Show resolve and sincerity!
You wouldn't want Rita to never be able to draw again, would you?
That's my line!
For a moment, Rin Ito had no idea what kind of expression to make.
"Whether I can draw again or not has nothing to do with you." Rita frowned. She couldn't understand why this woman, whom she was meeting for the first time, was so hostile towards her... Even if this Akane Kosaka likes him, she shouldn't be hostile towards ME.
I'm not his girlfriend, after all.
"I'm just reciting lines from his manga." Akane Kosaka stared playfully at Rin Ito for a moment before reaching out a finger to lift his chin. "You wouldn't want your wife to never be able to draw again, would you?"
Rin Ito almost burst out laughing. There actually was a line like that in the NTR manga he drew, though the heroine in that manga was based on Eriri, not Rita.
"Stop joking around." Rin Ito gently pushed Akane's finger away. "I just brought her here for a tour."
Besides making her anxious, Rin Ito's goal in bringing Rita here was to see if the creative atmosphere could infect her, rouse her spirit, and give her courage.
Rita actually understood the logic perfectly well. Rin Ito had talked to her about it during their first few days of meeting. Put simply, Rita lacked the courage to start over.
After all, this place wasn't a slacker's paradise like Baumkuchen.
She would only learn how to slack off at Baumkuchen, but here, she might actually find her courage.
"It better just be that. I don't harbor creators who can't create. However..." Akane shot a provocative glance at Rita before turning back to Rin Ito, an alluring smirk playing on her lips. "Unless you do what you did in your manga."
Mashiro thinks I'm inferior to this young little girl?
Hmph... Then don't blame me for using some adult methods.
"..."
Rita's frown deepened... Why is her hostility growing even stronger!?
Does she think I'm his girlfriend?
This guy... really is a scumbag!
Rita shot Rin Ito a stony glare... He obviously has a girlfriend, yet he didn't tell Akane Kosaka, making her think I was his girlfriend.
It's all his fault!
"I'm not his girlfriend. I'm just a normal friend of his."
"Of course you're not his girlfriend," Akane raised an eyebrow. If it were that easy to snatch him away from Kaede, Mashiro would have done it long ago without needing to ask for my help.
Rin Ito shifted his gaze back and forth between the two of them... What is wrong with these women?
Rita was one thing, but why was Akane acting so jealous?
If they started fighting, it would be a huge headache.
"Ahem..." Rin Ito cleared his throat. "It's getting late. Rita and I will head back first."
Rita nodded in agreement. She had no desire to keep arguing with Akane Kosaka either. She had clearly stated she wasn't his girlfriend, yet the hostility remained—and it wasn't the sour jealousy of a rival in love, but the hostility of someone treating her like a literal enemy.
Rin Ito led Rita out. Watching their retreating figures, Akane Kosaka crossed her arms and lifted her chin... It seems I really need to deploy some mature woman's tactics!
...
Leaving Akane Kosaka's office, Rita breathed a sigh of relief... Being treated as his girlfriend felt terrible.
Mashiro really wasn't an isolated case.
Nanami is way too trusting of him. Aside from Mashiro, who knows if he has other secret lovers out there.
Once Mashiro completely cuts ties with him, I'll quietly drop a hint to Nanami.
Whether Nanami decides to break up with him or forgive him after finding out, that won't be my problem. I'll have done my moral duty.
After exiting Rouge en Rouge, Rita called out to Rin Ito.
She kept a straight face, the corners of her mouth turned downwards.
"I have something to discuss with you."
"Mmh..." Rin Ito pretended to look conflicted and pondered for a moment. "It just so happens I have something to tell you too. Should we find a cafe to sit down?"
"No... let's find a park. It's Monday, so the park shouldn't be crowded."
Rita didn't want nosy onlookers eavesdropping on Mashiro's affairs. Cafes were too quiet; even speaking softly could be easily overheard.
Taking out her phone, Rita found a nearby park on the map.
Rita was about to hail a cab, but Rin Ito suggested walking there. Along the way, Rin Ito maintained a serious expression, as if contemplating something of great importance.
Rita was also repeatedly turning over in her mind how exactly she would lay her cards on the table. After all, it was her first time confronting someone about something like this.
They walked in silence.
The two stopped at a secluded spot in the park. Rita was just about to speak when Rin Ito cut her off.
"Hold on a second." Rin Ito cautiously surveyed the surrounding bushes. Only after confirming there were no couples having outdoor sex or engaging in master-slave exhibitionist play did he nod.
Rita took a deep breath.
"I know..."
"I like you." Rin Ito beat her to the punch before she could finish. Staring earnestly into Rita's deep blue eyes, he completely shoved the confrontation she had prepared right back down her throat.
"???"
Rita looked completely baffled, her cheeks flushing bright red in mere seconds.
She had never played a galgame, but she had read plenty of manga.
No... this, this is way too ridiculous!
Why is he confessing to me straight away!?
It's not even like this in manga! He should be chatting with me to raise my affection level, occasionally giving me gifts, having some special interactions during specific holidays, and FINALLY confessing to me after triggering some mysterious inner event!
Why go straight to the confession!?
There is something very wrong with this Rin Ito! Something extremely wrong!
We interact quite a bit on a daily basis, but it's mostly just as friends.
Plus, he already has a girlfriend, and even a secret lover! Why is he confessing to me? Does he want me to become his mistress just like Mashiro!?
"Why are you confessing to me all of a sudden? I... I don't accept it!"
"Because I like you. I see my past self in you." Rin Ito gazed affectionately at the girl in front of him. "To Mashiro, we are both just ordinary mortals... I, too, was once cast under the shadow of Mashiro's brilliance."
"I taught her how to draw manga, I found an editor for her, I helped her submit her work... You just stopped drawing to take care of her daily life, but I had to watch with my own eyes as Mashiro surpassed me in the very field of manga... Can you understand that feeling?"
"I see my past, agonizing self in you. Just like how friendship, courage, and love can conquer everything in manga, I want to help you step out of Mashiro's shadow... Since we understand each other's pain, we can definitely support each other for the rest of our lives."
"..."
Rita fell silent. She had never experienced that specific kind of feeling.
From the very beginning, Mashiro was a genius. From the start, she had blanketed the entire art studio like a dark cloud blotting out the sun, completely eclipsing all the so-called 'geniuses' there.
But... he had taught Mashiro bit by bit, only to finally be surpassed by her.
Rita felt suffocated just imagining that kind of despair.
But that's still no reason for a sudden confession!
It's not supposed to be like this in the manga!!!!