"Really not lying to you, although the elves' special costumes aren't all like this, there are also clothes that cover the whole body."
Lumilia looked at Kitagawa Marin, who had a stereotyped impression of their elf race, and explained earnestly.
"But that kind doesn't really show off the characteristic style of our elf race."
"Leather, tall boots, bows, long swords, wands, and so on. Many elves also use those kinds of gear for going out to fight. Sylpha's forest guardian outfit is similar. But that kind of outfit isn't exclusive to elves; humans have similar gear and outfits."
"In daily life there are also full-coverage home clothes and formal dresses for important occasions, but we didn't prepare those this time."
"Marin, didn't you specifically ask for our elves' characteristic costumes for cosplay? That's why we specially chose these signature outfits for the photos."
"Don't worry, we won't leak these photos. They're just for us to look at privately."
"That's not the point... whatever, I'll change into it... maybe next time we'll try the elves' home clothes and formal wear...", Kitagawa Marin wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say, so she could only shrug dejectedly.
She wasn't shy about the revealing clothes, she'd even been willing to reward Hikigaya-kun for Yumiko, and having Hikigaya see her underwear wasn't a big deal.
The main thing was she wanted to shoot some proper, orthodox elf cosplay photos, the kind of decent pictures she could actually show others.
These current elf outfits were obviously not something she could show off; after developing the prints they'd only be kept at home, maybe shown to Nijika and Yumiko at most.
But she hadn't made her intentions clear earlier, so Iris and Lumilia had misunderstood what she meant.
Marin put down her frustration, picked up the elf costume handed to her and examined it carefully, noticing Hachiman had his back to her and, like everyone else, was changing clothes on the grass.
Perhaps because the outfit was so thin and unusual, once she put it on she tightened the little golden rings connecting each fabric piece, as long as nothing slips, it would be fine.
Whether it was the semi-transparent skirt slit up to the waist fluttering in the breeze, or the narrow cloth connected to the neck ribbon that hung a little loose and slid, these were normal.
She slipped the golden anklet on, gave her leg a slight lift, and the tinkling bells carried on the wind sounded pleasantly musical.
One had to admit: aside from the fact the outfit was a bit like underwear and not suitable to go out in, the elf costume was very comfortable to wear and also very pretty.
Marin turned to look at the others who had finished dressing and was about to say she'd changed, when she realized everyone had already gathered around Hikigaya-kun, and they'd started shooting in that little grove on the estate?
Wait, were they really filming?
Why was everyone so into it?
It felt like... like...
"Today's final cosplay theme is the Elves' Forest~"
Having waited a long time, Lumilia grinned and pushed the somewhat bewildered Kitagawa Marin over to stand beside Sakurase Shino and Sylpha, whose figures and faces were extremely similar and who were now also wearing the same-style elf signature outfits.
"Welcome to the Elves' Forest. Please join us and finish today's shoot~"
———
"Gurgle... Lumilia, is this really cosplay? Why do I feel..."
Kitagawa Marin was dragged by Lumilia into the grove where Hachiman and the others were. She watched Sakurase Shino, Rurikawa Tsubaki, Kaede, Suzu and the others, each wearing different but very elf-typical costumes, seamlessly blend in among the real elves like Iris, and she couldn't help but whisper her doubts.
She knew cosplay required devotion to play the role well; earlier, when everyone was shooting and acting out different stories, she didn't mind.
But now, no matter how she looked at it, she felt that Iris and the other elves were actually kissing Hikigaya-kun, not just acting for a shoot.
"Exactly, the Elves' Forest, because of the race war, faces a population problem of low fertility. We have summoned Savior-sama to our world, so we ask Savior-sama to grant us aid."
Lumilia pulled Marin to the little grove, stood by the maids operating the camera like Shion, raised a finger and winked playfully at Marin.
"Doesn't that match the cosplay theme? Everyone's really committed~"
"???"
When was this theme even announced? Why was she the only one who didn't know?
And isn't this theme basically some 18+ bishoujo game setup?
The outfits were already borderline indecent; combined with such wholehearted roleplay, Marin half-suspected Lumilia and the others had watched elf-themed eroge and thought the whole world was like that.
