"Oh, by the way,"
At this moment, he suddenly thought of something and smiled at Rin, asking, "In that case, during the time we've been working together, I haven't unconsciously caused Shimizu-san a lot of trouble, have I?"
This question was entirely a joke.
However, Rin seemed to think of something, blushed slightly, and quickly denied it, "How could that be?"
"I'm not like Mr. Sasaki, who has so many things to worry about."
Strictly speaking, though, Akira's presence and their time spent together recently had indeed brought her some unexpected issues.
But the issues she encountered were completely different from the ones Hisashi faced.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Akira, only to find him looking back at her with a smile.
Rin blushed even deeper instantly, feeling a bit flustered.
After spending time together and observing him, she felt that he perhaps, probably, maybe, should also have some feelings for her.
But she wasn't entirely sure, fearing it was just her illusion.
So on the surface, she feigned composure and immediately changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, since we mentioned Mr. Sasaki, I'm actually a bit curious—what kind of people are Mochizuki-kun's three manga assistants?"
Akira was currently admiring Rin's cute little expression.
After gradually becoming certain that she also had feelings for him, he especially enjoyed observing her various reactions whenever they spent time together.
It was very cute and very interesting.
More importantly, this state of affairs wouldn't last for too long.
He wasn't someone who liked to drag things out on purpose.
Since he had already confirmed his own feelings and was gradually confirming hers, it was about time to take the next step.
Christmas was just around the corner.
That being said, Akira was a bit surprised by the new topic Rin brought up, asking, "Why the sudden question?"
"Because aren't we all going to attend the Jump Festa event together soon?"
Rin explained, "So I wanted to get to know a little about them before we meet, so I won't be left out of the conversation."
"I see."
Akira nodded in understanding, not expecting her to care so much about this.
So he smiled and said, "Actually, you don't have to take it so seriously. It's just everyone hanging out together."
"But let me introduce them briefly—"
However, speaking of which, his understanding of the three assistants was limited to their state in the studio; he didn't know much about their personal lives.
Therefore, he could only briefly explain what he knew, sharing a few funny little anecdotes that occasionally happened in the studio.
Even so, Rin listened with great interest.
To her, these daily little stories not only gave her a general understanding of the three assistants but, more importantly, allowed her to learn more about Akira.
Chatting like this, it was soon time for the One Piece anime to air.
This week's One Piece anime had reached Episode 8. Luffy's crew had defeated Buggy and set sail once again.
At the same time, this episode also told the story of Red Hair and Buggy when they were kids, explaining how Buggy ate the Devil Fruit. The entire plot was very lighthearted and fun.
And at the end of this episode, God Usopp made his appearance.
The production team had specially shaded Usopp with dark shadows, seemingly trying to make him look profound and highlight his mystery and coolness.
But as manga readers, Akira and Rin exchanged a look and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
At the same time, Akira told her about some interesting things that happened during his interview with Oda a while ago, and showed off some "spoils of war" he had obtained from him.
Learning that Oda was actually very afraid of Hisashi, Rin also couldn't help but chuckle.
However, listening to the story of them exchanging signed drawings and looking at Eiichiro Oda's signed illustration, Rin stared at it for a moment before suddenly saying in a quiet tone, "I suddenly feel a bit jealous."
"Actually, I really want a signed drawing from Mochizuki-kun too."
"Eh?"
Akira was stunned for a moment.
He had thought she was also a reader of One Piece and wanted Oda's signed drawing, but he didn't expect her to take a sudden turn and direct it at him.
At this moment, Rin also realized in hindsight what she had just said and blushed instantly, "Um—"
"Actually, it's fine if you don't have one, um—"
Seeing her blushing face and somewhat incoherent manner, Akira found it amusing and teased, "In that case, wouldn't it have been better to tell me earlier? It's not like it's a hassle."
But hearing him say this, Rin's eyes widened slightly in pleasant surprise, "Really?!"
"Of course."
Akira nodded, amused.
But he had to admit, Rin's reaction made him feel inexplicably happy, and even gave him a sense of pride.
It was quite magical.
That being said, regarding the signed drawing to give to Rin, he subconsciously planned to copy the template and give her something similar to Oda's, but then he felt that would lack sincerity.
While considering a new drawing, he suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a ready-made one that was much more suitable to give her.
"Wait a moment, I'll go get something good."
"Ah, okay?"
Leaving those words behind, he slipped into the bedroom under Rin's somewhat puzzled gaze.
After a short while, he came out carrying a drawing framed in a picture frame, approached Rin, and handed it to her with a smile, "This is for you."
"This is...?"
Rin took the frame with some confusion, but after seeing the content of the drawing clearly, she froze slightly—she instantly recognized that what was drawn was precisely the scene from their last celebration party.
"But when did you...?"
"Right after you left last time, I drew this on a whim."
Akira smiled and scratched his cheek, "It's just so-so."
"But even though it's the scene of our first celebration party, it's still quite fitting here. Anyway, I hope you like it."
""
Rin was speechless for a moment. She stared at the drawing before her, as feelings of happiness, excitement, and deep touch surged within her, even making her want to cry a little.
Saying it was "just so-so" was a complete lie.
Although with Akira's drawing skills, even a casual sketch would look amazing.
But having worked as his assistant, she could clearly realize that this drawing was absolutely a precious result of his poured-out emotions and hard work.
And, as expected, Mochizuki-kun also...
At this moment, she couldn't help but want to say something, but in the end, she held back.
Because she felt that now was not a very good time to say these things.
So in the end, she wore a heartfelt, bright smile, one that Akira even found a bit dazzling.
"Thank you, I really like this drawing."
"I really, really like it!"