"Should we organize the material first, or take a bath first?" After bringing Shirai Mio back to her room, Eriri immediately changed into her signature green tracksuit. She also removed her contact lenses and replaced them with her familiar black-rimmed glasses.
As far as Eriri was concerned, there was no need to worry about her appearance in front of Shirai Mio.
"I think I'd like to take a bath first." Although the weather had been fairly cool today, Shirai Mio had still worked up quite a sweat after walking around all day. More importantly, after discussing doujinshi-related topics with Eriri the entire way home, she had wanted to change her panties for quite some time.
"Then you can bathe first. I'll get you some clothes." At that point, Eriri seemed to remember something. She fixed Shirai Mio with a dangerous stare and added, "If you complain that my clothes are too small, then you can go without anything tonight!"
"Huh?!"
The last time Eriri had lent Shirai Mio clothes, that white-haired little bitch had actually complained that they were too small. How could Eriri possibly fail to understand what she was implying?
Eriri looked down at her own chest, then at Shirai Mio. A sour wave of jealousy swept through her.
It was fine. Perhaps she would grow even bigger than Shirai Mio someday.
Eriri silently comforted herself.
Shirai Mio had already entered the bathroom when she suddenly remembered something. She opened the door again and called into the room, "Eriri, do you want to bathe together?"
"No! Get lost!" Eriri answered without the slightest hesitation.
Her first reaction was that Shirai Mio wanted to humiliate her over their figures. But then Eriri remembered that, judging by Shirai Mio's behavior today, she might have special feelings for her. Could Shirai Mio's invitation to bathe together have meant she wanted something to happen?
The thought made Eriri tense up instantly.
Even while nervous, she found herself feeling a tiny bit of anticipation.
Wait. Why was she looking forward to it?!
Fortunately, Shirai Mio had already gone to bathe. Otherwise, she would definitely have seen the blush on Eriri's face.
Eriri rubbed her burning cheeks, then began checking around the room.
She was not worried about any R18 material. After all, both she and Shirai Mio were doujinshi artists. What worried her was whether she had properly put away the pictures she had previously drawn of Shirai Mio. If Shirai Mio saw them, she would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to tease Eriri.
Eriri knew Shirai Mio far too well.
After checking her room and confirming there was nothing wrong, Eriri picked up her nightdress and walked to the bathroom door.
Listening to the patter of water from inside, Eriri knocked softly. "I'm leaving the clothes outside the door. Come out and get them yourself when you're done."
"Okay."
Shirai Mio answered, then silently sped up what she was doing.
She emerged from the bathroom in less than half an hour.
Eriri's nightdress fit Shirai Mio more snugly, especially since Shirai Mio was not wearing a bra beneath it. The overall effect made her look like a girl on a compensated date, and even Eriri could not stop herself from looking several times.
Realizing that her gaze had become far too direct, Eriri coughed lightly twice. "Since you're out, I'm going to take a bath. You can rest in the room for a while."
"We should've just bathed together earlier. It would've saved so much time~"
Shirai Mio only dared to act this brazenly because she knew Eriri would never accept the invitation.
If it had been Yukinoshita Haruno instead, Shirai Mio probably would not have dared to say a single teasing word.
After Eriri finished bathing, the two began organizing the material they had gathered that day.
Looking at the pile of photos on the computer, Eriri asked curiously, "What kind of story are you actually planning to draw?"
"Didn't I tell you before? A yuri doujinshi." After organizing her thoughts, Shirai Mio continued, "It's about a heroine who likes her childhood friend, but he never values her feelings, so in the end she falls in love with another girl."
After hearing Shirai Mio's simple explanation, Eriri raised an eyebrow. Why did it feel as though Shirai Mio was talking about her?
No. She had not fallen in love with Shirai Mio.
Yet the moment that thought surfaced, Eriri felt inexplicably guilty.
Did she really not like Shirai Mio?
Looking at Shirai Mio's breathtakingly beautiful face and breathing in the faint fragrance drifting from her, Eriri could not decide what she truly thought.
Or perhaps she already knew what lay deep in her heart and simply could not accept it yet.
In truth, she had vaguely sensed it yesterday while she was on her date with Aki Tomoya.
In the past, whenever she was alone with Aki Tomoya, she would always feel at least a little nervous. Her heart would race and all that.
But yesterday, her emotions had felt a little too calm. Instead, it was Shirai Mio's appearance that made her heart pound.
As someone who had played plenty of dating games and was herself a doujinshi artist, there was no way Eriri could fail to understand what that reaction meant.
Sensing Eriri's gaze, Shirai Mio said guiltily, "Um, I'm definitely not trying to hint at anything."
"Enough. I know what you're thinking. Do whatever you want, but remember to let me see it after you finish." At that point, Eriri seemed to remember something and asked nervously, "You aren't planning to exhibit this work, are you?"
Shirai Mio shook her head lightly. She would never show other people a doujinshi modeled on someone she knew. Of course, an all-ages work with a harmless story would be a different matter.
The only reason she had chosen this subject now was that she simply liked it and wanted to draw it.
"Speaking of exhibitions, I think that doujinshi you drew before would be pretty suitable. Why don't you enter it at Summer Comiket?"
Eriri naturally knew which one Shirai Mio meant. She shook her head without hesitation. To Eriri, that work felt almost like a chronicle of her romance with Shirai Mio. There was no way she would ever let anyone else see it.
It simply felt far too embarrassing.
If not for an accident, she never would have shown that work to Shirai Mio in the first place. The embarrassment she had felt after Shirai Mio saw it had lingered for days.
"That's a shame. I really liked that work of yours."
"Didn't I already give you a copy of the original artwork?"
"That's true. Then let's get down to business."
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