Ep. 13: Mashiro and Takagi submit their pseudonym and face shifting poll results for their new manga.

13

Following Miyoshi’s advice, Mashiro contacts Azuki via email to start a professional correspondence. On the first day of high school, the duo registers their new pen name, Muto Ashirogi. Hattori praises their submission but seems hesitant about serializing Money and Intelligence, possibly hoping they delay until after graduation. The manga initially tops the NEXT poll’s early results but falls to third place in the final tally, while Nizuma’s entry secures half the total votes. Convinced by this outcome that they need a mainstream hit to win first place, Mashiro and Takagi resolve to create a superior work that surpasses their previous efforts.