"I'm looking at the clothes," Fumiya Jin said, stroking his chin, his eyes fixed. "My clothes look so good even on Miss Shiina... As expected of me, my taste is impeccable."
"Ugh... What are you talking about!"
Kei Shirogane shot him a harsh glare. "You're clearly looking at her legs... You're still looking!"
She bit her lip, suddenly stepped in front of Fumiya Jin, and raised her hands to cover his eyes.
Then she turned her head and shouted toward the sofa, "Miss Shiina, be careful, you're exposed!"
But to her surprise, Shiina Mashiro didn't react at all.
It was as if she hadn't heard her words.
She remained intently focused on the computer screen.
Kei Shirogane was momentarily speechless. "Miss Shiina is a little... too careless, isn't she? Besides, we were gone for so long, didn't she find that strange at all?"
"It wasn't that long," Fumiya Jin said, shaking his head. "While we were pulled into the Samsara Game, time in the outside world is almost at a standstill. So in Miss Shiina's eyes, we just went to the entryway for a few minutes."
"Huh? Is that so?" Kei Shirogane was slightly taken aback.
Then she lowered her head, thought for a moment, and suddenly realized something important.
"Fumiya-san, you just said Miss Shiina is also a player, right? Then that girl who came to your house before..."
"You mean Nijika? She is too. The main reason she came over last time was to run an instance together," Fumiya Jin said frankly. "When I asked to borrow your pants, it was because wearing a skirt into an instance isn't really suitable."
"Huh? Huh?!" Hearing this, a wave of pleasant surprise washed over Kei Shirogane.
So he borrowed the pants not because the skirt got dirty?
Did she get the wrong idea?
Fumiya-san and that blonde girl weren't in that kind of relationship?
"Then the rumors at school, about that Miss Suou you know..."
"You've heard about that? It seems the rumors about me and Suou have spread quite a bit..." Fumiya Jin found it amusing. "That's right, Yuki Suou is also a player. She sought me out to team up with her. From now on, she'll be your teammate too."
"Really?"
Kei Shirogane's eyes instantly lit up.
"Does that mean... you all suddenly got to know each other because of the Samsara Game... and not because of some other messy... relationship?"
"What are you thinking? Am I that kind of person?" Fumiya Jin said with righteous indignation. "When have you ever seen me take the initiative to hit on a pretty girl?"
"That's true..."
The more Kei Shirogane thought about it, the more sense it made.
After all, Fumiya Jin really used to be very cold and aloof. Back when he saved her, he didn't expect any reward in return, not even leaving his name.
Although Kei Shirogane wasn't a narcissist, having been confessed to by so many boys at school, she had a basic level of confidence.
If Fumiya Jin were really the lecherous type who pounces on any girl he sees, then she should have been the first to fall victim. Especially since she lived right next door, making her the most convenient target...
"So that's how it was..." Kei Shirogane was a little emotional, and looked at Fumiya Jin apologetically. "I'm sorry, Fumiya-san, it seems I misunderstood... So you and them just have a pure teammate relationship... I shouldn't have been so aggressive before, I'm sorry."
Hearing this, Fumiya Jin thought for a moment, then nodded magnanimously.
Setting aside the facts that he had slept with Nijika-chan, used Yuki Suou as a face wash, and collected a small payment from Shiina Mashiro... he and they did indeed have a perfectly innocent teammate relationship.
"It's fine. You didn't know about the Samsara Game before, so it's normal to misunderstand," Fumiya Jin smiled tolerantly and gently patted her on the head. "Come on, let's go sit down and have some hot tea. I doubt Shiina will pay any attention to us until she's finished reading the book."
"Okay," Kei Shirogane nodded obediently.
The two of them went and sat on the other side of the sofa.
As expected, Shiina Mashiro didn't even glance at them.
Fumiya Jin picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for himself and Kei-chan.
The two picked up their hot tea, blew on it, and began to drink slowly. After a big sip, they both let out a sigh of contentment, a long breath of relief. They felt their minds relax considerably.
At that moment, Shiina Mashiro, who had been leaning over the coffee table and occasionally pressing the down arrow key, suddenly stopped moving.
She held her position, paused for about ten seconds.
Then she let go of the mouse and shrank back onto the sofa.
Next, she turned, crawled along the sofa to Fumiya Jin's side, and threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking the teacup out of his hand...
"Hey... why so sudden..." Fumiya Jin quickly steadied the cup and placed it back on the coffee table.
He looked down at the girl in his arms... only to find that Shiina Mashiro was now tear-streaked, with two lines of clear tears leaving visible tracks on her fair cheeks.
This completely baffled Fumiya Jin.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Beside them, Kei Shirogane was also stunned by the scene—what was going on? Why did she suddenly throw herself into Fumiya-san's arms?
"Miss Shiina, you... what's wrong?"
Shiina Mashiro raised her sleeve and wiped the tears from her face a little.
Then she looked up, her teary eyes staring earnestly at Fumiya Jin. Biting her lip, she whispered, "suki..."
Kei Shirogane: "?"
Fumiya Jin was also a bit stunned. "What?"
"Like... want..." Shiina Mashiro said softly, her voice fragmented, as if she was choking back a sob.
Kei Shirogane: "???"
She turned her head to look at Fumiya Jin and said grimly, "Fumiya-san, is this what you call... a 'pure teammate relationship'?!!!"
Fumiya Jin looked innocent. How was he supposed to know what was going on in this expressionless girl's head?
But he looked into Shiina Mashiro's eyes... He could indeed see admiration and passion... but he couldn't detect any lust or desire.
He immediately sensed that she probably didn't mean it that way.
"Calm down and speak clearly. What do you like, what do you want?" Fumiya Jin asked seriously.
Shiina Mashiro lowered her head and leaned against his chest for two seconds. Then she looked up and said again, "Your book. I like it very much... I want to draw for it."
"Eh... is that what you meant? Miss Shiina, you should have been clearer!!!" Kei Shirogane let out a long sigh, patting her chest and complaining resentfully, "You almost made me think it was a confession..."
Fumiya Jin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then gently patted Mashiro's head. "Didn't I already give you permission to be the illustrator?"
"Not illustrations..." Shiina Mashiro shook her head. "I will do the illustrations well, but... I also want to draw a manga. I want to turn this story into a manga."
_____
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