Now imagine a room that's several times messier... it'd be absolute torture.
As for the supposed "benefits" of helping her change clothes and seeing things one shouldn't
'Just thinking about it already feels like a crime.'
Mashiro's age was completely fine, but her level of emotional maturity? She was practically a child.
Faced with someone as pure as a blank canvas, just having those kinds of thoughts would be enough to make one's conscience scream.
Come to think of it, if he were the one taking care of her...
"Mugi, help me change clothes."
A barely-dressed Mashiro saying such a thingwho could handle that?
The story would definitely unfold like this:
While his moral compass screamed at him, his senses would be overwhelmed by the visual, tactile, and olfactory experience.
His instincts as a man and his principles as a person would clash endlessly.
'Now that I think about it, this kind of push-and-pull between temptation and restraint... kinda thrilling, actually?'
"Mugi, your expression looks weird. Are you sick?"
A shadow suddenly appeared in front of him, startling Akifumi.
A cool, delicate touch landed on his face. The girl had leaned in, stopping just a few centimeters away.
Unlike most people, at this distance, Mashiro's beauty became even more striking.
Her fair, smooth skin had a soft glow, flawless like the finest porcelain.
Her breath, faintly sweet, brushed against his face, tickling like a feather.
For a moment, Akifumi froze, completely captivated.
Seeing no reaction, Mashiro instinctively moved even closer.
The already small gap between them shrank even further.
Akifumi snapped out of it and cupped Mashiro's face with both hands.
Her skin was warm and incredibly softso delicate that he worried even the slightest pressure might leave a mark.
"Mm?" Mashiro blinked, confused.
"I'm not sick."
Akifumi sighed. "And even if I were, would holding my face really tell you that?"
"Maybe?"
With that, she pulled back and returned to her seat.
"By the way, the person actually responsible for taking care of you lives in this building too. Why didn't they just tell me which floor? It would've been easier to take you straight there."
That way, he wouldn't have to worry about her.
Thinking of this, Akifumi asked, "So when are they coming to pick you up?"
"Hm?"
Mashiro tilted her head slightly. "Who?"
"Your relatives in this country."
"I don't know."
Wow. A true master of giving vague answers.
She only spoke in three-word sentences and left the rest for others to figure out.
Even Akifumi couldn't tell whether her "I don't know" meant she didn't know when they'd come, or if she didn't even know if they would come.
Rubbing his temples, he gave up trying to guess and instead asked again, "So when are they picking you up?"
"Aren't you the one picking me up, Mugi?"
"..."
If he had a shorter temper, he might have died of frustration already.
Before he could think of a better way to phrase his question
Click.
The sound of the door unlocking interrupted him.
A familiar voice came from the entrance.
"Sorry, Akifumi. I got held up buying groceries, so I'm a little late."
Then, noticing the extra pair of shoes at the entrance, the voice asked curiously:
"Wasn't Eriri supposed to be out with her friends today? How did she get here before me?"
The voice grew closerwhoever it was had already changed into indoor slippers and was heading for the living room.
[TL Note Run my boy!]
...................................
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally! Just a heads-up, there will be new advanced chapters every day in there! And thank you so much for reading!
[113] They are family?
As expected, when she walked in, Mahiru immediately spotted Mashiro sitting calmly in the center of the room.
Her smile froze, and a look of utter disbelief appeared in her eyes, as if she had seen something truly impossible.
"Ma Mashiro?!"
Hearing her name, Mashiro lifted her head.
Her gaze, previously emotionless, now brightened noticeably.
"Mahiru?"
The familiar voice confirmed Mahiru's suspicions. She sat down beside Mashiro, excitedly grabbing her hand.
"Mashiro, it's been so long!"
Mashiro thought for a moment, then nodded. "It really has been many years since I've seen you, Mahiru."
"Where have you been?" Mashiro asked, half-amused.
"I've been in Japan the whole time," she replied.
"Previously when we meet, I just went to the UK for a trip."
"Oh." Mashiro nodded, not sure if she fully understood.
"I'm really happy to see you again."
"I'm happy too!!"
While Mashiro's expression remained calm, Mahiru's face was full of joy, and even her eyes glistened with a few excited tears.
After a moment of excitement, Mahiru couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Mashiro, why did you suddenly come to Japan from the UK?"
"To study painting," Mashiro said simply.
