V4C2 Part1

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*****“We’re allowed to

use our phones at Ashigaya, right? How lucky.”

“....eh?”

I was washing my

hands at the sink when the girl next to me started talking. I thought she was

talking to herself, but her voice was too loud for that. Besides, there was no

one around in the closed space.

The girl,

Koyanagi Kaho, reapplied her lip gloss while gazing in the mirror.

Her hair was tied

up on one side, and she was pretty short. She looked petite with her small face

and body, her back curved like an S-shape.

It was three days

after the opening ceremony.

“Y’see, in my

friend’s school, they have to apply for permission to bring their phone to

school. On top of that, they need permission from the homeroom teacher and the

principal! Plus, they have to put their phone in a designated locker for the

whole day, only taking it out when school ended. That’s ridiculous, right?”

At this point,

she turned to me.

Her large eyes

sparkled like cat eyes. Her adorable fangs were slightly visible under the

corner of her lips.

The first

impression I had of her was that she was someone born to receive others’

affections, a person very much like a cat.

“Ah, umm...”

Even though I

pushed myself to appear cheerful in class, when someone talked to me out of

nowhere like this, where I couldn’t prepare myself in advance, my socially

awkward side would emerge. I could only shift my eyes restlessly while not

knowing how to respond.

“Well,

personally, I don’t really use my phone during school, so…”

“That’s not the

problem.” Tsk, tsk, tsk. She shook

her finger.

Back then, I’d

determined that the moment my opinion was crushed by someone else and I

received huge damage from it, I would not open my mouth for the rest of my

life… (it was back then, alright! Right now it’s better!). Even so, the girl

didn’t make me feel that awful for some reason.

“Ah I can’t use

it now! How troublesome~ That kind of thing, when you need to use it at a

certain time, you know? Like, when you need it for a group chat, as an example.

It's the same as that. It’s not like we need to drink for a whole day, right?

But it also means that we can’t not drink for a whole day, right?”

She prattled off,

her answer ten times longer than mine.

“Well, sure…”

“In short, it’s something like that. This isn't a binary measurement, like 0 or

1, or even something from 1 to 100. That isn't the case at all. And so, I’m

super grateful I’m at this school. Obviously, I also feel bad about my friend,

who’s trapped in the prison of radio waves!”

“Prison of radio waves…”

Even as we left

the bathroom, the girl kept trailing behind me. We walked and finally arrived

at A-class. Huh? Why was she still here?!

was what I thought, but of course I knew she was also a member of our

class.

Moreover, she had

really high social skills, considering she kept pressing me with conversation

even though we’d never spoken before.

We returned to

our classroom, and while I rejoined Mai and Ajisai-san’s group, she didn’t

leave. Somehow, our conversations became livelier and more enjoyable than

before after she joined us.

Now, when I

thought about that time…

Kaho-chan had

probably recognized me and tried to test me to see if I remembered her, but in

the end, I hadn’t shown any signs of figuring her out.

...I’m sorry for

not figuring it out at that time. But this also meant that Kaho-chan really

turned into a whole different person. She definitely became cute.

Also, this one

too, was a memory from a different past:

“Hey, Amaori-san,

have you already read the latest chapter?”

We were sitting

next to each other in cram school during summer break. It was a time when we’d

read our manga magazine and have a blast talking about it. A time when we were

still innocent.

“Yup! That’s why

I wanted to talk to you about that, Minaguchi-san!”

“You see, you see, actually...yup, I was also thinking the same thing, fufufu.”

The girl who was

slightly taller than me and had sparkling eyes behind a pair of glasses, really

shone brightly in my eyes.

“Personally, I

really like this girl… Somehow in this kind of manga, rather than the main character, the heroine is far more

interesting, don’t you think?”

“So you prefer this kind of woman, huh. I see~”

“Eeeh, is that weird?”

“Ah, nope, it’s not weird at all! I also can kind of relate...since I want to

try to become someone like this heroine, I think…”

At this moment,

both the memories from the past and things that were happening right now merged

back and forth, creating a huge mess in my mind.

It was like a

clash between light and shadow, my recluse side and my normie side. I didn’t

know which side of me I should show her and which side of me should speak to

her.

But, you see.

The truth is,

Kaho-chan—

I couldn’t be

honest since I knew that you had feelings for Mai, and I was also the one who

had received a confession from her, but actually…

Even though I

spoke to you harshly, even though I was reluctant to help with your job, I

actually…

To think that

once again, like old times, I could do something together with you like this, I

really—truly feel happy.

…...well, the one

who couldn’t let everything end in a pretty way was Kaho-chan though, whom I

should be wary of...

***

It was a photo

studio located a bit far from the center of the city.

It seemed like it

had been a small-scale wedding place before, but nowadays they’d changed it

into some aesthetic place for photoshoots where people could rent out for their

personal use.

It was Saturday.

Dragged here by Kaho-chan, I let out a voice in awe, “Oo…”

“This is awesome,

so they take pictures in these kinds of places, eh.”

“We can do things like casual photoshoots in the city in the morning, but

taking photos in the studio is the most calming choice, meow.”

“Heee, heee.”

I kept letting

out a voice of amazement as I admired the exterior that looked more gorgeous

than I first thought.

“What a great job

you did—as expected from the popular cosplayer!”

“Hohoho, to think that you can praise me like that. You can say more, you

know!”

“The world’s number 1 Layer-sama! Fairy of gadgets! Great photo editor! Cunning! Short-fuse! Maniac of stone-related story! Ill-tempered!”

“Keep sticking to praises if you want to praise me, you little—! Good

grief...well anyway, take care of me for today.”

“Y-yeah…...!”

I had zero

knowledge about cosplay and really pushed myself to study about it this past

week. Even Kaho-chan was becoming repulsed by my intensity.

First, I spent

two days over the week watching a two-cour anime. Basically it was a SOL anime,

but it had really moving parts in some scenes. In short, it was a very great

piece.

Next, I

repeatedly watched the scenes where the girl I would be cosplaying appears. I

kept examining the part where she spoke her particular dialogue to imitate it,

trying to become her at least starting from the feelings.

I observed her

expressions and her poses properly, and then checked my gestures in my

full-body mirror. During that time, I felt that my practice for the cosplay was

similar to practicing to become a normie. Unexpectedly, I was able to do the

training quite smoothly. The only problem was that I practiced too intensely

and ended up hurting my muscles nearly every day. Posing takes a huge effort

after all, eh…

On my way to

school, I’d look through fan-made works to deepen my understanding of the

character. I mainly checked Pixiv novels and tried to grasp her character

through many people’s perspectives. With that, I felt like I could portray her

character better through these efforts.

With a look of

disgust, Kaho-chan asked me, “Why are you being that desperate…?” She sounded a

bit creeped out.

“I want to prove

myself”—of course I couldn’t say it out loud. Instead, I chose to answer her

with something ridiculous, like, “It was a revelation from God.”

Right, why was I

working myself this desperately, even I couldn’t really understand. It was

just, I had a hunch that if I did a great job in doing this and I got

Kaho-chan’s approval like, “Rena-chin, you did great!”, something would change.

