After the junior scurried away, the two remained in the cafe to discuss the "research."
Rin didn't know what Mashiro had told Akane during the dinner, and he hadn't asked. But based on the fact that Akane was willing to wear a JK uniform, he could guess the general direction.
"You wanted to show your junior your 'cool senior' self from school, only to get mocked mercilessly... Don't be mad, I'll stop talking about it. How do you want to gather this material?"
With her junior gone, Akane regained some composure. She leaned her elbows on the table, sipping her coffee while looking at Rin with a suggestive gaze.
"Just do whatever you do on a date with your girlfriend."
"No problem. Mmm..." Rin looked around. "This place is perfect."
"Here?" Akane frowned. A cafe was for a break during a date... how do you date here?
"Exactly. You go order a coffee, pretend to be a waitress and bring it to me, then pretend to wipe the table while chatting with me in secret."
"...?"
Akane's frown deepened. It sounded like he was roleplaying a date with a girlfriend who worked part-time at the cafe. But Fairy and Utaha clearly didn't look like the type to wait tables.
"Wait... why would Utaha Kasumigaoka or Yamada Elf be working in a place like this?"
"Did I ever say it was them?"
"...?"
Akane was stunned. She had investigated Rin slightly by contacting his editor, Orie, using "interest in his work" as an excuse. But she only got his professional details, contact info, and address. She hadn't delved into his private life.
She had assumed Utaha and Fairy were rivals who teamed up against Mashiro, but now it seemed the web was wider.
However... it didn't matter. She wasn't truly trying to steal a man; she just wanted to feel the thrill of romance and see what made him so magnetic. She didn't want to overthink it.
"Let's try a different date then. Something normal. The kind of stuff that happens in manga or novels."
"Like a movie?" Rin asked. "Mmm... or an amusement park. Standard tropes. Want to experience those for 'research'?"
"Exactly. No need for anything staged. Just stay with me while I gather data."
Akane had been to cinemas and theme parks before, but it was always with club mates or for solo research. She had never been alone with a man.
Rin stayed with her all day until the sun went down. Akane was full of energy, but Rin was mentally exhausted.
Research isn't like a normal date. On a normal date, you walk and talk with someone you like. Research is like filming a movie... if one take isn't good enough, you do it again.
If there were "benefits" involved, Rin wouldn't mind multiple takes. Mashiro used to do that—using "research" as an excuse for sex, and then saying the research failed and they had to "re-shoot."
But Akane had stayed at hand-holding all day. Since she wrote "above-board" manga, she really didn't need "deep research" anyway.
After dinner, Rin and Akane were walking hand-in-hand like a couple. Passing a love hotel, Rin stopped and wickedly pointed at the neon sign.
"It's getting late. If it were a real girlfriend, we'd usually head in there..." Rin teased with a grin. "Shall we continue the research?"
"!!!!"
Akane's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected him to be so direct. After a day of hand-holding, she had grown accustomed to his touch, and while she was shy inside, she maintained a facade of cool indifference.
"It's late. If I keep you any longer, your actual girlfriend might get upset. We'll save the Love Hotel 'research' for next time."
"Fine then..." Rin sighed, feigning disappointment.
Akane knew he was acting, but it still made her happy. My body might not be a teenager's anymore, but I clearly still have enough charm to make him want more~
After Akane dropped him off, Rin stretched in the foyer. Usually, in manga, the guy drives the girl home. Today, it was the other way around.
"Welcome back~"
In the living room, Nanami was practicing her voice acting with her plushie, 'Kotaro.' She was reading the script for their galgame. With Winter Comiket only two months away, she had to finish the heroine's lines before the deadline.
To save electricity, Nanami only had one lamp on, leaving the room dim.
"I'm home." Rin turned on the lights. "Is Mashiro in her room?"
Nanami set down her phone and looked at him. "Did the manga talk go well?"
"That's great... so Mashiro is officially a professional manga artist now?"
Nanami's expression was complicated. She was happy for Mashiro, but felt a twinge of self-pity. A genius is a genius; no matter what they draw, they succeed. She, however, was just a regular person.
Seeing her mood, Rin ruffled her hair.
"When it gets an anime adaptation, you're the one voicing the heroine!"
After comforting her, Rin went upstairs to Mashiro's room.
Her skirt was tossed aside. Mashiro sat at her desk in just her uniform shirt and panties, meticulously drawing storyboards. She was wearing one of Rin's shirts; it fit her well but didn't hide her pale blue panties or her porcelain thighs.
"I talked to the editor. The contract is settled. We'll go to the office in a few days to sign, then you're officially debut." Rin patted her head and set a business card on the desk. "Here's her card. If you don't want to talk to her, I'll handle the communication."
"Thanks." Mashiro glanced at the card and went back to the screen.
Used to her personality, Rin gave her a quick summary of the pay and deadlines before leaving her to work.
However, once Rin was gone, Mashiro didn't keep drawing. She picked up her phone and found a name in her very short contact list.
Mashiro: [Manga debut successful. Serialization confirmed. Signing the contract in a few days.]