Kawaikereba Hentai demo Suki ni Natte Kuremasu ka? Volume 12 Chapter 3

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How to save the Heroine from her Slump

Kiryuu and the club president have been acting strange recently.

Mao was sitting on her usual chair in the clubroom, facing her manuscript. She snuck glances at the two of them with these thoughts.

“S-Sayuki-senpai!? What are you doing!?”

“Why are you acting so embarrassed? We’re so close that a bit of skinship shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But you’re really cute when you’re embarrassed, Keiki-kun. I’ll do it some more as a reward~”

“Mugh!?”

To briefly explain the situation, Keiki was currently sitting on the tatami mat, being embraced by Sayuki. Not to mention that it was a lovey-dovey hug, filled with lots of emotion. Thanks to that, Sayuki’s large breasts were pressed against Keiki, suffocating him.

Aren’t you bragging a bit too much?

If he loved big breasts that much, he might as well marry them. Mao clicked her tongue and yet again thought to herself that they’d been acting odd as of late. Of course, Sayuki always showed excessive skinship towards Keiki, but now they looked even closer than before. It had reached a level where Mao found herself thinking Did these two start dating or something?

Even though I’m right here, they’re really going all-out with their flirting…

Of course, watching the boy she liked be all lovey-dovey with another girl made it especially tough for her. But she also couldn’t just say ‘Don’t act so close with another girl’, as that would reveal the fact that she had kept two years’ worth of one-sided feelings for him secret…

If Yuika was here, she’d definitely get between them…

Sadly, said little devil was nowhere to be found. Neither was Mizuha, which meant that Mao was the only person who could do something about this.

Ahhhhhh, I really hate this…!!!

Since Mao loved Kiryuu Keiki, she found herself almost going crazy when she saw him acting playful with that big-breasted upperclassman. Her inner thoughts were screaming Just explode already, which wasn’t exactly something a maiden like her should be thinking.

“Sayuki-senpai! You’re suffocating me!”

“Aren’t you lucky that you get to do breath exercises and you’re not even underwater~?”

“Sayuki-senpai!?”

Keiki’s head was yet again swallowed in the great valley between Sayuki’s chest, which caused Mao’s pen to screech along the desk.

Just drown in there for all I care!

He should just explode between those giant bombs. That would be a happy way to go for a bastard like Keiki. Mao pretended she was drawing on her manuscript, but in reality, her head was filled with curses.

Sayuki finally freed Keiki. “Fufu, next I’ll give you a lap pillow and rub your head, okay?”

“Just do whatever you want.”

Why is Kiryuu acting so obedient?

Normally, he’d try to resist some more. She knew that face he was making. He made that exact face whenever he resigned himself to something. That was obviously the case, since he rested his head on Sayuki’s lap. She reached for his head, only to grab a brush next to her. She drew something on her junior’s cheek.

“Sayuki-senpai!? Did you write something on my face!?”

“It’s fine. I only wrote something that I can’t say with my mouth.”

“Why would you do that!?” Keiki lashed out at Sayuki, while still resting on her lap.

Sayuki ignored his reaction and gently rubbed his head like she had promised.

These two really are close…

It felt like they were in perfect sync, like there wasn’t any room for anyone else to get between them. Although Keiki couldn’t see it, Mao had already read what Sayuki had written.

‘Love you’…Seriously? You’re that much of an idiotic couple…?

Of course, Mao couldn’t say that either. The atmosphere between these two had completely crossed the limits of a healthy Senior-Junior relationship. There was no way a boy and a girl who weren’t even going out with each other would act like this. Tokihara Sayuki wasn’t even trying to hide her affection. At the same time, Kiryuu Keiki accepted it, and seemed fairly satisfied with it. An emotion somewhat akin to panic filled Mao’s mind.

“Is this actually…?”

Her mind started begging the question.

Maybe these two are actually going out after all…

Even after Mao had arrived at her home, that thought wouldn’t leave her mind. Those two were always close, but never had they been this lovey-dovey. Even from Mao’s point of view, the two of them looked like lovers. They might even start going at it like rabbits when nobody is around—

“………”

When she started pursuing that avenue of thought, Mao’s head went crazy, and she slammed it against her desk.

‘—Wah, Minami-sensei!? It sounded like you hit your face on a hard, probably wooden surface! Are you okay!?

“…I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

That wasn’t good. All that thinking pulled her attention away from the phone call. Her phone was on speaker mode, and she had put it on the desk. She was currently in her own room, on the phone with her, Nanami Mao’s, editor. Today they were planning on talking about some details concerning a new job, but since Mao lived quite a ways away from the publisher’s office, they always kept contact via phone or email. Mao had met her editor in person a few times, and from the looks of it, she seemed to be a lady in her late twenties.

‘M-Minami-sensei? You seem to be a bit absent-minded today. Did you perhaps have a fight with your boyfriend?’

