Chapter 16: Shunsuke Fujii's Color: Yellow
Her eyes vacant, Shiina Mashiro glanced around, looking somewhat bored. Her narrow, almond-shaped eyes were half-closed, as if she hadn't fully woken up yet.
After blankly watching the taxi depart, she carried her suitcase to the seat opposite Shunsuke and sat down.
A breeze swept through, scattering April's cherry blossoms. Under the tree stood a pure white figure, petals dancing around her, creating a scene so beautiful it seemed like a painting.
Shunsuke watched this moment with admiration. As the wind calmed, he didn't take a photo. Instead, he walked directly toward Shiina Mashiro.
As for the photo of Mashiro when she was about five or six, of course, that had been carefully preserved as a priceless treasure.
Mashiro sat blankly on the chair, cherry blossom petals falling on her pale golden hair and her Sobu High uniform.
She didn't bother brushing them off, sitting there like a delicate doll, so adorable that one couldn't help but want to hold her tightly and shower her with affection and tenderness.
Just by sitting there, it was as if the whole world around her sank into a serene, pure white silence.
He didn't want to defile her, couldn't defile her—no, he mustn't defile her. Yet, beneath this feeling, Shunsuke felt a rising desire to stain this pure white girl entirely with his own color.
"What color do you want to become?"
As he approached, a faint voice echoed. It was soft and ethereal, like a cloud floating in the sky, beyond reach, yet strikingly beautiful.
Their gazes met. Shunsuke knew she was talking to him, but her clear, otherworldly eyes left him stunned for just a moment.
After a brief pause, Shunsuke asked, "How did you know it was me?"
"?"
Shiina tilted her head cutely.
"So, how did you know I was the one picking you up on behalf of Chihiro Sengoku-sensei?"
"Chihiro Sengoku?"
"Why do you sound confused?!"
Surely, she couldn't have forgotten the name of her own cousin, could she?
Shunsuke wanted to say, "That's impossible, absolutely impossible," but then again, considering it was Mashiro, maybe it wasn't that strange.
"It doesn't matter," Mashiro replied flatly, her words sharp despite her calm tone. She asked again, "What color do you want to become?"
"I've never really thought about it."
"Then think about it now."
"If I had to choose a color..." Shunsuke pretended to ponder for a moment. "I'd say yellow, or maybe purple?"
After all, the first Stand,The World was yellow and Star Platinum, was purple.
"Yellow and... purple?"
Mashiro looked at Shunsuke, her pupils unblinking.
"And you?"
"Eh?"
"What color do you want to become?"
Even though he knew the answer, Shunsuke still asked her.
"I've never thought about it either."
"Then think about it now."
"Right now... I guess it would be white."
"Yeah, white suits you perfectly, Mashiro, just like your name."
Shunsuke called her by her first name, not for any special reason. He'd always called her that, and it sounded nice. Changing to "Shiina" now would feel awkward.
And as a girl who was as blank as a sheet of paper, it was almost impossible for Mashiro to refuse. In simpler terms, she was an easy target, someone you could push around.
"But, Mashiro, do you know why snow is white?"
A slight smile tugged at Shunsuke's lips as he suddenly quoted a famous line no one in this world seemed to understand.
Mashiro, a bit surprised, looked up at him, her adorableness overwhelming. She was a hundred times more charming than a certain manipulative little devil of a junior.
"Because it's forgotten what its true color is," Shunsuke shrugged.
"What's your name again?"
Whether or not she understood his words, Mashiro showed no sign of discomfort at being called by her first name by a stranger.
"Shunsuke Fujii."
"Shunsuke is great," Mashiro replied blandly, her words unexpectedly bold.
"Huh?"
"I meant your name is great."
"Oh, thanks," Shunsuke, knowing Mashiro had a habit of blurting out blunt words, felt no emotional ripples as he helped her with her suitcase. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's go, I'll treat you to a welcome meal."
"Okay," Mashiro followed along without hesitation.
Following a complete stranger just like that—Shunsuke couldn't help but worry about Mashiro's safety if she ever went out alone in the future.
He wondered how she even made it here all the way from England. Maybe her parents or Rita Ainsworth had secretly arranged for bodyguards?
Lost in random thoughts, Shunsuke hailed a taxi.
It was six in the evening, peak traffic time in Tokyo. Choosing a taxi at this hour was like wasting both time and money. But at the same time, the private space and extra time together were key reasons behind Shunsuke's decision.
"So, what are your plans now that you're back, Mashiro?" he asked, starting a conversation once they were in the car.
"Drawing manga."
"Oh, really? That's amazing. Have you submitted anything yet?"
Shunsuke's flat, almost mocking tone seemed to poke at her sore spot.
"...Next time, next time it'll get accepted."
Though she remained expressionless, Shunsuke could sense an endless determination radiating from her small figure... or so he thought.
"Actually, I'm planning to submit something to Shonen Jump soon too. I've got this amazing story. I'm sure it'll be a hit."
Upon hearing something she cared about, Mashiro turned her head, staring directly at Shunsuke. "Shunsuke, you draw manga too?"
"Yeah, I've been learning how to draw since I was a kid. The place you'll be staying at temporarily belongs to the famous industry artist, Eromanga-sensei. I'm her apprentice."
"Eromanga-sensei?" Mashiro tilted her head. "Is she really famous?"
"Of course! Her top student is already a professional manga artist."
Shunsuke was referring to Amelia Armeria, or Army, one of those rare genius high school manga artists. Though her work wasn't serialized in the highly competitive Shonen Jump, the title of "genius" still carried some weight.
Mashiro's eyes lit up, as if a spark had ignited within her. "I want to draw manga."
"Yeah, I know," Shunsuke responded.
Mashiro tugged at his sleeve. "Shunsuke, help me."
"You sure are blunt, Mashiro," Shunsuke feigned reluctance but internally screamed, "Just as planned!" He continued, "If you stay with the Izumi family, you can learn from Eromanga-sensei every day."
"And of course, you can always come to me for advice. I won't turn you away."
Though Mashiro mainly drew shoujo manga, learning from someone like Mrs. Izumi, aka Eromanga-sensei, seemed a bit off. But Shunsuke chose to ignore that feeling.
If possible, Shunsuke would have liked to take things a step further and convince Mashiro to stay at his own place.
But everything needed to progress gradually. If he acted too hastily, even the unreliable Chihiro Sengoku, that so-called adult, would definitely step in to stop him… right?
While continuing his gentle coaxing, the taxi finally arrived at their destination by the time the sky had turned dark.
"Time to start making money..."
As he stepped out of the taxi, Shunsuke glanced at the fare and silently resolved to find a way to recover the cost.
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