Chapter 380: Fujiwara Chika's Troubles
Seeing that Asagiri was not angry and that the atmosphere had not turned awkward or silent, Kaguya Shinomiya let out a quiet sigh of relief. A smile graced her lips as she retorted without showing any weakness.
"If we're really going to talk about it, the physical capabilities of everyone here have already exceeded the category of carbon-based lifeforms, right?"
"Uh…" Yamauchi Sakura raised her hand, cautiously interjecting. "I, for one, am still considered a normal human, you know…"
Kato Megumi patted Yamauchi Sakura on the shoulder, reassuring her in a gentle tone. "Don't worry about it. Just let them argue. We're already used to it."
Just as Kato Megumi had said, upon hearing Kaguya Shinomiya's counterattack, Asagiri simply chuckled and fired right back. "The fact that you thought I was referring to physical fitness is proof that you are so dense that you don't even seem like a carbon-based lifeform."
"Dense? What on earth are you talking about?" Kaguya Shinomiya's competitive spirit was instantly ignited, her brow furrowing slightly as she spoke. "If we're talking about being dense, you're the one who's dense. Otherwise, how could you still not have noticed me until now..."
Hearing this, Hayasaka Ai's expression changed. With lightning-fast speed, she reached out and clamped a hand over Kaguya Shinomiya's mouth.
Forcibly interrupted, Kaguya Shinomiya belatedly realized her slip of the tongue. Her pretty face instantly flushed a deep red, and steam practically rose from her head.
What on earth was she about to say just now?!
"Utsunomiya-san, it's because you're too dense that you haven't noticed my feelings for you until now"...?!
How could she possibly say something like that in front of so many people? No, even if she were completely alone with Asagiri, it would be hard for her to say it. Because if she did... if she actually said that...
Wouldn't that be the same as a confession?!
"Ahem..."
Once Hayasaka Ai finally took her hand away, Kaguya Shinomiya smoothed out her long black hair and looked at Asagiri, clearing her throat to regain her composure.
"What I meant was," she said in a calm, measured tone, "it's because you're too dense that you haven't noticed until now that I need your help with the work in the Student Council. You should have long since moved from being a nominal Vice President to one who actually handles matters."
"Oh?" Asagiri saw right through her but chose not to expose her, merely offering an amused smile. "Shinomiya."
"What?"
"Such a stubborn mouth."
"You..." Kaguya Shinomiya bit her lip, looking thoroughly unwilling and desperate to retort.
But as she thought about it, she realized she couldn't refute his words. To argue would be to admit she was being stubborn, and admitting she was being stubborn meant admitting that her excuse about the Vice President position was a total sham. That would bring everything right back to the most important, untouchable issue—the sentence she hadn't finished earlier.
Caught between her competitive spirit and her shy romantic feelings, Kaguya Shinomiya took less than a tenth of a second to make her choice.
"I lose."
"Heh." Asagiri glanced at Kaguya Shinomiya before turning his gaze to Hayasaka Ai, who was sitting beside her with an exhausted, *I-wish-you-were-better* look on her face. "Hayasaka."
"What is it?"
"You've worked hard."
"Sigh... as long as you understand."
Kaguya Shinomiya let out a soft sigh, her expression complicated. "Why are you two suddenly on the same side...?"
Asagiri shook his head and said bluntly, "Being a personal maid for a battle-shy lizard... I've already started to sympathize with Hayasaka."
Hearing Asagiri use a term like "battle-shy lizard"—which was incredibly abstract yet strangely fitting—to describe Kaguya Shinomiya, Hayasaka Ai couldn't hold back and laughed out loud.
"Haha! Battle-shy lizard..."
At that moment, Crazy Mita, who had been sitting at the table fiddling with the mobile phones, looked up and spoke with slight impatience. "Everything is cracked, and the data has been copied to that person named Miwa Ashikaga. I'm heading back."
"Thank you for your help," Asagiri said, his face straightening as he addressed her in a solemn tone. "Thank you, Mysterious Phone Hero."
"Hmph." Crazy Mita raised her chin and snorted softly. "Don't give people weird nicknames. Alright, I'm going back."
With that, Crazy Mita disappeared. Kato Megumi covered her mouth and chuckled. "Compared to when we first met, she seems to have become much more normal. That sentence and her expression just now... she's practically a textbook tsundere."
"Being a tsundere is fine, as long as she isn't a yandere," Asagiri remarked smoothly. Then, he smiled and continued, "Alright, the brief battle episode is over. The investigation into the remaining members of the Laughing Coffin and the Sakurakawa Family will be handled by the authorities, so we don't need to worry. Next, it's time to wait for the Fireworks Festival in a few days."
"The Fireworks Festival, huh..."
Asagiri noticed that when Fujiwara Chika heard this, she looked as though she wanted to say something but hesitated. She seemed to be struggling with an internal conflict, though she ultimately kept quiet.
---
Half an hour later, in another room of the hotel.
"What to do, what to do, what to do..."
Fujiwara Chika lay face down on the soft bed, tossing and turning until she had completely drained herself of energy.
The problem tormenting her was simple enough to state, but... it was also deeply embarrassing.
To put it bluntly, it was too big.