Sometimes,

reality would pull me back and slap me with the fact that...what the heck am I

doing right now, neglecting Mai and Ajisai-san like this? And it made me

dejected. But I still had time until the deadline. Even Satsuki-san had said

that taking a detour was right in some cases.

That was why, for

now, the thing that I could do was successfully completing the tasks she asked

of me...was what I thought.

Ha! Could it be

that, Satsuki-san’s words were God’s revelation itself…?!

With that, one week

passed in the blink of an eye, and today had come.

“Most cosplayers

I’ve met are thin, but everyone sure is strong, huh…”

Right now, both

of us were tugging a cart along. Mine was something I borrowed from Kaho-chan.

We’d stuffed it with costumes and makeup, as well as other small but necessary

items. It was relatively heavy.

“We need to be

careful with our body proportions, so a lot of us especially take care of our

muscles, you see!”

“You too?”

“Fu-fu-fu, wanna have an arm-wrestling match with me next time?”

“Sounds like I would lose…”

Kaho-chan looked

very confident with her hands on her waist.

Then, she went to

the reception and asked about our reservation. We were led to a small, clean

room with a large full-body mirror that resembled a waiting room.

It seemed like

the room was used for changing and applying makeup.

Speaking of

cosplay, other than going as individual characters, there was a culture where

cosplayers partnered with each other as joint characters.

For example,

there was the ‘A series’, where one cosplayer would dress up as the

protagonist, while the partner would be the rival. By doing that, they could

expand the worldview, or something along that.

And I kind of

understood that logic. Cloud was gorgeous alone, but with Sephiroth next to

him, we could see their characters from different points of view.

(TL Note: FFVII, in case you’re wondering who these characters are)

So right now, I

became the character next to the one Kaho-chan wanted to cosplay.

Except there was

one thing I couldn’t help but feel curious about.

“Right, today is

a photoshoot, right?”

Kaho-chan stopped

while spreading out her costumes.

“Nn, nnn? Yer

right, indeed?”

“Who will take our photos then? Are we using a timer or some sort?”

“Aa, weeelll, uh-huhhh, it might be a fairy, I wonyder.”

Kaho-chan’s eyes

swam around like a fish. Huh? Excuse me?

I grabbed her

slender shoulders desperately.

“Wait a minute!

Who’s taking it?! Who’s coming?!”

“Who? Well, y’see.”

Kaho-chan

playfully struck her head—smack☆—then

let out a giggle, looking playful.

“Today is a

photography event.”

“Photo...graphy…event…?” I traced the words slowly.

“That—did you say

‘event’, like, it means there are more than two people involved?”

“But a gathering of two people can also be referred to as a ‘forum’, right?”

“I see! It makes sense!”

My eyes probably

had swiveled around in a circle at this point that I naturally nodded my head.

Without taking my hands off her shoulders, I kept staring into her eyes.

“And the truth

is…?”

“Both today and next week, two times in total, a lot of people will coming☆”

“I just remember that I have a sudden errand to do!”

When I thought of

a quick escape, Kaho-chan tackled me around my waist.

“Ughaaa!”

“This isn’t the

time to give up, you see! If you thought earning money is simple, you’re very

mistaken!”

“But that’s because you didn’t say anything! You’re the one who’s at fault here

because you didn’t explain anything clearly from the start!”

“All you need to do is throw a smile casually here and there! Leave everything

else to me! Now shut up and go change!”

“Impooossibleee! Having my pictures

taken in front of a crowd is impossible for me!”

I, the struggling

one, shouted desperately...

“You already

practiced that intensely, right?!”

I instantly froze

upon hearing those words.

Uuh...she was

right. I really did try my best this past week, working hard…

The memories of

my hardships flashed before me. For me, who was really bad at getting her

photos taken, I’d really pushed myself so I could find a perfect angle for the

shots that I practically kept doing selfies…

Thinking

something along the lines of, “Oo, this angle is kinda perfect, I guess?”

somehow made me want to send those photos to someone, but as expected, it was

embarrassing to share something like that. In the end I chose to stash them

away…

During the times

I was immersed in taking selfies, I ended up staying up too late since it felt

so fun somehow. Of course by the next morning, I was so embarrassed I felt like

dying when looking at those pictures…

Everything, the

memories from those moments—

“Even though I’d

be okay if it was only the two of us…”

“Oh my.”

Kaho-chan placed

her hand over her mouth and made an adorably surprised face.

“I never knew

that Rena-chin really really really wuv me that much, meow. If so, you should do your best☆for my sake☆”

“For your sake my foot…!”

But still, if I

chose to run away right now, I knew perfectly that she’d make fun of me for the

rest of my life. If that was the case, I would definitely feel frustrated…

In the end,

things were going in that direction. Willpower should beat the shame…

Uuuuhh…..

“But, you see, I

kinda pity the photographer if they took pictures of someone like me...it’s an

extremely rude thing to do or well...what if the expensive lens cracked because

they took a picture of me…”

“Umm, I think your level of self-deprecation is already very bad. It might be a

crime, meow…”

Kaho-chan folded

her arms while saying things I couldn’t really understand.

“It can’t be

helped then. Let’s switching plans, the praising strategy might do. Yeah, let’s

do that.”

I heard

everything you said though…

“Listen,

Rena-chin. Let me say this frankly, you are already pretty cute by societal

standards, alright? You are a very wuvable

high school girl.”

“Eeh…?”

“Looking at your face that clearly shows, ‘She’s

lying’ somehow pisses me off, meow.”

My goal was to

become an average girl, like some sort of mass-produced type person.

Considering those

thoughts, when I received these kinds of words it somehow made me feel sorry or

something.

But I should

admit that my sister was a beauty, so since we shared the same DNA,

theoretically it wouldn’t be strange if I was also cute on the outside. Eh, was

it something like this…?

But, but! Being

cute was...80% done by arranging your hair, expressions, gestures, mannerism,

and makeup, right?! For me, who exuded the scent of a recluse and on top of

that, had a totally uncute base appearance, I was definitely not someone cute!

Eh, but, but,

but! Right now, I did my best in order to de-recluse myself...Mai and

Ajisai-san also told me I was cute… Nah, wait, I think those kinds of praises

were often said by easygoing people like, “How cute~” The kind of praise you

say lightly…

“Aah, geez!”

While I was drawn

into my own thoughts that steamed like an acidic pond, Kaho-chan stood up

suddenly. She took a five-yen coin from her purse and tied a thread through it.

“Rena-chin, look

here.”

“Umm, alright…?”

Suu. Kaho-chan took a deep

breath, and with a stern face, she swung the five-yen coin.

“You will slowly

think that you’re cute...you will slowly think that you’re extremely cute~...”

“There’s a limit for pulling out a classic move, you know?!”

A hypnosis

technique that she sloppily did by watching others didn’t have any effect on

me. That was a given though!

When we finished

with our preparation, it was also precisely the designated time for our meeting,

and we left the studio to the reception area. Right there, I saw several

people—our photographers for the day.

