Shirako and Kuroko Both Have Something to Say, Date A Live: Prelude

"Is that so? I'd wanted to lead you all out of this boring life and explore humanity's unknown mysteries and interesting future together."

Suzumiya Shirako regretfully spread one hand, her expression calm and dashing. "In that case, I'll return that man to you."

She'd really possessed the club president just like that?!

Wasn't this supposed to be some kind of improvised performance?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, standing nearby, involuntarily leaned back in shock. But Shiina's expression was serious, and the way she had looked at him earlier had felt strangely unfriendly.

What happened?

I really want to be confessed to again.

The man in the middle crashed on the spot for a moment before occasionally rebooting. He had lost the bearing and demeanor he had possessed while in character.

Looking at Shiina Hiyori, who had raised the objection, he said, "Then Shiina, give us a suggestion. What kind of personality and character setting would be more suitable for this date?"

"I think the way things were at the beginning was pretty good. Later, you completely turned into Suzumiya, and it kept making me feel like I was going to break character."

Shiina Hiyori gave her brief evaluation and suggestion.

"Oh, that girl who tried to confess to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka..." Bai Yu savored the feeling for a moment. "All right, I'll invite her back now."

"??"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's surprised expression carried a trace of delight.

Before Bai Yu could get into character, he hurriedly asked, "Why invite her? Is the president also skilled in spirit summoning?"

"I'm merely retrieving the images of certain people from my memories and portraying them. Since my impression of them is clear and deep, the results naturally come across vividly."

As he was on the verge of slipping away again, Bai Yu added, "After spending so much time with you, I can imitate you too."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was stunned for a moment, yet he did not forget the conversation they had previously had in the sports equipment storage room.

Now it finally wasn't strange that this guy had been kicked out of the theater troupe.

If, while acting opposite an actress, he chose to imitate and portray the styles of famous characters from novels or anime—and on top of that, he was already exceptionally handsome—

What woman could withstand that kind of trial?

If they didn't kick this man out, the troupe would surely decline! Otherwise, it could only head in a strange direction.

As his thoughts drifted slightly, Bai Yu gradually found the feeling again.

He recited several nonspecific lines in succession, gradually transforming his voice into something ethereal and delicate. Then, with slow assembly and subtle adjustments, that familiar voice was soon brewed once more.

"Ayanokoji-kun—"

"Don't!" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka raised a hand like a traffic cop stopping traffic and said solemnly, "I've already experienced it. There's no need for you to test it repeatedly, President."

Shiina Hiyori walked over and asked with great interest, "The one just now was Suzumiya Shirako. Then who is this?"

"Call me Nakano Kuroko, Shiina."

Shiina Hiyori's eyes lit up. Unable to resist, she took the other's hand and said happily, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nakano!"

Now there wasn't even a trace of Bai Yu left in the name.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka instinctively snarked to himself. Unexpectedly, he could accept this, and he vaguely found himself anticipating something.

Maintaining the slender posture of a young girl, Bai Yu suddenly switched back to his usual voice. "Ayanokoji-kun, were you just thinking that it would be better if the president simply never came back?"

"Are you some kind of esper?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's snarking voice rose an octave.

"An esper? Where is this esper? Bring them to me!" Suzumiya Shirako suddenly stole the scene.

Ayanokoji and Shiina both involuntarily leaned back in shock, their expressions grave as neither spoke for a long while.

Suzumiya Shirako left the stage, and Bai Yu returned.

Noticing their wooden expressions, he habitually began explaining. "There's no need to be surprised. This is my normal state after I completely immerse myself in a performance."

"Because actors often need to enter their roles quickly onstage, they usually keep themselves in their most relaxed state. Once they go onstage, they rely solely on instinct to perform. It's somewhat like the state of selflessness in sports."

The two nodded as if they understood, though perhaps they did not.

Bai Yu continued, "But because my reactions are simply too fast, and there's too much information in my head, whenever I encounter certain keywords while fully immersed in a performance, they instinctively trigger the corresponding character templates. That makes me jump back and forth between those characters easily."

"Once I break character, my scene partner breaks character too. The more we break character, the further things go off track, and the further off track we go, the less of a scene there is. That's also one reason I couldn't make a living in a theater troupe for long and could only retreat behind the scenes to write scripts."

I'd recommend seeing a doctor first in that situation.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka offered this merciless assessment internally.

After hearing him out, Shiina relaxed slightly. Curious, she asked, "Then can Bai-kun switch to any character he wants to portray at any time?"

"Hm? Oh, I can now."

"But if I haven't practiced for too long, like just now, it takes a little time just to find the feeling."

Upon hearing that, Shiina Hiyori's brows and eyes softened like a pair of crescent moons.

She eagerly suggested, "Then how about having those two female characters switch at any time during Bai-kun's date? That way, he'll be able to handle all sorts of situations too... Um, what does Bai-kun think?"

Bai Yu revealed an expression of serious thought, lowering his head in contemplation like Holmes.

"I'll do as you say, Watson!"

"Yay!" Shiina Hiyori happily asked for a high-five.

Bai Yu gladly accepted. He held out both hands, and together they created a crisp, resounding clap.

Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had some objections to this proposal, he took in the atmosphere and decided not to voice such an ill-timed opinion. Damn it.

I really want to be confessed to again.

It was now ten in the morning, the time of Bai Yu's date with Shironami Chihiro.

Bai Yu and Shiina stood beside a prominent central flowerbed, waiting for someone.

Ayanokoji waited in a more distant lounge area, secretly observing them. During the wait, he did not forget to order himself a drink.

Bai Yu was already in character. The one driving that body should be Nakano Kuroko now, right? Kuroko, Shirako... then what was the president?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's thoughts embarked on a strange adventure. Before long, a chair at the seat across from him was pulled out, and he slowly looked up.

Sure enough, it was the woman who was also connected to this date.

"What a good spot. Ayanokoji-kun, did you deliberately avoid making friends with people in class?"

The girl seated herself across from him, her gaze also falling upon the two Service Club members waiting in the distance. The casual sentence that came out of her mouth was offensive enough to be unforgivable.

Damned woman... Just wait. I'll stab you in the back again later. I'll agree to Ichinose Honami on the spot and let you feel the will of a fence-sitter!

"? Ayanokoji-kun, you haven't forgotten what I asked you to do, have you?"

"Heh."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave a completely emotionless dry laugh and confidently repeated, "It's nothing more than having me appear at the end of the date. Before Shironami can confess to Ichinose, Ichinose Honami will take the initiative to confess to me, and then I'll ruthlessly reject her."

"That will create the illusion that her confession failed and she suffered an emotional blow. Taking her feelings into consideration, Shironami Chihiro will suppress the urge to confess that she has in her heart. She may even worry about Ichinose's heartbreak and refrain from taking a second action for quite some time."

"As long as Ichinose acts sad enough and occasionally looks lonely in the days ahead, it's possible that the other party won't confess to her for all three years."

Horikita Suzune brushed back a lock of hair by her temple and added calmly.

Her chest was filled with heavy confidence.

Her gaze returned to the two waiting in the distance as she said, "Then... I've wanted to ask this since earlier."

"Who is that cute girl in the nice outfit standing beside Shiina?"

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