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Is it Difficult to Use Stealth in Modern Japan? – Part 05

“Huh? Wh-What’s this?! How did you record this?!” Ayano exclaimed when Hikaru showed her the video.

They were not in Ayano’s apartment, but in a nearby park. With only an hour until dawn, Hikaru and Ayano were the only ones around. The air was bitingly cold, but Ayano’s cheeks were flushed as if she couldn’t feel the chill.

“This should be enough for a scoop, right?”

“W-Well, yeah. This looks like you were in the same room as them!”

He was.

“You seem unfamiliar with digital tools, but with today’s cameras, you can do things like this.”

“R-Really?”

A big, fat lie.

“Anyway, forget about my photos. Although, you probably can’t turn this story into an article right away.”

“Huh? Why not? I’m doing just that.”

“Did you forget what you said? Tokigawa has deep ties with Nitto Shimbun. If such a material comes in, Tokigawa will immediately get notified.”

If that happened, this story would likely be suppressed.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Ayano shook her fingers. “You don’t get it. Newspapers and journalists are called the bells of society. They’re honorable individuals who guide people to the right path! Even if Tokigawa is an alumnus of Nitto Shimbun, damning evidence like this will compel my company to take action. It’s absolutely unacceptable for the secretary of the current Minister of Finance to try to make money using confidential information.”

“You have a point, but still.”

What Ayano was saying was correct, but it was nothing more than idealistic. If such idealism had prevailed, the connection between Tokigawa and the Nitto Shimbun would have been severed long ago, and investigating or reporting on Tokigawa would not be forbidden.

She’s really not suited to be a journalist.

A headache was setting in. Ayano seemed to be so absorbed in the story in front of her that she couldn’t make a rational judgment.

Hikaru sighed. “You’re free to do whatever you want with that. I’m done.”

“What? You’re not just leaving me like this, are you? Your abilities are perfect for a journalist. How about teaming up with me to uncover even bigger stories?!”

“Not interested.”

“Whaaat?!”

“Did you really think I would continue helping you in the future?”

“B-But they’re going to hurt this Doyama person. Are you just going to let that happen?”

“They didn’t say that. They’re just trying to acquire the land through proper means.”

“But if the old man keeps refusing, there will be serious trouble!”

“Serious trouble, huh? You’re a journalist. Don’t you have a better vocabulary than that? I don’t know what kind of person this Doyama is, but he’ll probably sell the land in the end after weighing the pros and cons.”

“I don’t think he will.”

Ayano’s gaze shifted away from Hikaru, and she lapsed into thought.

“If he’s been protecting the mountain for generations, he should know that its value can’t be measured in money. Those who trample on others’ faith should be eliminated.”

“…”

Ayano didn’t sound like the simpleton she had been until now. What she just said deeply resonated with Hikaru.

Maybe she’s right, he thought.

“I’ve been wondering, do you believe in any specific religion?” Hikaru asked.

“Huh? What’s this all of a sudden? Have you finally taken an interest in me? I knew it. You and I are destined to team up and break more big stories!”

“Never mind. Forget what I said. Talking to an idiot is a waste of time.”

“Did you just call me an idiot?! Fine, watch! I can’t do it today, but tomorrow, I’ll publish this article on the front page of Nitto Shimbun‘s morning edition! Make sure you read it!”

Ayano stormed off.

“She really isn’t cut out to be a journalist. Or maybe someone with that level of passion is more suitable for the job.”

Hikaru racked his brains hard, but couldn’t figure it out.

The next day, not only did the morning edition of Nitto Shimbun not feature any articles about Tokigawa, but the evening edition and the following morning edition didn’t either.

“…”

Hikaru folded the Nitto Shimbun issue he bought from a convenience store and pushed it to the side of the table. Lately, newspapers had become less common to see sold or actually read.

He had not heard from Ayano since then. Although he had no intention of staying in the Four Eastern Stars’ apartment, his curiosity about Ayano Sasakura led him to stay. The apartment still bore traces of the daily lives of the Four Eastern Stars. If it was messy, he would’ve abandoned the place, but it was surprisingly clean, making it comfortable to live in. Somehow he could sense that they tried not to leave too many traces of themselves in this world. Hikaru did the same, not making a mess and keeping things clean.

