Bab 72: I Took It More Seriously Than The Debate
"I'm sorry. Don't sulk so much."
"I'm not sulking."
Masachika, who had been branded a chuunibyou[1] by the Class A
students, left the classroom and walked aimlessly down the hallway
while trying to cheer Alisa up, who still seemed to be in a foul mood.
Well, when you think about it, he could understand Alisa's frustration.
Judging from the excitement that could be heard in the crowd, Alisa's yo-yo
fishing vengeance game must have been spectacular. Still, after many
attempts and failures, she finally caught the fish and turned around with a
sense of accomplishment... only to realize that the two of them, who had
been going around together without seeing any of her struggles, were
enjoying themselves amicably, leaving Alisa alone. If the same thing had
happened to Masachika with Takeshi and Hikaru, even he would feel some
sense of alienation.
[Mine, you're my partner...]
"...Stop mumbling in Russian, it's scary!"
It made Masachika's heart ache in a strange way.
"No, that... was just an excuse. I was gonna watch you yo-yo
fishing too, you know? But, you know, there were so many people there.
You're getting pretty popular......"
When Masachika said this brusquely, Alisa fiddled with her hair and
glanced at Masachika.
"...you've also become a lot more dependable in class."
"Huh? What?"
"During our shift just now... You were the one in charge of
managing our class, weren't you?"
"...ah."
Yes, now that she mentioned it, it was true. Masachika wasn't really
aware of it because he had been giving instructions to others as a member
of the festival committee for a while now.
But if you thought about it carefully, until the first semester,
Masachika's reputation in the class would have been that of a "silly,
insincere otaku." He was not ridiculed directly face-to-face, but Masachika
was definitely seen as "inferior" because he came from a middle-class
family.
Masachika himself was not particularly concerned about that in the
first place. In fact, he even thought it was better to be looked down upon to
a certain extent in order to build better relationships with the people around
him. As the saying goes, "The stakes are high, but the hawk hides its
claws." If you stood out in a strange way, people would be wary of you, but
if they looked down on you, they would let their guard down and it would be
easier to enter their pockets.[2]
You can only show your usefulness when you are in their pockets. If
the other person then understood, they would change their response
accordingly, and if they don't, you can simply take the initiative by
flattery.... Apart from the idea that it was simply too much trouble to be
expected to do strange things.
"Now that you mention it... You're right."
Masachika didn't recall showing any particular usefulness, but he did
think that the class's opinion on him had changed over time. What was the
trigger...? When he thought about it, it goes without saying that it was when
he joined the student council.
"I guess the closing ceremony was a big deal, wasn't it?"
"Huh? Ah~... Maybe."
Masachika thought for a moment before nodding at Alisa's words.
Thinking back on it, back then, Masachika had said something like, "I
was the Vice-President who worked in the shadows in middle school" in
front of all the students.
In fact, when he was on the student council in middle school,
Masachika was always behind the scenes. He was sneaking around behind
the scenes, partly because Yuki was too dependable as a partner, but he
was also mature enough to help with Yuki's appearance in school events.
That was why most students did not even remember that he was the VicePresident until he revealed his identity at that closing ceremony, not even to
mention his classmates.
"That raised my reputation a little bit... and as I entered the second
semester as a member of the school festival committee, I naturally came to
be looked upon with admiration, if I do say so myself."
"Is that so? I thought you were always more dependable than I was."
"But... I see. You can't hide competence afterall, can you?"
He scratched his hair and flashed a wry smile.
[You could have hidden it a little longer.]
Alisa turned away sulkily and whispered in Russian.
"...are you still mad about something?"
"No? I just thought you might have forgotten your promise to me."
"Promise?"
He didn't really know what she was talking about, so Masachika tilted
his head and... Alisa stared at him, as he hurriedly searched his memories
for the answer. Then a conversation he had with Alisa on the stairs near the
music room struck.
