"Rita..."
Sometimes, bad things could turn into good things. Though Rita had misunderstood Yukinoshita and the others, that misunderstanding had at least brought them into contact. After introducing themselves, they could be said to know one another now, and their impressions of each other were certainly quite profound...
Well, setting that aside for now, Rita was a guest from afar and hadn't seen Mashiro in quite some time. Yukinoshita and the others tacitly left the two of them alone—besides, judging by Mashiro's confused little expression, they probably wouldn't get any answers even if they kept asking.
As soon as Yukinoshita and the others left the room, Mashiro couldn't help saying, "Rita, I succeeded..." Although Mashiro remained expressionless as she spoke, Rita could still hear the joy hidden in her voice.
"Is that so? You succeeded..."
"Mm!" However, Mashiro failed to notice the disappointment in Rita's words. "My manga has already..."
Before she could finish, Rita suddenly exclaimed, "Enough!"
Mashiro was startled by that reaction. "Eh? What's wrong, Rita?"
"Don't talk about manga anymore!"
"Why?"
"There's no reason!" Faced with Mashiro's confusion, Rita simply said, "Mashiro, come back with me. Stop thinking about manga. You have a stage that suits you far better..."
"Rita?"
"I'm sorry, Mashiro. I'm sorry..."
"Why is Rita apologizing?" Mashiro didn't understand.
"Because it's all my fault. I never should have encouraged you to draw manga. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Rita seemed to grow even more guilt-ridden.
"Why apologize?" Mashiro still didn't seem to understand. At least, that was what she said: "Rita didn't do anything wrong. I really like manga..."
"Enough!" Yet upon hearing Mashiro say that, Rita only repeated, "Stop talking! Mashiro, manga is just wasting your talent..."
"But..."
"No buts!" For some reason, after feeling ashamed, Rita became forceful instead. "Mashiro, come back with