Today, Shiina Mashiro had an important mission.
She was scheduled to meet with a manga editor to discuss the final terms of her comic contract.
But naturally, Nozomi didn't feel at ease letting her go alone.
Though he couldn't personally accompany her, he had made sure to arrange someone trustworthy to go with her.
...Even so, Mashiro puffed out her cheeks in mild dissatisfaction.
She wanted Nozomi to go with her, not someone else.
However, after Nozomi gently fed her a spoonful of sweet, creamy milk, Mashiro's resistance melted away like snow in spring.
( For the sake of deliciousness, I'll forgive him... just this once. )
A short while later, a knock sounded at the door of Sakurasou.
Yukinoshita Yukino, dressed in casual yet refined clothes, stepped gracefully into the room.
Her clear, commanding voice cut through the air as she looked at the silver-haired girl sitting calmly on the sofa.
"You must be Shiina Mashiro, right?"
Mashiro nodded lightly.
"I'm Yukinoshita Yukino. Nozomi asked me to accompany you to the comic contract signing. Shall we head out?"
Mashiro tilted her head slightly, staring at Yukino's composed face, before mumbling:
"...There's something else."
"Hm?"
Yukino blinked in confusion.
Without another word, Mashiro reached for a pair of cat ears from the side table, perched them neatly on her own head, and then leaned forward, her wide golden eyes gazing expectantly at Yukino.
Yukino's cheeks reddened uncontrollably.
Hesitantly, she raised her hand and gently poked the fluffy cat ears atop Mashiro's head.
( Why... why is this girl so dangerously cute?! )
"Shiina-san... who taught you to wear... that?" Yukino stammered slightly.
Mashiro answered innocently, "Nozomi said if Mashiro wears this, Yukino will definitely take good care of her."
"...I would have taken care of you even without the cat ears," Yukino said helplessly, trying to maintain her dignity.
Mashiro beamed brightly. "Mashiro will be a good girl. Yukino."
"..."
Yukino could only sigh inwardly.
This girl was so pure, so guileless—it would feel cruel to correct her. And honestly... with those cat ears and that angelic face, how could anyone say no?
Accepting her fate, Yukino guided Mashiro through the day.
As expected of Yukinoshita Yukino, she was thorough and professional.
She escorted Mashiro to the publishing company, sat through the detailed contract discussions, and ensured everything went smoothly.
When they returned to Sakurasou, Mashiro still wore her usual blank expression—but her eyes sparkled faintly with joy.
Curious, Yukino decided to finally ask the question that had been on her mind all day.
"Shiina-san," she said carefully, "why did you choose to give up your career as a painter and start drawing comics instead?"
From the information Yukino had gathered beforehand, Shiina Mashiro wasn't just talented—she was a legendary genius.
An internationally acclaimed prodigy, once hailed as a miracle in the art world.
There were even pictures of her standing beside political leaders and art patrons.
One painting of hers could fetch a fortune.
Yet this girl had turned her back on all that to draw manga—a field considered far less prestigious.
Surely her family must have protested?
Facing Yukino's earnest question, Mashiro answered without hesitation:
"To make people smile."
She said it so plainly, so sincerely, that Yukino was caught off guard.
"In Mashiro's world, there was only painting," Mashiro explained softly. "It was always like that. Painting, painting... nothing else."
"But then, one day, Rita showed me manga."
"Mashiro saw people smiling while reading it... showing all kinds of expressions."
"Mashiro thought... I want to make people smile too."
"So Mashiro decided to draw manga. So everyone's world could be colored by Mashiro's drawings."
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then Mashiro tilted her head slightly, her cat ears wobbling cutely, and asked in a soft voice:
"Yukino, what color do you like?"
Yukino blinked, momentarily speechless.
She hadn't expected such a pure, heartfelt reason.
After a moment of thought, she answered:
"...I suppose I like white."
"White is pure... untouched. It's a color that can be dyed into anything."
"This purity... I find it beautiful."
Mashiro's eyes lit up, and she gently took Yukino's hand.
"Mashiro likes white too."
"But... Nozomi likes black," she added thoughtfully.
"...Eh? Why?" Yukino asked, genuinely curious.
"Because black can absorb all colors... and turn them into itself."
"It can contain everything."
Yukino's mouth twitched.
"...What a greedy color," she muttered.
To desire everything—how impossibly arrogant.
But Mashiro wasn't done yet.
"Yukino," she asked innocently, "do you like Nozomi's color?"
The question landed like a bomb.
Yukino's face turned scarlet in an instant.
"I-I don't like it!" she stammered, turning her head away.
Mashiro stared at her with those wide, curious eyes and continued:
"Mashiro thinks Nozomi likes Mashiro's white... What about Yukino?"
"......"
Yukino didn't know how to respond.
Was Mashiro seriously asking? Or... was this another naive, innocent question?
( I can't tell with her at all...! )
And so, an awkward silence settled between the two girls—one pure, one confused—as the golden afternoon light spilled into Sakurasou.
