At night, the "little tails" could be turned on at will, but during the day, Rin Ito didn't tease the Kanai sisters too much.
Juju and Shinju still had school, and Rin had business to attend to. As the roar of a Porsche engine approached his gate, the voice of Akane Hongsaka (Akane Kosaka) echoed from outside.
"Rin-kun, wake up~!"
"..."
Rin sighed, putting his computer to sleep and sliding his phone into his pocket. Already prepared, he stepped out and climbed into the passenger seat of the Porsche.
"Being this high-profile is going to make the neighbors think I'm a kept man," Rin muttered as he buckled his seatbelt. He turned to look at Akane, and then he froze. "Wait... what?"
He had planned to complain more about her flashy arrival, but looking at her now, he just wanted to laugh.
She wasn't wearing her usual professional office lady (OL) attire or the sleeveless high-slit dress he knew. Instead, she was wearing... a high school uniform. A black-themed JK (Joshi Kosei) set. It wasn't new; it looked like her actual uniform from her student days.
It was clear she managed her figure well—her uniform from years ago fit her perfectly.
Akane: "If you laugh, I'm throwing you out of the car!"
Rin: "Fine, fine. I won't laugh. I'll keep a straight face, okay...?"
If not for her warning, Rin would have burst into hysterics. The contrast of this mature woman in a schoolgirl outfit was nearly too much to handle. He wiped a tear from his eye and tried to compose himself.
"Seriously though... aren't you introducing me to a manga editor today? Why the JK uniform? That's not your style."
Akane wasn't the type to get embarrassed easily, but being scrutinized by Rin's teasing gaze made her cheeks burn. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, feigning nonchalance.
"I just wanted to re-experience my student days. I've been out of school for a long time, but many of my works have school settings. Immersing myself helps with the creative process."
"If you want the real experience, stop driving a Porsche. I'll give you a ride on the back of my bicycle. Want to try?"
"..."
Sitting on the back of a boy's bike in a uniform... that was certainly "youthful," but also intensely humiliating. While her skin was well-maintained, she clearly wasn't sixteen anymore, and people would notice.
Just the thought of it made her brain tremble. If it weren't to seduce him, why on earth would I wear this?
"No, that's unnecessary," Akane said, staring straight ahead and acting like it was a perfectly normal suggestion. "Just go on a normal date with me to help me gather material. Let me experience student romance."
"I've heard a theory that only creators who have never experienced love can write sweet romance. Those who have experienced it only write about despair."
"If I date a playboy like you, I'll certainly find despair. But since you're experienced, you're the perfect person for my research."
Ever since the Baumkuchen dinner, Akane had been obsessing over how to help Mashiro "steal" Rin from Fairy and Utaha. She agreed to this partly for Mashiro, but mostly because she didn't want to die without ever knowing what love felt like.
Actually, in her mind, Mashiro was secondary. Even if she poached Mashiro for the company, the girl would only draw what she wanted. Akane simply wanted to experience things she had missed out on.
She'd had plenty of suitors, but she was too busy with art in school and became a workaholic monster after graduation. After her hospitalization, she'd let go of her rigid ways. She didn't want to die before her ideas were on paper, and she certainly didn't want to die a virgin to romance.
Akane specialized in shoujo manga, depicting burning passions between leads... but she had zero practical experience, and certainly no experience competing with two other girls for one man.
Even ignoring that, her manga usually featured slow-burning feelings. She didn't have the patience for that now, but she also didn't want to resort to using her body or money as bait. Experiencing a "date" under the guise of research was a perfectly logical compromise.
"Fine. You introduce me to the editor, and I'll help with your research. Seems fair. But..." Rin looked at her uniform. "You're really going to meet the editor like that?"
"She was my junior in my high school club. This is the version of me she's familiar with. I've already shown her Mashiro's drafts. You just need to negotiate the page rates and contract details."
Akane didn't want to linger on the topic. She checked the GPS and drove toward the cafe. It was a weekday morning, and the moment they entered, a woman in professional OL attire waved them over.
"Pfft... Akane-senpai, what is that outfit? Hahahaha! No wonder you picked a cafe instead of an izakaya—you'd look ridiculous at a bar like that."
The moment they sat down, Akane's junior burst into laughter.
"I thought this was a formal business meeting, so I wore a suit. I didn't expect you to dig up your old uniform."
"Sh-shut up!" Akane's face was glowing. She shot a look at Rin. "You two talk about the manga. Ignore me."
"Eh... I remember you saying the artist was a girl?"
"She isn't available for meetings. My name is Rin Ito, I'm the CEO of Baumkuchen. You can coordinate everything through me."
Rin smiled and handed over his business card. The junior returned the gesture.
The formal discussion began. Akane had pre-vetted the content, so there were no issues with the art or plot. The focus was on manuscript fees and copyright.
The pay structure was simple—standard page rates plus royalties for collected volumes. Though Mashiro didn't care about money, Rin fought for the best possible terms. If Mashiro had been there herself, she would have lost interest and walked away in ten minutes.
After two hours and two cups of coffee, the details were finalized.
"Mr. Rin, we'll schedule another time to sign the official contract. For now... I won't interrupt your date with Senpai~"
"This isn't a date! It's just source material gathering!"
"Right, right, I get it. Senpai is just researching for her new work. Make sure you show me the results once it's done~!"