that in the internet era of the future, compared to high-end printed books, high-precision digital scans were the more cost-effective choice for the masses.
This was probably one of the reasons why the sales of paper magazines were increasingly declining.
"By the way,"
At this point, Shimizu-san thought of something and said somewhat bashfully:
"Um... later, may I take a look at this short manga?"
While she was doing the Beta-nuri in the morning, she had also caught glimpses of some of the manga's content and found it very interesting, wanting to finish reading it.
She was especially curious about the subsequent plot and the parts Akira had already finished drawing.
To this, Akira nodded with a smile:
"Of course you can."
"Really? Thank you."
Shimizu-san immediately showed a happy smile, already somewhat impatient to go back and read the manga.
However, just then, Akira mentioned another matter:
"Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, the music variety show you participated in last week seems to be airing tonight, right?"
"Eh?"
Shimizu-san was slightly taken aback, realizing after the fact that it indeed seemed to be the case.
From last night until today, she had been thinking about coming to be Akira's manga assistant and had almost forgotten about this.
Did she really forget?
Seeing this, Akira didn't know whether to laugh or cry, then he smiled and said:
"I remember the program starts at eight in the evening, right? Shall we watch it together then?"
"Eh?"
Shimizu-san's face immediately turned a bit red, and she politely declined:
"Um, I don't think that's necessary..."
Although eight o'clock wasn't too late, watching herself perform on TV with him felt far too embarrassing!