[ even though the kiss had been false, raika finds himself having to catch his breath after they separate. okay, yes, pushing hiyori away had been rude, but it would have been stranger still to have suddenly gone soft at the goal, right?

praises from the portrait seemed initially promising, thank goodness. however the unconvinced voice of the third trio member was a definite concern, making raika's stony expression flicker to regret for a moment. if he'd messed up their chances by getting too realistic with his feelings, he'd actually feel pretty guilty about it. he opens his mouth, prepared to defend himself, but finds himself surprisingly cut off by Hiyori's defense.

there's no way to tell how honest hiyori is being with his reasoning, how much is just being said to placate the painting and get them moving. either way, raika does find himself remarkably put at ease by it, even meeting the poke to his shoulder with a matching lean into it.

he waits until they're moving again, the teasing trio murmuring animatedly about their next targets, to address the question the painting had poised himself. ]

I just thought honesty would be more convincing. Playing a character isn't really for me. And...

[ he had warned from the start... that wasn't his kind of fanservice!!

removing his glasses from the robe's pocket, he slips them on with a sigh. ]

I think you worked out the rest. Thankyou for your help, Hiyori-san.