"Hum-hum-hum~"
Humming the BGM from Slippery Girls, Marin sat on her bedroom rug, leaning against the sofa and staring at her phone.
[Friend request accepted! Let's chat!]
The notification popped up, and Marin sat bolt upright. She couldn't stop grinning.
Marin: [Hi~ Juju-sama~]
Shinju: [I'm not my sister.]
Marin: [Not Juju-sama? Are you her little sister then?]
Marin played dumb at first. Reading the message, Shinju felt a pang of sadness. Did Sister not even mention me? I guess having a sister like me really is embarrassing.
Shinju: [Yes, I'm her younger sister. You can just call me Shinju, Marin-chan.]
Marin: [No need for 'Marin-chan.' My name is Marin Kitagawa. Just call me Marin, like your sister does~]
Marin began guiding Shinju through the process of adding the [Baumkuchen] tag to the profile. Soon, a small icon appeared next to the account name. Shinju was a bit confused—the icon showed a Baumkuchen cake overflowing with massive amounts of white cream.
The logo hadn't been designed by Rin, but by Mashiro. That overflowing cream was a testament to Mashiro's literal love for the cake.
Marin: [So, Shinju-chan, do you cosplay like Sajuna? I haven't seen any of your photos on the account.]
Marin: [Or are you just too shy to post them?]
Shinju: [N-no. I'm... I'm not cute like Sister. So I don't take photos.]
Marin: [Cosplay is about love, not about being 'cute'!]
Marin: [Besides, if Sajuna is that cute, how could her sister be bad?]
Marin: [Let me see one! Please!]
Shinju looked at her tall reflection in the mirror and bit her lip. How could someone like me cosplay? If I tried to dress up as a magical girl like Sister... it would be an insult to the character!
No matter how much Marin begged, Shinju refused. But Marin had other ways.
Shinju: [I look weird. I'm not small and cute like Sister. I'm... way too big.]
Marin: [So you won't cosplay because you think you're not cute?]
Shinju: [Yes. P-please stop asking.]
Shinju was frustrated. Boys and girls at school made fun of her for her size. Why wouldn't Marin believe her?
Marin: [Sajuna is so cute, I don't believe you. It must be in your head.]
Marin: [By the way... you know there are girls online who cosplay just to... well, what do you think of them?]
Shinju: [They're very beautiful.]
Marin: [Right? Whether it's Photoshop or makeup, they make themselves look cute to find a 'Daddy.']
Marin: [Men are simple creatures. When they see a cute girl, their bodies are very honest.]
Marin: [So... I have a way to prove if you're cute or not. Want to try it?]
While Marin was baiting Shinju, Chika Fujiwara felt like her world was ending. Her breasts were leaking sweet milk intermittently. After spending a day searching the internet in her room, she had concluded she either had cancer or was dying.
Bullshit!
She knew it was "pregnancy." She wanted to smash her phone. The internet was useless; she needed a hospital. But going alone was terrifying. She could imagine the doctors looking at her with pity—Poor girl, coming for a checkup without even a boyfriend...
She opened her chat with Rin. He was the only one who could go with her. And he was the father. She stroked her belly with a maternal smile. It's okay, little baby. Even if he doesn't admit it, I'll raise you alone if I have to.
She took a deep breath and called Rin.
Click.
Hung up on. She called again. Hung up on again.
On the other end, Kaguya Shinomiya, her face flushed with the afterglow of sex, frowned at the phone. She looked down at Rin, who was currently underneath her.
"Chika? Why is that fox calling you so late?"
"I don't know. Just hang up. It's probably nothing."
Kaguya was annoyed, but her curiosity got the better of her. She hit answer and put it on speaker.
"Hello? Rin Ito?"
"Yeah, it's me. What's up?"
"Um... I... well... uh..." Chika stuttered. Kaguya's brow furrowed. This didn't sound like the "Earth's Cancer" at all. Where was her usual chaotic energy?
"If it's nothing, I'm hanging up. I'm busy."
"Wait! Don't! I... I have something to tell you!" Chika shouted. She knew if she didn't say it now, she'd never find the courage again.
"Okay, go ahead. I'm listening."
After several audible deep breaths, Chika spoke.
"You might not believe me, but it's the truth... I'm pregnant. It's your baby."
"...?"
Hearing those words through the speaker, Kaguya, still sitting on top of Rin, slowly shivered to pieces.