V4C2 Part2

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*****

It ended.

I collapsed lifelessly

into my chair, burnt out into nothingness.

The day had come

to an end and the photoshoot that had been divided into two sessions was

completely over. We returned to the studio's waiting room.

Everything had wrapped

up in a totally different way than the previous photoshoot event. The one who

made that change was—the one factor that changed everything was...what was it

again...? I really had no idea.

“Now that I think

about it, how was I so bold during today’s photoshoot…?” I murmured while

gazing into the distance. “Smiling adorably like that while feeling like I was

the cutest character ever and also striking cute poses….”

I couldn’t

believe it. Had someone installed another personality inside me?

Kaho-chan, who

was with me in the waiting room, rubbed off her makeup. “That’s the true charm

of cosplaying. By doing it, it’s like you can change into someone other than

yourself.”

“I see...and so the

reason I behaved like that…”

The memories crammed

inside my brain started to seep out from the sealed door that was opening

slowly.

Inside that door was...something

that I attempted desperately to seal inside, some truly wicked and evil

memories.

“I behaved like

that?!”

I leapt up from

my chair with a shriek.

“Eh, wait, wait a

minute, Kaho-chan, what did I say?! I said a lot of ridiculous things, didn’t

I?! Did I really say all of that?! Even stuff that definitely wouldn’t be said

by Rina-pyon herself?!”

“You might be cuter than MaiMai and Aa-chan, you know♡”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

I howled as I

clutched my head, my nails digging into my scalp painfully.

“Kill me…!

Kaho-chan, I beg you, please just kill me off! Cut the thread that connects my

life force right here right now!”

“Something good will definitely happen so long as you live, you know?”

“What kind of face should I make the next time I meet the two of them

huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!!”

I couldn't stay

seated in my chair. I began to roll around on the floor. That got a serious

response from an angry Kaho-chan: “Do that after taking off your costume!”

Hiin…

I removed my

costume and sat on the chair without getting changed into proper clothes,

hugging my knees. After taking my wig and hair net off, my slightly ruffled

hair fell onto my shoulders.

Uuh…

“So this is how being

freed through cosplaying feels...being someone other than your usual self as

part of the magic of cosplaying...this is scary, cosplaying is terrifying…”

Kaho-chan

listened to my ramble as she tried to stuff the costumes back into the case.

“...that’s the

only thing you felt?”

I peered over and

met her pouting face.

“That’s, well...I

did feel something like, it was kinda nice…”

“Nn…”

Kaho-chan peeled

off the tape on my face.

Just like this, the

tape could change your eye shape, even your body shape. I honestly thought that

the technique people used for cosplaying was amazing. The way Kaho-chan’s hand

moved skillfully gave off the impression of a magician helping Cinderella

attend her ball.

“Well, yeah. When

you put it like that somehow it was...what was it like again, err—”

At this point, I

couldn’t bring myself to look at her face.

“It makes me

happy...someow-how,” Kaho-chan said jokingly.

...well, it

wans’t really a joke, I guess. Honestly I didn’t think I could enjoy the whole

thing if I had done it by myself. It was because Kaho-chan had been with me

that somehow I felt a surge of nostalgia, so much that I had ended up enjoying

it.

That was the

thing, but it would’ve been embarrassing if I said it out loud so I chose not

to…

“Aa, um, if you

don’t mind, Rena-chin.”

“Yeah?”

“Next time, together with me...umm no...it’s nothing, alright? It’s great if

you enjoy cosplaying, meow!”

I let out a groan

as Kaho-chan mumbled something under her breath.

“Listen,

Kaho-chan-san...in this world, there’s nothing you can enjoy one hundred

percent since everything comes with painful effort and troubles… point is, even

though I said I enjoyed it, in the end it also comes with a certain amount of

grief which can create yet another problem—ouch!

That hurts!”

Kaho-chan

mercilessly tore the rest of the tape off my face. I glowered at her

begrudgingly.

Kaho-chan giggled

while shrugging.

“Good grief,

Rena-chin, you really have an inconvenient meoway

of thinking. Just live your life by keeping it simple and enjoying it

wholeheartedly! Ah, how about doing cosplay forever? Something like, ‘Ehehe, today’s me is also extremely

adorable, right?♡’”

“Cuuut thaaaat ouuuut!” I shook my head.

“Even for me, I really think I should live my life with a strong

self-affirmation, you know! Of course, I’m not talking only about my

appearance, but also about a lot of other things like appreciating the efforts

I’d done for my own sake so I can have confidence in myself. I really want to

try and make it come true…!”

I gripped my

knees tighter to my chest, murmuring, “Besides…….it’s not like I’m that cute

anyway…”

Kaho-chan stopped

moving in an instant and stared at me.

She let out a

really, really huge sigh.

“What is it?!”

“Nothing. I’m just thinking about which Rena-chin is better. The one from

earlier, or the one in front of me right now.” Kaho-chan approached me and

began to grope my chest. Hyaa!

“Geez, you always

do that out of nowhere!”

“Hey hey, look at this, Rena-chin.”

While I was busy

covering my chest, Kaho-chan made a gesture like she wanted to show off

something in her hand. In her fingers were a stack of 1000-yen bills. She spread

them out like a folded fan. My eyes turned into dollar symbols in an instant.

“Waa! Money!”

“Today’s participation fee! On top of that, there are also guests who pay via

bank transfer, so the total amount is more than this! And so, this is your

share just like I had promised—thirty thousand yen.”

It wasn’t fake. She

really handed me real money.

Well, I’d already

thought that the whole proposal was comparatively good, but when I saw the real

thing before my eyes, the feeling was multiplied. Aah, how incredible, it was

money...it really was money…!

“Is it really okay

for me to receive this amount when I only put in minor effort, Nagipo-chan-san…?”

“Well, honestly speaking, I also thought that I’d splurged too much, but a

woman should never go back on her words! This time, I received a lot of invitations

to other events, and I think it was also thanks to you anyway.”

“D-do you really mean it?”

“Yup. I did it with Saa-chan last time, so it might also be why a lot of people

came today. That’s why, I started to think that rather than doing it solo, doing

it together with someowne might be

better after all.”

“That’s, well, it’s Satsuki-san after all…”

Kaho-chan was

cute, of course, but when she was standing with Satsuki-san, her cuteness was

drawn out by Satsuki-san’s beauty.

“Hey, hey, do you

want to see some of Saa-chan’s cosplay pictures?”

“Eh, I want to! Show me only the stuff where I won’t get hit by her!”

“She won’t know as long as we don’t say anything!”

Like a pair of

snotty brats, we fixed our gaze to her phone.

The Satsuki-san

on the screen, to say it frankly, was really dangerous. She was wearing the

magical-girl cosplay I’d seen before. It was like I was seeing the true

definition of beauty.

“I feel like my

heart would burst if I saw her in person…”

“You see, I really really wanted

Saa-chan to stand in the center of a park basked in twilight. But she said it

would be embarrassing cosplaying outside the studio so she turned me down……”

“Uwaa, it sounds like it would really suit her.”

