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"So this is what 'pad' meant…"
Chihaya Asagumo said, holding a small tablet computer, with a complex expression on her face.
"Isn't it 'portable android device' (abbreviated pad, which is what 'pad' means in most tablet models)? Is there any other meaning besides that?" Asakura asked in confusion.
Because he didn't want to be seen by Yanami and the others, he and Chihaya Asagumo had snuck in from the back of the hot spring inn, so they spoke in hushed tones.
"...No, nothing at all," the young girl said dryly, with an expression that was either relief or disappointment.
"So, do you feel anything special holding this? Theoretically, if the Magic power and time you need to pay are reduced, you should have a psychological feeling similar to 'my body has relaxed a bit,' right?"
Asakura quickly asked.
Chihaya Asagumo held the tablet, closed her eyes, and felt for a moment, then shook her head: "Sorry, I don't feel anything at all…"
"Is that so," Asakura stroked his chin, "Is the focus really on 'equipment' after all? But how can a tablet be considered equipment? It doesn't feel right to just carry it in a bag…"
The worst-case scenario was that the notes couldn't be used as a reference, which would mean he might have to split all the Moon Clock's expenses equally with Chihaya Asagumo—even though he had replenished a good amount of Magic from Gokou and Yuigahama Yui (mainly Gokou; Yuigahama Yui was just an added bonus) during this period, Asakura was still a bit unsure if it would be enough to cover the Moon Clock's costs.
Before Gokou, he hadn't encountered any other witches, so he had no concept of whether a girl's normal Magic power of around five hundred units was a lot or a little, especially since even the unit of Magic was something he had measured and defined himself.
What if Chihaya Asagumo needed five hundred or even more Magic power to reverse time just once?
"Um… if it's a pad that can be 'equipped,' I might have some ideas." Seeing Asakura's distressed look, Chihaya Asagumo, after a moment of hesitation, still said shyly.
"Oh, is it a special model of tablet? I don't really pay attention to these things, so I'm not sure. This thing was just bought for reading light novels and watching videos…"
"Not a tablet."
"Hmph, manufacturers nowadays just love to come up with concepts to be mysterious. There's no essential difference…"
"No, what I mean is," Chihaya Asagumo's face turned even redder, so much so that Asakura began to worry if she had reversed time too many times and her brain was overheating from the overload. Only then did she hesitate, seemingly choosing her words as discreetly as possible, "Could 'pad' possibly refer to… that, a pad…?"
"Are you talking about the kind of foam mat used in physical education class?"
Asakura naturally denied, "Although I did consider if it might be that, compared to a tablet computer, I think that kind of thing is even less likely to be equipped, right?"
"No, that's not what I mean." Chihaya Asagumo said with difficulty. After a long hesitation, she sighed as if giving up on something, "I'm talking about breast pads, some… um, items that girls who pursue beauty will 'equip'."
"Wouldn't it be uncomfortable to stuff pads into your chest…?" Asakura showed an expression of incomprehension.
"For a girl's self-esteem, a little discomfort is an acceptable sacrifice."
"You mean the kind of people who insist on wearing mini-skirts to show off their absolute territory even in the winter of Hokkaido, right?"
"It hasn't reached that level yet, and recent breast pads also seem to have a high technological content. Not only are they moderately soft, but they also don't feel as out of place when attached to the skin. They are very effective for a girl's confidence, especially during middle school… Why am I discussing such a private matter as breast pads with a boy I just met not long ago?!"
Chihaya Asagumo was defeated by her own shame, half-kneeling on the tatami in an OTZ pose, muttering quietly.
Asakura scratched his face, "But the girls around me don't seem to equip that kind of thing. I don't know where to find it for a while…"
"Please don't talk about girls' intimate apparel as if they were weapons or armor, and even if an ordinary girl really uses breast pads, she certainly wouldn't expose it to others, right?" Chihaya Asagumo whispered.
"That's true…"
Mentioning breast pads, for some reason, the first image that came to Asakura's mind was Yukino.
However, he immediately shook his head and ruled her out: if she still looked like that after equipping breast pads, how utterly desperate would her true flat chest be…
"It's useless to overthink here," Asakura stood up and walked towards the door, "Let's go directly to the place most likely to obtain breast pads."
"At this time, I suggest you climb out the window to the outer corridor. It's better to move around there." Chihaya Asagumo suddenly spoke.
"Why do you say that?" Asakura's hand, already on the sliding door, paused.
"Based on my many experiences at this time in this room, there will be several girls casually looking this way not far from this room," Chihaya Asagumo replied, "Or are those also Asakura-kun's companions?"
"It seems I can only climb out the window…" Asakura sighed.
And Chihaya Asagumo nodded as if she understood something.
The two climbed out the window and stealthily made their way to the front desk of the hot spring inn.
The proprietress of the hot spring inn was there, bored, smoking a cigarette and playing on her phone with reading glasses on.
"Proprietress." Asakura knocked on the table and called out softly.
"Oh, it's you." The proprietress looked up at Asakura, clearly recognizing him as a guest. "Is there something you need?" Then she glanced at Chihaya Asagumo, who was obediently following behind Asakura, and her eyes became meaningful: "If you want a rain jacket, it's in the very back of the cabinet in the room, in the corner. Just pull aside the bath towels and you'll find it…"
Asakura certainly wasn't foolish enough to ask, 'Why do I need a rain jacket when it's not raining today?' He glanced at Chihaya Asagumo and saw that the girl's ears had turned red.
"It's not like that. I just wanted to ask, proprietress, I remember your inn has a souvenir clothing shop, right?"
"Most of them are yukatas. Besides that, there aren't any particularly interesting clothes, so don't expect too much." The proprietress said suggestively, "But there are very, very long sashes that you can use to play 'Why not~' and 'Oh~~re~~'."
"Do you have breast pads inside?" Asakura ignored her suggestive remarks and asked directly.
So the proprietress's gaze instinctively fell on Chihaya Asagumo's chest, and her expression changed from 'This young couple is quite playful' to 'They even made the breast pads fly off, are they too good at playing?'
That overly explicit gaze made the girl's already rosy cheeks turn even redder, and at the same time, her reputation was damaged, making her, who was both flat and playful, unable to help but give Asakura a resentful glare.
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