At the Sawamura residence.
Eriri bit her finger, which was as slender as a spring onion, and looked at the comment section, which was filled with mischievous comments, her expression serious.
She hadn't expected to be exposed so easily!
She thought she could hide it for a while; every single one of these guys was a pervert!
"Sigh."
The girl sighed softly.
Sure enough, was being a hentai artist a stain she couldn't avoid?
It seemed like a complete whitewash was impossible.
This also meant that she had best never expose her true identity to the public, otherwise, the Sawamura family would lose face.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, a notification popped up.
Unsurprisingly, it was from Sagiri of the Frontline Alliance.
"Soga."
She looked at the message, a brilliant smile on her face, but her eyes held a hint of worry.
Although she thought Mashiro would take a bit longer to be able to draw a qualified manga, the setbacks she had experienced in the past couldn't help but make her wonder if Mashiro might create another miracle.
Therefore, in the coming period, besides enriching the settings for a potential long-term manga serialization, she would also be paying attention to Mashiro's progress.
The pressure she put on herself was also an endless source of motivation.
"What Chihiro can do, I, Eriri, can also do!"
The twin-tailed girl clenched her fists and secretly vowed.
What did Chihiro feel when he first saw Nayuta's work? And what did he feel when he was called a lower-tier substitute for Senju Muramasa?
Although she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she could imagine it.
He must have been affected, even if Chihiro didn't show it.
But Chihiro had always moved forward, never giving up on himself.
Therefore, she didn't want to lose, didn't want to keep losing, whether it was to Chihiro or Shiina.
This was her pride.
By Monday.
Izumi Chihiro found that his recent guidance had been very effective; Mashiro had finally learned to brush her teeth and put on her shoes.
"Mashiro has grown up, hasn't she?"
He was quite moved.
Mashiro looked down and said, "Oppai?"
Her movement was as if she was going to weigh the size.
"I don't recall using such a teasing term."
Izumi Chihiro's forehead seemed to have a few black lines, and he said with a stern face.
"That's how it's portrayed in novels."
Mashiro responded as if citing a classic.
Izumi Chihiro frowned, tried to search his memories, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
"In that work, two girls were groping each other to measure, and at the same time, it was a fan service scene for the readers. Don't misunderstand, okay?"
"So, I need to grope?"
Mashiro extended her hands, like a kitten extending its paws, emanating an adorable charm.
"Those were two girls, and I'm a boy, and… never mind."
He rubbed his forehead, then crossed his arms and said, "This topic is forbidden now."
If they continued, they would miss this train.
He didn't think he could make Mashiro understand the difference anytime soon.
Mashiro's eyes flickered, as if she understood something.
Is it only okay if it's a girl?
Arriving at school.
Mashiro stayed in her seat, where it was very quiet, like the calm after the storm.
Of course, this was mainly because Mashiro's personality was too eccentric; ordinary people found her strange and difficult to approach.
But she herself was not affected by this cold treatment at all, holding a pen and occasionally sketching in her notebook.
She wasn't drawing, but thinking about plot development, which was her main focus now.
"Mashiro, you have drawn enough, and you are already skilled enough. What you need to consider now is how to plan the plot well. For expressions, just use your extraordinary memory to capture them. Although not using them flexibly might lead to some incongruities, it's sufficient."
His earnest teachings appeared in her mind.
"Mashiro, are you drawing even during class? Don't you need to worry about your studies?"
In the afternoon, Shiina Mafuyu asked curiously.
"I'm not drawing, I'm thinking."
Mashiro said calmly.
"Thinking?"
"Yes, Chihiro told me it would help me become a manga artist sooner."
"For Mashiro, becoming a manga artist shouldn't be difficult, right? You draw so well…"
"I don't draw well. Chihiro said my manga drawing is a mess."
"Is… is that so?"
Shiina Mafuyu felt like she was rubbing salt in the other person's wound, but seeing that Mashiro's expression hadn't changed much, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Teacher Izumi shouldn't misjudge, so is it Mashiro's own reason? Hmm, it does seem possible, after all, the requirements for manga are very different from other types of drawing…"
She quickly figured out the reason.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, she had already noticed some of Mashiro's problems.
After finishing her bento, she noticed that there was still a grain of rice on Mashiro's lip, and her obsessive-compulsive disorder immediately flared up.
"Mashiro, wipe here."
She raised her finger and demonstrated.
"?"
Mashiro looked confused, as if asking what kind of bewildering behavior she was performing.
"Never mind, I'll do it myself."
Shiina Mafuyu took a tissue and cleaned Mashiro's lips.
"That's better."
Looking at the pretty, clean face again, the girl felt satisfied.
The day ended in such a process of 'battling wits', and it must be said that taking care of Mashiro was quite mentally exhausting; another person would probably find it difficult to persevere.
"Of course, for Mafuyu, who often stays up late to complete all-collectible galgames, this is nothing at all!"
Shiina Mafuyu was enjoying the pleasure of this character development.
"But in that case, Teacher Izumi must be having a very hard time, right?"
She glanced at Mashiro, who was deep in thought, and pondered to herself.
Putting herself in his shoes, the mental effort required to care for Mashiro, plus the pressure from his studies and career, could completely crush a person.
Thinking of this, her admiration for Teacher Izumi grew even stronger.
As school dismissal time arrived.
"Mafuyu is a little nervous…"
Shiina Mafuyu felt her breathing quicken.
Was this her androphobia acting up?
It shouldn't be, because this time it was even more intense than last time; it felt more like the feeling of being overwhelmed right before meeting her idol.
Before, she didn't know Teacher Izumi's identity, but now it was different.
"Pat… pat…"
Around the almost empty classroom, the sudden sound of footsteps was particularly noticeable.
The person she had been eagerly awaiting appeared before her eyes.
'What should I say?'
'What's the best way to greet him?'
At this moment, the girl's mind was in a jumble, as if she were a girl yearning to confess her feelings.
"This is it!"
Shiina Mafuyu gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and transcended her own limitations; that sense of tension pushed her a step closer to him.
"Mafuyu has always liked Teacher Izumi…!
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter