By the time Rin led the girls out of the basement carrying the bottles of milk, the yard was ready.
The skewers were neatly arranged on the tables, the rising heat from the grills making the air shimmer. The fridges were stocked with chilled beer, soda, and juice.
As dusk settled over the sky, Baumkuchen Studio's first official gathering began.
"Beer and soda are in the fridge... Akane Hongsaka, don't try to sneak a beer. If you want to improve your figure, go for the milk... the limited edition supply is running low."
Rin caught Akane trying to swipe a beer before she even touched the handle. As for the milk...
Those who knew, knew. Those who didn't wouldn't understand even if he explained, and they shouldn't ask—the "interests" involved were too deep for outsiders. Rin could only say the basement was "overflowing," and since he couldn't show the party archives, he had to leave it at "if you know, you know."
Nijika, Kita, and the others were definitely in the "know." They shot Chika teasing glances before filling large cups with milk. Kaguya and Hayasaka did the same... both were the types who desperately wished they could transplant Chika's breasts onto themselves.
It was the same at previous parties—while others left hickeys, Kaguya and Hayasaka were the ones leaving teeth marks on Chika's chest.
They hadn't expected the "dairy source" today to be a duo. Even though Moeha knew the teasing looks weren't aimed at her, her cheeks flushed involuntarily.
Rin scanned the group. Seeing all the girls with their drinks, he raised his own glass.
"[]~(￣▽￣)~* Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Once the toast was over, the feast truly began. Rin, along with those who knew their way around a kitchen—like Nanami, Kaguya, and Nijika—were glued to the grills. People were constantly swarming them to snatch up freshly cooked skewers.
Ryo was particularly persistent, standing right next to Nijika.
She ate every skewer Nijika finished, one after another. Kita and Bocchi were like baby birds, waiting for "Mother" Nijika to feed them.
Kita was fine, but Bocchi didn't dare share a grill with anyone she wasn't close to. Luckily, most were among friends; otherwise, social outcasts like Bocchi and Sagiri wouldn't even have dared to approach the meat.
"Anyone want the beef skewers?"
After an hour of sweating over the grill, Rin finally had a moment to wipe his face and sit down with a beer and a few skewers of his own.
Noticing he was free, Shihali (Utaha) and Sahodo—both looking a bit tipsy and holding beers—approached him.
"What's up? Want more skewers? There's a few left by the fire."
"It's not that..." A slightly drunk Shihali threw an arm around Rin's shoulder, pressing her chest firmly against his arm. Sahodo stood by, looking shy.
Shihali glanced left and right before whispering. "Um... can we... talk about something?"
"Mmm? What is it?"
"Miss Shirogane is living here, right? Well... Sahodo and I were wondering if we could move into the studio too. Is that okay?"
"Mmh mmh mmh..." Sahodo nodded frantically. "When I was drawing normal manga it was fine, but drawing doujins in the college dorm is a nightmare. I have to hide my supplies every time someone comes over... it's exhausting."
"And living here would save us rent," Shihali added.
"No." Rin refused without hesitation. "Sahodo can, but you can't, Shihali."
"Eh? Why!?" Shihali was stunned.
Rin wordlessly waved over their editor, Orie, who was nearby with a beer in one hand and a skewer in the other, her cheeks bulging with food.
"Mmm? What is it?"
"Shihali wants to move into the studio. What do you think?"
"Absolutely not," Orie said, shaking her head immediately.
"See?" Rin smiled. "Others might be fine, but not you, Shihali. Because you're a professional procrastinator. You always wait until the literal deadline to submit your work."
"I rented this place as a studio specifically to separate your work life from your home life. It's meant to reduce the chance of you missing deadlines."
"Kei lives here because she cleans the place—it's a part-time job. Sahodo isn't a serialized artist yet, so she can stay. But once she gets a regular slot, she has to move out."
"Yes, exactly!!!" Orie nodded in agreement. She swallowed her mouthful of meat and took a long swig of beer. "By the way... can I borrow a room too?"
"I mean, sure... Orie, you want to move in to make it easier to harass your artists for pages?"
"No, no, no, no..." Orie laughed embarrassedly. "I want a room to store my clothes and fabrics... my wardrobes at home are bursting. I have no room left to make new ones. I want to use a room as a warehouse... Of course, if... if there's an outfit you like, you can use it, as long as you wash it and don't ruin it."
Orie's "clothes" weren't just cosplays; they were mostly various types of fetish lingerie. The cosplays were secondary; her primary hobby was recreating the lingerie worn by heroines in adult manga to collect them.
"That's not a problem. There are plenty of empty rooms."
"Thank you so much!!!!" If her hands weren't greasy, Orie would have grabbed Rin's hand in gratitude. "If there's any specific outfit you want made, just ask~"
"Hmm..." Rin looked over at Juju and Shinju, who were chatting with Marin. They had previously wanted Orie to custom-make some cosplays for them, but Orie only did it for fun. If a design didn't interest her, no amount of money could buy her work.
The Kanai sisters liked "Magical Girl" outfits aimed at children. If it were "Corrupted Magical Girls," it would be a different story, but the G-rated versions didn't interest Orie at all... This was the perfect chance to use the room as leverage.
"They've been dying for some of your custom cosplays. As 'rent,' how about you make them an outfit each?"
"No problem, leave it to me!"
Rin stood up and walked over to Juju and Shinju to deliver the good news.
"Really?" Juju clenched her small fists in excitement. "She's actually willing to make clothes for me?"
"Why would I lie? She said she'll do it." After speaking, Rin subtly caught Shinju's eye.
The excited Juju didn't notice that Rin said he'd have clothes made for "them" (plural).
Hehe... Shinju never told her sister about our secret plan to cosplay at the next convention together!