Hoshino Kasumi puffs her cheeks in deep thought.
“I’m not the only one you’ve stolen the hearts of countless girls and made cry while not even glancing at them… You bad junior. Pervert junior.”
“Indeed, Kim Deok-Sung! A man so charming, even Korea can’t handle it—loved throughout the Japanese archipelago!”
“That’s right!”
Nodding along with the reporter’s comment, Hoshino Kasumi seems to be enjoying the spotlight.
A collaboration of national pride and light novels.
The magic power I just built up is rapidly diminishing.
“Understood. This has been Living Today.”
Thank goodness the cursed interview is finally over.
The reporter and the filming crew head inside, probably to cover the store.
I just sat and watched, but my body and mind feel like they’ve taken a beating.
[Partner, my life feels like it’s already at zero.]
The Black Prince chuckles beside me.
What do you mean ‘life is zero’?
I grab a can of cola from the vending machine nearby to soothe my aching insides.
As the fizzy drink goes down, I feel a bit better.
After waiting for a short moment…
“Junior! I’m here!”
Hoshino Kasumi comes over, waving a paper bag featuring my character.
“Look here! There are so many cute juniors!”
She opens the paper bag and shows off the merchandise.
From photo cards to keychains, can badges, tapestry sticks, acrylic stands, mouse pads, dolls… every kind of merch imaginable is inside.
Why did she buy so much?
My stomach starts to churn again.
“Got it.”
I turn my gaze away.
She beams at me.
“Junior, how was my interview? Was I good?”
“Uh, yeah, well…”
Can I really say that was good?
There’s no way I’d say that, not even if you killed me.
I respond gruffly.
“You’re embarrassed, aren’t you? So cute, Junior.”
She gently pats my head again.
“Now that it’s all over, let’s go. Senpai.”
I rise from my seat.
I don’t want to be in this damn merchandise store any longer.
“Alright. Junior, the next course is…”
Hoshino Kasumi follows me closely.
Finally, I can escape this dreadful place.
*
My date-like outing with Hoshino Kasumi is over.
It felt like a nightmare in Akihabara.
Let’s see if I ever come back here again.
Just thinking about the merch store makes my teeth grind.
“Junior.”
At the entrance of Shuo Hero Academy.
On our way back to the dormitory.
Hoshino Kasumi calls out to me.
“What is it, Senpai?”
“Did you have fun today? Do you like the gifts?”
Hoshino Kasumi laughs.
The gift she gave me in Akihabara was a console game and a title.
I wasn’t completely uninterested before possessing this body, but back then, they were too expensive for me to buy.
Even if I were to buy it with my own money, she insisted on paying for it, and I had no choice but to let her.
Games are nothing compared to light novels, right?
Aren’t games a pretty mainstream hobby?
“Yeah, um. I liked it. It was fun.”
It wasn’t that fun, but I also wasn’t socially inept enough to bluntly insult it.
I said it was fun.
“······I’m glad, Junior.”
Hoshino Kasumi smiles.
She suddenly grabs my hand.
“Junior, you see······.”
She lowers her head and then looks up.
Gently.
She clasps my hand with both of hers.
“I’ll work harder. I want to be a senior who can help you·····! So·····.”
Kasumi bites her lip.
“·····sometimes, I want you to notice me.”
Kasumi smiles sadly.
A tear falls from her eye.
All day long, she acted older, acted like the senior.
My heart feels heavy.
“Understood, Senior.”
I place my hand on her head.
I gently stroke her hair.
Surprisingly nice to touch.
The scent of shampoo wafts into my nose.
“Hehe, thank you, Junior. Sorry for whining.”
Kasumi wipes her tears away and speaks.
A smile hangs on her lips.
“Not at all.”
Kasumi smiles even brighter.
Her smile is pleasing to see.
“Then, Junior, I have something to do in the clubroom, so don’t come in too late.”
