[171] Deep Feelings Have Never Been Enough

Chapter 171: Deep Feelings Have Never Been Enough

After taking out Marin's underwear, Shunsuke casually reached up to the top shelf of the wardrobe, pulled out a fresh set of bedding, and tossed it onto the bed.

"…What's the meaning of this?"

Rita sensed that something was off.

"What do you mean, 'what's the meaning of this'? You know it as well as I do—thanks to you, Mashiro kicked me out of my room. I've got nowhere else to sleep tonight. So, naturally, I'll have to make do here for the night."

"What do you mean, 'because of me'…? Here!?"

"Am I really that scary? By your usual character setting, shouldn't you be the one inviting me to sleep together right about now?"

"T-Together!?"

Shunsuke tilted his head, recalling how, in the original story, Rita had stubbornly refused to let Sorata sleep in the living room. It was part of her natural awareness as a guest—but her reaction now was completely different from what he expected.

"Shunsuke, don't try to act all cute now! If I sleep in the same bed as a carnivorous guy like you, I'll definitely be in danger!"

If it were some timid, herbivorous-type boy, as a Western woman, Rita wouldn't have minded teasing him a little. But facing Shunsuke—a meat-eater who could casually pull another girl's underwear out of Mashiro's wardrobe without batting an eye—she was genuinely nervous.

What if things accidentally got out of hand?

After all, even though she was a European woman, as the daughter of the ancient, devoutly Catholic Ainsworth family, Rita was nothing like those lower-class women who had embraced complete sexual liberation. There was no way she'd just give herself away to a man she'd only met for the first time.

"Tsk, if you're that worried, then just sleep on the floor tonight. I'll take the bed."

Rita's mouth twitched. As a guest, kicking the room's owner out and taking the bed for herself would definitely make her seem like an ill-mannered Brit. It wasn't like she thought being a woman gave her special privileges—but having someone else outright suggest it to her like this felt oddly unpleasant.

At that thought, she couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh. And I thought I wasn't the type to expect special treatment as a woman… Yet here she was, instinctively feeling that offering the bed herself would have been an act of generosity.

Seeing her hesitation, Shunsuke finally stopped teasing. "Alright, alright, I was just joking. No way I'd actually let a guest sleep on the floor."

Rita let out a breath of relief. "So you mean…"

"I'll set up the sofa in the living room for you."

"…"

Expressionless, Rita stared at him. "Mr. Fujii, do you find it that amusing to mess with a lady?"

Shunsuke nodded sincerely. "To be honest, yeah, it's pretty fun."

Rita clenched her fists. If she could beat him up, she would have.

But this time, Shunsuke decided to let her off. "Alright, enough jokes. You can keep the bed."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just sleep a little further inside. Otherwise, I might roll over and crush you in my sleep."

"…That still means we're sleeping together!"

Seeing that Rita was actually getting angry, Shunsuke decided to quit while he was ahead. Picking up his bedding, he made a tactical retreat. "Get some rest. I'll be in the living room."

"W-Wait!"

Just as he stepped out, Rita blurted out, stopping him.

"What is it?"

"…Come back, Shunsuke." Her face was flushed red, but her upbringing wouldn't let her leave things as they were. "I don't want to be that kind of rude guest."

"No, the moment you showed up and tried to drag Mashiro away, you were already a rude guest."

"I was doing that for Mashiro's sake!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then why did you trick Mashiro into coming to Japan to draw manga in the first place?"

Rita's face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. "Didn't I already explain? I just wanted Mashiro to experience failure so she'd go back and focus on painting."

"I see." Shunsuke nodded expressionlessly, making it hard to tell what he was thinking. "By the way, according to Google, you're quite the prodigy yourself. It says you're a genius painter, praised as the one who'll inherit your grandfather's legacy—a beautiful young artist whose works have won numerous awards. But I couldn't find any recent news about you. What happened?"

"Ah, and don't blame me for looking you up. You started it first, so I'm just returning the favor."

At his words, Rita could no longer maintain her composure. Her grip on her phone tightened, and she took a deep breath before forcing herself to appear calm. In a detached tone, she said, "…It's nothing. I've just… given up on painting."

She turned her head away as she spoke, hiding her expression. Her voice was steady, but Shunsuke could clearly hear the bitterness and pain buried within it.

"Why?"

"Why do you care? Girls have their secrets, you know. I'm not telling you."

Regaining her usual playful demeanor, Rita placed a finger to her lips, a smile creeping onto her face. But to Shunsuke, it looked forced—almost painful.

"I see." If it were the old him, he wouldn't have pressed further. But now, he casually followed up, "As the landlord providing you with free room and board, and Mashiro's new caretaker, don't I have the right to know?"

"You…"

"Sorry."

His sudden apology caught Rita off guard. She looked at him in confusion.

"It probably wasn't something you wanted to talk about, right? I made you remember something unpleasant."

Shunsuke glanced at Rita, then turned his head away, as if embarrassed.

—Seriously… So I misjudged him. He's just a slightly awkward but straightforward guy, huh?

Letting out a sigh of relief, Rita suddenly chuckled. "Just for today, I'll forgive you."

"So just for today, I'll tell you something special."

"No need. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. I won't ask again." Shunsuke started backing off.

Rita pouted. "Jeez… You're the one who brought it up, and now you're not even going to listen? What's with that?"

Grumbling, she didn't even give Shunsuke a chance to respond before continuing on her own, like a child sulking over being ignored. "Mashiro… her talent is overwhelming. It makes me wish she would just disappear."

Though her words sounded harsh, there was no deep resentment in her tone, nor did they bring a heavy atmosphere into the room.

Listening to her confession, Shunsuke, who had turned his head away to give her some space, quietly let out a breath of relief. Looks like things are going well.

—As they say, deep feelings never last, but a well-played strategy wins hearts.

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