now?"

"I-I won't know if I don't try first!"

"Pfft. Well, that's true. You'll know when you try it."

W-What's with her overconfident attitude...

Stella knew well how competitive Shizuku was, but this time rather than competitive, there was certainty in the girl.

Well, I won't lose!

Despite a moment of insecurity, Stella still accepted the yukata from the shop attendant, who as expected for an employee assigned to the sales period took almost no time to finish assisting Stella into the garment.

"There, it's done. How is it, Stella-sama?"

"Wah~!"

Confirming her appearance, Stella raised an excited voice. The yukata she chose had bright red thistles with a tint of yellow decorated over a white base. Her shoes were changed into geta, and she carried a string purse in her hand. Her obi was of a red darker than that of the thistle, tied in a big knot around her waist.

"It's so cute, just like a goldfish..."

"Ohh? It looks pretty good on you, Stella-san."

"It's so cute, just like a goldfish..."

She turned her body around once, the big knot swayed like a goldfish's tail. Stella liked that very much. She'd probably stand out if she wore that strolling in a festival. And, at that moment..

"Ohh? It looks pretty good on you, Stella-san."

Shizuku had finished dressing at almost the same time. Her outfit was a yukata, just like Stella, whose blue fabric had white iris flowers and ripples of water drawn on it. In contrast to the lively tone of Stella's, hers was a calm color. It had a synergy with Shizuku's pale hair and skin, showing a level of coolness. Perhaps because of that...

H-Huh? Somehow...

Seeing Shizuku, Stella felt the insecurity in her heart expand, and she reconfirmed her own appearance again in a panic. Though she still didn't know the reason, she definitely felt it.

Compared to Shizuku.. it doesn't really seem to fit me...

"Pffft. You seem to have noticed it, Stella-san."

"Wha! What exactly are you saying?"

"You don't have to play dumb. Compared to me, it doesn't seem to suit you, isn't that how you feel?"

"Th-That's not true! Mine's definitely cuter!"

"I see. Then let's return to Onii-sama together."

"Guh..."

That would be troubling. She could not appear before Ikki while so insecure. But why did it seem not to fit her as well as Shizuku? She stood before the full-length mirror and examined herself in various poses, but she couldn't think of the reason, so Stella asked the shop attendant.

"H-Hey Miss Attendant, between me and Shizuku, who do you think looks better?"

"E-Erm..."

That question was probably troubling considering her standpoint. The shop attendant smiled vaguely as if dodging question.

"Both of you are in wonderful clothes that bring out each's own personality. I think that they both fit quite well."

That answer was sincere. For one thing, Stella's looks were already outstanding, so she could wear most of the clothes and look good. But the shop attendant had noticed one issue.

"It's just that the little lady there seems more used to wearing a kimono."

"Used to..."

"Exactly."

Shizuku confirmed the shop attendant's words.

"I'm still a member of an honorable samurai family. As I prefer Western dresses personally, I usually wear what I want, but I had plenty of chances to wear kimonos in the past for family events. And at the same time, I've been trained on how to behave when wearing them. I wouldn't mess the hems while walking like you, Stella-san, and nor would I look straight at another person."

Shizuku pointed at the hem of Stella's yukata, which was indeed out of place from Stella moving around in front of the mirror.

"You must straighten your back when talking, but show some reservation in your gaze instead of looking straight at the other party. The position of your hands mustn't exceed your shoulder line, and be aligned at the front. Everything makes a small individual difference, but combined they have a bigger impact on the appearance. Kimonos are different from dresses. It's not good just to be glamorous. Only by letting your inner beauty shine will you be able to evoke their Japanese beauty. In other words, both your body and movements are lacking in modesty!"

"Hauu!"

Exactly so. In the first place, kimonos were clothing crafted by combining Japanese culture and physique, which meant that Shizuku had a home team advantage. The difference was obvious, and it wasn't difficult to imagine that every one of their actions would increase the gap. The weight of accumulated training would show itself in each angled posture and each reflexive action. Stella, who had etiquette training for wearing a dress, understood well that this couldn't be imitated easily.

