“Er… Has Shi’s character changed somewhat?!”
“After composing a song, she tends to have a slight mental breakdown. But it looks like this time around it’s only a light case. To be frank, I’m actually relieved.”
“I… I see. Well, I feel bad now. It sounds like it was quite tough, but she still did it for me…”
“Don’t worry. This time Shiika didn’t have to dig deep into herself to find the song. Instead, she dug deep into her feelings for you. I think that’s why the symptoms aren’t so bad.”
“How can we help Shi return to normal?”
“She’ll recover gradually in her own time. But I think this time we might be able to use Shiika’s tendencies to help her.”
“What do you mean?”
Ootsuka blinked in wonderment.
When I opened my mouth to explain, Shiika slipped away from Ootsuka and stumbled toward the kitchen.
“Donuts, instant ramen, donuts, instant ramen.”
We could hear her rummaging through the drawers and chanting those words as if they were a spell. She returned, arms overflowing with packaged donuts and instant noodles. I narrowed my eyes.
“Hey, you can’t eat too much.”
“Go away. Gonna eat.”
“It’s fine if you have one donut and one instant ramen. I won’t let you have any more.”
“Go away. Nom!”
She turned her back on me and crouched down, clutching her goodies to her stomach.
Then with a rip and a crinkle, she tore open the package of donuts and began scarfing down the contents, making gross gobbling noises. Like a rodent gorging on cheese. Not only did she smell like a hamster, but she also ate like one, too.
“Give me strength,” I muttered.
I scratched my head, then dashed over to stop Shiika.
“Come on. I said no.”
“Guh!”
“If you eat that much, you’ll get fat. I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’ve noticed lately that you’ve grown a little squishier.”
“Nom! Groo! Chomp!”
“Ouch! Hey, don’t bite! Stop!”
Shiika clung to my arm as I tried to snatch the food away.
She was on a rampage, like a wild animal whose territory had been intruded upon.
“Go ’way! Go ’way!”
“Okay! Okay! I give up! You can eat whatever you want!”
“Guhhh!”
Shiika grunted in satisfaction at being allowed to indulge in her gluttony.
With a sigh, I looked at Ootsuka.
“Strong, isn’t she? I’ve been training hard to handle her all these years, but even I have to throw in the towel sometimes.”
“Seriously. It’s so different from how she usually acts…”
“Yes. But this is something Shiika needs. This urge to binge eat, it’s a kind of self-destruction. It’s uncontrollable, like people who are addicted to smoking cigarettes, or like bad guys who get addicted to drugs.”
“Yikes! That sounds terrible!”
“That’s why composing is so dangerous. Still, binge eating is fairly mild. She can overeat every now and then, and get it out of her system that way. But if it ever got really bad, her life could even be in danger.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off Shiika, not even for a moment.
But on the flip side, Shiika’s foibles could be used as a kind of weapon.
“Right now, Shiika’s psyche wants to destroy her. It wants to override the natural urge to rest when she gets tired, or to give up when things get tough. It’s a way of overcoming the limits of the human body.”
I paused, and Ootsuka suddenly widened her eyes.
Having understood the meaning of my words at the same time, we shared matching grins.
““Perfect for dancing!!!””
“Now then, it’s finally the day to shoot the video for the exam—”
After school the next day.
I and the members of the Shibuya Gang were assembled at the dance studio at school.
Lined up in front of the mirrored wall were four people: Shiika, Shibuya, Akiba, and Komae.
Komae’s composition and Ootsuka’s choreography had been completed last week, and the various lessons had all been done as well.
Everyone ought to have memorized the choreography by now.
The preparations were all complete. All that was left was to film the video.
I opened the cardboard box at my feet and unfolded the costumes inside.
“First, everyone, I want you to wear these.”
The first impression: black.
The motif: evil.
The girls were to be dressed as bad girls, and Komae as a sketchy sort of joker. The design was meant to call to mind the villains of some kind of tale.
“Those… Those costumes! When did you find time to prepare those?”
“I just went for what I thought would work based on my own taste. It should fit the song, though.”
“Dressed all in black! Ooh! That’s gonna get the boys!” Akiba shouted.
“Cool.”
Akiba’s eyes shone, and Shiika gave an indifferent response. A total disparity in enthusiasm levels, but neither one seemed to be reluctant. That was good.
I had the four of them change into their outfits in the changing room.
Five minutes later, when they all returned after changing their clothes, I couldn’t help but say “Whoa…” when I saw each of them.
First, Shiika.
She wore a black leather bustier dress, fishnet tights, and long boots. Not as much skin exposure as you’d see with true bondage wear, but it was the same sort of basic principle… A costume with impact.
“My skin…exposed. Everything on show.”
“It’s okay! It’s not actually all that sexy.”
There was no way I was going to dress up my little sister in a revealing way, you know. The costume pushed the limits but basically toed the line of decency. Don’t underestimate me, here. I’m not only a brother. I am also a gentleman.
Next, Shibuya.
Basically the same concept as with Shiika. But her costume showed a bit more of her skin—her white thighs peeking boldly through a gaping slit in the material. And her chest was slightly exposed, too, to emphasize her bountiful cleavage.
“Hey, don’t stare! This is kinda embarrassing, you know…”
“Your normal clothes show about the same amount of skin, don’t they? Don’t go acting bashful now when we all know you’re the flashy type.”
“I’ve never worn anything this risqué before! And don’t go discriminating against flashy types!”
After I ignored Shibuya’s complaints, next up was Akiba.
Compared to Shiika’s and Shibuya’s, her costume had a stronger gothic-Lolita flair to it, a little bit devilish. For Akiba, with her baby face, slim body, and short stature, it was actually a perfect match.
But you know, this costume reminded me a little of…
“You dressed me as a freaking maid! Hey! Gakuto! Are you making fun of me here? Are you trying to imply I’m some kind of subservient maid who exists to carry out your orders, huh?!”
“Don’t talk nonsense! You know how highly I value you!”
“G-Gakuto? Wh-why do you look so serious right now? Wait, does this mean you actually…?”
“Of course I do. Akiba, you’re absolutely vital in my life.”
“Oh, Gakuto…”Akiba gulped, her cheeks red, her eyes brimming with tears.
Seeing the light of expectation in her eyes, I gave a dashing smile and said, “Yes, to me, you’re the maid I can’t do without!”
“Die, you scum!”