There were three

people, all women. I let out a sigh of relief. Nah, that was a lie. I was

totally nervous.

“Waah, thank you

for comeowing! Miharu-san, Ema-san,

Perman-san!”

Kaho-chan, who

had already changed into her cosplay attire—currently Nagipo-chan—greeted them

with a lovely voice while waving her hand. The women saw her appearance and let

out a squeak.

“Kyaa! Nagipo-chan, you’re so cute!

Awesome, you’re truly adorable!”

“This is your first time showing your new cosplay, right? I was really looking

forward to it! Uwaa, ten billion points!”

“Aaaaaaa how cute, too cute, thank you, thank you very much, thank you for

being born……..aaah Goddess...Nagipo-san I like you…”

They sure brimmed

with passion…

Actually, right

now, Nagipo-chan really looked like someone who came straight out of the anime world with her lovely appearance

that resembled a fairy. Kaho-chan was of course lovely on the outside everyday,

but this was on a different scale.

This time, we

became the maid-san characters of a popular anime [Anima Maid!]

It was a gentle

world setting, a story between girls with a working theme about the maid-san

who used an animal-theme costume concept.

The costumes were

so adorable that it had gained popularity from both male and female audiences.

The unexpected plot, thick with passion and tears also made a lot of people

talk about it.

Kaho-chan became

one of four main characters. Her character was good at making people spoil her,

a character with a cat-ears maid appearance. As for me, I was a character in a

rabbit-ears maid outfit who always appeared confident and thought that she was

the cutest in the universe with a taste of mental health problems and a

little-devil like personality.

The character was

basically someone far from my current self, right…? Or so I thought, but when I

looked at her, judging from the visual, I might be the one who resembled her

the most inside our Quintet group…

But well, I

wondered if this would be alright… I was afraid this character would be cursed

since I became her… What if these ladies got mad at me…

When I became shy

on my own, Nagipo-chan introduced me.

“This girl right

here, she’s my partner this time! She’s my friend and her name is…”

“My name is Re...Renakoala. Please take care of me!”

I said the alias

that I’d sloppily thought of and bowed my head.

When I did that,

the ladies changed their attitude 180 degrees and behaved courteously while

answering me with their head bowed as well. “Please take care of us.” Seeing

their mature conduct, it somehow made me feel pressured.

“Alright then, it

would be a waste if we only stood here. Let’s get started!”

Nagipo-chan

raised her fist energetically in the air and the other ladies also followed her

along while saying, “Ooo!”

From the

explanation I received earlier, the people here today were special guests who

often gave her support. It wasn’t

only financial support, but they also behaved respectably with refined manners,

a perfect partner for my battle debut.

Nah, but that was

also the very reason I should feel sorry if something happened, right…?

Because I was so

nervous, I moved stiffly. Like a figure with limited joints, I stood up

rigidly.

The other two

ladies with their huge lenses had already sandwiched Kaho-chan with their

intense cameras, squealing. They looked like they were having fun.

The other lady

approached me.

“This is really

amazing, very adorable. I am Rina-pyon’s fan, you know. When she said that

Rina-pyon is coming, I told myself that I should definitely come today!”

What she meant by

Rina-pyon was the name of the character I was currently wearing, the maid with

rabbit ears.

“Ah, no, well…”

“Renakoala-san, Rina-pyon’s outfit really matches you well. You truly portray

her perfectly. Is that outfit handmade?”

Hawawawawa. While my lips

trembled, Nagipo-chan came to my rescue from across the room.

“Her costume was

also made by me! Right, Renako?!”

“Y-yes.”

“Waa, is that so? Nagipo-chan always brings out new costumes for each event.

She really has high energy, huh. That’s the reason I really have fun following

her works.”

Fufufu. The lady before me let

out a refined laughter. Even though she had a very elegant appearance like some

announcer, the huge camera that resembled a bazooka swinging below her neck

gave off an air like she’d just returned from an intense battlefield. It kind

of scared me.

“Do you have an

account, Renakoala-san?”

“No, since I still haven't…”

“Then it means you really are a genuine first-timer, eh? This is kinda

touching. Well then, let’s have a fun photoshoot, shall we?”

The lady smiled

while holding her camera. Meanwhile, the smile that formed out of my mouth

looked like someone who had been stared at by Medusa.

“P-please do it

gently………..”

It will be alright, it will be alright, it will be

alright.

I did practice a

lot at home after all.

Remember the hundreds of pictures that you took. There was no difference between photos taken by yourself and photos

taken by others. It would be alright. Be confident, Renako. No, Renakoala.

Right, the me right now was a cosplayer after all. I should become the

character.

If it was

Rina-pyon, she definitely would have formed a sweet smile.

“You should properly catch the most adorable

side of me with that film, and let it become your most treasured possession,

alright♪”

While saying

that, she would strike a pose that would captivate both men and women.

The me right

now—I was Rina-pyon after all…!

“E, ehehe...is it

alright like this…”

Unfortunately, my

pose right now really showed a lack of confidence, an amateur-like awkward

gesture.

The lady was kind

enough and took my photos, “That’s alright. I’m going to take it now.”

Right. I was

probably the one who understood this the most, that what I did was the peak of

failure.

No matter how

many times she tried to encourage me and treat me kindly—“Ahaha, you really are

nervous, eh. Let’s relax a bit, okay?”—it didn’t change anything.

Our situation

ended with a situation like it had really been a waste for her to take my

pictures.

Even during the

switch-off from the first lady to the second and third, nothing changed. It was

still the same even during the joint photoshoot with Nagipo-chan. Everything,

everything was a huge failure.

I told

Nagipo-chan that I was going to take a break for a moment and then escaped. I

sat in the corner of the studio, looking dejected.

“As expected, the

first photoshoot is really nerve-wrecking, right?”

“Eh? Ah, umm.”

The lady handed

me a bottle of warm milk tea. It was practically still summer, but since I was

wearing thin clothes that exposed my skin, my body temperature had dropped. I

didn’t expect less from her shrewdness.

“Th-thank you

very much. Umm, is it alright, the photoshoot?”

I tried to not

make the mood worse by forcing a smile. Right now, Nagipo-chan was having a

solo photoshoot with the other two ladies who looked like they were having a

blast.

“Yeah, I also

kind of feel tired since I keep holding this camera. Is it alright if I sit

right next to you?”

“That’s—of course, go ahead, please.”

If it was

Rina-pyon, she would definitely say something along the lines of, “To think

that you’re having me for yourself, what a lucky person,” with an adorable

smile, huh.

In this

situation, I was the one who felt bad since I’d made her accompany me.

“Nagipo-san keeps

bringing beauties these days. Even today, I personally think you two really

look good and adorable in your [Anima

Maid!] cosplay.”

“Beauties...could it be you are talking about Moon-san?”

“Ah, so you know each other, eh. Right, right—Moon-san. She’s also someone who

wasn't really used to cosplaying, but, how should I put this. Something like

her presence? It was like she controlled the whole venue with her aura, just

like a pro.”