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Indeed, Nanjou Mao did not have a boyfriend. However, she had a boy she was interested in. The reason Mao was in a bad mood was simply because that boy was getting along a bit too well with another girl, but that wasn’t anything worth mentioning.

“Sorry, please continue.”

‘Ah, yes. Then…’

She must be busy looking through documents right now. After a short silence, the woman spoke up again.

‘For now, I have read the manuscript. It seems okay, so I will send you minor corrections for wording and such via email.’

“I understand.”

‘So, about the deadline… We’d like to ask for it to be done on the 10th of February at the latest.’

“The 10th, huh?”

She looked over at the calendar. Today was the 2nd of February, a Friday. In other words, she had roughly a week.

‘Although it is just a one-shot, we should have given you more time to prepare. I’m terribly sorry. We don’t have any assistants left that could help you… Will you be able to do it?’

“It’s fine. It doesn’t have as many pages as last time, and I can draw pretty fast. Not to mention that nobody can be blamed for the other mangaka suddenly ending up in the hospital.”

‘That’s great to hear. I was really worried what we would do now. We also ran out of other one-shots to use… But that isn’t important right now. If this one-shot goes well, we might even serialize it! I know the schedule is tough, but please try your best!’

“You’re right.”

Although she was only given this job because a spot opened up in a magazine, and they offered Mao this opportunity. Since she had gotten the OK for the overall design, she could now work on the manuscript. She would keep the character designs similar to before and just focus on drawing the rest around it. If she took a pass on a few hours of sleep, it should definitely be doable.

‘Then I wish you the best of luck.’

“Understood.” Mao hung up and let out a sigh.

Since she wasn’t too good at dealing with others, a call like that was pretty exhausting, especially since it was a pretty important one. Even so, she was elated at the results. The one-shot ‘Would you be able to love a pervert as long as he’s hot?’ she had published in the magazine last time had received good reviews overall, and now she had even gotten another chance to publish a one-shot. Normally, this was a very important call for Mao’s overall future, but…

“What am I thinking, spacing out like that?”

In the end, her mind drifted towards the boy, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

“I tried to act tough during the training camp, but I’m still super inexperienced…”

She said that she’d focus on her own hobbies and future, rather than some boy she was interested in, but this was the result. She couldn’t help but worry about what Keiki was doing right now, and she was unable to even focus on her work. Just how much did she like that boy, anyway?

“It’s not my problem what he’s doing and who he’s getting along with. I’ll just focus on my work…”

If she were to get a serialization now, she’d only be more busy, and she wouldn’t have any time to think about love. Mao’s tsundere attribute reared its ugly head again, and she turned back to her beloved desk, pouring more attention into her work.

*

The following Monday, late into the day after classes had ended, a visitor arrived at Mao’s private working room.

“I’m sorry to call you over like this.”

“No, I’m happy that I can help you, Mao-chan.”

“Thanks for being my model, Mizuha. I’ll treat you to some crepes another time.”

“Yay~”

While exchanging a few words, Mao started drawing as she closely inspected Mizuha sitting on the bed. Mao held her drawing tablet on her lap, totally immersed in her work. Since they both came here right after school, they were wearing their uniforms.

“But all the characters you’ve drawn so far are boys, right? Will I really be a good model?”

“It’s totally fine~ This is a character modeled after you, anyway.”

“You turned me into a boy without telling me?”

“Your name is ‘Mizuki,’ by the way.”

“Isn’t that basically my actual name?”

“It’s fine. I’m using all of the calligraphy club members as models. I mean, Kiryuu is the heroine this time.”

“Fufu. I’m looking forward to that.”

“Ah, that expression just now was great.”

“Huh!? So embarrassing…”

Honestly speaking, Mizuha’s smile was cute enough to make even Mao jealous. She always looked like a maiden in love.

“You’re amazing, Mao-chan. Being a professional mangaka and all.”

“It’s not that amazing. Not to mention that I can’t be a pro as long as I’m underage… Without Kiryuu, I would have stopped mid-way.”

When her first one-shot received harsh critique, Mao found herself in a slump. Keiki was the one to cheer her up and teach her the importance of not giving up.

If not for him, I probably wouldn’t be where I am right now.

If her heart had stayed broken, then she wouldn’t have worked on a new work, and she definitely wouldn’t have received this job she had now. Eternal gratitude was not far from what Mao felt like expressing.

“…Say, Mizuha?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think Kiryuu has feelings for the club president?”

“Where did that come from?”

“I mean, aren’t they getting along really well as of late?”

“Well, Nii-san getting along with another girl is nothing new.”

“Aren’t you bothered by that? You like Kiryuu too, right?”

“‘Too’? You mean there’s others?”

“You should be well aware of it, right? The club president, Yuika… even Ayano and Airi are highly suspicious.”

Of course, she left herself out of the equation. Then again, since Mizuha was pretty sharp, she probably had figured that out already.

