'Wow, I didn't expect her to be such a good person.' Akifumi thought to himself.
He smiled.
"Are you sure? I don't want to be in debt with you."
Mahiru panicked.
"No, that's not it, I mean!"
Akifumi raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm? Just relax and take your time, I'm listening."
"I mean, the delivery only cost 3,350 yen, so you don't need to give me the full 3,680."
She blushed slightly and turned her head away.
'I only have 2,000 yen left at home'
If she lost that 3,350 yen, it would be really hard to make it through the month.
This was the one thing she couldn't back down from!
"..."
Akifumi realized the misunderstanding and felt a little embarrassed, but he didn't let it show.
It was a bit awkward, of course, since it felt like she the one who asking for money, even though no one was obligated to help.
It's like lending money to someone and then feeling bad when they don't pay it back on time, even though it was their fault.
'It's kind of ridiculous when you think about it,' Akifumi smiled and nodded.
"Okay, I get it now."
"Here this is 3,350 yen. Thanks for your help, Shiina-san."
He handed her the money, keeping 330 yen for himself.
Mahiru felt a sigh of relief in her heart, seeing that Akifumi wasn't showing any ill feelings.
She then asked, "By the way, do you order takeout often?"
"Sometimes," Akifumi replied.
"Ah!" Mahiru seemed a little relieved.
She knew takeout wasn't the healthiest option.
But then Akifumi added, "Though most of the time, I prefer going to the store to eat."
Cooking and washing dishes were exhausting, especially now that he was drawing manga.
The fatigue had been piling up.
Before, when money was tight, he had no choice.
But now that things were better, he didn't see the need to make it harder on himself.
??
Mahiru puffed out her cheeks and gave him a disapproving look.
She didn't like that Akifumi wasn't taking better care of his health.
'Even though we met in that situation, and I don't have the right to lecture you...'
'But if you live alone, you really need to take care of yourself!'
'Takeout is expensive and lacks nutrition, and you might end up with a stomach ache if you eat it too much of it.'
With that, Mahiru made a decision.
"That's it then!"
"Huh, what is it?"
"From now on, I'll be the one to take care of your meals, Akifumi-kun!!"
"Huh?"
She said it as a repayment for how he helped her last time in the heavy rain.
[050] Will I End Up Being Spoiled?
Monday.
"Akifumi-kun..., Akifumi-kun!"
"It's time to get up"
The voice came through a barrier, reaching Akifumi, who was still groggy from sleep.
'Why is there a girl voice inside my house?'
This thought naturally popped into his head.
Then, he jolted awake, quickly climbing out of bed.
After sitting for a moment, his mind cleared, and he remembered who the voice belonged to.
Shiina Mahiru.
His thoughts wandered back to yesterday...
"Shiina-san, are you really going to take care of my meals from now on?" Akifumi muttered, still in shock.
"I mean, I get it that ordering a takeout isn't the healthiest option, but you really don't have to go this far."
"You don't have to do this"
"You know what, I'll just try to prepare my own meals from now on."
"You're trying to brush me off again, aren't you?" Shiina ask while looking at skeptically
!!
Akifumi's smile froze.
"W-what? Of course not. W-why would I do that?"
"Good to hear," Shiina Mahiru said, her lips curling into a playful grin.
"After all, I already prepare meals for myself every day, so making extra for you is no trouble."
"But isn't that a bit much?"
Akifumi tried to reason with her.
"You'd have to travel all the way here every day to cook for me, and by the time you're done, it'll probably be really late. Isn't that dangerous for a girl to go outside at night?"
"What do you mean?" The girl blinked her big eyes, looking confused.
"Didn't I mention this before?"
"What?"
"I actually live right downstairs from you"
"??"
Akifumi was stunned.
"You live downstairs?"
"Well, it's not important. Anyway, you were wrong. I can just go back anytime i want because we live in the same building."
Shna Mahiru smiled at him.
"Well, doesn't that make it even less convenient?"
Akifumi quickly thought of another point.
"We're in the same building, so as a girl, don't you think it might raise some eyebrows to the neighbor if you're constantly coming in and out of my place?"
"That's a fair point," Shina Mahiru said, tapping her chin thoughtfully, then smiled again.
"But then again I don't really mind at all"
She was really serious about cooking for him!
