Mashiro was fortunate, because she had met the right friend when she was young—a friend willing to accept her. Though Rita saw Mashiro as a rival she found difficult, perhaps even impossible, to surpass, she still accepted Mashiro. That friend was Rita...
Even if Rita had helped Mashiro embark on the path of becoming a manga artist out of a moment of jealousy, wasn't that a case of good coming from bad intentions? After all, Mashiro liked manga...
Of course, Sogo Doma definitely wouldn't mention the jealousy. After all, the world sometimes needed a few lies to embellish it. "Eriri, don't look so incredulous. Mashiro and Rita are friends, so Rita knew what Mashiro truly wanted to do. Even if that road looked covered in thorns, obviously difficult to walk, still..."
As he spoke, he looked at Mashiro again. "The one who made the decision was always Mashiro. As for friends, all they needed to do was help clear away the thorns on the road. Likewise, if Rita decided she wanted to do something, Mashiro would support her too..."
"Of course!" Mashiro Shiina nodded.
Eriri: "..."
Was this what friends were supposed to be?
So she had never had a friend at all!
"But would there be anything Rita needed my help with?" Mashiro Shiina asked in confusion.
"Of course..." Sogo Doma chuckled. "People naturally have all kinds of individual differences. Some are strong, some are smart, some are sensitive to music, and so on. That meant there were things no one could accomplish alone, and friends were people who helped each other achieve what they couldn't do by themselves... So, Mashiro, there would definitely come a day when you helped Rita, because you wouldn't refuse to help her, would you?"
"Mm, just like Sogo..."
Eriri: "..."
Was that supposed