Kasumi waves goodbye and disappears.
I returned the gesture, waving my hand.
Seriously, she requires a lot of attention.
Just as I was thinking that and heading to the dormitory.
Bzzz.
My phone rings.
[Master! Please be Eri’s daily manager! o(*’▽’*)/☆ﾟ’]
What?
Manager?
What on earth is she wearing?
On the grounds of Shuo Hero Academy.
Sending Kim Deok-Sung, Kasumi bites her lip.
“I have to get stronger······. I have to be able to help Junior······.”
Kasumi mumbles like a parrot.
She always received help.
Even when we first met in the clubroom, she passively accepted help in Kyoto as well.
She’s useless.
Even if he thinks so, Kasumi had nothing to say.
So she wanted to be helpful.
She wanted to save him, who saved her, and who has now become her everything.
To do that, she needed to be stronger.
As strong as Olivia and Rin, who awakened their true names.
“Junior······.”
Kasumi hugs a paper bag.
Rustle.
She catches sight of the Kim Deok-Sung goods inside the bag.
“Hehehe······.”
Kasumi laughs.
“Junior has a lot of······.”
Her face turns red.
Just thinking of him makes her heart race and her face flush.
Indeed, Kasumi couldn’t give up on him.
Whether it’s a direct relationship, a side one, or even just a casual relationship, she just wants to be by his side to help him.
As Kasumi thought this, she noticed a Polaroid photo.
A commemorative photo taken with Kim Deok-Sung and Mayuzumi-sensei at a maid cafe.
Kim Deok-Sung takes a commemorative photo with Teacher Mayuzumi.
Kasumi reads the phrase written on the back.
“If you want to become a magical girl, come to me…”
The image of Teacher Mayuzumi flashes through Kasumi’s mind.
She was the homeroom teacher when she was in her first year.
Having been a gloomy and withdrawn student who was forcibly enrolled in the academy as a spy for the League, she was another benefactor who helped her adjust to school life.
Kasumi knows that during her active years, she was a famous S-rank hero known as the “Destruction Magical Girl.”
“If it’s to become stronger… If it’s to help Junior…”
Kasumi bites her lip.
She can’t afford to fall behind any longer.
Resolved, she presses the keypad on her phone.
*
Daily Manager.
This is the episode assigned to Nishizawa Eri in volume 6.5, linked to the heroine’s omniverse episode.
Eri, who models for magazines, requests Kim Deok-Sung to be her daily manager for a photoshoot, leading to a surprising couple’s photo shoot with the protagonist.
And yes, it was a swimsuit photoshoot.
As is typical for light novels, the event’s content is ridiculously predictable.
The problem is, it’s not the protagonist but me who is going through this.
There’s no way they’re going to suggest a couple’s photoshoot, right?
“I wonder if it’s better to accept this.”
[Partner. Is that even a question? Of course, you have to do it.]
The moment the Black Prince speaks, memories from that day come flooding back.
[Later, I’ll take Eri on a proper date!]
That day.
Because of side effects from a potion that made me faint, I ended up late for our appointment, and Eri was left in the rain hugging her lunchbox.
As we left the love hotel, that’s what she said.
[Eri needs a manager for the photoshoot (๑•﹏•)⋆* ⁑⋆*]
[There’s no one else I can ask besides you, Master ๐·°(৹˃̵﹏˂̵৹)°·๐]
[Can you be Eri’s manager? ˚✧₊⁎( ˘ω˘ )⁎⁺˳✧༚]
Ugh.
Messages keep coming in.
‘Just because I’m the only one she can ask doesn’t mean Makoto is nowhere to be found. This screams lies.’
[Oh no! I never raised a scoundrel who can’t accept a little white lie from a girl. Partner.]
Who raised whom?
I really don’t get why I made so many commitments.
This is all karma, karma.
Replying to Eri’s obvious lies while tapping on the keypad.
[Got it.]
