Rita's shock wasn't over. Mashiro showed off her skills. Her fingers were like white jade, innocent yet also provocative. She stared at Rita and whispered.
"Mashiro!"
"You, what are you doing?" Rita was completely crushed. Her eyes welled up, her heart feeling as bitter as a lemon.
"Hmm, Rita, don't you see? Mashiro, is showing her ownership over Renji. Anyway, Mashiro won't go back to England. She'll continue to draw comics here!"
"Rita, go back by yourself!"
Rita covered her mouth. She was shocked and felt even more bitter. This damned man. What did he do? How could he be so cherished by Mashiro? I'm the one who was with her from the beginning!
Rita gritted her teeth. "I won't go back. I'll take Mashiro back with me! If you don't want Mr. Renji to be taken by me, Mashiro, promise me! Don't waste your talent. Why be a cartoonist?"
Mashiro stopped, then worked even harder. "Emm, don't! Maybe what Rita said, is right." The girl finished her sentence with a stutter. "Many people are looking forward to my paintings, but that's not what I really want to do. I want to continue to draw comics!"
Mashiro remembered when she saw Rita reading comics. The smile Rita gave at that time was different. Rita looked so happy. Mashiro wanted to see that smile again. So she proposed the idea of drawing comics, and Rita taught her how to draw on the computer. She thought Rita supported her.
Back in the present, seeing Mashiro's stubborn expression, Rita took a deep breath. "Then I'll stay here. In Mr. Renji's room. Until Mashiro is willing to go with me!"
Mashiro stopped, then narrowed her eyes. She pretended to swallow. "Anyway, Mashiro won't go back!" After that, she turned and left.
Rita blushed, staring at Renji without a word.
Outside the door, Mashiro touched her face. See, my goal is achieved, right? If Rita doesn't go back, she'll stay here and continue to be with me.
Seeing Mashiro leave, Rita's eyes were wet. "What? I'm the one who was with you first!" She couldn't wrap her mind around it. She stopped painting because Mashiro's talent crushed her, but now Mashiro was stopping painting to draw comics?
She looked at Renji, pinching his waist. "How long are you going to pretend to be asleep? You're a pervert who taught Mashiro bad things!"
Renji removed her hand. "I didn't teach her. She taught herself from weird comics. And, how dare you say that? Weren't you the one who raised her to be so 'stupid'? How did she get like this?"
"Do you think I didn't want to teach her? Her family forbade it, saying Mashiro had to focus on painting!" Rita felt very wronged. She had taken care of Mashiro for more than ten years.
Renji looked at her suspiciously. "Are you jealous of her talent and deliberately raised her like that?"
"What did you say? I'm jealous?" Rita glared.
"Isn't that the case? You've been with her for so long, but now you don't even paint anymore. Don't underestimate my ability to investigate. Because I'm close to Mashiro, I've investigated the people around her."
Rita's face froze. "I admit, I did stop painting because Mashiro's talent crushed me. But I've been with her for many years."
"Yes, I'm jealous, but I don't want her to give up because of this. Why draw comics? That's why I came here to pick her up and take her back. You don't understand what potential is at her fingertips!"
"Also, I didn't deliberately raise her like this. It was her family's request, and my grandfather didn't allow me to interfere too much, he said Mashiro had to focus on painting without distractions."
Seeing the firm look in Rita's eyes, Renji nodded. "Miss Rita, I believe you. It's clear you care for Mashiro very much, otherwise you wouldn't have stayed with her. But you also see that Mashiro doesn't want to go back."
"I don't understand her potential. But I know one thing, Mashiro is very happy when she's drawing comics, and she wants this. If we take her away and stop her, with her strong will, will she be able to continue to create works like before?"
"This..." Renji's words struck Rita. He's right. Painting requires concentration. Distracting thoughts could ruin her talent. Even if she took Mashiro back by force, if Mashiro still wanted to draw comics, she wouldn't be able to produce stunning works.
"Think about it, Miss Rita." Renji waved his hand, put on his pants, and went to eat breakfast. He had to go to school. He didn't have time to argue with Rita.