It wasn't until the afternoon that the energetic Ito finally set aside his drawing tablet, preparing to rest.
However, just as he was about to lie down, the doorbell rang loudly at the entrance.
"At this hour… who could that be? Coming…"
When he opened the door, standing before him was Moon Book Orie, the busty, bespectacled editor from the Crab Editorial Department.
She wore a black bell-sleeved base layer and a wide-necked dress that barely held together under the pressure of her generous bust. Beneath the dress were sleek black pantyhose, similar to what Rika usually wore, paired with short high heels. In her arms, she clutched a kraft paper bag tightly wrapped, its sharp corners revealing what could only be adult manga.
"Good afternoon, Teacher Ito."
Orie smiled and gave a slight bow, causing the softness of her chest to jiggle even beneath her layers.
Ito welcomed her inside, offered her a seat, and poured her a glass of water.
"Miss Moon Book, something you need? It's not submission time yet, is it?"
"It's like this." Orie adjusted her glasses nervously, her legs tightly pressed together beneath the black pantyhose. "Didn't Teacher Ito say he wanted to try drawing manga with a reverse NTR theme?"
"Previously, you mostly focused on pure love stories, so... I gathered some reference materials for you. These are doujinshi from the egoistic-lily circle, who collaborate with our editorial department. While their works are mostly humiliation-themed, they include plenty of NTR elements that might help inspire your next manuscript."
Ito smiled warmly. "No need to be so nervous."
Orie, a new editor, struggled to handle the veteran authors who refused to work until deadlines were right on top of them. In contrast, Ito, always short on money, was reliable and never missed a deadline. He was assigned to Orie specifically because he was easy to work with—a small blessing to help the newcomer adjust.
"Egoistic-lily, huh? If I remember right, they have the highest sales among all the circles that work with the editorial department."
He opened the kraft paper bag. Sure enough, it was full of adult manga with explicit covers. As he flipped through the pages, the detailed artwork and provocative plots explained their popularity.
Most of their works leaned toward humiliation themes—but not of the traditional male-dominates-female type. Rather, they leaned into reverse NTR and power reversals, which made them ideal reference material for what Ito had in mind.
Best of all, it saved him the time of hunting them down online.
"But wait… doesn't the editorial department only publish egoistic-lily's original works? Did you get these directly from them?"
"Mmm…" Orie nodded shyly. "But… I didn't get to meet the lead artist. Even the editorial team only deals with their agent."
"Their mysterious artist again, huh?"
"Oh! By the way, I've already finished the line art for the new manuscript. Want to take a look?"
"Really?" Ito raised an eyebrow. "Miss Moon Book, you're the editor. Don't hold back."
Seeing Ito's teasing expression, Orie's cheeks flushed crimson. She was the editor, yes—but she still felt like an ordinary reader around him.
Orie followed him upstairs to his room.
"Excuse me... Teacher Ito's room is really... clean."
Stepping in cautiously, her eyes wandered. There were no erotic figures, no questionable magazines lying around, not even a suspicious smell. The trash can was clean, and there were no tissues stuffed at odd angles.
Ito chuckled inwardly. She was an ero-manga editor, yet she reacted like someone stepping into a forbidden place.
"Relax. There's nothing you can't look at. Go ahead and sit down."
He guided her to the computer. Once she sat, Ito opened the rough drafts he'd been working on all night and into the morning. Orie adjusted her glasses and leaned in to inspect the art carefully.
"By the way," Ito asked, "why did you want to become an editor?"
She hesitated. Shy, quiet, easily flustered—she didn't seem suited for the pressure of editing. Editors were supposed to have the guts to lock up mangaka and starve them until they turned in pages.
"Because… I love it. I love erotic manga." Her toes curled tightly under the desk, encased in those same black pantyhose. Her face burned with embarrassment. "Manga artists express their fetishes through their work. The raw excitement and emotion—no normal manga can compare!"
She turned toward Ito, eyes gleaming with sincerity."The emotional build-up before the act in these stories… it's like pulling back the curtain on something taboo in daily life. That thrill of immorality… it's powerful."
"And the girls in erotic manga… they're beautiful, so alive. The expressions of pleasure that rise from deep within—it even makes my heart race, and I'm a woman! Erotic manga is amazing! But I don't have the talent to draw… so I joined the editorial department instead."
"I know, I know... Calm down." Ito nodded thoughtfully. "So, Miss Moon Book has a voyeuristic fetish? Or perhaps being tied up and only able to watch from the side?"
"Eh? No... that's not it!!! I just simply like manga! I don't have any strange sexual interests!" Orie, shy beyond words, turned her gaze to the screen. "Teacher Ito! This isn't work, this is harassment!"