"..Certainly, this won't work."

"That's not true at all. It also looks very good on you, Stella-sama!"

"..Thank you, but..."

'Very good' wasn't enough. She had to win. That was a battle with her pride as Ikki's girlfriend on the line. And there was still Sara, supported by Arisuin. She couldn't afford to lose against Shizuku here. Best to give up on the kimono, but what else would she choose? Stella was troubled, and then.. Shizuku gracefully approached Stella and whispered something in her ear.

"If you're fine with it, how about letting me dress you up?"

"You?"

"With Alice helping the opponent, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

However, Stella only gazed at Shizuku in suspicion.

"....You're full of lies. It's impossible for you to help me. You're probably just thinking of some evil prank. I won't fall for it."

Considering their relationship akin to bride and sister-in-law, this response was only natural, yet Shizuku looked rather depressed hearing it.

"Am I so untrusted.. even though I've accepted you to some extent?"

"..Really?"

"That's right. Otherwise, I'd never allow you to be together with Onii-sama. I'd use every means legal or illegal to chase such a woman to the ends of the world and eliminate her. Stella-san, you should know I'm that kind of a woman, right? But since it's you.. for the first time, I've acknowledged another woman. Therefore I'm very displeased with that country bumpkin woman buzzing around Onii-sama, and even aiming for his body. I won't allow the one I've recognized to lose against someone like that."

"Shizuku.. you..."

"Won't you let me help? ..Onee-sama."

Shizuku held Stella's hands in her own. She called Stella with a term she had never used before, and Stella's eyes widened in delight upon hearing it. Stella hadn't known that she was so sccepted by Shizuku, and so she grasped Shizuku's hands and replied with a fully-blooming smile.

"I'm sorry for suspecting you! Let's chase away that woman together!"

"Yes..!"

"Then let's hear your opinion right now! What do you think is the outfit that'll make me the cutest?"

"It's simple, Stella-san... Your red hair seems to be on fire, and that feminine body can't be hidden by a kimono. You don't have to dress up at all. You're already very charming in your usual attire."

"I-Is that so.. hehe. Somehow, hearing those words from you makes me happy."

"In other words, Stella-san, you just need to use the weapons you were born with. And the best choice to do that with is this!"

"Th-This outfit is..!?"

"Since it's a festival, various clothes will be displayed. I've procured this for Stella-san's sake. A woman like you can wear this perfectly. And in addition, if we spice it up.. you'll be able to catch Onii-sama's heart!"

"For me..! Thank you, Shizuku! This certainly feels like it'll do! Alright! Let me change into this quickly!"

Around the time that Stella and Shizuku were making an alliance, Sara and Arisuin were riding the escalator to the floor below the ladies' wear department. On the way, Arisuin asked Sara just in case.

"We don't have much time, so I want to hear it from the start. Do you have any requests like about design or brand? Or will you leave everything up to me?"

Sara shook her head.

"..I don't know much, so please take care of it."

"Okay."

..That being said, there's a match today, so clothes hard to move in are no good.

Akatsuki was a private school with no uniform. The clothes chosen here would just become her battle attire, so something overly ornate would reduce her mobility. That wouldn't do. While he was once part of Akatsuki, he had no lingering feelings about it so it didn't really matter to Arisuin, but to Ikki.. that serious youth would probably be unhappy. But regardless of which clothes they might choose.. there was something he had to do first.

"..First is your face."

"I need orthopedics?"

"Nothing so extreme. Though your face is naturally good-looking, it's a waste without makeup. Let's start from there."

As they were talking, they reached the cosmetics department on the third floor. Milky-colored marble dominated the view, with golden lines drawn on black pillars in some locations. Across the clean floor with chic color, the unique fragrance of female cosmetics wafted through the air.

"Let me ask for the sake of it, do you have experience in makeup?"

Sara shook her head.

"Well, that's true. You don't have a fashionable aura..."

Her bed hair still had paint sticking to it, and her lips were dry. There was no way she had used makeup before.

How incomprehensible that her skin is flawless, though.

