Yoo Harin VS Nidhorn
In the living room of Yoo Harin’s house.
I was taking a break around the table with Cardia and Sercia when Nidhorn suddenly approached.
With her black hair and purple eyes gleaming, the chic-faced Nidhorn was wearing…
“A magical girl outfit…?”
Ribbons and wrist guards in a perfect blend of white and pink, topped off with white stockings. It was the textbook definition of a magical girl costume. And on her small, slender frame, it looked absolutely perfect.
Nidhorn walked right up to me, demurely clasping her hands together, and asked in a voice so soft it was barely audible.
“H-how… is it…?”
“……!”
That face, that look, and that fragile little voice?! My heart plummeted and my words completely failed me. More than anything, the faint bashfulness hidden behind her usual blank expression was driving me insane.
When I just sat there with my mouth hanging open, she seemed to take it as a negative reaction and dropped her gaze.
“…….”
The corners of her lips, which had been lifted just a little, returned to their usual flat line.
“I-is it… b-b-b-b-bad…?”
Tears even welled up in those sparkling purple eyes. I was reminded all over again how easy it was to forget she was a cosmic-disaster-class being.
I hurriedly pulled myself together and answered.
“N-no! You’re pretty! Really!”
“……!”
“Super pretty.”
A moment later I heard her take several deep breaths, and then the corners of her mouth curled up just a little.
“Hehehe…”
It was a tiny smile, almost invisible, but that small change flipped the entire atmosphere one hundred and eighty degrees.
“Whoa…!”
I couldn’t help the gasp that slipped out.
Of course a pretty face makes even her smile broken-tier OP!
Cardia, who had been sitting in silence the whole time, spoke up in admiration.
“As expected of Lady Nidhorn, who possesses such beautiful features. This humble one believes the magical girl look suits you most splendidly.”
Sercia nodded as well.
“As expected of Lady Nidhorn.”
Meanwhile Nidhorn shyly clutched the hem of her skirt with her tiny hands and mumbled,
“Hehe… I’m glad Master… likes it…”
Watching her, a smile naturally rose to my lips.
That was when it happened.
“Ahem! Ahem! Ahehehem!”
Someone’s forced cough made me turn around, and this time Yoo Harin was standing there.
“……!?”
The moment I saw her outfit, I lost the ability to speak all over again.
“H-Harin?”
Yoo Harin stood there flushed all the way to her ears and the nape of her neck. She was wearing a cosplay outfit themed after a nine-tailed fox. White and red blended together in perfect harmony. A fluffy tail decoration hung at her waist, and perched on her head were two fox ears so large they were almost the size of her own head.
And the thing that stood out most of all…
was the violently deep cleavage left completely exposed.
Isn’t that a little too blatantly aimed at Nidhorn?
For a second I almost felt sorry for the flat-chested magical girl standing next to me.
Yoo Harin tightly gripped the hem of her skirt with both hands, avoiding my eyes as she carefully opened her mouth.
“H-how do I look?”
Cold sweat instantly ran down my spine. I suddenly thought that even if I fell into the middle of a thousand landmines, it would still be safer than this.
I have to answer this… really carefully!
I sneaked a glance at Nidhorn. She quietly met my eyes. Meanwhile Cardia and Sercia were clutching their stomachs and sweating bullets as they tried to hold back laughter.
I thought and thought again. What would be the best answer?
If I praise only one of them, it’s game over for sure!
In the end I chose my words as carefully as possible, still not entirely sure this was the model answer.
“Both of you… have such unique charms that they suit you perfectly.”
Fortunately their reactions were better than I’d expected. Yoo Harin’s eyes went round with delight.
“R-really? Thank you! Heehee!”
Nidhorn quietly nodded as well.
“That’s a relief…”
Just when I thought we’d made it through safely—
“……Then.”
“……Then.”
Yoo Harin and Nidhorn’s voices overlapped perfectly. In that instant the two of them locked eyes in a spark-filled stare. I didn’t actually see sparks, but even if real ones had flown it wouldn’t have felt out of place.
Yoo Harin was the first to lift the corners of her mouth, speaking as if she were doing the other a favor.
“Ah, you go first?”
Nidhorn blinked in flustered surprise.
“Th-th-th-this noble lady…?”
Yoo Harin beamed and gestured.
“Of course. You’re the senior(?), so I should at least let you ask first.”
At this moment the pure terror of the tension belonged entirely to Sercia and Cardia. The two dragons were curled up tight, watching Nidhorn’s every move. Nidhorn herself, however, didn’t seem particularly scratched.
After fidgeting with her skirt hem for a while, her purple eyes finally turned to me.
“M-M-M-Master?”
“Yeah?”
They say ominous premonitions always come true. Her face grew even redder as she asked in a tiny voice,
“B-between the two of us… who is… ‘prettier’…?”
“……!”
For a second the world truly seemed to stop.
Damn it!
I never thought she’d actually ask it straight out! I desperately shot Cardia and Sercia a look begging for rescue.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The moment our eyes met they both looked away. A cough escaped Cardia’s lips.
“Ahem…!”
And Sercia… was biting her lip and shaking her shoulders. Neither dragon had the slightest intention of helping.
…You filthy traitors!
My affection for the two dragons dropped a little in that moment.
Fine… so I have to handle this myself!
I took a deep breath and chose my words with the utmost care.
“Honestly…”
Yoo Harin and Nidhorn’s gazes locked onto me at the same time.
“It’s really hard for me to decide which of you is better.”
“…….”
“…….”
Okay. That should get us through without too much trouble, right?
But contrary to my expectations, both women’s reactions were ice-cold. The next moment Yoo Harin and Nidhorn turned frosty stares on each other.
“…….”
“…….”
Especially Nidhorn—every trace of her earlier shyness was gone. Her purple eyes were now blazing with a terrifying competitive fire. Seeing that, Cardia quietly sighed and muttered,
“It has finally begun.”
Sercia sighed as well. Their reactions only made me more anxious.
“W-w-w-why?”
Sercia answered with a bitter smile.
“Women’s competitive spirit… often can’t be resolved through ‘logical methods,’ you see.”
The words had barely left her mouth when Yoo Harin let out a ringing shout.
“All right!”
“……?”
“Then I’ll try on other cosplay looks too!”
“……What?”
Yoo Harin and Nidhorn both lifted the corners of their mouths at the same time and answered.
“What else? We’re going to round two starting now!!”
“W-wait a second…!”
It was already late at night and I was about to suggest we just go to sleep, but it was too late. The two women spun around with fierce energy and raced toward the dressing room like they were competing.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
Before long only I and the two dragons were left in the living room again.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
The silence that had settled for a while was broken first by Sercia.
“I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about cosplay looks, but watching those two makes me feel like I can’t even hand over my business card.”
Cardia chimed in.
“This humble one is not without interest in cosplay looks either, yet seeing those two makes me feel they exist in an entirely different realm.”
It struck me all over again that every woman here was optimized for cosplay. Precious things really do need to be seen and felt often. Of course, walking on thin ice like this was something I could do without.
A short while later the two of them returned much faster than expected. The moment I saw them I understood why.
They had appeared… in exactly the same outfits.
Black bunny-girl cosplay.
Of course… they weren’t completely identical. The skin-tight bunny-girl look was the kind of outfit that only emphasized the different body types of the two women even more.
Then, as if demanding an evaluation, Yoo Harin spoke first. At last… the time of judgment had arrived.
“Well, Master Jiwoo? Now which of us is prettier?”
Nidhorn quietly opened her mouth as well.
“This noble lady awaits Master’s fair and impartial evaluation…”
Do I… really have to pick one of them?