Magical Girl

Moon-san, unable to move while basking in twilight right in the park. That

moment, a little girl passed by on her walk home. She looked at Moon-san and

ended up thinking that she had just met the real magical girl. Right there,

Moon-san let out a smile that felt magical, placing her finger on her lips. “Keep it as secret”—like that.

I bet the little

girl who experienced that moment would end up as Moon-san’s captive for the

rest of her life, don’t you think…!

A woman full of

sins…!

“Well, now you

get it. Honestly, I didn’t do this because I wanted to earn a lot of money. As

long as I could cover the costs of the studio, costumes, and accessories, that’s

enough. And so, just take them with you, you robber!”

“Hyaau.”

Thirty thousand,

get!

“Nah, but I’m

glad I didn’t end up taking a loss’ this time. Everything ended pretty well…”

Alright, I actually

felt bad for Kaho-chan who had done everything out of her passion for

cosplaying, but since I was the true good-for-nothing, I was elated right now.

I shoved the

1000-yen bills happily inside my purse, stowing them away. With this, I could

have Four-kun return to me…

For some reason,

I had felt really nervous during the event...but once it ended, it had seemed enjoyable.

“Could it be that

being an idol might unexpectedly suit me, or…?”

“Oo, we're going straight to high self-affirmation, eh.”

“You’re right!”

I’d challenged a

new thing and successfully conquered it. Conquer...did I truly conquer it? What

if this time, my head had just worked in an odd way?

No, whatever, I

really did conquer it! Since Kaho-chan had really paid me after all!

It became

something along the lines of, even the me

right now could do this, you know! kind of feeling. It hadn’t been a

misunderstanding or an illusion. The most important thing was that I thought of

it this way, since this feeling would become something that triggered me to

keep moving forward.

“Yup, yup...since

I’m also properly able to move forward…”

“...”

I mumbled to

myself, and then raised my face.

Kaho-chan, who

was tidying up earlier, stopped. Without saying anything, she stared at me. Our

eyes met.

“...Kaho-chan?”

“Eh? Aaa...yeah, you’re right, you really did your best this time! Thank you

for your greaty great work,

Rena-chin!”

“Yeah.”

For now, my chest

was filled with a sense of accomplishment since I had managed to overcome this.

With my help, she

finally finished tidying up. We brought the jampacked case to the door, and the

cosplayer Nagipo-chan transformed back into the usual beauty Kaho-chan.

That beauty

thrusted her fist into the air.

“Uoooshyaaa!”

“Eh, what is it?!”

“It’s a Today is very fun! As expected, I

really love cosplaying! kind of yell!”

She turned around

with a smile stretching across her whole face. When I thought that I had contributed

even 1 mm to that smile, I felt happy.

“Hey, Rena-chin,

how about an after-party? Don’t you want to do it? It’s on me!”

“Eeeh, is it really alright?!”

I wagged my tail

at the unexpected invitation from my employer.

An after-party

with a classmate.

Right, that was

during the cultural festival at middle school. That time, I was already being

avoided by everyone, so much that I saw most of my class going to an

after-party while I walked home alone.

It wasn’t like I

would’ve been invited anyway, and I also didn’t have any interest in being

invited. Why would you need other people for a meal anyway? It would be a

bother, right? You should eat your meal quietly. I really couldn’t understand what

they were thinking. As I filled my heart with those thoughts—

That day, my

family had decided to have dinner outside. We ended up entering the family

restaurant where my classmates were having their after-party. I’d felt utter disdain,

the worst feeling ever, but...nah, it wasn’t like I’d envied them back then!

Since I would’ve been alright living the rest of my life on my own!

Renako from

middle-school days said to me, “You’re

right.”

“Something like an after-party is so lame,

right? Something like that is, in the end, they did it so they can say that

everything turned out that way thanks to their so-called efforts. Even though

it wasn’t like they achieved anything by doing that, they kept praising each

other for their ego’s sake. Gross.”

Shut up! I mercilessly stomped

on the spiteful and gloomy Renako. Don’t

come out again, ever. Just let yourself rest in peace, I beg you.

I drove away the

vengeful spirit from my thoughts, then rubbed my hands together with a smile

while approaching the cosplay beauty.

“I will accompany

you everywhere, wherever you want!”

“He, he, he,”

Kaho-chan snickered.

The girl who had

made my dream come true, the one who had spread out the bills in her hands like

a folding fan, said, “Well then, let me take you to another world—a world full

of sparkles!”

***

It was definitely

a world full of sparkles—somewhere that felt like a gleaming world.

Inside the

spacious room was an extravagant sofa and a huge television. The indirect

lighting that glistened here and there gave off an elegant mood. The flashy bed

with a huge canopy made the gorgeous atmosphere inside perfect.

I stood still as

I held the case in one hand.

“Wa, waaa…”

“How is it, Rena-chin? It’s your first time coming to this kind of place,

right?”

Kaho-chan laughed

smugly with her usual gesture—flashing her index finger like a finger gun.

That smile…it’s

like you’re introducing me to a good ramen place, you know?

“Um, listen now.

This place is...a place they call a love

hotel...no?”

Because, see,

that bathroom was covered only with glass, and also this atmosphere was pretty

much colored pink. No matter how I look at this, this place was definitely no

normal hotel.

At the entrance,

we got to choose the room by touching the panel after all, and we were also

covert on our way here. All of this made it feel like my deductions were

correct…

“Yer wrong. A

love hotel is a place that forbids minors. Which is why this is not a love

hotel. In other words, this is a normal hotel. Anyway, Rena-chin, could it be

that you had gone to a love hotel before—.”

“Never! We see things like this often in manga

or novels, right? Something like a love hotel!”

“I wonder, do we~?”

It wasn’t like I

read that kind of weird stuff, okay?! I only read normal kinds of shoujo manga with a bit of spice!

With a Well,

whatever attitude, Kaho-chan exchanged her shoes for a pair of slippers and

helped herself into the room.

She set down the

plastic bag of snacks and drinks we’d purchased at the convenience store on the

way here onto the glass table, and then threw her body onto the massive bed

with a carefree, “Kyahooo~”

“Y’see, I’ve

always wanted to try throwing a girls’ party in love hotel once.”

“You just said love hotel!”

“Eeeh?”

Kaho-chan rolled

onto her back, then rested her cheek on her palm. With playful, lazy eyes, she gazed

at me.

“Well, you see,

it’s alright for you to go home if you don’t feel like doing this, Rena-chin.

Since I can have fun by throwing an after-party by meowself in this place.”

“Kuh…”

As expected, if

the other person was Mai, I would definitely back down and scream “Impossible!”

from the get-go. But this time, the other person was Kaho-chan...in short, a

friend…

Having something

like an adult-like girls’ party in a love hotel with a friend was definitely…

Definitely a fun

thing to do!

“You need to keep

this a secret from everyone, okay?! That we’re throwing a girls’ party in the

love hotel!”

“Yup, since it would be bad if they felt like they were left out when we only threw

the party by ourselves… Nah, wait, if I tell everyone about this, it might be

possible that I could make MaiMai and Aa-chan turn their backs on you…?”

“If you do, I can also expose your photos from back then, you know?!”

