Chapter 733 - Interlude
『—Okaaay!!! And with that, we've wrapped up the first semifinal match, a red-hot battle between the rank two and rank three tag teams!!!!!』
『…Red-hot? Wasn't it more like bone-chilling? Physically, I mean.』
『We've got a little over ten minutes for the interval before the second match! Let's kill some time with our guests for some thoughts, analysis, and all that good stuff!!!』
『Mhm.』
『………………Um, well.』
『So with that! Let's welcome our three guests, starting with [Thread-Weaver], Natsume-chan!』
『Ah, um. Yes, it's a pleasure…』
『So quiet! Are you nervous? So cute!!!』
『Huh? N-No, it's not like—』
『And and! Next up is』
『You're just gonna tease me and leave me hanging…!?』
『The number of votes for her on the pre-event survey was just insane, so I guess it was inevitable, but as always, we have Iris-sama with us! So sorry to make you talk so much…!』
『It's fine. Don't worry about it.』
『So generous, a true princess…! Okaaay, and last but not least!』
『Wait, hang on. You see, I have a match right after this—』
『Welcome, [Acrobat]! This is a perfectly good gap in your schedule, and I'm not letting you go!!!』
『Seriously…』
『Good work.』
『Yeah… Ah, no, you too. Are you okay? Your throat must be sore from talking all day… then again, of course you're fine.』
『Fufu… Mhm. Thank goodness for our virtual reality avatars, right?』
『No doubt about it. My tomorrow is probably going to be spent just resting…』
『……—』
『Huh? Wh-What's this, wait, wait, wait, hey! What's the meaning of this movement? Why are you trying to get closer?! Stop! Hands up! State your business from where you are!』
『Lend me your ear.』
『No, I can't. In fact, that request itself is already borderline. Please, restrain yourself.』
『………………What is this? Can I go home? Hey, host, can you do something about this—』
『—PFFFFT-KAY!!! That surprised me!!! What do you think you're doing, flirting so openly?! I'll sue you! If you're gonna do that kind of stuff, please do it after announcing, "We're starting now!" when the cameras are rolling!!!』
『The cameras are rolling, you know.』
『I'm telling you off because the cameras are rolling.』
『The cameras are rolling. …Haru, can I have a word with you later?』
『Well, yeah, but maybe that's not okay either…』
『Okaaay!!! Okaaay!!!!! This rom-com is about to eat up our entire interval, so I'm forcibly moving things along! …Natsume-chan will do it!!!!!』
『Wha-!? W-Why me—』
『『『…………』』』
『Don't you all go quiet in perfect sync!』
『Alright, that's enough teasing the cute little kitty cat for now.』
『How far is for now!? How far did the 'teasing me' part of the script go…!』
『…She's a natural-born teasing character, Nacchan-senpai.』
『I can hear you even if you whisper, Haru, you bastard…! And don't think you can just make that nickname stick…!』
『Whoa, sharp ears, just like a cat.』
『I'll strangle you.』
『Scary. There, there, Nacchan, calm down.』
『—Wha- Hah, nyah…!?』
『…I think Haru probably shortened it out of consideration for Natsume's complaint.』
『WHY DID YOU DROP THE SENPAI PART?!』
『I prioritized familiarity.』
『SEE, THIS GUY ISN'T CUTE AT ALL!!! Princess, what do you even like about him!?』
『……………………………………Is it okay?』
『Of course it's not okay. Please stop, I'm sorry, I was wrong, forgive me.』
『Aah, this is impossible, this guest selection was an accident. Hey staff, what should we do! —Eh? It's hilarious so just let them do whatever? You guys are awesome! In that case, Nonomi-chan will just shut up and become part of the wall!』
『Do your job, [Brilliant Beauty of Color]!!!』
After this, Iris smoothly steered the conversation back on track, and they had a proper discussion.