Chapter 131: Crashing a Girls' Association Is Giving Me a Massive Stomach Ache

"…Can I go home?"

I asked the question while already drowning in an unbearable sense of awkwardness.

I had received a message from Ayane telling me she was bored and that I needed to come over and entertain her. When I arrived at her house, I was greeted by Laura, Tsubaki, and Ayane herself.

When I asked what was going on, they told me it was a "girls' association" meeting. I honestly had no idea why I had been summoned.

"No way, Reima. We’re not letting you escape. Besides, running away now will lead to your defeat."

"I don’t care. I’m perfectly fine with escaping. In fact, I’ll happily take the loss."

"That doesn't sound like you at all. Just stay for a bit, okay?"

Ayane was being stubbornly insistent.

The room was a fairy-tale nightmare filled with stuffed animals, and I was the only male present. I want to go home. I don't care about the agenda, the topics, or anything else. I just want to flee.

"If this is a girls' association, don't invite me."

"I really hate sound logic, you know?" Ayane shot back.

"Apologize to the very concept of a 'Girls' Association.' I’m a guy."

"He’s tough. Oh, hey, Laura, I have a great idea. If we just turn Reima into a girl, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"…That is a truly misguided plan, I daresay?" Tsubaki muttered.

"I was the one who suggested calling him, but you should probably stop there," Laura added. "A riot would break out."

"Aww, man…"

How much do they actually want to keep me here? There was no point in even retorting, so I swallowed the words and decided to ask the real reason for my summons. If I could hear a reason and find it somewhat logical… well, it would just make it easier to refuse.

"This S-Rank Girls' Association is on its sixteenth meeting or so. Lately, Hakunon has been abroad, so the roster has been fixed to just the three of us… we decided we wanted some new stimulation. Hence, we called you."

"I’m not convinced at all. Can I go home now?"

"No! Play with me! If possible, give us a topic or an agenda!"

"Don't throw a tantrum…"

Ayane’s boredom meter had likely reached its breaking point. Still, spending an extended period of time in a room full of girls was nothing but awkward.

"What about the other two? You guys are fine with me leaving, right?"

"Hm. In that case, you must accompany me while I choose an outfit," Laura said. "I’ve been asked to do a girls' association chatting stream soon, and I haven't decided what to wear."

"………………Please, just let me go home."

"Absolutely not. I want your opinion. An opportunity like this is rare, is it not?"

"Ayane-dono, isn't Laura being a bit… 'heavy' toward Reima-dono?" Tsubaki whispered.

"I think so, too, but pointing it out would be uncouth," Ayane whispered back.

While Laura stared me down with a gaze full of unwavering resolve, Ayane and Tsubaki were whispering right next to me. I could hear them perfectly, but I didn't have the mental capacity to pay them any mind. Looking at Laura’s rare, smiling request, I finally raised the white flag.

"Thirty minutes. That’s it."

"Good. Then let’s have a quick fashion show."

"Just show them to me. I'm not doing anything else."

"But wouldn't it be hard to tell unless I'm wearing them?"

"I'm not budging on that. It's a pain to wait for you to leave the room every time."

"I see. It can't be helped, then. So, who's going first?"

"Me!"

As if she’d been waiting for the prompt, Ayane was the first to raise her hand. Now that I looked, there was a paper bag next to her containing clothes she had presumably just bought. She pulled out a black hat, a white dress, and a jacket to wear over it, holding them up for me to see.

"Hehehe! It’s a summer outfit that's been trendy lately. It focuses on ease of movement. Well, Reima? What do you think?"

"Isn't it fine?"

"…Wait, that’s it?"

I’d replied with the same energy I had back in middle school, and the room instantly turned cold. I was suddenly being pelted with judgmental stares from three different directions. I knew Ayane looked good in anything, so no other thoughts really came to mind, but sensing that my life was in danger if I didn't add something, I scrambled for words.

"It's… unusual for you, isn't it?"

"…Tsubaki, you’re next."

"Me too, I daresay!?"

"You bought some too, didn't you?"

"I did, but… well, it’s this sort of combination."

What she brought out was a black camisole and blue hot pants. For Tsubaki, who usually wore traditional Japanese clothing with very little skin showing, the outfit felt incredibly rare. The thoughts flowed naturally out of my mouth.

"Heh, that’s fresh. You wear stuff like that too, Tsubaki?"

"I thought I should try Western clothes once in a while. Do you think it suits me?"

"Tsubaki, you’re a beauty, so I don't think there's anything that wouldn't suit you. Besides, from a viewer's perspective? It’s a total departure from your usual kimono, so it’ll definitely feel fresh. It fits your active image, too… Oh, and come to think of it, the atmosphere is different from your usual 'elegant' look. It's more on the 'cute' side."

"Wh—? Are you sober? Is he being serious right now? Wait, really, Reima-dono, please stop."

"Hm? Ah, sorry."

I was going to say more, but she suddenly cut me off. I apologized and shut up. Still, she made me feel plenty embarrassed back in that Dungeon. This counts as a little payback.

"…Muu! Next, Laura!"

"Given the flow of things, it can't be helped. It was my fault for forgetting this man's traits," Laura sighed.

She pulled an outfit out of her bag. I always wondered where she bought her clothes. It was Gothic Lolita style… or rather, a white dress that looked like it belonged to a girl in a fairy tale. Combined with her petite stature, it really did look like she’d jumped right out of a storybook. It had a fleeting, ephemeral atmosphere that was undeniably cute. However, having seen plenty of that sort of thing in the other world, I didn't have any particular impressions beyond that.

"You're always in black, so seeing you in white is unusual."

"Is that all?"

"Uh, well… yeah."

"Hey, Ayane. This is actually… quite irritating."

"Right? Truly, truly irritating. This means war."

"Reima-dono, we shall train. Seriously."

…Huh? Why do I feel like the odd man out here?

"Should we have him call out all the Summoned Beasts and corner him?"

"That’s an idea… Maybe we should force him to watch romance movies for thirty hours straight? We’ll need Luna, Sol, Lycoris… who else would be good?"

"In any case, do we need the bamboo swords?"

"Violence is… probably a bad idea."

"Then we shall tie him up. He must receive retribution for making a maiden feel such embarrassment… Truly, I have had so little experience being praised by a man…"

"The sin is deep, isn't it, Ayane?"

"The more the merrier. Should we bring in Balor-san too?"

The conversation was escalating rapidly. As they found common ground, the dialogue was becoming increasingly dangerous.

Sensing a literal threat to my life, I waited for the exact moment their gaze shifted. I lunged for the window, vaulted out, and sprinted back toward my own room. A few seconds later, as Ayane began her pursuit and my doorbell started ringing incessantly, I realized I had made a tactical error.