We glared at each

other. From the depths of our hearts, we had a fierce desire to keep each other

in check.

Fuu. Kaho-chan turned her face

away.

“You sure have

come a long way, Rena-chin...this is my loss. That’s why let’s forget about

everything and just have fun. Let’s have a party night!”

“Y-yeah...yeah? Yeah.”

Somehow, no

matter which one of us lost, we were still going to have a girls’ party in the

end, huh…? No, well, whatever...it wouldn’t change the fact that we were going

to have fun anyway…

“Now now, just

come here.”

Kaho-chan beckoned

for me with her hand. I took off my

shoes and laid down on the large bed. Waa, how fluffy.

This was my first

time in a huge bed like this...no, wait, this wasn’t my first time. Mai’s bed

was around this size.

Uuh, it reminded

me of weird things. I shook my head to brush off the thoughts.

“Alright, let’s start

the after-party, Kaho-chan!”

“Let’s start, eh. Rather, we’re currently doing it though?”

“This isn’t it! What I wanted wasn’t something so flat like this! I wanted to

properly start it with something like. ‘Well

now, this moment is our after party!’ kind of ceremony!”

“Rena-chin is…how should I put it. You sure are weirdly fixated on things

sometimes, huh.”

I had no idea

about that. I felt a pang in my chest.

“Eh? Y-you’re

wrong...I think. I’m just a very normal, average, right in the middle, kind of

mass-produced type girl after all…”

“That’s funny.”

Funny…?! I was

being serious though…

Kaho-chan jumped

down from the bed. She took two glasses from the cupboard and set them down on

the table. Then she poured juice into those glasses, which filled with foam

from the drink.

“Well, if so,

let’s start this after-party with the ceremony then. If you’re talking about an

after-party ceremony, of course we’re doing this.”

“...! Right!!”

I felt like a

loyal dog when I took her hand and slid in front of her. She handed me a glass

and we raised them high.

“Kanpa~i!”

Crap. I was so

thrilled right now.

“After-party...so

this is an after-party…!”

“Rena-chin, could it be that you were actually raised in a mansion deep in the mountains

without any form of entertainment?”

I opened a bag of

chips from one side. Wordlessly, Kaho-chan took the bag from me and proceeded

to tear it wide open, something often done during a party. I grew tense.

Could it be that

she had already figured out that I wasn’t used to a girls’ party…?! Since I’d

never shared a bag of chips with anyone after all… She was going to make fun of

me again!

But what should I

do… I didn’t even know how many chips to eat, or how fast I should be eating

them. Should I eat some of it and leave some for Kaho-chan…? Nah, it might be

better if I let Kaho-chan eat first and copy her. Like the key movement of the mochi pounding.

Alright then,

this really needed high focus!

Rolling onto the

sofa, Kaho-chan opened her mouth.

“Rena-chin,

you’re…”

“Eh?! Y-yes!”

If she said

something along the lines of, it sure is

gross to be stared at when you’re eating like this, I decided from here on

I would only hog the snacks and eat all of them until I became a gluttony

Renako…

Very casually,

she asked me, “You never badmouth other people, huh.”

“Eh...r-really?”

“During a girls' party like this, getting fired up by talking about someone you

hate is normal, right? Even so, I’ve never heard anything like that come from

your mouth.”

“Ah, that’s, because…”

My body trembled.

Now that I

thought about it, I had once heard something like that. Like having a mutual

enemy was exciting. In short, besides catching up after being separated for so

long, should we also be talking about the people we hated to get along

better...?!

I gulped slowly

as I realized the difficulty of the mission before me.

“R-right…err, but

you see! The girl from the class beside ours, she’s quite tall, right? Whenever

I pass her in the halls, she keeps glaring at me. Personally, I think she’s

kind of scary…”

Was this

badmouthing? This was just me talking about my fear, wasn’t it…

“Aah, Haughty-san right. She sees Quintet as her enemy after all, meow.”

What an

incredible nickname. Huh, this wasn’t the time to let out such a foolish

commentary. Starting now was the real thing. I should unfurl this conversation

into an intense badmouthing session…

“Eh, wait, you

got it wrong. It wasn’t like I asked you to start badmouthing people.”

“Eh?”

Kaho-chan laughed

while crunching on her potato chips.

“I just thought

that it was rare. Since you know, I kinda move through a lot of groups, right?

That’s why I collect all kinds of conversations between girls.”

“Haa.”

So it was like

that. But it wasn’t like I thought of myself as someone unique.

“The girls in our

group never really talk about things like that, though?”

“Saa-chan does it.”

“Huh, is that bad mouthing…?”

The things that streamed

from Satsuki-san’s mouth were justifiable after all. If by any chance someone became

criticized by her, I was convinced that the problems laid with that person…

“Satsuki-san is—rather

than bad mouthing people—she just has a bad mouth, no…?”

“You have a point!”

With that,

Kaho-chan broke into laughter. It made me happy.

“And Mai is, she

probably thinks that talking about things like that would be a waste of time

anyway. As for Ajisai-san, well I can’t really imagine her saying anything like

that.”

“If by any chance Aa-chan says something like ‘Hey, don’t you think that they are getting too carried away lately?

Shall we make them meet their end?’ I bet it would be super scary.”

“!”

My eyes sparkled

in an instant, a Pocky stick in my mouth.

“S-so you get it!

Ajisai-san is, somehow, it’s like we can see that kind of darkness inside her

out of nowhere, right?!”

“I see it, totally see it. Because it’s impossible for that kind of perfect girl

to exist after all. It wouldn’t be weird if she’s actually hiding her 99

boyfriends.”

“Ri~~~ght~~~! I get you so much~~~!”

It was my first

time sharing the same opinion about Ajisai-san with other people. I couldn’t

help but feel happy. So I wasn’t the only one who had a distorted hallucination

about Ajisai-san!

“And like, I also

do it anyway.”

Ah, it was about

badmouthing people. Kaho-chan stuck out her tongue.

“That’s why I think

that Rena-chin sure is rare.”

Hmmm… The reason

why I wasn’t really keen on badmouthing people was that often things we spoke

of others could boomerang back to us later on…

Like the time when

we were treated unfairly by other people. Back in middle school, my thoughts

were only filled with myself after all, which had led to the unpleasant

treatment from those around me. That was the result of my thoughts.

“Nah, it’s not like

I did it out of kindness… If I had to put it into words, it’s because I had a complex

about myself and I couldn’t bring myself to talk about other people, that kind

of thing.”

“Complex? You?”

“Eh?”

I was stunned at

her skeptical expression.

“...on the other

hand, did you see me as someone without a complex?” I asked.

“Nn...50-50?”

“I’m smeared with it then, eh!”

I ended up

shouting an embarrassing word inside the strange room of the love hotel.

“I wanted to be

as pure and straightforward as Ajisai-san, as strong as Satsuki-san, as bright

and cheerful as Kaho-chan, and like Mai...no, forget about Mai… I’m always thinking

of things like that day and night!”

“Fuun...”

Kaho-chan gulped

her cola.

“Well, I can

understand that.”

“Kaho-chan can?!”

