"Hey, what did you mean by 'teammate'?"
"Before that, let's move a little to the side. It's not really the place to talk here."
"You're right about that."
Sinon glanced around, spotting a perfectly good bench a short distance away.
"How about over there?"
"Sounds good. Alright, then..."
Saying that, Shana tried to stand up, but Sinon effortlessly scooped her into her arms—a princess carry, no less. It was exactly what one would expect from the STR-type Sinon. Though, that wasn't really the issue at hand.
"Whoa... H-hey, it's fine. I can walk on my own."
Though no one else was around at the moment, Shana didn't know when someone might appear, so she told Sinon in a flustered tone. But Sinon paid her no mind. She sat down on the bench, pulled Shana onto her lap, and offered her a lap pillow, then said:
"Hmph, that's payback for the other day. Do you have any idea how many questions I got bombarded with at school after that? The next day was absolutely chaotic."
"S-sorry..."
"Honestly! When you go that far, I can't exactly just say we're 'just friends.' So, I had no choice but to... you know..."
Shana somehow understood the excuse Sinon had made and tried to reassure her.
"It's fine. As long as I don't go to your school anymore, there won't be any problems. Whatever explanation you gave your friends, it's completely fine."
"Eh...?"
"Huh?"
Sinon's mouth gaped open, and she fidgeted awkwardly. Eventually, as if she'd decided what to say, she managed to continue.
"E-Endo and the others haven't come near me at all since then."
"Is that so? That's good then. Well, if they come close again, this time, his parents might really be finished."
"B-but, they might doubt the credibility of... a b-boyfriend story, so maybe if you came to p-pick me up occasionally, that would reassure them?"
"Hmm, isn't it fine as is? The pressure was real, after all."
"What? You don't want to?"
Hearing Shana's words, Sinon glared intently at her. Unable to resist the pressure of that gaze, Shana had no choice but to say:
"O-okay, occasionally then..."
"Good, that's settled."
"R-right, thanks..."
Shana felt a sense of unfairness, wondering why she was thanking Sinon, but Sinon, as if to say the conversation was over, quickly changed the subject.
"So, what did you mean by 'teammate'?"
"Oh, actually, we're in Kyoto right now, and I happened to run into an old teammate there. We decided to bring him into our team as an exclusive craftsman, so we were just about to head to our meeting spot."
"An exclusive craftsman, huh? Yeah, sounds good!"
Hearing this, Sinon's face lit up with happiness. Shana felt relieved, certain that Ikoma's addition would be accepted without issue.
"Actually, he has trouble adjusting to the Amusphere, and his sense of perspective gets a bit blurry. That's why we offered him the exclusive craftsman role this time. But, he still needs to raise his level and gain experience to get his stats up, right? So, I was wondering if you could help him level up, even if it's just occasionally?"
"Of course, I don't mind at all."
"Really? Thanks."
Then Sinon, her voice filled with excitement, said:
"A craftsman, huh... Yes, I hope he levels up quickly. Maybe eventually, he can even make my weapons..."
"Yeah, he could probably extend the range and definitely make them stronger than they are now."
"Right, right?! Aha, the possibilities are endless, Shana!"
"Ah, ah."
As Sinon innocently leaned in, peering into Shana's face, Shana, flustered by their proximity, simply agreed. By then, she was able to stand normally, so Shana got up. Sinon, though looking a little disappointed, stood with her.
"Alright, let's head off then."
"Okay."
And so, the two began to make their way to the meeting place, when Shana, as if remembering something, asked Sinon:
"By the way, what kind of souvenir do you want from Kyoto? Any requests?"
"Hmm, Kyoto, huh... I don't really know much about it... But, yeah, something I can wear would be nice."
"Eh? I totally thought you'd ask for food..."
"How much of a glutton do you think I am?!"
Sinon immediately protested, but Shana shook her head and explained his intention.
"No, no, that's not it. You live alone, right? So, I thought you'd appreciate something famous that you could also use as a side dish or something."
"Oh, I see! You thought that far ahead. Sorry for misunderstanding."
"No, well, it's a souvenir, so it's best to get something the person receiving it would genuinely like. Ask for anything you want."
"Wait, let me consider it now."
"O-okay."
And Sinon, with a serious expression, began to mutter to herself.
"Ask for food, and then use the delivery as an excuse to get him to come over again? Hmm, possible. Sharing a meal, especially if it's home-cooked, would have incredible power. But a souvenir would be pre-made... No, there's always the option of adding a personal touch. On the other hand, accessories... something I can wear all the time, even to school, that's decided. The special feeling of only wearing it occasionally is important too, but the pseudo-sense of being constantly together, that's more crucial. Now, which to choose..."
And after much agonizing, Sinon finally reached a conclusion.
"Okay, accessories it is."
"I see, understood. Then I'll discuss it with Shiz..."
"You can discuss it, but ultimately, you have to choose it yourself."
"...I have absolutely no sense for that kind of thing."
"Suffer terribly thinking about it."
"Understood, as you wish..."