Well, she probably had that kind of constitution. It wasn't as mysterious as Stella's weight, at least.

"Then you don't know about makeup and skin care, right?"

"I've never done it, but if you're talking about puffing some skin-colored powder onto your face, then I'm aware of it."

"That's foundation, but makeup isn't just about that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Given this rare opportunity, I'll teach you from the beginning. Please listen carefully."

"Very well."

"First, before putting on makeup, skincare is important. Use this cleansing foam to remove dirt and oil from the sebum. This is necessary because makeup sticks poorly if there are impurities."

"I see..."

"Next is toner. It has many active ingredients that keep your skin moisturized."

"Hmm hmm..."

"After that's done, lotion. Lotion contains reagents that support your skin's elasticity. Its use is quite similar to toner. Finally, you mustn't forget to apply a day cream to keep the active ingredients in the toner and lotion on your skin. After covering with the day cream, apply the base makeup next to improve how well the makeup sticks. This is very important as it also protects your skin from UV light. At this stage, you need to use control colors to account for the existing state of your skin. Use purple type if you're concerned about redness, silver type if you want to emphasize glossiness. After that, it's finally time for the foundation you mentioned, but there are types besides powder such as cream and liquid. It's important to use the one suited to your skin type but if there are spots or acne that can't be hidden by the process so far, use concealer, and lastly use face powder to reduce the foundation's stickiness, finishing by touching up with highlighter and blush which can be used in either order depending on the situation. That completes the base so next is eye makeup. Do you understand so far?"

As for Sara, white smoke was rising from her head. She answered Arisuin with lifeless eyes.

"..I understand that life as a woman is very difficult."

"Oh, you understood better than I thought. That's right, a woman is always putting in tremendous effort into beauty every day. Men call it deceptive and don't really grasp that effort."

"..You're also a man."

"I'm a maiden at heart."

"..You're weird."

"I don't want to hear that from you."

It was truly regrettable.

"I don't think I can do it properly..."

"Well, I just listed the procedure in some detail, but there are products that can combine lotion, day cream, and base. It's quite manageable and practice makes perfect, let's try running through it once."

Saying so, Arisuin snapped his fingers, releasing the suppression of his presence from?Darkness Hermit, and his thinned shadow regained its color immediately. And then..

"The beautiful mister over there, are you buying a present for your girlfriend~?"

It didn't take even three seconds before a young female shop attendant came to Arisuin's side. Sales performance would directly affect personnel evaluation in this kind of place, so attendants swarmed toward customers like piranhas. A weak-willed customer would be intimidated by the agression, and likely stripped of flesh—money—before they could react.

But of course Arisuin was familiar with this. Unfazed by the shop attendant's attack, he stated his needs with a smile.

"No. I'm just accompanying this girl who wants to choose some makeup. It seems she's never even applied toner before."

"Not until now!? And yet she still looks so pretty!"

Having just noticed Sara, the shop attendant stated her honest thoughts with a slightly surprised expression.

"But if she's so pretty, it'd be a waste not to do any makeup."

"I know, right? Though since she's never done it before, she has no idea what suits her skin."

"I see, I see. In that case, could you come to the counter, please? I'll show you all our sample cosmetics."

"Thank you. That would be helpful."

That female shop attendant likely had no interest in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. She didn't realize Sara as a contender, and was speaking normally.

After Arisuin was given bags of samples, he led Sara out of the shop. What he received was the sample set from an organic cosmetics maker.

"Are these all free?"

Sara's eyes went round upon seeing beautiful little bottles no less fancy than the products on sale.

"Yes. Since makeup must match the person, most producers provide samples to try out. Some of them also offer refunds."

"..So generous."

"Depending on the content, this small bottle can cost up to ten thousand yen. Organic cosmetics aren't risk-free either, so customers wouldn't take the chance if they didn't do this."

As one would expect for a cosmetics set targeted towards women, there were many pretty items arrayed in a unified assortment. Some customers even became fanatical collectors of such charming baubles.. which defeated the point of having makeup samples, but every subject had its fanatics so there was no point in worry over it.

"Hmm. That camera has a blind spot over here, so this will do."