“Is it really that surprising? I don’t know what kind of person I am in your

eyes, but I’ve always felt jealousy toward the people around me. A how envious~ kind of thought that has always

lingered in my head.”

Envying others was

understandable, but I didn’t really understand the feeling of jealousy since it

was something I rarely felt. After all, whenever someone of my caliber felt any

jealousy toward other people, Renako from middle school would come and stab me

with a nail, saying, “Don’t you dare to

get too carried away now.”

Kaho-chan

laughed, and then directed her cold gaze on the corner of the table. I had a

hunch that her true feelings were spilling out through that gaze.

Nevertheless, the

girl who was always pulling stubborn and spoiled moves turned out to have a complex,

huh… You really couldn’t understand humans, eh.

No, but could it

be that I also appeared the same to her through the way I saw Kaho-chan…?

No no no, the ever-popular

cosplayer Kaho-chan would never have reason to be jealous of me.

Like blowing off

the stagnant air around us, Kaho-chan opened her mouth once again.

“Even though with

a little bit more height I can properly do the characters I want…! Even height

increase insoles have their limit after all! I need to add at least 15 cm if I

want to try cosplaying boys anyway! If only I was the same height as

Rena-chin!”

“Th-that’s, I’m sorry for that…! I can’t share it with you after all, so…”

“Mukii!”

Kaho-chan threw

her body onto me. I yelped in surprise and got tackled onto the carpet.

“Fufufu, like

this?“

“Ah, hehehe…”

Both of us were sprawled

on the floor. Kaho-chan brought her face closer.

Her smile was

different from the usual lively one she always had. That smile was...it was so

enchanting that I couldn’t compare it to anyone else’s.

“U-um you see,” I

began.

“Hm?”

“So I...often thoughtlessly charge into something that is regarded as sensitive

by others, but you see, I always envy you since you’re able to put them

straight back on the right track easily, just like what you did.”

“Mu.”

I continued my

words awkwardly.

“But you see,

it’s not like that I feel jealous, maybe. Because Kaho-chan, you live and

interact with a lot of people properly, so much that you became the current

Kaho-chan. When I heard that you faced adults whenever you’re doing your

cosplay, I instantly thought that you sure are amazing. It’s not something I can

do after all. And so…”

I always thought of you as someone dazzling.

Before I could say those words, Kaho-chan covered

my mouth with her hands.

“Muguu?!”

“What is it? Rena-chin. Since we’re inside the love hotel, you’re trying to

sweet-talk me, huh?”

I shook my head

desperately. You’ve got it wrong!

“You made my

heart skip a beat though...how annoying. By someone like Rena-chin! How annoying!”

“What the heck do you mean by ‘someone like me’?!”

The corner of Kaho-chan’s

lips lifted into a smirk, “Hey, hey, I just thought of something interesting.

Is it alright if I tease and mess with you?”

“Do you really

think I would allow that?!”

I fixed my

posture on the sofa, and then Kaho-chan came up around me. She rested her weight

on me, embracing me from behind.

I wondered if her

high body temperature was due to her petite stature. The softness of her body

lingered on me. Of course I could act calm…calm! I insisted.

“Ha, haa? I-it’s

not like something this level can affect me though.”

This girl—it was

because she was being oddly confident about her claims that I liked

girls...good grief.

“Rub rub, touch touch.”

“I’m not thinking of anything. Forget about getting excited, it’s making me ticklish

instead.”

I wasn’t going to

be someone who always got beaten by Kaho-chan. Getting hugged from behind

inside a love hotel room wouldn’t do much for me. It wouldn’t work on me!

“Tch, so my charm is no longer working on

you and making you excited, huh. How dejecting… Well then, let's just watch

television then…”

“Fufun.”

Kaho-chan picked

up the remote from beside me as I reveled in my victory over her.

Pat. The television flicked on. At that moment, I was

struck by a loud moan.

[—————————]

……..huh?!

I turned my body

around, my reaction slightly delayed.

“What the heck is

this, wait, huh?! Wa-eh?!”

“Ahahahahahahaha—” Kaho-chan roared with laughter.

On the television

was—very very explicitly—the scene of a man and woman in the middle of making

love! But why?!

“Ka-Kaho-chan,

this is…!”

“Nah, it sure is covered by mosaic, huh.”

“I don’t care though!”

I turned my face

away with all of my might. Inside the room, the ah, ah, ah, ah voice from the woman echoed. It was a given that I

would feel awkward during this situation!

“Nah, since we’re

in a love hotel you know? We’re only watching it anyway, and it would be a loss

if we’re not watching it.”

“You said everything was for the sake of messing with me earlier, right?!”

“Ah, see there, Rena-chin. That actress, doesn’t she look like someone from our

Quintet group?”

“Eh?!”

I turned my gaze

onto the television restlessly. In that particular scene, the camera was

filming the pretty actress up close...no, no no no no.

“She doesn’t look

like anyone!”

“Ahahahaha! So, who did you think of?”

“Geez, just turn it off!”

While still trying

to suppress her laugh, Kaho-chan clicked the remote again and changed the

channel.

“Ooh, this one is

also porn, eh. The theme is picking up ladies on the street, eh. Look,

Rena-chin.”

“I’m not going to look, though?!”

Damn it,

Kaho-chan you jerk...so you planned to beat me by doing this from the start…

Even though I’d felt

the amazing air of friendship just a while ago…!

How frustrating.

I wanted to have something I could use against her.

“Ah right,

speaking of our final exam results—!”

“Ah, that, huh. I heard from Saa-chan that you did your best. How admirable.

You’re a very admwirable gwirl, eh.

By the way, I placed ninth in our grade.”

Turned out that

she was a being out of my reach.

“But why?! Even

though we attended the same B-class during cram school?!”

“As a high-school girl, cosplaying as a hobby means a huge and tough effort

should be done in order to be acknowledged by your parents.”

“I don’t get it...why—why is it only me…?”

I covered my face

with my palms. Mai, Satsuki-san, Ajisai-san, and Kaho-chan—everyone had good

grades. Everyone was different from me. They were incredible. I was the only

one who wasn’t good enough. I felt like I was free-falling into darkness.

Did I—did I really

have no other option…? Kaho-chan’s weakness...somewhere, whatever it is…

While I was lost

in my own thoughts, Kaho-chan said, “I’m going to take a bath now.” and left

for the bathroom. Once inside, she poked her head out and gave me a teasing

smirk.

“Wanna dip in

together, Rena-chin?”

“No thank you!”

“Huh, why though? Getting into the bath together with a friend is normal,

right? Hey, could it be that since I’m so adorable you started to become aware

of me? Eeeh?”

“Grrrrr…...”

Saying this and

that unreasonably! Your mouth is sure in good shape, huh!

“I get it! I’m

going too, I just need to go in, right! It is just something like rinsing our

bodies anyway! It really is no big deal!”

“I’m leaving you to wash my back, Rena-chin☆”

“Just do whatever you want!”

When I thought

about it calmly, regardless of whether it was with a friend or not, surely my

heart would beat fast when I saw a cute girl naked (in a nervous way), which

only meant that it was my loss before the battle even started.