“Now that you mention it, Nii-san is pretty popular.”

“And yet he himself isn’t aware of it at all.”

Even though he’s like a picture-perfect harem protagonist with all the girls around him having feelings for him, he himself has no idea, which makes it all the more infuriating. Though that dense head of his is exactly what made him that much of a harem protagonist… Discussing that, however, was off-topic.

“So? Aren’t you bothered by the fact that your beloved Oni-chan and Tokihara-senpai are getting along so well as of late?”

“I mean, I am bothered by it. I don’t want the person I like to be flirting with someone else.”

“Ah, well… That makes sense.”

Mao was overwhelmed by Mizuha’s serious tone of voice. Honestly speaking, she seemed pretty annoyed.

“Not to mention that Tokihara-senpai is right up Nii-san’s alley.”

“Yeah, he seems to be into older girls.”

“Not to mention that she has big breasts.”

“I think you’re not losing much in that area, Mizuha.” Mao’s gaze wandered towards Mizuha’s chest.

She was rocking quite the bod, herself.

“Well, Nii-san likes big breasts, but he wouldn’t choose a girl just because of that.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“It’s true that Nii-san has been acting oddly as of late. I feel like he’s hiding some things, not just about Tokihara-senpai.”

“Hiding what?”

“I don’t know, but something’s off.”

“Hmmm?”

Mao didn’t know what that could be, but if Mizuha, his little sister, felt that way, then there must be something to it. Since this had only happened recently, Keiki’s odd behaviour might be related to Sayuki’s sudden assertiveness.

“Are you going to ask Kiryuu about it?”

“If Nii-san doesn’t want to tell me, then I don’t won’t force him. I like him, and even if he has feelings for Senpai, that wouldn’t change anything.”

“…You sure are amazing, Mizuha.”

She could be honest about her feelings. It seemed simple enough, but it was really more difficult than anything, and it required a lot of courage.

I don’t have that sort of courage…

Mao had thrown away all the chances she had to confess so far. Whenever the perfect opportunity came around, she didn’t have the courage to take the final step.

“Then again, I don’t plan to give up on Nii-san, so if there’s a chance, I’m ready to cross the line.”

“You’re more aggressive than I thought, Mizuha…”

“Really? I mean, I want to be together with the boy I like.”

“That… is true, I guess…”

Mao was an adolescent girl as well, so it’d be a lie to say she never had any fantasies like that.

“So Nii-san even sank his poisonous fangs into Mao-chan. What a sinful man he is.”

“Wah, no!? I never said that the person is Kiryuu!”

“Yeah yeah, tsundere maiden.”

“Mizuha!?”

Now even Mizuha was treating her like a tsundere.

“Hey, Mao-chan?”

“W-What?”

“I don’t know who Nii-san has feelings for, but if either of us end up going out with Nii-san, then no bad feelings, okay?”

“…That’s impossible.” Her mouth moved before her head could think. “If Kiryuu were to choose you, Mizuha, then I’d definitely curse both of you and be jealous about it.”

“………”

For a second, Mizuha’s eyes opened wide in shock, only for her to show a big smile afterwards.

“You’re finally being honest.”

“Ugh…”

How embarrassing. Mizuha toyed with her and got her to reveal her honest feelings. Whenever she’s with Mizuha, Mao’s armor gets weaker and weaker. These siblings really knew how to hit where it hurts.

“Anyway, we’re not done yet, so hold still, Mizuha.”

“Okaaay~”

Mao wasn’t quite done yet using Mizuha as her model. She swallowed her embarrassment and continued drawing on her tablet.

*

Every day after that, Mao was busy with her work. She had to finish the manuscript in a week, so wasting time was not an option. She found herself constantly trying to balance life as a high school student and life as a newcomer mangaka. She’d work until early in the morning and get a few hours of sleep until school. After coming back from school, it was time to work on her manuscript again. This cycle continued over and over.

“…Mm, it’s already this late?”

Before she realized it, it was already midnight. She put her pen away, trying to get some short rest.

“Still, I really like this heroine here…”

Mao was currently working on the climax of the one-shot. The scene showed the sadistic hero ‘Ritsuka’ showing off his trunks to the protagonist ‘Keiko’, and embarrassing her. Even though the model for the heroine was a boring and average boy, the girl herself turned out great. She would blush furiously just from seeing a boy’s underwear.

“Maybe Kiryuu likes honest girls more, after all…”

He probably preferred someone easy to get along with like Yuika or Mizuha. If so, then Mao was at a severe disadvantage. After all, Mao was a helpless tsundere. She was plagued by her feelings, and yet she couldn’t even speak them out loud. She was the exact opposite of Yuika and the others.

“What do you think, Sergeant?” She asked, holding up the plush toy sitting on top of her shelf.

