Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

The festival was only one day away.

Today, the main stage was available for everyone to rehearse their presentations. It was their only chance to actually practice on location, so the entire hall was filled with a tense air.

Kou had been one of the first to arrive and had already concluded her rehearsal. Hijiri and Subaru had also been given permission to be there, so now all three of them were attentively watching the other performers, seeing if they could learn anything from them.

“Hey, still studying diligently, I see. I’m impressed.” Someone with a sports towel draped around her shoulders approached them… It was Haru, wearing track pants and a t-shirt.

“You’ve been working hard too. Here, take this.”
“Oh, thank you! That’s really kind of you, there there.”

Kou had seen Haru rehearsing on stage for far longer than she had, and knowing how exhausting that could get, she handed over a sports drink to Haru…who happily took it and then patted Kou’s head.

While Kou’s role as a co-host was rather minor, Haru was the main celebrity on stage and had to perform for a much longer time. She was still going to get a few intermission breaks, but other than that, she essentially had to perform for two days straight.

And yet somehow she still had the energy to grin happily while patting Kou’s head, pretty much treating Kou like a kid, but this time Kou did not mind too much.

“You also looked like a whole different person with just one week of training, Mitsuki. Good job.”
“You…you think so? That was only possible thanks to you and your classmates, thank you for helping me.”

Kou’s cheeks reddened and her eyes darted around as she received the praise, yet she was still mindful enough to respond appropriately…

“Ughh how can you always be so cuteee!”
“Mrnghhh?!”

A sense of impending dread filled Kou’s mind and she tried to jump back, but the Ditzy Lord could not escape.

She was instantly caught and embraced, her face pushed into something soft that made it hard to breathe, so she desperately tried to tap out so Haru would release her.

“Haru! Kou looks like she’s struggling there, please let her go…”
“Ah, I’m sorryyy.”

Seeing Kou’s face go red and then pale blue, Hijiri just had to rescue her.

“Kou, are you okay?”
“I thought…I was done for…”

Once released, Kou staggered around for a bit and Hijiri had to catch her before she fell, letting her breathe steadily for a bit.

“You know, I’m starting to suspect you let them catch you on purpose.”
“I swear I’m not… Usually my body moves on its own when someone tries to attack me, but I don’t sense anything when they have no bad intentions…”

Subaru was getting tired of seeing that happen time and time again, and Kou tried to explain her situation.

It was the same for Hijiri and Haru, they all went after Kou with 100% friendliness, which made them fly under the radar of Kou’s sharp senses and dulled her reaction speed, leading to her being caught every time.

“…You sound like some wild animal.”
“Shut up…”

Kou hung her head in shame, realizing she had somehow become the natural prey of slightly older girls who wanted to pamper her.

◇◇◇

“Hey, it looks like we’re all set now, huh.”
“Hello there, good job everyone!”

After spending some time sitting back with Haru, two other girls approached them. They were Kurono and Ranka, who had just finished rehearsing the play they would perform as the last show from the public entertainment department.

“Yes, all thanks to you. We’ve done everything possible, now we just have to pray that I can come up with good lines on the spot if I have to.”
“You think so? You’re already got the hang of it from what I saw.”
“Really?!”

Kou could hardly believe her harshest teacher, Kurono, had just given her the seal of approval like that.

“Yes… If anything, sometimes you take things way too seriously. Try to relax a bit more and try to have fun yourself, okay?”
“Have fun…?”
“Don’t overthink it. I mean, you already have a lot of fun when you’re streaming in-game, right?”

Kurono voiced that like a question, but she was certain of it, and Kou gasped as she understood what Kurono meant.

Kou had been doing that for a while now so it became second nature to her, but Kurono was right. Sometimes she would lose her mind a little with all the perverted comments from her viewers, but interacting with them while playing the game was something Kou had found enjoyable.

Somehow, she had never thought about it until she was told directly, and her three teachers nodded with approval, almost like they could read her mind.

“I always enjoyed how lively *Crim* was while reading what the viewers said.”
“Don’t worry about anything on stage, just enjoy yourself and I’ll cover for anything that happens!”
“…Okay!”

Kou could feel her nerves easing as Ranka and Haru also encouraged her. There was only one thing left to do, to perform on the main day.

“And actually, we’ve prepared a gift for you, as thanks for accepting to help us out like this. Can you come with us for a few minutes?”
“…?”

Kou tilted her head in confusion as she slowly followed Ranka’s lead. Haru and Kurono, the two other girls who had served as her teachers so far, also followed behind.

…Maybe if she had paid more attention at that point, the future would have been vastly different.

But as she herself had explained earlier, her quick reflexes worked only on people who meant her harm, while being vulnerable to friendly people. So she remained oblivious to their ardent desire to admire and pamper their precious little princess from the other school building.

And so, she was lured straight to the spare room next to the main stage.

“Here it is…this is what we wanted to show you!”

Ranka pointed to something with great fanfare…an outfit. The dress was clearly tailored for a petite girl, with a wavy skirt and sparkly accents… exactly the same as the outfits worn on stage by idols.

Just seeing it sent a chill down Kou’s spine, and she decided to turn around to leave immediately.

“…Well, see you tomorrow!”
“ “ “You’re not getting away!” ” ”

The three girls quickly formed a barrier with their hands to stop Kou from leaving.

“I’ve been wanting to dress you up for so long…I can’t hold back anymore!”
“And I need to get some makeup on you, you’re a gem that I have to polish…!”
“…So small…and adorable…”

The three girls slowly closed in on Kou, their eyes glowing menacingly.

For Kou, that was a far more terrifying sight than a horde of zombies. All she could do was look around, desperately searching for a way out as all color drained from her face.

In the end, that led to a wild game of tag with Kou against the public entertainment girls…the latter of which quickly won with their advantage in numbers. And so, Kou was sentenced to being dressed up and treated like a doll by the three girls…