"I say, Origami."
"I'm here, Lord Ryuya!"
Looking at the excited, obedient, and well-behaved Origami, 'Ryuya's' face showed a conflicted expression. After a moment's hesitation, he ultimately decided to continue pushing Origami's limits.
"Origami, actually, I'm not just a lolicon and a shotacon... I'm also a playboy. I'm dating dozens of people at once."
"Hmm?" Looking at 'Ryuya', who seemed to be throwing in the towel, Origami twitched an eyebrow.
'Maybe it's working?'
Holding this thought, just as 'Ryuya' prepared to increase the difficulty...
"As long as I eliminate all those other people, it's fine, right?"
"You... what are you saying?"
Looking at the murderous aura emanating from Origami, 'Ryuya' panicked a little, 'Darn it, is this woman actually serious about killing them?'
"N-no... even if you say that, I also..."
Swallowing hard, just as 'Ryuya' was at a loss...
"Hmm, acceptable."
Nodding slightly, even though Origami was young and almost two heads shorter than Ryuya, her gaze at this moment made 'Ryuya' feel she was the mature one.
"What do you mean, Origami? I'm not…"
"Shh."
Gently pressing a finger to 'Ryuya's' lips, Origami's usually expressionless face rarely showed a smile, "Natsumi, your transformation is truly perfect. Your voice and appearance are identical to Ryuya-sama's."
"But you might have forgotten one thing. Ryuya-sama might be a lolicon, might be a shotacon, but he is absolutely not a scumbag or a playboy. He holds genuine affection for all his lovers and is serious and responsible towards them."
"You forgot this point. So no matter how similar the appearance, the inner soul remains different."
"Not to mention... the feeling you give me is completely different from Ryuya-sama's."
"However..."
At this point, Origami's smile widened, displaying a unique beauty under the sunlight.
"However... I still have to thank you, Natsumi. I was really happy today, being able to spend time with Ryuya-sama, even if it was just you wearing his appearance."
"After all, you and Ryuya-sama are mentally connected, right?"
Natsumi impersonating Ryuya + Ryuya's mental link ≈ Being with Ryuya himself.
'Darn it, what kind of simp is this? No wonder this summer is so hot! It's because of women like you in Tengu City!'
Thoroughly rendered speechless by Origami, Natsumi's first match: Failure.
Evening, inside the building where Ryuya and the others live.
"La la la..."
Humming a simple tune softly, Tohka, back from school, was happily cooking instant noodles.
Yes, she was cooking instant noodles.
Because of her astonishing appetite, Tohka loved eating and often stuffed her pockets with snacks. The method for cooking instant noodles was something she pestered Ryuya to teach her.
Cooking the noodles very seriously, Tohka quite enjoyed her solo cooking time.
"Tohka."
"Ah, it's Shiori!"
Because she was in the same class as Shiori, Origami, Yamai Sisters, Kurumi, and others, Tohka got along very well with these sisters her age.
But her favorite, aside from Ryuya, was definitely Shiori.
It couldn't be helped, after all, when she first manifested in Tengu City, Shiori was the first person she met.
Remembering that she initially thought about attacking Shiori, Tohka always felt a bit sorry towards her.
Seeing Shiori visiting the building again, Tohka felt like she'd been seeing the three Itsuka Sisters here frequently lately, wondering why didn't they need to go home?
"Tohka."
With hair like the night sky swayed in the wind, her incredibly beautiful face full of a naive, lovely smile.
Watching Tohka cook seriously, Shiori prepared to go help.
"By the way, Tohka."
Adding some seasoning to Tohka's noodles, trying to make the instant ramen tastier, Shiori asked, "I heard a Spirit that can transform into anyone came here, and that she made a bet with Ryuya-sensei. Is that true?"
"It's true.", Tohka sniffed the aroma of the noodles. So fragrant.
"What's her purpose? Is she an enemy?"
"I don't know about that."
Shaking her head, Tohka was never one to bother understanding such things. She indicated that whatever the girl named Natsumi did was fine, as she only knew eating was important.
If Shiori had questions, she should just go ask Westcott directly.
"Westcott-nee?"
Feeling a bit intimidated by the cool beauty older sister with silver-white hair, Shiori thought for a moment and decided it was better to ask for details.
Already considering herself part of this big family, and seeing the happy smile on Kotori's face, Shiori nodded and headed towards the floor where Westcott usually was.
However... about a minute later, she came back.
"Tohka, I just remembered something I wanted to ask you... Tohka, what are you doing?"
The moment Shiori returned, Tohka, who had been smiling just moments before, stared at her intently and hid the instant noodles behind her back.
"Tohka, you..."
"Who are you?"
Though she didn't have much spiritual power, the fluctuation was enough to trigger the building's alarm. Startled by Tohka's sensitivity, 'Shiori' showed a helpless smile.
"Heh, impressive. You recognized me just like that?"
"As expected, you instinctual types are the most troublesome."
Sighing, as 'Shiori's' figure changed, Natsumi's true form reappeared.
After being seen through by Origami, Natsumi wondered if she could use a timing trick to catch someone off guard.
It wasn't like anyone said she had to transform into Ryuya, right?
Besides, hadn't Ryuya said he would seal all his perceptions during the bet?
So Natsumi felt she could boldly experiment.
After all, there were still many people left.
But the result...
"It's fine. It's only been a few people. Our bet still has a long way to go."
Taking one last deep look at the bowl of instant noodles Tohka was protecting, Natsumi felt as if she had been somewhat insulted, yet couldn't quite put the feeling into words.