When the last model had left, a signboard read "TOTALING" and they were put on standby. The lights dimmed and the room became dimly lit, and the lingering echoes of the lively atmosphere lingered in my mind.
I was concerned about Alina's condition.
I did not know if her personality was still switched or if it had returned to its original state.
But there is a part of me that thinks this is the way Alina should be. Now that they are in control, this is the state they want to be in. It's not my place to worry about every little thing. That's what I tell myself to convince myself.

First of all, my original promise to Dr. Akakusa was to 'change my tone and attitude.
It is muddled, but it suggests that he will invoke his basic personality and submerge his main personality.
This has now been accomplished. The only problem is that it will not last, not for long.

'Let's see who wins.

Aki senior muttered.

That would be Dr. Akakusa. He wins hands down.
'Wow. That's just cosplay. I'm sorry about that.

I can't say it back. You're right, it was just cosplay.

I think it's Alina. First of all, the material.
'I'm sure it'll be up there. But not as high as Dr. Akakusa.
'Too much guesswork'.

After a few moments, the "Tallying" sign came down, and the lights lit up the aisles again.
The presenter was also illuminated, and the results were finally announced. The crowd was buzzing and the excitement was about to come back to life.

The crowd is buzzing and the excitement is about to come to life. The results are in and models please come out!'

The MC said cheerfully.
The models who had entered the competition came out from behind the partition and lined up side by side. Alina was there, but she was no Alina with a tongue. She looked fragile, fragile, fragile enough to want to wrap herself up in. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes moved restlessly.
Could it be that we would be switching places again for the next two days?
I was worried.
Not rational anxiety. Instinctively, from the bottom of my heart, I was worried. The possibility that Alina, with her tongue... might not come back. I might never see her frown again.

For the first time, I became aware of the existence of the contradiction swirling in my heart.

I am pleased to announce the third place! Entry number 9! Aiyo Goto! Congratulations!

The third place winner steps forward. She looked very good in her indigo one-piece dress. The winner was crying. She was not so much happy as 'Why didn't I win the first prize? The tears seemed to be oozing with frustration. I'm serious. Like a man who gets unusually serious at a gymnastics festival.
That's scary.

Here is the second place winner! Entry number 13! It's Kanaka Midorikawa! Congratulations!

What the hell?
There's only one left. You've got to choose between Alina and Dr. Akakusa! What are you going to do!

'I'm going to have to go with Alina.
'Too soon, senpai. There's Dr. Akakusa.
'You never give up until the end. ......'

Ignoring Aki, who is still reeling, I turn my attention to the moderator again. The MC noticed my eyes and looked a little scared. It can't be helped. I reminded him, "Mr. Akakusa, Mr. Akakusa! It is understandable if he thinks I am a psycho. I'm sorry, Mr. Moderator.

I'm going to announce the first place.

All right, say it, say it!
I was so nervous I couldn't stop shaking my poor body.

'Entry number ......'

Nineteen! Nineteen! Nineteen!

'Number 16!

Huh?

You read the first number wrong, Mr. Moderator. Okay, 6 and 9 are so simple that you can decrease or increase the number by three just by standing on your head, so it's no wonder you got it wrong. Now's the time to correct it.
No, wait.
Six and nine... those are Arabic numerals. What if the numbers of the winners are written in Chinese characters? Six and nine. Impossible.
But I won't give up hope. They wrote it in Arabic and misspelled six and nine. It's got to be.

It's Alina Hinoha! Congratulations!

God is dead.
Alina smiled, frightened. She is smiling, but seems embarrassed.

'Heh heh heh. Thank you very much.

The stage was decorated with applause and music.


The boys seemed to be attracted by Alina's cute behavior, which they usually don't see, and they were shouting. Some of them are taking pictures with their cell phones. Like war photographers caught up in recording a scene from history. A Pulitzer Prize winner for sure.

'Aki-senpai. Did you bring a single-lens reflex camera?

Like a U.S. Army sniper, Aki was holding a single-lens reflex camera. The shutter was loud and noisy, though the flash was not always on.

Aki-senpai's shutter sound is ......
'Shh! It's a time we'll never have again!'

After receiving a reprimand, I decided to keep my mouth shut and watch. I wanted to ask him what he was going to do with all those pictures, but I guess that would be a foolish question. Aki's view of the world and my view of the world are very different.

The winners were given medals and some kind of souvenirs.
I noticed that many teachers came to see the ceremony. Most of them were women. There were a few old teachers here and there. I would have called 110 if an old teacher had been filming. By the way, it is allowed for me to point my phone at Mr. Akakusa. Please forgive my youthful indiscretion. Pasha.

The fashion show is over and we, the audience, have to leave.
As the models wave, I catch the last glimpse of Alina.
Our eyes met.

She is ......

I couldn't hear him over the cheers, but I recognized him by the way his mouth moved.
He knows me. She remembers meeting me in the infirmary.
I wonder what she'll tell me.






'Well, that was interesting.
I know. Thanks! Thanks to you, I got some good shots.'
'Please don't sell them at auction or anything.'
'I won't, I won't. Since when do you belong to Comet-kun?
I didn't mean it like that. I'm advising Aki-senpai not to become a criminal.
Ha-ha-ha. Ah, Alina-chan came out.

Alina came out of the classroom door on the partition side. It's instantly recognizable. It's not Alina with a tongue.
She was still wearing her crimson dress. A crimson mermaid line.

'Alina! Aarina-chan!

Aki-senpai skipped closer.

Oh, Aki-senpai!

Alina welcomes Aki with a twinkle in her eye and her arms outstretched. The two embraced without regard for others' eyes.
It was a funny sight to me. I couldn't imagine Alina ever touching another person.

The way it should be.

That's the word that comes to my mind. It's a scene I wish I could have.
But I was wishing for Alina with her tongue.
From what I can see, it looks like they met again in high school. Aki knew Alina was there, but didn't talk to her. In other words, he does not know that she has a dual personality.
Good timing, I guess.
The contact I had feared between Alina and Aki was averted.

'You were so beautiful, Alina-chan! I'm a girl, but I'm in love with you! Ghehehehe'.
'Senpai, please stop. I'm embarrassed. ......'
'Sorry, sorry! Come on, comet, you saw it too! Come here, comet!

I didn't like it. Because I don't know her. I know what Alina looks like, but right now she's a mass of unknowns.
It's like dealing with someone who has amnesia, a feeling of helplessness. She is in me, but I am not in her. We are complete strangers. In other words, the past has never happened. Nothing could be sadder. I'm all alone in my memory.

I don't know what to look like.

I could try to be friendly, but that would be absolutely painful and unnatural.
My strangerliness is also strange. Aki would get suspicious, and above all, it would be awkward between me and Alina.
Aki turns her head when she sees me standing there.
I can't take a step forward.
I was scared.
In a corner of my mind, I'm screaming desperately for her to go back to her old self.
I wish it was just an act.
But in reality, Alina is a gentle angel. It's too cruel.

Come quickly, comet.

I couldn't believe my ears.
It wasn't Aki's voice. It was Alina Hiba's voice.
Alina called my name for the first time.
She had called me you, you, mill worm, pig feed, rift oil, and never mentioned my name even a millimeter, and yet she did it so easily.
I was genuinely happy. Never in my life have I been so happy just to hear someone call my name.

The only thing that made my heart tighten was the fact that it wasn't Alina with a poisonous tongue.