‘Sergeant’ here referred to Sergeant Penguin. It was a fat penguin with a bad glare in his eyes, holding a fish as his weapon. When Mao and Keiki went on a date to collect data, he won this guy for her at a claw game.

“If you’re not giving me an answer, then I sentence you to death by hugging!”

And then she dove right into her bed.

“………”

If she closed her eyes now, she’d definitely fall asleep, so she decided to stare up at the ceiling. Her stomach started growling.

“Despite the fact that my personality sucks, my stomach sure is honest…”

Mao vaguely remembered not eating dinner. It made sense that she’d be hungry.

“Alright, I’ll just make some cup ramen.”

The night is long for a mangaka. She needed some more nutrition to survive the night battle. Looking forward to a delicious cup of ramen, Mao stood up from her bed. She put the Sergeant back in his original position, then her smartphone vibrated.

“Who could it be at this hour—Wait, Kiryuu?”

The sender of the email turned out to be the boy she was worrying about.

“What’d he say… ’I’m in front of your house right now’… What?!”

The content of the email left Mao shocked beyond belief.

“Why would he…?”

She didn’t know why, but if that was true, then making him wait was not an option. She put on a light cardigan and stepped outside. Taking the elevator, she went down from the fourth to the first floor, and when she left the flat, she found the boy wearing a coat. Keiki spotted Mao and raised his hand, which was covered by a warm glove.

“Yo. Sorry to bother you when you’re so busy.”

“I don’t mind, but… Why are you here?”

“Mizuha made you a late-night snack; Rice and some miso soup. She figured that you’d get hungry around now, so she wanted you to eat that.”

“Mizuha did?”

“Yeah. She said you’re probably just living on cup ramen again.”

“Ugh…”

Mao couldn’t argue against that, as she was just about to make some.

“I couldn’t let Mizuha walk outside this late, so that’s why I’m here.”

“I see… Thanks, that’s great timing.” She thanked him and accepted the warm plastic bag. “She’s got good sense. I was gonna eat some cup ramen just now.”

“She’d scold you if she heard that.”

“Probably, yeah.”

Mao never could find the motivation to cook this close to a deadline, which was why she mostly lived off convenience store food, absolutely ruining the balance of her diet. Mizuha probably knew this and made her a meal.

“More importantly, the tip of your nose is pretty red. Aren’t you cold?”

“Yeah, I’ve been outside for a while.”

“I don’t want you catching a cold, so how about you come in for a bit?”

“Nah, it’s pretty late, so I’ll pass.”

“Mama isn’t home since she works at night, though.”

“Um… That would make it even worse, right…?”

“Eh? …Ah, wait!” She realized her slip-up too late.

Inviting a boy into her home at such a late time, with nobody else home, would be easily misunderstood, and she couldn’t argue otherwise.

“I-I didn’t mean it that way! I just wanted you to warm up with some tea, that’s all!”

“It’s fine. I know.”

“Good, then…”

Even though he came all the way for her, the mood was ruined.

“Anyway, I don’t want to bother you any longer, so I’ll be on my way now.”

“Ah, wait a second!”

“Hm?”

“Um…”

She called out to stop him, but found herself without anything else to talk about.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

“‘Zat so?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the emergency rations.”

“No prob. See you at school.”

Giving a final farewell, Keiki left for good. Mao watched him walk off into the distance and let out a sigh.

“What am I doing…?”

There was no way she could tell him that she just wanted to talk some more.

*

Days passed, and there was one day left before the deadline. Specifically, it was a Friday during lunch break. Mao sought out something to drink after she had finished some yakisoba bread, and headed to the vending machine near the shoe lockers.

“Now I only need to finish the scenery, so I should be able to make it in time.”

Her progress was at about 80%. Although she couldn’t exactly take her time, finishing the manuscript should be doable given her current pace.

“Hm? Isn’t that…” When Mao made it to the shoe lockers, she stopped in her tracks. “Kiryuu and the club president?”

Keiki and Sayuki both stood in front of the vending machine she wanted to visit. Confirming this, Mao subconsciously hid herself in the shadows.

“What are they doing?”

She peeked her head around the corner and observed the two of them. She could only make out small snippets of conversation, but she could guess the basic situation. Apparently, Sayuki was eager to take a sip from the juice Keiki had bought from the vending machine.

“Again. They’re going around flirting again…”

There honestly had to be a limit to this. Mao was already exhausted from her endless days of working, so normies enjoying their youths was nothing less than poison for her eyes. More than anything, she felt incredibly jealous.

Finally, Keiki seemed to resign himself, and offered Sayuki a sip. Naturally, she didn’t miss the opportunity, and she gleefully put the straw in her mouth.

“Ah, an indirect kiss…”

Of course, something like this didn’t mean anything special. Sharing drinks between friends was normal, so making assumptions about their relationship from this would be going too far. She knew that in her head, but…

“…Why am I even hiding…?”

Mao stood frozen in the shadows until the two of them walked away.

