Sakurajima Mai's famous name automatically triggered many strange phrases in Hayashi's mind without him needing to think.
Things like "people live for Sakurajima Mai."
Or "Youth Pig-Head Emperor won't meet Bunny Girl MacArthur."
In short, too many memes.
At the same time, Sakurajima Mai was a child star who had been extremely popular in Japan since childhood.
From elementary school, she remained popular until graduating middle school.
So popular that half of Japan knew Sakurajima Mai - she was even more famous than Takatsuki Sen.
Because she was a celebrity.
But all of this changed starting from the second half of her first year of high school.
Sakurajima Mai's attention and sense of presence suddenly began to become lower and lower.
It was visibly strange, in an eerie way.
People forgot her very naturally, as if they had never known her at all.
Even her mother often couldn't remember her.
By her second year of high school, this phenomenon became even more terrifying.
People began to be unable to see Sakurajima Mai! They directly ignored her existence!
In her second year, all the works Sakurajima Mai had left behind were forgotten by people.
No matter how popular she had been before.
Starting from her first year, by her second year everything was pretty much completely forgotten.
Until now in her third year.
Sakurajima Mai had gradually accepted this reality.
Because her attitude toward her celebrity status was also indifferent.
If she liked it, she liked it.
If she didn't like it, it was because her mother used Mai as a money-making tool, even requiring her to do swimsuit photoshoots when Mai was in middle school.
Compared to those swimsuits, Mai's current bunny girl outfit was actually conservative.
The bunny girl outfit only looked suggestive.
In reality, only the thighs were exposed - this was the ingenious part of the design.
But swimsuits were truly revealing.
So Mai didn't feel too desperate about her "Adolescence Syndrome" of being forgotten by others. Initially, she even felt somewhat relieved.
It was just that later it became too severe - the current state.
It caused many inconveniences in daily life.
Shopping was very difficult, and so on.
Today, Sakurajima Mai dressed like this for the first time.
The purpose was to test whether dressing more strikingly would attract attention from people around her.
The result was still that no one could see her.
Everyone was ignoring her.
She heard that today there was a writer called Kasumi Utako holding a book launch, supposedly writing very well.
So Sakurajima Mai came over to take a look.
To see if there might be any reaction.
But even though she was right next to them, everyone still had no reaction.
Wait, everyone...
"Wait a minute."
With her hands behind her back, Sakurajima Mai, who was looking around, noticed that someone seemed to be pointing their phone at her.
Was it an illusion?
Taking pictures of other people?
Like photographing Kasumigaoka Utaha?
Sakurajima Mai moved away a bit, walking to the side, and even looked back to confirm there was no one behind her.
The result... that phone was put away again!
"Was he taking pictures of me? Can that person see me?"
Sakurajima Mai was astonished.
With intense curiosity, her feet involuntarily walked over.
On the other side.
After seeing the bunny girl Sakurajima Mai.
Hayashi first took out his phone and searched for Sakurajima Mai's name.
Sure enough.
Three years ago, Sakurajima Mai's news and media coverage were extremely popular!
There were tons of works and news featuring Sakurajima Mai!
But the problem was...
All the exposure was from three years ago!
Two years ago, the exposure dropped off a cliff - almost nothing!
Even if someone posted related content, no one replied!
All exposure stopped three years ago!
"Amazing, this presence-erasing ability."
Hayashi first marveled, then got a bit excited.
"Bunny girl Mai, gotta take pictures quickly."
He switched his phone to video mode, then aimed at Mai, zooming in to record, capturing both video and photos.
After recording enough.
Hayashi put away his phone, opened the gallery, and checked his "hunting results."
In the photos, the bunny girl Mai.
Had a youthful charm mixed with allure, an innocent yet pure and seductive aura.
Slender limbs, deep eyes, a small face, and a model-like slim figure.
Her expression was a bit bored, but at the age of a high school senior, she still radiated mature laziness and charm.
Especially after putting on the bunny girl outfit.
That aura was simply incredible, truly beautiful.
After looking, Hayashi let out a long sigh and jokingly remarked:
"I agree with the saying that people live for Sakurajima Mai."
He wasn't serious, just making a meme reference.
After all, he lived for way too many things.
His second brother's needs were just one of them.
But just as Hayashi was speaking.
A bunny girl figure had quietly approached nearby.
Upon hearing this sentence.
Sakurajima Mai's face immediately turned red.
"?"
She kept her distance, secretly looking at Hayashi's phone.
Although she couldn't see clearly, the content inside was definitely herself.
For a moment.
Sakurajima Mai shyly said:
"Hentai~!"
