âSorry to keep you waiting, Chrome-sama. Iâve brought the child you requested.â
âNo, no, I wasnât waiting, so itâs okay! But, huh? Only one?â
âYes, well. It seems the other two are feeling unwell from the fatigue of the stage performanceâŚâ
âI, I see. Thatâs concerning. Itâs a shame, but I canât force themâŚâ
âThank you for your generous consideration. So⌠Eda-chan?â
ââŚâŚHuh!? Oh, yes. What is it?â
âWhat do you mean, what? Itâs a greeting! This is Chrome-sama, who serves as a candidate for Archbishop at the headquarters of the Idol Church.â
âH, Hello! I am Chrome. Nice to meet you.â
Responding to Johnnyâs words, the man in the black hood bows his head normally. My thinking still canât catch up with this scene, but my well-ingrained habits reflexively return the greeting.
âIâm EdâŚda. Nice to meet you, Chrome-sama.â
âY, Yeah. Nice to meet you. Thanks for your hard work, Johnny-san. Thatâll be all.â
âItâs okay, Johnny-san.â
I push away Johnny, who is concerned about me, on purpose. If itâs not just a perverted old man, but the demon king, itâs a different story.
âIs that so? Well⌠donât overdo it.â
Leaving those words full of worry, Johnny left the room. And when the door closed, only I and Chrome⌠Demon King Chrome were left in this private room. In that case, thereâs no need to hold back anymore.
âPhew⌠so? Whatâs this all about?â
âW, what do you mean? I just wanted to talk with the children of âRainbow Tiaâ who are currently all the buzzâŚâ
Suddenly my atmosphere might have changed, Chrome raised his voice as if a little confused. Itâs very flimsy, but⌠well, itâs a good opportunity, so why not talk first?
âUs You were watching our performance very enthusiastically today, werenât you?â
âT, Thatâs right! No, it was really amazing! Eda-chan, you were very attractive, Tia-chan was very cute, and Rain-chanâs song was really amazing⌠I was moved to tears.â
âOh, really? Thanks?â
âNo, no, itâs not flattery! I really thought it was amazing! So I wanted to talk with everyone⌠Ah, no, Iâm not saying Iâm not satisfied with just Eda-chan or anything!â
In response to Chromeâs hurried words, it doesnât seem like thereâs a lie. Rather, I canât imagine why there would be a need to lie or act at this point.
No, but still⌠eh, is this a lie?
âHey, ChromeâŚsama?â
âWhat do you mean⌠you know who I am, right?â
âHuh? Of course! Isnât Eda-chan from âRainbow Tiarâ famous enough to be heard at headquarters these days? Well, admittedly, unlike Tia-chan and Rain-chan, there are clearly people who love you and people who hate you, and there are indeed many critical people⌠But I think itâs good! Yes, Eda-chan is ero⌠ehem, attractive after all!â
Despite being hidden behind a black hood and not being able to see his eyes, I could clearly feel Chromeâs gaze darting around my chest and buttocks. Hoho, women can really tell a manâs gaze like this. I should be careful⌠no, this is useless knowledge that wonât help me in my life at all, but I should still take note. Just in case.
Wait, no, thatâs not it! This isnât⌠is he really unaware? Even at this distance, having a conversation!?
âEh, Eda-chan? What⌠is something wrong?â
âAh, no, nothing. May I sit?â
âO, Of course! Feel free to sit wherever you like!â
Presumably because he originally intended to invite everyone, there are a lot of delicious-looking dishes lined up on the round table, and thereâs plenty of places to sit. But I deliberately smile and sit down next to Chrome at a distance where our shoulders might touch.
âEh, Eda-chan!? Isnât that a bit too close?â
âWhat, is it bad to be close?â
âItâs not that itâs bad, but you know, I think itâs more relaxing for both of us if thereâs an appropriate distance!â
âThen itâs fine. This is the âappropriate distanceâ Iâve thought up between you and me.â
To the visibly flustered Chrome, I gently place my hand on his. Then Chrome shakes his body surprisingly, and my hand is knocked away.
âHoah!? Ah, sorry, Eda-chan. But, whatâs going on? All of a suddenâŚ?â
âThereâs nothing sudden about it, I just held your hand. Iâm an idol, so itâs only natural for me to shake hands with fans, right? Especially me, I donât shy away from handshaking.â
In fact, Iâm relatively active in interacting with fans. This is partly because I have a strong personality and, although I might appear otherwise, I behave myself⌠Well, of course I do⌠Iâm a man after all⌠This is a policy that Johnny has acknowledged.
So, I normally do things like handshakes, and if someone extends a hand as they pass by, Iâll enthusiastically give them a high-five. Occasionally, there are guys who try to touch my butt, but I skillfully dodge them. I used to kick them away, but then there were guys who came up to me saying things like âKick me too!â⌠Hmm, the right response is indeed important.
âIâm aware of that! I know, but⌠since it was so sudden, I was a bit surprised⌠No, Iâm happy! Iâm really happy! But, I think it might be a bit off for a girl to casually hold hands like that, I meanâŚâ
âOh really? So, itâs okay if itâs not hands?â
With a grin, I grabbed Chromeâs hand that he had brushed off, and forcefully pressed it against my chest. Itâs quite a peculiar feeling to have oneâs chest grabbed like this, but I donât feel any repulsion⌠Well, for me, itâs as if Iâm grabbing it with my own hand.
But, it seems Chrome, whoâs now grabbing my chest, doesnât see it the same way.
âHyeeee!? No, Eda-chan!? You canât, like this!? You canât do this kind of thing!â
âWhatâs the problem? Youâve been watching me with those eyes all along, havenât you?â
âThatâs because⌠itâs a manâs instinct, and even if youâre an idol⌠No, especially because youâre an idol, I think you should value yourself more! Ah, did you misunderstand because I called you here!? No, thatâs not it! I just really wanted to talk with everyone from âRainbow Tiaâ, and I never intended to do anything like this! I apologize! Please stop this!â
âHmm? So, youâre saying you donât feel anything even after all this?â
âUggh!? Well, Iâm a man, so itâs not like I donât feel anything⌠but, no, I canât. Iâm a fan of Tia-chan! I wonât be swayed by this⌠ah, but itâs incredibly softâŚâ
âI see⌠well, that was informative. This will be the last time then.â
âLa, last!? What are youââ!?â
With a firm grip on Chromeâs wrist, keeping his hand against my chest, I activate [Last Chance] to revert back to my original form. As a result, Chromeâs eyes, peeking slightly from within the hood, widenâŚ
âWhat about now? Do you understand?â
âWh, wh, whaaaaaaaat!? Eda-chan turned into a man!? No, thatâs not it⌠could it be, youâre the real bodyyyyyyyyyyy!?!!?â
Before my mischievous smile, the Demon King Chrome shouted out in surprise, as if he were about to blow a bubble.