Though it was in her nature to want to take care of people, Akifumi still couldn't fully grasp why she was so persistent.
"May I ask why you're so determined, Shiina-san?"
"Because I want to try to repay Akifumi-kun kindness... It's a way of showing gratitude!" she said, without a hint of hesitation.
"Repay me?"
Akifumi was taken aback, and his thoughts went back to that rainy day when they first met.
He scratched his cheek, a little helpless.
"I don't think what I did that day deserves this much, though..."
"If you find someone else like that, you'd do the same, right? Like if you found a little kitten abandoned in the rain."
Shiina Mahiru finished his sentence, her smile unchanged.
Surprised, Akifumi laughed bitterly and nodded.
"Yep yep, that's pretty much it."
"But It's like you're doing things based on how you feel, and now that's what I want to do too," Shna Mahiru said earnestly.
"I see you, someone who helped me, and when i see you not taking care of yourself, I just want to do something for you."
"I don't have the right to question your actions, but since this concerns you, I'm not going to ignore your opinion too," she added.
As she spoke, she looked at Akifumi, her hands nervously clutching her white shirt, showing her unease.
Akifumi sighed helplessly.
"I guess you win this time."
The truth was, he couldn't see any downside to this arrangementonly benefits for him.
His initial refusal was just out of consideration for her. Now that she had made up her mind, he couldn't find any reason to refuse.
Shiina Mahiru visibly relaxed and smiled.
"However, there's one thing that I must insist on!"
"Hmm? What is it?" Shina Mahiru looked puzzled.
"If you're taking care of me, then I should cover the living expenses. That should be fair, right?"
"Eh?! No way!" Shna Mahiru immediately rejected the idea.
"Taking care of me is one thing, but you need to eat too!"
"You're not going to make two separate meals each time you cook, are you?"
Even though she loved taking care of others, she wasn't about to waste time on unnecessary work.
"I already feel bad enough for having you cook for me every day. If you also pay for the groceries and ingredients..."
"Doesn't that make me like a couch potato mooching off you?!"
"Pfft."
Shiina Mahiru couldn't help but laugh at his comparison.
"Okay then, even if I want to I don't have enough money to support you, Akifumi-kun."
Akifumi smiled.
"In that case, how about you let me handle the cost of the groceries?"
"Nope!"
Shna Mahiru, who had just been laughing, became serious.
"This is one thing I'm absolutely not compromising on!"
"Fine."
Akifumi sighed.
"If neither of us can convince the other, how about we just split the costs?"
Shna Mahiru thought it over and nodded.
"If that's the case, I can agree."
"I'm a guy, and I'm growing, so I eat more than you. I'll cover a larger share of the expenses, and that's fair, right?"
"Fine by me."
Shna Mahiru nodded without thinking, then paused.
"Wait a second..."
"What's wrong?"
"We said we'd split the costs evenly from the start, didn't we?"
"This is splitting, isn't it? Whoever eats more pays more, doesn't that sound reasonable?"
'No it's not!'
She wanted to argue, but since she hadn't clarified this from the start, she couldn't really say anything now.
Shiina Mahiru could only glare at Akifumi.
"My appetite is probably more than twice yours, so I'll cover 70%, and you cover the remaining 30%."
"No way! At this rate, I should cover 65%, and you cover 35%!"
"Shiina-san, let's not get hung up on the details!" Akifumi said, a bit exasperated.
"You're the one hung up on it!"
....
Akifumi sighed, thinking back to the situation.
After much back-and-forth, they finally agreed on the 70:30 split, with him covering the larger share.
He gave Mahiru a spare key to his apartment, so she could come and go easily.
'Who would have thought I'd end up in a situation like this?'
'Just don't spoil to much me, okay?'
He thought to himself as Shna Mahiru's voice called out from outside the door.
"Akifumi-kun, if you don't get up soon, you'll be late"
[051] Rumors Everywhere! Is Serialization That Difficult!?
After class.
Akifumi returned to his seat after using the restroom.
He immediately felt the gaze of the girl sitting next to him.
He touched his face, somewhat confused, and asked, "Is there something on my face, Kato?"
"No," Kato shook her head.
"Then why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm just curious about how Akifumi managed to get Shiina-san to fall for him."
