According to Raika, it wasn't good that I was only getting close to Hazuki and Mana.

Apparently, I was supposed to raise everyone's affection levels fairly evenly.

Honestly, there were times when I had no idea what she was talking about, but I got the gist.

Apparently, she wanted me to become friends with the entire squad.

That overprotective smoking loli-faced girl.

And so, I somehow ended up making plans to have lunch with Hibari Kibogaoka, whom I hadn't really interacted with much until now, and Vik... Victoria... the chuunibyou gothic-lolita girl.

...All thanks to Raika.

"Morning, Shota! Sorry I'm a little late."

"Watcher, consider yourself honored to be sitting at the same table as this Evil-Eyed Princess."

Since it was a day off, both of them were dressed casually. I'd only ever seen them in their uniforms or wearing their Fantasy Armaments, so seeing them in civilian clothes was refreshing.

Hibari's outfit had the same cute, magical-girl aesthetic as her usual costume.

Victoria's outfit was mostly black and looked quite similar to her gothic-lolita attire.

...Wait. Maybe these two don't actually look that different in their casual clothes.

After exchanging a few words, we entered a café on the grounds of Fantasy High.

There were plenty of places to eat around here. Besides the standard school cafeteria, there were even cozy cafés and chain restaurants. The atmosphere was different from an ordinary high school, but considering that almost everyone lived on-site here, I suppose it made sense.

"Shota, I heard from Raika! She said you want to conquer everyone in the Fox Squad and become their boyfriend! You've got some guts, Casanova!"

The moment we'd taken our seats and finished ordering, Hibari immediately hit me with something I'd never heard before, leaving me flustered.

"What!? No, I never said that!"

"The Watcher is lying. There is no way Raika would lie while wearing such a serious expression."

Victoria confidently thumped her chest. Even with one eye hidden behind an eyepatch, it was obvious she was making an unbearably smug face.

No, Raika is absolutely the type to lie with a completely straight face...

What should I do? This girl has an even worse read on Raika than I do, despite having arrived here before me. I'm starting to worry about her.

"No, saying I wanted to 'conquer' them is a bit misleading... I just meant that I wanted to become friends with everyone. Raika jumped to conclusions, so don't take it too seriously."

"Ehhh, but Raika said, 'That guy's planning to swallow both of you whole. Watch out.'"

"That damn woman...! She's just making stuff up...!"

Don't tell me to get along with them and then make jokes that drive a wedge between us...!

"AHAHA! You two really do seem close."

"Raika and me? ...No, all I remember is her teasing me whenever she gets the chance."

"Well, Raika-chan is cheeky with everyone, so that's nothing new. But with you, Shota, she doesn't seem to hold back at all. That's how it feels to me."

Hibari's observation caught me a little off guard. I had no idea that was how we looked from the outside.

"Here you are."

A waitress dressed in a stylish uniform brought our orders over.

Unlike the cafeteria, she actually brought everything directly to our table, giving the place a slightly upscale feel.

"Thanks for the food!"

"Thanks for the meal."

"Be grateful to the sacrifice."

"...That's certainly a unique way of saying grace."

"Victoria, is that really enough for you?"

There was nothing in front of her except a salad.

"Heh... For a transcendent being such as myself, replenishing one's nutrients is nothing more than a diversion. Do not measure me by the standards of ordinary humans."

"Uh...?"

Seeing my confusion, Hibari looked up.

"She ate way too many sweets earlier and is completely stuffed. It's her own fault, so just leave her alone."

"That was a much more pathetic reason than I expected..."

"Ugh..."

Victoria's cheeks reddened when her secret was exposed, and she turned away in embarrassment.

"Accepting the blessings of the earth is also the duty of we humans..."

She continued muttering under her breath, but Hibari ignored her and spoke to me.

"Wow, you really eat a lot, Shota. And it's still only lunch."

"Yeah. I exercise a lot, so I get hungry pretty quickly..."

"Oh? What kind of exercise?"

"Ah, Hazuki has been teaching me swordsmanship."

"Hazuki-chan?"

Hibari blinked in surprise.

"Huh? You haven't heard about that?"

"Nope, first I've heard of it. If anything, I thought Hazuki-chan didn't like you."

This girl is pretty blunt...

"Well, I think she probably did dislike me at first. But Raika's been giving me advice and helping out, so things have changed."

