He reined in his emotions and deliberately changed the subject. It was not that Raize lacked mental fortitude—but who would set up heavy defenses against a pure, innocent little "pet"? Mashiro had always expressed whatever she was thinking directly. There was no ulterior intent, which meant Raize neither felt overly wary nor instinctively resistant toward her.
He did his best to keep his expression steady. Even though his heartbeat had gone out of rhythm just moments ago, he still did not want to take that step forward.
Besides, he had not truly taken Mashiro's words as a confession. To be honest, this girl's understanding of special feelings had probably only just reached the beginner level, hadn't it?
Raize tried to comfort himself with that bit of wishful thinking—but then Mashiro delivered another fierce straight ball that shattered his self-deception completely.
"I want Aize to teach me what love is. I like Rita, and I like Aize too. They're both 'like,' but they feel different."
Boom!
A massive explosion went off in Raize's heart, blowing every last trace of his wishful thinking into nothingness.
Raize—critically damaged!!
Mashiro blinked her beautiful eyes and stared straight into Raize's slightly vacant pupils, as if she wanted to pass through his eyes and enter his heart.
Though her gaze never truly penetrated the tightly sealed interior of Raize's heart, her honest, unadorned words unquestionably reached him.
Suddenly, within Raize's field of vision, Mashiro's calm face blossomed into a beautiful smile that was both complex and pure. She hugged the manuscript to her chest as if it were a treasure, and spoke to the boy before her, pouring out her feelings:
"Ayano always told me I could use real life as reference for drawing manga. I tried before, but it didn't really work. But when I'm by Aize's side, my heart feels strange. There are feelings I like, and feelings I dislike. I drew all those emotions I don't understand into my manga."
"These are all gifts Aize gave me. They're complicated, but I like them. I like them the most."
Stop—stop—Mashiro, mighty warrior, please restrain your divine power! Raize's HP is almost gone! If this keeps up, he—
Raize's heart and mind were already running wild under the speechless gaze of some internal "Nep." The virus named Mashiro had completely robbed him of his composure.
He was not a block of rotten wood. Yet the contradictions in his heart troubled him deeply. He was certain that he had not fallen in love with Mashiro—he had always treated her as a child.
So why, when faced with her blunt words, did he feel an urge to escape? Raize did not want to toy with someone's feelings, nor did he want to knowingly play dumb. That would run counter to who he was.
Mashiro—are you trying to overwrite me with your pure, spotless colors?
His home already had beauties of Eu and Sei's caliber. Even just being around them would naturally raise one's standards.
From the very first time he saw Mashiro, he felt no heartbeat-skipping attraction, no craving desire. So why had a few simple words from her thrown his heart into such a laughably chaotic state?
"Are you saying… you like me?"
Raize's expression looked calm and ordinary, but inside he was anything but stable. His hands had already clenched tightly. Mashiro's pure, casual words had battered his heart into a complete mess.
In response to the boy's repeated question, Mashiro tilted her head in confusion, adorably. After thinking for a moment, she nodded firmly.
She liked being with Rita. Being with Raize felt different, but she was certain she liked it very much as well.
Knowing what kind of person Mashiro was, once Raize truly received that straightforward feeling from her, his heart fell into complete disorder.
He had not even done anything deliberate to build affection—he had merely taken on the responsibility of caring for a "pet" at school.
Yet Mashiro's initiative fundamentally and subtly altered his attitude toward her, even though he still could not take that crucial step forward.
Laugh if you want, but Raize felt that he could only take care of Mashiro. Going any further, he believed himself unworthy.
Mashiro was like a symbol of everyday simplicity. She was surrounded by warmth and comfort, as if the sky above her were always a pure ocean-blue. Her whiteness spread outward, turning everything around her into something like a paradise on earth.
And what about Raize? A murderous aura as thick as dripping blood colored everything around him. Blood and flesh mixed into the mud until they were indistinguishable. The sky was perpetually shrouded in dark crimson clouds, with not a trace of sunlight.
If one looked deeper, there were only two beautiful colors left: Sei's sacred, exalted gold, and Eu's snow-like white.
Raize and Mashiro inhabited entirely different worlds—yet now they faced each other at such close range. In Raize's bloodstained eyes, Mashiro was so pure, untouched by any impurity. Even the space around her was beautiful.
But the moment he stepped into her world, he would bring all that filth with him, staining both the girl and her beautiful world.
In his own mind, if Mashiro's pure white was to be colored, it should not be by someone as tainted as him.
"Mashiro… do you really understand that kind of 'like' between a man and a woman?"
Mashiro thought for a moment, then gently shook her head.
"I don't. That's why I hope Aize can teach me. I can learn."
As she spoke, right before Raize's eyes widened in shock, Mashiro began undoing the buttons on her chest, preparing to take off her clothes.
"Stop!! What are you doing!?"
Raize immediately shouted at her and reached out to lightly grab the girl's slender wrist. They were talking perfectly well—why was she suddenly undressing?!
"Ayano's reference materials say that the male and female leads have to take off their clothes to understand love. I want Aize to teach me like that."
"What kind of trash did that unmarried hag show you?!"
Raize roared in fury. How dare she show Mashiro something like that! Raize felt an actual urge to kill right now.
To pollute Mashiro's pure mind—absolutely unforgivable!
His heart was already in chaos from Mashiro's words and nerve-racking actions. Gritting his teeth, under Mashiro's blank, innocent gaze, he buttoned her clothes back up, then stared straight at her calm, expressionless face from close range.
"I agree to be your caretaker. But I can only take care of you. I can't do the things in your manga. From now on, you're not allowed to say too much or do anything besides drawing!"
Mashiro's eyes lit up at once. Under Raize's helpless gaze, the corners of her lips curved into a happy smile. She blinked her phoenix eyes at him and asked:
"Then… can I stay here?"
"…Not for now. Give me some time to prepare, okay? You've completely scrambled my thinking."
Raize could not immediately agree to Mashiro's request. His heart was still in turmoil. The girl before him—her shocking words and actions—had undeniably changed Mashiro's place in his heart.
Mashiro felt a tiny bit disappointed at his answer. It wasn't a complete rejection, but the result still wasn't what she wanted.