Gold Ship swept her gaze over the gathered crowd and finally pinpointed the crux of the current situation.
Half-hanging off the windowsill, she pointed at the plush doll in Dream Weaver's hands and shouted.
"Aha!"
"Getting caught secretly making little toys by the star herself—now that's a fan-fail for sure!"
Nanno Sumire, who had been slightly flustered moments before, felt a surge of anger rise from her heart to her head at the sight of Gold Ship popping up from who-knows-where.
Completely ignoring Dream Weaver, she rushed over to Gold Ship, grabbed her cheeks, and squeezed them in a mix of embarrassment and annoyance as she cried out, "What on earth are you talking about!"
"And anyway, didn't you have a hand in making these dolls too!"
With her cheeks squished, Gold Ship's voice came out muffled and garbled.
"But m' concience is clearrr!"
As she spoke, she ducked her head and slipped free from Nanno Sumire's grip, then pulled out a Dream Weaver doll from seemingly nowhere.
Right in front of Dream Weaver herself, she poked the doll's cheek.
Dream Weaver, baffled by what she was doing, tilted her head in confusion.
Seeing no reaction, the undeterred Gold Ship poked the doll's side.
Still clueless, Dream Weaver tilted her head even further.
After two pokes yielded no response, Gold Ship held up the doll, furrowed her brow, and muttered to herself,
"That's weird. Shouldn't the doll-Dream move each time Golshi-chan pokes it? Wouldn't that prove, through practical demonstration, that I've had this handy tool all along but never used it—making me a model of moral integrity?"
"What kind of world has dolls with functions like that…"
Having watched this absurd performance until she was utterly speechless, Dream Weaver twitched the corner of her mouth and said to Gold Ship with resignation, "If it were Gold Planet, then maybe it could do that!"
Gold Ship, as if completely missing the sarcasm, met Dream Weaver's gaze with firm, determined eyes and replied, "Just a friendly reminder…"
"This is Earth." Artisan Bell pointed at the floor, addressing Gold Ship.
"Whoa, why didn't you say so earlier! So Golshi-chan was being silly all along?!"
"Do you ever not act silly…"
Nanno Sumire sighed, placing her hands on her hips. By now, her flustered anger toward Gold Ship had completely faded.
But thanks to Gold Ship's interruption, the slightly awkward atmosphere from earlier had unconsciously dissipated.
Finally seizing her chance to speak, Chizuru Haibara pressed her interlaced fingers to the tip of her nose and adopted an exaggeratedly solemn tone.
"As the Dream Weaver Fan Club, isn't it perfectly normal to produce merchandise like plush dolls?"
"Going by craftsmanship standards, it's already way beyond normal," Dream Weaver countered, but Chizuru wasn't deterred.
She continued in that deep, theatrical voice, "But this so-called 'abnormality' is precisely the treasure of our Dream Weaver Fan Club!"
"Could you please stop bringing up that name? It's honestly kind of embarrassing…" Dream Weaver said helplessly, tugging at her cheek.
Ignoring her completely, Chizuru Haibara suddenly stood up and dramatically pointed toward Kobayashi Kaze, who had been watching from the sidelines.
"That's right! The person responsible for making these dolls is none other than her—Kobayashi Kaze!"
Thinking she was about to be thrown under the bus, Kaze's face paled. She really didn't want Dream Weaver to see her as some weirdo who secretly made idol dolls at night.
Even though she totally was.
But before Kaze could refute anything, Chizuru pressed on, "As a top student in the Logistics and Attire Department, she's an undisputed craftswoman genius!"
"First-class in both design and execution, she's already participating in fashion exhibitions reserved for professionals—and she's still a student!"
Kaze, baffled by the sudden praise, scratched her head awkwardly.
"The reason I brought you here today," Chizuru declared, turning back to Dream Weaver with a raised voice, "is so she can create a custom-made victory outfit for you, one-on-one!"
"Huh, me?" Kaze pointed at herself, completely unprepared to be the day's main event. She looked at Chizuru with disbelief.
"Chizuru-nee… was this your plan all along?!"
Switching to their private teacher-student channel, Chizuru winked at her.
"Exactly! You know this, Kaze—you've always been the student I believe in most. That's why I'm giving you this first chance to work closely with Dream!"
"You've got to make the most of it!"
"Chizuru-nee…" Moved by her words, Kaze gave a firm, determined nod.
Then she stepped forward, radiating an unstoppable aura as she stood before the group.
'All this time, I've only ever been a side character in the crowd. Not like Sumire, who shares a special promise with Dream, or like Roman, blessed with incredible talent. Even Bell's been far more help to Dream than I ever was.'
'Back at Kasamatsu Tracen, I just passively basked in the brilliance Dream brought. Even when I started shining in another world, I never really managed to do much for Dream herself.'
'But now, the chance to change everything is right in front of me. I have to consider—this might be the only opportunity I ever get.'
In that moment, the strength of her dear friend Nishimoto Makusa, Principal Haibara, and even that sometimes-forgotten rickshaw pillar, Trainer Satou Ken, all seemed to flow into Kobayashi Kaze.
The glory of Kasamatsu's past was tied to all of them. Reviving the honor of the side characters—this is a duty we cannot shirk!
Standing proudly before Dream Weaver, Kaze thumped her chest and declared with spirited confidence,
"Whatever you want, just name it! I'm all ears!"
"O-oh."
Watching Kaze, whose presence had somehow intensified dramatically, Dream Weaver nodded blankly.
Truth be told, whenever she was around everyone from Kasamatsu, the mood naturally veered straight toward pure silliness.
Dream Weaver had almost forgotten why she'd come here today.
But she quickly collected herself and reached out a hand to Kaze.
"Then I'll leave it to you!"
If she was going to carry the hopes of her audience, she naturally had to become the brightest star on the stage.
A vivid, eye-catching victory outfit would help Dream Weaver capture the attention of even more spectators.
Seeing Dream Weaver's earnestness, the excitement in Kaze's heart soared to new heights. Eagerly, she grasped the offered hand.
"Leave it to me! I swear on my reputation as Kobayashi Kaze of the Logistics and Attire Department—I'll create the most perfect victory outfit for you!"
Beside them, Chizuru Haibara watched with a pleased smile, leaning back in her chair as she thought triumphantly to herself, 'This way, I'm helping Kaze shine while also using her superb skills to make Dream see me as reliable.'
'To come up with such a win-win strategy… could it be? Am I actually a genius?'
Right then, Gold Ship, still perched on the windowsill, rolled her eyes as another mischievous idea clearly struck her. A few soft, scheming chuckles escaped her.
After snapping a quick photo of the scene with her phone, she couldn't wait any longer and hurried off.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.