"?!"
Given Mahiru's background, she couldn't help but comment, "Aren't you the world's top oil painter?"
"Who could possibly teach you how to paint?!"
Mashiro shook her head, her orange eyes sparkling.
"The kind of painting I want to learn isn't oil painting"
"There are plenty of people who can teach me"
Mahiru instinctively imagined someone coming to teach Mashiro to paint... but could she even come up with anyone!?
'Mashiro and Mahiru... they're characters from completely unrelated stories, and now they've become a family here?!'
Just thinking about it felt a little surreal.
As for how he knew... wasn't it mentioned before? Mashiro was going to live in the same building!
And Mahiru just so happened to live downstairs!
Akifumi didn't think there could be this many coincidences in the world, and there was no one else suitable but Mahiru.
'This really is a touching scene,' he thought to himself.
The names Mahiru and Mashiro were so similar, why hadn't he noticed?
It was like Luffy and Luccicould you say they were brothers?!
Besides, there were so many people with the same last name in Japan, and while "Shiina" wasn't a common surname, there were several Shiinas in this building alone.
So when he came across someone with a similar name, his thoughts naturally went in that direction... not worth wasting energy on.
"Ahem.."
Akifumi interrupted the touching reunion: "So, what's your relationship?"
Although he had a guess in his mind, he still wanted confirmation from them.
"She's my aunt's daughter."
As expected!
So Mahiru was taking care of Mashiro?
Good, good!
"Actually, I have a lot of questions too."
Mahiru looked at Akifumi. "Why is Mashiro here at Akifumi's house?"
"Because Mugi brought me back," Mashiro answered before Akifumi could speak.
"?!"
Mahiru gave her a confused look. "Mugi!? Are you really that close to each other?"
"Because I like him, so I call him Mugi"
???
At this moment, Akifumi finally realized why so many people in his past life had said that Mashiro, once peeled, was truly dark!
Just listen to this conversation! Look at Mahiru's expression now!
You don't even need to think to know she was already going down the wrong path.
"Wait, Mashiro, don't talk yet."
Mashiro tilted her head like a confused kitten, but she stayed quiet.
"Mashiro's parents and my parents are good friends. Last night, they called and asked me to bring her back first."
"She calls me Mugi because she likes that name."
"And since there are two Shiinas here, I had to call Mashiro by her full name to avoid confusion."
"Now, do you understand, Mahiru?"
Mahiru's face flushed slightly at suddenly being called by name.
A feeling of shyness bloomed in her heart, but she still nodded.
"I understand."
Akifumi's explanation was simple and straightforward, unlike Mashiro's vague responses, which made people want to overthink things.
"So troublesome," Mashiro muttered.
As if to say, these few words could explain everything, why was there a need for all this extra talk?
Hearing Mashiro's complaint, Akifumi and Mahiru both rolled their eyes in unison.
'You're the last person who should be saying that!!'
This thought only surfaced in their minds.
At that moment, Mahiru remembered something about Mashiro:
"I almost forgot, Mashiro has a lot of shortcomings in daily life."
"?!"
"But now that she's older, she shouldn't need anyone to help her change clothes, right?"
"Rita will help me."
"..."
The slap in the face came too quickly, like a tornado.
Seeing Mahiru's dumbfounded expression, Akifumi laughed.
"To get what you want, you have to pay the corresponding price."
"Mashiro becoming the world's top oil painter at such a young age didn't happen for no reason, right?"
"Mm-hmm." Mashiro nodded happily, despite not understanding what was being said.
"Don't respond so quickly when you don't know what's being said!" Mahiru gave her a helpless look.
"True," she finally agreed.
"Akifu... Mugiho-kun, you know Mashiro?"
Since Mashiro was calling him Mugi, surely it was okay for her to call her that too?
Comforting herself with this thought, Mahiru's eyes flickered.
Not bothering with such a small detail, Akifumi smiled and said,
"I'm also into painting, so I occasionally follow other masters in different fields."
"That makes sense," Mahiru nodded.
Then, feeling troubled, she asked, "Mugiho-kun, you're just responsible for bringing Mashiro back, but will someone else come to take her away later?"
"Mashiro should be the older sister, not 'this child,'" Akifumi added, reaching out to ruffle Mahiru's head.
Mahiru: "..."
She decided to ignore that part!