Kiryuu, you… idioooooooooooooooooot!!!

Sixth period came around, and Mao vented all her frustration into the volleyball she spiked down onto the other side of the court. The other team was unable to catch that ball filled with curses and resentment, which scored Mao’s team another point. She felt a bit refreshed. Megumi came to talk to her.

“Nice shot, Nanjou-chan! You’re on top form today too, huh?”

“I guess.”

“The other team couldn’t even react. Do you have any tips you could give me?”

“Just imagine that the ball is Kiryuu’s face, and smash it as hard as you can.”

“Uh…” Megumi received an answer she didn’t expect, and took a step back. “Anyway, um… Next it’s my serve, so…”

“Go get ‘em.”

Megumi headed to the serve line, and the game resumed with her serve. It drew a beautiful arc mid-air, was received by a girl on the opposing team, and the volley started.

Kiryuu, you idiot. Super idiot. Ultra idiot.

She looked at the ball floating mid-air and kept cursing inside her heart.

These two have to be going out, right…?

All of the girls in the calligraphy club were targeting Keiki’s chastity. Since a bloodbath would begin if he suddenly started dating someone, it wouldn’t be weird to assume he was keeping his relationship with Sayuki a secret. Even though these were but mere assumptions, they wouldn’t leave Mao’s mind.

“……”

“Nanjou-chan! Heads up!”

“Eh?”

Mao was brought back to reality when she heard Megumi’s voice, and she turned to face forwards.

“Ah…”

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she wasn’t following the ball anymore.

“Yikes!”

Dodging the ball would be impossible. On reflex, she covered her face with her hands. Right after—a dull sound rang out, and an impact followed. The ball was redirected by Mao’s hand, and dropped to the floor.

“Nanjou-chan!? Are you okay!?”

“…!”

Mao didn’t have the energy to answer Megumi. The pain running through the finger of the hand that had blocked the ball didn’t allow her to do so.

“This is bad…”

By the time she realized that she had injured her dominant hand, all blood drained from her face.

Mao received emergency treatment at the infirmary, and a thick bandage was placed around the injured finger to keep it from moving. Upon her return to the classroom, Keiki came running.

“Nanjou!”

“Kiryuu? Why are you still here?”

She was cooling her injury with an ice bag, and all the classes for the day had already come to an end, so nobody should still be in the classroom. Yet Keiki acted like him being there was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I was worried about you, Nanjou.”

“You really know how to meddle with other people’s business, Kiryuu.”

“More importantly, how’s your injury?”

“A jammed finger. It’s not that big of a deal. It should be healed in like two to three days.”

“I see…”

Teacher Tachibana did say ‘It’s not broken, but you should probably get it checked out at a hospital’, but Mao didn’t want to worry Keiki any more than necessary.

“Thank goodness it’s not anything serious.”

“…It is serious.”

“Nanjou?”

“What should I do…? The deadline for the one-shot is tomorrow…”

She just so happened to injure the index finger of her dominant hand. As a mangaka, this was a fatal injury. Not to mention that she had been told to let the finger rest for two to three days. In other words, she wouldn’t be able to finish the manuscript until tomorrow. When she came to that realization, her mind turned blank.

“…No, I’ll draw it. Whatever it takes, I’ll make it in time.”

“You can’t do that. You’ll only make your injury worse if you try.”

“Then I’ll draw with my left hand.”

“There’s no way you can do that, right? Even you can’t do that.”

“But…!”

Mao herself knew that better than anyone.

“…Even so, I need to finish this.”

This time, she really couldn’t give up. This work wasn’t just her problem alone. She collected data with Keiki, had him help with the outline, and was promised another chance for a one-shot, maybe even a serialization. Ruining it all in such a pathetic way was just awful.

“…Alright, I understand.”

“Kiryuu?”

“I’ll help you.”

“Eh, but…”

“It’s not like I don’t have anything to do with that manga, right?”

“Kiryuu…” Mao felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

Keiki always helped her, even to the level of staying in the same hotel, waiting for her to finish working on the manuscript.

“So how much work is left?”

“…I finished drawing the characters, so now it’s only the scenery and background. If not for this injury, one more all-nighter would have done the trick…”

“So it still would’ve been an all-nighter, huh?”

In reality, Mao was quite a fast worker. Since she estimated another all-nighter was necessary, the amount of work left must be larger than Keiki anticipated.

“Can’t you ask your editor for an assistant?”

“Not possible. I’m drawing this on my own because everybody else is busy.”

“I see…”

“Not to mention that I don’t have any time to search for some. The deadline will come before I get them together.”

“Then keep the background as simple as possible when it’s not necessary…”

“That won’t do…!”

“Uh…”

“The drawings, story, and the characters! If one is missing, then the manga fails. No matter how good your story is, if the drawings don’t live up to it, it’ll all be for nothing. A reader can tell at first glance. Worst-case scenario, the overall evaluation of it will drop, and my own reputation will…”

“………”

“I don’t want to disappoint the readers. That is the one thing I want to avoid as a content creator.”