“Haha...Moon-san really is an amazing person after all…”

Well, it was

Satsuki-san after all. If someone like her suddenly walked close to me, without

any doubt, everyone’s attention would be focused on her.

Rather, she had

probably done some modelling gigs with Mai before. She was crazy gorgeous after

all, so of course the demand would be high.

“I’m really

sorry, since today I was…”

“Ah, don’t mind it, really. There is a type of cosplay that can only be pulled

off by Renakoala-san, right? Honestly, I already feel satisfied since I was

able to see that.”

Did something

like that really exist…even though it existed, wouldn’t it be something that

fits humanity’s lowest kind of compatibility, right…?

No, wait, I

shouldn’t! I would worsen the mood again! I should say something!

“U, umm, are you

a long-time fan of Nagipo-chan, Miss?”

“Oo, a nice question for an old time, eh. You’re right. I discovered her light

when she was still a JCLayer of Nagipo-san. Since then, I’ve always followed

her.”

“As expected, Nagipo-san is...well, quite

amazing, right?”

(TL Note: While JK is joshi-kousei (high school girl) JC is joshi-chuu (middle school girl))

The lady before

me seemed to faintly understand the implication behind my question.

“Nn, let’s see. I

think she is very amazing. She always makes her costume by herself, she also

passionately researches her makeup technique, so that it’s easy to figure out.

She’s also careful when she treats the photographer and skillful in treating

her fans...The most amazing thing is, I can feel her deep affection for the

series she portrays.”

“I see...so that’s why.”

Standing in the

middle of the studio, Nagipo-chan sparkled like a celebrity. When I remembered

that once she used to be in the same place I was...it really emphasized the

distance she’d drawn between us.

Well, that was

kind of a given though. While Kaho-chan had been trying her best, I hadn’t done

anything after all.

“It’s just…”

The lady, while

still staring at Nagipo-chan, talked slowly.

“Lately, I get

the impression that she was worrying about something. Even with today’s

photoshoot, it seems like she’s really desperate looking for a partner until

the last stretch… Even though we don’t mind doing solo photoshoots with her

like the old days.”

“...which means?”

“Ah, no, it was my own thought! Aha, ahaha! To think that I feel like seeing

something within her since I saw her through my lens too many times! So gross,

right! Ahahaha…”

“.........”

If what she said

was true…

Kaho-chan would

definitely not tell me what was troubling her even though I asked, right? I

couldn’t even properly have my photos taken in front of others.

It struck me that

I was wrong most of the time. I always thought that other people lived a proper

life and did their best everyday without a worry.

But that was

where I was wrong. Even Ajisai-san, Satsuki-san, and of course Kaho-chan too,

everyone had problems deep inside. While struggling through bitter memories,

they kept moving forward. And perhaps, that included Mai too.

“Umm, miss...this

time, I really apologize for what I did. I couldn’t do anything right after

all. But…”

I placed my hand

on my chest, then gazed at the lady before me.

“Next time, umm,

I don’t know if there’s next time, but...I will do my best so you can take my

picture well...I’m going to do my best!”

She looked at me,

slightly surprised.

And then, she

smiled.

“Your expression

just now—that’s the one. That was really great. It would be nice if I could

capture it though.”

And with that,

the two-hour photoshoot session came to an end.

Nagipo-chan shone

all the way until the end, looking perfectly adorable.

***

“I’m truly, truly

sorry…”

“Hmm.”

Right after the

photoshoot, we left the studio to catch the train and returned to Kaho-chan’s

room again. And then,

—I did a dogeza before her.

“It honestly gave

me the impression that Koala-chan’s awkward first time is really heartwarming

and endearing though.”

“But things only turned out like that because those photographers are good

people. The same thing won’t happen for my job, which is the next photoshoot,

and I don’t have the confidence to pull it off next time…”

“Hmm, you really are oddly diligent in weird places.”

Kaho-chan sat

crossed-legged on her chair and rested her cheek on her palm.

“I also am kind

of responsible for this since I didn’t think that it was that serious...we

don’t have any other choice than to do something before the session next week.”

“Indeed…”

It was easy to

sob and apologize like, Forgive me, it’s

impossible for me after all, it’s really impossible (*It was impossible!). But I’d already declared

my determination to that lady…saying that I would do my best was...that was

completely driven by impulse.

“But before next

week is...I spent my 16 years of life as a timid and shy person though…”

I couldn’t

imagine we would succeed in fixing my problem within a mere seven days...unless

we resorted to giving me amnesia…

I kept kneeling

on the carpet while looking up at Kaho-chan.

“Kaho-chan, what

did you do to become the current you?”

“In my case…”

She smiled wryly.

“Well, it’s a

given that I also behaved stiffly during my first time… Changing clothes in

some unknown place where I didn’t know anything, standing up with a pulsing heartbeat…I

had a few of my photos taken. That’s it, probably.”

“I see.”

“I didn’t know anyone after all, so it was kinda discouraging… But, well, I

tried to motivate myself by thinking, ‘It’s

my first time cosplaying outside y’know!!’ and with that, I was able to

change my gear out of momentum. And so, that’s why it might be a bit different

for you since Rena-chin is doing this out of duty.”

“Guh…”

Even though I’d

also tried to do it by thinking cosplaying would be very exciting...if so, then

the main problem was me after all…

“Even so, somehow

I have a hunch on how we should continue from here on.”

“Eh, really?”

“I don’t know if this will work or not, but we won’t know until we try it.”

I nodded my head

repeatedly.

I really didn’t

want to see that pathetic me again. It was frustrating when Kaho-chan took pity

on me, and more than that, I thought I would hate myself even more if I kept

being mushy like this!

Which was why, it

would be okay even though it was only an illusion. Just let me think that I can

do this well!

“Copy that! I

will definitely do anything as long as it’s in my ability!”

“Oho, you said that you will do anything… If so, then I will also do my best to

cast magic on you!”

“M-magic…?!”

So Kaho-chan is a

lovely, lovely magic user…?

“I’m a woman who

will use every means possible.”

“Scary.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.” Kaho-chan pressed her index finger and thumb

together to make a small hole.

“I will only, a tiny biiit, destroy that brain of

yours.”

“You’re being so scary though?!”

I did say I would

do anything, but it didn’t mean anything!

I definitely couldn’t accept something that will leave an after-effect on my

body, alright?!

With an unamused

stare, she grinned.

“So our theme

this time...it is, Rena-chin’s Magical Remodeling Plan!”

That night,

Kaho-chan sent me an audio file.

Attached to that

file were numerous warnings.

[Definitely use

headphones when listening to this. Listen to it before a night's sleep. To calm

yourself, make your room dark, and fall asleep during it. That’s the ideal

situation!]

I wondered what

it was. I kinda got an ominous feeling from this…

But still, it

would be alright. As someone whose everything was falling apart—not only

self-esteem but other areas—for a piece of trash like me, listening to a track

was still manageable.

