Tokyo, Akihabara District, XX Café.
"Utaha..." Sonoko Machida's eyelid twitched as she looked at the somewhat childish and airheaded Mashiro Shiina. She picked up the contract she carried with her, using it to block Mashiro from view, then turned to Utaha Kasumigaoka. "Are you sure this girl is that internationally famous genius beauty artist, Mashiro Shiina?"
"Doesn't she look like it?" Utaha Kasumigaoka asked in "confusion." Ahem. If she had not seen Mashiro's paintings, even she would have found it hard to believe that this airheaded dark-haired girl, whose voice was almost identical to her own, was the internationally renowned artist hailed as a once-in-a-millennium talent.
"..." Sonoko Machida could only stare once more at the girl before her, who was taking small bites of Baumkuchen. It seemed that nothing but Baumkuchen could attract her attention. After a long silence, she clutched her head and said, "Utaha, do you know what it feels like when your fantasies are shattered?"
"Probably like how you feel right now, Sonoko?" Utaha Kasumigaoka tilted her head.
"..." Sonoko Machida's mouth twitched. She had hit the nail on the head!
"Utaha, are you sure this girl can produce the effect you want? Sure, she's quite famous in the art world, but illustrations and oil paintings..." After all, they were two different forms of artistic expression!
Before Sonoko Machida could finish, Utaha Kasumigaoka turned to the airheaded dark-haired girl beside her. "Mashiro, show Editor Sonoko the illustration drafts you drew..."
"Hm?" Mashiro, who had been eating Baumkuchen, blanked out. "Utaha, Ayano is the editor, not Sonoko..."
Sonoko Machida: "..."
Sigh...
Who was this Ayano!?
D-Did Utaha betray her? She had only gone without contacting her for such a short time, and Utaha had already switched to someone else?
"Mashiro, Ayano is your manga editor. Sonoko is