It’s not like Mao had been a genius at drawing from the very start. She had complete confidence in the first works she released, only to not sell a single one. She even remembered the readers’ disappointed faces. She never wanted to go through something like that again.

Right now, Mao was a professional mangaka. It was her duty to maintain a certain level of quality, no matter the circumstances.

“Sorry, Kiryuu… Even though you offered to help, I’m being selfish…”

“No, I’m just not experienced enough. Let’s think of something else.”

“Yeah… Thanks.”

“That being said, the best idea would be to get you some assistants.”

“But how do I find one today?”

There was barely any time left. Even if she asked everyone from the calligraphy club for help, they weren’t skilled enough. Keiki aside, neither Sayuki nor Mizuha had any talent at all, to put it bluntly.

“What about Yuika-chan?”

“I thought about that as well, but her drawing style isn’t well-suited for a manga…”

She seemed like the only person that could be of use, but her speciality was picture books, so that wouldn’t work either.

What should I do about this? I need help, but I need people at a certain level of skill as well…

It sounded impossible. An unclearable game. At the very least, Mao had no way of solving this problem. Of course, Keiki probably didn’t know of anyone else, either.

“If Yuika-chan isn’t good enough, then I guess… Wait a second.”

“Kiryuu?”

“I might know of some assistants…”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah. Leave it to me. I’ll get them together.”

“I mean, that would be great, but…”

It sounded impossible to Mao, but apparently Keiki knew someone convenient like that.

Around an hour passed after that.

“If I may introduce you, these are the club members of the manga research club.”

“The manga research club…”

Mao had gone home to prepare everything and then headed to the Kiryuu Household, where she was greeted by Keiki and three boys.

“Third-year Inooka.”

“Second-year Shikagawa.”

“First-year Chouno.”

First was the third-year Inooka, who had a lean stature along with long bangs that covered both of his eyes. After that was the slim, glasses-wearing second-year Shikagawa. Finally, first-year Chouno introduced himself, who had a smaller stature, and was presumably the quiet type.

“H-Hello… I’m a second-year, Nanjou.” Mao was slightly tense as she introduced herself.

As a side note, since they didn’t have any time to change, both Mao and Keiki were still wearing their school uniforms.

“…Um, Kiryuu?”

“Hm?”

Mao spoke to Keiki in a quiet voice.

“I know this might be a bit late to ask, but can we really trust them?”

“It’s fine. I can guarantee you they’re talented.”

According to Keiki, these three had created a wonderful short story with Megumi’s help. Of course, when it came to drawing characters, Mao still was worlds above them, but they could draw professional-level backgrounds.

“I didn’t know Kiryuu had these kinds of connections…”

“The one who brought them together was Onizuka-san, though.”

After his conversation with Mao, Keiki had apparently called Megumi. When he explained the circumstances, she was willing to help out, and he gathered the members of the manga research club.

“But are you really okay with us using this room?”

“I got permission from Mizuha.”

“Eternal gratitude…”

That very Mizuha was out right now, buying food supplies for this group of people. Since Mao’s place would have been too small, this was perfect for her. Innoka and the others had already set up their materials, so they were just waiting for Mao to start.

“Still, I never expected that we would have a professional mangaka at our school.” Inooka’s gaze was filled with respect as he looked at Mao.

“It’s an honor to help the upcoming Minami-sensei.” Shikagawa voiced his excitement after Inooka.

“Nanjou-senpai, please give me your autograph!” Chouno’s eyes were sparkling.

“H-Huh…” Mao was slightly confused.

She was already bad at dealing with others, and this much appreciation was unfamiliar to her. But Keiki prodded her forwards.

“Come on, Nanjou, they’re waiting for their orders.”

“Y-Yeah…”

This was Mao’s work, and they were helping out for free. Before they started their work, she should at least thank them.

“Um, then… Thanks for today. I hope we get along.”

“““Sir, yes Sir!”””

Did they act the same way towards Megumi? They seemed to be motivated, at least.

“Nanjou-senpai, could you scan the current manuscript and send it to us? We mostly work digitally.”

“Ah, yeah, got it.”

“Nanjou-shi, what should I do?” asked Shikagawa.

“Um… Please take care of the protagonist’s living room here. I’ll send you the material from last month’s magazine.”

“Understood!”

“Then should I do the classroom here?”

“Yes, please do, Inooka-senpai.”

Mao became the commander of the operation, divvying up the parts that needed to be drawn. Since this was her first time working with assistants, she was a bit bewildered at first, but after she got the hang of it, work moved along smoothly.

“Sensei! I’ve finished the scenery here, so please check it!”

“Eh, already?”

Around two hours later, the first one to speak up was Inooka.

“How does this look?”

