"Nico-nee is indeed very good at cooking. Saying she wasn't good at it just now was really just humility. Nico-nee is amazing."
Yoshino and Yazawa Nico were in the villa's kitchen preparing dinner for everyone. Yazawa Nico's skilled knife work showed Yoshino that she was definitely someone who cooked often.
"Uh, this... Yoshino is right, Nico was just being humble. Nico didn't want to trouble everyone in Muse. Nico Nico Nii."
Yazawa Nico, who was concentrating on cutting vegetables, almost cut her hand when she heard Yoshino's words. She looked guilty, and seeing Yoshino's sparkling eyes, she could only do her signature pose to act cute.
"Nico Nico Nii?"
Yoshino watched Yazawa Nico's actions and then put her own hand on her head, making the same cute pose, delivering her line with a look of confusion.
Shiina, being on Yoshino's head because of the pose, looked at Yoshino with a dark expression.
Why was Yoshino unconsciously acting cute now?
"Uwaaaah~"
It felt like a sharp sword, a peerless treasure sword inscribed with the character for 'cute,' had pierced her heart.
Yazawa Nico was instantly reduced to critical health, yet she spoke with an intoxicated expression.
"So cute! Why is it the same action, but when Yoshino does it, she seems so much cuter than me?"
Suppressing the 'loyalty' in her nasal cavity to keep it from flowing out, Yazawa Nico expressed how happy Muse was to have Yoshino as a mascot.
So obedient, so cute.
"Nico-nee, what's wrong?"
Why did she suddenly lie on the floor, covering her nose? Had something gone wrong?
"It's just that my 'loyalty' overflowed because of Yoshino, you don't need to worry so much, Yoshino."
Looking at Yazawa Nico teasingly, even Muse's resident cuteness expert couldn't resist Yoshino's charm now.
"Oh, are you okay, Nico-nee?"
Still a little worried, she took out her small handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from Yazawa Nico's face.
But why did the sweat on her face increase the more she wiped it? And it seemed Yazawa Nico's breathing was getting more rapid.
"N-n-nothing! Yoshino, Nico is perfectly fine, d-don't worry so much, Yoshino."
No, that won't do; she almost couldn't hold back just now.
If her will hadn't been firm enough, who knew what might have happened.
"???????" Yoshino tilted her small head, not understanding why Yazawa Nico was reacting this way; she was just trying to help her wipe her sweat.
"Just let it simmer for a while, the curry will be ready soon."
Yazawa Nico said as she put the lid on and wiped her hands with a towel.
"Now, let's talk about you, Yoshino.
You've been in a bad mood lately; is there something you're hiding from everyone?"
Yazawa Nico asked, leaning against the wall.
Although she was a bit childish in personality, her ability to see through people's thoughts had been cultivated over the years she had guarded the Idol Research Club alone.
"..." She had been found out.
"Or rather, is this related to your somewhat special identity? There was no information about you at all in the past decade or so."
This was something she had asked Nishikino Maki to investigate.
Upon learning that Yoshino lived with Toujou Nozomi, she began to pay attention to this person who had only come to this school a few months ago and became crucial to saving it.
"Investigation, huh? You must have asked Nishikino Maki, right? After all, with your family's financial situation, it would be impossible to investigate.
I underestimated you, Yazawa Nico."
She had initially thought she was just a character who only knew how to act cute and spoiled, but she hadn't expected her to notice so much.
"Although I don't know what you're thinking, I'm sure you're thinking something rude."
Feeling inexplicably annoyed, a cross mark appeared on her head as she glared at Shiina.
This stuffed rabbit always made her angry; it must be thinking bad things about her.
"Nothing, it's not something that can't be said.
It's just that Yoshino has to leave."
Shiina's words made Yazawa Nico's pupils widen dramatically.
After a few seconds of stunned, she closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Will you still come back? To Otonokizaka Academy? To everyone?"
Cupping Yoshino's small face, Yazawa Nico looked directly into her eyes.
"I-I will come back! I definitely will."
"Is that so? Then I'm relieved."
Just coming back was enough.
That was Yazawa Nico's request, the simplest request.
"You really are good at causing trouble, Yoshino.
Even though you're so cute."
Pinching Yoshino's small face, to outsiders, it just looked like two Little Lolis, one pinching the other's face.
"Wuwu~ Sister Nozomi~ And~ Sister Eli also~ said that about Yoshino."
And everyone, like Yazawa Nico, pinched Yoshino's face.
Though it didn't hurt, it was a bit uncomfortable.
"Hehe, that just means Yoshino is a troublesome child."
She really had milky skin.
She used to be very confident in her own fair skin, but now she felt a little envious.
"Then do you have any ideas? You can tell Nico."
"I originally planned to leave without saying a word, but Shiina said I couldn't do that, so I've come up with a plan now."
Yoshino reached out, and after a pale blue light appeared in her palm, she pressed it into Yazawa Nico's mind.
"This way, Nico-nee, you are the second person to form a contract with Yoshino.
The relevant memories have also been given to you, including our plan.
This is probably a reward for Nico-nee being able to guess."
"...That's true, Nico didn't think of any of this."
After accepting the memories in her mind with a wry smile, Yazawa Nico felt that things seemed to have gotten a bit messy now.
Had she learned too much?
"No wonder Yoshino is so kind and pure.
The fourth particle of the kabbalah tree of life: mercy."
However, the fourth particle of the inverse kabbalistic tree of evil is 'Insensitivity'.
This was not mentioned.
Often, kind people are the most terrifying when they finally erupt.
Hopefully, nothing will happen to make Yoshino despair.
"Will Yoshino go to dangerous places in the future?"
The kind Yazawa Nico was still very worried about Yoshino.
"Shiina will be watching over Yoshino; Shiina will protect her."
Patting her chest, Shiina declared, "Leave it all to me."
"You're just a toy rabbit; don't talk."
"What did you say? I'm Yoshino's hero!
Do you believe I..."
"What do you want to do? Are you going to do something to me in front of Yoshino?"
Yazawa Nico, who knew everything, knew that this rabbit was not so simple.
"Ugh!" It really couldn't do anything.
"Then I'll be waiting for your performance.
This is your stage, since you want to cause a ruckus."
She was really looking forward to it, the Spirits' performance.
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