After buying her kimono, Fujiwara Chika had tried it on in her room, only to discover a very serious issue. Because of her bust size, the front of the kimono was pushed out drastically. Visually, it looked far too... lewd, suggestive, explosive, and seductive. In short, it gave off *that* kind of feeling.
In her imagination, attending the Fireworks Festival with the boy she liked was supposed to be beautiful. It should have been an ambiguous atmosphere filled with innocent feelings, a wonderful moment where her heart drew closer to Utsunomiya-san's.
But wearing clothing that looked like that? How could that be wonderful?! It completely ruined the vibe! If she were only wearing it for Utsunomiya-san to see in private, that would be one thing, but going out to a public place was a completely different story!
Just as Fujiwara Chika was agonizing over her dilemma, a sudden knock sounded at the door.
"Hmm? Is that Kaguya? Or Asuna...?" Fujiwara Chika wondered. Didn't they all agree to rest for the remainder of the day? Why were they coming to see her again?
Puzzled, she jumped off the bed and trotted over to open the door.
"Why... Eh? Utsunomiya-san?!"
"Fujiwara."
"Why did you come..." Halfway through her sentence, Fujiwara Chika panicked, hurriedly clarifying, "I-I didn't mean you aren't welcome! I was just a bit surprised. Come in first."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Asagiri stepped into the room and took a seat on the sofa in the outer living area. Looking at his face, Fujiwara Chika felt her heart flutter. She took a deep breath to steady her emotions and forced a sweet smile.
"Why did you suddenly come to find me? Do you want to ask me out to hang out?"
"That's not it."
"Eh..."
Seeing Fujiwara Chika's face fall with disappointment, Asagiri cut straight to the chase. "You seemed to be worried about something earlier."
"You could tell...?"
Hearing his question, Fujiwara Chika pursed her lips. A bright blush spread across her pretty face, her eyes betraying her intense inner conflict.
Should she tell him about her worries? If it were an ordinary problem, it would be fine. But Utsunomiya-san was a boy, and they weren't even a couple yet. Wouldn't it be incredibly embarrassing to bring up this kind of topic?!
As Fujiwara Chika wrestled with her thoughts, Asagiri seemed to read her mind completely and spoke without hesitation.
"Is it because your chest is too big, so it doesn't look right in a kimono?"
"Eh?! How did you know?!"
"Heh, don't underestimate my Eroge Creator intelligence network!" Asagiri replied with an air of absolute confidence.
Seeing that Fujiwara Chika's mood had improved with a smile, he grinned and continued, "Actually, it's not like there isn't a solution. If the front is being pushed up too much because of your size, you just need to wrap it."
Fujiwara Chika blinked, a cute, utterly blank expression on her face as she asked curiously, "Wrap it? With tape?"
Hearing her shocking suggestion, Asagiri looked appalled. "Whoa, you're pretty ruthless to yourself. Tape? Why don't you just use superglue while you're at it? Of course I mean with cloth. There's a specific kind of binding cloth made just for that area, usually prepared for people who do cosplay."
"Oh, I see..." Fujiwara Chika nodded in understanding, before a new question popped into her head. "What is cosplay?"
"Oh right, I forgot you're a young lady who only plays board games and knows nothing about otaku culture. But that's not important." Asagiri patiently explained, "Simply put, it uses a specific wrapping technique to flatten your silhouette so you don't look so well-endowed in certain clothes."
Hearing this, Fujiwara Chika's face lit up with pure joy. She immediately stood up, bursting with anticipation. "Really? Really?! Is there really a method like that?!"
"Yes, there is," Asagiri nodded, before smoothly shifting the topic. "But, Fujiwara, what exactly is your size? I know it's an E-cup, but what are the specific measurements?"
"Um... this..."
After all, they were discussing a highly sensitive topic. No matter how naive Fujiwara Chika could be, she couldn't help but blush furiously, her voice dropping to a shy whisper. "3... 36E..."
"Oh, I see."
At this moment, Asagiri's eyes remained crystal clear, utterly devoid of any impure thoughts. There was only pure rationality and composure. He had completely cast aside his own physiological desires, analyzing the situation strictly from the perspective of a top-tier eroge creator. After all, if you let yourself get too distracted by those things during production, it's impossible to reach the top of the industry.
"At that size, even if you use a standard chest binder... it's going to be difficult to achieve a significant effect."
Upon hearing this, the light instantly vanished from Fujiwara Chika's expectant eyes. She slumped, muttering dejectedly, "I see... Then when I go to the Fireworks Festival, I'll just wear casual clothes..."
"But!" Before she could finish, Asagiri interjected, his voice brimming with absolute certainty. "If it's done by someone with master-class skills using a premium-grade chest binder, you can achieve the perfect results. Even an astonishing 36E is no problem!"
"Really?!" Fujiwara Chika's spirits instantly soared once more. She desperately wanted to wear a beautiful kimono in front of Asagiri for the Fireworks Festival, so she asked impatiently, "Then, Utsunomiya-san, do you know someone with those kinds of skills?"
Asagiri stood up, looking directly into Fujiwara Chika's eyes as he spoke each word with grand solemnity.
"I don't know anyone else like that. But..." He paused, flashing a confident grin. "I myself possess top-tier binding skills."
.....
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