“T-This is…!?” She took a peek at his progress, and her eyes shot wide open. “It’s perfect…”

Just as she had muttered in bewilderment, the classroom scene he had drawn was perfect. It didn’t deviate too much from the character’s artstyle, and it fit perfectly. There was nothing Mao could have complained about.

“This is way too good…”

“Then I’ll continue with the next scene just like this, okay?”

“Yes, please do.”

When Mao gave the OK, Inooka turned towards his tablet again and resumed his work. Mao let out a relieved sigh, and Keiki came up to talk to her.

“So is it gonna be doable?”

“Somehow, yeah.”

She and Keiki looked at each other, smiling. After her injury, she had been really worried about what might happen, but she had finally seen the light in the darkness, which was why she could finally smile again.

After that, work progressed somewhat smoothly.

“Ah!? We ran out of energy drinks!”

“Understood, I’ll buy some more!”

“Kiryuu! I’ll give you the money later, so get me the best one!”

“Leave it to me!”

It was Keiki’s job to supply Mao and the others with necessary supplements, supporting them from the shadows. Energy drinks were especially vital today. He might not be able to help with the drawings, but he was happy to do anything else.

“Hey!? Who put a flower pattern on Yukio’s underwear!?”

“Sensei, that was me! I’m sorry, I didn’t have any reference, so based it off my own!”

“That’s sexual harassment, Senpai! You know that, right!?”

There was some trouble midway though, but they somehow made it past that.

“I made you all a late-night snack.”

“““Thank you very much, Mizuha-san!”””

Once night came around, Mizuha offered some food to the hard-working boys. Homemade food from a beautiful girl was the best possible energizer for the exhausted soldiers. Thanks to that, they became fans of both Mao and Mizuha at the same time.

“Thanks a lot, Mizuha.”

“It’s fine. I’m looking forward to your manga as well.”

After a short break with refreshments, they restarted on their work. Inooka, Shikagawa, and Chouno finished their respective tasks, and Mao checked them over. If need be, she threw in some small adjustments that needed fixing, or gave them samples that could help with their scenery. Even if you couldn’t draw, there were still many things that needed work. Everyone fulfilled their own role, not resting a moment, and just focused on their work at hand. All in order to please the readers.

“Damn it, my eyes are getting blurry…”

“Inooka-shi, fight!”

“That’s right! We can’t give up just yet!”

The club members all supported each other, and time passed late into the night. Around the time the sun slowly started to rise—

“…And, send.” Mao sent the email with the manuscript. “W-We’re doneeeeee!”

Thanks to the three assistants and the Kiryuu siblings, Nanjou Mao made it through her greatest battle yet.

“Thank you, everyone. You really saved me.”

“No, we’ve all been bored as of late since Megu-senpai was out, so it felt refreshing to go all out.”

“Feel free to call us again if you need help.”

“I will come running whenever Mao-tan needs my assistance.”

Mao gave her heartfelt thanks after escorting the three of them to the entrance, and after showing smiles of their own, Chouno and the others left. All of them were staggering a bit, but since they had no school today, they could catch up on some sleep now. After watching them disappear into the distance, Mao turned towards Keiki next to her.

“Maybe they’d help me out again in the future if I asked them.”

“I feel like they’d be down for it.” Keiki grinned as he responded.

“…What’s that face for?”

“I just thought that it’s pretty rare of you to say that.”

“Well, they did save my butt.”

“Thank goodness. I was worried that they wouldn’t be able to help either.”

“Well, calling me ‘Mao-tan’ was taking it a bit too far, though.”

At first, Mao was riddled with anxiety, but these three were easier to get along with than expected. They worked really hard, as well. As a side note, the Goddess Mizuha, who provided them with snacks, was back in her room getting some sleep now that the manuscript was out. After all, unlike Mao, Mizuha had a healthy lifestyle. She must be exhausted by pulling an all-nighter that she wasn’t used to.

She was probably asleep at this point, so only Keiki and Mao were seeing Chouno and the other two off.

“Kiryuu, thank you. I would have been lost without you.”

“I didn’t do anything, really.”

“That’s not true. If not for you, I would have been left alone with no assistants who could help me.”

Although it got significantly better after she joined the calligraphy club, she was still bad at dealing with other people, so searching for help would have been impossible on her own. This time, she had been forced to learn the fear of not having anybody she could rely on, and she had also realized that there were things she couldn’t do on her own. If not for Keiki’s connections, she surely wouldn’t have finished the manuscript in time.

“You always end up saving me, Kiryuu.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“I knew you’d say as much.”

That’s just the type of person he was. He hadn’t changed at all, ever since then. He was still the same Keiki who saved Mao from becoming a library committee member after she lost in the lottery. When she was deep in a slump, he gave her the necessary push.

Of course, it wasn’t that Mao was special to him. If there was someone in need of help in front of him, he would rush to their aid without hesitation. Because that’s how Kiryuu Keiki operated.