Arisuin used his assassin's eyes to examine a surveillance camera and calculate its visual arc. Determining the blind spot instantly, he brought Sara through his shadow to the edge of the floor, where they could not be seen. And then..

"Hermit's House."

He pierced the wall of the department store with?Darkness Hermit, and pulled the blade downward as if unzipping a zipper, and a dark hole opened.

"Now, in you go."

Sara obeyed Arisuin's words and stepped into the dark hole, and on the other side was nine-square-meter room all in gray.

"..This place is?"

"The other side of the world using my shadow's ability. ..In other words, a hidden room made using the space between shadows. You can't just put on makeup in front of others, right?"

Though there was no electricity, water and gas were available, and there were even some rations stored here. If he felt like it, he could hide for a few days in that convenient space. It was also where he confined Kagami some time ago.

"Here's the washing room, this way."

One must wash her face before putting on makeup. In Sara's case, she had never done any skincare before, so it wasn't just washing. Peeling, removing the old stratum corneum, was probably also necessary. Hence Arisuin brought her to the bath unit deep inside the Hermit's House.

On the way, Sara suddenly stopped in her tracks and asked with a doubtful expression.

"..Why are you helping me?"

"Oh, don't you feel like polishing a gem if you find one?"

"You betrayed us."

"It's true that I've betrayed Rebellion, and I don't intend to work for them a second time.. but that's separate from helping you as an individual. Of course there's also the matter of being asked by Ikki and the others, but Lily doesn't have an unpleasant air."

"That's because yesterday was a shower day."

"No, that's not what I meant.. more importantly, what's a shower day!? A girl must shower properly every day!"

Arisuin sighed in amazement.

"..It's a metaphor. Most of my life was rough, so I can smell the rotten sewage-like air of those who willingly fell into corruption."

The terrorists of Rebellion had all kinds of backgrounds. For example, people like the Puppeteer who executed evil acts, and survivors like Tatara who lived in environments where they only knew evil—Arisuin didn't believe those two evils were the same. The former was beyond saving, but the latter was.. just a victim of circumstance. He who crawled up from the depths of that snowy town understood weel that there was no such thing as equality in life. That was why he wouldn't prejudge people by organization. He relied only on his own senses developed over the past decade.

"As long as my sense of smell doesn't reject Lily, I've no reason to hate you."

"..I see."

"Speaking of which, I want to hear something from you as well. Mario Rosso is a famous artist that even I've heard of, so why are you working as Rebellion's underling?"

But Sara shook her head to deny his premise.

"I'm not part of Rebellion, and I have no intention of joining. I'm just.. repaying my debt."

"Debt?"

Sara nodded.

"There's a painting I want to finish no matter what. But before I can paint it, I need to travel the world to widen my knowledge. I have to find my ideal model... For that, I received an operation from the Grand Professor for my illness. I sold my paintings to pay for the treatment fee. I also borrowed their routes to enter conflicts and look for my model. That's the whole relationship we have."

The reason she was participating in this battle was also to search for her model. She wasn't interested in the Rebellion's ideals, either. She was just using Rebellion for her own objective, and Rebellion was also using her for their own benefit.

"So that's how it is... But in that case, you've been ripped off. I don't know what kind of operation it was, but considering the value of your paintings, they were probably worth enough money to buy a country."

"I don't care about that. If I can get my hands on the body I want to draw, I have no need for money. There's nothing else I want."

Sara's voice was plain and emotionless, but the will it conveyed was heavy. Arisuin knew that this was the weight of her determination, heavier and stronger than what had Arisuin had expected it to be... He caught a glimpse of sadness in Sara's thoughts, and felt a bit guilty for using that feeling.

"..I hope you can complete it."

"It took quite a while, but I finally found my model. I'll definitely finish it."

"You're talking about Ikki, right?"

"Yes. Devils crawling over every part of the painting. The figure of a messiah standing among them without fear, possessing unparalleled courage and a maiden-like pure gentleness. He possesses these two contrasting impressions, an ideal representation of a man."

