"Felis-nyan-nyan—"
"Felis-nyan-nyan—"
"Felis-nyan-nyan—"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Assistant, I've defected. My heart now belongs to Felis."
"What is this, a Maid Idol?"
" 'Maid Idol Felis Has My Heart' — I've already thought of a light novel title."
"Brooch truly never learns. Every time he asks about something, he only focuses on what he wants to ask."
"Felis: Hmph, I've got you now, haven't I? Won't you behave obediently!"
Heads down, eyes closed, heads bowed, mouths open... countless spectators, whether defeated or waiting for their turn to challenge, sat neatly lined up behind Okabe Rintaro. The bright lights did not shine on them at all, seemingly hinting at the incredibly bleak future of those infected by the idol.
Okabe Rintaro stood before the table, wearing his white coat, with his hands in his pockets.
"No time left, I apologize, I might not be able to hold back." He said with immense arrogance.
Felis, sitting opposite him, smiled: "Nya-nya, so confident, nya."
"Okabe, can you win? Felis-tan is a legendary player." Hashida Itaru, who had long since blended in with the audience, now stood beside Okabe Rintaro, saying worriedly.
"Can I win? Hmph, that should be said to Felis instead." Okabe Rintaro snorted lightly and smiled:
"Because I have a surefire battle plan!"
"Battle plan?"
"Hmph." Okabe Rintaro laughed again: "Battle plan codename: 'Z! B! A! O!'"
He shouted each word, finally announcing loudly:
"Full name, 'Z-BAO'!"
"Oh—" The audience below couldn't help but gasp together.
Beside Felis, Mayuri, the maid holding a tray, couldn't help but exclaim:
"It sounds amazing."
"Very interesting, nya." Felis's expression remained unchanged.
"You can only say that for now." Okabe Rintaro took a step forward and raised his head: "When this battle plan fully unfolds, your life might not be safe, hmph hmph hmph."
"You're very serious, Kyouma, nya."
"Let me say this first." Okabe Rintaro finally took his seat. He said: "After the battle, you have to tell me everything you know, understood?"
His words seemed full of momentum, but Felis would not be swayed by them.
"Hmph, a cat-eared word is like a four-horse team, impossible to chase! Let's fight to the death!" She spread her hands forcefully.
Then, the exquisite hair ornament on her head suddenly flashed.
"Let me tell you! There are some opponents that are impossible to defeat!" Okabe Rintaro responded with a ferocious roar.
A white light flashed, and Okabe Rintaro unhesitatingly performed a full prostration of surrender on the table.
"—You win!"
"So fast!?"
"Mayushii said she's very disappointed."
"What exactly was the battle plan?" Hashida Itaru was very puzzled.
Okabe Rintaro had been talking so arrogantly for a long time, but he was defeated in no time.
"Who knows, it was just Kyouma throwing himself at her like a self-destruct, nya." Felis tilted her head.
But upon hearing her words, Mayuri suddenly showed a look of realization.
Her fingertip touched her cheek: "Self-destruct, Z-bomb, Z-BAO?"
"It's clearly a cold joke, thank you very much." Hashida Itaru complained.
At this moment, Okabe Rintaro, who was lying on the table, suddenly sat up.
"But!" He grinned: "You still have to tell me the information, Felis."
"You lost but you're still so smug, nya." Felis even admired Okabe a little.
"Hmph hmph hmph." Okabe Rintaro snorted: "What I said was, 'When the battle ends, you have to tell me everything you know.'"
"Which means from the very beginning, it had nothing to do with winning or losing."
Mayuri tilted her head: "Is that so?"
"I don't remember clearly, nya." Felis pondered, touching her cheek.
"No, quickly remember! That was my carefully planned strategy!"
Okabe Rintaro became anxious.
He was counting on this operation to get information about the IBN5100, and he couldn't let things go wrong here!
"Instead of carefully planned, it's more like black-hearted." Hashida Itaru casually complained.
"Shut up!" Okabe Rintaro first turned his head to scold Hashida Itaru, then suddenly leaned close to Felis and questioned: "Where exactly is the IBN5100?!"
"I don't know, nya..." Felis raised her hand to cover her mouth.
"You don't know?!" Seeing that her expression didn't seem fake, Okabe Rintaro was shocked.
"My father had one when I was little, nya." Felis paused, then said: "But it's gone now, nya."
"?!"
Okabe Rintaro showed an incredulous expression, then took several steps back.
"You, you fiend?! Is this the ultimate technique learned in the Guiana Highlands, 'playing dumb'?!" He said with immense astonishment.
Seeing this, Felis also suddenly stood up and struck a pose:
"Why do you know, nya?! As expected of Kyouma, to see through Felis's 'playing deaf and mute' at a glance!"
"..."
Their gazes met, and there was a long silence.
"Is it really just like that?" Okabe Rintaro no longer put on airs, but confirmed in a very normal tone.
"Yes, nya." Seemingly sensing that Okabe Rintaro was no longer joking, Felis nodded and added: "The last time I saw it was at a shrine in Akihabara, nya."
"...Shrine?"
"See, this is what happens when you get involved with idols."
"Don't laugh, it's the same if you get involved with VTubers."
"How does Okabe Rintaro have such a big heart that he can so pompously declare his victory in advance, knowing he's going to be utterly defeated?"
"If it were me, I'd be laughing out loud just saying the first sentence."
"Chūnibyō, isn't it amazing?"
"Self-destruct plan... purely a word game. I thought it would at least mix in some English or German. Does Kyouma's foreign language level really only go this far?"
"What do you call achieving your goals by any means necessary!"
"Hagiron, you fiend, did you decide to do this from the very beginning?!"
"So what exactly are the Guiana Highlands?"
"You don't need to think that clearly about chūnibyō."
"Since a shrine was mentioned—it must be time for the cross-dressing boy's turn!"
"Rukako, it's been a while."