Chapter 253

From a business perspective, this is undoubtedly another wasteful act on his part.

Although high-rise apartments are inherently difficult to recoup their costs through rental income alone and require the addition of surrounding businesses to ensure profitability, Ten no Yashiro's prime location and high rental rates, coupled with its accompanying underground shopping street, result in a very considerable monthly income.

The rent for these vacant rooms he owns is a considerable sum each month.

But it doesn't matter. As long as his health problems can be solved, it's not a big deal to give up this building.

Health is the foundation of everything; with continued life, he can easily earn even more.

"Please come in."

He opened the door and invited her in.

"Sorry to bother you~"

Without hesitation, Kitagawa Marin walked straight in, took off her shoes at the entrance, and stepped barefoot onto the wooden floor inside.

Hmm, why do so many girls not like to wear socks with their shoes? That's a question— Sakurakoji Talent, standing behind, was drawn to the cute, smooth toes, also painted with pink nail polish, and mused to himself.

Wow! It's an apartment, but it's huge!

Kitagawa Marin looked around curiously, then took off the hat from her head and placed it on the coat rack to the side.

"The view outside is amazing! That's Tokyo? Wow! It's an ocean view room!"

"Hahaha..."

Naturally outgoing and with a sexy appearance, she didn't seem to feel like a guest at all, and after a brief conversation with him, she felt completely at ease.

"Won't it be cold to step directly on the ground? Wear this."

Sakurakoji Talent walked in a step later, said while carrying guest slippers.

"I'm perfectly fine!"

Kitagawa Marin responded with a laugh.

Despite saying that, she still put on her shoes.

Within seconds, her attention shifted from the scenery to the two rows of densely packed clothes on the freestanding clothes rack in the living room.

"So many clothes, and they're all so well-made... gorgeous!"

Her bright gaze paused, fixed on the various clothes adorned with exquisite lace and embroidery, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Beautiful things can always capture people's hearts in an instant.

"Sakurakoji-kun, may I touch it?"

Her tone softened, and she looked at him expectantly.

"Sure."

"Thanks!"

She jumped three feet high and ran quickly to the clothes rack, Kokoro touching the artwork in front of her.

"Is this White Lily's Cosplay Costume? She looks so pure and innocent, even more beautiful than in the anime!"

"This is Liliel's! Wow! This level of explicitness is unbearable!"

"This is..."

"..."

Kitagawa Marin pressed her face against the smooth, soft fabric, her eyes filled with rapture. "This fabric feels so good~ How comfortable would it be to wear this?"

After a long while, she finally left, satisfied.

"As expected, Sakurakoji-kun is amazing!"

She stared at the pile of works in front of her, nodded again to confirm, and asked doubtfully, "Could it be that you're actually a professional costume maker?"

"..."

Sakurakoji Talent stared at her intently, his face filled with utter shock. What was this girl saying?!

"... You're only finding out now?"

"As expected! Ah~ no wonder your cooking is so good!"

Kitagawa Marin sniffed with admiration, tears of emotion glistening in her eyes.

"Ah, Soso! Since you can make Cosplay Costume, it means you're also interested in 2D, right?"

She leaned closer, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Well, that's true, isn't it?"

He brushed his bangs aside, put his hands on his hips, sighed, and walked towards the room. "This is my room."

He opened a door and introduced himself to her.

The room was filled with all sorts of 2D posters on the walls, bookshelves brimming with Light Novel, and glass cabinets displaying numerous realistically detailed official figurines... It was a quintessential Itasha Room.

If others saw this, his image built up over the years would be completely overturned and destroyed. Sakurakoji Talent's gaze was complex.

He does like 2D, but he's not obsessed enough to decorate his room like this... He was poor in his past life, so he's not very interested in it in this one.

"Wow! What is this? Hahaha!"

Kitagawa Marin unexpectedly burst into laughter, pointing at the room. Then she leaped onto the bed inside, wrapped herself around the pillow, and pressed her soft, undulating body against it.

"It's so similar to my room! It's impossible not to want to!"

It's worth mentioning that Kitagawa Marin is also a hardcore 2D otaku, even more so than the other two staff members in this building.

Sakurakoji Talent glanced at it but didn't say anything. Anyway, he hadn't actually slept on it; he had just put some perfume on it when he came over in the morning.

"And this is my clothing studio."

"Ah! Don't go! Don't go! I'm here!"

Kitagawa Marin quickly got up, left the comfortable bed, put on the slippers that had been thrown around, and followed with small, quick steps.