I ate my dinner

and took a bath, and finally finished with my bedtime routine. I lay on my bed

and put on my headphones.

The length of

this audio file was around 20 minutes. And so, what was it? Let’s listen to it…

I played the

track, my heart beating fast.

Suddenly, a

sweet, whispering voice entered my ears.

“Re~na-chin♡”

I jabbed the stop

button and propped myself up.

Eh, what was

that?

That was...huh?

My heart beat

faster. The girl’s sweet and bewitching voice enveloped my body. The impact was

tremendous. Even though it was only calling my name, to think that I would

become this distracted, being a human was really…

Err...if I wasn’t

mistaken, it sounded like Khao-chan’s voice. Huh…?

I gulped.

Hardening my resolve, I slowly played that audio file again.

“It’s okay, Rena-chin♡ Since you’re extremely cute

anyway♡”

“You can wear anything since everything suits you♡ You’re the cutest in the

universe♡ Since everyone becomes instantly nervous just by seeing you♡”

“Me too, I also really reeeaaaally like you, Rena-chin♡ No, it’s not only me♡

Both boys and girls, everyone is captivated by you, y’know♡”

“Hey, Renako♡ Very very adorable Renako♡ Hey, just relax and release the

tension from your body♡ Everyone likes you, Renako♡ They really like you♡ They

love you♡ Renako is so popular that everyone loves you♡ Hey, see, just take a

deep breath, and let it go, take a deep breath, let it go...you really did the

breathing exercise well, how remarkable♡ You really are cute, Renako♡ Good

girl, good girl♡ I also really, really like you, Renako♡”

That record kept

going on.

Inside my dark

room, still laying in my bed with my headphones attached, my heart pounded so

quickly I was soon bathed in weird sweat.

This! This was

definitely an audio hypnosis!

The next Monday

morning, I charged into the class towards Kaho-chan.

“Kaho-chan, what

the heck was that?!”

“Nn? You listened to the audio file properly?”

“I listened to it...and it was before sleep just like what was written on it.”

“I see. How remarkable,

Rena-chin♡”

“Uu!”

I clapped my

hands over my ears and stepped back.

What was that

just now...a sensation shot through my ears into my brain like electricity…With

a grin, Kaho-chan made an expression like she was saying, “It works, it works♡”

“W-what was that,

geez...how on earth did you make it anyway?”

“I just recorded my voice, edited it a bit and that’s it. Since back then I’d

thought of starting a video streaming program after all, so I kinda

half-heartedly gathered the equipment.”

“You can do anything then…”

Pat pat. Kaho-chan patted my

shoulder.

“That’s the case,

so you need to listen to it everyday during your walk to and from school, and

also before you sleep.”

“It increases!”

“If I get new inspiration, I will send it to you directly, okay!”

I really had no

idea what was running inside her head. I personally thought listening to

something like that everyday wouldn’t change anything…

In the first

place, it wasn’t like that simply listening to an audio filled with praises

like that could increase one’s self-affirmation. If that kind of person really

existed, as expected they were too simple, right… She was really exaggerating,

saying that she would destroy my brain…

Well, since it

was something Kaho-chan suggested, I would just play along with her… I was only

replacing the music I usually listened to with Kaho-chan’s whispers anyway.

Seeing my

doubtful expression, Kaho-chan flashed her thumb out while laughing.

“It’s alright,

it’s alright, just believe in me! If not, the effect would disappear, okay?

Here, just repeat after me. My words are the truth. Kaho-san is God.”

“Yeah, no! As expected, that kind of delusion is too much, okay?!”

With that, my

days were disrupted by a sudden wave of Kaho-chan in the blink of an eye.

***

Tuesday,

Wednesday, and Thursday passed…

“The audio files

are increasing…”

At night, I

sprawled out on my bed as usual while wearing my wireless Bluetooth headset. I

gazed at the list before me.

Super Idol Rena-chin Part was a

story with a setting where I was an idol and Kaho-chan was my fervent fan who

supported me with all of her might. It had an effect to boost your

self-affirmation.

The Cosplayer Rena-chin Part

featured Kaho-chan, who only started off as a cosplayer for a month, and then

she got praised by a legendary cosplayer, which was me. The effect was boosting

your self-affirmation. During this, I started to think that Kaho-chan might be

really talented at creating a fictional story.

Spoiling Rena-chin My Pet Part

is a piece that really screamed trouble. Me as a pet, and Kaho-chan as my

owner. The content was Kaho-chan who did nothing other than spoil me rotten as

her pet. It was like she kept praising me by simply being there and she also

showered me with love. Of course it boosted my self-affirmation like crazy.

Around this time, Kaho-chan’s rampage started to appear and disappear.

The finishing

blow was this one, A Story About

Depressed and Abusive Boyfriend Rena-chin and Her Girlfriend Who Desperately

Says She Loves Rena-chin No Matter How Many Times She’d Been Abused and

Insisted That She Won’t Break Up While Clinging to Rena-chin Part.

I don’t think I

need to explain the content of this one, but somehow, I don’t know why, this

one also boosted my self-affirmation. Perhaps it was because I had a partner

who wouldn’t dump me regardless of how low I stooped as a human.

I rotated this

one, also the normal one, I Really Like

You, Rena-chin Part, all week long. And the result of me who kept listening to it

whenever I had the time was—

Nothing really…?

I didn’t feel a

change at all.

“Good night.”

I whispered in my

room, devoid of other people. Kaho-chan’s voice, which I had started getting

used to, was like an aphrodisiac flowing from my headphones. Her voice flew

inside my brain, stirring a honey-like sensation that kept entering my mind, in

some way, just like usual.

Nah, but this

result was natural, right…? I was someone with an extreme complex about

herself. If the opponent was a normal girl, she probably would get tangled in

Kaho-chan’s plan, but I was...well, she had probably been mistaken about the

nature behind the recluse side of me.

Well, that

couldn’t be helped. I always showed up as my cheerful and normie self after

all. Somehow I suddenly felt bad for her. I’m sorry, Kaho-chan.

That was why at

least I would play along with her scheme…

Haaa...it would

be great if only it became reality, that I could gain the maximum super

confidence by merely listening to these records and become the Super Renako…

***

On Friday

morning, I woke up and suppressed a yawn as I walked to the washroom.

I was arranging

my hair when my little sister came in. That little sister who, even though she

woke up later than me, somehow finished preparing herself for school faster

than me. An admirable little sister who knew the basics.

“Big Sis, are you

going to take long?”

“Nn, just a lil bit. This one annoying strand of hair.”

A crowded washroom

in the morning. Haruna took her toothbrush while shaking her head like looking

at something hopeless. “Geez.”

“Every morning,

every morning, you sure take a lot of time. Even though your appearance doesn’t

change much.”

“Well, yeah. I look cute in anything after all.”

“Right, right………….huh?!”

I was finally

able to conquer this annoying little cowlick and put on my hairclip over my

bangs. Well, this looked alright.

She stared at me

as if looking at a revived dead person, her toothbrush still in her mouth.

“Eh, what is it?”

“Nah……….nothing..........?”

