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“Hey, Natsuki, I’m here—wow, you’re really wearing a maid outfit, huh!”
A noisy group arrived. When I looked over to the guide, I saw a group of ten classmates, including Souta and Hiura, waving at me. Wait, what happened to Hiura’s club activities?
“Did they really come…?”
Despite it being after five o’clock, the shop was already nearly full. Just after school, a large group of Suzakura students had swarmed in, causing a flood of orders. I had actually wanted to handle the guidance, but there was no time for that, and noticing that, Tachibana-san stepped forward to guide them. Her maid outfit swayed gracefully as she walked with a confident step.
“Welcome. You’re Natsuki’s friends, right?”
“Ah, yes! We’re in the same class—”
It seems they had expected me to come for the guidance, so they straightened up when Tachibana-san appeared instead. We’re the same age, so there was no need to be so tense.
“I recognize you two. You’re the ones who supported Natsuki during the cavalry battle and the ones who stayed till the end, right?”
“You remember us?!”
“Ah, I’m Hiura! I’m Natsuki’s best friend—”
“Oi, wait, that’s me! I’m Souta, nice to meet you…”
Back in the classroom, Souta and Hiura had been saying things like, “We’re totally going to make it!” or “Make sure you invite me to your wedding,” but now, faced with Tachibana-san, they looked like a couple of timid kittens. Even in a maid outfit, Tachibana-san’s aura remained unchanged.
“Heh, you guys are so energetic. Is it alright to sit a bit apart?”
“Ah, no problem at all! We could even sit on the floor!”
Amidst the noise, Souta and the others were guided to their seats. While I prepared for the impending flood of chatter, Tachibana-san returned to me after finishing the guidance.
“Natsuki, everything alright over there?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. By the way, did those guys say anything weird to you?”
I had warned them thoroughly, but they tend to forget things quickly. I couldn’t rule out that they might have said something they shouldn’t.
Tachibana-san looked thoughtful for a moment before giving me a meaningful look.
“…I wonder. I’ve forgotten.”
With that, she left to attend to the others.
…No, something definitely happened. I quickly headed over to Souta.
“Oh, Natsuki. Running like that, your panties might show, huh?”
“I’m wearing spats, so it’s not embarrassing! More importantly, did you guys say anything weird to Tachibana-san!?”
I cut off Souta’s casual joke with a serious tone, and the air around us tensed. They all looked around, as if silently asking for help. Something definitely happened.
“…Didn’t I tell you? Never say anything weird to Tachibana-san.”
“N-no, it’s not like that… It was just a little slip-up…”
“And what did you say?”
That was the real issue.
These guys, whenever someone starts to get close to a girlfriend, they condemn them by shouting, “That’s cheating!” but if they see someone hesitating, they egg them on with “Just confess, you’ll be fine!” I never understand what they’re thinking, and that’s exactly why I can’t predict what they might have said.
“…Well, we never considered Tachibana-san as a romantic interest, right? Honestly, she’s way too cool for that, so it’s more like…”
“Yeah, I remember you saying something like that.”
Wasn’t it during the Aotaka Festival? I couldn’t agree with that opinion at all, though.
“But when we saw her in the maid outfit today… she’s really cute, right? Like, it was a total ‘kyaa’ moment.”
Souta’s words made everyone nod in agreement. So that’s why they were nervous during the guidance. They were surprised at how unexpectedly cute Tachibana-san looked.
“Ah, no, don’t get the wrong idea! We’re not trying to get in the way of Natsuki’s love life, okay? We just wanted to tell her that the maid outfit looks cute, that’s all.”
“And then?”
I wasn’t going to bother responding to the love life comment, so I ignored it. As for Souta’s story, it was more innocent than I expected. If that was all, it was just regular small talk. Souta really didn’t need to be so nervous.
“She said ‘Thank you.’ And then… she asked me something.”
“She asked you something?”
At that point, Souta started whispering something to the others. But after a short time, he must have come to a decision, because he turned to me with a serious look.
“…Do you think Natsuki is cute?”
A shock ran through me. I had no idea how to respond. I could feel my face involuntarily softening, so I clenched my jaw tightly.
“Sorry, I kinda answered, ‘Natsuki would probably think she’s cute too.’ There was no other way to answer, you know.”
Souta’s words didn’t quite reach me. One question kept swirling in my mind: Why would Tachibana-san ask such a thing?
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Mnotia[Translator]
Just a guy translating stuff.