"Oh, w-wait~, is that it? Going around the school festival together...?
Huh, we're going around right now though, right?"
"This is…...no-no. I wasn't invited by you."
"Oh, that's important?"
"It's important. And I never said we'd go around together in the first
place. I said, 'Entertain me at the school festival.'"
That meant she wasn't enjoying it right now... or so he thought. And
in light of the current situation, which was making her grumpy right now,
Masachika was unable to say anything.
[We weren't alone in the first place.]
(Oh, yeah…... That's right.)
[Not by being pressured... But you should have invited me out
properly instead.]
(Sorry.)
[More romantically.]
(Don't raise the bar.)
Apparently, Alisa wanted Masachika to formally ask her on a date.
Based on Alisa's attitude, Masachika guessed she wanted to maintain her
princess-like position, with the mindset of "If you're willing to humiliate
yourself and invite me, I can go around with you, okay?" If so, he could
understand why she said this was currently a no-no.
"I'm sorry... I'll make this up to you tomorrow."
"...yes."
Alisa replied curtly and turned away with a pout. Apparently,
Masachika's attempts to make good on his promise with "this" had caused
her to completely bend out of shape.[3]
(Hmmm~, what's up with that... Well, it's totally my fault.)
Rather, Masachika should be thankful for the opportunity to
recover.... As he stared at Alisa's back, who was staggering ahead of him,
Masachika suddenly noticed a student across from Alisa trying to hold up
their phone. Quickly interrupting Alisa as soon as he realized, Masachika
spread his robe with his right hand to hide Alisa's figure.
"Yes, there. I understand your desire to take pictures of this beautiful
elf, but could you please ask permission first before doing so?"
Then, after giving a playful warning, the boy hurried away with an
uncomfortable look.
Masachika was relieved to see that he was a very understanding
student....
"Eh, I can take her picture if she gives permission?"
Masachika froze as several nearby girls, taking Masachika's words to
heart, approached them at once, phones in hand. Moreover, even other
passing students who saw the scene began to stop, hoping for a chance.
"No, that was a figure of speech──"
"Kujou-san, turn around!"
"Elf-san! Can I take one picture?"
"Well, if possible, give me a two person photo…..."
The cheerful-looking female students, oblivious to Masachika's
words, were closing the distance between them.
(They're too pushy! What should I do? Should we at least be willing
to accept some photos for the reputation of our campaign? Girls wouldn't
have any ulterior motive... but if we accept one, more will ask and we'll
never be able to handle it......)
First of all,
Masachika should confirm Alisa's intention…... When he turned around to
look behind himself, Alisa looked back at him, who also seemed to be at a
loss for a response.
(Oh, yeah... She doesn't look like she can take a picture while
smiling right now. I knew I should have said no──)
Masachika decided against it, and as he turned his head to the front
to refuse,
"You guys? It's not a pretty sight to be pushy, is it?"
A dignified voice pierced the crowd, and everyone, including
Masachika, turned at once in the direction of the voice. Then, everyone was
brought to their senses.
There was a group of girls dressed as knights. At the forefront was a
beautiful schoolgirl with honey coloured hair in a ringlet roll hairstyle[4]. She
was the head of the women's kendo club and vice-chairman of the
Discipline Committee, Kiryuin Sumire herself.
"Violet-senpai...!"
"What a mess...!"
The female students, who were eager to take Alisa's picture, were
also fascinated by her dignified and beautiful appearance. As she calmly
approached them, Violet looked at Masachika, who was protecting Alisa
with his robe, and Masachika, receiving her intention, lowered his right
hand. After letting out a satisfied smile at that, Violet looked at the female
students and said,
"When approaching a woman, you should make an offer in a
gentlemanly manner rather than forcefully. Yes, like this."
With that, Violet gracefully brushed off her cloak and dropped to one
knee, placing her right hand on her own chest and holding out her left hand
toward Alisa.
"Beautiful elf lady, would you do me the honor of capturing a moment
of your life?"
