"Hey, hey, Takuma-tan..." Yuigahama Yui poked Asakura with her pen. "Are those kids over there from 'this side' too?"
"Except for Hitori, they're all Muggles..." Asakura answered.
"Then I think it might be bad if they see that."
"See what?"
Asakura looked in the direction the girl was pointing and discovered a palm-sized, three-heads-tall (chibi) Yanami stealing egg tarts from Yukino's plate.
Even Asakura was stunned for a moment: Yanami's magic overflow problem had only just been resolved; it shouldn't be relapsing into a magical rampage so quickly.
Finally, he realized something and looked toward Yanami.
He saw the girl pretending to read a book, using the textbook as cover while using her facial expressions to command her chibi self to give up the less-tasty-looking matcha egg tart in favor of the strawberry one next to it.
Despite not yet mastering the use of the magic spell [Multitude], she managed to self-teach herself the spell purely for the sake of eating. Should he say she's too biased, or does she possess a unique talent in certain areas...?
"Heh."
Yukino expressionlessly used her book to swat the tart-stealing Little Yanami like she was hitting a bug.
"Uwah..."
Then, Big Yanami and Little Yanami (who was flattened against the table by the book) bumped their heads against the table in perfect synchronization, crying out in pain while clutching their foreheads.
"Is something wrong, guest?" a passing waitress with a baby face and a large chest asked Yukino kindly.
"It's nothing, I thought I saw a bug..." Yukino said naturally, hiding Little Yanami with her book without a change in expression. "But it seems it was just my imagination."
"After all, we clean the shop very diligently; there shouldn't be many bugs..." the waitress, who looked quite young—young enough to be classified as a loli—said quite cheerfully without suspicion.
"Yes, I can tell..." Yukino nodded. "Unlike typical family restaurants, the cleaning here is very thorough."
"Thank you for the compliment. Please continue to enjoy your relaxing time in the shop."
With that, the girl skipped away.
Asakura watched her back and speculated to himself.
Is this shop really employing child labor?
"So, what should we do with this thing?" Yukino handed the book to Asakura.
Asakura subconsciously took it, only to find Little Yanami sandwiched between the pages, looking like a strange sandwich.
"The color makes it look quite unappetizing..." he commented.
"I'm not food!" Big Yanami said, rubbing her bright red forehead. "Give me back to me!"
"If that sentence appeared on an exam, it would be considered grammatically incorrect."
Asakura plucked Little Yanami out of the book. Just as he was about to hand her to Big Yanami...
"Eh? Is that a Yanami-san doll?"
Kita Ikuyo, who was holding her textbook and likely coming over for help—since the grades of the Kessoku Band members seemed quite questionable; even Nijika, who had the best grades, would only be mid-tier at Sobu High and might not even surpass Yuigahama Yui—looked at Little Yanami in surprise.
Instantly, Big Yanami, who had been about to retrieve Little Yanami, froze.
She desperately signaled Asakura with her eyes.
But Asakura acted as if he hadn't seen a thing and casually handed Little Yanami to Kita.
"Yeah, it's a custom-made piece. The craftsmanship is very delicate, so be careful when playing with it."
"Eh? Is Asakura-san really that much of a doll enthusiast?"
Kita Ikuyo carefully took Little Yanami. She first subconsciously teased Asakura, but soon her attention was entirely captured by the Little Yanami in her hands.
"Uwah, it's really exquisite! It looks just like it's alive—it even has eyelashes! So cute!" The girl happily touched Little Yanami, who was trying her best to stay motionless and pretend to be a doll. "It feels so soft, and it even feels a bit warm. How is that possible? Did Asakura-san warm it up in his hands?"
"How could that be? I don't have the 'Solar Hands' used for making bread."
While Asakura responded nonchalantly, he glanced at Yanami on the side.
Though the girl covered most of her face with a textbook, Asakura could still see part of her face from his angle.
At this moment, the girl's face was flushed red, and her eyes shimmered with a slight watery light, as if shyness and anxiety were intertwined.
Her gaze flickered as she lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes trembling. She seemed to be trying her best to suppress the fluctuations in her heart, her curvaceous body slightly stiff as if she were deliberately avoiding a too-strong reaction caused by that strange sensation.
However, every time Kita touched or squeezed Little Yanami, her breathing grew slightly heavier, though she tried to control herself for fear of revealing any agitation.
A strange, indescribable atmosphere filled the air, as if the temperature around Yanami was quietly rising.
Asakura understood: it seemed the Yanami separated by the active use of the spell [Crowd] shared senses with the original Yanami to some extent.
Of course, it wasn't ruled out that she specifically set it up this way just because she wanted to taste the things Little Yanami ate...
"Even so, it's a custom piece, so it's not good to play with it for too long..." Kita Ikuyo returned Little Yanami to Asakura. "Alright, back to the original owner." She then picked up her book again. "Asagumo-san, could you help me with this question?"
It seemed that even though they hadn't known each other long, Kita Ikuyo had already realized that among the Sobu High group, Asagumo's grades were second only to Asakura's.
Asagumo, who had watched everything without saying a word, gave a sweet smile: "Of course, no problem~"
Meanwhile, Little Yanami, upon returning to Asakura's hand, looked dazed, as if she had lost something irreparable—she looked like she was about to break.
You've had it rough.
Because Kita Ikuyo was right there, Asakura could only say it in his heart.
But then, he curiously poked Little Yanami's cheek.
As Kita Ikuyo had said, it was soft and felt as smooth as a peeled boiled egg.
Big Yanami's gaze toward him now held a few more sparks of bashful anger, and she began to grind her teeth like a big dog.
He felt that if he kept playing like this, she might actually find an opportunity to bite him.
So, after Kita Ikuyo left satisfied, Asakura returned Little Yanami to her.
The moment the little one landed in the original Yanami's hand, she vanished into Big Yanami's palm like a raindrop hitting the surface of water.