“...? Weird lil sis.”

After eating my

breakfast, I said, “I’m going now” and left my house like usual.

Now that we were

into the end of summer, the colours were slowly changing into that of autumn.

Today’s weather seemed like it would be a cool one, a day that would pass by

easily.

At the school

gate, I accidentally encountered Satsuki-san. Since beauties were easy to spot,

it was easy to find her. I raised my hand and greeted her.

"Ah, it's Satsuki-san. Yaay, good morning~"

“Morning...you—are

you catching a cold or something?” she said as I jogged up to her. I didn’t

really understand, so I stared at her.

“Eh? Why?”

“No, nothing. You looked different from usual so I thought you might have a fever.”

“Weird Satsuki-san. But that side of you, it’s very Satsuki-san like. I like

it.”

I covered my

mouth with my hand and laughed. Seeing me like that, Satsuki-san furrowed her

eyebrows and looked uncomfortable. Why?

“Somehow...what?

What’s happening, Amaori? Did you undergo some kind of exorcism or what? The

you who always floated around your surroundings—where did those dull black

clouds go?”

It was so unlike

Satsuki-san to say something in such a roundabout manner. I tilted my head.

“I don’t get it but...well

anyway, today’s weather sure is great, right? I feel like something special

might happen. Well, it might be true since I met my very precious friend

Satsuki-san in the morning.”

“Gross…”

“What’s gross?!” I yelped at Satsuki-san, who bared her disgust.

We arrived at the

shoe locker, changed into our indoor shoes, and then headed to the classroom.

As if she was tormented by a terrible headache, she kept massaging her temples.

It made me worried…

“Satsuki-san, are

you sick…?”

“Yeah, well, that’s not really it but...no, it’s alright. I really don’t want

to know what specifically happened to you. As long as I can live my life

peacefully and normally, that is satisfying enough.”

“O-okay, since peace is number one, I understand. They say that stress makes

your skin bad anyway, and if that became reality, this adorable me would become

less adorable after all.”

She chopped my

forehead with her hand.

“What are you

doing?!”

“I reacted instinctively…”

That Satsuki-san stared at her

own hand with surprise. Could it be that I’d accidentally said something mean

after all? I really thought that I’d said only normal stuff, though.

“Hey, are you

really going with that character from now on? Really? I really want you to

consider doing things that won’t bother your surroundings. Just spare me from

that kind of personality I only see in nightmares.”

“This is the usual me, though?!”

I puffed out my

cheeks. With that kind of mood, I embraced Satsuki-san’s arm.

“Aren’t you being

too mean?! Even though I like you this much, Satsuki-san!”

“Ah, hey, what are you—”

During our

intimate interaction, I heard a sound like something falling from behind us.

I turned around.

It was Ajisai-san. Ajisai-san, whose bag had fallen on the floor, pointed at us

with a shaking finger.

“W-why are you

linking arms like that~......?”

“Morning, Ajisai-san.”

“Eh, kya—”

I let go of

Satsuki-san’s arms and this time I clutched Ajisai-san’s hand.

“Today sure has

been a beautiful day since the morning, huh, Ajisai-san?”

“M-morning….eh, eehhh~.....?”

Ajisai-san’s face

grew steadily redder as I carefully observed her. She really was cute.

“What happened,

Rena-chan...doing something like this, since the morning.”

“Eh? But even Ajisai-san does physical contact a lot, right?”

“That’s—you’re right but~.....?”

Ajisai-san fixed

her bag on her shoulder and then looked at Satsuki-san, seeking help.

Satsuki-san shrugged her shoulders coldly.

“I have no idea.

Maybe she just drank a lot of sake

this morning.”

“Y-you can’t do that, Rena-chan! Sake is

for adults, okay?!”

Even though it

was a given that I wouldn’t drink sake,

I still shook my head while giggling. Fufu.

“You two are

being so weird.”

“You are,” Satsuki-san said at the same time Ajisan-san blurted out, “Rena-chan

is~!”

“To think that it

would work this effectively...I’m starting to fear my own talent.”

It was lunch

break. We’d finished our lunch and I headed to the courtyard with Kaho-chan.

There, we sat next to each other. Like a culprit of an accidental murder case,

she stared at her own hands.

“Err...what?”

“Of course, I was talking about my strategy to boost your self-esteem.”

“It’s not like it worked, though.”

“That’s alright, Rena-chin. Everyone who had their brain destroyed said the

same stuff.”

“It’s plainly scary when you phrase it like that though…”

See, I properly

retorted when she said weird stuff, and I was also able to have normal everyday

conversations. I absolutely didn’t get my brain destroyed or something like

that.

“Anyway

Rena-chin, how cute do you think you are?”

“Eeeh….?”

As expected,

saying something like that from my own mouth was embarrassing…Somehow I could

see a pair of horns grow...

“Well, I think

that I’m normally cute…”

“Normally, huh, normal. What a mild way to describe yourself. Alright, well

then let’s change the question a bit. What number do you think you are in our

class?”

“An even more devilish way to ask that!”

Kaho-chan nodded

like she was agreeing with me.

“...I see, so

your reasoning is still properly working, eh. Well, this much would be easier

to control after all. It’s not like I accidentally birthed some sort of Happy Cute Monster anyway.”

“What exactly are you saying…”

“Nah, just a thought to myself. Anyway, about our plan for tomorrow.”

It was here, the

second round of the photoshoot session…

The memories of

my failure from that day resurfaced from the depths of my brain. I hung my head

in shame while wallowing in self-deprecation.

“This time, it

would be great if I could be of help… But still, this past week, I did nothing

that would make a difference… I did listen to Kaho-chan’s recording everyday,

but that was similar to doing nothing after all…”

“It will be okay!”

With that,

Kaho-chan balled her hand into fist and gripped it tight.

“Since Rena-chin,

you are this cute after all!”

You are cute, you are cute, you are cute…

The words echoed

inside my ears. For some reason I felt a sensation like my head was getting

beaten.

Uh, my

brain...indeed, I was cute indeed…?

Apart from the

real Kaho-chan before me, another Kaho-chan with a seductive expression came to

me and whispered, “That’s right,

Rena-chin. You are really really cute after all♡”

With her visible

fangs, she resembled a sexy loli kind of vampire who took her victims captive.

“Of course

everyone will rejoice. Since they’re able to take photos of a girl this cute

after all. Listen, just think about this calmly okay? You have nothing other

than gain, right?”

“Indeed...since I’m very cute after all…?”

My feelings

slowly changed into positivity.

Brushing

shoulders with this cute me was a joyous thing. On top of that, this cute me

would do a cute cosplay. Of course, I would become the ultra-cute version of me.

“...huh? But, if

that’s the case, why had I failed back then…? Even though my cuteness was

supposed to be eternal…?”

“Well well, let’s stop fretting over minor things. Since you are cute after

all.”

“I’m, cute…? Nah but, my goal was to become a basic kind of normal, a

mass-produced type of girl...huh…? Then the truth is, I’m not cute…?

My world spun.

