♥Futarigurashi♥Kotarou lives Alone♥

Chapter 21 - Children thrown under the bus 2

"Karino-kun, I've been meaning to ask you about this but you are aware of the line between fiction and reality, right?" Fukuno asked Karino. 

"I am aware." 

"Then why are you calling the heroine 'Rio' instead of 'Rika'?" Fukuno turned Karino's work back to him. 

"Gah!" 

"Woah, she looks like me. Hehe, Old man, you love me so much that you're drawing me? I'm touched~." Rio's aware Karino was basing the heroine on her whenever she help him out. She's happy with the turnout because it seemed like the editor was into this type of heroine in the current work Karino was working on. Seeing progress, Rio was proud of Karino.

"I-I mean she is based on you!"

"Basing your characters on someone is a good thing but please keep the names correct or you will confuse me. I thought you created a twin for a second there." Fukuno was proud too since Karino only had one minor thing to change. "Then, I'll take the manuscript. Hopefully we will get good news from it." 

"Thank you very much." 

"Is Kotarou-kun helping you with rubbing out lines?" Fukuno asked before he decide to leave.

"Yes. He's a great help." Karino said to him. "He's getting better at it too." 

"I want to teach him to add ink where it's needed that's why I have him and Ruri coloring within the lines as practice." Rio mentioned to them both.

Karino looked at her, "Really? I thought you just bought coloring books for them to play." 

"My sister get to have fun and Kotarou get to practice coloring within the lines. If he wants to become a mangaka like you, practicing from young helps." 

"Rio..." He thought she was well prepared and looking out for Kotarou in a way where it's not seen as suffocating or patronizing. He liked how she's supporting the kid without being obvious about it. There's a healthy amount of distance and closeness at the same time.

'The two of them are like parents.' Fukuno thought with a light smile. He hope one day the two of them will really get together.

Kotarou thought he did really well to coloring a cartoon giraffe. 

"Kotarou, look! I draw a poop next to this lion!" Ruri got bored with coloring randomly and going outside of the lines so now she's drawing poop near the butts of the cartoon looking zoo animals.

"Lady Ruri, you're supposed to color within the lines, no?" 

"I know but it's funny. I'm going to show Shin-chan and Nee-chan!"

Kotarou looked at the time. "Ah, it is time I should go." 

"Go? Go where? Can I go?" 

"If I take Lady Ruri, I will have extra help. Hm, you may come along." 

"Yay~!" She didn't even know what it's about but she's happy about it anyway. 

Because it's Winter, Kotarou wore his coat and scarf to go out. The last thing he wanted was catching a cold. When he saw Ruri had no idea how to wrap a scar properly, he went to help her. 

"Hee~. Thanks~." Ruri followed Kotarou out. "Ah, Nee-chan! I'm going out to play with Kotarou!" 

"That so? Stay safe and don't go too far. Remember what we talked about. You can't go beyond walking distance." Rio was just seeing Fukuno out and she saw the kids at the same time.

"Okay~!" 

"Kotarou, can I rely on you?" Rio asked of Kotarou to take care of her sister. 

"Hm. I will keep Lady Ruri safe. And I am not going out to play. I'm going out to pick vegetables to eat."