The girl wearing nothing but an apron on her upper body gradually regained focus in her eyes, radiating a unique sense of concentration.
That kind of concentration felt very familiar to Ryoji, like a swordsman practicing swordsmanship, someone who poured their entire body and soul into the moment. It made people hesitate to disturb her.
It was the kind of focus one could only develop after practicing a skill day after day, year after year.
It made Ryoji develop a bit of goodwill toward her.
"Who exactly is this Sara?" Ryoji leaned close to Kanata and quietly asked.
"No idea. I've never even heard her name…"
Kanata shook her head. Confusion flickered in her gaze as she looked at the apron girl.
At the center of the room, the pink loli and the apron girl stared each other down. Sparks practically crackled in the air; neither intended to back down.
After a while,
"Hmph, drown in your pointless dreams!"
The pink loli was the first to retreat, shouting irritably at Sara before stomping angrily toward the gallery exit.
"My apologies." Maid Charlotte bowed to the group, then hurried after her.
"Charlotte, prepare the car! I'm going home!"
"Yes, Ojou-sama!"
"Woah, why are you getting down on all fours?!"
"Please use me as your vehicle!"
"I told you NOT to act like a dog, didn't I?!"
"What a pity…"
So weird.
They were definitely here to perform a comedy sketch, right?
"Did she forget her chuunibyou persona halfway through?"
Ryoji recalled Kazamatsuri Rinna's line toward Sara earlier.
It gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.
Even Emiya Shirou would call her an expert!
"Indeed. And it seems those two know each other."
Kanata watched as Sara and Kazamatsuri Rinna went their separate ways, making a thoughtful guess.
Not only that, although Charlotte was Kazamatsuri Rinna's personal maid, her attitude toward Sara had been extremely respectful. That alone proved Sara's identity was anything but ordinary.
"They're more than just acquaintances." Ryoji muttered quietly.
The atmosphere between those two was definitely not normal. There was at least one, no, several, stories hidden between them.
"Sorry for disturbing your viewing of the artwork."
Once Kazamatsuri Rinna left, Sara reverted to her previous weak, exhausted state and apologized to the two.
"No, you don't need to apologize." Kanata shook her head, regaining her usual elegant demeanor.
"…I do need to." Sara murmured softly, looking somewhat helpless.
But as if she found explaining anything troublesome, she didn't elaborate and instead shifted the topic back to the paintings.
"Are you two also fans of Mario Rosso?"
"That's right."
The moment the topic turned to art, Lady Kanata's mind and energy surged back to full power.
Praise for Mario Rosso, the genius painter, flowed nonstop from her lips. In just a few sentences, she elevated him to the level of a once-in-a-century prodigy.
"He's… not that amazing…"
Sara was startled by her enthusiasm and seemed a little overwhelmed.
"Of course he is! Judging by your outfit, you must be someone who loves painting. Could it be you can't see the Profound Truth in Master Rosso's works?"
Lady Kanata declared boldly, as if she alone could make up for ten thousand fans.
"Profound Truth or whatever… if it makes you happy."
Sara awkwardly looked away.
To be honest,
The pieces displayed here were mostly things she painted for fun. Most were created to sell. She rarely put her true masterpieces on the market.
"You two can take your time appreciating the paintings."
Sara couldn't handle the fan's explosive enthusiasm. She took a small step back, deciding to retreat for now.
"May I ask, excuse me, how many years have you been practicing painting?"
Just as she was about to leave, the man beside her suddenly asked out of nowhere.
"Seven… maybe eight years…"
Not wanting to reject a fan's interest, Sara casually replied.
"I see. Thank you." He nodded as if he had realized something important.
"How impolite, " Sara didn't pay much attention to the abrupt question. Her gaze swept across the man's body,
And then,
Her eyes froze. As if iron was attracted to a magnet, her gaze glued itself to his physique.
At first glance, his body proportions were perfect.
Over the years she had looked for countless models, but not a single one could compare to the man before her.
Far, far inferior!
Because her attention had been pulled by Kazamatsuri Rinna and Totokubara Kanata earlier, she had completely missed it.
This man,
This man was precisely!
Sara's breathing abruptly quickened. Her previously weak heart began hammering violently, and a wave of heat washed over her entire body.
"Can I ask you to take off your clothes?!" She suddenly stepped forward, eyes blazing as they locked onto the man.
Her hands moved on their own, falling onto his chest. Though her voice sounded polite, her fingers had already grabbed the zipper of his jacket, and yanked it down with force.
Ryoji was stunned.
The development was too shocking. He didn't even have time to react before Sara pulled open his jacket, lifted his T-shirt, and pressed her heated hands onto the abs of his lower stomach.
He swore, it was absolutely NOT because, when she moved so violently, her apron-wrapped chest bounced wildly and dazzled his eyes!
"What are you doing?!"
Just as Sara was groping around Ryoji's abdomen, Lady Kanata finally came back to her senses. With a fierce expression, she stepped forward and slapped Sara away.
A blow so light it was unbelievable.
"Cough, cough, cough---!"
Sara collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently.
Her body was clearly far too frail, Kanata wasn't much stronger than a normal person, yet she could easily knock Sara over.
But Lady Kanata felt no regret.
In fact, she even wanted to step on her for good measure.
She quickly stood up from the floor and rushed in front of Ryoji, pulling a checkbook out of her pocket.
"Please, take your clothes off! Name your price, would 100 million be enough?!"
Good lord! Girl, are you really that thirsty?!
Truth be told, Sara's figure was incredible, especially those fateful assets. Among all the women Ryoji had seen in his life, hers definitely ranked in the top three.
Her appearance was also pretty good. She only looked messy because she didn't take care of herself. If she actually dressed up, her attractiveness wouldn't lose to Lady Kanata.
"With all due respect, I refuse! I am not that kind of man!"
Ryoji rejected her righteously.
Couldn't she contact him privately instead?!
There weren't too many people around, but there weren't too few either. Right now, all of them were staring with weird, gossip-hungry expressions.
(End of Chapter)
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