A Mysterious Beautiful Girl accepts all things.

She neither chases those who leave nor refuses those who come; it is this depth of tolerance that makes the Mysterious Beautiful Girl who she is.

In other words, a Mysterious Beautiful Girl must never reveal her depths.

In that sense, I was currently an incredibly Mysterious Beautiful Girl.

““……””

Miyume-chan and I remained silent.

But what lay between us was a certain trust, and the luxury to enjoy the night—that’s what this quietness signified.

Tucking a strand of hair swaying in the night breeze behind her ear, I smiled and stroked Miyume-chan, who lay across my lap.

A lap pillow for a beautiful girl… this has to be an achievement unlock, right?

『Let’s aim to get the full trophy collection, okay＾＾ Oh, and by the way, there’s also a trophy for being the one receiving the lap pillow＾＾』

A Mysterious Beautiful Girl receiving a lap pillow?

『Oh? Do you dislike the idea? I thought you’d leap at the chance if it was a beautiful girl’s lap.』

A beautiful girl’s lap pillow is sacred.

There were once shrines in our country that enshrined divine statues modeled after beautiful girls’ thighs.

There are even records claiming seventy-five percent of the eight million gods are embodied within beautiful girls’ thighs.

『What country are you from?』

The Far East, of course.

The Yamato spirit, of course.

In short, to receive a lap pillow from a beautiful girl, one must make many preparations.

The situation must be crafted carefully.

Personally, I think a Mysterious Beautiful Girl receiving a lap pillow belongs not in the main story, but in post-release DLC.

The Mysterious Beautiful Girl who never showed weakness in the main story, revealing just a glimpse of vulnerability.

The lap pillow is something that depends on the cooperation of both the giver and the receiver—it’s not an exaggeration to say that.

If she’s going to offer the ultimate lap pillow as a beautiful girl, then I must present myself as a Mysterious Beautiful Girl who shows just a sliver of weakness.

To do that, I’d have to wear myself out, become battered, mentally and physically.

If you’re going to receive a lap pillow, you’d better at least fight angels non-stop for a month without sleep.

『You’re an unbelievable pervert.』

It’s a rare lap pillow.

Wouldn’t it be better if the body receiving it was utterly exhausted?

I! Want to enjoy! A beautiful girl’s lap pillow! To the fullest!

『I’m regretting suggesting it so casually. Who knew lap pillows had such depth?』

But newbies can offer lap pillows casually＾＾

Casual lap pillows are trendy nowadays.

If we raise the bar too high and reduce the number of lap pillow players, we veteran lap pillow players will be in trouble.

『Never heard of such a community before.』

Seems like Starreader’s Staff-chan still doesn’t know the ways of the world.

I’ll teach you later.

For now, I must complete my big-sister act toward Miyume-chan.

If I tried something like this with Clam-chan, she’d probably attack me… so this is a rare opportunity.

『Give Clam a lap pillow too＾＾ She might clean your ears in return＾＾』

You think I’d fall for such an obvious trap?

If I did that, I’d go from Mysterious Beautiful Girl to just a weak, pitiful girl.

…Though that might be fine too.

“—Sorciera-san, why did you come here?”

Interrupting my meaningful meeting with Starreader’s Staff-chan, Miyume-chan suddenly asked.

Smiling mysteriously, I combed through Miyume-chan’s hair.

“Hehe, no reason. Don’t worry about it.”

“…Are you, maybe, worried about me?”

“………………Who knows?”

Crap.

Now it’s getting hard to bring up asking for weapon crafting.

What do we do, Starreader’s Staff-chan?

At this rate, my weapon is…!

And I’ve even been practicing performances for the new weapon!

『Calm down. Wait for the right moment.』

Y-Yeah, you’re right!

A Mysterious Beautiful Girl must always be cool!

Let’s leave out-of-character cool wannabes and fan-added moe traits to the fanfiction!

I, the official one, will remain a solitary Mysterious Beautiful Girl!

『It’s already weird you’re self-canonizing as content, but you’re surprisingly tolerant of shallow fanfics too…』

Fan activity energizes the official material too.

“You say that, but you’re kind, aren’t you, Sorciera-san?”

“It’s just a whim. Stars shining in the sky light all people equally.”

When I stroked Miyume-chan, her face softened ticklishly.

This atmosphere, it’s delicious～＾＾

Let’s inhale it all into our lungs before we go＾＾

『Don’t just randomly act creepy out of nowhere.』

But I only show this side to you, Starreader’s Staff-chan.

『FFFFFUUUUU—!? R-Really!? Well, of course, naturally!』

Yeah, I’ve figured out how to handle you lately.

You’re just like an overly affectionate dog.

『Partner♥ I’ll make you all gooey and ruined today♥ Even if you cry or scream, I won’t stop♥ I’ll make sure your body understands it belongs to me♥♥♥』

Maybe not a dog, maybe a grizzly.

A starved, ultra-aggressive grizzly.

“…Do you think I’ll get to meet my sister?”