"Ahh, Raika-chan's overprotectiveness strikes again."

Hibari let out a tiny sigh, and her smile faded slightly.

For just an instant, her face became completely expressionless.

But she soon smiled again and made a joke.

"She sometimes turns into a father figure, you know. You can almost hear her saying, 'Just how old are you, kid?'"

Hibari shrugged with an exasperated look, while Victoria silently nodded along.

"From the way you describe her, Raika seems to get along pretty well with everyone. I guess there's a reason she's the leader."

Despite her twisted way of speaking, apparently she was actually quite good at communicating. Getting along with the eccentric members of the Fox Squad couldn't be easy.

As I was thinking about that, Victoria unusually spoke to me in a serious tone.

"Watcher, do you know how the Fox Squad came to be?"

I shook my head.

Hearing that, Victoria leaned toward Hibari and whispered something to her.

Hibari gave a small nod before opening her mouth.

"Shota, at Fantasy High, squad assignments are usually left to the Bluffers' own free will. Their mental well-being is considered extremely important when it comes to combat, after all. Right now, squads A through I are all occupied. Needless to say, we're F—the Fox Squad."

I nodded along with Hibari's smooth explanation and took a sip of water.

"We're a team Raika brought together. She had already been fighting alongside Hazuki since their previous squad. The two of them left that unit together and formed a new squad. Me, Victoria, and Mana were all brought in because Raika talked us into it."

"Talked you into it...?"

I could pretty much imagine how that went.

"Even back then, Raika-chan was always acting to protect Hazuki-chan. So I understand why she asked you to look after Hazuki-chan."

So Raika's overprotectiveness wasn't anything new.

Seeing me nod, Hibari continued.

"When it comes to Hazuki-chan, Raika-chan sometimes turns into a bit of an idiot. So don't just keep an eye on Hazuki-chan. Keep an eye on Raika-chan too, okay?"

Hibari smiled faintly.

It was a strange smile—empty, yet somehow intimidating.

Whenever she wasn't wearing her usual cheerful smile, there was something unfathomable lurking beneath the surface.

Someday, I'd like to have a proper heart-to-heart conversation with her.

"...Hibari, you're kind of scary sometimes."

"Ehh? I'm not scary at all!"

As she said that, she had already returned to her usual cheerful self.

"Watcher, don't worry too much about Hii-chan being like this."

"...Hii-chan?"

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar nickname from Victoria, and Hibari hurriedly covered Victoria's mouth.

"Ree-chan! Don't let other people hear you call me that!"

"R-Ree-chan!? I am not 'Ree-chan'! I am Victoria von Leonora, born into the royal family of a continent that once existed—"

"That whole backstory is kind of weak!"

"It's not a backstory!"

For some reason, the two of them had completely forgotten about me and started arguing with each other. All I could do was smile wryly.

Well, I got to see a side of them I'd never known about before, so I suppose that's something.

〈TIPS〉Hibari Kibogaoka and Victoria von Leonora have been childhood friends since they were young. However, neither of them talks much about their past.

【BOG Stream】Summer Event Incoming!

The streaming equipment was all set up. My viewers were already waiting for me.

As usual, I started the stream.

Right out of the gate, I enthusiastically announced:

"Hey, everyone! It's your favorite Emotional Otaku! BOG's first summer has arrived! The sea, swimsuits, girls! So, today we're going to be playing BOG's very first summer event!"

• The summer event is finally here!
• ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO STOP THE MAIN STORY AT THAT POINT!?
• Don't run away from the main story!

"Well, uh... I'm way too scared to see what happens next, so I figured I'd take a little break with the event instead." (※ He has played a little farther into the game.)

• LMAO
• I get it. Events are healing.
• The rewards are great too, so it's a good chance to power up your characters.

"Exactly. The enemies in the main story have been getting stronger and stronger, and I'm starting to run short on upgrade materials. Anyway, let's check out the synopsis!"

【Limited-Time Mission】The Maidens Dancing Across the Beach and the Fiction Lurking in the Sea

The Fox Squad had been assigned a special mission. Their destination was a seaside town unlike the places they normally operated in. Their mission was to locate and eliminate a 『Fictional Invasion』 that had emerged from the sea. The beach where it had been sighted had already been sealed off from the general public.

