Akifumi shook his head.
"The way I teach might not be the best fit for you."
"Is it about drawing other people's comics?" Mashiro asked
"Exactly."
"After today, I realize I'm still far from drawing real comics. Before I can do that, I need to improve." Mashiro replied without any confusion.
"Have you made up your mind?"
Mashiro nodded seriously. "Yes."
"If you've decided, then I won't hold back."
"As long as it makes you happy, I will do whatever you want."
'Huh?'
'Why does that sound a little... off?'
Pushing aside the strange thought in his mind, Akifumi nodded.
"Well, since you've made up your mind, I'll teach you how to draw comics when we get back."
"Please train me to become an adult."
!!
It wasn't just my imagination!!
Akifumi suddenly felt a wave of guilt.
Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he sighed in relief.
Otherwise, who knows what kind of looks they'd get, or worse, someone might even call the cops on them!?
"Don't use words that could easily be misunderstood like that!"
"What's wrong with it?"
Mashiro blinked, her face full of innocence and confusion.
"No, never mind."
"But next time, please avoid using the word 'train'."
"Oh."
She nodded obediently, though still unsure why.
'Is this what it feels like to have a new disciple?'
And one that's a beautiful girl, no less.
This world is truly strange.
As for what Akifumi would use to teach her, it would naturally be Guilty Crown.
Over these past days, whether it was Guilty Crown or WorldEnd, Akifumi had already drawn an entire volume's worth!
What he would have Mashiro do was simple:
Take the Guilty Crown content he'd drawn and trace over it.
Different people needed different approaches.
If he just taught her about character design or the storyline like he did with Eriri, it would be no different than letting her continue making things up on her own.
Through tracing and her daily life, she would slowly come to understand what makes a story, and how one should go about creating a comic.
"Well, let's head back for now. The lunch should be almost ready, right?"
"Mm." Mashiro nodded.
Under the sun, their shadows were close together.
———————————————————————
Monday.
After the quiet weekend, things were bustling once more.
In the classroom where Tanaka, Tadakuni, and the others were, it was especially noisy first thing in the morning.
"Tanaka!!"
It was a roar full of malice from his friends.
After a brief escape attempt, Tanaka was eventually cornered in the back of the classroom.
As for his usual good friends, Tadakuni and Tabata, they had already run off as soon as they saw things weren't looking good.
Shivering, Tanaka flashed a pleading smile.
He raised both hands. "Guys, let's talk about this, okay?"
"This killing intent is so thick, it feels like you guys trying to kill me!"
"If you get reported, it won't be good for you, right?"
Tanaka's words made them hesitate for a moment.
But...
"You didn't do this on purpose, did you?!"
"Do what on purpose?"
Tanaka blinked in confusion.
"Madoka Magica, episode 3!!"
As soon as these words were said, their resentment almost turned into something tangible.
"Ah, you're talking about Mami-senpai, right?"
"You knew?!"
Tanaka waved his hand, signaling his friends to calm down. "I know you're upset, but please don't rush."
"As a manga fan, I know the plot is totally unpredictable, right?"
"So you planned to trick us from the start?!"
"Am I that kind of person?"
Tanaka said with great righteousness: "It's because I know Mami-senpai's death and the following events that I understand—this is a story that absolutely can't be missed!"
"Tell me, after watching episode 3, do you still think Madoka Magica is just an ordinary series?"
"Don't you want to see what happens next?"
"Well..."
The group of friends hesitated.
Haha, as expected!
Even though they usually claim they'd never watch a series with such a "sharp edge," after seeing it, they were crying and begging for more!?
Tanaka could barely hold back his laughter.
"Let me ask you, was Mami-senpai's scene amazing or what? Wasn't it shocking enough?"
His friends all nodded honestly.
"Is it really my fault for making sure you didn't miss out on such a masterpiece?"
"Hey, no way!"
"Tanaka, trust us, we didn't mean it like that!"
"It's just..."
"You thought I was trying to trick you?"
Tanaka spoke with great dignity: "Am I that kind of person? I just wanted to share a good story with you! But if you're going to think like that, I won't tell you about the next great anime!"
"No, no, Tanaka, you're right!"
"We'll buy you lunch!"
"We'll get you soda!"
Tanaka nodded in satisfaction.
When he returned to his seat, he saw the two traitors, Tadakuni and Tabata.
Tadakuni avoided his gaze. "Are you okay?"
"Ha, traitors!"
"We were in it together, and you pushed me out to take the fall?!"
"Sorry, please forgive us!"
"This time, for WorldEnd Volume 2, you'll pay!"
"No problem!"
"We'll handle it!" Tanaka finally nodded with satisfaction.
Similar little scenes were playing out at other schools as well.
———————————————————————
"By the way, the school festival is coming up, right?" Kato's words pulled Akifumi out of his thoughts.
He sighed heavily, "Please, don't remind me."
The sports festival had just ended last week, and next month, the school festival would be here—another hassle.
Kato's mind was oddly aligned with his.
She, too, thought of the sports festival.
"Speaking of which, Akifumi, you were quite the star at the sports festival."
"Some of the younger students were really over the top."
Thinking about it, Akifumi felt even more drained.
Though he hadn't received much attention before this year, ever since the sports festival, his shoe locker was filled with love letters every day.
"I should've held back a little."
Kato wiggled her fingers. "No way."
"If you didn't show your full strength on the field, it would've been disrespectful to everyone!"
"Is Kato the type to care about things like that?"
"Well, you misunderstood, Akifumi."
Hmph.
Akifumi rolled his eyes, not believing a word of what she said.
Later in class, it was no surprise that the upcoming school festival was announced, with students needing to be nominated for committees, and preparations for activities.
Unsurprisingly, his evening would be delayed after school.
Exhausting.
At 6:00 PM, Akifumi, Mashiro, and Mahiru finally arrived home.
They were nearly two hours later than usual.
"This is such a hassle!"
Though Akifumi had managed to avoid being part of the organizing committee, the class activities were unavoidable.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing you in a butler outfit, Akifumi," Mahiru teased, smiling.
Mashiro, nibbling on a piece of cake like a small squirrel, looked like she was enjoying the spectacle.
"I can't wait," she agreed.
After a class vote, the chosen activity was a butler café.
Last year, it had been a haunted house.
"Why not a maid café?"
He was really looking forward to seeing Mahiru and Kato dressed as maids.
One would be expressionless, while the other would greet him with a sweet smile and say something like, "Welcome, my master, I am your humble servant," or something along those lines.