"...oh, yes."
Her behavior, like the prince of all girls' ideals, made Alisa nod her
head in agreement. Then,
""""""Kyaaaaaahhh!!"""""
A scream, so loud that it almost made the hallway windows explode.
Or rather, the windows actually shook. While receiving the screams of the
female students all around her, Violet casually stood up to protect Alisa and
told the students in the hallway.
"Alright? As students of Seirei Gakuen, you must always remember
to be civil."
After saying this in a lecturing tone, Violet continued, "Well."
"I don't expect you to suddenly be able to do what I do.... First of
all, let me be your instructor."
As she said this, Violet approached the nearest female student.
"Now, how are you supposed to ask for this?"
"Ha, ha…... Uh, uh, a moment of your──?"
"You just have to ask sincerely in your own words, without pressure."
"Yes, um! Can I take a picture with one of you!?"
"Yes, take good care of me."
Laughing leisurely, Violet gave a perfectly camera-conscious pose
and expression in seconds. At the same time, Masachika gestured with a
gentle wave behind his back and quietly left the scene with Alisa. In doing
so, he did not forget to express his gratitude in a whisper.
"(Thank you, Violet-senpai.)"
"It's Sumire desuwa[5]!"
Apparently, that was the only thing she couldn't miss hearing.
Masachika laughed a little at the instant denial. He then looked at
Violet, who was directing traffic while responding to a photo shoot, and
muttered admiringly.
"Really, that girl's got a real talent for that kind of thing... She knows
how to charm herself. Well, in terms of acting, her cousin Yusho is the same
way."
Still, Yusho's prince-like behavior seemed somewhat distasteful,
perhaps because Masachika was a male.
"Well, Alya, are you alright? I guess that's the downside of being so
popular......"
"Yeah, well... Thank you for protecting me."
Masachika shrugged his shoulders as Alisa looked away and
thanked him in a whisper.
"Don't worry about it. Rather, I feel like I've only caused more
trouble... Sorry, I failed."
"No, I couldn't do anything by myself. I can't say I blame you,
Masachika."
"Well, there may be more of these things to come, so I guess we'll
just have to be diligent with each other."
"...yes."
After that, there was a long period of silence. For some reason,
Alisa's mood got better, but this time the air became a little heavy, and
Masachika scratched his head wondering what to do. He then casually
looked around and spotted a nearby classroom.
"Oh, there... That's the magic bar that Masha-san and Sarashinasenpai run, right? Would you like to take a look at it?"
"What? ...Well, okay."
"All right. Oh, can I have a table for two?"
"Please~, take a seat at an empty table~."
As the student at the entrance led him inside, Masachika squinted as
the room was dimmer than he expected. Jazz music was playing discreetly
in the room, and the overall atmosphere was relaxed. Horizontal tables were
brought together and arranged in a U-shape, open toward the entrance, with
magic performed at each table.
"Ah, Alya-chan, Kuze-kun, come here~!"
A familiar voice called out to Masachika, and he turned to see Maria,
who seemed to have just had some free time on her hands, beckoning him
to come over.
"Oh, Masha... That's kind of an amazingly mature look."
"Really~? Thanks~. Woah, Alya is very cute too!"
She was smiling as usual, and her smile seemed to make them smile
as well. However, the relaxed atmosphere of the room and the bartender's
costume and her vest gave Maria a mature charm. Although she was
already older, Maria today has a strong atmosphere of being a kind oneesan, which made Masachika a little nervous.
(Woah, this is bad... I'd drink endlessly if a lady like this were to
keep offering me a drink.)
He got in front of the table where Maria was, thinking about this
unintentionally. The slightly long table was hung with a large cloth to hide
the legs of the table. Probably to keep the audience from seeing the
magician from the waist down. The arrangement of the tables showed that
care had been taken to ensure that the guests did not come to the back side
of where the magician was.