──Which meant the girls now had a private vacation spot all to themselves! With swimsuits, parasols, and inner tubes, it was practically a private resort.

The girls excitedly began enjoying themselves as though they'd completely forgotten about the enemy. The Anchor played along despite his exasperation.

The carefree maidens began a fierce battle for love on the deserted beach, completely unaware that the sinister shadow creeping in from the sea was already drawing near...

"Nice. Now this feels like a summer event. But isn't the atmosphere completely different from the main story? A battle for love?"

• Event timelines come with Affection Level 5 by default.
• The girls who are seriously in love are going full-on romantic heroine mode.
• If you haven't even finished Chapter 1, this might count as a bit of a spoiler.

"Well, I don't mind if the story has progressed a little. I really want to see Mana-chan in full romance mode."

• You'll definitely get to see that.
• Prepare to tremble at the cuteness of the utterly dysfunctional romance robot.

I immediately started the event story.

The protagonist arrived at the beach, where he was greeted by a radiant smiling Hazuki.

"Anchor! What are you doing? It's not every day we get to come to the sea, so you should enjoy yourself too!"

Her trademark ponytail was in place, and she was wearing a white bikini.

Since she exercised regularly, she openly showed off her healthy, toned stomach.

Her well-balanced figure was almost like that of an athlete.

"Swimsuit Hazuki looks amazing! That's the one they showed in the gacha announcement, right? This event's SSR?"

• Got her in a single ten-pull.
• I've already... admired her very thoroughly.
• I've spent a lot of time appreciating her on the home screen.

"Ooh, nice. Personally, I'm the type who waits until I've seen the story before pulling. That way, the excitement is like 300 times better."

• The absurdly huge emphasis you'd expect from an otaku.
• Can't really argue with that.
• Dumping 30,000 yen into the gacha the second it opens is my way of showing love.

The protagonist was led by Hazuki as they ran across the beach. Waiting ahead was Mana Kazunomiya.

Despite having secured the rock-solid position of childhood-friend heroine, she remained strangely underused in the main story.

"Anchor. I have heard that when a girl appears before a man wearing a new outfit, he is expected to comment on it. ...What do you think of my swimsuit?"

Mana, wearing a frilly swimsuit, asked while looking slightly away from him.

With her small stature and that timid little gesture, she looked as cute as a tiny animal.

"It's cute."

After being honestly praised as cute, Mana became even more flustered.

"I-I see. Hehe... Positive assessment from the Anchor detected. Saving to internal memory. Executing 'Honest Emotional Expression' command... Thank you. I'm really happy."

Watching the scene on my phone, I couldn't help but tilt my head back toward the ceiling.

"It's a rom-com! This is a straight-up rom-com! Where the hell did all that ominous shit from the main story go!?"

• ※ The event takes place in a separate timeline.
• Raika's advice is actually paying off.
• Romance-computation disaster robot.

After spending some happy, embarrassing, lovey-dovey time with Mana, the protagonist headed over with her toward Hazuki, who was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Anchor and Mana! Good, you've arrived. I've prepared a perfect summer event for us. Look over there!"

Sitting alone on the beach was a large, perfectly round watermelon.

"Summer cannot truly begin until we have a watermelon-smashing contest! Anchor, I want you to smash that thing!"

Hazuki, completely fired up, called out loudly toward someone in the distance.

"Raika! Why don't you join us for watermelon smashing?!"

"──Sorry, but I'll pass."

"Wait, where did Raika-chan go? I was wondering why I couldn't see her."

• There was no way this "old man" (tentatively speaking) could keep up with the young people's energy!
• She's smoking behind a rock.
• You'll find out later.

"Honestly, that woman... Well, Anchor, let's put a blindfold on you."

The protagonist was blindfolded without even being given a chance to refuse. Following the girls' voices, he walked across the beach and swung the stick.

Unfortunately, he missed. The stick struck the sand to the right of the watermelon.

"All right, let me try."

Hazuki excitedly put on the blindfold.

Standing proudly with the stick in her hands, she determined the watermelon's location from the Anchor's voice and smashed it perfectly.

"Did you see that, Anchor!? I'm amazing, aren't I!?"

"She looks like she really wants him to praise her! That's adorable!"

• This is exactly why they had the watermelon-smashing contest.
• Hazuki really wants the protagonist's praise.
• Well, considering what her family was like...

