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Asakura felt that Yukinoshita Yukino was talking nonsense.
He didn't feel any sense of detachment from this world; at most, it was just that there were many characters in this world who had only appeared in ACG works before, which often gave him a subtle sense of unreality.
His psychological state was very healthy, with no problems whatsoever.
It was just that Yukinoshita Yukino's confident demeanor made him very uncomfortable; the goodwill that had risen due to her often being 'persecuted' almost dropped back to zero.
If he were a captureable heroine in a Gal game and Yukinoshita Yukino were the player, Asakura felt his route would definitely be completely closed by now.
But it didn't matter, just as Yukinoshita Yukino said, they still had a long time to get along. He didn't need to rush; it was just mutual torment. Could a mere Sakura girl with a bit of chuunibyou and haughtiness really outdo him?
After finishing up at school, Asakura couldn't help but call Ijichi Nijika again, asking about their preparations.
However, judging by her hesitant responses, the situation didn't seem too optimistic.
It seemed the winning strategy was already determined to be Gotō Hitori's bunny girl guitar solo.
After all, he had already obtained the Gotō family's address when he drove the girl home in the magic car. All he had to do was prepare the performance outfit and block the Gotō family's door. It shouldn't take much effort to drag Gotō Hitori, who wasn't good at refusing others, out of her reclusive home.
"What are you thinking about, Takuma-kun?"
"Whether the bunny girl outfit should be black or red..."
"I think black would suit Takuma-kun better, actually."
"You're right... No! It's not for me to wear!"
Asakura snapped back to reality, realizing that Asagumo Chihaya was walking beside him, and it was clearly the girl who had just spoken to him: "Chihaya, it's almost time for school to end. Aren't you going home yet?"
"The student on duty today had something come up, so I'm covering for them."
Asagumo Chihaya showed Asakura the broom and dustpan in her hand: "Compared to such irrelevant matters, I think Takuma-kun would be more suitable in a butler outfit than a bunny girl costume. If that's really not an option, I wouldn't be entirely against those rubber bodysuits like American heroes wear."
"I said it's not for me to wear..."
Asakura retorted: "No one would be happy if a man wore a bunny girl outfit."
"Is that so? Then who are you planning to give the bunny girl outfit to, Takuma-kun?"
Asagumo Chihaya asked with a subtle smile that made one feel a little downcast.
"It's for the guitarist who's performing at the Founders' Festival. She's very timid, so when you see her, Chihaya, you absolutely must not show the expression you have now."
Asakura cautioned: "That girl will definitely be so scared she'll show signs of stress."
At this point, Asakura paused: Would a stressed Gotō Hitori be stronger than a normal Hitori suffering from social anxiety debuff? If Guitar Hero's Gotō Hitori was her final form, he felt the former might be an 'overdrive' form...
For some reason, Asakura's mind conjured an image of a trembling Gotō Hitori giving a peace sign to the audience, saying things like 'My normal guitar power is 530,000' and 'I can still transform twice more'...
"Is my smile that scary?"
Asagumo Chihaya touched her face, looking a little sad.
"Not at all, because Chihaya is very cute, so her expression can't be too scary no matter what. It's just that her smile has a subtle power that can create some pressure."
Asakura told her: "If my stress resistance is like a tardigrade, then that kid who plays guitar probably only has the stress resistance of a water flea."
"Water fleas have pretty strong stress resistance, don't they?"
"Is that so? Then paramecium or amoeba would work too."
"A paramecium or amoeba-like guitarist... Now that Takuma-kun mentions it, I really do want to see what that kid looks like."
Asagumo Chihaya said curiously.
Then she asked again: "Oh, right, isn't the Magic Club preparing two acts? If that guitar solo is one, what are you planning for the other one, Takuma-kun?"
"President Amakusa gave me a script for a short play. She plans for Yukino and me to perform a stage play."
Asakura's expression became unnatural when he mentioned Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Takuma-kun doesn't like Miss Yukino?"
Asagumo Chihaya asked curiously.
"Hmm, while she can be considered a good person, and she's cute, besides that, everything else about her is unlikable."
Asakura shook his head without hesitation.
"Can I take a look at the script?"
Asagumo Chihaya asked.
Asakura nodded and handed the script to the girl.
Incidentally, the copy he held was a duplicate; the original had been given to Yukinoshita Yukino.
Asagumo Chihaya quickly flipped through it. Since it was just a short play, there weren't many lines, so she finished reading it in no time.
"It's a good story."
The girl affirmed the quality of the script, as it was written by a famous shoujo manga author, then looked at Asakura: "Since Yukinoshita doesn't like performing this, how about I play the female lead instead?"
Asakura hesitated.
From the perspective of the Founders' Festival's completeness, having Asagumo Chihaya play the female lead might indeed be better, as even Asakura himself couldn't imagine how he and Yukinoshita Yukino would manage to coordinate.
However, this script was obtained from Amakusa Shino, and Amakusa Shino's original intention was for Asakura to use this script to invite Yukinoshita Yukino, allowing Asakura to guide the other party.
Although the final result was Asakura being guided by Yukino instead, the premise that this was prepared for Yukino hadn't changed.
"Sorry, Chihaya, President Amakusa specifically designated Yukino to play the princess in this script."
Asakura could only say this to Asagumo Chihaya.
Asagumo Chihaya, however, showed no discouragement. Instead, she continued: "Then I can play the prince too."
Asakura: "?"
Although there were indeed many actresses in the film industry who played male roles, if it were Asagumo Chihaya...
He scrutinized Asagumo Chihaya. Regardless of the girl's acting skills, her gentle eyes alone made it difficult to imagine her being made up to look like a boy, let alone a distinctly masculine prince.
So Asakura kindly suggested: "How about you, Chihaya, play another role, like the prince's childhood friend, the countess? Her part is quite brilliant..."
"Indeed, especially the scene where she cries hysterically and regrets everything after the princess takes the prince away. It's very suitable for a loser in love like me."
"I was wrong, please don't say such tragic things with such a bright smile..."
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