There were too many problems; Kitagawa Marin didn't even know where to start complaining.
"Marin, aren't you close to Savior-sama? You already did similar things with him in the classroom, right? You were really into it when you cosplayed Kuroe Shizuku just now too."
Seeing Marin's expression of extreme speechlessness didn't dissuade Lumilia, she pushed harder to convince her.
"You like cosplay, we like cosplay, so in the future we can all get Savior-sama to shoot for us. Many cosplay shoots are quite intimate; Marin, you don't want to ask strangers to do it for you, do you?"
As the youngest elf princess, she might not have Iris's eloquence or Aegis's strength.
But she and Marin shared common interests in otaku culture, and she could contribute to supporting Savior-sama.
"Ugh... it'd be good to have Hikigaya-kun help shoot, but some things can't be done just because we're close...", Hearing Lumilia, Marin's face showed difficulty.
For normal cosplay she could find someone to help, but she also knew some problems in the cosplay community.
So far she'd only helped some cosplayer friends shoot their photos, and because she was clumsy at making outfits she'd never had an official debut.
Lumilia's point made sense: compared to unfamiliar strangers, even a female photographer, it's much more convenient to work with someone you know well and are comfortable with like Hikigaya-kun.
But, but...
She couldn't let Yumiko down.
Her relationship with Hikigaya-kun was close, but she wasn't like those elves who let play turn into reality.
"Don't worry. Later we'll have dinner and go watch the band perform, so we don't have to go all the way tonight," Seeing Marin hesitate rather than outright refuse, Lumilia quickly pulled her into the circle with Sakurase Shino and the others and they knelt on the grass together.
"Just use the same scale you used in the classroom with Savior-sama, and the same intensity you had when cosplaying Kuroe Shizuku, just shoot seriously."
Leticia and the other elves, already kneeling on the grass, glanced at Marin and Lumilia, made a little room, and continued to observe and learn, absorbing the overflowing experience from their seniors.
Although none of them had real romantic experience, Leticia and the others, as exceptionally gifted elves, had already mastered non-chanting water magic skillfully.
But imagination in the head is always different from reality; real hands-on experience had to be taught directly by seniors like Iris and Sakurase Shino.
Tsubaki, Kaede, and Suzu, who were cosplaying elves, also glanced at the reluctant Marin pulled into the fray, but said nothing and kept focusing on learning elf techniques with Iris and the others.
Nothing to be surprised about.
When they heard Marin had been called over to play, they knew she couldn't get away.
Tsubaki felt this deeply: sometimes, you can't refuse things simply by not wanting them; Iris has a way of making you realize you do want them.
"...If it's just like in the classroom...", Marin still hesitated about whether she should join. She felt the scale was similar to what had happened in the classroom. Only back then it was with Yumiko and Nijika, now it was with Lumilia and the others.
She had decided to properly repay Hikigaya-kun, to find a chance to have Yumiko and Nijika reward him together, now consider the reward given early.
"All right! As long as Marin bathes in Savior-sama's glory with everyone, this Elves' Forest cosplay will be a complete success!"
Having convinced Marin, Lumilia didn't hesitate; to avoid Marin overthinking and backing out, she dragged her into the front row.
Today she didn't expect Marin to do much, she only wanted Marin to integrate with everyone.
Some things only happen once, not a hundred times. Even Lumilia herself couldn't resist secretly wanting to hide in her room and read forbidden books to learn non-chanting water magic alone.
Once Marin gets used to the distance with Savior-sama, she can be brought over to play every day.
Of course, Lumilia hadn't lied to Marin.
Melaise, Leticia, Leona, Sylpha, like Lumilia once, had no experience. Naturally they wouldn't all rush everything on the first time.
Otherwise, if the Elves' Forest cosplay went on till the next day, there would be no time to see the band show.
The real battle would be at night; for now they'd eat some sweets to whet their appetites and look forward to it.
As for the strong possibility Marin wouldn't go home with them at night, they'd send Marin a sympathy collar made by Lala so she could practice at home herself.
Seeing the two reach an agreement, Shion, acting as director, immediately signaled Sayo and Akira to adjust camera positions and record Marin's entire elf-cosplay process.