And then Miyume-chan drops a heavy topic.

Starreader’s Staff-chan in front, Miyume-chan behind.

Man, being a Mysterious Beautiful Girl is tough.

『You caused both problems, though.』

Can’t argue with that.

Therefore, I’ll take full responsibility and complete my Mysterious Move!

“If that’s what you wish. Then surely, it will come true.”

I let out a small smile.

The key here is that it’s a slightly gentler smile than usual.

That way, I etch the Mysterious Beautiful Girl’s smile into this genius’s mind.

Standing before Miyume-chan is the Mysterious Beautiful Girl she’ll never forget!

“…Thank you. I feel like I can do this now!”

With those words, Miyume-chan slowly sat up.

Maybe because she’d been lying down, her face looked refreshed.

In exchange, both my legs were numb.

Starreader’s Staff-chan, I can’t stand up.

『Ugh…』

I should probably train myself not to get numb in these moments.

Mysterious Beautiful Girls don’t get numb legs.

A true Mysterious Beautiful Girl can offer a lap pillow for hours with a serene expression.

“Sorciera-san, thank you!”

“It’s no big deal, really.”

In response to my words, Miyume-chan shook her head.

“No, now that I think about it, you’ve always helped me, and I’ve never thanked you. Please, let me repay you. I may not look it, but I’m confident in making things!”

Miyume-chan, rotating her shoulders eagerly, was full of motivation.

This is… a weapon-making chance, isn’t it?

“Well then, I’ll ask you for a favor.”

“Yes!”

I summoned an unnecessarily grand magic circle and connected it to my expanded domain.

Then I pulled out a piece of an angel’s skull and horn.

Processed safely by Starreader’s Staff-chanand sealed in a mechanical case, they looked quite dramatic like this.

Even though it’s just remains of a weak angel.

“Eh… Eh!?”

Seeing it with her Mystic Eye of Logic, she must’ve realized what it was.

Miyume-chan looked between my face and the angel remains.

“T-This is… that rumored angel thing, isn’t it…?”

“Oh, you know it? Yes, this is an angel’s corpse. It had quite the interesting ability, so I thought I’d have some fun with it.”

I placed a memory chip on the table.

Then, sipping my tea, I said:

“I want you to make a weapon using this angel as material. The base blueprint is in here.”

“A weapon using an angel…!”

Maybe her inner researcher got stirred, but Miyume-chan was now gazing at the angel’s remains with sparkling eyes.

Such sparkly eyes, how cute＾＾

If she wants it that much, maybe I’ll give her the leftover materials?

『That’s not something you just give away.』

“If there’s anything left over, feel free to use it however you like.”

“Eeh!?”

『Eeh!? Seriously!?』

Miyume-chan wouldn’t misuse it. It’s fine, it’s fine!

『Well… okay, though technically that angel could wipe out humanity…』

As if that weakling could. Beating Rokuhara is the real starting line.

“I-Is that really okay?”

“Of course. Exceptional engineers deserve fair compensation.”

“But, something like an angel…”

This is… a Mysterious Move chance!

『Eh?』

In the moment Miyume-chan looks away—I teleport!

If the person you were just talking to suddenly disappears, it gives off that strong character feel!

Quickly, teleport now!

『So busy, geez.』

Ah, don’t forget the teacup!

In Chroma, I left it and someone stole it. That place has surprisingly bad security!

『Alright, teleporting—』

Later, Miyume-chan＾＾

Let’s meet again on another starry night＾＾

■

“When you think about it, should someone really own something like this personally—”

The next time Miyume looked toward Sorciera, she was gone.

The teacup, and she herself, had vanished without a trace, as if they were illusions.

“…She must be really busy.”

Miyume nodded as if understanding, and picked up the memory chip.

She loaded the data into her dive gear and opened it on a virtual window.

“This is definitely a blueprint. Wow, it’s well made.”

Seeing it, Miyume could tell that whoever made it was incredibly skilled.

“This will be really fun to make!”

Her motivation soared.

A fascinating blueprint—and a perfect opportunity to repay someone important.

No reason not to be fired up.

“This must be the blueprint, and this is the angel data—”

The data was divided into several files.

Miyume opened the file that seemed to detail the angel.

And then.

“…This is—”

She realized it instantly the moment she saw it.

The details included careful notes on how to handle it—clearly made with someone else in mind.

More than anything, the angel’s authority—

“An angel that governs death…”

Not death through physical injury or soul destruction.

But death as a concept itself.

Why Sorciera gave her such a thing—Miyume understood immediately.

“From the start, she meant to give me this… to help my research…”

Miyume was a smart girl.

That’s why she understood Sorciera’s true intentions.

“You really are too kind, huh.”

She said that to the absent Sorciera.

Then, taking a deep breath, she slapped her cheeks to get pumped.

“…Alright! I’ll make a weapon so amazing, it’ll blow Sorciera-san away!”

Miyume returned to her workspace and immediately began crafting.

(If this lets me repay her, even a little…!)

Miyume’s long night was only just beginning.