Looking at her, Akifumi couldn't help but laugh.
While age-wise, it made sense, psychologically, it was hard to admit.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be you, Mahiru," she said.
"Eh?" Mahiru blinked. "I've never heard of this!!"
"Do you want me to do it?"
"That's not it!"
Faced with a pitiful Mashiro, Mahiru explained, feeling a little guilty.
"It's just that no one told me from the beginning."
Akifumi half-jokingly said, "If there's really no one, Mashiro can stay with me."
"Anyway, there are two empty rooms."
"Mugi, you're so kind." Mashiro's eyes sparkled again.
"Mugiho-kun, though I know you're joking, some things shouldn't be said so casually."
Mahiru's face darkened, and a sinister smile appeared.
A dark aura surrounded Mahiru, and the atmosphere grew tense.
"You're so scary, Mahiru!"
Akifumi smiled and nodded, "I'm sorry."
"Anyway, I'll go make dinner first, and we can discuss the rest after eating."
Saying that, Mahiru walked toward the kitchen, feeling flustered.
"Is Mahiru angry? Is it because of me?"
"No."
Akifumi, like a cat petting its kitten, gently ruffled Mashiro's long, smooth hair, enjoying the feeling.
"Some things only Mahiru can handle herself."
If it can't be solved, then maybe a little push from behind later...
[114] Living Together!
As Mahiru walked into the kitchen, the lively room instantly fell silent.
Looking at Mashiro, Akifumi thought for a moment before asking, "Mashiro, are you planning to draw manga?"
"Yes."
Mashiro nodded without questioning how Akifumi knew she came here to draw manga.
Talking about it with Mashiro was surprisingly pleasant.
While most people might wonder how he knew, Mashiro didn't ask many questions.
"Do you know any editors?"
In the original story, she had spoken with editors before coming here.
Even though the story had no content, her world-class artistic skills would be enough to make any editor treasure her work.
The ability to tell a good story can be learned, but producing top-tier art like hers is a talent that can't be faked, no matter how hard someone tries.
"No."
Mashiro's answer didn't surprise Akifumi.
Given the drastic changes in her timeline and the course of events, contacting the original editors again wouldn't be easy.
"Do you want me to help?"
"Mugi, are you drawing manga?"
So, this girl is sharp where she cares and completely oblivious where she doesn't, huh?
Most people wouldn't catch on this quickly.
"I'm drawing manga." Unable to lie under Mashiro's expectant gaze, Akifumi answered.
"Can you teach me?"
Knowing the plot, Akifumi understood why Mashiro couldn't draw.
She lacked real-life experience, which is essential for storytelling.
Drawing oil paintings, as Mashiro did, was impressive, but drawing manga required a whole different skill set.
Mashiro's world was focused purely on art; she even struggled with basic life skills, like dressing herself, as seen at the beginning of the anime.
"It's not that I can't teach you. It's just... maybe the real issue isn't about drawing manga. It's more about learning to enrich a life that's been too simple so far."
"So... I can't be taught?" Mashiro's eyes reflected disappointment.
"That's right," Akifumi replied without hesitation.
"But there's another wayone that's simpler. But you probably won't agree with it."
"A simpler way?"
"By copying others' work, you can learn and feel their stories."
Mashiro shook her head, "Drawing someone else's manga isn't true manga."
Though Mashiro might not fully understand what manga truly was yet, she had a very clear definition of what it was not.
"So, the only thing you can rely on is yourself," Akifumi said with a smile, ruffling her hair.
"For now, just try drawing your own manga."
"Okay," Mashiro nodded seriously. "Thank you, Mugi."
Akifumi waved it off. "I didn't do anything."
Mashiro didn't reply, but as the door opened again, a cheerful voice echoed from the kitchen.
"I'm back~!"
Eriri excited voice filled the air.
'Thud, thud, thud,'
She quickly appeared before them, and, unsurprisingly, immediately spotted Mashiro sitting on the couch.
"Shiina Mashiro!?"
Eriri's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait... do you know her?" Akifumi thought, but then Eriri's next words made him realize he was overthinking it.
"You're Shiina Mashiro?!"
Eriri dashed in front of Mashiro and grabbed her hands with excitement.
"I'm your fan! Please, can I have your autograph?!"
It turned out that Eriri recognized Mashiro from the internet and TV.