"Well, you just sat down, but is this place alright for Alya?"
"I don't mind. I'm just a little worried about whether I'll be able to see
proper magic or not"
"Ahhhh~, don't make fun of me~! Even your onee-chan can do
magic, you know? I've had lots of practice~."
Maria put her hands on her hips looking pouty and angry. However,
she immediately smiled and offered the menu to them.
"Which drink would you like? Of course, it's all non-alcoholic, so don't
worry, okay?"
Following the concept of a magic bar, the menu was lined with
names of non-alcoholic cocktails. Masachika knew some of them by
knowledge, but Alisa seemed to be out of touch with cocktails and hardened
in the face of seemingly completely unknown names, which at first glance
were not entirely clear in their details. However, she stared at the menu
silently, as if her pride would not allow Masachika to ask her sister what kind
of drink this was for her.
"Okay, I'll take a Cinderella."
"Oh, then the same one…..."
"Yes, two Cinderellas~. Well, I'll just be a minute then, okay?"
Even Maria must have been aware of Alisa's apparent
disingenuousness. However, without making any pretense of doing so,
Maria collected the menu and crouched down at her feet. Then, after
rummaging around for a while, she stood up, shaker and glass in hand.
"Then I'll make a Cinderella, okay~? Though I'm not a magical old
lady."[6]
With a quick and mysterious remark, Maria snapped the shaker in
two and put water in a plastic bottle in the lower half.
"Oh, wait a minute?"
While Alisa was puzzled, Maria combined the shakers and shook
them together. Then, the shaker's lid was removed and she tipped over the
glass─pouring a yellow drink into the glass.
"Huh? Ah─"
After sounding genuinely curious, Alisa closed her mouth as if she
had done something wrong. However, once her voice leaked out, it could
not be muffled, and Maria placed the glass in front of Alisa with a light smirk
on her face.
"Here you go."
"Oh, my~."
Masachika applauded, and Alisa clapped as well, albeit a little
frustrated. Of course, Masachika was aware of the magic trick now.
Because Masachika, an otaku, was ready to get involved in a game at any
time of his life.
Now, the magic sequence was simple. The top and bottom halves of
the shaker were independent containers, so all she needed to do was just
put the Cinderella drink in the top half beforehand. Of course, when
Masachika saw through this, he wasn't tactless enough to flaunt the fact that
he did. Even if figured it out, he decided to be polite and act surprised.
"Okay, now I'll show you some magic card tricks, okay?"
With that said, Maria now took out a table mat and started spreading
out a deck of cards on it. Her hands were well trained and showed the
amount of practice she had done.
"So, first, let's split this deck of cards in two. Kuze-kun, can you say
'stop' wherever you like?"
"Yes."
Pretending to be an amateur, Masachika followed Maria's
instructions.
(Like Alya, I was a little worried... But it doesn't seem like she's
facing any problems at all. Well, it's true that Masha's a bit of an airhead in
front of Alya and such, but she's a fundamentally solid person.)
Masachika was relieved like that, but...he was still unaware. The
fact is that there was a fairly clear rule concerning Maria's transition from
being an onee-chan to an onee-san.[7]
It was simple enough to say, but the more Maria thought, "I must be
strong!", the more determined she became. For example, when dealing with
people who are in need of vigilance, or when the people you are with are
unreliable. Conversely, the more trustworthy the people she was with, the
more she became distracted and said, "I don't need to be firm, do I~?"
With that in mind, who was now in front of Maria? Yes, it was Alisa
and Masachika. Both were people that Maria trusted and loved to the
utmost degree. In front of these two, Maria was flustered to the highest
levels, coupled with a sense of happiness. If anything, Masha was feeling
faint. In terms of IQ, maybe she currently had 50, and in terms of
concentration, it was about 30 lower. As a result,
(Huh? Now... I thought you had to double-lift it.)
Masachika felt uncomfortable with Maria's proceedings, but Maria
didn't seem fazed and continued.