Kaho-chan whispered

behind her hand. “You don’t need to think about anything. You’re cute, Rena-chin. Oh my oh my, what an adorable little

puppy...come here, good girl, good girl.”

Kaho-chan rubbed

my head and my chin.

“Woof, woof.”

“Riiight,

you’re cute, very cute, Rena-chin is the cutest in the world~”

“Kuun. Ha.”

When my head was

drawn into her chest, I came to my consciousness. Just one step, just one step,

and I felt like I would totally stop being human.

But, right. Why

was I worrying about something like this, I wondered. I only needed to be alive

to appear cute after all, so it was a given that everyone would be excited when

they heard about the photoshoot session with me. Something like that might be a

charity for me.

“Hmm, as

expected, it had an instant effect, but it was also pretty weak, meow...nah, but actually, to think that

this would work was a miracle itself or so. Well, it would be alright if it’s

only tomorrow.” Kaho-chan said some very puzzling things that I didn’t quite

get.

And then, she let

out a smile.

“I invited you

because your face and body after all, so you just need to fulfill those needs

and everything would be clear! Since stuff like cosplayer’s pride, the perfect

angle and pose, appealing expressions, I didn’t seek those things from you!”

“I see...face and body, I have confidence if it’s only those...probably!”

“Right, right!”

Somehow, I felt like she had just said some really mean things but of course that wasn’t it. Because Kaho-chan was my kind and gentle master, she would never do that. She was someone who would always spoil me and dote on me and that was why I really liked Kaho-chan—woof!

“Well then, let’s

do our best tomorrow! Let the world know of your cuteness!”

“Oooh!”

I raised my fist

in the air.

There was a thick

smog in my head, but as long as I was happy, it would be okay!

Thus, Amaori

Renako, just like Koyanagi Kaho had planned, completely fallen into the swamp

of hypnotism—in other words, she was caught in a kind of brain-washed

condition—in other words, she totally fell into her trap.

***

The next day was

Saturday, the day for the second photoshoot.

Amaori Renako

arrived at the waiting room, returning from the toilet, looking obedient. She

proceeded to sit and leaned on the table.

A pair of

earphones still dangled from her ears. She probably kept listening to Kaho’s

gift—the hypnotic recordings—that she came this far.

Koyanagi Kaho,

who applied her makeup before the mirror, turned around and murmured,

“Rena-chin did something like an athlete who needed to boost their focus by

listening to music.”

Of course that

voice didn’t reach Renako.

Nonetheless, Kaho

recalled stuff from last week.

Not even Kaho had

thought that Renako’s shyness was on that level. She remembered things from

back then, and during those times Renako was the type who had talked with

anyone without holding back. Even their teacher in cram school often treated

her favorably.

If Kaho needed to

phrase it out:

(I was supposed

to be the one who was shy in front of strangers though…)

That time, Kaho

had no friends other than Renako. In the first place, she’d never thought of

making another one.

(Well, even now I

have no otaku friend though.)

Showing your

hobby to people was a fearful thing to do. That feeling became stronger since

she had a successful high school life. Even back when she tried to ask Satsuki,

she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

(Even if it was

the type of people like Saa-chan who harbored no interest in others, that was

already close to the borderline after all.)

When she looked

back, someone like Satsuki was pretty rare to encounter. She did say a lot of

things, but in the end she properly came to the photoshoots and carried out her

job well. Those qualities of hers were already on a professional level.

(But, yeah. I had

to receive a lot of smacking from that book cover of hers when I kept insisting

on making her wear risqué costumes numerous times.)

It wasn’t like

she was blinded by worldly desires. It was just that Satsuki suited the role

that Kaho wanted the most that she ended up envying her. That was her only

reason.

It wasn’t just

Satsuki. Frankly, she also believed that people who could do it well also applied

to Ajisai and Mai, also Renako. Since everyone in Quintet had those qualities in them—

(Was what I

always thought, meow.)

She groaned as

she saw Renako, who was lying flat across the table like a slime.

Amaori Renako,

she had the same impression just like the old days. Someone who had a cute

appearance, and had now turned into a beauty.

(...Amaori, san.)

Thinking that she

was currently present right here.

For a little bit,

she couldn’t stop herself from almost bathing in the feelings of nostalgia.

(No…..right now,

we’re just right before the important event. I should only think about making

this photoshoot session a success!)

Su su su. Kaho approached

Renako.

“We’re close to

the real thing now. How are you feeling, meow~?”

Her shoulders

were shaking. With a movement like a rusty iron door, she sluggishly stood up

from her chair.

“I’m sorry,

Kaho-chan…”

“Errr?”

This sounded bad.

As expected,

stuff like audio hypnosis couldn’t pull this off. Well, she personally had a

lot of fun while recording it through.

Renako looked

dejected as she slumped her shoulders.

“Even though

today is an event that was organized by you...it would be possible that since

I’m so terrifically cute the photographers would become charmed by me and me

only…”

“Ah, that one, huh?!”

A perfect result.

“I couldn’t help

but feel terribly bad, very bad… Hey, Kaho-chan, being too cute is a sin after

all. If things turn out to be like this, it might be better if I don’t

participate this time. Because I really don’t want things to become shaky

between us again out of something like this…”

Renako, who was

seriously troubled by her own terrific cuteness, covered her face with her

palms.

“If it made me

feel like this, it would be better if I was born as a flower or a tree… Why was

I born to become as dazzling as a flower that fully blossomed, I wonder? At

this rate, everyone in this world would fall for me… Even though Kaho-chan, you

also want to be loved by a lot of people, right!”

“Her self-affirmation went so over the top that it made her loathe herself. I

really don’t get this one, meow…”

Without a doubt,

it was still Renako at the root. But Kaho couldn’t help but see it as a

byproduct of a huge contradiction when new information, which was [I’m

terrifically cute] was added to her brain. If she kept this up, Kaho began to

think that it could really destroy Renako's brain.

“Well then,

Rena-chin, let’s start changing your costume and apply your makeup.”

“Me who is already cute, can become cuter than this?!”

She swiftly

caught the reluctant Renako and quickly changed her attire.

It was difficult

for an amateur like Renako to properly wear the costume with its lines

appearing perfect, so she needed help to properly wear it.

After Kaho

finished changing her clothes, she needed to adjust her contour line. Kaho took

a lift-up tape. That tape was something considered important for a lot of

cosplayers since it had the effect of altering a face’s shape by restraining a

certain facial part. By using this technique, they could raise the face line,

or even make their eyes look sharp, and other stuff to help them imitate the

character better.

She put a hair

net over Renako’s head, applied the tape to restrain specific features of her

face, and recreated a smaller face that wouldn’t lose with the real bishoujo characters from anime.

“Ouch, ouch ouch,

Kaho-chan, aren’t you applying it too strongly?!”

“Since I picked the one with the strong adhesive after all. Here, Rena-chin,

just endure it. There’s a saying: ‘leave the perseverance to the cute girls’,

right?”

“Th-that’s true...~!”

