Vol 1 Chapter 18 (2/2)

“Since when have you been here?”

“I’VE BEEN HERE SINCE THE BEGINNING, RIGHT?! Aren’t you pretty much only treating me so harshly?!”

“Tsunpure-san has quite the strong persecution complex, huh…”

“I’M NOT TSUNPURE-SAN!”

Tsunpure-san objected.

“…………Club activities.”

“He?”

“We were in the middle of club activities.”

“Well…”

“So… those two should head back.”

I thought that she’d been discontent since earlier, but———— could she just be shy?

Is this a chance to break her out of her loneliness?

“Isn’t it fine to do club activities with them?”

I said while feeding Haqua a cookie.

“No!”

“…? What’s so much to hate about it?”

I handed Karen the plate while wiping Haqua’s mouth.

“What’s to hate?! To those two, you’re being all——”

BWU! BWUUU! Being energetic like that, she left the room.

With her footsteps fading away, I could faintly hear her voice shouting something.

And soon enough, she returned.

“IDIOT—!”

Saying that to me—— she had a cardboard box in her hands.

“What’s that?”

“A maid handed me that!”

“——Mobile phones. I told her to bring them.”

Haqua said. She had gotten in touch with her maid before I knew it.

“Yeah, they’re working, right?”

There were also smartphones among them, but in this case simple was best, so I decided to rule those out.

“Currently, they’re unable to connect calls or use the internet. Should I enable them?”

“No.”

I had being called upon as the commoner sample and had several privileges and prohibitions coming with it. Among those was, ‘the students must not have access to the internet’. Well, some graduates had become useless MMO addicts, they were bound to be wary.

“Can you make it so that they can get in touch with only the phones ’round here?”

“Possible.”

When I said, ‘Please do then,’ Haqua nodded deeply.

“Aika, wanna pick one?”

“Eh—? Ah, okay.”

With an excited face, she peered into the box.

And then—— awkwardly looked to Haqua.

“T-Thank you very much…”

And quickly s.h.i.+fted her glance back to the box. She’s someone who’s honest by looking so dishonest.

“Hee? There are all kinds of phones, aren’t there? Kimito, what’s this?”

“That’s a slider. Hand it to me for a sec. You slide it like this.”

“Waah—!”

“Haqua, got any recommendations?”

“This type’s camera outdoes the others.”

“Which one? Which?”

When I casted a sidelong glance to Karen by chance, she was drinking tea seemingly unfazed.

“What about you?”

“Hmph. I’ve no interest in such toys.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Wai—, Kimito! Something popped up!”

“Hee, seems like a photo frame. It’s cute, isn’t it?”

“…………” ← Karen

“Hey, hey, take one of me!”

“Yeah, yeah. Here it goes.”

*snap*—♫

“Waah! So cute! I’m that cute after all!”

“Want one taken too, Haqua?”

“If together with Kimito.”

“Yeah, fine with me. Let’s take one.”

“…………” ← Karen

“Aika, would you?”

“Eh—— T-Then with me too!”

“We won’t fit with three people, you know?”

“If we do it like this, we will!”

“Wai— Don’t push me! You’re clinging too much!”

“P-Pervert!”

“Then let go already?!”

“What’s with you?! Then say this to Haqua too!”

“Well—— O-Oi, Haqua, you’re on my lap again…”

“It’s the adequate measure to deal with the situation at hand.”

“Aah— Let’s just take it, alright?!”

“…………” ← Karen

“We’ll be totally cut off, you know?”

——Ah, right. Karen can take the picture for us.

“Wha—— UWAA—?!”

Before I knew it, Karen was already right in front of me.

With teary eyes, she said,

“I………… I want to be in it too…………”

Ah, she’s gotten lonely.

Translator notes and references

None.

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