"?" Hearing the familiar "hentai" voice.
Hayashi turned around and found the person in question had already come over.
He held up his phone, showing the bunny girl enlarged on screen to her.
"Why are you calling me hentai? What makes me hentai?"
"I..." Seeing herself in the photo, Sakurajima Mai immediately became shy.
Previously, knowing that others couldn't see her, she had been so bold.
But now knowing she could be seen, she would naturally feel shy.
Sakurajima Mai used both hands to cover the tops of her thighs.
Her face flushed red, but she asked curiously:
"Can you see me?"
"?" Hayashi thought she was being a bit silly: "Then who am I talking to?"
"But... why can't they all see me?" Sakurajima Mai looked at others, still confused: "It's not just that they can't see me, they can't even remember my existence."
Not being seen was just visual.
But the forgetting of one's presence was about the brain, habits, memory - the entire world.
The difference was enormous.
As for Sakurajima Mai's situation.
It could be called an ability, or it could be called magic.
In any case, it was very similar to Tohru's presence-concealing magic.
Ordinary people couldn't see it, but those with strong five senses, sixth sense, intuition, consciousness, etc. could - meaning only the strong could see her.
Hayashi thought about it and explained using others as examples.
"In the ordinary world, your situation can't be changed unless you can control your own ability."
"But those powerful ghouls and demons, as well as powerful humans, can discover you."
Hearing this sentence, Sakurajima Mai realized how much danger she had avoided these three years.
At least she had avoided many threats from ghouls and demons.
But one thing made her more curious.
"So if you can see me, does that mean you're also very strong?"
"I... should be quite strong."
"How strong?"
"If I wanted to do something to you, probably no one could stop me."
"!"
"I was talking about taking photos just now."
"I... I was definitely thinking about photos too."
That's what Sakurajima Mai said, but her blushing couldn't lie.
Hayashi smiled slightly.
Mai was shy for a while, but then various questions brought her back to her senses, and she continued asking:
"So what's wrong with me? Why have people been treating me as if I don't exist these past few years?"
"Hmm..." Hayashi thought about it: "You could say it's an ability problem."
"An ability?"
"There are ghouls and demons, so what's wrong with abilities?"
"True, so what kind of ability is this?"
"Of course it's a presence-erasing ability." Hayashi crossed his arms: "It's just that you can't control your ability right now, so as you grow, your ability gets stronger and more effective."
"If initially you could only make B-rank or A-rank ghouls forget you, then now you can make S-rank, even SS-rank ghouls forget your existence."
"In a way, you're quite strong too. You'd definitely be amazing as an assassin - you could stab whoever you want, a pure female killer."
Sakurajima Mai was left speechless by Hayashi's description.
But mentioning female killer.
She was very interested and asked again: "I could become a female assassin? Female killer?"
Having been an actress, she had played many roles, but never a female assassin.
"Cough cough." Hayashi immediately imagined investigator plot scenarios.
Then he patted his head and added: "You do have potential. After all, this ability makes stealth too powerful - you could even stealth in broad daylight."
"But the prerequisite is that you need to be able to control it freely. Otherwise, where would you go to receive missions? And even if you did, what if the middleman forgets you?"
"Send another one? That would be stealing jobs."
If Sakurajima Mai could freely control this ability.
What would Assassin's Creed be?
She, Sakurajima Mai, would be the king of assassins!
"Oh oh, I understand." Sakurajima Mai had a sudden realization.
Then she reacted: "So how should I control this ability? These past three years, it's gotten stronger and stronger. I can't even buy things anymore - cashiers ignore me."
Cashiers ignore you?
Hayashi exclaimed - divine zero-cost shopping body!!
Others have daily limits.
You could shop until stores go bankrupt!
But how to control and train this ability, Hayashi really wasn't sure.
Although in the anime, she needed to have the world remember her again to gradually recover, like shouting Mai's name loudly.
But in Hayashi's view, this was more like being exposed.
This should be an ability.
It's just that everyone doesn't know how to control it.
After all, in this mixed anime world with ghouls, demons, other worlds, and dragons.
So having this kind of ability, "Adolescence Syndrome" alone couldn't explain it - it was very likely just an ability.
Maybe even the Evil King's True Eye was real.
"Hmm..." Hayashi seriously thought about it: "There might be two methods."
"What?!" Sakurajima Mai was very curious, immediately getting closer to Hayashi and listening carefully.
"First, increase your exposure." Hayashi held up a finger: "Like livestreaming, forcibly making people see you, or you could semi-return to the entertainment industry."
