"Hmm?" Rita's bluntness caught Yukino Yukinoshita off guard. "You're saying you were the one who urged Mashiro to..."
"..." But she had barely begun when Rita said, "Yeah. I'm pretty despicable, aren't I?"
"What..."
"I didn't know how I could ever surpass Mashiro..." Without waiting for the second young lady to finish, Rita continued, "To me, Mashiro was like an insurmountable mountain standing in my way. That was why I, in my despicableness, encouraged her to draw manga. As long as Mashiro gave up art..."
"..." Yukino Yukinoshita fell silent at that. After a while, though, she could not help asking, "Then why did you come to take Mashiro back?"
"I..." Rita hesitated. After a long pause, she said, "Maybe because I came to understand things. Or maybe because I couldn't just stand by and watch Mashiro waste her talent..."
"Is that so?" Yukino Yukinoshita seemed thoughtful upon hearing this. "If that's truly how you feel, then it isn't really despicable. At the very least, you reflected on your actions."
"Reflected?" Rita said. "Perhaps..."
"Not perhaps—definitely. The old you didn't dare face Mashiro directly, but now..."
"I'm sorry..." Rita seemed to understand something upon hearing that, but she said, "I'm not as strong as you think I am. I merely gave up painting..."
"Huh?"
"Rather than continuing to persist..." Rita continued, "Maybe it's better to entrust my dream to Mashiro. Mashiro can so easily do things that ordinary people like us simply can't..."
"Enough!" Before she could finish, Yukino Yukinoshita could not help snapping again, "What do you mean, ordinary people? If you say you're Mashiro's friend, can't you see how hard she works? Without even putting in the most basic effort, what right do you have to..."
"The most basic effort?" Rita interrupted. "Do you think I never worked