"Alright, he said he's on the subway now and will be here in about ten minutes." Afraid he wouldn't believe her, Shouko even showed him the chat content on 'LINE'.
"Mhm."
Tsuna called out to a passing cat-eared Maid Cafe waitress, took the menu from her hand, and handed it to Shouko beside him: "See if there's anything you want to order."
"Mhm..." Shouko looked at the main dishes on the menu and began to hesitate. She wanted to wait until the other person arrived before ordering together...
"Three cups of red Magic Potion; one can be served when my friend arrives."
Tsuna saw her still hesitating, turned his head, and talked to the Maid Cafe waitress waiting in the aisle: "Do you have any dessert recommendations here?"
Shouko, who was originally still hesitating, had her eyes light up.
The twin-tailed Maid Cafe waitress, who was noting down the order on the tablet, stopped her movements upon hearing this and skillfully introduced the special desserts of their Maid Cafe to the two of them.
"Then..." Shouko touched her belly, hesitating repeatedly: "Then one strawberry cream cake. What about you, Tsuna?"
Tsuna waved his hand: "I don't need anything, you just order."
"Okay, please wait a moment." The Maid Cafe waitress gave them a professional smile, nodded, and turned to leave.
After a while, the twin-tailed Maid Cafe waitress came with a round tray, placed the items they ordered on the table, left a "Please enjoy your meal," and turned to leave.
"Ding-a-ling..."
"Master, you've worked hard!"
Tsuna looked up and met the gaze of the yellow-haired girl who walked in through the door. He caught the astonishment in her eyes and expressed his incomprehension.
The girl at the door hurriedly lowered her head to look at her phone, then staggered towards their seats.
Shouko also looked up at this moment and saw the girl walking towards them. She wasn't surprised by the other person's gender, as it was only a guess from the beginning.
After politely greeting the other person, the Maid Cafe waitress brought the previously ordered strawberry juice and placed it in front of her.
"Tha... Thank you!"
Tsuna didn't understand why the other person was so... flustered, but this was Shouko's home ground, so he didn't say anything after greeting her, looking at the surroundings and pretending not to care.
"You're the otaku—"
Before Shouko could finish her sentence, she was hurriedly interrupted by the girl across from her, who was blushing and waving her hands:
"Stop, stop, stop, Teacher Nishimiya, you can just call me Beina, no need to use my online name!"
After speaking, she subtly glanced at Tsuna beside her. Seeing that he wasn't paying attention to their conversation, she seemed to silently let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay." Shouko nodded. It was the client's request, so she didn't care. Seeing that the other person's age was similar to hers, her initial nervousness also dissipated a lot.
Then she went straight to the point: "It's about the action kamen series illustrations, right?"
"Yes... Yes, yes, yes!" The girl stammered and nodded repeatedly, as if afraid that if she agreed a second later, the two people opposite her would lose their temper and leave.
"Then—"
"I'm going to the restroom, you two chat." After a short while, Tsuna mentioned it to Shouko beside him, stood up, and left.
In these few minutes, he had figured it out: the other person was probably nervous because he was here...
"Mhm mhm." Shouko nodded, not paying too much attention.
After he walked away, the girl, with reddened ears, spoke first: "Teacher Nishimiya, can you draw that kind of, um..."
Seeing her stop mid-sentence and hesitate, Shouko looked confused.
"It's... it's... it's that kind of... more alluring illustration..."
"Alluring...?" Shouko was even more confused, even suspecting if her hearing aid was faulty...
"What do you mean?"
"It's... it's..."
Seeing that she didn't understand, the girl's fair little face became even redder. Then she glanced in the direction of the restroom, confirmed that Tsuna hadn't come out, and then mustered her courage:
"Teacher Nishimiya, can you lean closer?"
"?"
Shouko, who was puzzled, leaned her head over, and the girl also leaned close to her ear and whispered an explanation.
"!!"
Before she could finish, Shouko's ears turned red, and she suddenly recoiled, her entire back pressed against the back of the sofa: "No, no, no... absolutely not! I don't draw 18+!"
"No! No!"
The girl tried to reach out and cover her mouth, but it was too late. Many people around them looked at them because of the commotion Shouko made.
Shouko, realizing she had lost her composure a bit, forced herself to calm down and gave her an apologetic look: "Sorry, please continue."
"Mhm..."
The people around them saw that the two were chatting normally again, so they stopped paying attention. Most of them were just curious.
"..."
"But I haven't drawn this kind before, I'm afraid..." Shouko, with a flushed face after fully understanding the situation, began to hesitate and wanted to refuse.
"I'll pay more!"
"It's not about paying more or not..."
"Then I'll pay more and lower my requirements!"
"..."
Shouko hesitated repeatedly, then nodded and agreed: "You speak first."
"You can have your boyfriend pose in that position then, and just draw from that. It's very simple."
The temperature on Shouko's face, which had just cooled down, began to rise rapidly again. To be honest, she was a little tempted...
"I don't know if I can do it. I'll give you an answer tonight."
"Okay." The girl felt a little happy seeing that she no longer refused.
This was her 5th offline commission, and she knew the probability of being rejected was high, but she just wanted to try.
"I can't believe Teacher Nishimiya, you're only in your first year of high school."
"Mhm."
Then the two began to chat normally. Regarding the content they had just discussed, it was never brought up again until Tsuna returned.
"Is this the author of 'The Flower We Saw That Day,' Miyamura?"
As soon as Tsuna sat down, the topic shifted to him.
"No, I just came because I wasn't at ease with Shouko coming alone." He shook his head without hesitation, denying it.
He was curious and confused as to why the other person was no longer stammering and nervous.
"That's right, Miyamura doesn't look like he's this age group at all." The girl nodded.
Tsuna and Shouko could only smile and not deny it.
Soon after, the girl said she had an urgent matter, thanked them for the juice they ordered for her, and then stood up and left.
"What did you two just talk about?" Tsuna asked curiously after the other person left the store.
"I'll tell you when we get back." Shouko drank the iced juice, trying to cool herself down with it.
Tsuna stopped asking upon hearing this and chatted with her about other things. After she finished that bit of cake, the two stood up and left.
————————
When the convenience store lights came on at 7:30, the cicada sounds suddenly grew louder.
The fluorescent light of the vending machine illuminated the layers of old flyers on the utility pole. The ding-dong of the distant train entering the station mixed with the clatter of the wooden bolt when the shrine closed, and the evening breeze carried the scent of water vapor from someone's yukata drying on a balcony.
"Tsuna, this illustration commission is a bit difficult..." Shouko sat beside him, swinging her legs, a little embarrassed to speak: "Will you help me?"
"Difficult?" Tsuna took off his glasses and leaned against the back of the chair, looking at her in confusion. "How can I help you with this...?"
"It's... it's... it's..." Shouko's ear tips began to redden: "It's about drawing male characters, I'm not very good at it..."