The protagonist was happily fooling around with the girls when another female figure appeared.

Pat pat pat.

The sound of bare feet racing across the sand.

"Ah, there you are, Anchor! Come over here!"

Grab!

Hibari suddenly seized his arm. She was wearing a daring swimsuit. The blue swimsuit was relatively skimpy, emphasizing her feminine figure.

"You guys seemed to be having fun over there, but we've been doing all kinds of things over here too!"

Hibari was usually energetic, but she seemed especially cheerful today. Holding the protagonist's hand, she marched him along.

"Look! I made Ree-chan super busty!"

"Watcher... help me..."

What he saw was Victoria, buried in the sand from the neck down. The sand had been carefully sculpted into a woman's body with the exaggerated proportions of a gravure idol.

Unable to move even an inch, Victoria had the same dead-eyed expression as Raika.

"HAHAHA! I love how they put an absurd amount of effort into this CG!"

• LMAO
• Hibari has absolutely no mercy once she gets close to someone.
• She's completely lost the ability to maintain her chuunibyou persona, LOL.

After spending time playing with all four girls and getting thoroughly exhausted, the Anchor headed beneath a parasol in search of some shade.

However, there was already someone occupying their makeshift resting spot.

"Oh, you shameless harem bastard. Looking lively enough."

Under the parasol, Rai... Raika was sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, her dead eyes radiating an overwhelming aura of gloom.

She appeared to be wearing only the top of a tracksuit over her swimsuit.

Her slender legs were the only part of her body left exposed.

"Um... what's wrong?"

"Well, I just can't keep up with that young people's energy anymore... I realized I can't enjoy the beach with that kind of pure enthusiasm anymore, and it made me feel empty..."

For some reason, Raika was completely depressed.

"...How old are you, anyway?"

"Ah, if we're counting everything together, I guess I'm 43 this year... I'm an exhausted old woman who can't even call herself an 'around-thirty' anymore..."

Even her lies lacked their usual sharpness.

Raika lowered her head, looking more dispirited than ever.

"Watching young girls full of energy makes you realize what you've lost. Summer vacation. Daring swimsuits. A summer fling... Hey, you better make sure you don't spend your youth with any regrets."

"Are you only this depressed because you can't smoke?"

"Pretty much. It's hard to hide the cigarettes dressed like this. Sigh... I want to become a clam."

While the girls became more and more excited by their day at the beach, Raika's eyes grew increasingly dull.

Then, all of a sudden—

Splash!

Water hit her.

Looking over, I saw Mana holding a water gun.

"Confirmed: direct hit on target. Hazuki, requesting authorization for continued assault."

"Granted! We'll provide support as well."

The four girls raised their water guns and began firing at Raika one after another.

Splash! Splash!

The streams of water shot out like bullets.

Raika's tracksuit became soaked, and water dripped steadily from her white hair.

"You guys..."

Raika slowly rose to her feet. She slammed her wet tracksuit onto the ground, then suddenly took off running.

"Don't force your youthful bullshit on meeeeeee!"

Somehow transforming her Fantasy Armament into a water gun, Raika began returning fire with the same intensity she would show when fighting 『Fictional Invasion』.

• LMAOOOO
• The woman who failed to become the wise old man in the background.
• Her resistance to provocation is still at the level of a teenager.

"The event version of Raika is great. Also, I couldn't really tell because her swimsuit was a one-piece, but wasn't Raika really skinny? I'm not talking slender here. She's practically skeletal..."

• She needs to eat more.
• Eat meat, not smoke.
• Body weight: 37 kg (Is that a lie?)

"Wait, they've just been playing this whole time. When the hell are they actually going to fight in this event...?"

• You noticed it! Are you a genius?
• Probably soon.

After that, 『Fictional Invasion』 finally appeared before the girls, who had been happily playing together in the sea, and the battle finally began.

Victoria von Leonora (Ree-chan)

Profile 1
A blonde girl with her right eye covered by an eyepatch. She has a beautiful, refined face like a Western doll, and whenever she opens her mouth, she inevitably starts talking about her evil eye or the evil dragon sealed within her right arm. Even so, somehow, conversations with her still work out, so she doesn't have particularly poor relationships with the others. She is especially close to Hibari Kibogaoka.

Likes: Cool things
Dislikes: Weak things