Life was

sure...something, like this. Even understanding it would be a defeat, sometimes

we couldn’t stop ourselves from continuing to challenge the obstacle before our

eyes… Whether right now was the moment or not, I had no clue…

With that, not

wasting any time, I stripped down to only my underwear. Clutching my towel

around me, I called to Kaho-chan, “The bath is ready now.” Let’s take the

initiative for now.

“Alright, I’m

going now~”

Kaho-chan took out

a glasses case from her bag and placed it by the sink.

Come to think of

it, Minaguchi-san wore glasses, didn’t she? Well, compared to the current

Kaho-chan, I couldn’t see a single trace of the timid girl from back then…

“Kaho-chan, when

did you change into contact lenses?”

“Around middle school, I think? It’s way easier once you get used to it.

Besides—”

She took off her

contact lenses since she was about to enter the bath.

And then, she

stopped.

“Huh? Kaho-chan?”

Did your tummy start hurting?

was what I was gonna ask before I saw her face turning blue.

“This isn’t

good…”

“Huh? What happened?!”

Kaho-chan murmured,

“I ended up taking off my normie cosplay…”

……

“Huh??”

Huh, what did she

mean by that?

Kaho-chan’s voice

became high-pitched.

“O-okay, a bath

with Amaori-san...wait no, Rena-chin, right...huh? A bath?! Nah it’s alright

though! Of course I can easily do that!”

“Err, uh-huh.”

As I was

wondering what just happened, seeing the current Kaho-chan reminded me of the

stiff Amaori Renako who stood before the camera during the photoshoot.

“Uh...since I

gotta take off my clothes, can I ask you to turn meoway...since it’s going to be nerve-wracking.”

“Huh? A-alright, I got it.”

I imagined

Kaho-chan as someone who wouldn’t mind not having a single thread covering her

body, so this kind of reaction was rather unexpected. Huh, could it be that

this was one of her latest ways to tease me…?

“Well then, I’m getting

in first.”

“Yesh…” Her voice trailed off when

she answered me.

I snuck a cover

look at her profile that somehow painted with the colour of anxiousness. There

was also no sign of her composure from before. What exactly…

I rinsed my body under

the shower and then soaked inside the hot water. The love hotel’s bathtub sure

had an uncommon shape: round and huge. Considering its size, it was easy for me

to straighten my legs.

“It feels so good.”

I let the hot

water permeate my body. It was like my exhaustion had vanished.

But still,

Kaho-chan sure was taking her time, eh. Right as I started wondering about that,

Kaho-chan entered the bathroom, hiding herself with a towel. Her red skin reminded

me of a baby's, which conveyed her embarrassment throughout her whole body.

“U-umm, listen

Rena-chin...since I didn’t really sweat today I only need to take a shower .”

“Ah, I see.”

“Th-that’s a lie, well, that’s the case so…”

She was behaving

awfully modestly.

I stopped

nodding. Wait a minute. Detective Renako (who?) suddenly came over me with these

thoughts.

“Umm, Kaho-chan—back

then you said “Normie cosplay” or something along those lines, right? Could it

be that it’s the same as mine?” I

said it half-jokingly, but some of it contained the results of my sleuthing,

“...y-yeah,

well.”

Kaho-chan jolted

and then began shaking. Her body suddenly seemed smaller.

“In short,

Watson-kun, by putting on your contacts, you also hypnotize yourself to become

someone with a high level of social skills, am I wrong?”

“R-right….. Huh? What did—Watson-kun…?”

Seeing the flicker

in Kaho-chan’s eyes reminded me of Minaguchi-san from my memories.

“Eh, really? Then

behind that Kaho-chan who always talked with me, the daily super Kaho-chan,

there’s the real Kaho-chan buried

inside?”

“W-well...you can

say it like that, probably meow…

B-but, it’s not like I’m trying to hide it. S-since it’s not something

necessary for anyone to know after all...so…” Kaho-chan began to mumble.

So that was why

she had suggested something like that back then. It was out of her personal

experience after all. Her personality really took a 180 too…

I see, I see, so

the current Kaho-chan still had that reserved side of hers from back then, the

timid Minaguchi-san. Indeed, she really had me convinced. It made me happy to

meet the friend from long ago.

In short, this

was my chance, right? My eyes sparkled.

Of course I could

use this opportunity to get back at her for everything, every time she made fun

of me, right? This moment.

Now was the only

chance, the chance for Amaori Renako to defeat Koyanagi Kaho, right?!

Alright. I laughed as I covered

my mouth with my hand. Just like what Kaho-chan usually did.

“Huuuh,

Kaho-chan, could it be that you are too shy to take a bath together?”

Kaho-chan was—just

like the usual me—flustered, her eyes moving about rapidly. She looked at me,

her whole face red.

“Eh?! N-no. Of

course that’s not the case at all!”

“Well then, let’s get in together, Kaho-chan. Just come here, now.”

“...w-well, if you insist then, it can’t be helped alright? It's not like I can’t

after all...ah, but I should wash my body properly first…”

After saying

that, Kaho-chan walked to the shower awkwardly and then stopped there.

“Kaho-chan.”

“W-what ish it?!”

Again, Kaho-chan spun

around in surprise. To think that she let out that incredible reaction, how amusing…

For a bit, I started to understand how Kaho-chan usually felt.

“Nah, you still have

your towel on, see? You won’t be able to use it later if you let it get wet,

you know?”

“Th-that’s true...eeh, I should put it away…”

Kaho-chan, who

was removing her towel timidly, kind of gave off the impression of a newly

wedded wife on her first night. Somehow it was weirdly giving off a lewd

feeling, no…?

“Ooh right, I

remember. Kaho-chan, back then you asked me to wash your back, right?”

“D-did I really?!”

When my naked

body entered her field of vision, she yelped, “Myaa.” Even though I was the one being seen, oddly enough, I didn’t

feel any sort of embarrassment. So this was how it felt when you were the one

doing the attacking…!

“Uuuuu~~~....why

on earth did I say something conceited like that… Even though I knew that I

would have to take off my contact lenses before the bath~~....”

“Hehehe, now, now, just take a seat.”

I made Kaho-chan

take a seat, and then positioned myself behind her. I retrieved the towel to

wash her back and twitched my hands. They were itching to do something. Well

then—payback time!

“Dear customer,

you sure look shy, eh.”

“Th-that’s, because...it’s not like that I have a nice figure like you...of

course this is embarrassing for me…”

“Nah, you’re wrong. My chest is just a bit bigger…”

There was a huge

mirror in front of us. Through that mirror, I could perfectly see Kaho-chan’s

red face. Kaho-chan, who had her hair down, looked so beautiful that I couldn’t

stop my heart from skipping a beat.

“Besides,

Kaho-chan is, you see, I think you’re already cute anyway.”

“Uuu...th-thank you… But you don’t have to praise me like that…”

Kaho-chan somehow

seemed smaller than before. Compared to her usual behavior, this was dangerous.

Because of that, I ended up thinking she was multiple times cuter than before.

What was this

feeling, I wondered…? The feeling like I wanted to tease her more, wanted to

see her troubled face more, wanted her to show me her embarrassing sides, or

so…

I bet this was

the same feeling as the urge to keep messing with a cat who despised being

touched.

