???
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Umm...
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Hey, you're an Ultimate student, right? Can we talk—
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Ummmm...
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Hm? Did she not hear me? Okay, then...
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Heeeey! Hellooooo!
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Ummmmmm...
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What? She still can't hear me? Maybe she's a really detailed mannequin?
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...No, I don't think that's the case...
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You never know. We already saw a moving teddy bear. As I said that, I poked her cheek... ...and felt her skin squish beneath my fingertip.
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Umm...
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Poking her doesn't work either? Then...maybe she is just a doll. But she looks so real! Try it, Shuichi! Poke, poke!
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Ah, no thanks...
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Just do it! It's so fun! As I grabbed his hand to make him poke her other cheek...
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I never thought I'd be poked from both sides. How truly unexpected.
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Ah!
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So she wasn't a mannequin. Well, I knew that.
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If you knew that, why did you make me poke her?
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Because she wasn't responding.
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Oh, I didn't mean any harm... I was just deep in thought. So I thought if I ignored you, you'd go somewhere else.
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You were ignoring us? Isn't that a bit rude?
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Umm, well isn't it rude to force someone to talk when they don't want to? Oh, but it's fine. I feel like talking now.
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Now, let's talk. What do you want to start with? My favorite Doraemon episode is #53. The one with security cameras and target practice.
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Um, before you talk about that... Can you tell us your name?
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Oh, my name is Tsumugi Shirogane. I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer.
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So you're...a cosplayer.
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Are you...surprised? I get that a lot, since I'm so plain.
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I mean, it sorta makes sense. You have this strange, almost sexy aura about you.
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I bet it's because you've got people ogling all your curves on a daily basis, huh?
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Kaede...you sound like a creepy old man...
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Normally, I don't really like people looking at me like that...
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I just like making cosplay. I'm fine with others wearing them...
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But lately, more cosplayers are putting themselves before their characters.
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I'd rather wear my outfits myself, with love, than give them to people like that.
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Wow...you're pretty intense.
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It makes me happy when I get to show people the outfits I've made. And thanks to my sponsors, I can use materials that are just plain expensive.
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Ohhhh! Well, of course the Ultimate Cosplayer would have sponsors!
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It's not a big deal. People just crowd around like I'm a panda at the zoo.
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That's so amazing... You're pretty much a celebrity, you know?
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Ah, is it alright if I ask you something too? Earlier...you looked as if you were thinking hard about something. What was it?
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Oh, yeah! We needed to ask her that! Nice job, Shuichi!
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Ah...that bronze dragon statue over there. I'm just plain curious about it.
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It almost seems like it's floating, right? Doesn't it look pretty out of place?
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Now that you mention it...you're right. It sorta bothers me, too.
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This is a school, right? But everything here is so weird, isn't it? There's trees and grass growing inside, I can't find any exits... And it seems like we're the only people here...
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Are we...going to be okay? Are we going to be able to get out?
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...
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Kaede? What's wrong?
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Hehe, that frightened look on her face was sorta sexy.
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...This again?
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I'm just kidding... Well, it's not a big deal. Our present situation is our main concern. Once it's over, we'll be good and dandy.
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You're...pretty optimistic, Kaede.
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Well, people do say I'm carefree!
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Worrying won't get you anywhere, you know. It's better to just be carefree.
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Yeah...I guess so. Being all depressed won't help anything.
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Yeah. So, let's try to find a way out.
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