"Now, Alya has to put the card she chose in her pocket. We'll do the
magic trick here ~... Three, two~, one."
Masachika counted, and Maria did a finger-punch that didn't sound at
all like a thump on the deck of cards. She then flipped the card to reveal the
other side.
"Oh?"
""......""
Masachika turned over a card that was turned over, and its back was
now face up again. ...It was the one they shouldn't have been allowed to
see the most.
"Excuse me, Masha, can I have a refill?"
"Oh, yes~!"
Unable to think of a good follow-up, Masachika pretended he had
seen nothing. Alisa also raised her glass to her mouth with an indescribable
expression on her face. She couldn't get worked up about this, no matter
how much her sister was on the other end of the line.
"Well, then, let me get back on track and show you a magic trick
using cups and balls this time!"
With their concern, Maria started over with another trick... but from
there her act was all over the place. It didn't go at all as advertised and
Masachika saw a lot of things he shouldn't have seen. Masachika and Alisa
sipped their drinks after every one of them, and Masachika found himself on
his fourth Cinderella drink.
"Ummm~... I'm sorry, okay? I'm feeling a little under the weather
today."
"You're not in the best shape today......"
"No, well, you know, I'm sure things were going well earlier, right? It's
not the same when you're performing for family members, right?"
Alisa had coldly criticized her for her repeated failures. In response,
Masachika somehow managed to follow up. At that moment, the classroom
door opened, and Maria's face lit up when she looked over.
"Ah, Chisaki-chan~. Over here, over here~!"
"Hmm? What's up, Masha?"
Looking in the direction where Maria called out to, he saw Chisaki
entering, dressed in a bartender's outfit and wearing an earring with a
purple stone in one ear.
The outfit suited the tall Chisaki well. Combined with her poised
appearance, she had the aura of a cool, mature woman.
"Woah, Sarashina-senpai looks so cool!"
"Haha, thanks."
Chisaki replied to the unintentional praise with a smile. Even her
reaction resembled that of an adult, and Masachika couldn't help but exhale
in exasperation. His body temperature dropped three degrees,
but Masachika pretended not to notice that.
"Sorry~, I don't do magic well at all... I'm sorry to leave it like this,
so why don't you show them one of your magic tricks for me?"
"Huh? Yeah, well, that's okay."
Blinking her eyes briefly, Chisaki explored the pockets of her vest
and took Maria's place, coughing lightly.
"Well, I'll show you a magic trick, okay? Here's a coin."
With that, Chisaki took a coin from the pocket of her vest and lightly
slammed it on the table.
"As you can see, it's just a coin. Pick it up and see for yourself!"
After exhibiting a hard clanking sound, Chisaki offered the coin to
Masachika. Masachika gently rolled it in his hand and immediately handed it
to Alisa. The coins that were handed to the spectators had no real tricks to
them, nine times out of ten. Rather, the idea was to set something up while
you're distracted with this, or switch to a coin with a trick afterwards.
Knowing this, Masachika focused his attention on Chisaki's hand, not on the
coin that was given to him.
(Well, from the looks of it, she doesn't have any other tools... If it's
only a single coin, was it pure technique without any gimmicks?)
While Masachika was thinking about this, Alisa's check was
completed and the coin was returned to Chisaki's hand. Then Chisaki
smiled wryly and said,
"So, first, let's split this coin in two."
"You're going to split it in two?"
"Yeah!"
"Woah."
"Yeah…..."
Chisaki ripped the coins in half with a "snip, snip, snip" action, as if
she were tearing a piece of paper. In a flash, the coin turned into two halfcircles, each warped in the opposite direction.
"Take a good look~. It's in two pieces, isn't it?"
"I'm surprised at how quickly they've changed."
"Eh, well, huh?"
What used to be a coin made a clicking sound on Chisaki's hand.
"Now, I'll hold this in my hand."
Saying this, Chisaki held the coin, which was now split in two, in her
right hand and raised it to her face. Then, she started counting with her left
hand.
"I'm starting, okay? Three, two~, one. Haaaa!"
With a voice that sounded like the uttering of a special move rather
than a spell, Chisaki's right hand was clenched with a grueling clench. And
when Chisaki slowly opened her right hand──
"Behold! The disconnected coins disappeared and a pachinko ball[8]
appeared!"
"Oh~!"
"A pachinko ball?"
Alisa tilted her head slightly while she clapped. Masachika
understood that feeling well. Because, for a pachinko ball, there was some
kind of coin-like feeling on the surface[9]. But he wasn't going to point that
out. This was because it was good manners not to point out how tricks were
done when you noticed it, and it wasn't because Masachika was afraid.
"How about it? Was it fun?"
"It was interesting, I mean, it was amazing. I think you could win a
world magic championship."
"It's not magic, it's a miracle…..."
Masachika nodded at Alisa's assessment. Indeed, it was more of a
miracle than a magic trick. Whether or not she is aware of her kouhai's inner
thoughts, Chisaki scratched her cheeks in embarrassment.
"Really? I'm glad you enjoyed it~... I knew it was worth it to have a
mentor teach me."
"Who's this mentor?"
"Well, my grandma, in case you're wondering."
"No way, I didn't expect your mentor to be that old… I thought they
would have been a machine."
"I'm glad you enjoyed the show. Well, then, it looks like Masha
screwed up a lot, so... you can pay with your feelings instead, okay?"
"After being shown this, 'you can pay for with your feelings' is
practically a threat."
"Eh, what?"
"Nevermind."
Masachika and Alisa paid the fee as requested by their senpai, who
was plainly stunned, and left the classroom.
"...I knew we wouldn't see proper magic."
"Yeah... Neither of them were decent in magic in any way."
Masachika thought he saw something more amazing than magic,
though.
"Oh, I don't know how she did that act though... Was it a soft metal
or something?"
"I wonder? I don't know if there was a trick to begin with......"
"If only it were as easy to understand Masha. God, I feel like I've had
a lot of stuff spoiled today…..."
"Yeah, well, you know."
"Huh, I really don't know how she keeps screwing up like that... Even
though she's pretty dependable as a student council member......"
"......"
Masachika smiled vaguely at Alisa, who looked skeptical.
He was certain that Alisa genuinely thought of Maria as a laid-back,
fluffy older sister. In fact, Maria tends to act fluffier unconsciously in front of
Alisa, so it was not surprising that this impression was so strong.
(Maybe she's rarely seen as a solid older sister.)
It seemed a bit of a waste to think so, but since it was Maria's own
desire to be regarded as an "unreliable sister" by Alisa, Masachika felt a bit
regretful but did not say anything.
"Well then, we've got to get to the executive committee meeting, so
why don't we head on over to get changed?"
"Oh... Yeah, right."
"I mean, should Alya go to the handicraft clubroom for that?"
When Masachika asked her this while looking at Alisa's clearly
empowering elf costume, she nodded her head and said, "Yes." With that,
they went to the handicraft club room.
"Oh, Kuze-san."
"Ah, yo."
Masachika raised his hand lightly when his eyes met those of a
female club member he knew who was just tending to the store. She was
quite a beautiful girl with long black hair tied in a single knot at the back of
her neck, and she had a homely atmosphere to her.
She was a classmate of Masachika and was the head of the
handicraft club when Masachika was Vice President of the middle school
student council, and through that relationship, they had come to rely on
each other in various different ways. She was a so-called "otaku-friendly
beautiful girl" and her friendly personality made her quite popular among
some boys... Masachika often calls her "SlitPaisen[10]
" after a quote she once uttered. Again, she was a classmate.
"I guess you didn't come... to see the exhibit today."
"Yeah, the main reason we're here is getting Alya changed."