“Actually, I

didn’t want to be cute since I wanted to be a beauty…” she said.

“Is that so?”

“Hyaa?!”

I slowly placed

the towel onto her soft back. Kaho-chan was so surprised the muscles in her

back tensed up. I couldn’t stop the heat from filling my face.

“Kaho-chan, your

reaction was a bit over the top, don’t you think…?”

“S-sorry! It feels ticklish so…”

She apologized

despite not doing anything wrong. This really made me feel like I had just done

something I shouldn’t… Fufufu, let’s make her properly understand that I wasn’t

a small fry…

I washed every

single inch of her skin, from her back to her butt, her shoulders and upper

arms. Slowly and gently, I moved my hand so I wouldn’t hurt this lovely girl’s

soft skin.

“Uh, nya……..nn, fuuh….”

Sometimes, I

could hear Kaho-chan’s sighs mixed in with her voice. It slowly overlapped with

the moans from the television earlier, causing a sense of restlessness inside

me.

“Rena-chin….thash wash ticklish...nya, ah….”

Uuh, Kaho-chan’s

adorable voice was, my ears…

Wait no, this

was...if I kept doing this, I would turn weird!

It was fun

washing a cute girl’s back with her consent like this, but it was plainly

impossible for me to continue! Let’s stop around here for now!

Before I bared my

worthlessness more than this, I decided to retreat. Well, it was sufficient

enough anyway. Which means, I had returned every debt I had to you. Fuu...that was nerve-wracking…

“O-okay then, I’m

done with the back.”

When I thought

I’d properly finished rinsing her back, at that moment—

“Uu...o-okaay…..”

Like it was a

very natural thing to do, Kaho-chan timidly turned around to face me.

Ha…………………….?!

I froze for a

moment.

Kaho-chan was

shaking, her eyes squeezed shut. I understood that at this moment, she was really

doing her best to endure the disgrace she had been placed in. Her tiny hands

were crumpled into fists.

Eh, what was

this……? Did she also want me to wash her front…..?

Right now,

Kaho-chan looked really vulnerable. Her petite chest, the slender and cute

waist, those soft-looking thighs, her toes that curled in—everything looked

like a fine dish on the plate. It was like everything, every part of the scene,

was served for me only. I didn’t expect her to be this defenseless.

Even I started to

think that I’d pushed her too much! I was so—!

I perfectly

understood that this was a sole opportunity for me, but! If right at this

moment I managed to turn around our standing, then I could secure this superior

position against her for the rest of my life, probably… In short, me above, and

Kaho-chan below…!

Should I do it…?

I slowly reached

out and touched her body through the towel.

“....nyaa….”

“...................”

The voice that

escaped through her lips ignited the fire inside my head.

The popular girl

at school, also the cosplayer Nagipo-chan, was currently in a form that no one

knew about… Kaho-chan who furrowed her eyebrows while filled with shame was

currently trembling along with each of my movements.

Somehow this was

kinda…

It was kinda,

dangerous, right!

I shouldn’t do

this. This was the end of my courage. If I kept doing this, Kaho-chan would end

up showing up inside my dirty dream.

Even this moment was already too dicey for me. I felt like I had

secreted far too much dopamine today.

I placed the

towel on her palm.

“Alright, it’s

over.”

Kaho-chan slowly

opened her eyes. With a feverish face, she stared at me from the corner of her

eyes at a lower angle and asked me in a hushed voice,

“Ah, err...are you really done...?”

Eh?!

What the heck was

with that question?! Did you imply that you wanted more?! Oi oi, so you decided

to plead, huh? What a cheeky little kitty, this...!

I was supposed to

be the one attacking though, yet somewhere I had transitioned into being the

one attacked?!

Kuh, to get flustered right now,

you’re sure behaving like a small fry, Amaori Renako! Right now I was the one on top! Right now, the

only thing I should do is to show my composure and answer, “Well, this time is

special, alright?” though?!

“Y-yeah.

Kaho-chan’s skin was very soft. I had fun.”

Flash. I did the wink that I wasn’t

used to. Kaho chan groaned, “Ah...uuuuuu.” For a moment, like she had regained

herself, she snatched the towel that I gave her earlier.

“Rena-chin you

evil...you’ll pay for this~....”

Hearing that weak

voice pushed me to boldly declare my victory.

“Fu, fufu~n,

I’ll always gladly become your opponent, whenever you want♡ Well, for you the

weakling♡adorable~♡Kaho-chan, I don’t know whether you can defeat me or not,

though!”

“Rena-chin you, big idioooot~~....”

It seemed like I had

managed to protect my position until the end. Fuuh. That was dangerous.

Even being the

one attacking required a huge effort, huh… Could it be that it was also the

same with Mai, Ajisai-san, and Satsuki-san all along…? Hm, nah that wasn’t

possible! They weren’t me after all!

Kaho-chan and I

sat next to each other in the bathtub, soaking up the hot water.

Considering the

size of the bath, it was easy for us to comfortably stretch our legs like this.

Love hotel baths were so pleasant. Also, we only needed to push a single button

to turn the bath into a jacuzzi. It made me very elated.

It also looked

like Kaho-chan’s nervousness had eased up compared to earlier. Kaho-chan was

still in her recluse mode when she sunk into the water up to her mouth. Staring

at me resentfully, she murmured, “Rena-chin, somehow you seem like you’re used

to this…”

“Eh, really? (joy)”

Well, I had

gotten used to having baths with beauties after all. I had a rich amount of

experiences in that aspect.

Sorry that was a

lie. I wasn't used to it. I was betting on my life every time I did it.

“The power of

normies…”

Yeah, as I

thought, Kaho-chan might have very bad eyesight after all. Or, it was also

possible that because her overflowing normie power was suppressed right now,

she had been deceived by my normie power which basically amounted to nothing.

Splash splash. Kaho-chan wet her

face with the bath water.

“I’m really not

good, eh...the moment I take off my contact lenses, I can’t properly

communicate with other people… I also can’t really say the things I want to

express.”

“Is that so.” (I get you.)

“While shopping in a convenience store, even though I bought a lot of things

like bento, ice cream, chips, and water bottles, I couldn’t bring myself to ask

the cashier for a plastic bag. Since I couldn’t find the right timing to say

it, I ended up doing my best to bring everything home by lugging it in my

arms…”

“I see.” (I get you)

Renako from

middle-school years appeared while nodding, “Aah, that type of socially awkward person, huh.”

In this world,

there were two types of socially awkward people. The one who didn’t speak since

they found it hard, and the type who kept talking without thinking since they

found it hard. While Kaho-chan was the first type, I belonged to the second

type. Past-tense, okay?!

“But it sure was

interesting, that normie cosplay mode.”

“Nn...when I’m in it, I feel like I really can do it… I really like the feeling

of completely becoming a character after all, and thus, it becomeow like this… When I think of doing normie cosplay, I start

to be able to do things I usually can’t and I’m bolder than usual…”

“I see. I kinda get it when you put it that way.”

Even my

[High-school Debut] was something I did by envisioning the version of me I

wanted to become, so it kinda resembled cosplaying in some way.

