That evening, when Nanami returned home, walked through the entryway, and saw Rita smiling and waving at her in the living room, her expression froze.
Didn't she go back!?
Why is she back again!?
"G... Good evening."
The corners of Nanami's mouth twitched... It wasn't that she hated Rita, but rather that Mashiro and Rin Ito would use Rita as an excuse to engage in incredibly perverted plays!
Nanami remembered their previous 'showdown' all too vividly.
Besides that, if Rita came over, making her sleep in the living room wouldn't be very polite. But packing up and moving her room once a week like before was also very inconvenient... Maybe I should just stay at Baumkuchen Studio during this time.
Actually, Nanami never thought Rita would be able to let go so easily; she just didn't expect her to return this quickly.
Seeing the stiff expression on Nanami's face, the smile on Rita's face deepened.
"Don't worry, this time I won't be staying here and bothering Ito-kun."
In that case... Hmm!?
Something's not right!
Nanami was just about to sigh in relief, but seeing Rin Ito holding back a laugh beside her, she immediately realized something was wrong. What did 'won't bother Ito-kun' mean?
"I bought the place next door, so it won't be an inconvenience..."
"...No! I won last time." Nanami retorted instinctively, but upon seeing Rita's mocking expression, Nanami immediately realized she must have misunderstood something. "Um... I didn't mean no, it's just..."
"What do you mean, 'no'? I haven't even finished speaking yet." Seeing Nanami's cute, flushed face, Rita blinked and pressed her lips together to hold back a smile... She's this reluctant to part with Mashiro? Nanami is way too impatient.
"What I mean is, would Nanami-chan like to live with me? After all, sharing a room with Mashiro must be somewhat inconvenient, right? And having to practice your voice acting in the living room every night must be really inconvenient too, right?"
"Eh? I..."
A barrage of rhetorical questions left Nanami at a loss for words. Earlier, Nanami thought Rita was going to take Mashiro over, but she never expected Rita was asking her to move in with her. Although it was exactly as Rita said—moving over would be much more convenient—but Mashiro...
Seeing through Nanami's concerns, Rita continued to persuade her.
"Mashiro has been taken care of by us for so long, it's time she learned to live independently. Besides, being right next door is practically no different from normal."
Hmph hmph hmph... Even though I lost before, if I can get Nanami to move in with me, then we'll be on the same starting line! I will absolutely not surrender the title of Mashiro's caretaker to Nanami!
As for Rin Ito... I suppose he counts as her semen provider?
Plus... this way, Mashiro can take up more of his time too.
Even if Mashiro felt that liking the same person made them companions, there was still a hierarchy among companions!
For men and women living under the same roof, two people and three people are entirely different concepts. Three people living together is just sharing an apartment, but two people is cohabitation!
Nanami was convinced by Rita and had no reason to refuse. She shifted her gaze to Rin Ito, and seeing that he had no objections, she finally nodded.
"Mmh... alright." Nanami hesitated slightly before nodding. "Then about the rent..."
Rita lightly clenched her fist.
Just according to plan!
Unable to wait, Rita stood up, ready to help Nanami pack her luggage.
"We are companions, aren't we? Companions don't need to talk about money," Rita smiled.
Smiling on the outside, laughing maniacally on the inside.
With Nanami's personality, living in my house for free will definitely make her instinctively feel guilty. Even among companions, there is a hierarchy!
With this, I have won!
Nanami: "No, no, I can't do that."
Rita: "It's completely fine!"
Even back when she had no money, Nanami still 'paid rent' by taking care of Mashiro and doing household chores. Now that she was tutoring Nino and her sisters, Nanami actually had some savings.
Having money made Nanami even less willing to live there for free.
Rin Ito grabbed both of their hands to stop them. "Stop arguing about it. Since Rita living alone is a waste of space anyway, it's perfect for you to move in so she won't be bored. If you feel bad about it, Nanami, you can just help Rita clean the house. Even though Mr. Kondo cleaned up a bit before moving out, a lot of places are still pretty dirty."
"This... Mmh, leave it to me then."
With Rin Ito stepping in to persuade her, Nanami finally agreed. However, she had already decided to use housework as a substitute for rent, just like when she first moved in here.
Rita might have taken care of Mashiro for many years and might be good at looking after people, but when it came to things like cleaning, that was all her!
After agreeing, the three of them went to the room together to help Nanami pack. Even Mashiro, who was in the room, put down her drawing to help pack.
To Mashiro, as long as Rita came back, that was all that mattered. She had been worried that the play that night had gone too far and Rita wouldn't return.
"How long are you planning to stay this time, Rita?" Nanami asked while packing. Hearing Nanami's question, Mashiro also shifted her gaze to Rita.
Mashiro had wanted to ask this since Rita returned this afternoon, but she hadn't dared to.
"I'm not leaving," Rita smiled and blinked at Nanami. "Besides cooling down, I went back to pack my luggage. I came in such a hurry last time I didn't even bring clothes. This time, I brought everything I could."
"Besides that, I'm also planning to transfer schools here. Starting next semester, we'll be classmates~"
From the day she went back, Rita had been preparing to return.
Using the power of money, and because Rita was very familiar with the Shiina family, after Rita requested it, the Shiina family immediately arranged for her to transfer into Mashiro's class.
Mashiro's family was actually worried about her... When Rita came over last time, aside from her own reasons, Mashiro's family had also asked her to check up on Mashiro.
After all, Mashiro's cousin, Chihiro Sengoku, wasn't very reliable. If Rita was there too, they would feel much more at ease.
"That's great."
Mashiro hugged Rita. Although her face still didn't show much emotion, the three people who understood Mashiro could easily see her excitement.
Rita smoothed Mashiro's hair before gently pushing her away.
"By the way, Nanami-chan, you're making a game, right? Chihiro-sensei's boyfriend is the president of a game company. Do you need Mashiro and me to go ask him for a favor?"
"N-No, it's fine."
Nanami was startled and felt deeply flattered, hurriedly waving her hands to decline.
"This is just a practice project for Eriri and the others. We're just making it for fun; it's not going to be an official commercial game."
"Is that so... It's okay. If you ever need my help with making a game in the future, like with illustrations or anything, just ask~ Free of charge~"
Rita smiled, her face filled with sincerity. She wasn't stingy with her help at all... The more I help her, the more Nanami owes me, and the more I win!