Anime Crossover: Becoming Mangaka in Anime World

Inside the living room, Akifumi Mugiho scratched his head, letting out an awkward laugh.

"Ahahaha, sorry about that."

"I thought you were the one delivering the takeout for me, Shiina-san."

Shiina Mahiru, sitting on the sofa, looked embarrassed.

"I should be the one apologizing, though... I was the one who decided to pay for the meal."

"Hahahaha!" Akifumi Mugiho couldn't help but laugh.

"Huh?" Mahiru looked at him, puzzled.

"Well, it just feels a little silly for us to apologize back and forth over something so small."

Mahiru smiled sheepishly.

"You're right. It does seem kind of silly."

It really was a small thing, but they make it feel much more serious.

"By the way, Shina-san, would you like something to drink?"

"Just water is fine."

"You're taste is so bland!"

"Bland?"

"Well, in this hot weather, wouldn't an ice-cold soda be perfect?"

Mahiru blinked, a little confused.

Then, apologetically, she replied, "Actually, I've never had one before, so I don't know what it's taste like."

Never had soda before?

Akifumi paused, then quickly realized.

Someone who didn't know Mahiru well might think she was joking.

After all, it's more believable that someone has never had soda than to claim they are the first emperor of Japan.

Mahiru's situation was quite different.

While children of divorced parents often still receive some love and care, Mahiru had never really received any love from her own parents.

Since she was little, her caretaker Koyuki Kujikawa had been the one to look after her, and even the basics like pocket money were tightly controlled.

So, there was never any extra money spent on something like soda.

"But if you recommend it, then I'll give it a try."

Akifumi snapped out of his thoughts when he heard her reply and nodded with a smile.

"Yosha, One Coke form the fridge is on the way!"

He took a bottle of Coke from the fridge and handed it to Mahiru.

Even though she had never tried it, she'd seen others drink it and knew how to open it. But…

No matter how hard she tried, the bottle wouldn't budge.

Akifumi smiled, took the bottle back, twisted off the cap, and handed it back.

Mahiru smiled awkwardly, holding the bottle in both hands.

As she tilted it back to take a sip, her smooth, pale skin looked dazzling.

As the Coke slid down her throat, she frowned for a second before her face relaxed.

"Then how is it?"

"It's a taste a little... strange," Mahiru said, thinking it over.

"The taste of artificial sweeteners is a bit too sweet, but it's not unpleasant."

"The coldness feels nice, and the bubbles tickling your taste buds give a fun sensation."

"So, do you like it?"

Mahiru nodded, but then shook her head.

"I know it's not really good for your body, but... even though it's an artificial sweet, it's hard not to enjoy it."

"Yeah, as a human who always been a virus carrier, who cares about what's healthy or not?"

Mahiru chuckled and didn't linger on that topic.

As the conversation died down, the atmosphere became a little awkward.

Mahiru, who had been calm just moments ago, now fidgeted nervously.

She sipped her Coke slowly to mask her unease.

'Sigh.'

Seeing her act like this, Akifumi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in her school persona.

If she could just be a little more genuine in school, it would make things a lot more natural.

He smiled to himself, then asked, "So, Mahiru, you came over today to give me a birthday gift, right?"

"Is that the birthday cake?"

"Y-yes!" Mahiru jumped up from the couch, clearly nervous, and her words were jumbled.

"I also wanted to mention, you asked me about the cakes form last time o visit... and where I got them from… A- actually, those..."

"Didn't you make them yourself, Shiina-san?" Akifumi chimed in, completing her sentence.

"Huh!?" Mahiru's eyes widened in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"You sit behind me in class. Sometimes when you talk to others, I overhear you." Akifumi winked with a smile.

"You said you are really good at cooking, Shiina-san."

"Though, I wasn't sure at first."

Being good at cooking didn't necessarily mean you made food often.

"But after seeing this cake today, I was sure."

At that moment, Akifumi remembered something he almost forgot.

"By the way, I almost forgot. You covered the takeout cost earlier, right?"

"He it is 3,680 yen."

"N-no, you don't have to!" Mahiru hurriedly refused.

She had helped with the takeout, paid for it, and now didn't want anything in return.

'Wow, I didn't expect her to be such a good person.' Akifumi thought to himself.

He smiled.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be in debt with you."

Mahiru panicked.

"No, that's not it, I mean—!"

Akifumi raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm? Just relaxes and take your time, I'm listening."

"I mean, the delivery only cost 3,350 yen, so you don't need to give me the full 3,680."

She blushed slightly and turned her head away.

'I only have 2,000 yen left at home…'

If she lost that 3,350 yen, it would be really hard to make it through the month.

This was the one thing she couldn't back down from!

"..."

Akifumi realized the misunderstanding and felt a little embarrassed, but he didn't let it show.

It was a bit awkward, of course, since it felt like she the one who asking for money, even though no one was obligated to help.

It's like lending money to someone and then feeling bad when they don't pay it back on time, even though it was their fault.

'It's kind of ridiculous when you think about it,' Akifumi smiled and nodded.

"Okay, I get it now."

"Here this is 3,350 yen. Thanks for your help, Shiina-san."

He handed her the money, keeping 330 yen for himself.

Mahiru felt a sigh of relief in her heart, seeing that Akifumi wasn't showing any ill feelings.

She then asked, "By the way, do you order takeout often?"

"Sometimes," Akifumi replied.

"Ah!" Mahiru seemed a little relieved.

She knew takeout wasn't the healthiest option.

But then Akifumi added, "Though most of the time, I prefer going to the store to eat."

Cooking and washing dishes were exhausting, especially now that he was drawing manga.

The fatigue had been piling up.

Before, when money was tight, he had no choice.

But now that things were better, he didn't see the need to make it harder on himself.

??

Mahiru puffed out her cheeks and gave him a disapproving look.

She didn't like that Akifumi wasn't taking better care of his health.

'Even though we met in that situation, and I don't have the right to lecture you...'

'But if you live alone, you really need to take care of yourself!'

'Takeout is expensive and lacks nutrition, and you might end up with a stomach ache if you eat it too much of it.'

With that, Mahiru made a decision.

"That's it then!"

"Huh, what is it?"

"From now on, I'll be the one to take care of your meals, Akifumi-kun!!"

"Huh?"

She said it as a repayment for how he helped her last time in the heavy rain.