Shana decided he would think about it to death once he went shopping, and for now, he asked Sinon what her favorite color was.
"Hey, what's your favorite color?"
"Favorite color? Hmm... Well, the color of this hair?"
Hearing that, Shana's face suddenly brightened. He glanced briefly at Sinon's legs, then hastily averted his eyes. But Sinon saw it clearly. Sinon stopped, trembling slightly, and asked Shana:
"...Did you just remember something weird?"
"I-it's your imagination! No, it's not like I was thinking about your underwear or anything... Ah!"
In that instant, Shana backstepped at an incredible speed. Sinon's fist brushed past his bangs.
"Y-y-y-you! That clearly had more power than the body blow earlier!"
"Tch."
"Don't 'Tch' me! What if we're even more late arriving?!"
"Oh, be quiet. I just thought I'd try to knock some memories out of you. Besides, that was your fault."
"I'm sorry, it was my fault. Please forgive me."
"Hmph."
And then, as if nothing had happened, the two started running again. Somehow, they seemed to make a good pair.
"By the way, are you working part-time?"
Shana suddenly asked. Sinon looked bewildered as she replied.
"I am, actually."
"What kind of part-time job are you doing?"
"Fast food. I'm a student, after all."
"You, in customer service? Doesn't suit you..."
"Huh?"
Sinon stopped again and, with a beaming smile, said to Shana:
"Welcome! May I take your order? This set is a great deal right now, highly recommended!"
"Oh... T-then I'll have that."
After accidentally saying that, Shana looked at Sinon with a start. Sinon dropped her customer service smile and gazed at Shana with a triumphant smirk. Shana, wanting to change the subject before anything else could be said, smoothly shifted gears.
"N-no, I asked about your part-time job because I've been inviting you to do a lot of things, and I was wondering if it was putting a strain on you."
In response to Shana's words, Sinon hesitated, wondering if she was causing him concern, but she answered honestly:
"Oh, yeah, I guess my income might decrease a bit... But it's fine. I'm not really struggling."
"Is that so... But still..."
"Seriously, it's fine. If you're thinking of just giving me money directly, I'll punch you again."
"I wouldn't be that rude,さすがにそんな失礼なことはしない.But... Ah, I know! Just a moment."
Shana, as if an idea had struck him, began sending a message somewhere. It seemed he received an immediate reply, and after checking it, he nodded repeatedly, looking around to see if anyone was nearby. Seeing a few passersby, Shana grabbed Sinon's arm and said:
"It's too public here. Sinon, come over here for a moment."
"Ah, wait!"
The two moved into a narrow alley, so cramped that two people could barely walk side-by-side. Naturally, it was quite snug, and their proximity made Sinon's heart pound.
"Phew, no one will see us here. Hey Sinon, is now a good time?"
"Eh...?"
The words "is now a good time?" echoed in Sinon's head. And then, her face bright red, Sinon said:
"Y-yeah, it's fine."
And Sinon gently put her arm around Shana's head, closed her eyes, and lifted her face slightly. Shana realized Sinon had misunderstood and hastily told her:
"N-no, calm down! Hey Sinon, how would you like to work part-time for us?"
Hearing that, Sinon opened her eyes. For a moment, she looked bewildered. Then, realizing her misunderstanding, she looked down, her face bright red, and asked Shana:
"Us...? You don't mean Soleil, do you?"
"Yeah. And since it uses the Amusphere, you can work from home. We'll cover all communication costs. It's roughly two hours a day, and any number of days a week is okay."
At those exceptional conditions, Sinon forgot her embarrassment and looked up in surprise.
"Really? Two hours a day... If I work five days a week, that's nearly 40,000 yen a month. I could manage that..."
"Hm? What kind of calculation is that?"
"Eh? Uh, I calculated it at 900 yen an hour, but was it cheaper?"
"Huh? Lean in for a second. The hourly wage for this job is..."
Shana whispered a certain number into Sinon's ear.
"Hmm, hmm... Eh?! T-three thousand?! No way, isn't that too high? Then even three days a week..."
"Well, you can work as many days as you like."
"Please let me do it! I beg you!"
"Alright, I'll talk to Rosalia about it then."
The moment they stepped out of the alley, Shizuka and the other two were standing there. It seemed they had successfully met up with Ikoma and returned. Ikoma was smiling awkwardly, looking troubled, and Pitohui was bouncing up and down, exclaiming, "No fair, no fair!" Shizuka, with her arms crossed, stood like a guardian deity and said to Shana:
"Shana, what exactly were you two doing alone in such a narrow alley, hm? Hm?"
"N-no, it's a misunderstanding, Shiz! Please listen to me!"
"Sinon-chan, what happened?"
In response to the question, Sinon, looking timidly at Shizuka, said:
"Well... Shana suddenly dragged me in..."
"Y-you traitor!"
"Hmph, that's your punishment for making me have strange expectations."
"That was your own assumption..."
"Shana, kneel down, for starters."
"Ugh... O-okay..."
And so, Shana remained kneeling there until the misunderstanding was cleared up.
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