To avoid Rita while heading to school, Mashiro and the others climbed through Kaede's window to sneak out.
Rita actually noticed, but she didn't bother to stop them.
After they left, Rin Ito brought Rita back to the living room.
She had a look of total confidence on her face—the confidence that she could convince Rin to join her side and persuade Mashiro to return to England.
"Where is Mashiro's room? As her former owner, I need to inspect if you're a qualified successor~"
Rita spoke as she walked upstairs with a familiar air.
Rita's personality was the complete opposite of Mashiro's coldness; she was naturally bold and social.
A helpless Rin led her into Mashiro's bedroom.
"Oh my... the room is quite clean. It looks like you're a decent owner."
Rita sat on the bed, bracing her hands beside her.
She kicked her legs, her feet clad in low-cut liner socks, while her eyes scanned the room.
Finally, she fixed her gaze on Rin.
"Mashiro told me you're the one teaching her how to draw manga..."
Rita looked at the easel in the corner, her blue eyes reflecting a look of deep nostalgia.
"Mashiro and I started learning to paint together in my grandfather's studio when we were six. But I don't paint anymore... do you know why?"
"Because of Mashiro, right?"
Rin pulled a chair over and sat across from her, stretching his back.
"Others call you a genius, but 'genius' is merely the entry fee to stand in Mashiro's presence. You're the one whom the geniuses call a genius, aren't you?"
"She suffocated you. No matter what you painted, Mashiro always produced something more perfect. So you gave up your brush, didn't you?"
"!!!!"
Rita's eyes lit up, and she suddenly grabbed Rin's hand.
"You understand? You truly understand, don't you? In that case, we're allies!"
Rin didn't just remember the plot; he guessed it the moment Rita mentioned their childhood.
Being around a true genius brings infinite frustration... especially in fields like math or art where the gap is undeniable.
Logic doesn't lie; you either get it or you don't.
A genius often finds it impossible to understand a "normal" person.
What is a simple, natural act for the genius might take a commoner a lifetime of effort to even mimic.
Recalling that crushing sense of defeat, the smile vanished from Rita's face.
She stared intensely into Rin's eyes.
"I... I was already ruined by Mashiro. If you stay by her side, you'll be ruined too."
"Watching her clumsy manga—something she was supposed to learn from you—slowly turn into something you can never reach... you'll break."
Rin stood up and gave Rita's head a sharp flick.
"Ouch!!!"
The despair in Rita's eyes vanished, replaced by her previous smile.
"I'll break her before she ever breaks me," Rin said with a chuckle.
"You... do you really want Mashiro to fail that badly?"
While Rin's answer was normal, Rita felt something was slightly off... but she didn't dwell on it.
"No~ You should understand how many possibilities are hidden in Mashiro's fingertips. She could paint masterpieces that would live in history forever. So many people are waiting for her next work... don't you want her to answer those expectations?"
"She is answering expectations by drawing manga. There are just as many people waiting for her stories."
Rin pulled out his phone and searched Rita's name in front of her.
The results were all about the "Genius Painter Retiring."
"You are called a genius by normal people. They look at you the same way you look at Mashiro. I was never a genius; I'm just a normal manga artist."
"I might feel envy or jealousy when I see a genius, but I will never stop drawing. That's what manga is."
"You started as a genius, so the higher you stood, the harder you fell. That's why she broke you. I don't have that problem."
Rin stood up and took a deep breath.
"Accept the ordinary, but keep the dream in your heart."
"Accept the ordinary... but keep the dream?"
Rita repeated the words with a complicated expression. After a long silence, she deflated.
"I taught Mashiro how to draw on a computer and encouraged her to come here... I just wanted her to draw boring manga, to be criticized until she felt worthless. I wanted her to feel what I felt... I never expected her to actually debut."
"Pfft... wait." Rin had a realization. "I just finalized the contract yesterday and told her last night. You arrived this morning... you flew here overnight just to stop her from signing, didn't you?"
"..."
Rita stood up guiltily, averting her eyes toward the easel.
"Ahaha... anyway, those manga she showed me before were impossible to serialize. Let me see what she's drawing now."
"By the way," Rin continued. "A genius isn't a genius in every category. Mashiro is a god at art but a clumsy child in life. Since you can't beat her in oil painting, why not try beating her at manga?"
"Eh?"
Rita had just reached the easel when she froze at Rin's words.
"Beat Mashiro at manga...?"
"Exactly."
It was now Rin's turn to move.
Rita only laid down her brush because she was crushed by Mashiro. The brush was gone, but her heart was still in it.
Instead of setting Mashiro up to fail, he was offering a fair competition.
Whether she won or lost, it would allow Rita to let go of her obsession and accept the gap between her and a true monster.
Looking at Rita, Rin knew she was tempted.
She was just hesitating out of pride. She just needed a push and an excuse.
"Nanami lives with Mashiro and takes care of her, but she dreams of being a voice actress. She has a game project coming up and won't have much time... why don't you stay for a while, take care of Mashiro, and try your hand at drawing manga with her?"
"I..."
Seeing her pursed lips, Rin knew the hook was set.
She was standing on the edge of the cliff; all he needed was one gentle push to make her fall into the abyss.
Wait... not 'abyss.' It's 'the light at the end of the tunnel'!
"Maybe you think oil painting is noble and manga is low-brow. But to Mashiro, they are the same—vessels for self-expression and the pursuit of beauty."
Rin observed the conflicted Rita and spoke with deep emotion.
"The truth is... Mashiro loves you. She thinks of you as her absolute best friend. And she's always wanted to draw by your side."
"!!!!"