I Guess We’ll Just Have to Make Do

The ponytail girl who took the photo and posted it on Tw*tter was actually a rather shy person in her daily life. A classic background character.

In short, she didn’t know how to strike up a conversation.

Before getting up to talk to the table of beautiful boys/girls who were chugging beer, she had thought long and hard about how to open the conversation. She had no experience in this area, so she could only imitate someone she’d seen who did: a middle-aged man selling… discs, from a trench coat, in a dark alleyway. Selling those kinds of discs was an inherently shameful act. To be able to start a conversation with someone using such a topic, one’s conversational skills must be extraordinary, a maxed-out speech stat.

Recalling the man’s knowing eyebrow-raise, his meaningful gaze, and the slight curl of his lips, the ponytail girl came up behind the delicate Kiriko and subconsciously imitated him, channeling his shady energy:

“Classmate, want to buy some… discs?”

Shimatta! I forgot to change the line to my own! That wasn’t a dialogue option I was supposed to pick!

Over here, at our four-person table, we were full of beer and our bladders were even fuller. Saber had taken off her navy blue vest and unbuttoned the top of her shirt, revealing her delicate, wing-like collarbones and the edge of the bra Exusiai had helped her put on. And that not-so-deep cleavage, which was still a sight to behold.

Across from us, Miss Yukino, teary-eyed, rested her elegant cheek on one hand. Her unfocused black eyes weren’t due to alcohol, but because of the bright green hat of betrayal sitting atop her head. She had rolled up the sleeves of her light-colored shirt, revealing her smooth, delicate forearms. The tendons on her wrist, which was gripping the beer mug, slightly pushed up against her fair skin, making one want to take a bite.

As for Exusiai, this one had her entire body wrapped around me.

Actually, she was like this even before the transformation. She loved to lean on people and hug them out of the blue, especially me. That was why the girls in our class used to describe her as “so handsome he must be gay.”

Now, slightly dazed from the alcohol, she had once again wrapped her slender, white arms around my shoulders from behind, holding me like a bolster pillow. She even rested her small, handsome chin on my shoulder.

To be honest, I’d known her for so long and had been hugged by her more than once or twice, but this time was different. I could feel the front of her body pressed unreservedly against my arm. That pair of things that she had and I still didn’t, those small yet perky things, were pressing softly against the side of my arm.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had this experience, but when you’re kneading dough, you take two small balls of it, press down with your palm, and feel them flatten and spread out. What I was experiencing now was something like that, but even softer, and with a much higher risk of critical emotional damage.

Exusiai’s bright, apple-red hair mingled with my jet-black locks. She rubbed her delicate cheek against mine and then broke into a lively smile.

“So smooth~”

My cheeks were also very smooth.

If this were a galgame, a choice menu would definitely appear before my eyes right now:

【A. Hesitate for a moment, but then steal a kiss on her soft pink lips while she’s not paying attention.】

【B. As a true gentleman, you absolutely cannot hesitate with such thoughts. Instead… you must go straight for it and grope her vital points!】

【C. Do her right here, right now.】

These three options increased in their appeal to me, one by one. The risk-reward ratio was off the charts. I was about to make my choice when a girl’s voice suddenly came from behind me.

She whispered conspiratorially, “Classmate, want to buy some… discs?”

“Huh?!” Look at what I’m about to do. Do I look like someone who needs to buy discs?

It’s more like you should be filming me!

Then I heard the girl frantically explain, her voice a squeak of panic, “Sorry, sorry, sorry, I misspoke! I meant to ask, are you members of a cosplay group? Do you have any other cosplay works?”

Yukino and Saber were still sucking the last golden drops from their glasses. Exusiai was just hugging me and watching with a grin. It seemed it was up to me to respond. I was the designated party leader for this conversation.

The ponytail girl, her face flushed red with embarrassment, saw that I didn’t react right away and continued to explain, “Um… this is actually really embarrassing, but I took a picture of you and posted it on Tw*tter, and it kind of blew up. A lot of people, including me, want to know if you’re a newly formed cosplay group or an idol group or something. Can you… tell us? If you’re not happy about me posting the photo, I’ll delete the post right now.”

I glanced at the other three. Yukino and Saber were still lost in their alcohol-fueled despair. Exusiai was quietly enjoying my Kiriko-face and slender body, looking like she was leaving it all to me. Thinking about the livestream mission from System-Hime, an idea came to me. A side quest had just appeared.

With my impossibly delicate Kiriko-face, I put on a deceptively gentle smile and said softly to the ponytail girl, “It’s okay, you don’t have to delete it. We’re actually planning to livestream tonight. Could we trouble you to help us promote it?”

The ponytail girl was clearly hit by my sugar-coated bullet. She averted her gaze slightly, too shy to look at my radiant face, but she couldn’t help but peek, her cute eyes darting back and forth like a bouncing bunny. She had been critically hit by my charm attack.

She stammered, “O-of course, you’re going to livestream?” At this, she suddenly looked pleasantly surprised. “Wh-where are you streaming?”

“On Tw*tch.” I gave the ponytail girl our stream ID, the one we used to only use for Dota. “If you could, please also tell everyone on Tw*tter who’s interested about this stream.”

“Oh, so… what’s the content of the stream?” The ponytail girl’s nervousness slowly faded, and little stars lit up in her eyes.

“It’s a ghost-hunting stream~” I said playfully in my pure, androgynous voice. “We’ll be exploring various places with paranormal legends, searching for the horror hidden in the city’s shadows.”

“Oh, oh~” The ponytail girl tried her best to remember my words, bit her lip, and said to me a little shyly, “Then… be careful, you guys.”

“Mm, don’t worry~” I waved at her and watched as she happily returned to her table and started posting on Tw*tter. Only then did I let my professional smile fade.

Sigh, it hadn’t even been a day since my heart was broken. How could I possibly smile? It was all just an act… a performance for the camera.

Thinking of this, I threw my arms around Exusiai, who was still clinging to me, and hugged her slender, beautiful body tightly. “Wuwuwu… Exu, you’re the best. Why don’t the two of us just spend the rest of our lives together?”

Exusiai was startled but didn’t resist. She just gently patted my thin back in consolation, her soft pink lips twitching twice. “I think there might still be a chance to save my relationships with my little lovers. If I can’t, we can discuss it then.”

“Mm…” I nodded, my eyes brimming with tears.

When you’ve had too much to drink, tears and laughter both come easily. And so do stupid, heartfelt confessions.