<Author's Comment>
Caution!
After the short story, at the very bottom (afterword section), a character design image of Erina is posted. For those who want to keep her visual image only in their heads, please be careful.
“Takuto-kun, Amane-chan, what were you two doing~?”
After taking Ichikawa's photo and returning to the classroom, Erina-san speaks to me.
“Oh, perfect timing. Erina-san, do you have a moment?”
“Hmm~? Why~?”
“I want to take photos of you in an empty classroom.”
When I said that and held up the camera in my hand—
“Taking photos in an empty classroom!? Takuto-kun, you're going from one girl to the next...!”
“What are you saying?”
Erina-san's fluffy pink-beige hair stands on end, and she takes a step back.
“Erina-chan, it's for the Miss Contest photo shoot. It seems you were selected in the survey.”
Ichikawa explained from the side with a wry smile.
Then, Erina-san's attitude completely changed. With a “nihihi” laugh, she said,
“Ah~ the Miss Contest, huh? It's that time of year again~. Geez, I guess I have no choice~.”
What's with this sequence of events? Erina-san participated last year too. And she's not hiding her joy at all, is she?
“Erina~ isn't really feeling up to it, but~ shall we start the shoot quickly~?”
“Hey, is there any point in that act?”
Ignoring my simple question, Erina-san grabbed my arm and triumphantly pulled me out of the classroom.
“...Yes, yes. Have a good trip~.”
As soon as we returned to the empty classroom, Erina-san used her smartphone as a mirror and started fixing her hair.
“But why is Takuto-kun taking the photos? Erina feels like she could take cuter photos herself~.”
“That's not just one point, it's about a hundred points right, but you'd probably use a lot of filters and processing, wouldn't you? If we don't shoot with the same camera, it won't be fair, right?”
“Takuto-kun, how rude! Well, I do use filters though!”
Erina-san puffed out her cheeks.
“Okay, okay, let's just take it for now.”
While calming her down, I set up the camera.
“Okaaay, I'm ready~!”
When I aimed the camera, Erina-san stood against the classroom wall, leaned forward slightly, put double peace signs next to her cheeks, and made a beaming 'Nico Nico Ni' smile.
It was such a perfected smile that I pressed the shutter once, but...
“Hmm, something's...”
“Hmm~?”
“It feels kind of fake.”
“Fake~?”
Erina-san tilted her head at my comment.
Looking at the sparkling photo of Erina-san displayed on the screen, a surging heat began to boil within me, just like when I was taking Ichikawa's photo.
“No, I don't think your charm lies in this kind of thing, Erina-san.”
“Ch-Charm...? Or rather, Takuto-kun, has the look in your eyes changed...?”
I turned back to Erina-san, who was unusually confused.
“Erina-san, you normally have a much worse personality.”
“Huh?”
Erina-san furrowed her brows and replied in a blatantly displeased tone without dragging out her words.
“Ah, maybe saying 'bad personality' is wrong.”
“Exactly~ right? I wondered what was going on when you suddenly started dissing me...”
When I retracted my statement, Erina-san raised both hands and sighed as if to say 'good grief.'
“Sorry. Let me rephrase...”
I searched for the right words and found them.
“You're spiteful.”
“Spiteful...?”
Whether the word was too difficult or not, a lot of question marks appeared over Erina-san's head.
“In short, I don't think you can win in a battle of orthodox cuteness.”
“Seriously, what are you talking about?”
This was the second time today Erina-san didn't stretch her words. But since I was in a mysterious trance-like state, I wasn't intimidated.
“I want to bring out more of your spitefulness. That's what brings out your unique charm.”
With that preface, I held up the camera and gave my best instruction.
“Now, Erina-san, insult me.”
“Ugh... gross...”
In response to Erina-san saying that with a twitching face, I shook my head. This person doesn't get it at all.
“That's not it. The type of insult is different. I want something more like, 'Hey~ is Takuto-kun an idiot~?'”
“No, I didn't say that because you told me to, that was my honest impression...”
“No, what's the point of giving your honest impression...?”
“If I don't spit out my impression, it's so disgusting I'll spit out something else~...”
A sense of disgust overflowed from Erina-san's entire body. That's not what I meant...
“This isn't the time for being witty. If 'insulting' isn't right... let's see, be mean to me. Like you always are.”
“Ugh, that's even grosser...”
Erina-san opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.
I quietly lowered the camera. If I continued like this, Erina-san really looked like she might throw up.
Hmm, my direction must be bad.
I need to change the atmosphere with some small talk first.
“Ah... by the way, I've been a little curious.”
“Hmm~?”
When I changed my tone and brought up a topic, Erina-san responded quite easily and returned to her normal tension. In times like this, she really is a good person...
“Erina-san, why is your tie color different sometimes?”
“Ah, this~?”
Erina-san pinched and lifted her tie.
At our high school, the color of the tie changes depending on the grade. While we wear the blue ties designated for our grade, Erina-san sometimes wears an orange tie.
“That's the color for the first-years, right? What, do you want to be seen as younger?”
When I asked that, she let out a long sigh.
“Takuto-kun is really Takuto-kun, isn't he~? If it's the color of the current first-years... what do you think that means~?”
If it's the color of the current first-years... Ah!
“Could it be, the color of last year's third-years...!?”
“That's exactly what it is~.”
I see, seniors two years older!
In shoujo manga, there are scenes where girls get the second button of a uniform, but in our high school with blazers, maybe a tie is used instead...!?
“Umm, Erina-san, did you have a boyfriend in the third year back then...?”
“Now, I wonder~?”
She began to show a smirking grin.
What is this sense of defeat...?
I mean, it's not like I'm competing or anything, but I feel like there's an insurmountable wall with girls who have dated seniors or older guys. (You know what I mean, right?)
To put it into words, I feel like no matter what I do, they're thinking, 'Ah, in that respect, you're more childish than my (ex-)boyfriend~...' or 'You're lacking experience~...' (You know what I mean, right?)
“Hmm~? Are you curious~? Is Takuto-kun aiming for Erina too~?”
While I had a look of despair from that mysterious sense of defeat, Erina-san was laughing with her right hand on her chin, as if she found it amusing.
No, it doesn't really matter if I'm aiming for her or not... Ah!!
At that moment, I pressed the camera's shutter.
“Oh, this is it...!”
On the screen was Erina-san's spiteful face, as if she was plotting something.
“Hoo~? Let me see~?”
Erina-san pressed up close against me to look, so I quietly moved away and only tilted the screen toward her.
“Eww~ Erina looks like a really unpleasant girl.”
“No, this is perfect.”
“I wonder~?”
“Yeah, trust me, let's take first place with this.”
“Saying that, you probably say that to everyone, don't you~?”
Since that last remark hit the bullseye, I decided to pretend I didn't hear it.
“Ah, by the way.”
I have to make one thing clear, just in case.
“Umm, putting the past aside as a mystery... you don't have a boyfriend now, right?”
“No, I don't.”
She replied with a blank look.
While wondering why she used polite speech all of a sudden, I felt relieved.
“Good, if that were different, you'd seriously be a devil. I'd be wondering what happened to the period in between.”
When I laughed, she tilted her head with innocent eyes.
“Takuto-kun, did you doubt Erina~?”
“No, I totally believe you on that part. ...Sorry, did I offend you?”
“Nope!”
Erina-san said with a giggle.
“Erina believes in Takuto-kun too~!”
At that moment, seeing the angel-like smile shown by the devil, I regretted for just a tiny bit that I didn't have the camera ready.