..In order to find that, Sara had travelled around the world, and now she finally encountered him.

"The moment I saw the Crownless Sword King, my senses started screaming out. He is exactly the one I was searching for."

Sara's expression as she talked seemed somewhat feverish. As if, it was as if.. she was bragging about her lover.

"Haha. Which means it was love at first sight."

"..Is that so?"

"Because in other words, Ikki is your ideal man, right? Isn't that the same as falling in love at first sight?"

Sara was confused by what Arisuin pointed out.

"..I don't understand.. since I've never considered such things before..."

Did she fall for Ikki? Though she asked in her heart, she couldn't get an answer. It was the same as not comprehending a foreign language when hearing it for the first time. It was an emotion that the girl's heart, a bud without knowing the 'L' of love, could not understand.

The first to return to the meeting spot was Ikki. Apart from him, all the others were girls(?), so he knew it would probably take some time. Ikki sat on a bench nearby, and started reading a book he bought from a shop as he waited for the others to return. Five minutes passed.

"Sorry. Did I make you wait?"

Ikki closed his book and looked up at Arisuin's voice.

"No, it hasn't been that long.."

H-Huh?

He stiffened from doubt. Standing next to Arisuin was Sara, who had been touched up by Arisuin. Her outfit was not a jersey, and of course not apron. She was also wearing a brassiere properly. Rather, her brassiere was totally exposed. Moreover, she was wearing a pair of denim hotpants remodeled from jeans, and her overall exposure had only increased.

"..U-Umm, Alice."

He questioned Arisuin with a glance that said, 'What's the meaning of this?', and Arisuin sighed in response to his confusion.

"I know what you're trying to say... I worked hard, you know? But..."

He explained how it became like that. It wasn't anything complicated. There was a plain and simple reason. After finishing her makeup, they were choosing her outfit and she randomly tried on a pair of jeans designed towards summer wear. Suddenly, Sara suddenly collapsed, and then she said with a pale face..

「H-Heavy...」

"Simply put, it was weight overload. I also heard that because Stella-chan was scary, she had been forcing herself to wear that jersey. But she eventually used up all her strength."

"Isn't that way too weak!?"

"I was also surprised..."

"..Because I have never carried anything heavier than my brush."

"Sara-san, how have you actually managed to live until now..."

"However, I've arranged things within her weight allowance so that she doesn't look like an exhibitionist. You don't have to worry about them bouncing around if she's wearing a bra."

Arisuin went behind Sara, grabbed her by the shoulders,and pushed her towards Ikki, signaling for Ikki to check for himself. Well, certainly he hadn't noticed because of the sudden increase in the exposure rate, but Arisuin did seem to have put in a lot of effort on Sara's outfit. Her upper half consisted of a show-off bra and long sleeve summer cardigan. Her lower half consisted of hotpants and boots. The front of her cardigan was not closed up, showing the appeal of her hourglass bodyline from her bust to her thin waist. Her sleeves were long type enough to covered up to the second knuckles of her fingers, her bed hair was left as it was, and the whole style enhanced Sara's sexiness and moody atmosphere. Arisuin was as skillful as ever.

In addition to all that, her makeup was also perfect. Her white skin gained elasticity with the use of toner and lotion, and her eyelashes were beautifully curled. The exquisitely used highlight and shadow shaped out Sara's facial features, and her previously dry lips had the freshness of ripened fruit, radiating vitality.

Nothing was overlooked or excessive. Everything was in just the right amount. Honestly speaking.. Ikki thought she was beautiful.

"..Is it strange?"

"Not at all. This is way better than before. You're really pretty, Sara-san."

"..I see."

Ikki relayed his impression directly to Sara, who replied indifferently and averted her gaze, but.. her gaze wavered slightly and her cheeks glowed faintly in the color of cherry blossoms. It seemed she was embarrassed. That was the first time Sara behaved like a girl.

"As expected of Alice. Doesn't she look a lot better?"

The voice directed toward Sara was from Shizuku, who had just arrived. She was walking towards them with?clip clop?from her geta, taking small steps so that her hem would not be disarrayed. She leaned onto Ikki's side as if claiming her spot, and took his sleeve with her small hand.

