Make My Name Great (5)

"Mmm."

Ninomae glanced at the glass of the building, turning her reflected self this way and that. Then, as if something had suddenly begun to bother her, she reached up and lightly touched the bangs spilling out from under her knit cap.

"…Hehe."

She didn't look particularly different, but she nodded all the same, as if satisfied.

"Ninomae-san?"

"Eek?!"

The voice from behind made her jump and hunch in on herself. As she lost her balance and tipped forward, Han Seoyeon caught her lightly by the shoulder and set her upright again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd startle quite that badly."

"No, it's fine……."

Ninomae let the words out on a long breath. What Seoyeon had said was probably no excuse, but the simple truth—and no wonder. She hadn't crept up, and she hadn't even raised her voice. Ninomae had merely had her attention dragged somewhere else to a ridiculous degree.

"You're early, Shion-san."

"Hearing it from Ninomae-san, who was already here, doesn't particularly move me."

The two of them looked at each other—both having turned up a full thirty minutes before the appointed time—and shared a wry smile.

"Besides, I set it for twelve-thirty because I thought you'd be here around now."

She had proposed the hour from the start with every intention of meeting at noon. Seoyeon gave a small shrug as she said it.

"You got me. Should I come even earlier next time?"

"Please. Have a little mercy."

"Heehee, I'm joking."

It was a look of genuine distaste, something one very rarely saw on Han Seoyeon. Perhaps satisfied with the rare reaction, a smile tugged at the corner of Ninomae's mouth.

"Anyway, meeting at this hour means we start with a meal, right?"

"Yes. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

Then they might as well go. Seoyeon glanced sidelong at Ninomae, and the two of them set off together.

"You've got a hat on, I see. Did you buy it recently?"

"Yeah. I don't usually wear one out. How is it?"

"It suits you. Very much."

A beige knit cap, with a short brim across the front that looked less like sunshade and more like pure decoration.

"You wear a hat sometimes too, don't you, Shion-san? That black one with the brim…"

"A cappello romano. The hat clergy used to wear when they dressed lightly."

Only in recent years had it drawn closer to formal attire. A few decades ago it had been treated as a priest's comfortable everyday clothes, back when going about in a hat was not merely common but simply the way of things.

"In any case, is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?"

"Uh, not really."

Seoyeon had turned the subject after letting her eyes drift over the shops around them, but Ninomae had nothing she especially craved, and a vague answer was all she could offer.

"Then let's choose from the sorts without broth, for a start."

The reason went without saying: Ninomae's clothes. A pale beige wool sweater, as if matched to the hat. Let broth so much as splash it, and it would show terribly—and it would not be easy to get out.

"Oh, that's fine. I can just erase it with magic."

"You've grown quite accustomed to the hidden world, haven't you."

"There are a lot of convenient spells, it turns out. I wished to be able to protect myself, so I thought I'd only get a pile of self-defense magic."

"He was a demon with pretty generous service."

Ninomae said it with a giggle.

"Well, magic you can use only for self-defense has limited occasions, doesn't it. It's a contract that skims away faith every time you cast, so of course they'd have to give you something worth using plenty of in daily life."

"Now that I think about it, that does make sense."

"So then—a broth dish after all?"

"Mmm… no, something without broth after all! I'm in that kind of mood today."

At that, Seoyeon answered with the faintest of smiles.

"As you command."

When the meal was done, the two of them slipped quietly into an alley.

Once she had confirmed that no eyes were on them, Ninomae swept a hand through the empty air and drew out a black book.

The book rose and floated gently in the air, and though no hand touched it, the pages turned of their own accord with a brisk flutter. Following Ninomae's will, the leaf she wanted spread open.

At Ninomae's back there appeared the phantom of wings, wound in a faint light. Far too white to belong to a demon, and covered in feathers besides.

A moment later, golden flame washed over Ninomae—and over Han Seoyeon, standing right beside her.

There was no trace of pain in either of them. If anything, they looked a little more at ease.

"A purifying flame."

As the golden fire died away, Seoyeon sniffed at her collar and spoke. If even her nose could not catch it, then the smell had truly, completely gone.

"Super convenient, right? …Still, it feels weirdly gross, so I end up washing every day anyway."

What the magic purified was probably not clothing alone. In theory, with this and nothing else, one could live without ever bathing and suffer no trouble at all. And yet, told to go on from tomorrow without washing, a person would still feel oddly unclean. Human psychology was a curious thing.

"But where does the name Shirase Hikari even come from? The image is a church angel, and yet anyone can see it's a Japanese name……."

"Wouldn't it be a character from some famous light novel?"

"It didn't even come up when I searched."

They let out a thoughtful hum and turned it over between them, but no matter how they thought, no answer came.

"Shall we just go buy something?"

"That would be best."

Having settled it that way, the two of them made for a nearby department store.

In truth there was little they needed to buy. Most of the furniture and belongings could simply be brought from the house where Ninomae had been living. Even so, that had been the pretext for their meeting, and so she wandered the floors with Seoyeon, here and there.

"A matching set of cups wouldn't be bad, would it?"

"Oh, I like that!"

For all the time they had spent wandering, what they actually purchased was a pair of mugs with a tiny, cute squirrel drawn on them. Still—if the two of them were happy, what more was there to want?

"……Shion-san?"

As they wandered on, Ninomae realized at some point that Seoyeon had stopped, and a puzzled look crossed her face.

Follow that gaze, and there was the furniture floor. They already had furniture from each of their homes, though. There shouldn't have been any need for something new…….

"Ninomae-san. You usually sleep on the floor, don't you."

"Huh? Y-yeah. Well, I guess I do."