Renako closed her

mouth and pressed her lips together, entering her super endurance mode. She just needed to hear something like, awesome, cute, and she could do anything. Kaho thought that she should’ve

made her clothes more exposed if she knew things were going to be like this.

Kaho began to

arrange Renako’s bangs with a safe-for-skin kind of glue, helping to recreate

the ideal hairstyle that resembled the character. With that, she was done with

the basics, and for now she let Renako do the tweaking for the rest of her

makeup as she proceeded to do her own transformation.

When they were

done, the two lovely maids appeared.

“Hawaaaaa…...”

Renako, who saw

her reflection in the mirror, collapsed over her feet while clutching her

chest.

“Rena-chin,

what’s wrong?!”

“Sorry, Kaho-chan...it’s just, the me inside the mirror is so extremely

adorable that I couldn’t keep my cool… Ha? I’m going to really fall for her

though…? This feeling, is it love…?”

“Ah, alright.”

Kaho wasn't aware

of this fact, but considering that Renako was being so stubborn even against

people like Mai and Ajisai, to think that her first love would be herself… This

was really a huge tragedy.

Moving on from

that, Renako shook her head while shaking her bunny ears.

“Hey,

Kaho-chan...I wonder if this will be okay. What if I’m so cute that people

would confine me somewhere…?”

“I don’t think so.”

Kaho answered her

sloppily, but then Renako’s cheeks turned red as her breath became rougher.

“But, but, but…”

“Look, even MaiMai and Aa-chan are roaming free even now, right?”

“That’s, well...but.”

Seeing her own

reflection in the mirror, Renako was lost for words.

“I feel bad for

those two but...I might be cuter than them after all…? Wait, no, I’m talking

about overall quality, alright? Well, there are some aspects where I lose to

them, but it is possible that overall it would be my victory or so! I can’t

help it, okay? Since I was born this way after all!”

“Ah, ‘kay.”

Kaho couldn’t

utter another answer under Renako’s intense stare. She feared her own talent in

hypnotizing people to the point where it basically messed with their dignity.

“At this rate,

everyone will fall in love with me… What if one of the photographers is a

professional with some connection to agencies, and I’m being scouted as a super

idol, having a cute girl as my lover, and turning into some abusive

boyfriend…?”

The content from

the stuff Kaho sent to Renako was getting mixed here and there.

“Uuuh, this is

impossible, Kaho-chan. If at this rate I keep receiving people’s affection, and

I can't do anything other than turn them down, it would be too painful for me…

Oh God, why did You make me this cute, why?! What have I done in my previous

life?!”

Not even Kaho

could stop herself from clenching her fist and making a face like she had an

urge to punch that face. Her hypnosis technique had worked too well. It wasn't

good at all.

But, well.

“Whatever, if

this thing only lasted until the end of the photoshoot all is well, then!

Alright, let’s do this, everything is for the sake of exposing that beauty to

the world!”

When she pulled

Renako's hand—

“You can’t!”

Renako shook off

Kaho’s hand.

What made her unhappy this time?

Kaho wondered. But when she looked at her, Renako was behaving a bit different

from before.

“No, umm,

listen…”

Looking bashful,

she peeked at Kaho timidly from the corner of her eyes.

“So, like, I’m

pretty cute, right…? That’s why, if you hold my hand like this, Kaho-chan will

end up liking me...something like that is, you can’t be careless, okay…? Geez,

Kaho-chan you’re so…”

“Hoon.”

Kaho stared at

Renako, looking unamused.

“Nice one. That

one was quite cute, Rena-chin.”

With a

tomato-colored face, Renako yelped, “I already said that you can’t!”

Today’s

photoshoot session was different from the last time. It had more people, and

the session was also longer.

There were also

quite a few men who showed up. Just how deep was Renako’s nervousness, even

Kaho couldn’t properly measure it, but…

That very Renako,

the moment she was showered with, “How cute.” or “So cute!” and became praised

excessively, she instantly got lost in rapture and carried away in striking

poses.

“Oh no,

Renakoala-san, you’re very cute. You’re close to perfect in capturing

Rina-pyon’s character, it’s almost identical!”

“Ehehe...d-do you really mean it? Well, that’s normal for me though.”

“Aa, that pose is also cute! Please look over here!”

“Alriiight, I’ll give you my cute

smile!”

“How cute! That line, it’s like the real Rina-pyon is here!”

...somehow she

looked so delightful. Well, no problem there, probably. Even the photographers

looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Kaho ended up

thinking that everything relied on self-confidence. Once you had it, everything

would become okay.

But then, a

thought crossed her mind. At this rate, if someone said, “Well then, let’s take

off one layer of your clothes, since it will make you cuter,” by the end Renako

would end up buck naked. Somehow it sounded possible. The situation became

dangerous.

As expected,

something like an after-event private session might not be happening, but just

in case, it can't be helped then, meow.

Kaho walked in

Renako’s direction. Since she was the one who had asked her to do this, she had

to protect her.

“Alright then,

Koala-chan! Next, let’s do a joint photoshoot!”

“What is that?”

“Something like this.”

Kaho swung her

arms in vigor and embraced Renako. Renako yelped, “Hyaa!” and her face turned

red in an instant.

Ooo. Within a second, the audience burst into noise. A

sea of camera flashes arose.

“Isn’t—isn’t this

too bold…?!”

“Even in the anime, these two

characters often do this, right?”

“That’s—you’re right, but still...uuu...you can’t do this, Kaho-chan...I

already said it earlier, right…”

Her weak, tiny

voice reached only Kaho. The audience’s reaction became more interesting, so

Kaho decided to press her body against hers at the chest and other parts.

“If you are being

too close like this…”

“You’ll become troubled?”

“Kaho-chan will end up liking me, so…”

“...............”

“Huh?! Somehow you’re pressing tighter than earlier?! B-but why are you doing

this?! Eh, could it be that you like, you do like me after all?! You can’t do

that! Aa, it’s a problem, my dear customer!”

That extremely

foolish reaction somehow tickled the audience’s reaction, but still, Kaho

couldn’t stop herself from feeling a complicated kind of annoyance.

After that, they

struck a pose where they brought their faces closer, hugging and holding hands

while looking at each other. Hugging and being hugged, at any rate it was full

of hugging each other.

It was an anime series with a lot of intimate

touch between girls, but recreating those scenes made them have risqué body

contact (like kisses on the cheeks) so much that Renako couldn't stop herself

from turning red from the beginning to the end.

“She, she’s going

to like me now...Kaho-chan is, she’s going to like me… Aaah, you

can’t...Kaho-chan, liking me is, you can’t do that, you really can’t, liking

me...aaa, like, just now she’s going to like me even more…”

Again and again,

Renako kept mumbling those words next to her.

Hearing something

like that through day and night, even if it wasn’t Renako, of course the inside

of their heads would turn strange.

While she struck a pose that portrayed her character best, Kaho couldn’t stop herself from wondering about that.

*****

For more detailed info about the novel, click

here

Credit:

TL and everything else: Meatbun

Proofread: Lyra