"Eriri, want to head home together?"
After club activities ended, Shirai Mio walked over to Eriri with a smile.
Hearing her, Eriri looked up, narrowed her eyes, and gave Shirai Mio a very "friendly" look. "At a time like this, shouldn't you be going home with that cute little kouhai of yours?"
"Cute little kouhai?"
"The one who just joined the club! You were even leaning all over her. Were you teaching her how to draw or flirting with her?"
Shirai Mio blinked, then smiled and nuzzled against Eriri. "Are you jealous?"
"Hah?" As if she had just heard something ridiculous, Eriri let out a couple of derisive laughs. "Why would I ever get jealous over a white-haired little bitch like you?"
"So you are jealous."
"I already told you I'm not!"
Eriri puffed up her cheeks and glared at Shirai Mio, but Mio acted as though she had not noticed anything. If anything, the smile on her face grew even brighter.
Eriri sighed softly. She might insist that she was not jealous, but deep down, she really was a little annoyed.
Annoyed or not, once she finished packing her things, she still followed Shirai Mio out of the clubroom.
She had originally wanted to tell Mio that she had finished her new work, but after thinking it over, she decided to wait until tomorrow.
That way, she could use it as an excuse tomorrow to drag Shirai Mio into the clubroom and eat lunch with her.
In the past, whenever Eriri pulled Shirai Mio into the clubroom, it had purely been to discuss their work.
Now, however, she had other motives.
There was no helping it. She had never paid much attention to this before. It was only after she acknowledged her feelings and decided to make a move on Shirai Mio that she finally realized something.
Getting Shirai Mio alone was no easy thing.
Shiina Mashiro was with her on the way to and from school, and there was even less chance of being alone with her in the classroom. After thinking it over and over, lunchtime seemed to be the only time when Eriri could have Shirai Mio to herself.
Seeing Eriri hesitate as though she wanted to say something, Shirai Mio asked curiously, "Eriri, is there something you want to tell me?"
"N-no, nothing."
"Really? If you like me, you can just say it outright, you know~"
Eriri knew Shirai Mio was joking, but having accidentally been hit right on the mark still made her nervous.
As she felt her cheeks begin to heat up, Eriri silently quickened her pace so Shirai Mio would not see her blush.
But soon, Eriri realized something. She was supposed to be making a move on Shirai Mio now. If she still ran away whenever something like this happened, just as she always had before, then what was the point of having made up her mind?
In the end, it was simply a matter of habit. She had already gotten used to interacting with Shirai Mio the old way.
It would not be easy to change all at once.
She would let it go this time. Next time, she absolutely would not run away again.
Eriri silently made up her mind.
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The next day, during lunch break.
Shirai Mio had just taken out her bento when she saw Eriri standing outside the classroom, waving to her.
Eriri did not say a word, but Shirai Mio already knew what she wanted.
After explaining the situation to the others in the popular clique, Shirai Mio picked up her bento and walked out of the classroom.
"What's up? Is there something you need my help with again today?" Shirai Mio asked with a smile as she walked over to Eriri, bento in hand.
"Mm. I've finished revising my new work, so I wanted you to take a look."
"Sure." A trace of anticipation flashed through Shirai Mio's eyes.
Then, with practiced ease, she followed Eriri to the Art Club room.
After closing the door, Eriri handed Shirai Mio the pages she had prepared in advance.
Normally, Eriri would wait until both of them had finished their bentos before showing Shirai Mio her work. For some reason, however, this time she handed it over the moment they entered.
Shirai Mio did not think much of it. She simply pulled out a chair, sat down, and began reading carefully.
The artwork was exquisite, and the story was overflowing with yuri flavor. Anyone who did not know better might have thought Shirai Mio was actually a veteran yuri doujin artist.
"So... what do you think?"
"It's good. All the little issues I mentioned before have been fixed perfectly. I think it's ready."
Hearing Shirai Mio's evaluation, Eriri's lips curved into a smug smile. "Heh heh heh. You should know who you're dealing with~"
"As expected of the famous artist Kashiwagi Eri."
Since the two of them were the only people in the Art Club room, Eriri did not care that Shirai Mio had used her pen name. Instead, she moved closer and asked, "So, what about your new work?"
"I'm drawing it. I'm drawing it."
Shirai Mio gave two dry laughs. She had been busy making the MAD lately. She had already finished the storyboard for her new work, but that was as far as she had gotten.
Still, it was not a problem. With her drawing speed, finishing the new work would be easy enough.
"You've seemed really busy lately, and I haven't seen you drawing your new work. What exactly have you been doing?" Eriri asked curiously.
"Secret. But you should find out pretty soon." Shirai Mio smiled.
"I feel like nothing good ever happens when you start being mysterious." Eriri muttered under her breath, then opened her bento.
She picked up a slightly misshapen octopus sausage and held it to Shirai Mio's mouth. She had just been about to say something when Shirai Mio suddenly leaned back in alarm and nearly fell to the floor.
Eriri froze at the sight. "What's wrong with you?"
"You scared me just now. For a second, I thought you'd put some kind of bug in front of my mouth." Shirai Mio took a closer look at what Eriri was holding between her chopsticks and quietly breathed a sigh of relief once she realized it was a sausage.
Eriri instantly bristled. "Th-this sausage might look a little strange, but no matter how you look at it, there's no way it looks anything like a bug!"
At that moment, Shirai Mio opened her mouth and ate the sausage straight from Eriri's chopsticks. "It looks a little weird, but it tastes pretty good. Keep it up."
"H-how did you know I made it?"
"I've eaten bentos made by your mom before. There's no way she'd shape a sausage like this. After thinking about it, you were the only possible culprit."
Eriri forcibly suppressed her tsundere instincts and said, "It's only my first time making one. I'll do better next time."
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