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Part 2
After Noah knocked Sumimaru off the stage,
“Bueeeeeeehh!?”
Slip, slip, slip!
Sumimaru slid down the floor with great force, disappearing under the partition and into the staff waiting room.
“Ahh! Su-Sumimaru-saaannn~!”
“Oh no~! This is a disaster; I didn’t mean for this to happen!”
Kaori and Noah panicked and looked into the partition to find Sumimaru.
It looked like the waiting room for the event staff.
There were many staff members preparing for the event, with character merchandise and illustrations packed in every nook and cranny.
In the middle of all this, attention was drawn to a corner where there was a pile of empty cardboard boxes.
“W-what’s that? It just slipped in there.”
“Is that a toy squid?”
“Excuse me, did a stuffed toy squid come this way? Oh, there it is!”
Kaori and Noah found Sumimaru lying limply on the floor with his head stuck in a cardboard box.
“Awawawa, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, we’ll only disturb you for a little while…!”
“Please don’t worry about Noah and the others!”
They ran over to Sumimaru and picked him up, then bowed to the staff.
“We’re really sorry! We’ll leave right away…!”
As they were about to rush out, a small voice called out to them.
“Kaori-san?”
“!”
They turned around at the familiar voice.
There stood a woman of refined beauty.
“Miu-san…!”
It was Miu Midou, an acquaintance of Kaori’s.
Miu is a very popular model who has appeared on the cover of many famous magazines, and many girls look up to her.
She usually has a mature appearance, but today, she was wearing a fantasy-like costume, and her long hair was braided.
Miu immediately explained to the staff, who looked suspicious.
“I’m sorry to startle you, but these people are my friends.”
The staff went back to their work, looking relieved.
Miu turned to Kaori and smiled gently.
“It’s been a while, Kaori-san. How have you been?”
“Yes! Um, I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
“No, I’m glad to see you here unexpectedly. By the way, what about that stuffed animal you were holding earlier…?”
Sumimaru had finally regained consciousness and was breathing heavily while looking at Miu with bloodshot eyes.
“Whoaaa~~~Cattleya-chan! This is a three-dimensional representation of Cattleya-chan! How can you reproduce all of Cattleya-chan’s charm without leaving anything out? Are you a god or a goddess? ──Mmghh!”
Noah introduces herself while covering Sumimaru’s mouth.
“Well, this is a rather talkative toy, so please don’t mind! And my name is Noah; it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance!”
“Mmm, mmm!”
“My, the toys these days are amazing… I’m Miu. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Noah-san.”
Noah is completely fascinated by Miu.
Kaori turns her attention to Miu’s outfit.
“By the way, Miu-san, that outfit really suits you. It’s very nice.”
“Fufu, thank you very much. I’m wearing this outfit today to promote the popular anime The Eternal Valkyrie. I’ll be appearing on stage as the character named Cattleya.”
“I see! Not only being a model but also doing events like this, you’re amazing and active in so many places!”
While they were talking, Sumimaru slipped out of Noah’s hands.
“Puhaah! If there’s Cattleya-chan, then of course Lily-chan is there too, right-maru? Where are you? Come out quickly-maru! Lily-chaaaannnn~~!”
Sumimaru was very excited, but Miu lowered her eyes.
“Actually, Lily-san was supposed to be on stage with me, but the person who was supposed to play Lily-san got sick and had to leave early, so I ended up being the only one performing today.”
“Oh…”
“Of course, there are other things like the trivia corner and the merchandise sales, but there are a lot of people who are looking forward to the stage. Lily-san is a very popular character, so I feel bad thinking about disappointing the customers…”
“I see…”
Kaori’s heart aches when she sees Miu’s pained expression.
It was easy to imagine that Miu, who always approaches her work with such sincerity, would be worried about disappointing the customers.
“Oh, dear. What a terrible situation…!”
“Sumimaru-san?”
When she turned around, Sumimaru was burning with anger.
“I absolutely, absolutely will not accept the fact that my beloved Lily-chan is gone~~~!”
“E-Even if you say that…”
“Lily-chan and Cattleya-chan are one and the same-maru! They love each other and are always together, they’re best friends, no, soul mates-maru! And yet Lily-chan is gone… and they let Cattleya-chan stand on stage alone-maru! That’s not how it is-maru! Even if heaven allows it, I will never forgive them-maru~~~!”
“Su-Sumimaru-san, please calm down.”
Next to Kaori, who is desperately trying to calm Sumimaru down, Noah tilts her head to the side.
“Can’t you find someone to replace her?”
“Well, the staff is doing their best to find someone, but it’s so sudden, and there don’t seem to be any people who fit the picture…”
Sumimaru shakes his tentacles in frustration.
“Kuh… It’s true that there aren’t many girls who can play Lily-chan-maru! She has silky black hair, a pure and dignified appearance, a delicate body that makes you want to protect her, and a graceful demeanor – Maru. She’s kind and hardworking, and she takes everything seriously-maru! Where can you find such a girl? Hmm?”
“Sumimaru-san, is something wrong?”
Sumimaru stared at Kaori as if he had noticed something and then grabbed her hand with great force.
“Kaori! Kaori will be Lily-chan!”
“E-eeehhhhh?!”
“There’s no one else who can play Lily-chan but you, Kaori! In fact, you’re the perfect person for the role!”
Noah also exclaimed, “Ah!”
“Come to think of it, this character looks like someone I know, and it’s you, Kaori-san!”
“I’m surprised I didn’t notice it before! No matter how you look at it, it’s a perfect match-maru! It’s the best-maru!”
“I-it’s a perfect match, but I’m afraid it might cause you some trouble…”
To Miu, who was confused, Sumimaru patted his chest.
“Don’t worry, you can leave it to Kaori-maru! I’ll go and talk to the management and staff myself-maru!”
“W-wait a minute, Sumimaru-san! What authority do you have to do that…? And I don’t know if I can do such a big job…”
Kaori panics, but Sumimaru tells her sternly.
“Don’t run away, Kaori-maru. This is your job as a magical girl-maru!”
“I-is that so?!”
“That’s right-maru! A magical girl is someone who makes a lot of people happy-maru! If you can’t do that, you’re not a magical girl-maru! Look at Noah-maru; she doesn’t make people happy, she just disappoints them, and in Prism Wonderland, she was always the clear favorite to be fired in the very popular game ‘Chikichiki Magical Girl Firing Contest’-maru!”
“I know it’s none of my business, but…?”
“A-a magical girl is someone who makes people happy!”
Kaori agonized for a while and finally explained.
“I-I understand, if it’s okay with you…!”
“I’ve got it-maru~~~! I’ll go talk to the staff right away-maru!”
The rumor that a girl who looked just like Lily had appeared spread like wildfire.
“She really does look like Lily…!”
“W-where did you find such a cute girl?!”
“Not only does she look like Lily, but she also acts and expresses herself just like Lily!”
“Fufufu, everyone’s surprised-maru. My eyes are not mistaken-maru.”
Sumimaru proudly crossed her arms.
The stylist holding Lily’s costume pushed Kaori.
“Then let’s get you into this costume right away!”
“Awawawa, this is a disaster…! Was it really a good idea to take this job…?”
Kaori was forced into the changing room with a hint of fear.
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