"Second, find a strong person and repeatedly train the feeling of presence - that elusive sensation." Hayashi roughly described: "It's like being there but not being there. Find that feeling and practice repeatedly."
You could even understand this ability as a Devil Fruit.
First find the feeling, then just practice repeatedly.
Sakurajima Mai was puzzled: "Would practicing in front of ordinary people be useless?"
"With many people it might be useful, which is why I suggested livestreaming." Hayashi shook his head: "But your ability has reached this level - no matter what you do, individual ordinary people will never be able to notice you."
"With your current level of presence intensity, you could even star in the female version of train molester scenarios. So how would you find that feeling of being discovered?"
As soon as he finished speaking.
Sakurajima Mai stammered in denial: "Who... who would act in those kind of train scenarios!"
"I was using a metaphor. Anyway, it's up to you."
"Mm, alright then. Anyway, thank you. By the way, I still don't know your name."
"Hayashi, manager of a restaurant called Midnight Diner."
"Really? You look so young. Where is it located?"
"Young people can't be managers? It's in Ward 20, at xxx... location."
"Okay, anyway I'll..."
Sakurajima Mai hadn't finished speaking.
Hayashi's phone rang.
He gave Mai an apologetic look, then answered.
"Hello, Tohru."
"Hayashi-san, where are you again? Kanna has finished looking around, we're coming to find you."
"At the tennis gymnasium. There are signs on the road. How does Kanna feel?"
"We're coming then. Kanna quite likes it, but hasn't decided yet."
"Mm, come over first."
After hanging up.
Sakurajima Mai heard Hayashi's way of addressing and tilted her head in confusion: "Tohru?"
What kind of name was Tohru? Didn't sound like a local.
Hayashi was very honest and never lied: "Tohru is a dragon who has now transformed into a girl. Now you understand what kind of existence your ability is, right?"
"A dragon?!" Sakurajima Mai was stunned: "There are dragons in this world too?"
"There are already ghouls and demons, so why can't there be dragons?" Hayashi looked puzzled.
It's not like ghouls and demons had bad names and were very common.
While dragons being legendary made them feel non-existent.
Hearing there really were dragons, and transformed into girls at that.
Sakurajima Mai immediately became interested. She stayed by the side and asked amiably:
"Can I watch from nearby?"
"?" Hayashi glanced at Mai: "I'm not driving you away."
"Just being polite." Sakurajima Mai coughed.
Soon after.
Tohru entered the gymnasium with Kanna.
Thanks to their vision and abilities.
Tohru's eyes swept once and immediately spotted Hayashi in the corner of the crowd, bringing Kanna over right away.
When Sakurajima Mai saw Kanna.
She directly exclaimed: "Kawaii~! Is she your daughter?"
"???" Question marks nearly appeared above Hayashi's head: "What are you thinking? Kanna looks about 10 years old. Did some bad woman take advantage of me when I was 12?"
When the young takes advantage of the old, it's called taking the big car.
When the old takes advantage of the young, it's naturally called taking the small car.
Sakurajima Mai's face turned red: "I just suddenly thought of it... After all, you're quite good-looking too, and Kanna is very cute. You look a bit similar."
Speaking of which.
"...." Hayashi rubbed the corner of his mouth: "Then I won't blame you."
A while later.
Tohru came over with Kanna.
Seeing the girl next to Hayashi, Tohru first widened her eyes slightly, memorizing this outfit and thinking Hayashi really liked it, then curiously asked:
"Hayashi-san, she has a very strange ability fluctuation on her, conflicting with my recognition magic."
Hearing this, Hayashi raised his eyebrows at Mai: "See? It's an ability."
Sakurajima Mai looked at the two with some curiosity.
"Are you dragons, so you can both see me?"
Kanna stared at Sakurajima Mai, frowning, suddenly pointing at her.
"Lewd erotic woman, I won't allow you to take Hayashi away from Tohru and me using this body and these clothes."
Hayashi couldn't hold back after hearing the first few words.
He covered his mouth in advance to suppress his laughter.
Tohru was surprised for a moment, quickly picked up Kanna and covered her mouth.
"Mmph~!"
Sakurajima Mai was stunned for a moment, then immediately turned red all over.
Not just her face - this time her face, legs, and ears, basically all exposed parts of her body turned red, like she had just finished a sauna.
She immediately hid behind Hayashi, hurriedly explaining:
"This is a test, my ability is very strange."
After saying this, she patted Hayashi's back and earnestly pleaded:
"Help me explain, Hayashi-san, please. If such a small Kanna misunderstands, I really would die."
---
Advanced 30+ Chapters in pat/reon.com/KyokaSuigetsu