These recordings would be extremely precious; later everyone wanting to relive them could come to the Rurikawa estate.
Perhaps she could ask the young lady to build a dedicated screening room or viewing room in the mansion to provide comfortable, attentive perfect service for Hikigaya-sama.
"Wait, Lumilia, I think you misunderstood me. I meant... um..."
Pulled into the elf circle and jostled to the front, the grass brushed lightly against Marin's fair smooth calves. The thin, nature-close elf outfit made her feel an intensely vivid life energy all over.
Though closing her eyes and feeling it was nice. There was really an illusion of blending into nature like an elf, bathing in a sea of life energy.
But once she opened her eyes and faced Lumilia, Sakurase Shino, Iris, Leticia and the others, and the Savior-sama her friend Yumiko liked, Marin noticed Sakurase Shino, Iris, Leticia and the others all smelled faintly of the Elves' Fountain water. She instantly felt something was wrong.
The Elves' Fountain water Lumilia had just handed her seemed to smell exactly like that...
She'd only come to shoot cosplay, but now she would be betraying Yumiko.
Why had it come to this?
Because Iris and Lumilia weren't exactly ordinary elves. Following them in elf cosplay would naturally become like this.
Gabriel and Vignette, who had long been tormented by elves' nightly aid, really wanted to tell Marin this, but both of them were barely holding themselves together and had no time to worry about Marin.
"Don't run away~ You promised to help us with aid~"
Iris picked up some strange cloth from the ground, stood with Lala in front of Vignette and Gabriel who were dressed as demon and angel, and looked at them calmly with a steady smile.
Earlier, after consulting Vignette and Gabriel, Hachiman had already told Iris and Lala about their identities.
Although Iris was surprised that she could meet angels and demons in this world, in their world very few people ever met angels from the upper realms. She didn't dwell on it and instead became more determined to pull Gabriel and Vignette deeper in.
Before knowing their identities, Iris had wanted to recruit them into aid to strengthen her faction, ensuring no one else could steal Savior-sama away.
Now that she knew Gabriel and Vignette's origins, she was even less likely to let them go.
Having angels and demons serve Savior-sama together with her would only prove how right her choices were.
"..."
Hearing Iris bring up old promises and the commitment they'd made when they didn't understand elven customs, Gabriel and Vignette both looked full of regret.
They'd been too young before, newly come to the human world, they'd rashly agreed to aid without understanding the situation.
They'd been supporting Iris from afar, enduring various discomforts to remotely assist her.
They hadn't expected Iris to be unsatisfied and demand their full participation in the aid.
Surely the real person leading Hachiman astray is this elf princess Iris.
She looked dignified and elegant, pure and cute, but she was more devilish than a demon.
Constantly seducing Hachiman, dragging the girls around him to fall too.
"Why run? Don't you like Hachiman? Surely everyone loves this kind of thing."
Seeing Gabriel and Vignette, who were so close to Hachiman and helped with cooking every day, unwilling to join in enjoying themselves, Lala found it odd.
"It's not that we want to flee. Vignette and I just want to bring Raphiel over to aid you..."
Gabriel, seeing Lala, an alien princess lacking common sense, led astray by Iris into a habit of unnecessary aid despite not needing it, was a bit helpless. She knew explanations wouldn't work on Lala, so she looked for an excuse to try to run.
To be honest, she'd wanted to teleport away just now, but it seemed her teleportation had a problem.
Now the proof of her failed escape was literally in Iris's hands.
"Raphiel?", Lala blinked, an unfamiliar name.
Raphiel had visited Hikigaya's house before, but Lala hadn't come yet then; later Raphiel hadn't appeared again, so Lala didn't know Raphiel.
"Raphiel is the angel who's with me, she also studies at Sobu High. She once watched your aid with us, but she's hiding now. Vignette and I are looking for her."
Gabriel explained while glancing at Iris. Although Lala was powerful, her carefree nature meant she didn't fuss over many things; the real decision-maker was Iris the elf princess.
"Really? Not trying to use it as an excuse to leave?", Iris looked at Gabriel without giving an answer.
She knew about Raphiel from what the Minister told her and had been warned to be wary of Raphiel's scheming.
But did Gabriel really mean to drag Raphiel into this?
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