Anime Crossover: Becoming Mangaka in Anime World

Monday.

"Akifumi-kun..., Akifumi-kun!"

"It's time to get up～"

The voice came through a barrier, reaching Akifumi, who was still groggy from sleep.

'Why is there a girl voice inside my house?'

This thought naturally popped into his head.

Then, he jolted awake, quickly climbing out of bed.

After sitting for a moment, his mind cleared, and he remembered who the voice belonged to.

Shiina Mahiru.

His thoughts wandered back to yesterday...

"Shiina-san, are you really going to take care of my meals from now on?" Akifumi muttered, still in shock.

"I mean, I get it that ordering a takeout isn't the healthiest option, but you really don't have to go this far."

"You don't have to do this"

"You know what, I'll just try to prepare my own meals from now on."

"You're trying to brush me off again, aren't you?" Shiina ask while looking at skeptically

!!

Akifumi's smile froze.

"W-what? Of course not. W-why would I do that?"

"Good to hear," Shiina Mahiru said, her lips curling into a playful grin.

"After all, I already prepare meals for myself every day, so making extra for you is no trouble."

"But isn't that a bit much?"

Akifumi tried to reason with her.

"You'd have to travel all the way here every day to cook for me, and by the time you're done, it'll probably be really late. Isn't that dangerous for a girl to go outside at night?"

"What do you mean?" The girl blinked her big eyes, looking confused.

"Didn't I mention this before?"

"What?"

"I actually live right downstairs from you～"

"??"

Akifumi was stunned.

"You live downstairs?"

"Well, it's not important. Anyway, you were wrong. I can just go back anytime i want because we live in the same building."

Shīna Mahiru smiled at him.

"Well, doesn't that make it even less convenient?"

Akifumi quickly thought of another point.

"We're in the same building, so as a girl, don't you think it might raise some eyebrows to the neighbor if you're constantly coming in and out of my place?"

"That's a fair point," Shina Mahiru said, tapping her chin thoughtfully, then smiled again.

"But then again I don't really mind at all～"

She was really serious about cooking for him!

Though it was in her nature to want to take care of people, Akifumi still couldn't fully grasp why she was so persistent.

"May I ask why you're so determined, Shiina-san?"

"Because I want to try to repay Akifumi-kun kindness... It's a way of showing gratitude!" she said, without a hint of hesitation.

"Repay me?"

Akifumi was taken aback, and his thoughts went back to that rainy day when they first met.

He scratched his cheek, a little helpless.

"I don't think what I did that day deserves this much, though..."

"If you find someone else like that, you'd do the same, right? Like if you found a little kitten abandoned in the rain."

Shiina Mahiru finished his sentence, her smile unchanged.

Surprised, Akifumi laughed bitterly and nodded.

"Yep yep, that's pretty much it."

"But It's like you're doing things based on how you feel, and now that's what I want to do too," Shīna Mahiru said earnestly.

"I see you, someone who helped me, and when i see you not taking care of yourself, I just want to do something for you."

"I don't have the right to question your actions, but since this concerns you, I'm not going to ignore your opinion too," she added.

As she spoke, she looked at Akifumi, her hands nervously clutching her white shirt, showing her unease.

Akifumi sighed helplessly.

"I guess you win this time."

The truth was, he couldn't see any downside to this arrangement—only benefits for him.

His initial refusal was just out of consideration for her. Now that she had made up her mind, he couldn't find any reason to refuse.

Shiina Mahiru visibly relaxed and smiled.

"However, there's one thing that I must insist on!"

"Hmm? What is it?" Shina Mahiru looked puzzled.

"If you're taking care of me, then I should cover the living expenses. That should be fair, right?"

"Eh?! No way!" Shīna Mahiru immediately rejected the idea.

"Taking care of me is one thing, but you need to eat too!"

"You're not going to make two separate meals each time you cook, are you?"

Even though she loved taking care of others, she wasn't about to waste time on unnecessary work.

"I already feel bad enough for having you cook for me every day. If you also pay for the groceries and ingredients..."

"Doesn't that make me like a couch potato mooching off you?!"

"Pfft."

Shiina Mahiru couldn't help but laugh at his comparison.

"Okay then, even if I want to I don't have enough money to support you, Akifumi-kun."

Akifumi smiled.

"In that case, how about you let me handle the cost of the groceries?"

"Nope!"

Shīna Mahiru, who had just been laughing, became serious.

"This is one thing I'm absolutely not compromising on!"

"Fine."

Akifumi sighed.

"If neither of us can convince the other, how about we just split the costs?"

Shīna Mahiru thought it over and nodded.

"If that's the case, I can agree."

"I'm a guy, and I'm growing, so I eat more than you. I'll cover a larger share of the expenses, and that's fair, right?"

"Fine by me."

Shīna Mahiru nodded without thinking, then paused.

"Wait a second..."

"What's wrong?"

"We said we'd split the costs evenly from the start, didn't we?"

"This is splitting, isn't it? Whoever eats more pays more, doesn't that sound reasonable?"

'No it's not!'

She wanted to argue, but since she hadn't clarified this from the start, she couldn't really say anything now.

Shiina Mahiru can only glared at Akifumi.

"My appetite is probably more than twice yours, so I'll cover 70%, and you cover the remaining 30%."

"No way! At this rate, I should cover 65%, and you cover 35%!"

"Shiina-san, let's not get hung up on the details!" Akifumi said, a bit exasperated.

"You're the one hung up on it!"

....

Akifumi sighed, thinking back to the situation.

After much back-and-forth, they finally agreed on the 70:30 split, with him covering the larger share.

He gave Mahiru a spare key to his apartment, so she could come and go easily.

'Who would have thought I'd end up in a situation like this?' 

'Just don't spoil to much me, okay?'

He thought to himself as Shīna Mahiru's voice called out from outside the door.

"Akifumi-kun, if you don't get up soon, you'll be late～"