"Is sleeping on the floor much more comfortable?"

The question followed at once, and Ninomae answered without thinking very hard.

"Mmm? Not exactly. I just figured, so long as it isn't that uncomfortable, there's no real need to buy a bed."

A bed, as it happened, cost more than one might think. Unless you bought a mattress alone and left the thing sitting there bare—unless, that is, you stopped short of a proper frame—the price became considerable.

For someone living on their own, at least, it was not an item one was obliged to consider. She had more money to spare now than before, having debuted as a VTuber, but she had grown used to living this way, and as things stood it was an unnecessary thing.

"Is that so?"

But the moment the light in Seoyeon's eyes turned over at those words, Ninomae realized, too late, that she had answered carelessly.

"No, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wait a second?! What are you thinking— no, I can roughly guess what you're thinking, so hold on!"

"Let's put one in your room as well, Ninomae-san. I'll buy it."

Exactly the reaction she had expected. Seoyeon made for the bed section in long strides, without a shred of hesitation, and Ninomae grabbed her in a hurry.

"Even so, something like that is way too expensive to accept!"

"It's fine. What I have rotting in piles is money."

And soon enough, Ninomae realized that persuasion was impossible.

Yes. What stood before her was a menace who, with nowhere to spend it, went so far as to impulse-buy real estate. Holy Knight work brought plenty in, and because she never indulged in the slightest luxury, nothing ever went out. A machine for printing money.

"Let's go. Right now, Ninomae-san."

And more than anything, that creature known as a rotten viewer was the sort who, told in a fluster to restrain the high-value donations, became physically incapable of not firing off a red Superchat.

The expression was calm as ever, but Ninomae read a strange madness steeped in the voice, and she abandoned her objections.

The only choice is to make her buy the cheapest one…!

She was already the Ninomae who had, by some turn of events, ended up living off Seoyeon. She could not go imposing any further. Not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for pride's sake, but as a matter of being a decent person. Han Seoyeon was plainly the sort who would hand over whatever Ninomae asked for, so the one doing the receiving had to hold the line and restrain herself. Otherwise she really would end up a hopeless beast.

"…Or so I thought. Why are you looking at double beds from the very start?!"

"Ah? Would a queen, or a king, be more to your taste?"

"A single is plenty!"

Having seen exactly where Seoyeon's straight-line advance was headed, Ninomae seized her collar in alarm. The hem of the light brown coat fluttered under her hand.

Set aside certain parts of her, and Ninomae was on the small side. To put it bluntly, she didn't even need a super ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠single.

But Seoyeon stared back at her with round eyes.

"Isn't a single too narrow for the two of us to sleep in?"

"……Nyeheh?"

She ended up asking it back in a dazed, empty voice.

"Th-th-the two of us?!"

"I told you, didn't I. On nights I stream a horror game, you agreed to stay beside me."

"…Ah. Uhh. Right."

For one instant Ninomae had let her imagination run somewhere strange, and realizing it had been entirely her own misunderstanding, she flushed even harder.

"And if the bed is large, then someday, when there's an offline collab, it'll be easier for someone to stay the night."

"…Get out of Charmea a little already, you idiot servant."

Ninomae said it glaring, sharp-eyed. The curt tone might have seemed angry at a glance, but the voice was not Ninomae's own. It was Mary's broadcast voice.

Seoyeon decided to accept the reward with gratitude.

"To set the record straight: it's true that Charmea is my favorite, but I'm an omnivore."

"Is that really what matters right now?!"

At Seoyeon's attitude—determined, even now, to say what she had to say—Ninomae pressed a hand to her forehead. Thanks to that, the face that had heated with embarrassment cooled in no time.

"Tch. Do whatever you want, Shion-san."

"Then the pink queen-size bed over there."

"No, I'm sorry."

Even so, a glittery pink bed smothered in frills was out of the question. Seeking out a chance to tease Mary the moment one presented itself—that was the very specimen of a rotten viewer.

"I'm joking. It's a bed we'll sleep in together, so we ought to choose with care."

"The customer's quite right. If you'd like, you're welcome ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to lie down on one and decide."

It was around then that the clerk, who until now had only been watching them from a distance, came over. Her hair was tied neatly back, and she indicated a bed some way off.

"And if it's now, I'd recommend that one. You look like a couple, and a generous size really is best, isn't it."

"A couple… ah, no! Set that aside! Even so, we don't need anything that big……!"

At the clerk so casually recommending an absurdly enormous bed, Ninomae waved her hands in a hurry, lest she be swept along and stuck paying for something expensive.

"The thing is, that one happens to be on an ultra-special discount just now. So the price is……."

"Huh? That's… how do I put it. Isn't that too cheap…?"

But before long, the shock changed into a different kind. The price the clerk named was absurdly low.

At that figure, setting aside beds classed as singles, it was about as cheap as they came—cheap enough that not buying it would have been the stupid choice. But isn't this too cheap? What if there's something wrong with it? Ninomae sank into confusion, and Seoyeon, who had been watching her a moment, opened her mouth as if something had just occurred to her.

"…This place. Now that I think about it, it's a department store run by a Hyakurenno affiliate."

"……."

The clerk's expression did not change, but for a single instant her shoulders flinched, and a Holy Knight's eyes did not miss it.

"I-it's a discount item that has nothing to do with Lady Yuri…?"

"I never even brought up Hyakurenno Yuri-san's name."

"…Ahaha. You clerks have it pretty rough, don't you."

"Ugh……."

So being employed by a conglomerate heiress's company came with hardships of its own. Ninomae smiled wryly and dipped her head to the clerk.