Ritsu Minetsuki and Miyako Fuji

Hehe... Hehehehe.

Hello...

Hehehehehe~~♡

Miyako-san. Did something good happen?

Oh, Minetsuki-san. Hello.

Actually... I have something to show you! Could you take a look?!

A photo...? Oh, it's a Magilulu plush. How cute.

Right?! My Magilulu "Fluffy-Squishy Plushie" finally arrived!

"Plushie"...?

It's a cute shorthand for "plush toy"! And true to "fluffy-squishy," it feels wonderfully fluffy and squishy!

I can almost feel it through the photo.

Exactly, exactly!

And just look at this precious little shape...!

That tiny, adorable chibi body...! That perfectly round head...!

Those teeny little hands and feet, and that adorably dopey little open mouth...!

So cute...!!

That's some serious passion... So you never get tired of looking at cute things?

Tired of them!? Never!!

Simply looking at this little one makes every trace of my stress disappear! Rain falls on a barren wasteland, flowers bloom, and the sunlight pours in!

And when I cradle this little one in both hands, I feel the unmistakable warmth of life...

I must protect this little one. I must keep living...! That's what it makes me feel!

I see...! So that's why you've set out sweets in front of this little one.

Arale-chan did something similar once. With an acrylic stand, though.

I remember thinking the same thing then. That it was a lot like animism.

Ah, that's the belief that spirits dwell in nature and even the objects around us, isn't it...!

That may indeed be the case.

We cherish plushies and things like them just as we would living beings. We dress them in little outfits and find accessories...

When something is cherished that deeply, I can understand how it might come to life.

Or perhaps I have it backward. Maybe we cherish them because they're already alive...

Either way is perfectly fine!! Only one thing matters here!

Love!!

...!!

You're right...! Love can make people stronger...!

Indeed... Indeed...

I don't have a... plushie, so I'll treasure my favorite food replica instead!

A food repli... Very well! That, too, is a splendid form of love! Love indeed!

That was enlightening... Thank you!

(Okay... So far, so good.)

(I'll finish as many pages as I can now, then spend extra time on the color roughs after school...!)

(The goal is... top-quality pages and a schedule that's perfectly on track! Let's do this~~~!!)

Miyako-san. Hello.

Oh, Minetsuki-san.

It's rare for you to come by my classroom.

Actually... there's something I'd like to ask your advice about.

Were you working?

Yes, well... But I can spare a little time.

Then I'll keep it brief...

(Though she's staring awfully hard at my pages as she says that...?)

Well... I drew a portrait the other day, to help search for Yuno-san.

To help search for her...? Oh, when we went to the beach. I didn't realize you'd prepared something like that.

Yes. At the time, I thought I'd done a good job on it.

But Yuno-san herself said it didn't look like her at all.

What do you think, Miyako-san?

It's hard to say without actually seeing it...

(Wait...!! Now that I think about it...!)

(There was that booklet Minetsuki-san showed me before... "Viola: The Victim's Psychological Process and How to Break Free.")

(The booklet was easy to understand, but those wildly unconventional illustrations kept throwing me off...!)

? Miyako-san?

Well... Let's see...

I'd like your honest opinion. You know more about art than any of us, Miyako-san.

(This is... so hard to answer!)

Miyako-san.

W-Well...

It's difficult to say. There are so many different kinds of "art," after all.

Manga has its own appeal, and so do portraits. Everyone has their own style, too.

(Please... let that be enough to convince her...!)

A difference in style... That's true. Impressionism and Cubism are very different, after all.

Exactly...! So there's no need to worry about what anyone else thinks.

Thank you. I'm sorry, but I have just one more question.

How can I make my art better?

What...?

I'd like to improve without changing my own style.

Do you have any advice?

Ad... Advice...

(I can't do this. This is way beyond me.)

Minetsuki-san...

Technical skill isn't everything in art. If you chase technique alone, your work could lose its character.

I truly think your art is at its best just as it is, Minetsuki-san. That style of yours has a charm all its own. Why not treasure it?

Miyako-san...!

Thank you. I'll keep cherishing what makes my art my own!

Of course. I'll get back to work now, then.

Oh... I absolutely have to go try this.

Hello. What were you looking at?

Miyako-san. Look... It's a post from the ramen shop I go to all the time.

They're offering one free topping this weekend.

You really do love your food... Oh, where's Arale-san?

She'll be here soon. She went to get a drink.

...

? Is there something about my bag...?

Are you having another Magilulu collab bun for lunch today? Eating nothing but bread isn't very balanced...

Oh... No. The collab is over, and I've finished everything I stocked up on.

But now... this has arrived!

Oh... Magilulu wafers.

Exactly! Each one comes with a clear card featuring a memorable scene from the anime! There are 20 designs, plus a secret card!

They're random, so I bought a whole box, but apparently that still doesn't guarantee a complete set...

And so begins a new battle, the endless consumption of wafers...!

That sounds... difficult. Your mouth is going to get completely dry.

Even so, for Magilulu... For the secret card, I'll gladly eat every last one...!

Arale-chan and I talked about the same thing this morning. She said the new wafers had her in trouble too.

I knew it...!

On her way to school, she stopped at several stores and bought two or three at each one.

I understand completely. She was leaving some for the fellow fans who came after her...!

She also said buying a few from different stores somehow feels like "it gives you fewer duplicates."

There is no guaranteed strategy for random pulls... But I understand the feeling completely.

I see.

I was curious, so I bought one too. I ate the wafer between classes, and it was quite good.

What?! Did you open the card?

Oh, yes. I opened it just a moment ago... Here it is.

Wha...!!!

It's sparkly and pretty, isn't it? This kind of finish is called holographic, right?

Foil stamping, a holographic finish... And a rare key visual from just before the anime aired...!

Minetsuki-san!! This is the secret card!!

It is?

Yes! It wasn't shown in the card lineup!

Ahh... It's absolutely divine...!! You've gotten your hands on an incredible treasure, Minetsuki-san...!!

I didn't realize it was that rare.

In that case... here. You can have it, if you'd like.

Whaaat!?

I'll watch anime or read manga if someone recommends something to me, but I don't really go out of my way to buy merch.

You would give it... to me!? I couldn't possibly accept!!

!

You are the one the card chose, Minetsuki-san. Please treasure it and keep it somewhere secure!

And one more thing... Please be especially careful on your way home after dark...!

Uh...? All right...