[18] Is This Something I’m Allowed To Watch For Free?

Chapter 18: Is This Something I'm Allowed To Watch For Free?

Convinced, Sagiri came downstairs with Shunsuke to get ready for dinner.

Unlike her original character, this Sagiri wasn't nearly as frustrating. She was just an ordinary recluse, still holding onto the belief that "family should eat together."

When she saw the quiet Mashiro, she snorted but said nothing, hiding behind Shunsuke.

Shunsuke wasn't surprised. That's how recluses are—they shrink back instantly when encountering unfamiliar people.

Her earlier anger was just a small animal's passive defense, triggered by having its territory encroached upon.

If Sagiri was like a hamster, then Mashiro was a cat, always mysterious and unpredictable. Naturally, when the hamster saw the cat, it immediately shrank away.

Mrs. Izumi clapped her hands to break the awkward silence, "Don't just stand there, everyone! Let's eat, let's eat."

Shunsuke glanced over at the dining table and was speechless. "This is what you call dinner?"

She had said the welcome banquet was ready, but all Mrs. Izumi had prepared was a pot with some hot pot base in it.

All the other ingredients were still laid out whole on the cutting board, waiting for Shunsuke to cut them.

Once again, Shunsuke questioned whether he was spoiling this family too much.

Setting Sagiri aside, Mrs. Izumi was becoming more and more helpless.

Seeing Mrs. Izumi already grabbing a beer from the fridge, Shunsuke sighed and walked into the kitchen, summoning Star Platinum.

"Let's go, invincible Star Platinum!"

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"

With skills rivaling a top chef, Shunsuke sliced and plated all the ingredients in just a few minutes. He then theatrically washed his hands and brought out all the dishes.

For a brief moment, Shunsuke wondered if, at this rate, Star Platinum might end up turning him into a helpless person too.

....

"Hehehe, hehehehe, Shun-kun, why don't you join me for a drink?"

Mrs. Izumi, now tipsy from drinking alone, kept pushing a beer can into Shunsuke's face.

"If your tolerance is this low, you really shouldn't drink so much. Is it that good?"

Shunsuke didn't bother mentioning anything about her being a bad influence on minors; he just didn't like beer himself.

But Mrs. Izumi didn't reply. Instead, after a while, she turned her attention to Mashiro, her hands wandering as she tried to touch her. "Mashiro-chan, let me see—"

Smack!

Shunsuke slapped her hand away. "Stop that perverted behavior."

Mashiro didn't move a muscle.

Completely ignoring the chaotic scene around her, Mashiro clumsily picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks and nibbled at it like a little kitten.

"No, no, Shun-kun is bullying me! Sagiri~! Sagiri, come help your mom, she's being bullied!"

Unable to touch Mashiro, Mrs. Izumi started acting out, her voice loud and slurred.

"Kehehehe, you think calling Sagiri will help?"

"Urp." Mrs. Izumi let out a drunken burp before hugging Shunsuke again. "If you've got a problem, take it out on me. Sagiri, run!"

"..."

Sagiri gave her a disdainful look, clearly unimpressed with this self-directed scene.

"Such a hassle. Sagiri, just sit here for a bit."

Shunsuke scooped up the clinging Mrs. Izumi and carried her to her room.

"Haha... hic. Shun-kun is such a good boy. Mua."

As she continued acting crazy, Shunsuke tossed her onto the bed and wiped his face, disgusted by the saliva and strong smell of alcohol.

After washing his face and hands, he began preparing some warm milk.

Once it was ready, Shunsuke glanced at Mrs. Izumi lying on the bed. The scene felt... a little inappropriate.

Is this something I'm allowed to watch for free?

Keeping his innocence intact, he gently fed the warm milk to Mrs. Izumi, though some of it dribbled from the corner of her mouth, even staining the pillowcase. But that didn't matter.

It would dry by tomorrow anyway. Shunsuke tidied her up, tucked her in, turned off the lights, and left.

Back at the dining table, Sagiri, now "cornered," started acting hysterical and launched a desperate attack on Mashiro.

It seemed forcing Sagiri to interact with unfamiliar people on her own was too much, too soon. The saying "even a rabbit will bite when cornered" wasn't just empty words.

Though, most rabbits who act out like that end up becoming spicy rabbit heads for dinner.

The two began a drawing competition.

In this aspect, Mashiro's response time was remarkably quick.

Shunsuke had already prepared a few comforting words for Sagiri.

Although Sagiri was also considered a "genius," being able to match professional illustrators at the age of 13 and responsible for drawing illustrations for popular novels, even among geniuses, there were levels of difference.

Just like how The World also has double A rankings in both strength and speed, but challenging Star Platinum head-on would only result in getting shattered to pieces.

Even though Sagiri chose her specialty—illustration—instead of oil painting, the gap between the two was immense, despite the fact that Mashiro had only recently started working in the "anime-style" drawing method.

Both chose Shunsuke as the subject, and Sagiri naively thought she had a slight advantage with the topic. But Shunsuke could only think to himself that she was being far too optimistic.

The moment Mashiro put her pen to the paper, she was fully absorbed in her own world. She focused intensely, as if nothing else in the world existed except for her drawing tools and the paper.

Watching the two so serious in their work, Shunsuke didn't want to interrupt. By chance, his eyes landed on an open suitcase, inside of which lay a thick sketchbook.

An idea crossed his mind, and he instinctively guessed it contained Mashiro's work.

Glancing at Mashiro, who was entirely unresponsive to her surroundings, Shunsuke hesitated for a moment but then, uninvited, took out the sketchbook.

Although it felt like an invasion of privacy, Shunsuke justified himself by recalling that Mashiro had never been against showing her drawings to others.

Convincing himself, he opened the sketchbook.

Underneath the sketchbook, brightly colored intimate clothing was scattered, some quite bold. Shunsuke quickly averted his gaze, mentally chanting, Ignore, ignore.

As soon as he flipped open the sketchbook, an overwhelming sense of artistry rushed over him: brilliant starry skies, blooming flowers, towering mountains, vast fields… Each piece was so captivating, evoking a deep understanding of the concept of "beauty."

"Holy Fuck."

In the face of such an irresistible impact, Shunsuke, at a loss for words, expressed his shock in his native tounge.

After seeing Mashiro's works, Shunsuke was convinced that her success wasn't solely due to talent. These pieces weren't something that could be explained away by mere "genius."

While Rita or others might have been distracted by trivial matters, Mashiro had been drawing all along. In her world, in her life, there was only this one thing.

Day after day, year after year, with nothing else in her life but drawing. Rita had been able to keep up with her initially, but once Rita's mind became cluttered with distractions, she could only be left behind.

"Hmm?"

Sensing someone watching her, Shunsuke sighed and closed the sketchbook, realizing Mashiro was staring straight at him.

"Ahem, did you finish your drawing?"

Caught in the act, Shunsuke felt a little embarrassed but tried to remain calm.

Although he asked, he already knew Mashiro must have finished her drawing; otherwise, she wouldn't have shifted her attention away from it.

----------------

If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/EggZy