Going as an extra for a swimsuit photoshoot should be no big deal.
It shouldn’t be a problem.
Besides, I’m not as handsome as Yuji in the original, so there shouldn’t be any chance of me appearing in the photos.
My delinquent-looking face might actually help in situations like this.
I should definitely be happy, yet I feel a bit off.
[Really? Then I’ll contact you again in 3 days! Master! ＠＾▽＾＠]
[Thanks ✿˘◡˘✿]
Checking Eri’s messages, I put my phone away.
With it being vacation time, I just want to play games in the dorm, but the situation isn’t cooperating.
*
Shuo Hero Academy, Dormitory.
Nishizawa Eri’s VIP room.
“Hehehe.”
Lying on the bed, she smiles while looking at her phone.
“I’ve made a date with Master!”
She bounces on the bed with excitement.
Eri’s cheeks flush pink.
“A date with Master, just the two of us ♥ A date♪ Hehe.”
She cupps her flushed cheeks with both hands.
Recently, feeling a sense of crisis as both Olivia and Rin began to make their moves, Eri was determined to take action.
Eri felt a sense of urgency as Rin rushed forward.
Before the other stray cats could gather around Master, she was falling behind among the so-called original trio.
“If it were the princess, that would be one thing, but to be trailing behind that vulgar and lewd cow, how humiliating for Eri, the Galaxy Rank Beautiful Girl!”
Eri bit her lip.
Admittedly, she acknowledged Olivia’s overwhelming presence to some extent.
In fact, she still admired Olivia.
But that cow, Shinozaki Rin? Not at all.
Until the summer school, Rin was the weakest link among the trio.
Rin herself knew her charm was lacking, which was why she kept throwing herself at Master, despite it not being effective.
“What on earth happened on that deserted island…?”
Since they returned from the deserted island, Rin had changed.
Eri realized this through her female intuition.
The fact that she, who had looked down on Rin, was now overtaken felt humiliating.
She didn’t want to lose to anyone else, but especially not to Rin.
“Just you wait, cow. Eri will show the majesty of the Galaxy Rank Beautiful Girl!”
Eri puffed out her cheeks.
She touched the pet collar around her neck.
She could feel the warmth and connection it had to Master.
Her face flushed red as her expression softened.
“Hehehe, Master.”
She had been using her extraordinary beauty to earn pocket money as a reader model for a while.
Though she was called a reader model, her beauty was so outstanding that it could easily surpass even the top in the entire world, essentially treating her like a full-time model.
After volunteering to be Kim Deok-Sung’s slave, she hadn’t worked as a reader model for a while, but if it was to capture his heart, starting up again wouldn’t be hard at all.
“This time, I’ll capture Master’s heart…!”
Eri clenched her fists.
Her determined orange eyes sparkled.
*
Three days later.
Once again, I sighed as I stepped outside the school gate.
“Master! Over here, over here!”
I could hear Eri’s voice from afar.
She was dressed in summer casuals, beaming with sunglasses on.
And she was still wearing that ever-present pet collar.
Isn’t it about time to take that off?
“Master, how do you like Eri’s outfit today? Do you like it?”
“Well, it suits you.”
Maybe it was because of the reader model setup or her amazing looks, but her casual outfit actually looked pretty good today.
She wore a T-shirt and hot pants, but thanks to her great proportions, it didn’t look strange at all.
“Here’s your favorite cola, Master. Eri prepared it in advance!”
She handed over a can of cola from her handbag.
It seemed freshly pulled and was quite cold.
Just what I needed since the scorching sun was making me feel a bit fatigued.
“Yeah, you did well with this.”
“Ehehehe, thanks for the compliment, Master. Eri is super happy!”
Eri laughed with a dizzying remark.
I wanted to say something, but it wasn’t worth pointing out now.
“Let’s hurry up and go.”
“Okay! Master, Eri will guide you! Hold my hand!”
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