"Alright, alright, let's talk about work." Ito smiled. "Miss Moon Book, do you have any suggestions for the plot?"
"This... I had an idea on the way here." Moon Book, sitting in the computer chair, tightly clutched the hem of her skirt. "For example... Teacher Ito's girlfriend is at work, and I, as a new editor, come to urge a manuscript from a manga artist for the first time, and then... then I'm... violated by Teacher Ito."
"Uh... Miss Moon Book, do you want to be violated by me?"
"No no no no no, that's not it!!!!" Orie waved her hands repeatedly. "I mean the manga plot, like... a new editor and a manga artist or something... using 'research' as an excuse, making the new editor pose in embarrassing ways for 'training,' and even making the new editor squat under the desk because the manga artist is 'too busy'... Is that okay?"
"Hmm... that's actually not bad, but it doesn't seem to be reverse NTR."
"Then let's change it..." Moon Book paused then suggested, "How about a sadistic editor pressuring for manuscripts?"
"Are you talking about Misa as the editor?"
"That's right... Ah!! No!! I wasn't saying Misa is sadistic!! Please don't tell Misa!!!!" Orie looked at Ito with pitiful, moist eyes.
The Misa she referred to was the editor responsible for training Misa in the editorial department, and also the editor who was previously responsible for Ito. Among the editors in the editorial department, Misa was known for being fierce.
However, Ito's relationship with Misa was actually quite good because he submitted his manuscripts diligently. In Ito's opinion, those who didn't submit diligently simply weren't short enough on money.
"Hehehehe... Miss Moon Book, you wouldn't want her to know you were badmouthing her, would you?" Before he finished speaking, Ito couldn't help himself. "Miss Moon Book, you wouldn't think I'd say that, would you? Don't worry, I won't tell Misa."
"Phew..."
Hearing Ito say that, Orie finally relaxed. The two continued to discuss the manga plot in front of the computer desk... mainly Orie talking and Ito listening.
Although Ito was the manga artist, Ito felt that Orie's passion far surpassed his own.
...
Time came to after school in the afternoon.
Aoi and Rika didn't linger at school after dismissal but took a taxi to the airport.
Aoi hadn't told Ito about Mashiro, partly because she thought Ito, having stayed up all night, was probably sleeping and she didn't want to disturb him, and partly because Aoi wanted to give him a surprise... she was a rich lady!
The rent and the fees for taking care of her were quite generous, enough for the three of them to live comfortably with a good amount left over. Once she arrived, Ito could draw less manga and wouldn't have to stay up all night every day.
Arriving at the airport, the two headed to the international arrivals hall.
The plane wasn't delayed. Amidst the bustling crowd, Aoi and Rika immediately spotted the dazzling golden hair, just like Teacher Sakuragi's, and the exquisite girl who looked like a doll.
"Shiina, over here~~~"
Aoi and Rika called out Mashiro's name and waved at her. The expressionless doll-like girl noticed them and walked over.
"Shiina, Teacher Sakuragi asked us to pick you up."
"Sakuragi?" Mashiro tilted her head.
"Yes, Teacher Sakuragi seems busy, so she asked us to pick you up. I'm Aoi, and she's my younger sister, Rika. Just call us Aoi and Rika!"
"Shiina Mashiro, my name."
"Can I call you Mashiro? Let's go. Mashiro, where's your luggage? You don't have any?"
After a simple self-introduction, Mashiro followed Aoi and Rika out of the airport.
"Speaking of which, Mashiro, did you used to go to school in England?"
Mashiro shook her head.
"Eh? You didn't go to school?"
Mashiro nodded.
"Then what were you doing in England, Mashiro?"
"Painting."
"Ah! Teacher Sakuragi said you're very good at painting, and you transferred here to draw manga, right?"
Mashiro nodded.
Two words answered three questions.
Mashiro and Rika were both the type who didn't like to talk. All the way, Aoi was doing the talking, while Mashiro and Rika occasionally nodded in response. Fortunately, having been with Rika for a long time, Aoi was used to talking to herself like this.
There was another reason why Sakuragi asked Aoi and Rika to help besides helping them earn money during their difficulties.
Mashiro was a person who lived in the world of painting.
She was slow to react to the outside world, had no friends, didn't smile, lacked common sense, and needed others to take care of her to live.
That was to let Mashiro interact more with her peers and make some friends.
Soon, the two brought Mashiro to Ito's doorstep.
"My house is next door. We usually eat at my boyfriend's place… He's also a manga artist."
Upon hearing this, Mashiro, who had been as expressionless as a doll, finally reacted.