The me right now was someone different from the usual me! If I didn’t keep repeating those words inside my head, I might have

ended up unable to speak to Mai on that opening ceremony day.

“Kaho-chan really

likes cosplaying, huh.”

“....yup, I like it.”

Hearing that honest

and simple answer, even I could understand that her words were genuine, without

any useless embellishment in the way she spoke.

“There’s only one

me and I’m proud to say that I like cosplaying without losing to anyone. That’s

why I really had fun when I cosplayed together with Rena-chin. I really had

fun.”

“Ah, yeah…”

Her feeling of

endearment was so direct that I naturally nodded along.

Then, I asked

her.

“Hey, Kaho-chan...that

‘like’ feeling of yours, how does it feel?”

“How does it feel, eh… Hmm...it made my body feel like floating, something that

makes me want to run, I wonyder…?

“...I see.”

Kaho-chan was

really incredible.

I wondered if I

had the same amount of feelings toward something.

I was convinced

that the feelings Mai and Ajisai-san harbored toward me might have been the

same type of passion like the one Kaho-chan had toward her cosplay. It made me

happy but...yeah, it was frightening.

I wondered if I

could reciprocate the same level of emotion.

I didn’t know. It

was also possible that I would never be able to reciprocate...even so, I wanted

to return their feelings.

I wanted to have

confidence, I wanted to reply to their words with my own words, something that

was born from within my own heart.

“Hey, Kaho-chan.”

My mouth stopped before I could ask her. What

do you think I should do?

I almost said

something naive. Yeah, as I thought, asking her something like that wouldn’t do

me any good.

This was

something I definitely should solve on my own.

“You see…”

But well, of

course I wasn’t clever enough to come up with something quickly halfway. With

that, my head and my body acted in a different way than I had intended.

In short, while I

was staring at Kaho-chan next to me, I ended up saying something like this.

“Your boobs have

a really pretty shape, huh.”

“———”

Kaho-chan swiveled

around swiftly. With teary eyes, she shouted, “Rena-chin you huge pervert!”

After that, Kaho-chan

immediately left the bath so I enjoyed the wide bathtub by myself. Her voice

saying ‘huge pervert’ kept

reverberating in my head. Somehow her voice inside my head pained me…

It wasn’t like I

was a pervert though… Because, if by any

chance I was one, I would definitely not let go of the chance to grope her

boobs while washing her body earlier, right…? In short, I wasn’t a pervert,

right? This was the perfect argument, don’t you think? As expected I wasn’t one

after all!

At that moment, I

heard a scream from the room.

“Honyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Eh, an enemy’s

attack?!

Swish. I quickly got up from the

bath. I dried off my body sloppily with a towel and then hurriedly approached

Kaho-chan.

When I got there,

Kaho-chan was peering at her phone through her glasses in shock.

“Wh-what is it,

what’s happening…?”

“Ah, Rena-chin...huh wait, why are you naked?! Are you showing off your boobs

or what?!”

“I’m not! It’s because you were screaming out of nowhere!”

She covered her

face with her palms, and between those fingers, she peeked at me. It was rather

embarrassing, so I retreated to the bathroom once again. After I put on my

bathrobe, I approached her again.

I examined her carefully.

For now, it wasn’t like she had been shot out of nowhere, so that was great.

But considering her wide eyes, she probably wasn’t in a great condition.

“I-is something

wrong?”

“You see, you see...something crazily incredible just happened. That

incredible, you see…”

Kaho-chan kept

rambling, unable to tell me what was happening. In the end, she shoved her

phone into my face and let me see it by myself.

“I got invited...this

me, to the Makuhari Cosplay Summit.

I got invited to…”

“Eh?!”

I gazed at the

screen that was awfully close to my eyes. It seemed like a direct message that had

come from the organizer.

“It’s an event

where they invite eight groups of cosplayers currently trending to put on a

show… It’s held every year, but they always invite popular cosplayers only… To

think that they invited someone like me to this event…is this real…?”

“Eh, incredible. It’s very amazing then, Kaho-chan! Eh, how amazing is this?”

“If my cosplay power level is around 12,000...”

“Uh-huh. Eh? Ah, uh-huh.”

She suddenly said

an interesting word. I ended up thinking, that’s

based on follower count, right?

“This one is only

befitting for people in the top 500…”

“Funfun… Eh?! Kaho-chan, you’re among

Japan’s top 500 cosplayers?! Isn’t that a very amazing feat?!”

Hearing my

question, Kaho-chan shook her head, flustered.

“You’re wrong!

The godly popular cosplayers are for the top 300! Below that, we’re practically

just casually bunched up together! That’s why it isn’t like that to someone

like me, that’s not—that’s not it!”

Kaho-chan only

let out a loud voice when denying something. I felt an oddly familiar feeling.

(I get it)

“Makuhari Cosplay Summit is an event

where only those in the top 100 are

invited. It’s a distinguished event nationwide…….”

That moment,

Kaho-chan suddenly stopped, just like a breakdown machine. It was worrying.

“............that’s

why, it’s also understandable if the organizer wants to discover new talents by

handing out invitations to the newbies, and I think I fulfilled that condition,

but—”

Hearing this much,

my thoughts hadn’t changed at all. I was still thinking: “Kaho-chan is

awesome!”

Because, it was

like those FPS pro-gamer videos that I often watched casually, people who were

invited to special events like that, right? She was totally on the performing

side, then…

“You’re

incredible after all, Kaho-chan! Kaho-chan’s the best!”

In contrast to my

excitement, Kaho-chan’s eyes spun.

“I’m going to

turn them down…”

“Wait?! Why?!”

I grabbed her

wrist as Kaho-chan typed with her unhuman speed, “It is impossible for me, my

apologies.” I restrained her in a fluster.

“Because if

someone like me joins this event, I feel bad for the others who didn’t get

invited…” she said.

“But you

are the one who got chosen, right?! Be proud of that!”

“Even though there are others who walk this path far more seriously than

me...but if I’m the one on that stage…it would offend them…”

That way of

thinking was painfully familiar, but still!

“You’re wrong!

This means that they approve of all the hard work you’ve done up until now!” I

shouted from the depths of my heart. Kaho-chan raised her face.

Against those

eyes that were filled with uneasiness, I tried to convince her.

“You sincerely

enjoy cosplay and bring enjoyment to people who see you! This is why you’re

able to achieve great things! This is the result of your own hard work!”

It was also

written in the message. The reason they had invited Nagipo-san was because they

wanted to broaden the fans’ age range.

Even the ladies

who had come to her private photoshoot sessions had done it because they wholeheartedly

supported her. She had made a lot of people fall for her by showing her genuine

passion toward cosplay.

“That’s why, you

see, it might be hard to make a decision right now, but…”

Doing this, I

couldn’t help but think even though I couldn’t push myself to be brave, I sure

jumped far ahead by pushing Kaho-chan like this.

Even so, even

so…the truth was that I also wanted to show my courage.

Kaho-chan too…I

was sure that she also felt the same.

That was why…I

held Kaho-chan’s hand and then stared into her eyes.