"Shizuku, did you buy these clothes?"

Shizuku nodded in delight at Ikki's question.

"Yes. Since I still haven't used the reward from the time we defeated those terrorists, I bought this. How does it look, Onii-sama?"

"An iris pattern, huh? Looks good with the calm colors. It really suits you."

As Ikki answered Shizuku, he patted her silver hair with just enough strength to not muss up her hairstyle.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Shizuku gave her gratitude, her eyes narrowed in happiness. But that expression changed to an evil smile as Ikki stopped patting her.

"But Onii-sama, you must be looking forward to Stella-san the most, right?"

"Eh, n-no.. that's..."

"You don't have to make excuses. Wanting to see the beauty of the one you love is an obvious thing."

As Shizuku said that, she turned towards the path she came from and called out.

"Now, Stella-san! It's time for the finale! With your charm and cuteness heightened by that new outfit, beat the new contestant here to a pulp!"

"Leave it to me!"

The reply came from an empty space. No, she just made herself invisible with Flame Veil. Stella immediately released her Noble Art, and jumped out before Ikki. And then..

I've become a?cute little bunny,

and I'll?jump?into Ikki's?heart,?pyon~?"

"I've become a cute little bunny and I'll jump into Ikki's heart, pyon~?"

With a pair of bunny ears attached by hairband, and clad in fishnet tights, she hugged Ikki in her bunny girl appearance.

In an instant, everyone went dead silent. Nevermind Ikki, even Arisuin and Sara, as well as the passersby. They had lost their words and expressions, after seeing this bizarre Stella.

"Hehehe. Shizuku, look, Ikki seems unable to even utter a sound from my cuteness!"

Only she herself had not noticed. Ikki put his hands on the shoulders of the overly positive Stella, and pushed her away. Then.. he looked into the distance and spoke.

"For the time being, please change your clothes, Stella-san."

"Wha!? You're speaking so coldly!? I didn't jump into your heart!?"

"Pffft."

Mocking laughter came from next to Stella, and when she turned around, she saw one girl mocking her with eyes dyed in sadistic pleasure, and Stella's face immediately paled.

"....Shizuku, you! Don't tell me.. you tricked me!?"

"Saying that I tricked you, hmph, how disreputable. Please think for a bit. In the first place─will I ever be your ally?"

"Th-Then when you said 'Ikki likes rabbits, so the bunny girl outfit will get lots of points', that was also..!"

"That kind of bonus exists only in Dragon Quest."

Realizing that she had been toyed with by this little devil, Stella's face boiled from shame and anger.

"Y-You! Ikki, you see!? Shizuku deceived me!"

"Yeah, I know. I know already, so please change your clothes, Vermillion-san."

"Noooo! The distance between our hearts is widening so quickly! Now it's like the time when we first met—! Grr! Shizuku! You'll get it from me later! Remember that—!"

Stella cried out in anger, and ran away with her hands hugging her body. She probably wanted to change back into her uniform. Behind Stella's back.. Shizuku's shoulders shook as she laughed.

"Hey, Shizuku. Don't bully Stella too much."

"No."

Ikki cautioned Shizuku as he couldn't bear to watch it anymore, while Shizuku rejected him without hesitation. He was slightly surprised at her strong rejection, which was rare considering that she generally obeyed him all the time.

"A-Are you that unwilling, to the point of blunt rejection?"

"Yes. This is my special privilege. I won't stop even if Onii-sama asks me to stop."

As Shizuku answered Ikki so, she looked in the direction Stella ran off to again.

"....Really, such a cute person."

The side of Shizuku's face as she muttered.. for some reason, that sight stabbed at Ikki's heart a little.

..Huh, why would this be?

He was confused by that incomprehensible feeling. What did he feel when he saw her in profile just then? Love? ..Or was it sorrow? He couldn't understand. And then, while he was still unable to reach an answer..

"─Then Onii-sama, I'll retreat before the cute little bunny becomes a red demon and returns. It's about time for me to make arrangemen-->>

next page