"Hey~ this is it..."

Entering the master Itasha Room, Kitagawa Marin exclaimed in amazement.

There was no bed inside, only a huge work table covered with all sorts of random items.

Design drawings, paper patterns, cutting tools, needles and thread, measuring tape, markers, thimbles, leftover fabric scraps from the production process... Needless to say, he deliberately arranged everything like this when he came over this morning.

One side of the room features a wall-to-wall wardrobe filled with fabrics, while the other side has a glass window and floor-length curtains. Next to it are a sewing machine and a mannequin...

The air was filled with a strong smell of fabric, completely different from the fresh scent of the indoor air outside; it was slightly pungent.

"As expected of a professional," she couldn't help but think to herself.

"These 61 sewing machines are quite different from the ones at school. Professional ones are definitely more advanced, aren't they?"

"Was this design drawn by Sakurakoji-kun? This is really bad!"

"Such beautiful brushstrokes and font... Uh, so many numbers look so complicated."

"There's so much fabric! We could open a shop with it!"

"..."

Sakurakoji Talent answered her questions one by one, earning her admiring gaze.

"Um, I wanted to ask that before!"

"What?"

"Is Sakurakoji-kun's hair a wig?"

"No, it's mine."

"Eh... is that color dyed?"

"It's innate."

"That's nothing! Cunning! Using this to cosplay silver-haired characters is such a waste!"

"Oh ho ho~ There's nothing you can do if you're envious!"

"..."

Finally, after ten minutes, seeing the hesitant look on her face, he thought to himself, "It's almost time."

Five minutes later, after touring and exploring the entire place and finding nothing more to see, Kitagawa Marin took a deep breath, patted her ample chest, and her gaze hardened.

"Hey! Sakurakoji-kun!"

She swallowed.

"What's up?"

It's here!

"Um, I wanted to ask, how much does it cost to have clothes made by you?"

Kitagawa Marin tapped her finger, her deep red contact lenses fluttering back and forth.

"Making clothes?"

"Yes! After seeing your work, I'm sure!"

She nodded firmly, her face filled with reverence, "I want to wear the Shizuku-chan outfit you made for cosplay!"

"Shizuku-chan?"

He asked the question knowing the answer, and didn't want to reveal the name of the work, because...

"It's Kuroe Shizuku from <Saint Seiya: Wet Girls' Academy, Young Lady in the Shame Club, Shameless Dream Life 2>!"

"The wildly popular bishoujo game from last year features a protagonist who is the principal's grandson, and for some reason, he has to attend an all-girls high school alone..."

When this was mentioned, Kitagawa Marin danced with excitement, covering her cute and beautiful profile with an unnatural blush.

[Note: I always felt that this St. (Heart) Academy was inspired by St. Ying Girls' Academy from the original anime, <Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru>... Speaking of which, the voice acting for the male lead in episode 3 isn't even finished yet... How can they afford to make a fan service when they're so broke?]

Well, that's about it. Sakurakoji Talent nodded. "You mean <<Dripping Girls 2>>?"

As the name suggests, this is an 18+ adult film, and the level of explicit content is... quite interesting.

"Do you know that?!"

"After all, they're quite famous?"

"Aha~ As expected of Sakurakoji-kun! That makes things easier. I want to cosplay as Shizuku from the anime, so I'm working hard to earn money to make costumes!"

She gave a thumbs-up, winked at me with one eye, and stuck out her moist, pink tongue. "But I just can't seem to get it right, so..."

"So you want me to do it for you?"

He then added.

"Yes, yes! After all, I'm clumsy; I can't even cut fabric properly..."

Kitagawa Marin lay dejectedly on the living room sofa, her pert buttocks and almost-hit shorts creating a somewhat ominous sight.

"So, although I know Sakurakoji-kun's time is probably very precious, I still want you to do it for me!"

"If it's about money, I'll work even harder! I just don't know if it'll be enough..."

Of course it's not enough, but I'll still agree, don't worry.

His feigned contemplation made her heart clench, and she involuntarily swallowed.

After a while.

"Okay, I agree."

"Real?!"

Kitagawa Marin instantly turned to joy. She grabbed his hand, her face beaming with dreams.

It hurts a little. Can you please not leave your nails so long next time?

He slightly twitched his eyelids, looking at his left hand, which was being controlled by her soft, delicate fingers. "However, I have one condition."

"What? Money?"

Her expression was serious. "Although I don't know how much it will cost, I will try my best!"

"Mmm~"