The five of them stood in front of the chosen photo studio, all looking up at the dilapidated building opposite them.
"So it's this kind of hospital!" Marin exclaimed in surprise.
"I thought it was just an indoor set, like one of those rooms with all sorts of props and equipment set up, where you can take photos and stuff."
"I didn't know there were photo studios like this! This is my first time in a ruin like this."
The more Marin spoke, the more excited she became. Wakana, standing beside her, also said with a relieved expression, "Indeed, it's my first time seeing something like this too."
"There's no need to be surprised. After all, places like this aren't scenes that are used frequently," Akira reminded her, implying there was no need for such astonishment.
Although it was his first time at a photo studio like this, his previous impression was that these places were just abandoned, unfinished buildings.
"Shinju, have you not shot in a place like this either?" Marin asked.
Shinju replied shyly, "I've only heard about it before. I've been looking forward to taking photos in a place like this for a long time."
Akira looked down. Perhaps due to the gloomy weather, the usually lively Sajuna had become quiet at this moment.
Akira remembered that Sajuna seemed to have a weakness. She was afraid of the dark.
Akira reached out and gently took Sajuna's clenched right hand.
He gently squeezed it. Her soft fist immediately relaxed, and Akira smoothly intertwined his fingers with Sajuna's.
Sajuna looked up at Akira.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here." Akira's face showed a gentle smile.
"Mm." Sajuna leaned a little closer to Akira. Although she was still a bit afraid of the dark, she felt that with Aki-kun there, she didn't need to worry about anything happening.
No matter what happened, Aki-kun would save her, right?
Aki-kun is the best!
Sajuna's face showed a relieved expression, and she let out a soft breath, seemingly much less nervous than before.
"Let's go in and take a look," Sajuna said, turning to Marin.
"Oh, okay." Marin replied blankly. Why was Juju-sama speaking to her proactively?
When Akira-kun was around, she always stuck to Akira-kun.
She even felt a slight touch of emotion inside.
Sajuna led the four of them into the abandoned hospital. After swiping her card at the hospital entrance, they finally saw the interior of the old hospital.
Dust floated everywhere, accompanied by the cold, damp weather, creating an eerie and unsettling feeling.
Sajuna's grip on Akira's hand tightened involuntarily.
Marin and Wakana walked to the window, looked at the scenery outside, and said, "I feel like this place has pretty good lighting! It's just cloudy today. Otherwise, we could see the effect."
Marin patted Wakana's arm. "Gojo-kun, what do you think?"
Wakana also looked around the environment. He seemed quite excited and didn't mind Marin patting his shoulder. Instead, he answered seriously, "I think this place is very good! It's very suitable for the Flower Princess character shoot."
"Like that corner just now!" Wakana stretched out his hand, pointing to the shaded corner. "That place is perfect for Shion's monologue after her defeat."
This atmosphere and lighting must have been specially arranged.
Akira heard Wakana's assessment and followed Wakana's hand to look over, not expecting it to be the exact location Sajuna had seen on her phone.
"Wakana truly has a natural talent," Akira said with a smile, praising Wakana.
"Eh? Akira-kun?" Wakana looked puzzled.
"Sajuna chose this photo studio precisely because that spot was suitable for her portrayal of little Shion," Akira said, giving a thumbs-up. "I didn't expect Wakana to spot it right away."
"Ah, then that's really lucky." Wakana awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. He had just watched the anime carefully and thought that the atmosphere of that place was suitable. It didn't seem like a big deal.
Kitagawa, however, looked at Wakana with an expression of admiration, seemingly having a renewed impression of him.
As expected of Gojo-kun!
He's truly so cool!
Akira glanced around the environment and felt a tug on the hand he was holding with Sajuna.
He looked down to see Sajuna looking up at him.
"What's wrong, Sajuna?"
Sajuna looked into Akira's eyes, and her other hand reached out to grasp Akira's left hand.
"Aki-kun, walk around with me."
Akira was a bit speechless. He raised his right hand and gently stroked Sajuna's hair.
It's not embarrassing to feel scared in this kind of environment.
There's no need to force yourself to act strong in front of Shinju.
Shinju doesn't see her older sister as an all-powerful superhuman.
Sajuna, in any state and at any time, is equally adorable in Shinju's heart.
Sajuna pulled Akira's arm and began to wander around the abandoned hospital.
Although she was a little scared inside, Aki-kun's palm was warm, and she felt as if the coldness of the environment had been somewhat dispelled.
"Sajuna. What about that spot over there?" Akira said, looking at an open space not far away. There were no major obstacles on the open ground, just scattered stones and dust.
"Huh?" Sajuna was momentarily stunned. At first, she was seriously looking at the location, but because she was holding Aki-kun's hand, she became more and more focused on their intertwined hands.
After that, she had just been wandering aimlessly, and she didn't expect Aki-kun to still be thinking about looking at the location.
Sajuna's cheeks flushed slightly even in this environment.
Really, how embarrassing.
Sajuna looked up at the open space Akira was pointing to. After looking for almost a minute, she still didn't understand what Akira was pointing at.
A question mark practically appeared above Sajuna's head.
She was so clearly puzzled that she even forgot her fear.
"What's wrong with that open space?"
"That open space is very suitable for cosplay," Akira said as a matter of course.
Sajuna looked at the open space again, then thought about the characters they were going to cosplay this time. She felt that there shouldn't be any need to use an open space for cosplay.
After all, her Black Lily Little Shion cosplay wouldn't involve any battle poses, so there was no need for such an open space.
Akira looked at Sajuna's bewildered expression, sighed, and reminded her.
"Sajuna, why don't you try to think about what character I'm cosplaying?"
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