Chapter 930: A Long Day in the Life of Miyama Kaito ⑤

After reluctantly agreeing to Makina's request and promising to help, Alice told Makina who had managed to successfully ask Kaito out.

[……Listen here, Makina. I'm sure this would be able to stop you for a few times, but honestly, this move is only effective because it catches you off guard, so understand that there's a limit to how many times I can do this.]

[Unnn! Don't worry, I've also prepared a lot of countermeasures myself!]

[Heehhhh…… And your expectations that these countermeasures would work?]

[……About that, to begin with…… If those countermeasures were going to help…… I wouldn't have asked Alice for help.]

[……Guess you're right.]

Makina is also preparing countermeasures to prevent herself from going out of control, but it was honestly just a drop in the bucket, for if she could control herself in the first place, she would have done so in the past.

This time though, she really wanted to spend a day with Kaito without going out of control, so she prepared these measures based on her extreme determination.

Even though Alice felt a certain amount of anxiety, she saw her enthusiastic best friend off with a slightly astounded look on her face.

In the end, her anxiety became reality. The several countermeasures she prepared didn't last long, and Makina was about to go out of control.

(……Ahhh, this won't do. My beloved child is too cute, and I can't take it anymoooooooore!)

Just a few seconds before her reason was blown away, Makina suddenly saw Alice's figure in her vision. However, even though Makina asked Alice to help her, Makina honestly didn't think she could control her excitement, no matter the method Alice used.

With what little reason she had left, Makina wondered what Alice was going to do…… but when she saw the signboard Alice held up…… with a "large picture of Makina in a bunny suit"……

[ ! ? ! ? ]

It was something Makina didn't expect to see, and her mind went blank for a moment when she saw that signboard. Thereupon, as if her earlier excitement on the verge of going out of control was a lie, other thoughts started popping into her mind one after another.

She remembered that picture. It was back in that world where Makina had met Alice…… When Makina lost to Alice in a casino game on a ship, she was photographed wearing various costumes as a punishment.

(H- How many billion years do you think it's been since then!? Why the heck do you still have those pictures!!!? Ahhh, but seeing that really made me so surprised that it calmed me down…… I have lots of things to say about that photo that is nothing but my black history, but for the time being, it can’t be helped.)

Realizing that her thoughts had calmed down, Makina was able to guess what Alice meant by her words before. This certainly wasn't a method she could use again and again.

The only reason she was able to keep her cool this time was because she didn't expect to see something like that…… Conversely though, since she already knew that Alice had such pictures, her mind wouldn't blank out if Alice did such a thing again.

Feeling relieved that she had gotten through the situation for the moment, Makina wondered if she would be able to make it next time…… but for the time being, Makina went back to her stroll with Kaito.

By returning to Phase 0, along with the countermeasures she prepared, Makina was able to maintain her reasoning for about an hour after that, but she was unable to last any longer and was on the verge of going out of control again.

(Ahhh, I can't hold on anymore…… I'm too filled up with love for my beloved child! I can't stop it anymore, looking at my cosplay pictures won't even work anymore!!!)

As Makina's consciousness started fading away again, she saw Alice holding a signboard behind Kaito. They had taken a lot of cosplay pictures at that time, but now that Makina knew that they exist, they would no longer work……

[ ~ ~ ~ ~ ! ? ! ? ]

However, what was pasted on the signboard that Alice held up wasn't the cosplay photos that Makina expected…… but a photo of her rolling around on the ground with a takoyaki thrown into her mouth, and a picture of her drinking Japanese sake at an onsen with a scrunched up look on her face.

(When the heck did she take those pictures!? She definitely didn't' have a camera with her back then! Those are sneak photos! I totally didn't consent to having those photos taken!!!)

As she had expected to see some of her cosplay photos again, and having no idea that that scene was photographed as well, Makina's thoughts became confused again.

She was able to regain her wits thanks to this, but feeling an inexplicable feeling within her heart, she resumed her stroll with Kaito for the third time.

Furthermore, seeing Makina's…… Eden's reaction, Kaito turned around again, but Alice disappeared before he could see her, so he didn't notice what had happened.

Fortunately, Makina has taken measures to ensure that even Shallow Vernal couldn't peek into the events happening around her and Kaito when they are together, so no one else would be able to see Makina's shameful photos.

Even after that, Makina tried her best. She desperately tried to hold herself back…… but after another hour or so, she could no longer contain her overflowing thoughts.

(It's impossible, it's totally impossible…… As expected, I couldn't do anything about this anymore…… It would be a big bang of my love for my beloved child……)

She could see Alice appearing behind Kaito again. She looked like she was about to hold up a signboard again…… but no matter what picture she showed, Makina couldn't stop herself anymore.

Those pictures were only effective because it took her by surprise, catching her off guard. Since she knew that such pictures existed now, no matter what pictures appeared, it will not be enough to stop her from rampaging.

With such a thought in mind, Makina turned her attention to the signboard that Alice was holding……

"Prologue"

[Hyiiiihhh!?!?]

[E- Eden-san!?]

It was a surprise. It was just too much of a surprise. In the scene where she was expecting some kind of photo to come out, the words written on the signboard…… made her so surprised that she reflexively shrieked.

Seeing her like that, Kaito also became surprised and looked back again, but just like before, Alice had already disappeared before he could, so he had no way of knowing what had happened.

(……That way of stopping is just too bad for my heart! That surprised me…… That seriously surprised me. I felt like that shortened my life span when it shouldn't have been. H- However, that really helped me calm down…… I- I think my current state will let me hold out until we reach our destination. I'm feeling rather complicated…… Thank you, Alice.)

<Afterword>

? ? ? : [Speaking of which, Serious-senpai, it's your long-awaited seriousness, you know? Aren't you happy?]

Serious-senpai : [……No, rather than seriousness, that feels more like horror…… No, even I have some seriousness I like and seriousness I don't like……]

? ? ? : [What a pain in the ass. (Isn't it? Being so particular about things, what a freaking pain in the ass.)]

Serious-senpai : [You got your real thoughts and what you said reversed! ……No, it's not reversed at all!? They're both saying the same thing!?]