There was no sign of anyone in Ayano Sasakura’s unit one floor above. She hadn’t returned since then.

“Hikaru?” Lavia called. “May I?”

“Yeah, sure.”

When he turned his gaze, Lavia, who had finished changing, came out of the room.

A blouse with transparent sleeves. Frilly skirt. Black ribbons all over. The exposed skin between her thigh-high socks and skirt was dazzling. Her bluish-silver hair was tied with a lovely black ribbon.

“H-How do I look? Is it weird? It is, isn’t it?!”

Hikaru reflexively brought a hand to his mouth. “Oh, crap.”

“It’s that bad?!”

“You’re so pretty.”

“Huh?”

Known as jirai-kei, an edgier version of the dark girly style, this particular kind of fashion was unique even in Japan, but he didn’t think it would suit Lavia so well.

Even if Hikaru and Lavia ventured outside, it was nearly impossible for anyone to notice them if they used Stealth. However, in a smartphone-dominated society, the constant uncertainty of being captured on camera loomed.

Two days ago, while Hikaru was on his way to record Tokigawa in his adventurer getup, he was unwittingly caught on a live streamer’s camera, and he became a hot topic. People wondered whether he was an urban legend, a new otherworlder, or someone cosplaying as an adventurer.

Keenly realizing the necessity of buying clothes in this world, Hikaru rushed to order online yesterday, and it just arrived a while ago.

Jirai-kei fashion attracted attention, a downside addressed by simply using Stealth. Even if she was caught on camera, people wouldn’t think much about it.

Striking hair color would also not look unusual with jirai-kei fashion. Dyeing Lavia’s beautiful silver hair black and hiding her deep-blue eyes using colored contact lenses felt wrong to HIkaru.

“Wonderful,” Hikaru breathed. “It’s a shame you can’t show yourself to others.”

“C-Come on.”

Lavia went from being anxious to blushing in embarrassment.

It was actually Lavia herself who chose this style.

“This one’s really cute,” she had said. “But it probably won’t look good on me.”

Hikaru, without realizing it, had put the entire outfit in the cart and pressed the purchase button.

Come to think of it, the credit card was in Serika’s name, but he decided not to worry about it. He told himself that Serika would be happy to learn that Lavia got a cute outfit. Where he got that idea was a mystery.

“You seem a bit different too,” Lavia said.

“Do I?”

Hikaru had also bought clothes for himself. He chose a patterned long shirt paired with jeans, complemented by several silver accessories. While he wasn’t accustomed to wearing such accessories, the sight of Lavia’s transformation inspired Hikaru to try them on, and he found himself unexpectedly excited.

“We can finally go on a date,” Lavia said.

Hikaru blushed. “Y-Yeah.”

They had spent yesterday together at the apartment until the clothes arrived, which could be considered a sort of home date, but going outside still felt different.

Since they had nothing to do for the whole day, Hikaru did some internet browsing for the first time in a while and found countless discussions about the Four Eastern Stars. Not only were their names—Serika, Selyse, Sophie, and Sara—known, but even their party name, Four Eastern Stars, had been revealed.

They need to dial back the no-cares attitude a bit.

Some of the pictures he had taken on the other side and handed over to Serika had also been uploaded. Pictures of Queen Kujastria, released worldwide, received acclaim for her appearance and her lovely clothing.

There were, however, some alarming comments like “I want to be stepped on by Queen Kujastria,” or “A beautiful girl as a queen? I gotta go there!”

There were also many verification videos about different worlds, with channel names ranging from straightforward ones like Different World Verification, to whimsical ones like I Want to Meet the Four Eastern Stars, or Unable to Return Until an Audience with Queen Kujastoria is Granted. He ended up watching a lot of them.

“Hey, Hikaru. Let’s go outside!”

“Okay.”

Hikaru glanced at the Nitto Shimbun newspaper, before following Lavia outside.

A dry, cold wind was blowing, typical of the holiday season, but their outerwear kept them warm. Lavia was lumpy in her oversized down jacket, while Hikaru wore a leather one.

The combined cost of their outfit turned out to be quite substantial, but it should be fine considering they cleaned up the Four Eastern Stars’ garbage dump of an apartment.

“Where did you want to go again?”

“First, the movie theater!”

“Got it.”