"Wait, why?"
"I want to see Chihiro's naked body."
"That's not a convincing reason, is it!"
"I want to see Chihiro's naked body."
"Even if you say it three times, I won't agree."
"I want to see..."
"Please have some self-respect."
...
"Ayano told me that I could consider trying extreme descriptions, so I need Chihiro's help."
After her forceful attempts failed, Mashiro finally started to use her brain.
"Shoujo manga often has such intense plots. Sagiri and Eriri are one thing… but I still feel it's not quite suitable for Mashiro, because Mashiro can't draw that 'lewd' feeling."
Izumi Chihiro still shook his head.
It seemed that while Miss Ayano had helped Mashiro understand manga structure and direction, she still knew too little about Mashiro.
"Why can't I draw it?"
Mashiro tilted her head, seemingly not understanding this point.
"No reason."
He replied.
Mashiro's expression seemed to show a hint of disappointment for a moment, but on closer inspection, it appeared unchanged.
It was inevitable that the girl, wanting to try this as a breakthrough but receiving a cold reception, would be affected, even if Mashiro didn't show such emotions.
"Perhaps, we should try a different approach."
Izumi Chihiro thought of an idea to compensate.
Mashiro, who had been about to turn and leave to continue drawing in her room, stopped when she heard this.
"For Mashiro, what's lacking is experience. Experiencing it in reality is too slow. Perhaps she can feel more by reading, and Mashiro can also draw inferences from it, learning story design and character development."
Izumi Chihiro's face showed a mysterious smile.
Reading can greatly enrich one's spiritual world. Compared to life experience, which progresses slowly and requires accumulation, reading is currently the most suitable method for Mashiro.
Following his finger, Mashiro looked at the bookshelf nearby, her eyes lit up, and she walked over.
"It's all manga? And… light novels?"
The girl asked doubtfully.
The bookshelf mostly contained famous light novels and quality manga, with the manga naturally attracting her attention the most.
Mashiro's decision to become a mangaka was, to some extent, an impulsive act. Her understanding of manga was still superficial, and she hadn't read much manga herself, only a few shoujo manga.
She was simply interested in this 'drawing' that was more captivating than her own work, because one day at her art exhibition, she saw a child looking through a manga instead of her own pieces.
"Since Mashiro's goal is youthful shoujo manga, then I recommend these works to you."
Izumi Chihiro found several suitable works for a girl to read on the bookshelf, including both novels and manga. One of them was Kasumigaoka Utaha's "love metronome."
Shoujo manga isn't necessarily BL or otome-oriented; a normal romance style is the most appealing. Works like "love metronome," which are similar in style to ""White Album"" but with a few more touches of innocence and fantasy, are more suitable for Mashiro to read and learn from.
"Chihiro."
Mashiro took the books but didn't turn back. Instead, her gaze was fixed firmly on him.
"Mashiro, you're not going to make me read them with you, are you?"
Izumi Chihiro seemed to infer this meaning from her eyes.
"Together, it's more meaningful."
Mashiro replied, not blinking.
"That's true. If it were just you, Mashiro, you probably wouldn't understand many parts and would need my explanation."
Izumi Chihiro mused.
Mashiro nodded.
This was the meaning behind her previous statement.
"Alright, I agree."
He sighed.
"I won't let you sleep tonight."
Mashiro said seriously.
The girl always kept her word, so they really did stay up all night.
Every time a key plot point came up, the girl needed him to explain the characters' reactions and why they changed. She also made him demonstrate various expressions, which she recorded with her superb memory.
Of course, this was just recorded, not deeply understood, much like rigid mathematical formulas, which can differ greatly in the hands of different people.
But even so, he believed that Mashiro would have her own awakening through this subtle influence.
Just waiting for this seed to grow and gradually blossom.
…
The night had passed, and the sky was already brightening.
At this moment, he finally couldn't bear it anymore and leaned against the wall.
'Mashiro has more energy than me? Forget it, I really can't take it anymore…'
He turned his head, looking at the girl still engrossed in reading, but the scene before his eyes gradually blurred.
He had fallen asleep.
"Chihiro, what does jealousy feel like…?"
Mashiro had just finished a section of the story and turned to ask, but found that he was already asleep. So, she suppressed the rest of her words and continued reading.
Reading on her own was very difficult for her; many parts left her half-understanding, and she gradually felt more and more fatigued. Her head swayed for a while, and finally, she couldn't hold on, and the curtains before her eyes completely closed.
The girl's body slid to the side, her head resting on the boy's shoulder.
"Haaah…"
Sagiri yawned, then checked the time, her brow furrowing slightly.
'It's already this late, and Ni-san hasn't called me? Did he oversleep? I guess that's pretty normal, right? Taking care of both me and Mashiro-neechan…'
Thinking this, she felt particularly touched.
Compared to her brother's efforts, her own perceived tireless efforts actually provided very limited help.
But another hour passed, and her brother still didn't appear.
Even if he was sleeping in, it shouldn't take this long; this completely went against her brother's habits.
"Did something happen to Ni-san?"
Sagiri was a bit worried, so she rushed downstairs and pushed open the slightly ajar door.
The bed where she looked was empty, which made her heart skip a beat, then she suddenly realized something and looked towards the wall.
In the sunlight, soft golden hair shimmered, and combined with her gentle features as she slept, she looked even more beautiful at this moment.
Mashiro was sleeping soundly on her brother's shoulder, and novels and manga were scattered on the floor, creating a harmonious and beautiful scene that even made her feel an urge to paint it.
"No! No!"
Sagiri quickly shook this absurd thought out of her mind.
"Kishikishikishi! Even I, his younger sister, haven't had the privilege of staying up all night with Ni-san to read novels and manga!"
She pouted, feeling quite indignant, and her arm dropped slightly, feeling as if her heart had been twisted.
A strange emotion surged within her.
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter