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.