Rion’s idol agency set up in D.U… or so I should call it. Anyway, two new faces appeared at our office.
“Ah, hello…?”
“Hey, wicked employer!”
“Excuse me, Hibiki-chan. Just looking at the promised payment means ‘wicked’ should not be an option.”
“…Then I’ll correct it to ’employer.'”
Even though she said that, Hibiki’s eyes were fervently crying out ‘wicked employer.’ Maybe it was the dark circles added to her already mature-looking impression, but she was exuding quite a substantial level of decadence.
If there’s something strange about this, it’s that Hyori next to her also clearly sported dark circles.
To be honest, I thought Hyori would casually lighten her workload. So, I expected she would be the only one looking fine, but for some reason, she seemed to be willingly taking on hardship, possibly getting attached to Hibiki.
Hmm, was my evaluation of Hyori too harsh?
“Eh-heh… Mika-chan, my head feels like it’s spinning…”
“Ahaha… Our Hyori-chan really worked hard this time.”
“That’s because you were playing games all night saying you finished your share yesterday.”
“…H-Hibiki-chan?! I trusted you, and now I’m backstabbed by an axe; life is indeed full of pain…”
“Heueng. I see. It looked like you were suffering from playing rather than working hard.”
“N-No, that’s not it… I worked hard too, Mika-chan. Please believe me…!”
If I didn’t believe her, she’d be on the verge of puueeennng tears. I gently patted the hat off Hyori’s head. For some reason, that hat looked suspiciously similar to what an admiral in Odyssey would wear, and the outfit was also dismissively similar to that style.
I connected them thinking it would look good, but did it develop in a strange direction?
“So, the outfits are properly finished, right?”
“Of course. I’m thankful for you taking my measurements and sending them without me saying anything. It saved me some hassle.”
Hibiki showed the bag she brought. Including the one Hyori placed on the floor, there were a total of six paper bags. If you think about it simply, one bag should hold one person’s outfit. But considering the size, it felt as if she brought extra clothes.
“Okay, then let’s head to the practice room. Everyone should be gathered by now.”
Thanks to everyone’s diligent efforts without skipping practice, we had passed with flying colors from Maestro long ago. Among them, especially high evaluations went to Neru and Asuna.
Those two little kids… or rather, they were around my height, so let’s just call them juniors. Anyway, as we entered the practice room, an enchanting melody that made my eyelids flutter could be heard.
And there, I saw would-be idols charmingly performing cute and refreshing choreography in sync. Seeing that, Hibiki and Hyori’s eyes sparkled for some reason.
“Hey, everyone, freeze! Our basic outfits have arrived☆”
“Basic outfit…?”
“Uh-huh? It’s a stage outfit, but it’s absurd to have only this one type. We have more requests ready. Besides the magical girl concept, we need at least two more outfits with slightly different concepts.”
“…Hik.”
“Hey, I’ve got my studies and engineering club activities…”
“If we do this two more times, your research funds will literally replicate. Are you going to bear that? Hyori-chan, if you want something, you could probably buy just about anything.”
“…”
“That much should not be big… No, it’s nothing. Hehe. Is this a dream? Or reality? Perhaps this is far too much luck for me…”
“Uh-huh, I knew it. I believed in you.”
In the meantime, while I simply scheduled the next request for the two girls, the aspiring idol gals who turned off the music approached us.
“Wow~! Mika-chan! Is our outfit finally here?”
“Yup, yup! It seems like there’s one outfit per person in this bag… And smartly, the names are written on the side☆”
Starting with Asuna’s name written down, I began handing out the outfits to their rightful owners.
Then one by one, various reactions started to erupt.
“Whoa…! MikaMika! What is this? A magical girl? So cute!”
“…Hey, are you telling me to wear this? Let’s battle again! Seriously, how many times have I gone along with you?”
“I don’t think this looks good on me.”
“What are you talking about, Hina? I’m sure it’ll look great on you! Even if you’re a magical girl, you’re either corrupted by evil forces… or a villain who turns over to the magical girl side, right?♪”
Neru, holding a costume predominantly red and white, mouthed ‘No’ as she pouted. It’s not like you won’t wear the skirt with a skit after all, so just accept it.
After that, I looked at Asuna who layered a yellow base with white on top.
I can’t help but feel Asuna is dangerously eye-catching every time—I can’t be wrong about my attention being drawn there. The outfit being laid out before her renders any meaning pointless, so I doubt anyone would blame me.
Honestly, the outfit isn’t provocative, but I feel it is once Asuna wears it.