"..."
Akifumi couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Should I be impressed by you, Kato? Acting like it's nothing, but making such an explosive statement?"
"Is it true?" Kato blinked.
"Everyone's been talking. The school genius, Akifumi, is dating Shiina-san."
"That's definitely not the case."
Akifumi gave her a side-eye.
"If we're close, isn't it normal for us to walk to school together?"
Kato nodded.
"So, what you're saying is that you and Shiina-san are close?"
"I wouldn't say we're that close," Akifumi said with a shake of his head.
"Even if it developed into something more because of various reasons, we wouldn't call ourselves really close... but we're not exactly just friends either."
'Such a complicated relationship.'
Even with a grown-up mind, Akifumi couldn't figure out how to explain it.
He sighed.
"It's because for some reason, she lives right below me. So we end up going to school together."
"And that's pretty much it."
"I see," Kato nodded, her face unreadable.
It left Akifumi wondering what made her bring up the topic in the first place.
He didn't think too much of it, but he did become a little curious about her earlier words.
"By the way, Kato, you mentioned that everyone's talking about this. What's that all about?"
"Well, it's a long story."
"Then just shorten it!"
Kato took a moment to organize her thoughts before speaking.
"This morning, Akifumi and Shiina-san were seen walking to school together by some of the other students. They started speculating about your relationship, and eventually, it became unanimous that you two are dating."
"..."
"These bored people," Akifumi shook his head.
Though he felt a bit helpless, it didn't bother him too much.
When he agreed to Shiina-san request, he had expected something like this to happen.
"I guess Eriri probably knows about this by now, huh?"
Knowing her personality, she should've been here by now.
"That's strange."
"By the way, Akifumi, did you have a good birthday party yesterday?"
Akifumi snapped out of his thoughts.
"It was just me alone, so there wasn't really much to be celebrate about."
"I'm sorry..."
Akifumi raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you apologizing, Kato?"
"Because I had already planned to visit some relatives, so I couldn't spend some time on your birthday with you," Kato said, looking a little embarrassed.
Akifumi smiled and said, "But didn't you already mentioned this last Saturday."
"And I even helped you pick out a gift for me."
Though it was something they chose together, it made him feel a little complicated.
From the standpoint of being friends, there was nothing wrong with it.
So Akifumi just waved it off.
"Just don't worry about it, Kato."
"I'm past the age where I care about birthdays party," he said with a relaxed smile.
"Even if I spend it alone at home, I'm perfectly happy."
Kato gave him an ambiguous look.
"Saying that only makes it sound even sadder."
"..." Akifumi lips twitch a llittle.
"But based on what you just said, it sounds like you actually had a good time yesterday."
Her internal thoughts seemed to pity him, though she quickly added, "I'm really glad."
Before Akifumi could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
The day passed quickly.
Aside from a few trivial rumors circulating, everything else seemed as calm as usual.
However, one thing left Akifumi puzzled...
"Eriri didn't come to find me at all today."
Considering her personality, this was so odd that it could qualify as one of the "seven mysteries of school."
'I was a little worried about her.'
After finding out, Akifumi learned that she didn't attend school today.
"That's girl is really..."
He couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head.
As for the reason she didn't show up to class, he found out from Aunt Sayuri that she was preparing for a summer comiket.
She might even have to take a day off tomorrow or the day after for it.
'I guess after all that delay, she finally started working on it'
Back in the day, she wouldn't have skipped class to work.
After confirming that Eriri was fine, Akifumi felt relieved and headed home.
..........
Meanwhile, earlier that day.
In the Shueisha office, in the office of Minano Matome.
With a hint of apology, Minano said, "Sorry, Mihari."
"I saw the email you sent a few days ago, but I've been tied up with work and couldn't get back to you."
"No, no, it's actually me who should apologize," Mihari scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"It was supposed to be my responsibility to handle Akifumi-sensei's matters, but I've been bothering you with everything."
Minano smiled, shaking her head.
"Even the editor-in-chief has been paying attention to Akifumi-sensei. If you didn't tell me about something this important, that would've been careless."
"I've taken some time to catch up on the continuation of 'Madoka Magica,' and while there's still plenty of room for expansion, but if Akifumi-sensei prefers it this way, we'll just go along with it."