“Let’s try doing it,

Kaho-chan. I will definitely support you as long as I’m capable of that.”

“Rena-chin…”

Her eyes wavered,

but—

Kaho-chan gripped

the phone in her hand. And then nodded slightly.

“Thank you for

telling me that… It’s not only fun stuff since sometimes I had the thought to

stop even though I’d come this far, but yeah. I’ll think about this a little bit…”

“Yup!”

The deadline for

the confirmation of attendance was next week. She had a lot more time to

agonize over this, but I believed in her. Because—

When I looked at

her smile, I could see a faint glitter in her eyes. I wanted to believe that it

was proof of her hard work up until this day.

I finished drying

my hair and then plopped down in the bed next to her.

“Kaho-chan,

you’re going to sleep already?”

“Umm…I think I started to feel sleepy…”

She lifted

herself up while rubbing her eyes.

We brushed our

teeth next to each other using the hotel's (probably) amenities. Kaho-chan

somehow looked listless compared to her usual liveliness. I was shown yet

another side of hers, which was unbelievably adorable. She had really done her

best today. Also, to think that kind of message came at the end of the day, she

must have been exhausted both in body and mind. Even during today’s photoshoot,

she’d given off the air that it was her one-man show.

“Kaho-chan, we’re

close to the bed.”

“Unyaa…”

I led her to the

bed by the hand. Just like that, Kaho-chan threw her body across the fluffy

huge bed.

I tucked the

blanket over her body. Doing something like this made me feel like I was her big

sister. Ashi-High’s little sister wasn’t born simply because of her cosplay, it

was also because Kaho-chan's own charm pulled out people’s desire to protect

her.

Well, that was a

given. It was impossible to turn into a completely different person by only

changing clothes. It would’ve been great if that was true, but…of course that

wasn’t how things worked. I was also sure of it because Kaho-chan said that she

‘wanted’ to be a beauty.

“Rena-chin~...”

“Yee~s.”

I also slid onto

the bed. The love hotel bed was huge after all. Forget two people, I bet four

people could easily climb in and sleep together.

But, huh, how to

turn the lights off…? I fiddled with the buttons near the bed, but it only made

a song come out, or controlled the strange indirect lighting above us.

Somehow, I

managed to find the right button and switched off the lights. I should get to

bed then.

Kaho-chan shifted

closer to me.

Waa. Suddenly Kaho-chan placed

her head on my stomach with a purr in her throat. She was very light, like a

real cat.

“Ka-Kaho-chan?”

Her body that had

been in the bath earlier felt warm. It made me think that it must feel great to

embrace that warmth for a good night's sleep.

“Eh, what, what

is it?”

Having things

happen like this wasn’t about normies and recluses. This was a reality where I was

in a situation with an extremely adorable girl right before me…!

What if Kaho-chan

said something like, “I can’t sleep without my body pillow,”? Would I spend a

long night awake getting hugged by her?

That moment, with

a voice like she was dreaming, Kaho-chan opened her mouth.

“Rena-chin’s

stomach is so squishy…what a great pillow. So comfortable for sleeping…”

“Of course—huh?! Eh, I sincerely thank you for your humble praise?!”

Did she just

imply that I was fat? That was—

Fufu. Kaho-chan giggled.

“I heard that the

approval rate would be higher if you’re a bit squashy.”

But actually, you

girls who were more slender were far more popular than me, though… I managed to

hold back from shouting that in her tiny ears.

Since the fact

was that the one person Kaho-chan had feelings for liked me.

With the same

voice, Kaho-chan asked me.

“Hey…Rena-chin, do

you still like MaiMai?”

“That’s—”

It felt like

something from a long time ago. That day at the hotel in Akasaka, the time when

Kaho-chan asked me, “Rena-chin, you also like MaiMai, right?!” That time, I was

convinced that she had the wrong idea, but…

Since that day, a

lot of things have happened.

Mai’s gentle

smile flashed inside my mind

The warmth of her

fingers, her scent.

The taste of her

kiss.

Being stubborn, I

had pretended not to see everything, trying to hide it all.

Even so, I wanted

to be like Kaho-chan.

To be able to

honestly face it, my feelings of ‘liking’ someone.

I didn’t say

anything for a while. And then, I opened my mouth.

“....yeah, I like

her, probably.”

I felt like I was

only able to be honest because the one before me right now was Kaho-chan.

I felt like she

was laughing as she heard my answer.

“I see.”

Since she was

still using my stomach as her pillow, I was worried she would be able to hear

my loud heart beat.

If we were simply

talking about whether I liked her or not, perhaps, I have liked her since the

beginning.

I only kept

saying that I wanted us to be friends because I didn’t have the confidence. I

didn’t want people to hate me. Of course, having a relationship like a lover

was something that felt too far away for me.

“I too, will not

lose.”

There was a pain

in my chest. I wondered if Kaho-chan would resent me in the end, whoever I chose…

I kind of hated

it though, being resented by Kaho-chan…

If that was the

case, wouldn't it be better if I didn’t choose anyone—? Yeah, these kinds of

thoughts only allowed me to run away. Let’s just lock them inside.

In life, there were

a lot of places to run away from every problem. In fact, I also kept running

away from a lot of things, for the sake of protecting myself.

It was just—it

made me wonder. In the end, what was my main goal of having a high-school

debut?

Could it be that

I had wanted a friend who would never betray me, or to achieve a standing where

my classmates always made a fuss over me, or to lead a blinding high-school

life?

If those weren’t

my desires, then—

“Yeah,

Kaho-chan.”

I stroked her

soft hair.

“I’ll also do my

best.”

“Nn!”

With a lively

nod, she pumped her fist in the air. It grazed my nose—scary.

“...let’s just

sleep, Kaho-chan.”

She didn’t

respond to my words.

“...Kaho-chan?”

I lifted my head

and looked at Kaho-chan.

She was sound

asleep, lying comfortably on top of my stomach.

“Wait,

Kaho-chan?! Eh, wait a minute! I can’t move an inch though?!”

You’re going to

sleep like this tonight?! Kaho-chan, Kaho-chan!!

After a while,

Kaho-chan left to use the bathroom, sounding half-asleep. Using that chance, I

was finally able to fall asleep properly. That was dangerous. Well, having a

cute girl sleep this defenselessly and so close that our shoulders were

practically touching also seemed dangerous though…!

But well, yeah, I

felt like my MP that kept being exhausted since the end of the summer had

recovered quite a bit.

The odd thing was—even

though I skipped school and laid on my bed for a whole day, my body had been

refreshed but my mind hadn’t.

Instead, when I

walked toward a certain goal, and in the end, I could complete the obstacle

before me to reach that goal. Having an after-party with a friend like this.

Talking about stupid things and laughing together. Doing all of these somehow, somehow made my mind clearer than ever.

I wondered what the reason was.

Finally, I could

say that I felt calm and composed.

Thank you,

Kaho-chan.

With this, I came

to the determination to stop myself from running away and properly face the

problems before me.

Next, it would be

my turn to do my best.

*****

For more detailed info about the novel, click

here

Credit:

TL and everything else: Meatbun

Proofread: Lyra