“…You’re an idiot, Kiryuu.”

“Huh, where did that come from!?”

“It’s fine. I’m praising you.”

“That sure didn’t sound like praise…” A big question mark appeared above Keiki’s head.

Of course, Mao couldn’t tell him what she was thinking.

Seriously, what am I even doing…?

Now that the manuscript was completed, she had let down her guard.

My head’s full of Kiryuu, all the damn time…

She had been saved yet again, which caused her feelings for him to skyrocket, and her heart was filled with so much warmth. Not to mention that it was just the two of them right now, her heart was racing unbearably, and yet he didn’t realize it at all.

Would it really hurt you to be a bit more conscious of me…?

While she felt annoyed, her face started to burn up. Trying to make it so that he wouldn’t be able to see that, Mao averted her face.

“Wait, why’re you looking away like that?”

“…Not your problem.”

Even though she didn’t feel that way at all, her tone suddenly turned sharp. On top of that, she started blushing furiously.

I’m totally done for…

No matter how much she tried to deny her own feelings, it didn’t work. She made up excuses saying that she already lost against Sayuki, and focused only her job as a means of escaping reality, but her feelings wouldn’t leave her alone.

I really can’t give up on Kiryuu…

Women really are greedy creatures. Whether it be her hobbies, her work, or her loved one, Mao didn’t want to lose anything.

*

“…Ah.”

Monday passed in the blink of an eye, and classes came to an end. Mao was on her way home when her feet came to a sudden halt. Her eyes were drawn towards the various assortments of chocolate in the various store windows she was walking past.

“Right, it’s that season again…”

The fourteenth of February would come soon. It had slipped her mind because of her work, but that day was actually an important day for every adolescent girl.

“W-Well, Kiryuu helped me out before, so it’d make sense for me to give him some chocolate, right?”

Who was she even making that excuse to? She started searching for one to give to the boy she liked.

“The question is… Do I get store-bought, or make some homemade…?”

Her injured finger was steadily recovering, and the doctors planned on removing the bandage tomorrow. Since she had until the day after tomorrow, making homemade chocolate was definitely doable. The year before, she had prepared some store-bought chocolate, thinking that homemade would be going too far, but she couldn’t muster up the courage to give it to him. Which should she choose now? Easy but emotionless store-bought chocolate, or homemade chocolate filled with her love…

“…W-Well, I’ll think about that another time!”

She decided to think about it later, and entered the store.

“…Ah, club president?”

“Oh, if it isn’t Nanjou-san?”

Right when Mao made up her mind and walked inside, she spotted someone familiar. She wasn’t standing at the front of the store, where the special offers were, but rather in the back, with all sorts of sweets. Just like Mao, Tokihara Sayuki was wearing a coat on top of her uniform, a bag slung over her shoulder.

“What a coincidence meeting you here.”

Honestly speaking, that didn’t matter at all. Mao’s attention was immediately attracted to the object in the girl’s hands.

“Chocolate…”

Not to mention it was 500 grams of it. This clearly wasn’t for herself.

“Are those ingredients for Valentine’s chocolate?”

“Yes, I thought I should try making homemade chocolate this year.”

“What about your exams?”

“I am up to date with my studies, so no worries there.”

The exam was planned for the 15th, but knowing Sayuki, she should have no problems. If anything, the fact that she was preparing chocolate was more important.

“…Is that chocolate for Kiryuu?”

“That’s right. Just like you, right?”

“I don’t really…”

“Also, I’m not the club president anymore.”

“That’s true, but I can’t just stop calling you that. You’re still the club president to me.”

“Just call me what’s most comfortable for you to say. Something like ‘Sayuki-chan’.”

“That’s a bit weird…” Mao made a wry smile, and Sayuki responded with a gentle grin.

“Anyway, I have to pay for this, so I’ll be on my way—”

“Ah, wait!”

“Hm?”

Mao stopped Sayuki in her tracks. There was one thing she needed to ask no matter what, and she had been too scared to do so until now. She was scared of finding out if the boy and Sayuki were going out or not. But if she didn’t ask now, then handing over the chocolate would be impossible after all—

“Club president, are you going out with Kiryuu?”

“Huh…?” Sayuki’s eyes opened wide.

She observed Mao with a surprised gaze, choosing her next words carefully.

“The other day, Keiki-kun told me that he liked me.”

“Ugh…”

Mao had prepared herself for this, but hearing the words straight out of the girl’s mouth hurt more than expected.

Then these two are going out after all…

That was the only logical explanation. She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to suppress the pain and the tears.

“…But we aren’t going out.”

“…Eh?”

When she heard these unexpected words, Mao’s face shot up.

“What… Does that mean?”

Keiki liked Sayuki, and they weren’t going out. Met with this contradiction, Mao waited for what Sayuki said next, which she said with a slightly sad smile.

“Keiki-kun rejected me.”