— — —
By the time Nozomi returned to Sakurasou, Yukinoshita Yukino was still seated comfortably, quietly stroking a lazy cat sprawled across her lap. From her serene expression, it seemed she could spend the whole day just like this, blissfully lost in the world of soft fur and purring.
Nozomi, seeing the peaceful scene, couldn't help but smile. Without a word, he grabbed another nearby "tool cat" and plopped down beside her, casually joining in the petting. The two sat in a strangely comfortable silence, the only sounds being the occasional rumbling purrs.
After a while, Yukino shot him a glance and asked flatly: "Finished watching your movie?"
"Yeah, finished," Nozomi replied, his tone easygoing.
"You must be very pleased with yourself," Yukino remarked, her words edged with subtle sarcasm.
"If Yukino had come with me, I would have been even happier," Nozomi said, grinning playfully.
"You already have so many beautiful girls around you," Yukino huffed, looking away. "Do you really need me too?"
Hearing this, Nozomi set down his cat and, with swift movements, scooped Yukino up into his arms, making her sit right onto his lap! Caught off guard, Yukino let out a soft shriek.
"Ah! Y-You! What are you doing?!" Her hands instinctively pressed against his chest, her face burning scarlet.
Nozomi tightened his hold gently, taking in her scent as he whispered near her ear: "I'm trying to tell you... I need Yukino, too."
His voice was so sincere that it made her heart thump wildly against her ribs.
"Next time... let's watch a movie together, just the two of us," he murmured.
Trying to suppress the raging storm inside her, Yukino turned her face away, pretending to be unaffected. "Why should I agree?" she asked coolly.
"You don't have to agree," Nozomi said, chuckling mischievously. "That's why... I'm begging you."
"B-Begging?!" Yukino sputtered. "You call this begging?! You're clearly coercing me!"
Realizing he had overstepped, Nozomi gave an awkward laugh and reluctantly released her from his arms. "Sorry, sorry... I just got a little carried away," he admitted.
Today, Yukino wasn't dressed in her usual school uniform. Instead, she wore casual clothes that made her seem more approachable, more real, and breathtakingly beautiful in a way that caught Nozomi completely off guard. Gone was the icy aura that surrounded her at school—right now, she just looked like a normal girl he wanted to hold forever.
Meanwhile, the lazy tool cat had long fled, abandoning them to their own mess.
Yukinoshita Yukino calmly adjusted her clothes, though her heart still raced wildly. "I want to go home," she declared firmly.
"I'll walk you," Nozomi said without missing a beat, casually reaching out and taking her hand.
The two left Sakurasou side-by-side, the evening breeze gently swirling around them.
After walking for a while, Yukino suddenly asked, "Was the movie good?"
"It was okay," Nozomi shrugged. "But there were a few... interesting moments."
"Hm? What kind of interesting moments?" Yukino raised an eyebrow.
"You know Miura Yumiko from our class, right?" Nozomi began.
Yukino nodded, frowning slightly. "Yes, people often compare her with Mahiru and like to drag me into those conversations."
"In Yumiko's little clique, there's a girl named Ebina Hina. You've seen them together, right?" "Of course. They're practically glued at the hip."
"Nozomi chuckled and leaned closer. "Well, today wasn't about Yumiko—it was about Hina. Apparently, Tobe Kakeru decided he wanted to confess to her."
Yukino's expression immediately grew interested.
"And? How did it go?"
Nozomi laughed. "Disaster. Complete disaster. He made a complete fool of himself."
Listening to the series of awkward incidents Nozomi recounted—Tobe's clumsy confession attempts, Hina's polite but firm rejection, and the general chaos—Yukino couldn't help but let out a rare, genuine laugh. "If what you're saying is true, then Tobe really is pitiful."
Nozomi shrugged. "People should learn to evaluate their own abilities before chasing what they want."
Then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he turned to her and asked, "Yukino, do you think... I have the ability?"
At that, Yukino's cheeks flared red once more. "D-Don't ask me something like that! How would I know?!"
"Hmm..." Seeing no one around, Nozomi took the opportunity to hug her again, holding her firmly.
"Then I'll prove it to you," he said boldly, his voice low and full of promise. "So... come to the movies with me next time."
Yukino's heart skipped a beat. This guy... he really was too much!
In the end, despite her better judgment, she somehow found herself nodding slightly.
When she finally reached home, she collapsed face-first onto her bed, her cheeks hot enough to cook an egg. She couldn't understand it—why was she getting weaker and weaker against Nozomi's touch? And why... why did she not mind as much anymore?
Thinking about the embrace in Sakurasou earlier, Yukino buried her face deeper into the pillow. That shameless guy... not only did he hug her, but he even sneakily touched her leg while doing so!
Her heart pounded uncontrollably as she whispered to herself: "Nozomi... you idiot..."
**************
6 chapters as per schedule for both Monday and Today.