"Roger. I'll call the people who made those costumes, okay? Oh, and
while you're at it, take a look while you're waiting."
When encouraged to do so, Masachika entered the club room, where
a variety of costumes were displayed on mannequins. Starting with a royal
wedding dress, there were gothic lolita costumes, dancer-style costumes,
tuxedos, military uniforms, and more, all of which were displayed in a variety
of places, with the creator's taste in full bloom.
"What, uh... It's amazing. It looks like a cosplay store."
"In fact, I wonder if it is a cosplay store. People really make whatever
they want."
"Woah, this lace is so fine, the quality here is so high......"
"Like this dress, it really looks like it's for sale......"
Masachika and Alisa were so impressed with the extraordinary
quality of the costumes that they briefly forgot about their original objective.
Then, while the both of them were freely looking around, Masachika
suddenly looked at Slit-Paisen and asked.
"Hey, if Alya is wearing that elf costume, does that mean this exhibit
also rents out costumes?"
"Huh? No... Well~, basically, we don't do that but only if the creator
of the costume says it's okay."
"So basically, only if you're good enough be a model for it."
"Well, that's how it is. And, well, there's simply no one-size-fits-all.
Though we can make some adjustments on the fly."
"Well... Then, I have a small favor to ask you…..."
As the two of them were whispering together, a skeptical-looking
Alisa approached them, and Masachika concluded the conversation.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Nothing? I was just thinking about how people kept asking you if it
was okay to take pictures because the quality of the costume you're wearing
is so high."
"Yeah, yeah, well, I can see why they'd want to take a picture~!"
Masachika nodded his head in appreciation of Slit-Paisen's
immediate willingness to accommodate his situation. Alisa still looked a little
reluctant, but without seeming to be particularly skeptical.
"Not that this is a new thing, but... It's hard to react when someone
you don't know well asks for a picture."
"Oh, she was approached on a regular basis."
"Sometimes.... I turned down every time though"
"That's... another hard thing a beautiful woman must face I guess."
When he responded sympathetically, Alisa looked down at an angle,
fiddled with her hair, and muttered to herself.
[I wouldn't mind being... photographed by you.]
At this, Masachika thought to himself, "Really?"
If you asked Masachika whether he wanted to photograph Alisa now
or not, he definitely wanted to. Masachika definitely wanted to document
such a super quality cosplay of an elf, but he was hesitant to ask her to do
so because she refused to take photos for other people...
(Damn, what do I do...? I just found out that she would let me take
a picture if I asked, but I'm still embarrassed to ask…...! But if you ask me if
I would take temporary shame for Alya's photo, I would say... Dahm!)
After several seconds of intense worrying, Masachika came to a
conclusion.
"Alya."
"?"
"I don't know how to say this, but... before we change, why don't we
take a picture to commemorate the occasion? You know, it's like a good
opportunity."
Masachika asked in a smart manner, pretending to be as casual as
possible. Then Alisa's eyebrows twitched, and her eyes narrowed in
amusement.
"Hmm? You want to take a photograph that badly?"
"...well, as an otaku in front of such a real elf, right?"
"...hmm~"
Alisa said, playing with her hair, while looking a little less amused by
Masachika's argument.
"And. Well, okay?"
"Oh, I see. Well, then──"
Then Masachika got a tap on the shoulder, and when he turned
around, Slit-Paisen pointed to the next room with a smirk on her face.
"If that's the case, you can use the room as a wardrobe, okay? Do
you want to borrow it?"
"Ah, oh, thank you."
"Okay."
Slit Paisen took them to the next room, which turned out to be a
storage room with shelves on both sides. The whole place was a little dusty,
but there was an empty space by the window in the back that had been
cleaned up nicely, and Slit-Paisen pointed to it.
"You can use that place. The sun is shining nicely right now so it
looks good, doesn't it?"
"Oh, indeed."
