The reason Kuroha Akira suspected something might be off with Aizono Moe's eyes was simple—the color illustration didn't look like it suffered from "poor coloring skill" so much as "some kind of color perception error."
Especially in the lighter areas. There was always this nagging feeling of, "Wait, did she grab the wrong paint?"
Sure, Kuroha Akira wasn't a professional artist. But he'd consumed so many 2D illustrations in his past life that he'd developed a pretty solid gut feeling for these things.
Still, he didn't directly point out the flaw to Aizono Moe. Instead, he chose a gentler, more roundabout approach.
"Actually, it's not bad. But how should I put this… the overall vibe feels a little off, you know?"
Then he tried to soften the blow.
"But hey, maybe my eye for art just isn't good enough yet. Let me take another look. Moe-chan, you can take a break for a bit—grab some tea or something."
"Ah… Mm…"
Aizono Moe's lips parted slightly, as if she was about to say something important. Then they snapped shut just as quickly.
Her lips pressed together. Her eyes held a complicated light—hesitation, struggle, like an internal storm trying to break through a wall of silence.
But in the end, she couldn't say anything. She just lowered her head deeply, sealing her inner self inside a shell of silence.
Over the past few days of working together, Aizono Moe had clearly realized something: even though Kuroha Akira couldn't draw, he had crazy good appreciation skills.
He had a sharp eye and a ridiculously rich imagination. Every time, he came up with refreshing modification suggestions that were also super easy to understand. And after she made the changes he suggested, Aizono Moe found it hard to believe she'd actually drawn those illustrations herself. It felt like she'd received guidance from a master—like her drawing skill had suddenly jumped several levels overnight.
So no matter how bad she was at reading the room, she knew that what Kuroha Akira just said was just polite dignity-saving talk.
There was no way he couldn't see the problem. He must have already noticed it!
At that moment, Aizono Moe felt as if her entire self was laid bare before Kuroha Akira—even her greatest weakness completely exposed.
Was this what Shiori felt back then?
Ugh… I'm so nervous. So embarrassed. So ashamed. I feel like I'm going to pass out…
Kuroha Akira, meanwhile, was carefully choosing his words. Aizono Moe's personality was basically the polar opposite of Shirai Shiori's. Shiori had overly strong self-esteem—you had to crush her with correct logic. But Moe was overly self-conscious. Telling her the harsh truth could very easily make her lose all confidence.
After some thought, Kuroha Akira decided to have her draw another color illustration to pinpoint exactly where the problem lay.
"Moe-chan, could you color another illustration? I'd like to compare the results."
"Ah—! Y-Yes! I'll start on the next one right away!"
Aizono Moe straightened her back like a new recruit who'd just heard her drill sergeant. Then she immediately focused and began coloring the second illustration.
The result? Even worse than the first. Basic mistakes everywhere.
Kuroha Akira scratched his head. Nervousness might have been a factor, sure. But it also suggested that Aizono Moe's color perception really did have some deviation.
On the other side of the table, Aizono Moe had finished coloring and was sitting bolt upright, waiting for Kuroha Akira's evaluation. She felt dizzy. So nervous she thought she might throw up.
I messed up. I definitely messed up.
Kuroha-kun is going to be so disappointed. He won't let me handle the illustrations anymore. It's over. It's all over!
Precisely because Kuroha Akira had placed such high hopes on her—and she'd fallen flat at the most critical step, coloring—she felt an unprecedented wave of crushing pressure.
Aizono Moe had never been expected to do anything before. She'd never felt pressure like this. She used to think drawing was just a relaxing, happy thing. But right now, she realized drawing wasn't only about happiness.
Her brows furrowed deeply. The muscles in her cheeks were taut with tension. She was so nervous her knees turned inward, like she might leak at any moment…
Then, suddenly, she stood up!
Aizono Moe couldn't wait quietly any longer. She proactively got up, walked over, and poured Kuroha Akira a full cup of tea.
"U-um, Kuroha-kun… you must be tired. Please have some tea first…"
"Oh… Thanks."
The class rep was usually the one who poured his tea. So Aizono Moe suddenly doing it caught him off guard—and felt a little strange.
Is she trying to curry favor with me? Hoping I won't be too harsh?
Does that mean I should lower my standards…?
It was fine as is, sure. But it was still a shame. Was there really no room for improvement? Was she really that unconfident in her coloring?
Or maybe he should discuss it with editor Mori Katsuma—ask him to find other illustrators to handle the coloring. But that would hurt Aizono Moe's pride, and the money would get split with other artists.
If possible, Kuroha Akira still wanted Aizono Moe to get the full payment. That way, his plan to bribe her into becoming his exclusive illustrator would go much more smoothly.
Kuroha Akira sipped his tea, various thoughts drifting through his mind as he weighed the pros and cons.
The moment he put his cup down, Aizono Moe immediately stood up and refilled it.
Kuroha Akira looked up at her strangely—and saw the plea in her eyes.
Was she asking him to go easy on her?
No… there also seemed to be a faint, almost imperceptible longing. Like she was saying, "You keep drinking, I'll keep pouring…"
Urging tea like urging alcohol? Why, though?
It certainly wasn't like those bar hostesses who thought they could benefit by getting their customers drunk. Drinking too much tea wouldn't make someone drunk—it'd just make them need to pee. Wait… Oh?
Kuroha Akira suddenly understood what Aizono Moe was trying to convey. She was asking him to "talk outside"—using the bathroom excuse to meet privately.
She wanted a private meeting.
If she wanted to create a space where they could be alone, she must have something important to tell him. Something the other two couldn't hear. And it might even be related to why her coloring was off.
So Kuroha Akira downed the tea in one gulp again. Then, as he refilled Aizono Moe's cup, he said, "Moe-chan, you drink too."
This was Kuroha Akira's way of saying I got your signal.
"O-Okay!"
Aizono Moe's face instantly relaxed into a pure, radiant smile. Her desperate hint had been understood—and responded to—by Kuroha Akira!
So she raised her teacup like returning a toast, tilted her head back, and downed the whole thing. Then she stood up eagerly and raised her hand like she was answering a question in class.
"U-Um… I… I need to use the restroom!"
Kuroha Akira wanted to facepalm.
Aizono Moe-chan… you're way too adorable.
You're going to the bathroom, not marching into battle. Do you really need to announce it that solemnly?
Now the other two were definitely going to notice something suspicious.
So… could he pull it off?
To be alone with Aizono Moe, he first had to get past her best friends.