Hina’s dress was primarily gothic-lolita with black, enriched with white accents, stirring some vague feelings.
“Hehehe… Mika-chi, how do I look? Does it suit me?”
“Ah… What are you doing all selfishly? Mika-chan, can you take a look at me too?”
As I watched Haruna and Noa standing side by side, Hina discreetly sent glances my way.
While it’s nice that the three of them get along well, when they simultaneously yearn for my attention in one place, I feel like I’m losing myself. Although, it’s better than them not getting along.
Thinking back to how Nagisa and Haruna were at odds during the summer festival, I find it better to tire myself a bit than sitting awkwardly and uncomfortably with a prickly feeling.
Noa’s outfit was a sailor-like uniform in white and light blue, while Haruna’s was a flowing dress mainly in silver with white accents. However, the front was completely exposed, leaving only the sides and back.
Overall, the design was great. It was clearly the result of a collaboration between a cosplay expert and a serious fashion expert in the making.
“Hey, why are you the only one not taking it out and just watching? Let’s see yours too.”
“What’s that, Neru-chan? Are you that curious about my outfit?”
“Huh? What are you saying? I’m just curious to see your expression after I check your outfit, so don’t get any wrong ideas.”
“In that case, I should manage my expression as best as I can☆”
With a playful banter and a refreshing smile, I took out the outfit assigned to me. And then, my time stopped.
“…Isn’t this supposed to be a magical girl? This seems a bit overly bold.”
“Pfft… Hahaha! Tsk-tsk.”
“Whoa whoa whoa…! Mika, put that on RIGHT NOW! Right now! Yes, then something good will happen, I promise!”
“Uh, Asuna-chan. The sneakers you gifted me before didn’t really bring any luck, so now…?”
“Forget that, hurry! To the changing room!”
Suddenly pulled by Asuna, I was ushered into the changing room and sighed as I changed into the outfit. The fact that there were matching shoes resembling glass slippers made me even more confused…
Wait a sec. Could this be some kind of optical illusion stockings or something? How the heck did they apply this technique here…?
Having put on dazzling glass slippers where my bare feet could be seen, I returned and for some reason, the reactions were silent.
“Why, why? Why is everyone reacting like this?”
“Well… It’s because you look so beautiful! Wait, freeze! Mika, pose as you love that photo style, okay?! Just wait still for a moment?!”
With that, Asuna pulled out her phone, starting to take pictures from various angles.
At first, Neru, who laughed at me, was taken aback and blinked a couple of times before quickly shaking her head and clicking her tongue.
“This is absurd. How is that even possible to pull off?”
“The employer’s school uniform had a sort of magical girl vibe to begin with. So I thought a bold attempt was necessary. If it doesn’t suit you, you could just wear the school uniform without any issue.”
“Hehe. We should heap compliments on our junior. Thanks to you, it’s definitely eye-candy for us. You’re a new student in the engineering club, right?”
“Uh-huh…”
As such, while enjoying the show, Hyori suddenly yelled something and launched herself toward me.
“Mika-chan, please take me…!!!”
“Why’s she acting like this…?”
As I absently combed Hyori’s hair instinctively because she wrapped her arms around my waist, Hina blushed and occasionally stole glances at us. Meanwhile, Haruna also licked her lips…
“Here, the photos! You’ll instantly understand why everyone’s so excited!”
While engrossed in taking pictures, Asuna’s flow was interrupted by Hyori’s entrance, and she handed me her phone.
Taking it and carefully checking the photos, I realized.
“Wow——…”
I understood they weren’t overreacting.
The top was sort of an off-shoulder white blouse, with a big pink ribbon on the chest. That wasn’t the issue. The fact that it bares the stomach means the navel is completely exposed.
Moreover, when coupled with pink frilled mini skirt and legs not clad in stockings, the front exposure was significant.
Even adding to it, the back was an entirely plunging silhouette. It’s nice that the wings are comfortable, but… hmm…
Honestly, I’ve never felt this empty in my life. I never thought the day would come where I’d expose so much bare skin outside of home or the changing room.
“…Isn’t this practically a magical girl, no, a magical prostitute?”
“Who cares? As long as it’s pretty, right?!”
That must spring from my innate ability to pull this kind of outfit, but the real problem is that I’m unknowingly sending such photos to my phone while looking at them…
More importantly, the scorching gazes of my lovely ladies have been too intense. Too intense to the point where my skin feels like it’s burned.
…It seems strongly likely that today, I might truly get devoured. I hope that “good thing” Asuna mentioned doesn’t mean this!
