Chapter 78 Volume 4 Chapter 11: The Girls' Date (Part 1)
“Go after her, Shidou!”
“I know… I know…”
After slipping past the curtain strips, Shiori walked straight into the backstage area.
Unlike the splendid stage, this place was cluttered and messy.
Both sides of the dim passage were packed with all kinds of objects, making the already narrow walkway feel even tighter.
Well, that was normal—after all, the more glamorous something looked on the outside, the more likely its insides were to be filthy.
Careful not to trip, Shiori followed the passage until she reached a door and peeked inside.
“Ah…”
Shidou accidentally stepped on a soft wooden plank on the floor, producing a faint creak.
And right now, Miku was standing at the center of the stage, apparently about to sing.
The sight was déjà vu—identical to what had happened just a few days ago.
Back then, Shidou had watched the same scene in an empty theater, and the way things unfolded now was almost exactly the same.
Perhaps noticing Shidou’s actions, his little sister’s exasperated sigh came through the earpiece.
“I mean… you haven’t even met her yet. Why are you already nervous!?”
“I—I know that, it’s just that this development is…”
“Relax, you’re a cute girl right now, okay? Big sis~?”
Hearing Kotori call him *‘big sis’* in such an adorable tone made Shidou feel like his chastity might genuinely be in danger.
“Kotori… are you sure this will really work?”
“Don’t worry. If our assumption is correct, Izayoi Miku shouldn’t react to you like she did before.”
“Uh, and what if it’s wrong?”
“I’ll try my best to leave you with a complete corpse.”
“Hey!!”
“Anyway, Miku shouldn’t dislike you because of your gender. Whether my big sister can actually catch her eye is another matter.”
“Can you please not call me that…? Ugh, whatever. I’m going.”
Shiori took a deep breath, lightly slapped her cheeks, and stepped onto the stage.
Hearing the footsteps behind her, Miku turned around.
“Oh my?”
Her eyes widened as she looked Shidou up and down.
Did she see through the disguise?
Shiori felt her heart leap into her throat.
“Y-you are…?”
“Oh, I’m… uh, I—I’m…”
Nervous, Shiori almost slipped up, though it seemed Miku didn’t notice.
“Hehe, no need to be that tense.”
Seeing Shiori nervous, Izayoi Miku waved her hand gently like a big sister comforting a shy girl.
Shiori opened her mouth to greet her—
But Kotori’s voice suddenly cut in.
“Wait! A choice has appeared!”
A window popped up on the main screen displaying Miku and Shidou’s live feed.
① “You’re Izayoi Miku, right? Please sign this for me!”
② “May I ask what you’re doing here?”
③ “Excuse me, could you sell me the panties you’re wearing right now for 30,000 yen?”
“All units, vote!”
After Kotori shouted, the touch panel immediately displayed the results.
The highest votes went to—②.
However… surprisingly, the second place was ③.
“② is definitely the best option… but seriously, what’s with ③?”
As Kotori questioned it, the crew members explained one by one:
“If a man said something like that, he’d definitely be seen as a creep. But since Shidou-kun looks like an extremely cute girl right now, and we want to quickly raise the Spirit’s affection, an impression-strong line might actually be more effective…”
“Bold lines with strong emotional impact can work well. It was effective last time when we dealt with Kurumi, right?”
Hearing them, Kotori held her chin thoughtfully.
“Alright… we’ll go with that.”
She pulled the mic closer and issued the command to Shidou.
“What… you’re serious?”
“Relax, you’re a girl right now. Just pretend it’s a joke from start to finish.”
“Are you *sure* this will work…?”
Shiori still found it hard to accept, but she couldn’t keep Miku waiting any longer.
She took a deep breath, prepared for life-or-death consequences, and spoke:
“Excuse me… could you sell me the panties you’re wearing… for 30,000 yen?”
“Eh?”
Miku’s eyes widened as she tilted her head.
“Huh? Why?”
“T-that’s… um…”
Shiori looked troubled, her words stuttering.
Seeing the adorable girl so flustered, Miku seemed delighted and gave her a gentle smile.
That smile made Shidou’s shoulders tremble involuntarily.
The memory of being verbally destroyed by Miku with that same expression a few days ago was still vivid.
But this time, the voice coming from her lips wasn’t angry at all—it was cheerful.
“Hmm… I don’t really like money-based exchanges. But if you’re willing to trade yours for mine, I might consider it~”
“Eh?? Eh—EH?!”
Hearing such a bold line, Shiori—the herbivore type young man turned “girl”—turned bright red, pressing her hands down over her skirt. She couldn’t look any cuter if she tried.
If the crew didn’t know Shidou was originally a guy, they might’ve really thought this was Shidou’s long-lost cousin.
Seeing his reaction, Miku laughed.
“Just kidding~ Besides, shouldn’t *I* be the one reacting like that?”
“Ah… I-I see… s-sorry, I was joking too…”
The two girls exchanged awkward smiles, then fell silent again.
Time was limited. Shidou searched desperately for a topic to keep the conversation going.
Then—
“Oh my, isn’t this Miss Apocalypse?!”
Looking past Shiori, Miku shrieked excitedly like a child who had found a new toy.
“…?”
Hearing the terrifying title “Apocalypse,” Shiori stiffly turned around like a malfunctioning robot—
And there she was: just a short distance behind him, Tenqi Mitsuba (Tenqii Sanluo) stared in surprise as she walked forward toward Miku.
On the airship, Kotori’s expression grew serious.
“Shidou… looks like you were right.”
…
Although she had expected possible complications with Shidou, Tenqi still felt her heart skip a beat when she walked in and saw the tall, adorable girl standing there.
Her senses hadn’t lied, and her eyes confirmed it—there was only one truth:
This blue-haired girl was indeed the useless Shidou Itsuka.
From what she overheard earlier, Shidou must’ve gone all-out, using a voice changer and fully acting the part. Tenqi had seen such gadgets in the black market just days ago.
Honestly, if she hadn’t detected Shidou beforehand and confirmed through subtle facial traits, Tenqi would never have guessed that this beautiful girl was Shidou in drag.
This guy looked plain and unremarkable as a man, yet in women’s clothes he was *this* striking?!
Tenqi had no concept of “trap” or “crossdresser,” but today she learned.
Who knew Shidou would go so far to capture a Spirit’s heart?
Still, even with her sharp eyes, Tenqi couldn’t tell whether he was just cross-dressing or had actually been castrated. Judging from the performance, he was the very definition of a proper girl.
If he *had* become a eunuch just to win over Miku, Tenqi would at least respect his bravery… though whether he survived to be honored later was another matter.
“Oh my! Isn’t this Miss Apocalypse?”
Miku’s voice was as energetic as always.
“Ah yes, that’s me. And this young lady is…?”
Tenqi stopped in front of Shiori, their eyes meeting.
The overwhelming aura of the “most brutal Spirit” made Shiori almost unable to breathe.
While making small talk, Tenqi’s right hand suddenly slipped under the skirt of the girl before her—hidden from Miku’s view—and grabbed.
“Eek—!”
Caught off guard, the “girl” let out a completely feminine gasp, her face turning crimson.
“…There’s something there. So he hasn’t *actually* become a girl. But that reaction…”
Tenqi clicked her tongue internally, then stepped beside Miku as if nothing had happened.
“My, are you alright, miss?”
Miku noticed Shiori’s strange reaction and asked with concern.
“I-I’m fine…”
Shiori wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile under Tenqi’s “friendly” gaze.
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