Masachika asked Alisa to stand there as she told him, and indeed, it
was quite nice. The club building had a Western-style architecture, so the
atmosphere went well with the elf cosplay. In addition, the backlighting
added a certain mystique to the scene.
"Well, I have to tend back to store duties."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
"It's all right."
Watching Slit-Paisen leave, Masachika pulled out his phone.
"Then let's get right to it... okay?"
"Eh, what pose should I pose......"
"No, leave it as is for now."
"Yeah?"
Masachika started up the camera app to experiment with the setting,
and while watching the screen, he adjusted the angle...
"Oh…..."
There she was, a truly mystical elf. When viewed through the lens of
a camera, things became increasingly impractical.
"Okay, then, let's take one."
"Yeah, yeah."
While both of them were a little nervous, he clicked the shutter. When
Masachika saw the pictures taken in this way, he couldn't help but let out a
gasp of admiration.
"Woah, so beautiful......"
"Eh, r-really?"
"Yeah......"
"Really? So, want to take more?"
"Certainly."
No longer self-conscious of his embarrassment, Masachika asked for
a straightforward request. Alisa then looked away for a moment, appearing
unconcerned.
[Maybe, do you love...?]
(Not love)
[Can you at least... pat my head?]
(...No patting)
Inwardly thinking, "You're still dragging out that joke you told
Yuki...," Masachika repeatedly clicked the shutter with a distant look in his
eyes. Every time he changed angle or clicked the shutter, it seemed to bring
out a different charm, and Masachika became more and more absorbed in
the process. Then, when the number of shutter clicks exceeded 30──
"Huh?"
Masachika suddenly felt uncomfortable and checked the photo he
had just taken.
"!?"
He checked, and his eyes widened a bit. What was displayed on the
screen was Alisa's white skirt! There, the silhouette of... Alisa's lower body
was clearly visible through it.
Masachika didn't know how it happened. Perhaps the strong light
from the window happened to shine through, and the settings on the camera
side somehow miraculously merged with it.
Not that there was any underwear showing or anything. Not at all, but
just the beauty of the silhouette of Alisa's legs being shown in the... white
skirt was somehow very, very suggestive.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing......"
Masachika was mortified after he reflexively answered Alisa's
question with denial.
Alisa was unaware of this miracle shot. Plus, it was not like
Masachika caught her in her underwear or anything. Regardless, as a
gentleman, this should still be deleted. But as a man, it would be a shame
indeed to delete this miraculous shot.
(What should I do? Should I be honest? But if I were to be honest, I'll
probably be obliterated….... I didn't take it on purpose, or more accurately,
I'll never land a shot like this again even if I aimed for it!!!!)
Masachika fell into a state of worry in just three seconds... then the
angel Maria, who appeared in his brain, was instantly blown away by the
little devil Yuki before he could say anything... and he was left with no
choice but to leave.
"It's nothing. There was just a little something extra in the picture."
Masachika pretended he didn't see it. Yeah, that was just his
imagination. It's just some kind of weird shadow cast by the light, of course
it is. Masachika, lying to himself with all his might and returning to the shoot
as if nothing had happened... Alisa said with a swoosh in her eyes.
"Show me."
"Huh?"
"Let me see the pictures you took."
As soon as she said this, Alisa quickly snatched the phone from
Masachika's clenched hands.
"Ah──"
Before he could stop her, Alisa's finger brought up the photo he had
taken just before…
"...Masachika."
"Yes."
"What is this?"
When Alisa asked him with a cold expression, Masachika
contemplated and brought his negotiating skills to full strength.
Then, in five minutes of superb logic, including explaining sensuous
art theory, Masachika forced Alisa to swallow his assertion that "This is art,
not eroticism at all!" In this way, Masachika managed to win the right to save
this miraculous shot on the condition that he would not show it to anyone
and would keep it under strict guard...
[I knew it, you're a dirty man with a leg fetish...]
Masachika felt that Alisa's favorability towards him had dropped a
little.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone