"I'm sorry. I'm the one who asked you to stay for dinner, but now I'm making you help cook." Eriri stood at the kitchen entrance covering her face. Though you couldn't see her expression, the redness of her ears had already betrayed her current mood.
Just now, with no other options, she'd decided to cram at the last minute. Using "going to the bathroom" as an excuse, she'd taken her tablet to the restroom and watched a few cooking tutorial videos. Though it looked simple enough and her brain claimed to have learned it, when she actually tried to do it, her hands expressed complete confusion.
Plus, what even was "a small amount" or "a little bit" in the videos? Couldn't they just give exact measurements?
After Eriri nearly burned the pan, Shirai Mio had taken over cooking duties.
Actually, she'd more or less predicted Eriri couldn't cook. Everything was going according to plan.
But speaking of which, she wondered if Shiina Mashiro was eating well with Chihiro-sensei today. She'd make her a midnight snack when she got home as compensation.
"It's nothing. I cook at home every day anyway, and I actually enjoy cooking." As Shirai Mio spoke, her hands never slowed down. Her practiced movements were even pleasing to watch.
Strictly speaking, it was Shirai Mio wearing an apron with a gentle smile that was truly pleasing to the eye.
Even Eriri, also a girl, couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to have a wife like this.
Of course, she quickly dismissed that weird thought.
But even so, watching Shirai Mio, various ideas kept popping into Eriri's mind.
If she wore only an apron, there'd definitely be even more inspiration.
Cough cough!
Though Shirai Mio wasn't looking her way, Eriri guiltily averted her gaze and unconsciously started playing with her hair to cover her current guilty conscience.
But this guilt didn't last long. Already feeling hungry, Eriri's attention was quickly captured by the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.
Though she hadn't tasted it yet, judging by the smell alone, it had to be amazing.
Feeling Eriri's longing gaze, Shirai Mio tilted her head and asked, "Want to try this dish I made, Sawamura-san?"
Hearing Shirai Mio's words, Eriri instinctively wanted to say no need, but Shirai Mio had already picked up a piece of the fragrant braised meat and brought it to her lips. Was this the legendary hand-feeding?
"S-since you insist, I'll try it then." After making a small excuse for herself, Eriri quietly opened her mouth and ate the braised meat.
When the delicious flavor bloomed on her tongue, Eriri mumbled indistinctly, "So good!"
Though the smell had already told her it'd be good, honestly, it exceeded her expectations.
In her opinion, Shirai Mio's cooking skills were restaurant-level.
"Then, want another piece?"
"Sure."
At this moment, Eriri, waiting for Shirai Mio to feed her, was just like a golden retriever waiting for its owner to toss treats—no need to add "defeated" yet.
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After dinner, Shirai Mio followed Eriri back to her room. She put on a curious expression and asked, "Sawamura-san, could I see your previous works?"
"Sure." As Eriri spoke, she walked to the bookshelf and pointed at the top row. "Those up there are all my previous works. I think there are backup copies in the storage room—I'll organize them and give you a set later."
"Can I really have them?" Shirai Mio looked at Eriri with some excitement. This wasn't an act—she genuinely wanted to see Eriri's doujins. She didn't want to miss this rare opportunity.
"Yep."
"Thank you."
After giving Eriri a faint smile, Shirai Mio pulled out one of the doujins from the shelf and started reading.
As she read, she asked with apparent curiosity, "Sawamura-san, when you draw the male and female leads doing that kind of thing, how do you draw it? Just using your imagination?"
"As if. Of course I look for reference materials." At this point, worried Shirai Mio might misunderstand something, Eriri quickly added, "I mean finding magazines, you know? Those kinds of magazines."
"But can people our age really buy those kinds of magazines?"
"My dad has quite a few in his room. If you need any, I can lend you some later."
"I see. I've always relied on my imagination or practice before."
"Practice!?" Eriri's eyes went wide, as if she'd heard something incredible. Her mind even conjured an image of Shirai Mio lying in bed, face flushed and clothes half-undone.
No way, right? Shirai Mio didn't seem like that type at all.
Seeing Eriri's shocked expression, Shirai Mio realized she'd been misunderstood. She quickly explained, "The practice I mean isn't that kind of thing! I've never done that! I just mean certain poses—I usually try them myself in front of a mirror."
"What the heck, I do that all the time too. Though some poses can't be done alone, so I can only reference materials for those."
Shirai Mio nodded in agreement. Just then, she seemed to think of something. Using the doujin to cover her face, she said, "Sawamura-san, there's actually something I've always wanted to try, but I could never find anyone to cooperate. Could you help me?"
"Hmm?"
"I... I want to try what it feels like to be pushed down." Shirai Mio showed only her eyes, which sparkled with obvious shyness and curiosity.
"P-p-p-pushed down!?" Eriri was once again shocked by Shirai Mio's words. Sure, Shirai Mio was beautiful, but she didn't have any interest in that direction!
"Sawamura-san, don't misunderstand! I just want to experience the feeling of being pushed down—the kind where nothing else happens except the pushing! Just the pushing, nothing more!"
After hearing Shirai Mio's explanation, Eriri finally calmed down a bit. Her face flushed as she cleared her throat twice. "I... I didn't misunderstand anything. It's just pushing down, right? Come stand by the bed and I'll help you."
"Okay."
Shirai Mio made a sound of acknowledgment, then walked to the bedside. From her somewhat stiff steps, it was clear she was also in a nervous state.
Looking at Shirai Mio standing before her, Eriri took a deep breath, then said quietly, "Alright, I'm going to start."
"Mm. Please be gentle."
Seeing Shirai Mio's slightly flushed cheeks, her clear eyes carrying nervousness and shyness, plus that last line—even Eriri, an 18+ doujin artist, felt her heartbeat accelerate.
"Don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand!"
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